Christmas @ Dundee

We have finally made it through the week before Christmas, works slow and boring and this makes time drag out. We are all packed up and I picked up the prawns and we are off to Dundee. There is quite a bit of water around but the road is OK out there. There is a bit of rain around and it looks we there might not be a sunset to savour tonight. I have mowed the outdoor setting area down at the cliff so I don’t get bitten by something this time. Luckily the clouds clear and we enjoy a typical Dundee sunset.
Christmas day arrives for another year. We speak to the family and kids and everyone is fine. Breakfast is a little delayed after we get a downpour and the loudest crack of Thunder ever heard.

Lunch is Prawns & Oysters and then we have Pizza’s for tea. It is to rough to fish or view sunset so we continue on with our Jigsaw puzzle I picked up at Vinnies. It is the Sydney 2000 Olympics which has all the Olympics up to 2000. The Pizzas are cooked on a stone in the BBQ. So a quiet evening drinking eating and watching DVD’s. There is a fair bit of lightning around and we lose power a couple of times before the TV dies.

Birthdays

Well it is a quite birthday week with not much to report, I changed the slave cylinder in the Tojo and that was the last option left I the sticky clutch pedal and seems to have done the trick. A little heater hose leak was also repaired. Now just the seat belt to go, can’t find one at the wreckers so it’s Ebay at $150 this might wait until after Christmas. We will not talk about the cricket after the Poms gave us a thrashing in Adelaide. But there is always hope in Perth. Tina and I really haven’t been doing much just a bit of Christmas shopping and holiday planning, the rest of the time just sitting around really. Jan has headed off to Adelaide now as well. I passed my first subject in my Diploma, but I got to say I was very nervous before the exam it has been a long time since I had to do a serious test.
It is the week before Christmas and all our shopping is done and sent off to Adelaide. I don’t have a lot on at work and I'm only looking after a couple of projects at the moment so I'm a little worried that I need a new job after Christmas with my contract set to expire early next year. So I have a bit of thinking to do as what to do next, do I try to pick up a contract in Darwin, Adelaide or North Queensland not sure but Christmas is a bad time of the year to be looking and I have little patience with these job finding events.

Tina & Andy buy a Rain Forest

Well its Birthday month Jason, Carol & Tina, and Christmas too. The week has past and finally the news we have purchased our own little piece of paradise in East Feluga. Nearly 2 acres ½ covered with rain forest on a hill overlooking the Tully Valley. It is 10 minutes from mission beach & 5 minute from Tully. The first piece of land we have ever owned and the first land we have owned together.
Brian has headed off to Roma to help Warren fix his boat trailer and they are flooded in. It is dam hot here and not much rain unlike the rest of the country.

FNQ trip

Well this is the week we are off to Nth Qld, it is a bit slow but we finally get to Friday. I hate early morning flights, I just can’t sleep and we are off to the Airport at 4:00am. Not a bad flight but they all take too long. We arrive, pick up the hire car and head off to East Feluga to view the first property. It is nearly 2 acres on the side of a mountain overlooking the Tully valley. It is nice but a bit steep and has plenty of rain forest on it bloody wet though. We meet the agent and discuss our thoughts , and the move on to other properties.
That night we stay at the Feluga hotel a beaut country pub for $40 a night we get chatting to the locals and have a few drinks. Next day we are off to Tully to meet with a couple of agent and see some more places. We are pretty fussy so it narrows down the available places, some on the Tully river and quite a few old Sugar Cane farms. You have to be careful in this part of Aus with 4,000mm+ rain a year. Yes that is nearly 8 x Adelaide annual rainfall. We are not that keen on the Sugar Cane farms not really much to look at. Anyway we spend a lot of time driving around for 4 days. We stayed at Kurramine beach and Innisfail talked to some agents, and locals about Tully, land sugar cane you name it. It rains for the 4 days we are here especially each time we look at a place or drive through El Arish (we are definitely not buying there) It has been the wettest year for a long time with most of the sugar cane ruined. On the first day a rock hits the windscreen of the hire car and puts a crack in it which continually gets bigger. I got a quote and rang up the hire car place who said it was OK to get it replaced, only $ 240 so a bargain. Anyway my Camera, Phone and now the Windscreen all in a week, they say it comes in 3’s so this has been one hell of an expensive trip. Today we looked around Cairns and did some Christmas shopping at DFO. Back to the Airport and home to Darwin what a weekend. No land purchase either yet, but stay tuned.
Back in Darwin and patiently waiting to hear about the land !!

Wet Season Build up

Well it has become a normal build up now with daily storms rolling in but little rain. We are off to Dundee in the hope of some fishing but it is not good weather expected so it looks like a weekend of working. I get bitten by a centipede and it really hurts so onto the phone to make sure I’m not going to die. It is all good just need to expect some pain for at least 48 hours.
Number 1 on the list is replacing the leaking pump that has been giving Jan the shits for months. Well all of us really it leaks over the floor. I knock that off along with some wiring jobs. Brian has a load of road base so there is plenty of shovelling to do. Saturday is full on and we get heaps done. Another Dundee sunset a big feed and off to bed. We awake to another day of windy yucky ocean, so more work, we are off over to Bobs to work on his roof project. There are some tricky beams to get up and weld and it is hot as. At Dundee you stand on the cliff and it is not too bad, you go back to the Dongers and it is hot but another 100m inland to Bob’s and it is stifling heat. Anyway we get it done with the aid of some beers. After lunch it is time to head home, Brian is staying on so Jan is coming back with us. It is quite funny how Jan fusses over Brian to make sure he will not starve to death. (he has enough food for a week)

Darwin Townhouse

Andy Still has Sore Foot

Well another week at work goes by, my foot is slowly getting better and we think it may be Metatarsal injury but what exactly is not known. Anyway as many would say “Toughen up Princess”.
Finished my first course this week Microsoft Project which I have used for years but never been taught properly, now for my Diploma in Project Management. We have had a bit of rain but nothing serious yet.
I finally got around to adjusting the handbrake on the weekend which is not a nice job on an 80 series cruiser. Found out the rear pad for the brake shad seen better days so I decided to swap them over. Not a big job but it is funny how you lose interest in working on cars as you get older.

Melbourne Cup week

It’s November and that means Melbourne Cup, I try to embrace it but I just can’t get to like it. It’s wet in Melbourne and Darwin, and In fact it was the coldest November day on record in Darwin, a chilly 26˚, how we had to suffer.
Another Car repair this week new rear wheel bearings, nothing has happened but Jo told there was nothing wrong with them and that they had never been replaced. Oh no never? Anyway it is all good driving around Australia with water crossing beach drives and mud adventures but it really does wear out your car. Nothing has actually broken but I still want to ensure all this stuff is in good condition before we tackle WA. (When ever that may be)
Tina and I are famous now for changing our plans not quit weekly but we certainly move the goal posts a bit. Take our latest venture, we are trying to buy some land in North Queensland are flying to Cairns soon to look at some properties. ( I can’t have enough projects on  ) Stay poste for an update of how that goes.
I have been promising for quite some time now that I would post some photos of the Townhouse and gardens Tina and I made so here they are.

Halloween

Off to Dundee

Off to Dundee its has been so long since we have been out there. Got some new handlines and stuff with the BCF voucher Carol gave me for my birthday. I have been telling everyone all week that these are lucky handlines and we will catch heaps of fish. Saturday morning is beautiful so we load up and head down to the lodge.
Anyone who knows Brian is well aware there is no fishing trip without some drama and today was well one of those special days. Firstly when we get down launching the jockey wheel has fallen off. No big deal just have to lift the trailer onto the tractor. In the water and the steering is seized, we hover around the shore using an oar for steering while we try to fix it. It is seized well but some tools and gear oil finally get it working. We did point out there are grease nipples on the steering that could do with the occasional loving.
We head out to the first spot and we drop in the new handlines, bang we get instant hits but Tina gets in a beautiful Salmon. We are collecting some fish but lots of Sharks around as well.
We move on out to another spot where we are assured of catching some Snapper, but we leave after Jan lands some of the biggest Catfish I have ever seen.





