Last Night in Gympie

My last night in Gympie, before we head for the Gold Coast in the morning, was spent watching Casino Royale with Dad. The name is Bond, James Bond.



Carolyn and I went to a local church this morning which we both enjoyed, one guy in particular was pretty funny talking about pressure when you fly in the intro to communion. Not an obvious link there I know but he did it well.



After church we caught the last hour of the markets and picked up a few bits and pieces and bargains; a Tom Clancy book for Fashion Boy which should keep him occupied for at least one day, a Marilyn Monroe book for Pop who is partial to Norma Jean, a patchwork book for Carolyn which I haggled down from $8 to $5, a nut and apple cake reduced to $3 and very yummy, The Road Less Travelled by M Scott Peck, a classic (which I haven't read before) and a bag for Carolyn to pack her carry-on stuff in for the flight to Melbourne, for $4.50, the vendor assured her the same thing sells for $11 at Crazy Clarks!!

I also got a little toy for myself but I can't divulge what it is here.



More computer chat with Dad this arvo but sadly Scrabble seems to cause his lap-top to crash which is disappointing.

I dozed while watching the NRL semi-final then had one last game of kick to kick with Sport Boy in Grampa's backyard which drew a compliment from the old lady next door who was very impressed that we were out there playing together.



W've packed and are ready for departure in the morning after I have , hopefully, obtained my ticket to the football on Friday night. They open sales at 9.00am and I daresay there is going to be quite a rush for them what with there being more Collingwood fans than anyone else in the league and the Cats having such a great season, I expect it to be a sell-out. I'm just hoping we can get tickets for Carolyn and Sport Boy when general public sales open on Wednesday.



I can't let the day's events conclude without mentioning the bomb-shell news that Chris Judd has requested a transfer from West Coast back to Victoria. Half of WA must be in mourning tonight!!

Oh and I'm sad to say that Spurs did indeed lose to Arsenal last night despite leading 1-0 at half time!

Saturday in Gympie

After the excitement of last night's footy final, today was quiet by comparison.

For the first time in a long time I made a list of tasks I wanted to complete today, (a work style approach to life I haven't had for many weeks) and I'm pleased to report I got all except one of them done.

Chief among them was finding and booking somewhere to stay while we're down at the Gold Coast next week. I used an excellent website called quickbeds.com to track down the Windsurfer Resort at Biggera Waters (Pronunciation open to debate) who had a family apartment available for the two nights we need at a pretty good price.
Having booked that I moved onto buying tickets to a couple of theme parks. All 4 of us will have a day at Wet n Wild Water World and Sport Boy and I will also sample the delights of MovieWorld.
Fashion Boy has foregone this in favour of a day's snow-boarding in Victoria if we manage to find snow. I emailed my "step-uncle" Peter today to seek his advice and input as he works for a company who manage a couple of ski resorts. Hopefully he can point us in the right direction. We're heading up that way after the Grand Final (and hopefully the celebrations) are over.

Carolyn has opted for walks on the beach and reading by the pool while sipping iced coffees.
And even Dad has opened to the possibility of staying a night or two with us at the coast seeing as the apartment will be big enough to accommodate us all.

I then introduced Pop to the (addictive) joys of computer Scrabble and shared a few of my tips and strategies. He burned a copy of the CD in anticipation of further word-gaming.
Regular readers will know that I love Scrabble, both the computer variety and playing in real life against the old ladies in the Scrabble Club in Busso.

A trip into town was productive. Carolyn wanted a smaller suitcase than the monster model she came over with and we found a decent bag at Crazy Clarks that fitted the bill. It had some paint specks on it so I enquired about a discount. To my surprise, before said discount was applied, it was already reduced from the ticket price of $39.50 to $25, less the paint discount brought it down to $20. Betty Bargain Hunter strikes again! Not to be outdone, Carolyn also found two very nice dresses, reduced from $49 down to $10 each! Well done!

Next came the evening ritual of kick to kick with the footy with Sport Boy which continued until well after the sun went down and the only clue that a football was headed your way was the thump of it being kicked a couple of seconds before it arrived. Sport Boy's kicks became increasingly wayward the darker it got and by the time I'd hurdled the neighbour's fences 5 times to retrieve it I called the game on account of the light.

Final activity for the day was watching the Kangaroos surprise everyone, not least the Hawks, to win the 2nd semi-final tonight and proceed to the preliminary final V Port Adelaide next week.

Australia are currently playing wales in the World Cup Rugby and Pop is about to go to bed so I'll be banished from the computer shortly.
Hopefully not before I check on the result of the Spurs V Arsenal game in London. I'm never hopeful when we play the Gonners but maybe there'll be good news!!

