Andy & Tinas new Blog site

Hi All,

As we are not travelling we are no longer posting to here, please go to our new site to follow all the action of our new adventure.

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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.