Off to the next spot and we try some luring on the way with my new shiny lure. It doesn’t take long before we get a hit and I work hard to get him in, lost that one trying to tighten the drag. Bang and we are off again this one we get right alongside the boat before he got off. Some of them swim towards us faster than I can reel them in and they get off that way. Anyway didn’t get one onboard but got some really good practice trying.
We arrive at a new spot and its Snapper city I get 3 in about 5 minutes and I’m not alone. The rush only last 10 minutes but we get a few fish into the boat. Brian picks up a large Cod about time he has spent most of the day losing his hooks to sharks.
Ah back to the fishing dramas, Jan notices the petrol tank is floating which means 1 there is water in the back of the boat and 2 there isn’t much fuel left.
So we decide to head back Brian pulls the bung out so the water can drain. He tells us he isn’t worried about the fuel but we head straight for the shore and motor in along the coast (shorter distance to row to shore). We stop about 1.5km from Dundee and tip the dregs in from the other tank, about 3 litres so we are laughing.
On shore we fill the back of the boat with water again and we find the hole, Brian says a big rivet will fix it. We end up with a good catch on a beautiful day on the water and that lucky new gear worked a treat.

Hosptials, Movies & School

Off to the hospital for X-rays & Ultrasound but no luck no one can tell what it is. Must be tome for my best friend Google to find the answers.
Tina and I head off to the movies (yes believe it or not) to see “Tomorrow after the war began.” Tina and Jason read the entire series of 7 books. It was pretty good bit of a rush though with the Dominos stuffing up our order.
I have started some courses to try to get some qualifications in Project Management so have to get my brain tuned to learn stuff again.

What a Second AFL Grand final?

Well its October already, boy I love saying that and time flies. The AFL Grand Final is on again this weekend wow how cool two weeks in a row. But it is all bad with the Pies winning the flag.
Brian & Jan went to Bali and brought back some gifts, the kids visited Carol and Mel, Sam & James were there to. We finally finished the garden off this weekend (well the front one at least) we got a good down pour which will settle them all of nicely. We went to Ralphy’s for the Bathurst which although was one by Holden I do follow Lowndes so it was OK. We will be back in the groove now and will provide some more regular updates again. Although working really takes all the excitement out of Blogging.
I have developed a nasty foot injury and no one can work out what it is. They are suggesting a Stress Fracture but X-rays and Ultrasound have not revealed anything. Just rest at this stage. So its been pretty quiet for me go to work go home rest on the couch. We have been watching the Commonwealth games a bit, not much choice in Darwin 7 channels 3 with the games on. We got 2 new channels now 90 & 99 Gem & GO so more channels of nothing to chose form as well as a new channel 7 starting on the 24th.

September Working and oops forgot to Blog

Well it is September already and what a month this turns out to be Cricket finals, AFL finals, House finding and back at work.
Let’s start with the house finding, September is the best time in Darwin to go rental property hunting. A lot of transients start to leave now so there are plenty of places going. Just like buying a car though it is painfully annoying. Look on the Web the paper drive around to 20 different locations etc I'm sure you all get the drift. We miss out on one practically next door to Brian’s however after only 1 week we get a town house in Stuart Park just out of the city.
A nice 2 storey place in a block of 5 town houses. It has a gas stove which is a rarity in Darwin a nice back yard and undercover parking which is important. The Darwin sun is relentless and just destroys cars not to mention the wet season. The only drawback is the stairs are carpeted in cream. Hope they come up clean enough when we leave. So we move in the next Friday and Saturday morning it’s off to the Lawn Sales as we have no furniture. We borrow some stuff from Jan and with the aid of a trailer drive around in search of stuff. We go pretty well and end up with a nice dining table some kitchen stuff and a couple of cabinets. Wow it is really cool eating off of china and not plastic plates.
A cabinet I got from CSG makes a great entertainment unit and a lounge we got from Jan gets us going. Now as September is AFL finals month we are off to WOW to get a TV. We have been doing a fair bit of research into this and end up with a 32” LCD, It looks so big it is awesome. The antenna at the house is no good so we are off to get one, Installed and crystal clear no problems. As expected Carlton bombed out the first week although having many chances to win. The only real upset was St Kilda knocking off Geelong so now they are on the same side of the draw as Collingwood. A pies premiership looks on the cards this year but we can only hope the Collywoobles arrive soon.
The pies make it through and St Kilda as well. Rob comes up from Adelaide for the weekend to watch which is great cause I hadn’t seen him for a long time. Scrutts couldn’t make it due to work commitments. Its a great game with the Pies out early but St Kilda coming back strong and looking like they are going to run over the top of them but then it happens it’s a draw, and everyone needs to come back next week. Rob and I head out for a night on the town and Rob is pleased with the scenery. We wake up pretty sore and sorry and have a quiet day. Monday I have lunch with Rob and we head down the wharf for tea. It was only a short trip but really good to him again.
Well now on to cricket finals the NCC “D” made it through the year undefeated 16 wins. So that only leaves 2 matches the semi and grand final which we were victorious giving me my first ever Cricket premiership in 20 years of trying. 4 of our 5 teams made the grand final with the “A”s winning as well making it 3 from 3 they won the 20Twenty & One day cup as well. Unfortunately the “B’s & “C’s didn’t win. It was a big night of celebrations at the club.
Well that was one hell of busy month, the weather has been sticky a bit of rain around but all in all a nice month.
Got some more repairs done to the Tojo which sort of seams like it never ends but I like to keep it in tip top shape. We got a bed from Christhol which is really nice and some more CSG cabinets for bedside tables. We have made a garden which needs a bit of work but we are getting on to it.

Andy gets another job with CSG

I spend the rest of the week looking for jobs and working on the van Homer2 is for sale and there are a few little jobs to be done. We advertise in the NT news that Saturday and get a couple of calls but not that much interest. NT news have a special on so there are lots of van for sale.
I got a phone call from Alison and arrange a meeting at CSG to discuss a possible return to work. The meeting goes good and CSG offer me another position. They don’t really have much on but have a couple of little projects on the go and want to hang on to me which is good. I have a week off which is good to finalise some work on the van. It goes very quickly and back to work. No one has touched my desk so it is really like I never left. A couple of days back and it is like I never left.
Sunday night we get a call from an interpreter to assist a deaf lady who is interested in the van. Many phone calls later and lots of SMS they are driving from Kununurra. They arrived on Wednesday with a bank cheque. I spend a fair bit of time showing them all the stuff. They stay until the weekend and seem very happy. So the van is sold it is gone and well we have nowhere to live so we bunk in at Brian’s until we can get a unit.