Noosa

We had a lovely day out at Noosa today. We wandered up and down looking at the shops and galleries on Hastings St, resisting the urge to buy anything although Fashion Boy added to his hat collection with a rastafarian tea cosy.
We had a very nice lunch at a little restaurant, sharing a couple of seafood platters between three of us while Dad and Sport Boy had the basic fish and chip meal.
Coffee followed for some, ice cream for the rest of us.
Sport Boy was busting to go to the toilet and was getting pretty anxious in our search, speculating to homself whether he'd wet his pants before we found one.
His luck held and we made it and he let out the biggest sigh as he was finally able to relieve the pressure on his bladder.
When he'd finished he said to me,
"I'm just going to stay here a little longer and enjoy the moment"!!

We adjourned to the famous Noosa beach but no-one ventured in for a swim. Instead we threw the Zocker up and down the beach while Dad and Carolyn sat on the sound and watched.

We got home with just enough daylight left to kick the footy in the backyard for ten minutes.

At 8:30 we settled in front of the tv to watch the footy, the 1st semi-final between West Coast and Collingwood and it was a classic game, finishing in a draw at the final siren which meant 10 minutes of extra time was played, and Collingwood ended up winning by 19 points.
We were all excited and Sport Boy was jumping all over the lounge he was "so full of adrenalin".
"I feel like I could jump over your head Dad" he said with a few minutes to go.
Carolyn incurred the wrath of Pop by daring to barrack for Collingwood!
That's what being surrounded by Eagles fans every day will do to you!!

It sets up a Preliminary Final between Geelong and Collingwood next Friday night at the MCG.
Getting tickets for the family is going to be the challenge cause I reckon the game will be a sell-out.

Backyard Footy

Poor Sport Boy just about ran out of steam tonight, and considering the abundant store of energy that is normally Sport Boy, that is saying something. The cause?
An afternoon at the Gympie swimming pool, open but not heated, followed by about an hour of kick to kick with the footy in the backyard at Grampa's.* The sun had set, it was getting pretty dark and I needed a way to signal the end of the game.
"You have to mark 8 out of 10 kicks or we're finished"
Ever ready for a challenge Sport Boy duly marked 8 out of 10.
"5 out of 5 now" I challenged.
SB duly caught all 5 kicks.
"OK, next time you drop one the game's over"
1,2,3,4,5,6,.....he took mark after mark......all the way up to 26 before one finally hit the ground.
He'd done very well but as you can see, he was exhausted by the time we came inside.

*Grampa had 4 envious onlookers as he mowed the grass in the backyard this morning, because he was driving his John Deere ride-on mower to do the job! Even Carolyn said she wouldn't mind having a go on that!

Dad cooked dinner tonight, an event I caught on camera.
"Don't let your mother see that" he warned!
We all survived, and enjoyed dinner!

Tonight we've traded stories and computer tips while I played Scrabble and he checked the stock market and calculated his current worth.

How much? Priceless!

Peace

Sport Boy bought a Mood Ring from the $2 Shop this afternoon and had me try it on when he got back from his haircut. It turned light blue which he informed me meant "peace". Carolyn commented, "Your Dad's on long service leave and Geelong are winning, why wouldn't he be peaceful?"
It sounded fair enough to me!
Life in Gympie moves at a sedate pace, whether you're on holiday or not.
Today consisted of getting up late, though not as late as yesterday, reading the paper for an hour while discussing football with Pop, making tuna and cheese toasted sandwiches for lunch, painting a picture then playing Stingers with the boys and the Zocker, a spiral shaped soft football thrown gridiron style.
If you dropped it the thrower got to take a free shot at you while you used one hand to protect your face and the other to guard your most vital/vulnerable assets.
Fashion Boy spent half the time dancing like a man having a siezure due to the ants in his part of the backyard, and the other half ducking balls he had trouble seeing. He does have some problems with his eyesight but still Sport Boy and I decided to penalise him with a free shot if he ducked one he should have tried to catch.
The darker it got the harder it became, for all of us, not just FB.
Carolyn cooked a lasagne for dinner, mmmm! lasagne! then we watched Thank God You're Here.
A peaceful way to spend a day! The ring would still be blue but Sport Boy's taken it to bed.

Gympie

I am now blogging from Queensland, Duke St Gympie to be precise, my Dad's place. I arrived without mishap after flying in from Melbourne last night.

It was good to see him and be reunited with the rest of the family.

Today we went for a walk downtown to look around the CBD then went to see Ratatouille with Sport Boy at the cinema on Cut Price Tuesday.

Dad, Fashion Boy and I are about to head down there again to see The Bourne Ultimatum.

1 Down 2 to Go

Today was a great day at the footy. The Cats murdered the Kangaroos with some of the best football I've ever seen. The winning margin of 106 points is the 5th highest in AFL history.

