from Mt Mee...

November 30 2014

I am living at the right place. Just up the twisty road from my place is the Pitstop Cafe. 

 The view looking towards Brisbane. - from Mt Mee

whaddya know...

March 11 2015

Sure is good to be home. Finished work, took a coffee to the verandah and whaddya know.

in Singapore...

February 22 2015

From Germany's winter to Singapore's humidity. 

 At least there's no tremors of cyclones unlike home. For now. 

What's the bet everything will be quiet when I finally get home? 

I've been missing all the fun!

snow in Nuremberg...

January 20 2015

The happiness. It's snowing! Woo hoo!

I finally got my xmas present that I used to get as a customer, ginger cookies. They're brilliant. 

Good enough reason by itself to visit.

and the bike journey moves on...

Nathan Bartley comments - looking pretty damn happy...
Triumph Sprint GT

Wednesday 30.7.14 - I bought it.I've taken it for a spin down Pacific Drive. I need a grinectomy. Pig of a thing trying to reverse into a gravel parking spot when only the balls of my feet touching the ground. Otherwise...just wow.
I sure as hell hope I never drop it. I've been riding all afternoon, what a beautiful machine.

And this is where he has been...2013 Suzuki...

Time for Nuremberg...

In the next stage of Scott's exciting journey, he is connecting with a German company ... Keynote SIGOS ...

11.2.14 The interesting bit is I would be looking after Telstra as well, so visits to Melbourne will be semi regular. 

For now, he is in Nuremberg, till the end of March, learning the ropes, and then back to Australia...

7.3.14 Did I mention the good bit is the office has a very nice coffee machine?

Abu Dhabi airport
(Scott's photo)

Great Ocean Road Adventure

This is a view of the water bomber passing over my home to attend a nearby fire at McCrae, esp Heronswood on my Mornington Peninsula.
It reminded me that there were other fires raging in Victoria.
I was particularly concerned about fires in the Grampians just north of The Great Ocean Road,
the road that Scott would be travelling on the weekend.
Fortunately, the Grampian fires were controlled, but Scott found other problems on the mighty road.


January 20 - Who has been along the Great Ocean Road? Was it during terrorist, I mean tourist season? 
Holy crap what a collection of awful, incompetent, slow, hat and tissue box on the back parcel shelf, 
wandering all over the road wastes of space. 
 Pretty place though.
 To de-stress I went and bought a new helmet.
All is right with the world again.


Yes. I was warned by 3 different people to watch out for tourists driving on the wrong side of the road. 
Even better, driving a motorhome they're still learning to handle. 
 I even met 2 other riders on the way there, and they wanted to go but had heard too much about how dangerous it is because of the tourists. 
 I should invent an automatic head smacker for all hire vehicles when it detects you're trying to kill someone.

Scott visited the Edge of the World in north west Tasmnaia before hitting the Great Ocean Road...

Uluru meets Scott...

Scott's photo


January 13 - His comment on The Rock - Good place to be.
His response to - Nice cans...
Should see the bra I made to hold them!

For his view of The Rock from an unusual perspective, see his blog post HERE.

it's all happening...

Scott's photo

January 12   - I saw it, I chuckled, I kept going as I don't need proof. 
Well except I find cricket boring, footy doesn't interest me, 
and I rarely eat a meat pie.

his anticipations...and my trepidations...

Scott's comment on Facebook - December 26 2013
My new back rest. One hell of a trip coming up!

And by today, he should be there - hopefully.
Currently, temperatures at Bundaberg are hovering round 33 degrees centigrade.
Not bad for summer.

 

Update on the 10,000km bike ride

The original map journey has changed.
Northern Territory is now included.

AND

Scott is going to blog about it:
Tour de Straya

casual 10,000km bike ride...

At the end of this week I will be celebrating the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one when I leave NSN.  

Over 11 years ago, eager to find work when living in Tasmania after leaving university, I found a job working for Vodafone in their call centre. I was later transferred to back to NSW, got oursourced and transferred to what was then called Nokia, and have continuously learned new skills and worked with some very good people. No longer seeing these people on a regular basis will be missed. Now my work is being shifted to India, and I look forward to a new beginning. 

 To make sure this is capped off properly, it will come as no surprise I'm going for a casual 10,000km bike ride. 

 I first meet some good friends in Orange NSW on Boxing Day, and we're off to Bundaberg QLD. When the poor buggers have to turn for home, I'm continuing to Port Douglas, then turn for Adelaide, Great Ocean Road, around Tasmania, then back home past the Snowy Mountains. 

Here's my suggested route, and welcome any suggestions worthy of a detour!

Scott published this on Facebook yesterday...
He expects to complete his ride in just over a month...

Scott in the Rural Fire Service

Scott 3rd from left left in all yellow with some of the Rural Fire Service people at Hilltop



+
Beautiful
Thank You presentation 
on the Hall Road fire Southern highlands NSW -  October 2013.

so it begins...

Scott's photo


November 6 - So it begins. Certified to get dirty.

Getting out of Temora...

Scott's photo

November 2 - Getting out of Temora really bugs me.
Compared to last time, now they're juicier. Smack smack splat!
Nothing quite like watching the carnage right in front of my face.
I recommend it.

Temora Air Show

Scott's photo.

November 2 - Temora air show.
This is a Caribou, I worked on one of these during my year 10 work experience!
I feel old.

October Fire Season

Scott's photo viewing his smoke laden street.

October was fire season in New South Wales.
And fire visited my son's world south of Sydney.

October 17 - This fire seems to be cooking along. Creating its own clouds. 
Pity my fire service assessment is still yet to come 
or I'd be getting dirty by now.


Scott's photo

Things have settled down around Hill Top.
There was a lot of chatter here,
but the wind pushed it towards Yanderra which is still in a lot of trouble. 
Heaps of wind too. 
Took this tree out, 
and blew in one of next door's chooks 
which my dog found very very interesting.

October 21 - Everyone's alert over here, but not in immediate danger.
So keeping a close eye on things, especially in this fantastic clothes drying weather.
 Charcoal is good for absorbing stench,
and smoke comes from something becoming charcoal,
so I might be on to something!


Scott's photo 

Saw a liitle clear sky this afternoon along with a rainbow ring around the sun. 
Funny to think with the warmer days and fire throwing hot plumes into the sky, 
the colours are caused by ice.

At It Again

Scott's photo

September 21 - At it again. Went for lunch and kept going.
Kangaroo Valley, Batemans Bay, Braidwood, Goulburn and home.


Scott's photo

September 29 - So this is Temora. Another place I'd never visited before.
Also 28 000km since getting my bike in April. 
Note the splattering of protein all over the visor, that's a lot of fast food! 
A good way of exceeding recommended daily calorie intake.


Scott's photo

Looking forward (and backwards)...

Scott's photo - down Wollongong way
He loves icecream.

August 22 - Looking forward to spring, then I won't have to heat up the toothpaste to get it out of the tube!

September 1 - Is chocolate a cure for the flu? Here goes the test...

September 14 - 3 laps around Mt Panorama and wave to the friendly policeman with the radar. Oh I love today.

September 19 - That rare moment when hearing a previously unknown band for the first time, and they're bloody brilliant. Sweet.

Ah, Gloucester

Scott's photo - Gloucester New South Wales

August 3 - Ah Gloucester, you pretty.

but by

August 6 - 3rd day in a row stuck in bed is driving me nucking futs! Any suggestions for good mind numbing games for android? This is what I get for not falling off the bike, but staying on. All those hours crouching is not good. Does the Body Shop sell new lower backs?