NCC August 30 - by John Fryar

We packed our lunches and water bags and ventured down the highway to North Katherine to take on Southern Districts.
Their initial request to bat first was declined and it was put to the toss of the coin - head 'em up, we'll bat first thanks!
With 5 runs separating them on the season batting aggregate, Alex Krepapas and Jason Hatton went out determined to each build a big innings in the last minor round game. Alex was out early, bowled for 4, giving Jason the chance to go past him on the leader board. Manish Bhatnagar came in at 3, and they took the score to 29. It didn't happen for Jason though, as he was given LBW for 6. Alex had kept him out - 409 runs for the season ahead of Jason's 406. A fantastic season for both of them.
Skipper John Fryar joined run-machine Chris Parker at 3/35 in the 9th over. Chris was 43 behind Alex on the season aggregate before the match. The bowling was reasonably tight and we were 3/72 at drinks. With scoring seemingly difficult, the Southern Comforts might've been thinking they were in with a show. Nope, sorry. The session after the break saw the run-rate accelerate dramatically. Parker and Fryar put on 142 in the next 14 overs. Their 179 run stand ending when Chris was out for a fine 77. This score saw Chris leap-frog both Jason and Alex to finish with 439 runs for the season at a phenomenal average of over 62!! Always a pleasure to watch (and bat with!), well done.
With Parker out, Southern breathed a collective sigh of relief - 6 overs left and surely they can't keep going at 10 an over? Ahh yeah - we can. Brad Hatton entered the fray, ripe for another of his cameos. Brad's 26 of not very many balls certainly kept the crowd entertained. Fryar was out in the last over for 111, and Michael Best and Andy Moore pushed right to the end. We finished on 6/279 off our 40. Another excellent effort from the guys.
We took to the field late in the afternoon, and Anthony Snell again did the damage early, taking a wicket in the first over. Moorey stepped up to take the new ball with Snelly and they bowled well without much luck. Snelly finished with 2/24 off his 8, and Moorey 0/34. Ethan Wake (1/26) and Adam Glover (1/29) were brought in to the attack and took a wicket each. With a too-bigger score to chase and a few youngsters in their side, Southern Districts were never really in the chase. But credit to their younger players who hung around and proved hard to remove. Michael Best again bowled well taking 2/11 off his 8, and Jason Hatton (0/8) helped push through the overs as the sun was setting. Southern's score at the finish was 6/134.
Well done to Brad and Anthony (and all the other bowlers too actually!). They finished with 30 and 27 wickets each and dominated most opposition top-orders all season.
We have finished the minor rounds undefeated and congratulations to all who helped us get this far. However, we need to win 2 more games and will each need to bring our best into the finals.
Always remember "a champion team will beat a team of champions". But we're a bunch of blokes who enjoy playing cricket together and do whatever we can for the benefit of the team. If we keep that attitude up for 2 more games, then we'll be hard to beat for the flag.
Eye of the tiger fellas, eye of the tiger!

NCC august 23 - by John Fryar

Played Tracy Village at the Village.
Won the toss and elected to bat.
Lost Alex Krepapas early, before Jason Hatton and Manish Bhatnager steadied the ship with a partnership of 75 against some tight bowling and cunning field placements. Jason made a well compiled 55 and Manish 41. Wickets tumbled regularly as we sought to build a big total. Chris Parker made 43 and Brad Hatton 29 (off 14 balls) as we reached 8/194 off our 40 overs.
Anthony Snell led the way again with the new ball. After an opening partnership of 40-odd, Snelly ripped through the top order, ending with 4/25 off his 8, and was well supported by Nathan Jury's 1/29. Another partnership of 40-odd was postponing the inevitable and Andy Moore (3/7 off 3 overs) and Michael Best (2/19 off 6) wrapped up the TV innings for 107. The fielding highlight was a fantastic running catch to Ethan Wake at mid-off.
A good all-round team effort.

The Kids in Darwin

We make it to Florence falls and guess what, yep put the tents up again. Jason made us lunch and then down to the falls for s swim. It’s is quite cool but nice when you swim around. Jason treats us to another masterful fall on the rocks, and even suggests he is going to start charging for his laughs soon. It is hot and we just bum around in the arvo waiting for the sun to go down and provide some relief. It is spag Bolag for tea tonight and we cook it on the fire and it turns out beaut. The camp site is full again and we are treated to some free TV form some local girls, who took some pleasure in annoying some foreign hikers, bit funny but cruel. It stays hot well into the evening but finally some relief once the sun goes down. Funny how we have noticed all the stars again, yes even in little old Darwin the stars are ruined by city lights. Collingwood knock of the Cats must our disgust and off to bed.
We wake up early and start that daily pack up routine, off to Dundee today so we pack up early have breaky and roll. We stop at Wangi falls which we thought was closed after the recent Salty find but it is open . Its only 10:00am but Kirsten and I jump in for a dip and it is surprisingly warm. Nice morning refreshing swim and a bit of a wash, well it at least feels that way after another dusty bush camping day.
We arrive at Dundee after stopping in to see Donna after who has just purchased the Dundee store which has not been open for any years now. We are keen to try and support her venture and will try to stop each time we pass even if only to spend $5 or so.
We arrive just early and arrange a fishing trip for the kids. Jan is going to stay behind as there will be 5 in the boat. Down to the lodge $30 Fuel $30 Bait $20 Tractor fees and $ 50 for a carton of beer. Better catch some fish for all that cash. It is a nice day and the GPS works, we think Brian might be a bit shifty and claims to take us to all these great spots where we don’t seem to catch any fish. Tina sits in Jan’s spot and hooks on quite regularly but not keepers. We hunt around all day for 1 parrot Fish, 1 jewie and a nice Salmon. Jason catches his first Shark. Its a light day but we got some big strikes that Tina, Kirsten or I were able to pull in. But practice is what I need this hauling in big fish on hand lines isn’t that easy. We get back for the traditional Dundee sunset which was spoiled a little by those dam clouds.
Fresh caught Salmon & Jewie for tea wow catch and eat em , well they only cost about $ 40 each. It’s a pleasant night and everyone except for yours truly has a sleep in. Up early looking for jobs, checking out all the overnight sports scores etc. We bum around all day just doing a few little jobs but I did get the DVD shelf up on the TV stand. We do a walk on the beach and prepare for the sunset which should be cloud free tonight.
We head back to Darwin and the kids spend the last night at Brian’s. We had a really good time and it was great to see them again.

NCC August 16 - by John Fryar

Took on Darwin at Nightcliff in what was expected to be a tough encounter. It wasn't.
Loss the toss and were asked to bowl.
Pressure was on Darwin from the first ball. Anthony Snell starred, taking an extraordinary 5/4 off his 8 overs! Snelly had the ball on a string and bamboozled the batsman with his variation. Brad Hatton chipped in with 2/18. A 9th wicket partnership of 54 pushed the total to an even 100. Andy Moore took a wicket and Michael Best wrapped up the innings with 2/7.
Aggression was evident in the chase. Brad Hatton relished the opportunity to open with brother Jason. The opening stand of 44 was broken with Jason out for 19. Brad eventually out for a fine 31. Manish Bhatnagar got right back into form with 30 no (off 27), ably supported with another cameo from Chris Parker (16 off 6). We ended up 2/107 off 18 overs.
A very good win by the fellas.

Litchfield NP

Back in the car and we drive down the Stuart Highway and turn off to Batchelor (well after we stop off at the Humpty doo hotel for a roadie) Tonight we are staying at the Litchfield tourist park. A swim in the pool and lamb chops for tea (yum yum), and the kids get that all important tent erection practice. It cools down quite nicely that night and it is, well nearly brisk in the morning. We use up more of the cyclone kit, and have chunky man in can for breaky. We are packed up charged up and watered up and ready for the journey onwards. We head down to Surprise creek for the night which involves a pretty decent 4WD track along with 4-5 water crossings a couple having a reasonable amount of water in them. Given as how we destroyed the last winch with water crossings we have decided to use the tarp theory and have this strapped to the Roo bar for crossings. Hope it helps. We stop off at Blyth Homestead were people actually though they could run cattle. Onwards to Surprise creek, where we stop to help some guys from Care-flight who’s Tow bar has fallen off the car. Lucky I have carried all those bolts ½ way around Australia not to mention I actually have spanners and sockets as well as opposed to Shifter spanners they had. ½ hour later and they are on their way again with the promise of the traditional NT payment of a carton of beer when I get back to Darwin. The kids get to put up tents again so they will get the hang of it by the time they go home.
We walk up to the falls in search of a swim, there are 3 pools at different levels which are all a bit cool but not cold. After the swim and a great swan dive and slide on the rocks by Jason we head back to camp. Tina is cooking a casserole for tea so we all chip in. It’s quite warm tonight and after tea we listen to the Mighty Blues knock off the Bombers for the first time in ages. Go Blues!!
During the night we open up the tent flaps to let the breeze in because it was hot, but then cools down heaps. In the morning it is quite hot early so after more cyclone kit food (this time SPAM) for breaky we pack up. It is hot early and Tina is driving us back this time. Not quite as fast but just as bumpy. She is a wiz with the creek crossings after a couple. It is a bit annoying getting out each time to put the tarp down but if it saves a $1000 winch it will be worth it.