That puts us into the preliminary final in 2 weeks, against either West Coast or Collingwood.

You can read Gerard Whately's review of the game here!

A local farmer excited about the Cats getting the cream!

The good news is that my plans have paid off. I can fly up to Queensland tomorrow night knowing that we are in the prelim in two weeks and I don't have to decide whether to come back to Melbourne early for a final next week.

I've had a really good stay with Russell and Lucy and their family who have made me very welcome. Tomorrow night I'll be reunited with Carolyn and Fashion and Sport Boys, and see my Dad. It's all good!

The Finals

Firstly a correction: the regional population of Colac is only 14,000 not 40,000 as I reported this week. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused. I hope I haven't under-mined anyone's plans of a move to Colac based on mis-information.
It was my left-brained mate Russell, a stats and figures man of some repute who set me straight.

We've just gotten home from the footy where Collingwood have eliminated Sydney from the finals. Contrary to what many people predicted/expected, there will not be a 3rd consecutive West Coast v Sydney Grand Final this year. In fact, with the state the Eagles are in they may well be eliminated the,selves next week with injuries taking a major toll.
Collingwood looked impressive and travel to Perth to play West Coast next week.
Hawthorn beat Adelaide with a goal from the last kick of the game this afternoon.

That just leaves the BIG Game left tomorrow, Geelong v the Kangaroos.
I'm nervous because it's a final, but I'm confident because the Cats have clearly been the best team all season. That doesn't guarantee victory but if we play to our standards throughout the year we should win convincingly.

I'm going to have a look at a cheap car at Ocean Grove in the morning, a 1980 Corolla, which may be suitable for our trip around the Garden State.
Then it's back on the train to Melbourne for the footy.

Carn the Cats!

Off to the Footy

David and I are heading out the door to take the train to Melbourne to see the Collingwood v Sydney game at the MCG, an elimination final.

Cars and Caravan Parks

I spent a disappointing day looking around for a way to fit an extra seat belt in Mum and Walter's camper van. I found a seat belt ok but the problem is not having suitable anchor points to fit it. I could see the problem leading to big dollars even if we found a way and a place to get it done.
So, back to the drawing board for a vehicle to get around Victoria for a few weeks when we come back from Queensland. Buying a cheap car is an option but getting something that will do the job at an affordable price may be difficult.
Hiring is an option but a bit more expensive.
I've been having second thoughts about driving any car we might buy home to WA, partly because of the "risk" and partly because my sister Vicki said she and Rex would happily come down to Adelaide to see us if we go that far.
We hope to visit my Auntie Merle in Shepparton and my step-mum Julie in Mildura before going to Adelaide, all in the week after the Grand Final.

I also went to check on our booking at a caravan park for when we come back from Queensland on the 19th, only to find that the CP had no record of our booking, or of the $100 deposit I paid! They took the booking while I was there, but upon further checks when I got home to the Armstrongs, it turns out I had booked, and paid, at a different caravan park just up the road!!
Tomorrow I'll have to go back and try and sort it out, although Russell tells me the one I found today is in a better location so we may stick with it if I can get a refund from the first one! If you're confused don't worry, so was I!

Colac

Colac is a country town in Victoria, about 50km west of Geelong, with a population of about 9,000 It's quite a nice little town and I was surprised how big it's CBD is compared to Busselton considering the relative populations (Busselton has 25,000) until I learnt that Colac has a regional population of 40,000. I went to Colac today with my mate Russell for the commissioning service of a new chaplain at Colac High School, Bec. The service was good, a typical commissioning. I've had two and been to a few others, there was the usual collection of school staff, church volunteers, local ministers, students, and colleagues, and in this case, one blow-in interloper from interstate. Bec was a bit confused when I told her I was there to represent WA chaplains.
We met with a couple of other chaplains at a cafe first, for coffee and a chat, a regional meeting of chaplains in fact, something I've done plenty of times back in WA. It was interesting comparing the similarities and differences between chaplaincy in the different states. There was an initiative a number of years ago to allow Victorian and Western Australian chaplains to do a 12 month exchange which I was very interested in. Nothing eventuated but when I mentioned it today Bec was very keen on the idea. Perhaps in a couple of years time it may be a possibility.
Another of Russell's colleagues, Robert, came with us to Colac. We talked football all the way there. Sadly, both Rob and Russ are avowed Collingwood fans so there was a lot of stirring and ribbing flowing both ways on the journey. After I'd had a drink I went for a walk around Colac, browsing in the shops When I returned Rob proudly showed me the autograph he'd just got from AFL Legend Ron Barassi who had come into the cafe after I left. I was impressed!

