Bottle Tree

Roger Federer won the Aussie Open and his 16th Grand Slam title at Rod Laver Arena tonight, that's Rocket Rod Laver's bust outside Melbourne Park. Rocket won the Grand Slam twice, all four major tournaments in the one year, and that remains the only mountain for Federer to climb now. He is already the greatest tennis player of all time and some were even arguing tonight that he is the greatest athlete in the world. Hard to argue against I guess.

A few catch-up pics of Spike and Sport Boy's bedrooms after the rearrangement. Spike's mates have more room to play X-Box now!! Sport Boy has little choice but to barrack for the Cats seeing as I've hung my excess Geelong pictures in his room, although I did buy him a Dockers jumper for $5 at a garage sale this arvo!

He helped me with my first outdoor art installation, "Bottle Tree" last weekend and this arvo I took Favourite Daughter and Mrs Holt Press out to see it. It's on Carbunup South Rd if you happen to be in the neighbourhood. The photo doesn't do it justice, there are 35 coloured bottles suspended from the tree and when the sun catches them and the breeze blows them it looks pretty cool!

FD and I are thinking about other items we can hang in trees to create our own art trail around Busselton.

A few more recent drawings. I just finished a big one today which I've been working on for a few days, and also did a lot of work on a new mixed media painting I've been planning for ages which utilises 95 of the watches I've been collecting for months.

 

School starts for Sport Boy and all the local schools tomorrow which means a big day for me making sure all our school buses get out on time. After two nights in the taxi over the weekend the early starts are a challenge so once things get back to "normal" I'll probably quit the cab driving, we just need to get some money back in the bank first.

Changing Rooms

It has been a strange week, for reasons that I won't go into but it seems as if things are settling down again.

We did a major rearrangement in the three kid's (still living at home) bedrooms this afternoon which has improved the space in all of them and the cleanliness of one in particular. I won't mention any names but think 18 year old male and you'll be on the right track. Moving furniture enabled significant vacuum work to be done and a good thing too.

Favourite Daughter has decorated her walls with numerous maps  of Australia which will serve as an inspiration and a pre-education for her trip around the country in the Kombi. Departure is scheduled for some time soon after her 21st birthday (Mar 24) although the Kombi took a bit of a battering the other day as she and Spike were returning home from Perth: The side door fell off! To compound the problem, they couldn't put it back on because the bottom bracket had actually snapped and they then had to drive past a police car. Not surprisingly the cops pulled her over and although they were very friendly and helpful they still had to give her a yellow sticker. So now she has to find someone to fix the door. There are no VW mechanics in these parts so we may need to check some wreckers and get what we need from Perth. The joys of owning an old car!

I've been drawing while watching the tennis tonight and am glad Andy Murray has made the final of the Aust Open, I'd like to see him win it especially as no Brit has won a Grand Slam since 1936!!

There is a very entertaining exhibition doubles match on now between Pat Rafter/Henri Leconte and Pat Cash/Wayne Arthurs, they are hamming it up mercilessly and the crowd are loving it. I'm recording it for Sport Boy to watch tomorrow, he'll love it too.

Mrs Holt Press' Mum, Granny Jones has been quite unwell the last week or so and has had a couple of nights in the hospital which is of great concern. Her Dad is almost blind and deaf now so it's pretty stressful for him too. Mrs HP will go over and see them some time in the next week or so once the results of the latest tests are known. She's also going to go and visit her brother Ray who has opened a cafe/store on Bruny Island in southern Tasmania while she's on that side of the country.

Bachelor Weekend

Mrs Holt Press has been in Perth the last couple of days, along with Sport Boy. Favourite Daughter, The Heir and Spike are all in Perth at present too, though not all together all the time.

In their absence I've worked two long shifts in the taxi and slept a long time!

In the the times when I've been awake but not working I've been tidying up the carport, cooking BBQ dinners for myself, drawing and watching a bit of tennis.

Tomorrow is my first day on the job in my new job.

The start of a new era.

I was talking to Noel yesterday and he made a comment that got me thinking.

"You were a chaplain so long it really defined you."

For over 15 years I not only worked as a chaplain, I lived it. It's one of those sort of jobs that you are rather than you do.

Now I'm starting a new career path, which means a new direction, new experiences, new relationships etc

I guess it will take a bit of getting used to. Hopefully it will be a positive and rewarding change.

Employment Update

My employment situation has changed again; I have been offered a full time job with the local bus company, based in Busselton. I have been training as a driver with them this week but the position of depot supervisor has opened up and they have invited me to fill it. In fact the position will combine some driving with the supervisor role. I'm meeting the departing supervisor tomorrow to discuss the position and hand-over details and will probably commence work on Monday. The job I thought I was going to get originally was also as a supervisor but based in Bunbury so this is a lot more convenient. It's quite a departure from chaplaincy but the company believe my skills and experience will be transferable and applicable to the job, I hope they're right.

Petticoat Lane went quite well last night, lots of positive comments about my art and I actually sold a set of 4 small paintings I had just done this week and a few cards and badges too. There was a small profit after the cost of the stall was subtracted.

After many requests I finally had a game of squash with Sport Boy this evening. Although I beat him I was impressed with his game, there's no doubt that with practise he'll be a decent squash player.

I went and saw Avatar tonight, the 2D version. It's a pretty impressive film, the animation and effects are stunning. I might even go and see the 3D version to get the full effect.

Work Developments

There has been some progress on the employment front. I didn't get the job I thought I was going to but the company, Veolia Transport/SW Coachlines, contacted me to say that they are keen to get me into the company! Initially I'll be working as a bus driver but with strong prospects of another position opening up.

So on that basis I did my first training day today, to familiarise me with the buses and some of the routes I may drive. I drove the last run of the day, from Dunsborough back to Busso and managed not to hit anything or anyone! The regular work will be on a school bus run when school goes back in a couple of weeks.