NCC August 9 - by John Fryar

Won the toss and batted against Uni at Nightcliff.
Alex Krepapas and Jason Hatton started at a cracking pace, before Alex (37 off 35) started a mini-collapse had us 3-80 in the 16th over. Hatton and Fryar saw us to 3-118 at drinks. The partnership was broken at 203 in the 28th over, Fryar out for 71. Jason fell soon after for a great 80 off 84 balls. Some excellent aggressive batting, including 64 off 40 balls to Michael Best and 27 off 14 for Brad, saw us get to 7-317 after 40 overs. Our highest total of the season (so far).
Brad Hatton (3/36) and Anthony Snell (1/35) again made things difficult for the opposition top-order. Wickets fell consistently, Nathan Jury and Adam Glover bagging 2 each, a run out from a bullet like throw from Besty and Ethan Wake stepped up to claim 1/0 of 1.1.
A fantastic all-round effort from the fellas producing another great win.

NCC August 2 - by Anthony Snell

The Tigers travelled to M2 to play the unpredictable PINTS Dravidians side and won in a close photo finish after PINTS compounded in the straight as the fast-finishing Tigers swooped like Kiwi to maintain their unbeaten record in 2010. Some good PINTS bowling restricted the Tigers early and after J.Hatton (16) and Krepapas (16) produced a steady start, there was a trickling of wickets for the rest of the innings. A few bats made it to double figures but could not build on that. Chris ‘Charlie’ Parker (20-odd) and B.Hatton 28 managed to cobble together more than the other kids (apart from Xavier Tras with a whopping 41!), with the final output being 157 off about 34 overs. Snell finished on 0 no to remain undismissed in the 2010 season to date.



With the ball the Tigers tamed the PINTS bats early, with the Tigers openers snaring 3 wickets and drying up the runs (B.Hatton 2-13). But those wily Dravidians were able to make it to drinks 3 down for about 65, with the aid of a few edges and dropped catches by our heroes. Runs immediately began to flow after the break and it was left to Parker to pen an entry in the wicket column to make the vital breakthrough. But these Tigers would not be denied and some good defensive field-setting and tight bowling at the death followed, with Messrs J.Hatton (3 for about 15) and J.Fryar (1 for about 13) then really tightening the screws in a great tandem bike effort. They were aided by two great run outs including one from Jason “Damien Fleming” Hatton who knocked down the stumps on his follow-through and a second when a desperate (and ultimately dateless) Dravidian grossly underestimated the arm of “007” Moore from fine leg. In the end the Tigers were able to balance up after being challenged and pull out plenty to take the chocolates by about 15 runs.

Adelaide River Queen

Thursday morning we are up early and packed up, we need to pop into town to get some block ice from Brian, some Coles bread (it stays fresh the longest up here) and off course a McDonalds breakfast. We stop off at the Salvo’s to pick up some tops for Kirsten, she left them on the bed in Adelaide.


Then off to the Adelaide River Queen to see the jumping crocodiles. As normal they are out straight away to see us on the boat. It’s a pretty cool insight into crocodiles and we get to see both the big adult males that live nearby.


Kirsten loses her hat off the boat and the lady does a good job blocking of the croc with the boat, which has zoomed over thinking it is a feed. The hat rescued and a bit of a story for later on too. Kirsten picked up some great shots of the crocs jumping for a feed.

The Kids are Darwin Bound

Well it’s August already, and that’s exactly how I started last month’s blog. I’m unemployed and my care free attitude let to my recent cricket performance on the weekend .My worst this year and luckily although the rest of team were off we still scraped through with a win. Tuesday see’s Tina off to work while I venture over to the Airport to pick up the kids. It’s been too long again but it is really good to see them again. They have both grown so much it is amazing. We head off from the airport to pick up Tina for lunch at the Chook shed. It seems they may have brought some cooler weather from down south as it is quite pleasant.

We pick up some shopping we need for tea and have a swim at the pool. It’s homemade fish and chips for tea Cod & Jewie. Wednesday and Tina is off to work again we have a full list of things to do today. Shopping, Tax (good bloke that tax man, well this year anyway) and off to MVR to finally get my NT license. Yes it’s true I’m a Territorian, well at least according to MVR.
We call past the yard to catch up with Brian, he is decking out a shipping container as a kitchen and as we are keen to maybe build a container house we are always interested in ideas. Well we ended up doing all the jobs except for all the ones we need to get ready to go camping. It’s Wednesday so its walking night, the kids go too and Brian has organised a bike for Jason as the men folk cycle and the women folk walk. As usual I don’t go but I was making tea, roast chicken and veges. It turns out nice even if I didn’t make the cream gravy Brian wanted. Back to the park and packing up camping gear that night.

July Cricket results written by Johnnie F

Cricket results, 3-Jul

We ventured down to beautiful Gardens Oval to take on the Waratahs footballers.

The day started well with winning the toss = batting first! There was some good tight bowling early and runs were tough to come by. Jason "Growth" Hatton and Manish fell for not many, and then Alex "Buddy" Krepapas and Chris "NASA" Parker put on an excellent 112 run partnership. Chris was launching balls into the upper atmosphere, with one eventually landing on the roof of the largest grandstand - massive! Chris made 66 and Alex 58. A few others chipped in as we tried to keep the runs flowing while wickets were falling. At the end we were 9/210.

Brad "Jazzman" Hatton and Andy "The new Snell?" Moore bowled well and ripped through the top-order, snaring 3 each. Michael "good to be home" Best came on to spin up 3 wickets, with Nathan Jury capping a wonderful day in the field by taking a caught and bowled (his second catch of the day!). Tah-tahs saying ta-ta for 126.
10-Jul-10
We met 2nd on the ladder PINT at Nightcliff. I lost the toss and was asked to bowl first, against an opposition missing a few key players.

Brad "count the steps" Hatton and Anthony "vuvuzela" Snell started well. Brad picked up 4 (off his '10' overs) and Snelly 1, to again decimate the top-order. Andy "007" Moore pushed his claims to be in the opening pair by snaring 3/4 and Nathan "Executioner" Jury claimed 2. A great bowling and fielding performance saw PINT all out for a meagre (but magical) 69.

Alex "straight line" Krepapas was run out early, after being called through for a 3rd by Jason "danger end" Hatton and almost colliding with his partner, he was found metres short after a direct hit from the keeper. Jason was hitting the ball beautifully until out for 30 with scores tied. Colin "Mr Cricket" Ralph was elevated to number 3 and relished the opportunity, scoring a quickfire 15. Manish "!" Bhatnager and Adam "finally got a hit" Glover easily got us home. We ended up 4/82.
17-Jul-10
Won the toss and batted. After losing Jason Hatton cheaply, Krepapas and Bhatnagar kept runs flowing against tight bowling, each scoring mid-teens. Chris Parker entered the scene to again show his class. Great hitting with controlled aggression saw him smash 84 off 84. He featured in a 100+ run partnership with Fryar (41). Andy Moore came in for an excellent 39no off about 20 balls, with Michael Best and Brad Hatton chipping in with some quick runs towards the finish. We ended up with 6/252.