Geelong

It always seems strange to me when I start the day on one side of the country and finish it on the other. Last night I dropped Carolyn and the boys at the airport then spent the night in Cameron's caravan in Belmont. It was warm and comfortable but the bed was significantly shorter than I'm used to. Thankfully the cupboard at the end of the bed is only half size, allowing me to stick my feet out and lie reasonably straight, leaving just the issue of keeping them warm to contend with! An extra blanket wrapped around them did the trick.
The early start, with the alarm going off at 5.50am was not pleasant but at least it ensured I got to the airport on time. Unfortunately for Carolyn, last night's flight was delayed by an hour, which was also bad news for Dad, who could have had an extra hour in bed this morning before picking them up if only he'd read his text message! For an accomplished blogger, his lack of conversance with sms'ing is a shame. They are all safely back home in Gympie although it's raining up there. The weather in Victoria however is lovely.

I took the skybus into the city then the train down to Geelong.
Allan Banfield picked me up which was a case of fortunate timing, he and Lorna had just returned from a 3 day trip to Echuca.
I'm staying with Russell and Lucy and their kids David and Sophie in Geelong. They used to live in Perth and we worked together for Fusion many years ago.
He is a fellow school chaplain now, working at Oberon High School. Despite living in Geelong for the last 10 years he remains a die-hard Collingwood fan but thankfully Sophie has not succumbed to the Magpie influence and is a firm Cats fan. I'll probably take her with me to see Geelong's last training run on Saturday morning prior to Sunday arvo's final against the Kangaroos at the MCG.
Tomorrow I'm going to visit Russell's school and in the afternoon accompany him to a new chaplain's commissioning at Colac. I'll be the second important visitor to the school this week, Leader of the Federal Opposition Kevin Rudd having been to the school on Monday!! David got to shake his hand and has already declared he's got his vote in the upcoming election.

D-Day

We're off!

Next stop Perth, then Brisbane and Gympie for Carolyn and the boys (Fashion and Sport).

Melbourne for me tomorrow morning.

Gonna be great.

Carn the Cats!!!

D-Day minus 1

One more day until we depart for our holiday. Still got some packing and prep to do but Carolyn and the boys don't have to be at the airport until 10 tomorrow night so we've got enough time to get everything done tomorrow. I opted out of the meeting in Perth tonight which freed up a lot of time and eased the pressure significantly, so much so that I was able to get the bedroom painted.
Cream on 3 walls and a blue feature wall, it looks good although mysteriously the paint hasn't masked the polyfilla underneath which we used to fill in the holes and chips, I don't know why, it usually works fine. I'll give the blue another coat in the morning and hope that that fixes it.
Then we'll move the bed and furniture back in in preparation for the girls when they come to house-sit.

I drove the cab for a couple of hours this morning, my last shift before going away, last chance to add to the bank balance, which is looking very healthy I must say.

The good news on the fantasy footy front is that I won both my Grand Finals in the Dream Team comp on the AFL website!
The bad news is that Matthew Egan has a broken foot and will miss the finals for Geelong after being a star player all season.
I bought my ticket today for the Geelong v Kangaroos Qualifying Final at the MCG on Sunday, I can't wait.

Beautiful Sunday

We had a great day in Bridgetown for the soccer team wind-up. The weather was perfect, Mum and Walter did a great job hosting the event in the park, including bringing their BBQ down because the Council have removed the BBQ's that used to be in the Boat Park, and creating the Giant Banana Split which all the kids had for dessert.

The trophies were awarded and I'm proud to say that Sport Boy won the Best & Fairest for the season. He felt a bit sick at different times throughout the day, partly as a result of the drive to Bridgetown through the winding hills road but the trophy brightened his spirits.

Sad to say also that I lost my Chaplains Fantasy Footy League Grand Final to Grant by about 3 points! And Craig Mottram fell away badly in the final of the 5000m at the World Athletics Championships which was pretty disappointing.

On a brighter note, the Cats finished the home and away season with a 7 goal win over Brisbane and now play the Kangaroos in the first round of the finals next Sunday afternoon, and I'll be there! Carn the Cats!

Busy Saturday

The Cornerstone 10's Soccer Team 2007: Played 16, Won 14 Lost 2

I was awoken by a phone call from the guy at the Trophy Shop with wonderful news; despite being flat out he had managed to do the engraving on the trophies for tomorrow's soccer team wind-up, what a champ! Next time you're ordering trophies, let me recommend the trophy shop in Fig Tree Lane Busselton!
Today was the last game of the season and it was a beauty. The wind was quite strong and we were kicking into it in the first half. Despite a number of chances we were 1-0 down at half time but in the second half they showed how good they are by scoring 5 goals and winning 5-2. Sport Boy scored twice and was best on ground. A couple of the goals were sensational as the kids strung together a series of passes to cut through the opposition defense. All the parents and supporters were making heaps of noise and loving it and I was pretty excited too.