One good thing about that is it will leave me time free during the day to work on the contract jobs with the school, initially organising the Beach Carnival in late February and other events such as Country Week in term two.

At the same time I want to formalise the Behind the White Crosses program and see about getting it accepted as a regular event on the school calendar for all the local high schools. There are two public and three private high schools in town. I'm more motivated than ever following the horrific crash in Melbourne on the weekend that killed five young men! The Sunday Times newspaper called me a few days ago to ask about BTWC and are sending a photographer down tomorrow to take my picture for inclusion in a story this weekend. There has been consistent support and goodwill for the program. The next step is to get it formalised and present it to the schools. One of the staff at Busso encouraged me to get it recognised as a a curricular option so that students would receive credits for participating. I'm not sure how to go about that but it makes sense and ought to make a stronger case for it when schools are considering their options.

Tomorrow night is Petticoat Lane, the annual street market in Busselton and I'll be running a stall and hoping to sell some of my paintings and drawings. I've been busy framing several of the the last couple of days. I have another taining shift in the buses tomorrow as well so it will be a busy day.

More Catch-Up Pictures

Camping has changed a little! The front room of our tent became the newspaper office as well as the print room for other team members needing stuff printed.

The prototypre "Fun Bin" for the business venture I wrote about before Christmas. It's just a shame that I printed up a whole stack of flyers before changing internet providers and getting a new email address. funbins@dodo.com.au is the new email if you'd like your bin transformed!

Parkes NSW held their annual Elvis Festival a couple of weeks ago but at Arthur River the dunnies are designated in his honour.

Sport Boy washing dishes at Beach Mission, an event that needs to be recopgnised for its rarity.

Fran and KerriAnne welcoming the team to dinner on Curry Night.

Letchy and Hotchy providing the commentary at the beach cricket game which kept the crowd entertained.

A recent drawing: "City Plan".

Chris, easily hiding behind my considerable bulk! We stayed at Chris' place while we were in Esperance, though sadly she was away in Melbourne at the time. We caught up when she came and stayed for a night at our place on her way home, it was great to see her. We've got a date booked for the footy in June, West Coast v Geelong at Subiaco. Bring on the footy season!
Bronny and Stu, the space travelling dinosaurs who starred in the riverside dramas each morning at Augusta. The fantastic space ship set was built by Birchy out of scrounged materials.

The Birches and the Edwards' at the bakery, traditional departure point on the last day of Beach Mission. The team meet there after all the packing up is finished and enjoy a few treats before saying our goodbyes. The Birches are off on a round Australia caravanning trip in a couple of weeks time and Birchy showed me through the van, complete with a few of his modifications. The trip sounds great, they're heading for Tassie first.

Picture Catch-Up

Smiling Mrs Holt Press at the beach in Esperance.

Thanks to my DIY techno-wiz dad I've got a quick and easy way to resize and post pictures on the blog, thanks Pop. BTW did you see Zac's response to your comment? very funny.


Bendy Figures. I experimented with a new style of drawing the other day and am quite pleased with the results. I've coloured and framed a couple which makes them look even better (IMO).
Grand prize winners of the Augusta Sand Castle competition with a beach buggy Beetle, they even brought a little surfboard to adorn and complete it.

One opf the many beautiful beaches around Esperance.
This shouldn't be on it's side, not sure why it is but either way, BB the Accountant is clearly happy with his Christmas present.

Gone in 60 Minutes

While I was in Bunbury I went to Hungry Jacks for lunch. As I pulled up in the car park I noticed a group of four young people trying to open their car with a piece of wire and some packing tape. Sure enough they'd locked their keys inside and had been trying to get the car open for an hour. In fact they were on the verge of breaking a window to get in. I offered to have a go and as luck would have it after a couple of minutes I managed to get it open. They were very happy and grateful and then one of the girls said, "Did you used to be our school chaplain?"
Oh oh, sprung again, displaying minor criminal abilities! Turns out they were from Carine and had been down to Busso for Southbound. It was nice to see them and to be able to give them a helping hand, which after all is one of the main objectives of a school chaplain.

I wish someone could give me a hand. I've got lots of photos from our time at Esperance and Augusta taken on my new camera and I'd like to post a few on the blog but they are too big (4-5mb) each and for some reason I can't get my photo editing program, Gimp, to open in order to scale them to a more acceptable size. It looks like it's going to start up and then just disappears without trace or warning. I've even tried deleting and reinstalling the program, with no improvement. So until I find a solution the blog shall remain photo-less.

I'm still waiting to hear back about the job and not enjoying the uncertainty.

Mrs Holt Press' mum is in hospital at the moment, having had high blood pressure and a rapid heart rate. It seems like the Dr. has got it under control with medication and she may be able to go home tomorrow but I think Mrs Holt Press will be heading over to Geelong soon for a visit and to give her Mum and Dad a hand. They are both quite old and their health has declined over the last couple of years so we are concerned about them.

Not So Straightforward

My job situation is again uncertain. I met with the operations manager in Bunbury yesterday under the impression it was a "confirmation" meeting only to find it was more of an "interview" and that the position is by no means definitely mine.
This threw me a little bit as everything I'd been told up till then gave me confidence to believe the job was mine.
Notwithstanding this new state of uncertainty the interview went well and I have some confidence that I will get the job but I won't know until some time later this week. If successful I will start next week.
Thus I am in limbo at present, not where I wanted to be.

On the bright side it is helpful to have a few days to recover from the exertions of beach mission and get a few things sorted out, like my new internet provider. I spent over an hour on the phone to them today (in the Philipines!) and thought it was all sorted but my email does not appear to be working yet and is doing strange things.

Home Again

We're home again.

Beach mission was great, 10 really good days at Augusta.

We're pretty tired now though.