Brad and Anthony Snell kept some pressure on early but wickets were hard to come by. Nathan Jury finally broke through, and Sunny Singh grabbed another soon after. Jabiru were 2/91 at drinks, with one of their openers on 71. Besty replaced Jury and with Singh made it very hard for the batsman to score as quickly as they needed to. The required run rate escalated quickly. We picked up a couple more wickets, some catches went down and as the sun was setting, we finally got through our overs - Jabiru 6/196.

A good win and good work-out for us.

Andy's Unemployed

I found out this week that CSG will not be able to renew my contract. In the new model set up by NTG there are no projects (long story) so NTG are going to manage them. So it is a bit quite in my last couple of weeks so they give me a facilities manage roll where I have to shut down all the old buildings we used to be in. We have just moved to the 8th & 9th floor of a brand new building and closed down 4 old sites. It has been quite interesting. Friday was my last day and a little sad but I will miss the CSG guys I actually really enjoyed working with them and built up a good relationship with quite a few of the people there.

July in Dry

Well its July already, how the months pass so quickly while you are working, yes believe it or not Tina and I are still on the 9-5 life. Pays the bills and is swelling our savings account so all good.
The dry season has all but disappeared and the locals are confused. Its getting hot already and some days are quite steamy. We had an overnight low of 27° the other night boy it was hot.
We have pretty standard routine these days Wednesday Tina goes walking with Jan, Thursday Night Cricket training followed by tea and a stay over at Brian & Jan’s. I have been working a fair bit Saturday mornings so Tina has a sleep in. We do some shopping and bum around. Sunday is Cricket day and Tina comes to watch and has a few beers. I’m the designated driver on Sundays and we often hang around for a few after the game if it doesn’t finish too late. Then Monday it’s off to work again to start it all over again.

We have been getting out to Dundee a bit more to finish off that tiling, wow Dundee is bulk flash now. The fishing has been a little light on though, bloody tourists, and with the road getting better more people with bigger boats are getting out there. Lucky we have Jan with us to keep the numbers up.

The sunsets are still just as spectacular each time we go there. The other week long time friends of Tina’s Doug & jenny came up form SA. We had a great time and ate lots of Lamb that he had brought up with him it was very nice. On the way out to Dundee with them I hit a Wallaby our first road kill ever with the Tojo. Pretty impressive given the amount of k’s we have done and the outback roads we have travelled. So life goes on and we grow ever fonder of Darwin. It’s a great lifestyle.

V8's at Hidden Valley

It’s V8 weekend in Darwin so we have another week off cricket. Tina got some tickets form work for Friday which is the practice day. V8’s really aren’t my scene but at least we can say we went. We can certainly hear them OK for the rest of the weekend at the van Park.

Queens Birthday

It’s the Queen’s birthday long weekend and it’s the longest I have had off from work for 8 months. We head off at 2:00PM and drive out to Litchfield park to camp at Florence falls. We try a couple of camp spots that are full but find a great spot overlooking the valley.
We have spaghetti Bolognese in a tin and listen to Carlton loose to Nth Melbourne and I even loose at cards. Beer is nice and cold and we drink a bottle of Moscata which is yummy.
We eventually get up have some breakfast and hit the road, first stop the Lost city which we went to in one of Brian’s Tojo’s about 7 years ago. The road seems better and it’s a little greener than I remember. Off to all the water falls but most are closed still, obviously haven’t found all the Salties yet. Back to camp and we go for a walk to Blueys Waterhole for a swim its a good walk and we are hot and bothered by the time we get there. Its coolish but refreshing and packed with people. I left the Camera battery on the charger so back to camp before we head down to Florence falls for another swim. It’s pretty packed and people a climbing up to the top of the falls and jumping, our beers are empty so we head back, its chicken casserole and rice on the campfire. It’s quite warm today and it’s only just starting to cool down now the sun has set. I really miss being on the road and this really brings it home how much you miss it. But you know what, you need money to travel so you have to work as well.




We awake to another beautiful smoke filled sunrise, we pack up quickly and hit the road to Dundee. It’s quite a long drive and there is plenty of Wildlife on the road, Eagles, Hawke’s, Wallabies, Dingo’s and even Jabiru’s. Now there is a bird you don’t want to run into. We were just waiting to see the Croc walking across the road and we would have seen it all. Its a good 2 hours to get to Dundee Brian, Jan rob and his crew aren’t quite as ready as we expect. So its eskies ice bait and don;t forget the beer and we are off. We pay our $20 fee for the tractor man and loads us into the water and we are off as usual Rob waits for no one and he is off. It’s a fairly quite day at the start With the odd fish before Jan catches a huge Lemon Shark the same one she always catches. We pick up some nice cod and snapper and then Jan lands another big Jewie. Dylan Robs grandson catches a big one to so it is a good day. As usual it is a feast of food that night.

Tojo Timing belt light

Although we replaced the timing belt some time ago of course the light came on at 300k . This is the first car I have even owned still running at 300k and I reckon we got another 300k to go. So I look up the good old Google to see how to reset it. Fairly clear remove the plug and reset it. Well an hour later with the dash apart and the speedo cluster out I can’t see it anywhere. Then all of a sudden I see it right next to the trip reset button well F#%k me I just took the dash apart and all I needed to do was remove the rubber and push the button. Well there you go hey, never to old to make a fool of yourself.

Winter arrives at Darwin

Another month is gone, and its been 8 months of working now unbelievable hey. For all those who thought we were bums here we are working still. The weather is just great now and we don’t even have to have the air con on at all anymore. The mornings are beautiful and the temperature is getting down to 20 overnight. How it changes so quickly and the skies are now filled with the smoke from the dry season burn off. It is a strange feeling to see massive plumbs of smoke and not being worried, you just drive by them and ignore them.

The Wet Season is Back

Nothing much to report work work work, lucky it brings in the money money money. I return after week off injured and we play Southern Districts. We bowl them out for 41 and make the runs in about 6 over’s. So I was not required. Not a bad thing and gives my shoulder another week off.

We go to Bass in The grass, Darwin’s answer to the Big Day out, but that’s Tina’s story coming soon, so she says.

The wet seasons has returned and it rains for an entire week not the full on monsoonal rain but still plenty and it his humid. My project is getting close to cutover and it is late nights and nervous people everywhere. Cricket is washed out and I’m devastated no cricket for 3 weeks now. Washed out in the dry season its unheard of.

But the good news i can sit in front of the TV and watch Carlton win again, this time its the hapless Eagles.

We fix the Tojo squeaky barn doors

Another week of working 8 months now but the savings are going well, We play Darwin this week and NCC reach a huge total of 302 off our 40 over’s, I got 22 of 10 odd balls and took a couple of wickets they got a bit close making 265 a big day. But I injure my shoulder and could be out next week.

Well we finally get the Tojo door hinges and new seal and put it all back together, Tina is off to an undercover wear party and get the doors all back together, after some adjustment there is no squeaking Yipeeeee let’s hope it lasts for how much it cost.
In the arvo we head of to Fred’s Pass show, Tina is keen for a country fair but really she just wants a Dippy Dog. Its OK bit of farm stuff horses and of course the animals. Tina wants to have some Ducks but I’m sure she will change her mind once she has owned them for a while. They are just poo making machines. No Cricket this weekend the old man has broken down with a shoulder injury. The boys have a big win though and we are 5 – 0 and on top of the ladder.