Tomorrow we'll introduce the team to the joys of Boat Soccer Squash, the game our family invented at the Boat Park in Bridgetown. There'll be trophies and a giant banana split along with a picnic BBQ lunch, it promises to be a great way to wind up what has been a fantastic season.

I only had a couple of hours after that before the start of my taxi shift (early start at 4pm). I tidied up the back patio and then we showed Sarah and Lisa through the house, explaining everything they'll need to know while they house-sit for us. Then Tina came round to pick up her painting. She told me she loves it which is very gratifying, and I loved the $300 she paid for it too!

It was a very quiet night in the cab so I finished quite early. There were the usual collection of drunks to take home safely and one bloke who loves Geelong about as much as I do so we were celebrating the Cats win over Brisbane tonight. When I told him I was going to Melbourne on Wednesday for the finals he threatened to kiss me!!! Thankfully I got him out of the cab before that unpleasant act could eventuate!!

Nice Surprise

It's 2.00am.

I'm driving the cab.

It's full of young men going home from the pub.

The phone rings. I don't recognise the number.

"Marcus Holt, hello"

"I love you Dad" says Favourite Daughter who is driving home to Dunsborough with Clare and has the urge to ring me.

"Thanks, you've made my night, I love you too."

So Much to do, So Little Time to do it!

With just a few days to go until we set off for the eastern states on our family and footy finals adventure time is running out to get things done; like find a house-sitter (done, thankfully) and paint the bedroom in preparation for The Heir's return from England in November, and try and get my tax return documents in order (not looking too promising this year, now that I'm driving the taxi I fear rather than a refund I'm likely to end up with a bill from the ATO) and organising transport to Perth for Carolyn and the boys so we don't end up with both cars in Perth and none in the driveway while we're away.
Tomorrow I'm on roster in the art gallery to cover for the days/weeks when we'll be away.
I've got taxi shifts tomorrow night, Saturday night and Monday morning to bring in the last few extra dollars in prep for the trip.
And the final soccer game of the season on Saturday, followed by the wind-up picnic in Bridgetown on Sunday afternoon!
When I put it all together like that it makes me doubt I'll fit it all in and get up to Perth on time on Monday night (I've got a Beach Mission exec meeting).
All going well I'll do some prep for the Cool School Race Camp on Tuesday then pick up Carolyn and the boys and take them to the airport for their flight to Brisbane.
I leave for Melbourne the following morning.
We all rendezvous in Queensland on Monday.
As you can see it's going to be busy busy busy for the next few days.
It will be good to get away so we can relax a little!

Elanor Brinen

When I was 20 I sold everything I owned, bought a one way ticket to London, and set off on what turned out to be a two and a half year adventure. I lived in London, travelled to Europe for a few short visits, mainly for soccer games, including the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain, and twice went to the USA to work on a Summer Camp.
The camp in question was called Camp Schodack, set in the Adirondacks, north-east of Albany, the capital city of New York State.
I had a fantastic time at the camp, met lots of people and got along well with the campers.
One of my favourite kids was Josh. He was into drama and writing and if I remember correctly played the part of Daddy Warbucks in the camp production of Little Orphan Annie.
After the camp finished (it ran for 8 weeks!) I went and stayed with Josh and his family for a couple of days and they really spoiled me.
One day they gave me the car keys and $50 and sent me and Josh to the nearby Amusement Park where we rode roller coasters and thrill rides all day. Josh was about 10 at the time.
I had another Summer with him at Schodack, further cementing our friendship.
About 8 years later, in 1992, I went on another trip to the US to attend a Youth Leadership Conference in Montreal and stayed with Josh for a night in New York City. When I rang his mom to find out where he was she was thrilled to hear from me again and confided in me that he had written a book and named one of the main characters after me!!
Then, a number of years later when my Mum went on her first trip overseas I gave her a few contacts, including Josh. She has been to stay with him a couple of times since, and keeps in closer contact with him than I do!
Josh of course has grown up and is now married. (Apologies but I can't remember his wife's name!)
Recently they sent Mum some photos of their baby daughter Elanor, and that's who is gracing this post.
She certainly looks like a cutie.
Hopefully I'll get back to New York one day and visit Josh and his family again. They are expecting their second baby in March.

The Honourable Cheeseburger Yadda Yadda

Fashion Boy has returned home after hi trip to Perth for the State Youth Parliament full of stories and full of beans, caffeine beans that is! Coffee and coke and endorphins seem to have fuelled his experience! He said it was Fantastic. When I asked him how many friends he'd made he reeled off the names of about 20 kids, including Scarlet from Bridgetown, which is handy seeing as his grandparents live in Bridgetown and we go there often.
I haven't heard many of the details yet but from the sound of it he had a great time, which is exactly what I was hoping for, having been on some similar things when I was a kid. I met one of my best friends, Sally, on a Creative Writing and Drama Camp when we were both in year 12 and 28 years later we are still really close.