We've had a special treat tonight, a visit from our friend Chris whose house we stayed in at Esperance for Christmas. She is on her way home after a trip to Melbourne and it's been great to catch up with her. Mind you I fell aslepp in a chair while we were talking and had to have a nap to recover some energy. Fish and chips for tea and looking at Chris' wonderful photos of the Kimberleys and Esperance on her laptop.

Favourite Daughter's friend Casey is here too having been to the Southbound concert for the weekend.

And Spike's mate Zac is also here for the night so there's not much room at the HoltPress Hotel this evening.

I have a meeting in Bunbury at 10 in the morning about my new job, the start of a new year brings the start of a new era.

Happy New Year

All the best for 2010.

The transition phase is ending.

8+ hours of driving home from Esperance with a quick visit at Bridgetown.

1 day of prep.

12 hours in the cab starting last year, my best ever takings for one night but pretty tired by 6 this morning.

A few hours sleep.

Packing what I can take in the car and about to leave for Cowtown to pick up the marquee.

Then onto Augusta for the first stage of set up.

Here we go!

Esperancades Are Ended

Our time in Esperance has come to an end, we're packed up and ready to head for home. Just the lazy eight hour drive away!!
The weather is cooler and breezier today, yesterday was a real stinker, 43 degrees apparently and it didn't ease off much at night which made sleeping very uncomfortable.

Favourite Daughter is staying on for a couple of extra days to hang out with her friend Beth and the local crew. Hopefully the Kombi will do all the right things and get her home safely. She's planning to go via Albany, Walpole, Pemberton etc and meet us in Augusta.

Sport Boy has had a pretty good time but is currently asleep with a headache. He is a notoriously bad patient so I really hope A. he goes back to sleep when we put him in the car and B. his head gets better or it could be a mournful journey (for all of us).

Mrs Holt Press has had a really lovely time but has been a bit stressed worrying about things going on elsewhere the last couple of days. We've got a busy couple of days, getting back to Busso today and getting packed and ready tomorrow to go to Augusta on New Year's Day.

I am relieved to report that I have completed the pre-mission newspapers. They are ready for photocopying and thenI'll add the current news and events to them each day while we are at Augusta. It's a relief to get it done, it is a big job. I'm already thinking about how to improve and streamline the process next year.

Last thing to report is that when I get home I'll be ringing to say I'd like to accept a job that was offered to me just before we came away with the local coach line company. More details later but if all goes to plan I should commence work mid-January.

Update: Sport Boy has woken up and is moaning and crying, not a good sign!

Time to hit the road and hope we can get him back to sleep in the aiconditioned car.

See you in Busso

Esperance Escapades

Life continues on at a relaxed pace in Esperance. Trips to the beach and the shops, fish and chips, drawing, watching dvds, sleeping in, checking out the local art gallery, playing with Sport Boy, going to see Sherlock Holmes at the movies, breakfast at the jetty Tearooms, riding the miniature train etc etc.
We are having a lovely quiet time.
But we've only got a couple of days left before we have to head home to Busselton on the 30th.

I spent a fair bit of time today working on the daily newspapers for beach mission at Augusta. I'm the editor and this year I'm planning my most ambitious target ever, 7 newspapers. It's a fiddly process putting them together but I've been collecting material for them throughout the year which has certainly made the task easier. I've done four, got three to go!

I think we're off to have a look at Cape LeGrande tomorrow. If it's anything like the rest of the Esperance area it will be beautiful. It is a very picturesque town set on the Bay of the Isles.

Happy Christmas

We've spent a very low key and enjoyable Christmas in Esperance. Just the four of us and an absolute minimum of presents yet each of them truly appreciated.
I was very surprised, and overjoyed to be given a new digital camera by the family, a perfect gift! And coincidentally I had been looking at cameras yesterday and the guy recommended the very camera I was given! A Lumix by Panasonic. I have felt naked without a camera the last few weeks, it will be great to be "armed" again.

I gave Mrs Holt Press a digital photo frame which she loves. We managed to get it going despite the battery in the remote control being flat and soon had a disk of Favourite Daughter's pictures playing.

For Favourite Daughter herself I got a DVD of Simon & Garfunkel in concert which she was rapt with. We had been to see them live in July and it brought back lots of great memories and of course their music is superb.

Sport Boy is also very happy; he received a new scooter and a Diablo (spinning toy) and has been playing with them constantly.

We rang The Heir and Spike to wish them a happy Christmas, both sound like they're doing well.

For Christmas lunch we had marinated prawns on the BBQ along with chicken, steak and ribs with salad and it was fantastic. The only thing missing was Mum's traditional Christmas Plum Pudding.

The rest of the day has been spent watching movies and drawing, a very relaxing and enjoyable Christmas. I hope you had a great day as well. Best wishes from the management and staff here at Holt Press.

Esperance At Last!

We made it OK (sort of)
To far-off Esperance
Less by good planning
More by good chance

The cars both ran well
No problems or drama
But the trip was eventful
With a touch of bad karma

No mechanical trouble
Just driver related
A navigational stuff up
Saw us get separated

Busso to Bunbury
All went well
Next stop in Collie
No problems to tell

Arthur River was next
On the Googled route
Both arrived safely
Both cars running beaut

Favourite Daughter leading
Sport Boy the co-driver
Mrs Holt Press and I
About 5 minutes behind her

A fuel stop at Wagin
Next on the agenda
Then on to Lake King
Lest assistance need be rendered

Then things went awry
No Wagin showed up
Next place we came to
A servo in Kojonup

Oops, that's not right
We're heading south not east
We missed the turn off somehow
Mrs HP wasn't pleased

Where were the kids?
No sign of the VW
Did they go to Wagin
Or had they missed it too?