NCC Round 3

This week we are up against Charles Darwin University, A nice oval and a great looking pitch. We win the toss and have bat, I volunteer to umpire as I’m batting 6. Not a bad start but Alex is swinging like a rusty gate. By 8 over’s we are already 3 down and I’m off getting padded up. I’m in at 4/35 and Brad and I needed to consolidate. We hang around for a while and put on 30 before I’m given out LBW after I smash the ball into my pads, anyway these things happen 17 runs. We collapse further and are 8/70 odd, but along came Glover who smashed 72 odd and helped us to 179. Not a bad score on a wicket that helped the bowlers. They gave us a fair bit of shit but got quite when glover was smashing 6’s at the end. They took 40 minutes to long and we could have penalised them 50runs. A quick change over and we were out there. Brad steamed in and smashed the stumps 1/0. Brad bowled well and had 3/6 after 6 over’s. Once again I was first change, not sure why but nervously strolled to the crease. Anyway landed them well and could have had a couple of wickets in the first couple of over’s but a couple of dropped catches were costly. Got my first and Uni were 4/41 at drinks off 20 over’s and were in all sorts. Bowled my 8 over’s 2/18 and could have been a couple more. Ended up bowling them out for 77 so a thrashing in the end. 3 wins great start, go the Tigers.
We went to Tim’s for tea not bad, but not as good as people had suggested, we did the rounds at Monsoons, Shananigans ( where Melissa’s old boyfriend is still playing and hasn’t learnt the words to Sunset’s still) & the ducks Nuts listening to some live music and drinking it was a good night. We woke up with sore heads and headed down to the Botanic gardens to take a photo of the Cannon Ball tree. Back home and some work on the car, finished fitting the new Winch and tried to straighten up the Step treads not bad a little straighter. Then we pint the arm rests on the front doors 17 years of sweat really doesn’t make them look good. We continue on with the barn door repairs painting up the back doors where they have rubbed off and scrapped off all the old silicone. Will try to get the hinges re-pinned and will order a new seal for the back to replace the one the bush rat chewed out. (Is worn out though as well)

Dry season arrives

Ahhh the 1st official day of the Dry Season, and boy you can notice the difference already, such lovely cool morning, with a nice breeze thrown in. You gotta love Darwin this is the 2nd long weekend in a row, how cool.
Today I went to east Point and walked back to Dads place via the George Brown Botanic Garden, they are very beautiful; I walked the rain forest loop which was quiet and cool. I scared a few Bush hens, and I seemed to have the whole gardens to myself, I did not see any other people. I stopped at the top of the waterfall and tried to spot a croc in the top pool! Ha ha you might laugh but they have pulled crocs out of the Gardens before. In fact from the beginning of this year they have caught 88 crocs in the Top end including our beaches, Palmerston, Duruk (a suburb in Palmerston) Rapid creek, Leanyer drain, and more so as you can see they have definitely infiltrated the suburbs! Anyway back to the Botanical Gardens, when I was young they had this really cool playground, with giant spider web domes to climb on and big slippery slides and this really cool yellow thing you sat and spun yourself around as fast as you could get it to go before you wanted to throw up, all gone, I could not find them anywhere, they have built a much smaller tamer playground for the little kids, hmm what about the big kids!

Tina goes exercise crazy by Tina

Another week of work how quickly we fall into the routine. I went for a walk out at East Point, I have been doing this with Jan but she had parent teacher interviews this week, so Dad & I went. He rides his bike around while we walk; he cruises by from time to time to see how we are going. Thursday we had dinner at Dad & Jan’s, some lovely Coral trout that Jan caught that weekend at Dundee, mmmm it was delicious. Friday morning I walked to work, this is becoming the norm for me, Andy is off to work early as he is under the pump with one contract ending and one starting. It was such a nice morning compared to last week. Last week I got to work completely drench, and silly me wore my uniform. This week I took a change of clothes, it was windy reminding me that the dry season is not far away. Tomorrow in fact is the start of the Dry, yay we can unpack the Cyclone kit yippee we didn’t need it

Anzac Weekend By Tina

It is Anzac Day weekend, the 1st of 2 long weekends in a row, loving it, as I no longer work weekends (poor Andy) I have a relaxing few days planned, well hopefully.
Saturday we did the usual shopping and running around. Dropped in and saw John, Dad’s mate to thank him for letting us put Homer 1 on his block while we were trying to sell it.
Back at the park Andy & I started working on putting the winch back together; well truthfully, Andy did this while I pottered around sweeping and general domestic duties arghhh.
Saturday I watched Andy play cricket, after I had been down to the Nightcliff Markets, there is so much nice stuff out there, if only we had a house to put it in. I bought some lunch and headed back to the cricket oval to see who won the toss. I will let Andy give you the rundown of the game. It was very nice sitting in the shade drinking & reading. I was so into my book that I nearly missed Andy bat! While I was sitting there watching him plug away, I heard this roar behind me & realised that it was rain heading my way (love that Darwin rain) I jumped up to get my chair in the car before it got wet, but do think I could get the chair through the door, no, and I got soaked, ah well didn’t take long to dry off. The Tigers won the day and we got a pizza on the way home, very nice one at that, from the Hibiscus shopping centre Pizza King.
Sunday after a well deserved sleep in again Andy set off on the task of putting the winch back together, only to discover that the motor is completely rooted! Well so much for that, to get a new motor was going to cost $600, and a new Warn winch was only $900. I spent the entire day cleaning out the Tojo inside & out, wow I always marvel at how good it looks when clean, if only it didn’t take so long nearly 4 hours all up, mind you she was pretty dirty, I told Andy it was the last we drive to Dundee Beach with windows down! Now we have just got to find someone to clean the roof & the seats and she will be like a new one.

NCC Round 2

My second game at Nightcliff and first at home. We played the PINT – Dravidians. Which is a team of Curry eaters. They won the toss and surprisingly sent us in on a slightly dry cracked wicket, which looked like maybe it could have offered some support to the bowlers. NCC got off to cracking start and continued this throughout the innings. There was only 5 over’s left when I finally got out to bat but a Darwin afternoon shower cut short our innings and left me stranded on 2no.
It only lasted 5-10 minutes but in Darwin that is enough to drop a fair bit of rain. Anyway it passed and 40 minutes later we were back on with the opposition needing 219 of 37 over’s. The pitch was a little sticky but played well. I was a little shocked to be given the ball as first change after Snelly went for a couple to many boundaries. I didn’t start that well and really struggled to get it on a good length. A couple in the air a couple through the slips and I could have ended up with a couple of wickets while bowling an ordinary line. But then finally the breakthrough caught in the gully and from then on found my length. The pitch gave me some assistance and ended up 8 over’s 1/18.
Coupled with a catch and rolling them for 121 it was a great win and we are 2 and 0 so a good start.
Go the Tigers.

Homer 1 is Sold :(

Well we finally sold Homer1, it took a bit longer than expected but it is gone. It is a little sad as it has been our home for 18 months.
We have two big projects on the go still, winch service and fixing the squeaky rear doors on the Tojo. I have fitted some second hand hinges so I can get the Tojo ones re pinned but they don’t actually seem to bad. (new ones are $1,000 for a set) We are going to get a new seal which is $300 so it is no cheap fix either way. But 45,000 km of the annoying squeak that doesn’t even disappear no matter how high you turn up the stereo is going to be worth the money. So the plan is get the hinges re-pinned, fit a new seal and touch up the paint that has been rubbed off and hope for the best

Andy's first match @ Jabiru,

written by NCC, Growl Editor,


A Bus drove away in the glare of the rising sun and full of collective hope. A Bus came back again carrying a victorious NCC D-Grade cricket side, full of song, cheer and beer.