I've got some sort of cold, itchy throat, cough, runny nose, mild headaches so I slept all morning and played computer Scrabble all afternoon, in preparation for my return to the Scrabble Club tonight for the first time in a couple of months. I lost my first game after Marg made Circlets on a triple word score to rack up 100 points with her first move, leaving me playing catch-up for the rest of the game. I won the other two games, despite not realising that Gail had made a 7 letter word with her first move that was spelt "MEATING"!!

In between the computer and human word battles I had an appointment with my therapist.
I seem to be getting somewhere, albeit slowly!!

Grand Final III

Apart from the AFL Website comps, I also made the Grand Final in the Chaplains League, beating my mate Cam's team, The Belmont Romantics, who had been on top of the ladder all season, by a goal! He wasn't happy!

Rolf and I had lunch in one cafe today while Carolyn and Nonna had lunch in another! Then we all went down to Dunsborough with Sport Boy to have an ice cream at Simmos and visit Favourite Daughter in her new place, a townhouse she is sharing with two friends.

I wasn't feeling well on the way home, headache, sore throat etc so I lay down for an hour in order to try and recuperate sufficiently to be able to go to the Father and Son event up at the Church of Christ. Sport Boy was very sad at the thought I couldn't go but thankfully I was able to drag myself out of my sick-bed and take him. He loved it. The theme was rockets and Apollo 13 (One of my all time favourite movies). We made a rocket out of wire and alfoil wrapped around a CO2 cannister which we hope to launch along a fishing line tomorrow afternoon.
I was glad I went and Sport Boy was over the moon (pardon the pun).

Dream Team Grand Final II

1ST QUALIFYING FINAL
1.	Dream On	2,054
4.	team johnno	1,758

My 2nd Fantasy Footy team is called Dream On and having finished on top of the ladder have also won through to the Grand Final!

1ST PRELIM. FINAL Dream On 1,895 Left Right Out 1,785

2ND PRELIM. FINAL RILEYBELLASAMSON 1,685 team johnno 1,712 Grand Final: to be played this weekend GRAGGGND FINAL Dream On 0 team johnno 0

Dream Team Grand Final I

I had a big weekend in Fantasy Footy, playing in 3 preliminary Finals and winning them all!!!
Two were in the Coke Zero Dream Team comp on the AFL website and the third was against Cam in the Chaplain's League!

My team in the comp table here is the Bussell Muscle.

First week of the Finals

1ST QUALIFYING FINAL 1. Dortmunders 1,852 4. Bussel Muscle 1,961

1ST ELIMINATION FINAL 5. Adam's Athletes 1,532 8. Lovell's Legends 1,446

2ND ELIMINATION FINAL 6. Santa's Superstars 1,706 7. Helen's Heroes 1,482

2ND QUALIFYING FINAL 2. CarnTheCats 1,789 3. McBrett's Clan 1,842

Third week of the finals: Preliminary Final Round.

1ST PRELIM. FINAL Bussel Muscle 1,849 CarnTheCats 1,585

2ND PRELIM. FINAL McBrett's Clan 1,939 Dortmunders 1,804

The Grand Final, to be played this weekend.

GRAND FINAL
Bussel Muscle	0
McBrett's Clan	0

Eternity 3

This is the commissioned painting I did for Tina over the last couple of days. She's very pleased with it and I'm very pleased with that!

Can't let the weekend pass without acknowledging that Geelong lost to Port Adelaide today, ending their 15 game winning streak. Though Port were the better team all day Geelong nearly won when they came back from 18 points down to lead by a point after a brilliant Gary Ablett goal, only to have Port kick the winning goal with three seconds left on the clock!!!

The Van Wollies

Rolf and Nonna arrived this evening to stay for a night. They are on the Augusta Family Festival team with us and are great people so it's really good to have them come and visit. We'll spend the day together tomorrow and maybe go out for lunch somewhere.
Rolf and I are co-directors at Augusta and seem to balance one another very well, he is good at details and dealing with admin stuff and keeping the whole ship afloat, I'm good at the up front stuff, making us an effective leadership team. Nonna is very funny, especially when she's not trying to be.

Saturday Catch-Up

Just finished a 12 hour shift in the cab, and had my biggest night ever, collecting $718 in fares and clearing over $300 for the shift. The holiday fund continues to grow.

Another contribution will come from the sale of a painting I've just completed, a commission from one of Carolyn's friends, Tina. She came to see it today and gave it a BIG thumbs up which was both gratifying and a relief. Picture to follow.

