2023 June pt 1

Friday night, went up to the Coast, rode from the station in the dark, a bit uncomfortable. Saturday, general clean up, shoved in some window draft stopping foam strips, was v satisfying. Had pizza at Rocketboy.

Translation gone wrong!

Nice work boys!! 

Sunday cleaned up the house. In the afternoon, saw Evonne in concert signing Carmina Burana. The lead soloists were professionals - pretty amazing. They did a great job. Ate too much Italian food at the Majestic. Back on the diet Monday as usual.

View from the back of the house.

Marie met a lady down at the dog park. She was wondering where she could shower in the area, so Marie offered for her to come in for a shower. Turns out she was staying for a few days and would otherwise sleep in her car. So after a bit more chatting at our place, Marie offered for her to stay at our place for a couple of days. Apparently she did this when she was little too - bring strangers home. Well that was something not expected to happen, but really it went fine, and the lady, Melina, was very nice, considerate etc. Just a shame that stuff works out like this.

Went to John's place for the weekend. I planned to ride in from Wallerawang, but that's 100 odd km of riding. Really I think you need to set off very first thing in the morning. In order to help with the 4 hours of driving, the bike was packed in the car, and I chose Bathurst as it's 15 minutes further but chops 20k's off, pretty much bang on 80kms.

Sofala Road is beautiful, but there was way too much traffic, not much peace. Hill End Rd is even more lovely. It does wind up and down hills, one very long one that must have taken half an hour, so it's just slow going. As soon as you stop for a minute, people offer help it seems. One lot did at Sofala - "you right mate??" I asked if the road went to Crudine, but they didn't know.

At the Sally's Flat Rd turn off, a car was waiting and the driver jumped out to ask the directions to Hargraves.  Poor man was not even close there. My phone had reception, so we could work it out ok. Then his buddy called and said the same directions, so off he went, all cool.

Sally's Flat Rd is dirt, narrow, lined with trees and a joy in general. I thought at last I'll have that to myself, but even there, there was a few cars. The second I pulled over for was Tony and Evonne, which felt odd, but should be expected! Another passing ute asked if I was all ok, which is reassuring! A bike is like a passport to the best in people, except for the odd psycho eg one P plater yelled at me on Sofala Rd.

The sun set quickly, making visibility low, avoiding potholes harder. Going downhill is difficult, due to heavy vibration and trying to brake at the same time. My light flashed so I couldn't read the sign for the turn off. Finally worked out the light, and it was plain sailing from there, along Doughertys Junction Rd. It's surprising the number of causeways. You don't notive when driving. The view was wasted in the dark. Marie called to check up on me. Turns out she didn't see Tony and Evonne and didn't get the message I was only a few kms out at that time.

Arrived to Mark yelling out "Run him over!" Adam asked where I'd come from, and "but why??" 

The rest of the weekend was motorbike riding, eating too much, sitting around the fire, talking bs and stories, until Sunday night. 

In the pitch dark, the 44 gallon drum fell over. It'd gone bong a few times, so I didn't think much of it. Then we could see Anna fell over. She'd scraped her leg. Mark said we have to go to hospital, which seemed to be just in case of the rust infecting it. She thought she might have bumped her head? Then she pulled up her trouser leg again, and everyone who didn't realise already, saw the deep gash, close to the bone, somehow not bleeding much. 

Three first aid kits appeared, saline was squirted in, the wound bandaged, and Anna carried to John's car, from there to Mudgee hospital. The doctors called Dubbo, which is the base hospital. They planned to send her there, a long painful drive. Luckily the surgeons of Dubbo said to just stitch it up, and send her home. They were back by 11pm. 

We cooked Adam's bread while they were away (above), apparently delicious.

All in all not too bad then.

A relaxing weekend.

Lou stayed behind, took himself to Lachlan's place for a sleepover birthday party, then got home again, picked up by Felicity (thank you Fil!) to stay there, hang out with David for an hour waiting for Mill, then got dropped home around 2pm, and we got in at 6pm - about 5 hours drive in the sometimes crawling traffic.

2023-May

The place is coming along. During May Marie and the guys put up the gyprock on the garage walls. The bike in the picture means I rode up, pretty sure we drove back through. The floor is hebel something that levels itself out. It's some kind of soft concrete.

This is the laundry. Pretty sure the walls went up, plumbing roughed in, electricity roughed in, roof is on, insulation in, inner wall gyprock is on. Marie has been sanding and getting the paint off the doors for the laundry and garage.

Also during May, we had Justin and Theo over. We played Cthulu, where you lie abou the cards, plus some monster thing that's similar to Pandemic.

Oli cooked dinner, by himself, 2 nights in a row. Last night, I couldn't be bothered so I offered to go out. But they're not into leaving the house much at night. So he says I'll cook. What do you want me to do? Checking the fridge, and googling recipes, we picked risotto. He cooked the onions, added the butter, thyme, then coated the rice with the resulting butter mixture, add the stock half cup by half cup. Man it was delicious as it sounds. Talk about "nailed it!!" I'm happy he is getting more independent and getting them skills. The other recipe was a Nachos, layers of chips, cheese and beans with a salsa, sour cream, and his home made guacamole. Again, fing delicious. 