Tried ringing the mobile
No reception out here
No way of knowing
Were they anywhere near

Mrs HP got stressed
Worried the kids might be missing
I tried calming her fears
Using logic and reason

A new route was plotted
We'd head for Katanning
Gave the mobile a work out
And the horizon a scanning

No sign of the Kombi
No word from the offspring
No way of knowing
No news, not a thing

Time to call in
Reinforcements at home
We need some help
Get Spike on the phone

"Hey mate we got lost
Took a wrong turn and missed Wagin
Try ringing your sister
She'll be worried I'm gauging"

"Let her know where we are
And to head for Ravensthorpe
We'll rendezvous there
In a couple of hours we hope"

"No worries Dad
I'll ring and I'll text
When I get in touch
I'll tell you what's next"

Gnowangerup, Ongerup
We drove on as night fell
Rang again at Jerramungup
But no news to tell

We figured our messages
Would get FD's attention
But our plans were thwarted
By her lack of reception

Our next concern
Now became our own fuel
Would we make it to Ravensthorpe
With the tank under half full?

A 24 hour
Card system we found
Filled the tank and set off
Till finally the sound

We'd been hoping and praying for
My phone started to ring
Favourite Daughter on the line
Asking us where we'd been

Oops, sorry
We missed the sign
Went to Kojonup
Instead of Wagin

Where are you?
And are you OK?
We're at Lake King
We went the right way

That's great news to our ears
Head for Ravensthorpe keep going
We'll meet you there in an hour
No more to-ing and fro-ing

By midnight we'd found them
Safe sound and happy
Mrs HP much relieved
Sport Boy a bright chappy

We drove on for a while
Lightning storms lit the way
Till FD was too tired
Time to call it a day

Two girls in the Yaris
We two boys in the Kombi
Uncomfortable sleep
Woke up feeling like zombies

A coffee and toilet stop
At the next roadhouse
Before finally arriving
In cold windy Esperance

Got the keys from Beth's Mum
Found the house of our friend
Went to bed, slept like logs
Our long journey at an end!

Christmas Ditty

Our bags are packed
We're ready to go
Will we make it?
I don't know

The Yaris will make it
No problems there
The Kombi's the vehicle
Running on prayer

Favourite Daughter is home
And wants to take the Vee Dub
As a test run for when
She takes off for the scrub

The battery was stone dead
When we tried starting it up
The jumper leads burnt out
Maybe a push start...nup!

A transplant was called for
Pop the bonnet on my wagon
Disconnect the battery and
Replace the one that's flaggin'

Hook it up, turn the key
It burst instantly to life
With some luck and some prayer
Hope there's no more strife

Esperance here we come
Turquoise ocean is awaiting
A friend's house to stay in
Good for peace and contemplating

A long trip to get there
Two cars in a convoy
One for Mrs Holt Press and I
The other for FD and Sport Boy

Spike is staying home
To work and to ...........
Hmm let's not give him ideas
Just hope he's hale and hearty

Merry Christmas everybody
Readers, family, friends
2009 like this verse
Is fast coming to an end

A good year for the Cats
And for my family
Will 2010 be as good?
We'll have to wait and see

God bless you all
at the Saviour's birth
Good fun and good cheer
And peace on earth

Garage Sale Continues

The garage sale has been a great success, in fact it's still running and it's Monday afternoon. One of the things that annoys me most is people who close their garage sales at 12 on the dot Saturday lunchtime. Why? You've gone to all the trouble of getting it set up, why not just let it keep running all day or all weekend or in my case, all week!! You don't have to hang out in the garage all the time, we've proved that by going about our normal business. If we see people we go out. If we don't see them they knock or call out. The whole point of a garage sale is to get rid of stuff you no longer want or need so it makes sense to give yourself the maximum opportunity to do so, and that means extended trading hours! In fact, Mrs Holt Press sold a couple of old push bikes to a couple of drunk guys on Saturday night who wanted to get to the pub quicker!! Even on flat tyres they were happy to part with $10 for some two wheeled transport!

We've sold lots of stuff and so far have made just under $500 with three more shopping days till Christmas. We've even had return customers like the lady who bought $10 worth of stuff, half of her weekly garage sale budget apparently, then on finding nothing of interest anywhere else came back to spend the remainder of her money with us.
I've been selling surplus puzzles and games cleaned out of my office. People have commented on how much there is not knowing that I've kept 5-6 boxes of the best stuff that I don't want to sell!
There's been some spirited haggling and plenty of laughs along the way and some very pleasant customers. A few have been invited in to see the more private collections of badges, art and watches. One older bloke sheepishly asked if I had any old watches? Do I?!! Come in and have a look!
His eyes lit up when I produced two boxes of them! He repairs old wind-up and mechanical watches and found 9 of interest in my collection. He will swap me some quartz watches for them along with a few dollars. For my purposes I just need watches with faces and hands, no digitals, quartz or mechanical doesn't matter.
A couple of people liked my paintings and one of them may end up purchasing one and one lady expressed interest in getting her bin decorated by FunBins!

I'm off to the bank to deposit the weekend's takings which included a 12 hour shift in the cab on Saturday night.

Sports Update:
Spurs have found form again having beaten Manchester City 3-0 midweek and followed up with a 2-0 win away to Blacburn Rovers on Saturday night.

Ideas & Possibilities

School's out, Sport Boy is on holidays, Summer is really here.

I had an official farewell from the school yesterday, along with the many other staff who are leaving or moving on. I've even almost finished clearing out my office! Dealing with 16 years of accumulation has been a BIG job.

I have applied for a few jobs but haven't got one yet, so it's just the odd taxi shifts bringing in any income at present. For the first time in a long time I'm not driving on a Friday night, instead I have a shift starting at 4.pm tomorrow, hopefully it will be a busy Saturday night in Busso.

Tonight I'm going round to Dave's to watch a NY Giants NFL game he recorded for me last week.

We're thinking of having a garage sale tomorrow, we've certainly got plenty of stuff to get rid of, especially since I've been clearing out the office, it's just a matter of energy to get it set up.