Fashion Boy left for Perth on the bus this morning where he will be participating in the WA State Youth Parliament for the next three days as the representative for the electorate of Vasse. I was asleep when he left (post-taxi) but I left him a card with some words of encouragement and affirmation. He must have appreciated it because he left me a note saying he'd been feeling nervous and it had "really boosted his confidence". He has prepared a speech on an issue relevant to the area, the restoration of the Busselton Jetty, and I think he should do quite well. I went on special camps and events when I was at school and always had a great time. One of my best friends, Sally, and I met on a creative writing and drama camp when we were at school. It would be great if FB also made some good friends through the experience.

Sport Boy scored another goal this morning as Cornerstone reversed the result from our first game against Dunsborough. They beat us 3-2 early in the season but today we completely outplayed them and won 7-0, scoring a couple of cracking goals in the process.

I wish I wasn't so tired right now because Ian McNamara is broadcasting "Australia All Over" (ABC Radio Programme) from Bunbury this morning and I've always wanted to go to one of his outside broadcast shows. This is the closest I've ever been to one but I'm just too tired to drive to Bunbury again, having already been up there and back twice tonight in the taxi. Because of the time difference (WA is two hours behind the East coast) the show started at 4.00am our time. It has been a wild night in the region, very strong winds and heavy rain storms. Not ideal for standing around in the dark watching/listening to a radio show!
Hopefully I'll get another chance some other time.

Finally, on the topic of missed chances, I picked up a group in the cab tonight and we talked about the footy. On discovering I was a Geelong fan he said "We just buried my brother who was a staunch Geelong supporter. He dropped dead of a heart attack last week, aged .....47!!" That's one year older than me! I've said before if Geelong don't win a premiership in my lifetime I'll die a very unhappy man. This is our best chance in 44 years and this poor bloke droppped dead 6 weeks before it might finally happen! That's sad and sobering!

Talking of Geelong, their game starts in 7 hours so I need to get to bed and get some sleep in preparation.

Our friends Rolf and Nonna are coming down from Perth tomorrow arvo to stay for a night. It will be nice to have some guests in the house.

Thursday

I did a few window deliveries for Dave today, out to Dunsborough and Yallingup.
While I was fitting a couple of flyscreens to a chalet in the caravan park Alex rang to ask me a theological question. There went the next hour!
The question: Can you forgive someone if they don't repent?

My answer: Yes

Typically, Al was not satisfied and wanted some scriptural back-up. He'd done a lot of reading and thinking about it, and shared a good deal of his results with me.

I don't think I convinced him.

On the other hand it was a good reminder to me about the power of forgiveness, and the need to say sorry when I'm in the wrong (which seems to be often!)

I stopped at Dunsborough to get some Quickeze as I've been having a lot of indigestion the last few days. Also had a look at a little Art Shop with some interesting ocean themed caricatures.
I've been working on a couple of paintings this week after a bit of a break from the brushes.
A friend of Carolyn's likes one of the ones I've done and has commissioned me to do a larger version in the same style.
My first commissioning! woohoo!

Soccer training was aggravating, the kids muck around and don't listen and tease one another and get under my skin! It's hard to believe they are the same team who play such good soccer on the weekends! In a game they are great! At training they are painful!
Talking of pain, Sport Boy fell off his bike the other day and hurt his finger. After several days of complaints we took him to the doctor today. X-rays to follow. The worst news was that the doctor told him he can't play soccer this week!!!! Could there be a worse outcome?

Volleyball tonight was a bit weird. We had two game, and only two players. When I rang Stu to ask if he was coming he said "No, I've lost interest"!!!
We used fill-ins and ended up having two good games and a lot of fun.

Grey Day

It was a wet grey cold miserable day in Busselton today.

I observed most of it from the driver's seat of the cab.

My mood was not as grey as the weather but nor was it bright and sunny.

When I go down I crash hard.

I don't recover quickly or easily.

I have picked up a little though 1 & 2 Petes, thanks.

One piece of news did lift my spirits a little, though it gave me pause to think whether that was the right response; not wanting to rejoice in other's sufferings, but Daniel Kerr is injured and almost certainly won't play again this season.
That's bad news for him but good news for Geelong!
One less obstacle to winning the flag.

Opposite of Up

Taxi yesterday.
Windows today.
Taxi tomorrow.

Personally the manure has hit the rotating cooling device again.

The Weekend Wrap

Great number plate spotted on our trip to Bunbury on Wednesday.


Lately I seem to enter a blogging black hole over the weekend. It's because of driving the taxi on Friday and Saturday nights and sleeping late the following mornings. Throw in Sport Boy's soccer on Saturday mornings, a Geelong game some time over the weekend, and the mandatory eating, showering and domestic requirements and the blog comes last until about now (Sunday evening). Not through lack of care, just lack of time.