Lou cooked once this week. It was boiled pasta. But he did it himself while I lay on the couch, in the stink of the cat. I chopped some tomato, or random stuffed peppers to go on top. So filling and nice work Lou.

Lou's bday! Sunday, had some school buddies over to play WII, have a Nerf gun war, do some card games like Muffin Time. I made Sandvich (insert image) by Lou request. Sunday night, dinner at the Majestic (old Majestic Theatre) with the McCabes.

Saturday - had the neighbours over-Christina, Tony, Connaugh, Jamie, Tim, Trish-kids played with the dogs. Simple BBQ, ate too much.

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I'm amazed at how Marie can multi task. For example today, Marie got some washing done and went to Robbie's to help do some cooking. She just shoved the washing in the machine then walked out. I went to Bunnings this morning to pick up some taps, looked at more taps online, stopped for a phone call from her to wash out some ramikins for her sister to pick up. Then I folded up the old washing on the line, so that I could hang up the new stuff.  Marie has achieved the washing, ramekins and tap procurement all while cooking. Males are hopeless. I can't even do my day job.

Saturday, oh lala- went to Jacky's for a French theme lunch. Seafood souffle, Beef bourgignon, and profiteroles. She spent ages cooking it up, v impressive. I rode from Homebush station via Olympic Park, M4, Livo rail then on the Sydney Pipeline path - magnificent, low stress all the way.

Went to Fils for lunch. Sat in Johns car while the tyre guy told him there's nothing wrong. He probably never fills the tyres. Despite the man being helpful and straight, John then informed everyone about which ethnic heritage he felt he had without knowing. He drove me crazy.

Goldie the dog just loves the hose. Drives her mental.

Jaime from next door borrowed my hat and bolo tie. He is a well known talented musician, part of the "A" team.

2023-April and Anzac Day

 

on the 30th of April we went to lunch with the family - Will, Ceal, Lilly, John, Cherice

Lilly, John, Cherice, Darcy, Ava, Olie, Marie, Fil

To celebrate the return of Jaime's family from Peru, I made a Peruvian dish which required a red oil made from the beans in the middle, the chillis on the left, and for dessert we had the Alfa Pack on the right, which is a sugary disaster but delicious. The recipe was Tallarines con Pollo, and it seemed to work pretty well, just needed to evaporate the sauce down a bit more for the stronger flavour, but still delish.

On the Anzac day long weekend. The holiday fell on a Thursday so everyone took the Friday as a holiday to make the pont jour.

I went up with Marie to do some serious arse construction work. 

This is the garage in the pictures here. Vince reattached the bottom joist with bolts to made a neat A frame. I whizzed these back with a wire brush in a drill. Then Marie oiled them, very pretty.

The white boards are Vilaboard, some kind of concrete fibre to make them water proof.

Working in harmonyyyyy to get the Vilaboards on the garage rooooof.

Me after whizzing back the rafters to clean them down, and reveal their original non-dirty colour.

The before shot, after the rusted metal sheets came off the garage.

John helped out in his own special way, which the serious construction boys found very confusing and amusing. He watched in a very encouraging way.

Vince getting hands on. This is not a quick job, d'oh.

Me and Marie painted the sheets before they got put on, so yes I screwed up the order of the photos here and can't be bothered to re-write everything afterwards and put the photos back in the right order.

The old laundry is in the background.

Stuff everywhere - the look of the place when the grass was still alive.

2023-April

 

Ah bless Westconnex and the triple smoke stacks rising out of the concrete at Rozelle. Hopefully one day, people will wake up and condemn this project. Apologies people of the future for the stupid of today!

We visited the new place up at the Central Coast with our boys, Charlie, Anna and three of her grandkids - Lucas in the pic here, playing games with the big boys. Oli, Lou, Charlie and Lucas ->

Oli, Lou, Charlie, Marie, Lucas, Mila, Anna and Paige shielding her eyes from the fire with Goldie the dog.

Making burgers by the looks with Lou, Charlie, and Oli

One of the very few photos I have of Oli looking serious, concentrating and getting stuff done, rather than screwing up his face and giving the finger - here drawing on the tablet. I'd love to see some of the stuff he's drawing.

On another visit to the Central Coast, Ange and Steven stayed, here with Marie at Nat and Scott's place for a BBQ.

Scott, Kathy, Nat and Melissa - who came in from the US and took the chance to come up to visit the place. Feel free to stay any time Mel!

Ang, Steve and Marie check out the neighbourhood.

Mum's mum's parents. The grandpa on the left is the spitting image of Adam.

Marie and Baka on a video call to her sister Teta Ivka, niece Jelena and nephew Ivo, who remarks pretty much every time on the fact that I cycled to their home after 400kms once. Wish I could understand the rest of it!

At the very sad funeral of Stephen, John and Julie's nephew, brother of Damian. Stephen passed away due to brain cancer. I didn't know him much, but sounds like he had a full and interesting life, and some very good friends who spoke very well on his behalf during the funeral. Here's Kathy, Julie, Amber, Issi, Ang

Mark, John, Thomas, David, and Adam at the funeral of Stephen.

Marie and the boys at Blue Bay, about a k or 2 away, very beautiful.

In the kitchen at the Central Coast.

There for posterity: the old laundry, which we found out later had been completely eaten by termites, so had to be replaced. The old roof can be seen on the garage, just prior to it being replaced.