I have just printed up a couple of hundred flyers to do a letter box drop for a little business idea I've been thinking about for a while. It's called FUN BINS, a mobile rubbish bin decorating service! I recently brightened up our big (boring) green bin using brightly coloured adhesive vinyl and it has attracted a bit of attention. For $20 or $35 for two I'll come to your home and decorate your bins in the colours/designs of your choice! Hopefully people will like the idea of adding a bit of colour to the neighbourhood on bin day! email me at funbins@westnet.com.au if you'd like to give your bin a makeover!

Next job is to set up an art exhibition for January.

Meanwhile with finances getting pretty tight we are reviewing our plans to go to Esperance for Christmas. We still want to go but if I can find some work before then I'll need to take it.

It's Tuesday and I remembered to put the bins out

Apparently Christmas is only 10 days away.

Sport Boy only has one more day of school for the year!

We enjoyed our day trip to Bridgetown on Monday to see Mum and Walter (and their new kitchen) and Vicki before she left to go home to America (today). The kitchen remodelling has transformed the house and Mum is rapt with it. All the more impressive as they did it themselves. The addition of a dishwasher is also welcome. We caught up on and exchanged family news and also received a phone call from Paul F. while we were there. He told me he just keeps reliving his fishing experience in NZ, I think he is obsessed! No, sorry, that's not fair. I know he is obsessed!
I'm keenly awaiting a copy of their photos from the trip so I can post some here. Not having a digital camera at the moment is quite a handicap.

I'm doing a shift in the taxi tomorrow, with a more friendly start time of 10.00am and another couple of shifts on Thursday and Saturday nights which will bring in some much needed cash as we'll be leaving for Esperance on Monday or Tuesday. We're going to spend Christmas there and come home on the 30th, just in time to go to Augusta for Beach Mission on New Year's Day.

Saturday Night

We had a great trip to Perth. Most of Thursday was spent at Adventureworld with Favourite Daughter, Leo, Casey and the kids from Halls Creek (not Kunnunurra as I stated the other day!). Everyone had a good time there and it was really good meeting Leo and going on a few rides with him and the other kids. Sport Boy was in his element and even Spike hooked up with some Cornerstone kids who also happened to be there for the day. The weather was good and it wasn't too crowded, a handy combination.

We checked in at Chatteau d'Taffrail and collected some keys from Sal before heading over to Leederville. First stop was The Heir's place to deliver his new washing machine. Mrs Holt Press wisely decided against entering the "house" which is due for demolition in the near future! A 21 year old male may be able to handle it but there are some things it's better for a mother not to know.

We collected Favourite Daughter from SIDE where the Halls Creek mob were staying and went to look for a place to eat. The Malaysian place was booked out, the Mongolian place was empty but didn't grab us so we chose the Cinnamon Club, a very nice Indian restaurant around the corner. The service was ordinary but the food was delicious and even Sport Boy found something he liked. Spike ordered the prawns but found them a bit hot to handle and had to ask for a glass of milk to help him through dinner!
It was a lot of fun having the whole family together for a meal and there was lots of laughter and discussion, including our plans for Christmas. We're going to Esperance for 8-10 days over Christmas although it looks like work will prevent either The Heir or Spike from joining us there.

For dessert we moved on to a huge and very popular cafe in Oxford St and sampled some of their huge range of cakes before I played a game of pool with Spike. Several of FD's friends turned up so we left her in their happy company and set off for "home" at the Chatteau.

Friday morning we went to Galleria in Morley and I collected a large bag of old and broken watches from a guy called Ali who I'd met there a couple of months ago in a watch repair booth. After a quick look in the AFL shop to drool over all the Geelong Premiership merchandise we drove over to IKEA in Innaloo. The kids wanted food, Mrs HP wanted a washing up bowl and a towel rail and I wanted frames. We all left happy and satisfied.

Because we were so close I suggested we drop in to visit our old friend Miriam who lives in a retirement village nearby. She turned 90 this year and has some health problems, including the loss of sight in one eye, but she was delighted to see us and catch up on all our news. When she hugged Spike, who recently turned 18 she said "I remember when you were born"!!
I told her about my foray into art and got one of my paintings from the car to show her. As she seemed to like it I offered to loan it to her and we hung it on the wall. I hope to enter it in an art competition at some stage but it has found a happy home in the meantime.
Miriam and her late husband Jan adopted our kids as surrogate grandchildren when we lived in Warwick and I worked at the Chip Inn drop in centre and for many years would visit us at Christmas time and give presents to the kids. We were all really glad we made the effort and took the extra time to visit her, even though it meant I was late back to Busselton for last night's shift in the taxi. I let the boss know and he was fine about it but as soon as we got home I had to head off to work and a 10 hour cab shift. It was steady rather than busy.

When I got home it was nearly time for Mrs HP and Sport Boy to get up and get ready to go to Bunbury for a tennis tournament he was playing in so I stayed up to share breakfast with them. After they left I felt fresh enough to go garage saling and managed to find 16 garage sales over the next couple of hours. I bought several frames and a few other bits and pieces for my art, a couple of CDs, a book and 4 good towels for 50c each!
By the time I got home I was well and truly ready for sleep and with the house empty and quiet enjoyed a good long sleep until about 5.00 this afternoon.

We're off to Bunbury in the morning for day two of the tennis then on to Mandurah for the last Beach Mission team meeting before we all meet in Augusta on New Year's Day, which is only three weeks from now, a scary thought!
On Monday we're going over to Bridgetown to visit Mum and Walter and see Vicki before she flies home to California.

One more piece of good news, the high school have offered to employ me on a contract basis to run some of their special events, starting with the Beach Carnival in February. Not sure about all the details yet but it could be the beginning of my new "career" working for myself and offering services and programs to schools, organisations and businesses.