I spent a few hours picking mandarins on Friday afternoon to help a family from church who have an orchard. Jamie has a brain tumour and is having a pretty hard time physically. Carolyn goes and does some exercises with him to help try and keep him mobile. It was my first experience of fruit picking, one of those seasonal jobs people often consider when they're travelling. I'd have to say that although manadarins are not hard to pick and the trees are fairly user-friendly, I won't be quitting my day job, or even my night job to take it up. It was good to be able to lend a hand to some people in need though and I couldn't help but marvel at the bountiful fruit on each tree and the wonderful way God has made things work in the natural world.

Friday night was a very busy shift and a late finish ($$$). The boss knocked off at 3am, leaving two of us on with the observation I'd probably be able to knock off in a few minutes (leaving just one car on the road to carry through till 6am and the day shift drivers). Ha! The moment he parked up the phone went ballistic and we were run off our feet, if you know what I mean, for the next hour and a half. Last night started very quietly but finished strongly and I didn't park up until 5am. That's OK ($$$) :) Nothing much to report, no major dramas or difficult customers, but an interesting encounter with one teenage girl who was going home because she felt guilty about deceiving her parents that she was staying at a friend's place when she was really at a party!

Sport Boy got back on the score sheet on Saturday morning in Cornerstone's 9-0 win over Capel. It was another good game, the team are getting better all the time, with improved skillls and a better sense of how to play as a team: "Passing, passing, passing". Only three more games till the end of the season and I can have my Saturday mornings back for uniterrupted recovery.

The house was full on Saturday arvo: Mum and Walter came for a visit after spending a riveting half an hour at the Nannup Tulip Festival!
Sport Boy had a friend over to play, which stretched to a sleepover. Rhys is a nice kid so it was no trouble. Carolyn went into a manic cleaning frenzy on Saturday morning in preparation for the arrival of ........ The Nutrimetics Party!!!! Two friends, Carolyn and the Nutrimetics Lady with her bag of smells and potions for the beautification and healing of just about anything you could think of. There was an inordinate amount of laughter for such a small and serious gathering and I had to admire the NL's perseverance as she battled on against the constant interruptions and outbursts of laughter from the "clients". It sounded like they were having a good time but it did go on for a very long time! "I didn't expect it to go that long" was Carolyn's half-hearted explanation for the lack of dinner or any junk mail folding by Saturday night! I didn't mind, although that may change when I see the credit card statement!!

This afternoon I folded the junk mail while waiting for the (delayed telecast) of the football to start, Geelong v The Kangaroos. It was a tough game which the Cats won by 27 points to take the streak to 15, their best ever in a single season. I compiled a list of all the companies whose ads aired during the game and am considering writing to them to say I'm boycotting their products because of their complicity in a lousy TV broadcasting arrangement which sees a game delayed three hours, presumably for financial/advertising reasons, rather than telecast live, despite there being no other games on at all for the day. Why should we wait, running the risk of some dunderhead revealing the result, in order to watch our national game?!! Then there was Channel 7's increasingly inane and annoying commentary to put up with! Just as well Geelong won or it would have been a completely unpleasant experience! (End Rant)

The final piece of good news for the weekend is that I won my elimination final in the Chaplains Fantasy Footy League by 1 point, 245 to 244 over The Slayers!-coached by Peter and Kent from SU (Barring protests! I forgot to submit my team on Friday afternoon-something to do with manadarins and taxis!) Hopefully the Bussel Muscle will have progressed to the Preliminary Final next week.

Bragging Rights for a Proud Parent

Sport Boy came home from school with this certificatethis afternoon and I was suitably impressed. You can click on the image to enlarge it but the wording says" awarded to Paul Holt For a Fantastic Attitude towards Everything he does."

This picture is a few years old but at a pinch is the only school photo of him I can find. He's in Year 4 now.


I did a few hours work for Dave at the Glass Factory today, assembling window frames ready for installation in a house under construction.
It was an ignominious night for "Son of Miffy the Cow"- my volleyball team, I was the only player to show up for our game at 6:30! Ross and Magda have a valid excuse, seeing as they are currently in Poland, but Stu and Scott should have been there! We pulled together a team of fill-ins and had a scratch match, which ironically, we won!! Shame the points don't count!!

One of my mates, Cam, let me know about a friend of his, Lisa, who has a blog. She has worked with Aboriginal Communities in isolated places and like Cam, is very concerned about recent events happening in indigenous Australia with the Federal Govt intervening in what is supposed to be an effort to stop child abuse which is a significant issue in some places. It seems the govt's heavy-handed approach goes beyond these issues and threatens land rights, so hard-fought for in Australia over the last 20 years. I'm not across all the issues but am open to hearing opinions from those who know more than me on the subject.
You can check out her blog and keep up to date with news and events here.