After falling for the oldest trick in the land when he called the toss before the coin had left the hand of his Jabiru counterpart, skipper Johnny Fryar readied his charges for a field. Brad Hatton and journeyman Anthony Snell combined for a sound opening spell, which placed immediate pressure on the Big Birds (Jabiru) and should have yielded more than 1 wicket after an edge off Hatton’s bowling unfortunately found its way back down to Earth. The “Velvet Sledgehammer” Nathan Jury (2 or 3 wkts) and NCC Action hero Brion Foley (3 wkts) then combined for an outstanding spell in tandem to first dry up the runs, and then the wickets began to fall. 4-63 at drinks then became 116 all out as the Jury/Foley show continued, before ‘Danny’ Glover chimed in with one scalp and pocket-rocket Andrew Moore on debut dismantled the lower order with a few tracer bullet like deliveries, one in particular shattering the stumps and effects mike.

The NCC innings started steadily but after a few wickets Brion Foley (31) then steadied the ship and played a sheet-anchor role that almost saw the boys home. Foley combined with skipper Johnny Fryar who carved out a dazzling 44, to take the game right away from the Big Birds and ensured a happier bus travelling home. The baby was put to bed with some Andrew “007” Moore pyrotechnics (including a brutally whacked six!) and it was a merry Tigers’ outfield that travelled home again – save for a small outburst from the President following a would-be assassination attempt on the bus (later downgraded by the Tribunal to a grade 1 ‘icing’)…no culprit has yet been caught, but safe to say the Jury is out in this Who-dunnit on wheels!

Easter @ Dundee

Its Easter weekend and we are finally off to Dundee for the weekend. W e are packed up Friday morning and head off. A couple of nice showers on the way and every man and his dog is heading out there too. They have a fishing comp on.
Brian, Jan & Rob arrive later, Tina and I have had a bit of clean up while we were waiting. We are keen to do some jobs so we empty the spa and clean it out as well as fixing the outside sink which has fallen apart. Everyone is off doing their little jobs and as usual we head down to the cliff for sunset.


Saturday brings bad news on the weather front again with rough seas preventing us from going out. So more jobs are on the card’s not to mention excessive eating & drinking. Brian and Rob head off with the crab pots in the secret spot. There is enough food out here to feed us all for a month. John & Dianne come over for tea and I DJ Brian’s old records well into the night.
Sunday brings more bad news on the weather front so there will be no fishing again. We are all a little worse for wear this morning and feeling quite lazy. We head off to the ant mounds and the lodge for a beer.
Brian gets the Suzi bogged retrieving the pots and we have to head down for a rescue mission. Block and tackle some chain and a 2k walk through the swamp where we hear the growl of a big croc.
Anyway little damage except Tina and I getting covered in mud. All for one big delicious Mud Crab.
We are going down to the beach tonight to fish, we cannot spend the weekend at Dundee with no fishing. The water is rough and yucky but finally some bites. I get onto about 5 sharks but they all bite through the line before I can get them in, good fun at least.

Andy Signs up to play Cricket in Darwin

We are back on line now so expect some more regular updates. It’s April fool’s day and I was expecting a few more gags at work, I thought in the world of IT that would be a bit more popular. We have been hoping to get out to Dundee but work and other commitments have meant we couldn’t. Not to mention some later wet season weather. Jan & Brian have been out and the weather has been so rough nearly no fishing at all.
We have been having our regular Thursday night dinners with them which is often a roast. We cooked a Pork roast in the cobb the other week.
I’m playing cricket with Nightcliff cricket club this year so its off to training Thursday nights. Wow have been lazy or just getting older because I have been pulling up quite sore. It has taken a couple of weeks but I’m getting the hang of it slowly. I’m going to play one dayer’s on Sundays. There is a link to NCC on our blog and I will add a link to the association soon you can keep an eye on my performances. It is a bit strange going home to watch AFL after cricket though?
I have been given two major projects t manage at work and my cruisy weeks are gone and now working 10 hour days. It is a steep learning curve but one I’m glad to be able to experience.

Marchin on Darwin

What a month March has been, I scored a full time job, Nathan & Megan turned 30, and Mel & Glenn got engaged!
I am now working for Perkin’s shipping full time 5 days a week, in their newly developed customer service department, and loving it! It has been a challenge to learn how to pronounce all the communities’ names we ship to but I think I have it under control.
We have just bought a new laptop as our old one died a long but graceful death, hence why we have not been regularly been updating the blog. March also saw Andy’s 1st visit to the chiro since QLD not bad hey, he put it out lying on the bed! Believe it or not. After 2 adjustments he seems to be alright.
On a hot balmy Friday night we went to TIO stadium to watch Sturt Football Club absolutely trash the NT Thunder (their theme song is Thunder struck By AC/DC), It was a great evening Andy & I have not ventured out much so it was good to get amongst the locals. Tina’s Handy tip: do not stand on collapsible chairs, they will squash your foot and possibly damage your foot; you could also spill your beer (only a few drops!)
Oh yeah a major change to our life was moving into the Permanent section of the caravan park. We did this to dodge the rent increase for the peak season; we have found a very nice site with ample space for us to spread out & some very nice neighbours.

Happy birthday to following people for March, Holly (1ST Birthday), Nathan & Megan, Cheryl (and the rest of the clan for March)& Glenn.

Mud Racing

Tonight we are off to the Mud racing with Dave & Shane. Dave has volunteered to be Sober Bob. Its pretty good fun and there are some bloody powerful cars, but the PA man never explains the format or tells you what is going on. A few roll over sand dead cars but it was pretty good. The kids even line up at the fence to get sprayed with mud, well not like Speedway I mean drenched in mud. I wonder how many kids are riding home on the roof tonight.

Where has the wet season gone?

I have Tuesday arvo off so we can spend some time together and catch up.
Wednesday night we have baked Snapper at Brian & Jan’s. And the rest of the
week is quite routine for us these days.
I feel all the symptoms of Bells Palsy and off to the doctor for confirmation. I haven’t been to the doc for 2 years and now 2 in a week.
Well its been another standard week for us gain and we carry on with Car stuff. Lots of little jobs to tidy up. We get the headlights fixed on the Tojo which is a switch problem.
Valentines day we head down the wharf with Brian & Jan for some lunch and a cruisy afternoon.

It’s been along week and still little rain it is very hot and we really need some rain to cool it down. Brian has been on a scrounging rampage this week and has cupboards coming out of his arse. They are all for Dundee apparently. The lap top battery / charger dies so of to the doctor it goes. They sell me a new charger but mine is actually OK its just he lead that needs fixing. The issue is the new battery I bought over the internet! I have filled out an online claim so lets see what happens. Lucky I kept the old Toshiba one hey. Thursday its off to tea at Brian & Jan’s and Tina cooks a beautiful Chicken & Corn soup. Tina has been looking for a new job, one with normal hours like 9-5 and things look promising but more on that later.
I’m doing fantasy AFL this year against the boys in the office so I set up and try to buy a tea, its pretty tough you only get 7.5m. Saturday we are off to get stuff to fix up the little van. We are going to sell it and it needs some TLC. Just a good clean and some bits and pieces here and there. So we spend the day working on that. Apart from a quick pop down to the Repco sale for some new Narva Spotties for the Tojo. (life must be good can affords Narva’s these days).

The Tojo is back together

They are not repairs they are improvements

Back to work Wednesday with many people with sore heads, Thursday I’m off to tea at Brian & Jan’s and we have a lovely Pork Roast.
Friday I fit the guard back on and the car nearly looks like a car again. Just need the Powder coat to ring up and tell me the Roo Bar is ready so I can fit it on the weekend.

It’s Saturday morning we have no power and it is pissing down. Can only keep typing for a few more minutes, I knew I should have charged the laptop last night. Lucky I have 12 volt and gas to cook breaky. It’s been a long time since I had to boil water for a coffee though. I better check out the BOM site and see how long this rain is hanging around for.