Sport Update: With 6 minutes to go Spurs are trailing 1-0 to Wolves at White Hart Lane, not the sort of result I was hoping for. Way back in 1973 I became a Spurs fan after watching a game between them and Wolves (Wolverhampton Wanderers) on TV with my neighbour and best mate Anthony Long. My Spurs obsession grew and at times has rivalled my love for Geelong.
This is the first time they've played one another in a very long time following Wolves' promotion to the premier league this season.
Drat, Final Score, 1-0 to Wolves!!!!

Adventureworld Awaits

Tomorrow we're off to Perth to see Favourite Daughter and the kids from Kunnunurra, at Adventureworld! Sport Boy is very excited. A day off school AND his first time at Adventureworld AND seeing his favourite sister, woohoo!

We're delivering The Heir's new washing machine too, which may well make him excited.

We'll have a family dinner in Leederville then stay the night at Chatteau d'Taffrail. I have a gift for Sally and Warren that I bought on ebay, I hope they like it.

Sadly the winery requested I come and collect my paintings; they had a wedding in the gallery room on Saturday and had to take them down. They liked them but can't accommodate them on an ongoing basis. One of the staff told me how much she liked them though!
My plan is to have an exhibition of my own in mid January when there are still plenty of tourists and visitors in town. I've been talking about it for a while but the experience at the Art Fair last week has encouraged me to believe that enough people like my art to make an exhibition viable.

Nowhere Better to Be

Some days it's just good to be alive.
Busselton is a quiet and unassuming little piece of paradise here on planet earth and this evening Mrs Holt Press, Sport Boy and I enjoyed a taste of its good, simple life.
We bought some fish and chips and drove down to the jetty to eat our dinner sitting on the wall in front of The Goose, overlooking a beautifully calm Geographe Bay and the backdrop of a stunning sunset. The sky lit up in orange and pink and red and purple and blue as the sun sank down below Cape Naturaliste away to the west. The flake (shark) was delicious, mine was traditionally fried in batter, Mrs HP and Sport Boy who are both on gluten-free diets had theirs grilled. After we'd eaten we took turns to hit catches with the tennis racquet while SB threw himself around the beach.
On the other side of the jetty we admired the restoration of the beach achieved by the placement of "geo-fabric" sandbag groynes constructed about 12 months ago. Prior to that the beach had been washed away so badly there was barely room for one beach volleyball court between the wall and the water. Now there are two courts side by side. People are always ready to criticise or condemn the local council but I say bravo to them for fixing what was a serious problem.

Busselton has been home to the Ironman Triathlon this weekend which saw a huge influx of visitors, both competitors and supporters as well as the army of officials who ran the event. Although the weather was uncomfortably hot yesterday, pushing 35 degrees, the race went off very well. I was driving the cab last night but Mrs HP and SB went down to watch the last competitors make it home before the cut off time of 11.00, 17 hours after the start. They saw a 73 year-old lady finish the race; and for those not familiar with the format, an ironman consists of a 3.5km swim, a 180km bike ride and then a 42km marathon to finish off! That anyone finishes it is commendable but a 73 year-old, that's amazing.

I had one of the busiest nights ever in the taxi on Friday night. Typical average takings on a Friday night are between $350-450. This week the cab took $699! It included two big Dunsborough jobs, a trip to Margaret River, a drop off in Capel and a pick up in Bunbury. All up I drove over 500km. I earn a percentage of whatever the cab makes so the more I take the better off I am. I have been driving day shifts all week as well, filling in while the boss is away on holidays which has been very timely. I have one more shift on Tuesday then it will be back to looking for a job.

We are a one child family at the moment. Spike has gone up to stay with The Heir for a few days in Perth. Some sort of brotherly bonding experience to celebrate Spike's recent passage to adulthood. Hopefully they are not partying too hard!

We had a special visitor during the week, Mum and Walter brought over Vicki, Paul's wife, with whom I spent a week in New Zealand recently. Paul had to return home to work but Vicki flew on to Australia and will be here for three weeks in all. One day this week we will go over to Bridgetown for a visit. Walter is very keen for us to see the kitchen makeover.

Talking of visitors, Favourite Daughter is in Perth this week, on a school camp with all the kids from Kununurra. They're staying in Leederville, just down the road from The Heir's place and we are going up to Perth on Thursday to see her and meet all the kids, especially Leo with whom she works most closely. The whole family will go out for dinner that night as it's the first time we'll have been together since both Spike and Sport Boy's birthdays.

Finally, thanks Aileen for your comment and encouragement to blog more. I know I have become sporadic of late. The change in employment status has affected my motivation a little but I am keen to keep Holt Press chugging along and will post as often as news and energy allow. Ongoing computer problems have also hindered my output a little.
Thank you to my small band of faithful readers, it's good to know you're out there.

Which reminds me of an amazing coincidence that occurred at the Art Fair last weekend. One of the people who came through my exhibit liked my work and asked for my contact details. I proceeded to give him my numbers, email and blog address. When I wrote the URL for this blog he said "I know that blog, I was looking at it a couple of days ago"!! Stunned, I asked him how he came to be reading Holt Press and he said that he had googled Busselton and my blog came up on the list so he had a look. He told me that he'd read about me going to the Grand Final!
It's only the second time I've met a random stranger who has read my blog, the first being 2Peter, whose mum is the very same Aileen I just mentioned and who lives in Busselton. I haven't heard from 2Peter in quite a while so Aileen, please pass on my best wishes to him.

Art Exhibition

My first art exhibition was moderately successful today. It was only one day; at Happs Winery's Annual Art & Craft Fair but the response and feedback from the punters was very positive. The many favourable comments were only backed up by one sale, but that in itself meant the venture was worthwhile. I had a great location, a long walk through gallery lined with wine bottles on one side and the other available for hanging once we removed the collection of framed photographs that are normally on display there. I was able to hang over 20 pieces along the wall.

I sold a painting called "Green Spiral" which I did a couple of years ago. It had been in storage at the Courthouse Gallery so I brought it home yesterday. Mrs Holt Press proved remarkably prophetic when she said, "I reckon that will sell for sure". Way to go Mrs HP.

I did sell a number of postcard prints of my art to a couple of different people, and one of my framed drawings at a discounted price to a fellow artist we were talking to late in the day. She, a glass artist, "Glass with Class" and her Mum, an art curator both had some useful tips and observations regarding displaying my work and useful materials I might be able to use.

The "moderate success" assessment is not based on sales only but also on the consistent praise and admiration offered by people coming through and the enquiries by a couple of people wanting my contact details. You can tell sometimes whether someone is genuinely interested and a I won't be surprised if I end up selling one or two more pieces to people who saw them today.

Art of course is highly subjective and one man's masterpiece is another man's rubbish. The couple who eventually bought Green Spiral asked their little boy if he liked it? "No" was his unequivocal reply! I was impressed that they came back later and bought it anyway.

Certain pieces attracted a lot more attention than others, none more so than a piece called "Moments in Time" (the painting that won first prize at the Busselton Show recently) featuring 55 of the watches that I have been busy collecting over recent months. It was easily the most popular exhibit and drew multiple comments but not everyone was impressed however! One lady who waxed lyrical about it went and found her husband and brought him in to look at it. He made no comment until after a minute of his wife's praises turned around and looking behind him said loudly "Nice table" in reference to the beautiful Jarrah table I was sitting at! End of discussion!

Another lady, noticeably pregnant, came back a second time, to show her husband a piece I call "49 Squares" but Mrs HP calls "The Tablecloth". He took one look and gave a short sharp judgement, "No". When pressed by Mum-to-be he repeated his assessment, "No" "No".
Elaborating he added, "It's wrong for us". Curious by this time I gently enquired what he didn't like about it. "Too symmetrical". Fair enough. I appreciate a man who knows his mind and can make a decision!

Well known local artist Jenny Taylor came through and was very impressed. In fact she said "If I still had my shop in Fig Tree Lane I'd be getting some of your work in there for sure"!

The extra bonus at the end of the day came when Jackie, the winery owner, invited me to leave my paintings hanging in the gallery. She couldn't promise how long they'd be able to stay there but said she'd like to keep them on display and for sale on a commission basis. That is a great outcome for me. Happs is one of the most beautiful, and popular, wineries in the Capes area and considerably more people will be able to see my work there than they do in their current location, our living room walls!

Having thrown the exhibition together in a couple of hours last night and improvising titles tags and prices this morning I need to do a bit of work to smarten up the display. After that, hopefully the "product" will do the rest.

Mrs HP took Sport Boy to Bunbury to play tennis this morning but once they got home she came out to join me at the winery. The plan had been for her to help me pack up at the end of the day but the change of circumstances made that a much simpler task than setting up had been.

Past Present & Future

9 hours in the cab Friday night.
6 hours sleep.
2 hours of garage saling.
2 hours of setting up a display at Happ's Art & Craft Market.
10 hours in the cab Saturday night.

That brings us up to the present time.

Ahead:
3 hours sleep.
6 hours at the Art market tomorrow (Sunday) hoping to sell some paintings .

RIP Polly

I heard some bad news yesterday. They're not going to make Polly Waffles any more!

Let's take a moment to silently give thanks for the Polly Waffle and reflect on the many good times we had together.


Just as I was recovering from my trip to NZ I was called upon to do a taxi shift last night. It's school leavers week and Busselton has been inundated with former school students intent on partying. It was a long night and by 2.00am I was wrecked, unable to drive safely due to tiredness so I excused myself and came home.
As my only form of employment currently I am grateful the taxi season is hotting up. I've got shifts on Sat and Sun and next week the boss is on holiday and asked if I wanted to work his shifts while he's away. Yes please. That will help to pay the mortgage.

Meanwhile I sent an application for a job today and there's another one advertised in this week's local paper that I will go for as well. Hopefully I'll get something soon.

Spike is away at school leavers with a bunch of friends from school at Denmark, in the company of one of his teachers so it should be a fairly sensible affair and not fuelled by alcohol and lust.

Sport Boy is an only child this week but as usual is busy: swimming laps after school, playing table tennis last night, squash and tennis on the weekend.

Mrs Holt Press and I have just gotten home from home group at Stu and Deb's.

Home Sweet Home

Home at last after a very long night.
4 1/2 hours flying time, minus three hour time difference followed by 2 1/2 hour drive. I was too tired to make it all the way so pulled up to sleep at the weird Bull sculpture just before Bunbury.
Thought I was OK to go when I woke up but only made it to the other side of Bunbury before I realised I wasn't and pulled over again.
Finally got home about 6.00am.
I stayed up long enough to see Sport Boy and Mrs Holt Press when they got up and to check the job ads in the local paper.
I need a job, the money won't last.

Oops!

It's a long story but I didn't make it home last night, only managed to get half way. I'm in Sydney, flying to Perth tonight (hopefully!!) I slept at Christchurch airport until check-in at 4.ooam. Departed NZ 6.30, arrived Sydney 8.30. Depart again at 8.05 tonight.

Have spent the day wandering around Sydney somewhat aimlessly. Until I spotted Spurs playing Wigan on Foxtel at a pub at lunchtime. Managed to nurse my lemon squash all the way through a stunning game, a 9-1 thumping by Tottenham with Jermain Defoe scoring a lazy 5 goals!! Awesome. I've been following Spurs since 1973 and it's the best performance I've ever seen!

In my wanderings I did manage to get one of the elusive crochet hooks Mrs Holt Press has been looking for, a 3.5mm, from a shop modestly calling itself "Australia's Largest Needlecraft Store".
Now I have a second mission, to find some special yarn she needs. Got to to do something to get back in the good books after not making it home on scedule.

Happy Birthday Sport Boy

Sorry I'm not there mate but I hope you have had a great day.
I love you.
Dad.