Car repairs Australia Day

Have to go to work today, and it’s a long day but I do manage to get the guard & panel welded. A cash job for $ 100. Tuesday is Australia Day and I’m working on the car again, I glue up the gear lever cover with the one I got from Palmerston 4 x 4 and also glue the floor mat. The guys at Cole motors didn’t fit the gear box/lever casing properly and so I fix this so there is no more gearbox noise entering the car. Next job is to get the new sound deadening and lay the floor vinyl back over the top. It goes fairly smoothly and apart from a couple of broken seat bolts it would have been quite any easy job.
The triple JJJ hottest 100 is on so I have some nice music to listen too.
Tina is in Wallaroo laying concrete for Carol and can’t get reception there.
It’s a long day with many little jobs done. The cricket is on from Adelaide so I watch this as well. I bought a new car battery, the one in there was the original one when we got the car, exactly 2 years ago today and I thought it would lucky to get us home from Heathcote. So in it goes with a painted up bracket. You can paint anything once you have a tin. On Australia Day in Darwin they have a Ute run and everyone gets in their Ute put up Aussie Flags (made in China of course) and drive down the highway, it’s the most amount of Bogans and Rednecks I’ve ever seen.

Car Repairs Day 2

A good night sleep and I’m ready to go again. I finished tidying up the wiring and next I take out the clutch pedal, it’s a bit sticky but it all seems good so I give it a clean and put it back in. I painted the jack brackets & Wiper assemblies and now I’m using my Christmas Present the 5 minute araldite to glue up the Steering Wheel casing.

Next job is to take of the right front guard because the bracket is split and has been for a long time. It’s a bit of a job and it uncovers that the inner panel has a lot of cracks so there is a bit more work than I first thought. It takes all day again in between watching a bit of cricket. The Aussies thrash the Pakies so its an early night.

Car repairs - Part 1

Saturday I’m up early, bit of a sore head but with a mission. I have to get the Side deck treads and Roo Bar off to the powder coaters who close at midday. I don’t rush and if I get it done in time I will be happy. It all goes pretty well, most of the work was removing all the old wiring. I get it ready just in tome and drive down there with 15 minutes to spare.

Next job is the new Coil springs, I’ve been waiting for Rob to buy a set of Coil Spring Clamps but he hasn’t come through so off to Supacheap $48 dollars so a good buy. There is a chance I can lower the diff enough and will not need them but I don’t want to find out once its to late. Anyway didn’t really need them but they made it easier. They go in easy and the car sits really good now(sorry no photo’s Tina took the camera to Adelaide.) Looks like some new shockers are on the list the ones that are in there look very sad. It all goes together really well, so onto the next job, rewire the spotlight wiring. All installed , just need some new spotties. Then the noisy gearbox, got a new clutch and the clutch, thrust bearing sound louder than ever. So out come the seats and floor matting to find they didn’t put the Gear leaver cover back on properly and there is a broken seal so not happy but not surprised. Off to Toyota on Monday to get a new one. I had to take all this stuff out anyway the sound deadening if stuffed thanks to a 250mm flood in Brisbane with a leaking windscreen(which still leaks, might need a new seal). So that’s it for today I’m buggered I worked longer hours than during the week.

The Kids fly home

It’s Midnight and we are off to the Airport, there is a bit of a storm around and its only just that the kids get to see one more storm before they leave. Tina & the kids check in and we sit around waiting for take off. Its quite sad and after 3 weeks I’m used to having the kids around again.
Then they board and they are off, this will be longest Tina & I have ever been apart, but I have lots to keep me busy. I get little sleep and Thursday is a tuff day at work and I’m very tired.

Friday night I head out to have some beers with the Bachelor Boys. We spend most of the evening at the Deck Bar, drinking, watching the Aussies beat the Paki’s and doing some window shopping.

The Kids settle in to Darwin life

Well the time has really passed quick, we have done lots of stuff with the kids but not all the parks, waterfalls but it is the wet season so a lot off stuff is closed.

The kids got a little spoiled with lots of dinners at the Dinah Beach Yacht Club, Trailer Boat Club, Hogs Breath, Fisherman’s Wharf & even some HJ’s. We had another couple of visits to the Wave Pool & Leanyer Slides. Tina took the kids to east Point museum and we even got to sit around a bit watching the non stop rain.

One day we headed over to Mandorah to try some fishing. Brian brought over one of the boats and both kids got to go out. It was a bit rough in the Harbour and in a little boat it was pretty bumpy. Both kids were not well and I don’t think they are that keen on boating.

We all had some turns at cooking and had a go at a few recipes as well. The kids got to play with Jorja & Emily lots and we had a couple of BBQ’s at Brians.

But all off a sudden it was Wednesday and time for the kids to fly home. Tina is going down to Adelaide for 10 days and I’m home alone with a list of jobs.

This morning we were up early and off to the Parap markets, they are great and we met up with Nathan, Megan, Jorja, Emily, Mel, Glenn, James, and Sam. I love the aromas at these markets plenty of food, jewelry, clothes, paintings and much more. One very popular stall was the one with the croc teeth necklaces they also had a lizard and snake you can hold & get a photo for a gold coin donation. All of us kids had a go!

Then off to Crocosaurus Cove, this is the new attraction done by the same people who used to run the Crocodile Farm that is now closed. The Crocosaurus Cove is right in the city on Mitchell street, it was quite good

We saw & held some more reptiles, watch some people get lowered into the Cage of Death, that is being lowered into the Big Croc cages inside a perplex cage……. mmmmmm still not sure I could do that! Kirsten, Jason & Andy swam in a tank with heaps of metre sized crocs on the other side of the glass, and then the kids fed these crocs with buffalo meat on a fishing rod, very snappy little critters.

After lunch we met up with everyone down at the wave pool this is such a great idea that the government has come up with, only $16 for a family all day that is cheap as. We spent a good 4 hours there, they have 4 different sets of waves they run there, some of them made me a bit sea sick when sitting in the tubes that are provided (they also supply boogie boards) even the little girls got amongst it. I am sure I can vouch for everyone that it is a great work out therefore we were all left very tired and ready for bed. We all met Dad & Jan at the Trailer Boat Club or dinner, I thought the meals were a little expensive for a club, but when the meals came out they were a huge serving so I guess that’s why they are priced like that. An early night & off to bed.

Territory Wildlife Park By Jason Moore

Today we went to the Territory Wildlife Park. It was Tina, Mel, Glen, Sam, James, Kirsten and
I.

There were a lot of really amazing and interesting animals like the offspreay it dives feet first into the water and does not get wet because of its oily feathers. That was at the Birds of prey.

We then went to the Crocwise Presentation where they taught us about Crocodiles salt and freshwater crocodiles we learnt how to be Croc Safe. We got to pat a fresh water crocodile but its mouth was closed thanks to a rubber band.

When that was over we had our lunch Tina, Kirsten and I had sandwiches but the rest had a brought lunch. As soon as we opened our lunch a bunch of birds flew over to us and started looking at us. When we had finished a Wallaby came over to us with a baby in her pouch. It has a reall liking for grapes, Alfoil and Sam’s lunch.

After that we went to Things and Stings where they taught us about different types of water animals that are poisonous they covered five different animals. The Box Jelly Fish, The Blue Ringed Octopus, The Stone Fish that can catch its prey in 0.5 seconds, I think it’s the cone fish it lives in a shell and will shot a dart at you, and I don’t remember the last one. They have a cure for the Box Jelly Fish The others is CPR for up to 24 hours until the lungs starts working again But if you get stung you do not put alcohol on it. After that we went home hope you enjoyed my first post.