PS. I'm in Christchurch for the night.
Flying back to Australia tomorrow night.

Nearing the End

Another beautiful day in New Zealand awaits. The weather has been fantastic all week, Vicki said they didn't have a single day like this last time they were here, this time we haven't had a day not like this.
We camped the night at Settle Campground on the Motueka River, a great little spot with terrific hosts. We've struck up a friendship with a couple of English travellers, Steve and Lisa and had a lot of laughs and good conversation. We may even see them in WA in a couple of months time.

Paul and I fished for a couple of hours last night without success even though we could see a few trout swimming around where we were, they were not interested in anything we had to offer, not even Paul with his year's of experience could entice a hit.

I have one more day of fishing/hiking/camping today.
Tonight we'll stay in Nelson and on Saturday morning I take a bus to Blenheim then the train back to Christchurch. I'll spend the night there and on Sunday afternoon fly back home to Australia.
The daily bus and train both arrive after my flight time so I have to go back a day earlier to Christchurch but I'm looking forward to having a bit of time to look around the city on Sunday.

Paul and Vicki are wonderful company and we're all having a great time. I've only managed to do a couple of drawings since I've been away but the long (daylight saving assisted) evenings mean we don't usually finish dinner and the washing up until after 10pm.

New Zealand

Wow, New Zealand is a beautiful place! Every bend and corner reveals another stunning view of beautiful scenery, endless rivers, snow-capped mountains, rolling green hills and pastures, craggy peaks, pine forests, wide river valleys, bays, tunnels, winding narrow roads snaking up and down mountain passes, bridges and even glimpses of the north island across the strait. It is a land of endless beauty, green and well watered. It is also cold admittedly, but not all the time. We've had warm sunny days followed by chilly breezy nights. Last night is the first time it has rained and my tent did not fully withstand the precipitation but the two sleeping mats kept me above the water line.

We are travelling about in a brightly painted camper van and have reached a happy compromise: Paul navigates and I drive which makes everyone way less nervous. His first encounter with a round-a-bout coming out of Christchurch airport had all the makings of a T-bone crash, by luck or miracle we escaped unscathed. My familiarity with driving on the left hand side from the right side of the vehicle has proved a winning formula.

We've stopped at some lovely campgrounds and are thoroughly enjoying our joint adventure. Vicki is well accustomed to Paul's fly-fishing obsession and smiles good-naturedly each time he requests we pull over so he can check out the river and look for the elusive trout he is chasing.
A few unsuccessful forays were quickly forgotten yesterday when he caught 5 fish on the Polorus River near Canvastown. I told Vicki, "I can see Paul from here and he is radiating happiness".
He is the very incarnation of excitement, joy, enthusiasm and gratitude. Never was a man more in his element than Paul up to his knees in his waders casting flies into the stunningly clear and icy waters of a NZ river and landing an 18 inch trout. Not for eating but just for the challenge and the sport. Relieved of the hook they are affectionately farewelled back into the stream, hopefully wiser and more wary fish.

Today Vicki and I dropped him off back at the Polorus and drove over to Nelson, a big town on the coast at the northern end of the south island. We stocked up on supplies and looked for shoes for Paul at op shops as NZ customs had confiscated his fishing shoes to prevent the potential spread of "snot algae" and he's been wearing his sneakers in the river.

Like everywhere else I've seen so far, Nelson is a lovely looking town perched above the bay.

We're about to set off back to pick up the fisherman and camp for the night at Pinedale campsite with mine-host, 12 year old James who offered to take us on a glow worm tour.

I can see why Paul has been to New Zealand 6 times, it truly is an unspoiled paradise. I'll be back.

Sunday Night

Friday night: Busy in the cab, business has picked up a little with the warmer weather coming.
Pretty handy considering my employment status.
I'm doing a couple of days bottling at a winery tomorrow and Tuesday.

Saturday: Beach mission meeting at Baldivis. Went very well. Several of us then went and had fish and chips for tea on the beachfront at Rockingham. Michael encouraged me to seriously think about starting my own business, something I have been contemplating. He says working for yourself is the greatest feeling.

Sunday: Sport Boy and Mrs Holt Press went to tennis in Australind, I stayed home and did a few jobs around the house, mainly to do with putting up picture rails and hooks to accommodate the burgeoning art stocks and framed photos I've brought home from the office.
I also put a few badges on ebay for sale, some Tassie badges and three fire brigade badges which are pretty collectable, one has received a bid already.

Over the last few days of last week I set about the serious task of packing up all the stuff in my office at the school! Anyone who's ever seen it will know just how big a job that is. There were well over a 100 aeroplanes, helicopters and various flying craft hanging from the ceiling for a start.
I am feeling better and more positive about finishing as a school chaplain, I'm more relaxed, less stressed and feel like a weight has been lifted off me. All good signs I think.

Spurs won last night, beating Sunderland 2-0, a welcome return to form after last week's drubbing by Arsenal!

Only 6 days until I go to New Zealand! Cool az bro!

Change of Scene

The world of post-chaplaincy employment has started, sort of.
I did my first day as a casual worker at a vineyard today, "thinning vines".
Cab Sav grapevines no less.
It wasn't that hard once I got the hang of which bits to break off and which bits to leave.
The 6.30 start in Margaret River was challenging.
The sore back is an unwelcome side effect.
The stories of fat Tiger snakes lurking near the dam at the end of the rows were unnerving!
It is only temporary, something to bring some money in before I go to New Zealand on the 14th.
Not that it was very well paid! Contract piece work, 30c a vine and I didn't do that many!
It was good to get out and do something in the fresh air and may even constitute some sort of "exercise" which may in turn have some effect on my stomach!

The "serious" job hunting will begin when I get back from NZ.

BTW: One of my paintings won first prize in the mixed media section at the Busselton Show on the weekend.
Marcus: "Award Winning Artist"! :)

Spike's TEE exams start tomorrow, he's a little stressed.