Ryan's Blog

Murdering Mozzies

2012-01-13T23:21:00.004+10:00

I’ve just come back from a week in Tennant Creek torturing and murdering poor defenseless creatures. It’s just a normal week for me. The Dengue Mozzie (Aedes aegypti) has returned to Tennant Creek and therefore an eradication program is now in place. For this program the Medical Entomology branch is required to check and spray every house in the town. Environmental Health volunteered my services to help out. I don’t mind going up to Tennant Creek apart from the effect that has on my karma!

While up at Tennant Creek this time I did something that I’ve never done before. I went for a swim in Mary Anne Dam. The dam is situated just outside of town and is a peaceful spot on a hot afternoon. The dam is surrounded with trees and has barbeque facilities. We went down there after a hot day wandering the streets of Tennant Creek and it was nice and relaxing sitting there. Well worth doing if you're up there.

Stockholm

2011-10-08T17:29:00.002+10:00

I was up with the sun this morning and headed up to the top deck to watch the sun rise. There were no waves as we wound our way through the mass of small islands that surround Stockholm. As the city itself is built across several islands it is no surprise that it is also surrounded with islands. The boat arrived around nine-thirty and we drove into town and had a quick tour of the town. I then went on the 'optional' tour of the Vasa Museum. The Vasa was a warship that sank in the harbour on her maiden voyage. She was discovered in 1961 raised, restored and is now on show for all to see. It ship was very impressive and really big too. The city itself was nice with winding streets and old buildings. There were a lot of people however which made moving through the small streets a little more difficult. That evening we had our last dinner with the group. Said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

Helsinki

2011-10-07T16:58:00.001+10:00

I liked Helsinki. It was a nice city and one I could quite happily go back to. Clean with friendly people. We had a tour of the city and this time it wasn't rushed and took in all of the major sites. The tour ended at the Senate Square and we were given the rest of the afternoon to have a look around the city centre. I did just that. I walked down the mall, around the harbour and a had a good look though a couple of the department stores. We were catching the ferry in the afternoon to so I stopped at a pharmacy and got some sea-sickness tablets, just in case. It was good to see that English is spoken in more places here otherwise my trip to the chemist would have turned out to be a bit harder. The weather was cool but bright and sunny and it was the perfect day.

Everyone met up back at Senate Square where, after a group photo, we climbed back on the bus and were taken to the ferry. The ferry was another big one. Inside there were around 14 levels. Three levels of shops and the rest were rooms. I had to share a room with four other people. It was small and didn't have a window. After taking my tablets I went down to join a few others from the tour in the bar. As we departed I went upstairs to watch the city fall into the distance. Up on deck it was very windy, just outside the harbour you could see the waves and their white caps. It looked rough. Once we got out past the surrounding islands, it was. Soon the rain started again and the waves seemed to get bigger. I was glad that I took my sea-sickness tablet but I took one more just to be on the safe side. They did their job and I spent and enjoyable evening back in the bar below decks. Even when I went to bed the tablets were still doing their job. I could feel the boat lift off with every wave and a second or so later crash down before the cycle started again.

St Petersburg to Helsinki

2011-10-06T16:26:00.001+10:00

It was an early morning the next day as we headed back into the city centre. We had a quick (and I do mean quick) tour of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The fortress is home to the Russian Mint, the place where Peter the Great is buried and was even used as a military prison that help famous prisoners such as the writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The guide raced us through some of the different sections, not waiting for photos or for the group to come in close before giving his spiel on the fortress. At the end of the tour we were given some time to browse the overpriced souvenir shops before getting on the bus again and heading north-west towards Finland.

We drove through horizontal rain to the border where we had our passports stamped by guards with stern expressions. We entered Finland at Soumi and as soon as we were there, the differences between the two countries were obvious. The towns were neater, the cars were clean, the roads were good and I could read and understand some of the signs.

We drove through lakes, forests and more lakes. Everything was very wintery and even in the pouring rain looked magical. We arrived at the Scandic Hotel in Helsinki in the evening. It was a nice hotel and good to get back and relax after rushing around Russia.

St Petersburg

2011-10-05T03:08:00.002+10:00

The city limits of St Petersburg appear to start not long after the border. Getting over that border however is an adventure in itself. We crossed at Narva, a small town with a big fortress. The crossing process was quite long (although the wait was the longest was on the Estonian side leaving the country). Checking and double checking of passports, getting ticket for the bus, going back again getting said tickets stamped. I'd imagined entering Russia to a vastly from the rest of Europe. I'd imagined a Russia like the one I'd seen in the movies. Stern looking guards, big guns, tanks on street corners, grey buildings, snow and a lot of signs I can't read. Well, it was a lot like that, except for the guns, tanks and snow. The border was certainly an eye opener. While the male guards looked stern and menacing the female ones tried, but when you're wearing high heals and a short skirt its kind of hard to look mean. In the end we made it though and continued on our way to St Petersburg.

My first view of the Russian countryside was that there wasn't that much of it. A bit of forest comes after the border but the outskirts of St Petersburg start soon after. From there it is highways, tower blocks and industrial areas. I was amazed at how many vehicles are on the roads in Russia and around St Petersburg. From the suburbs to the city centre, cars, trucks and buses were everywhere with a traffic jam almost from the border to the city centre. In russia there are many different makes and models of cars on the road. From Lada to Lamborghini. Russian, Japanese, German or American, all makes and models are here. One thing that they all have in common though is how dirty they all are. And that traffic lights and road signs appear to be merely suggestions to the drivers, sometimes followed, sometimes not. I was also surprised to see how Western it all seemed. I'd expected something totally different. Of course I couldn't read any of the signs or anything else like that but that didn't matter. Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana and all the other fashion brands were obvious. This city has money and a lot of it.

I went on the 'optional' tour of the Hermitage museum. The Hermitage is a palace that is filled with all the famous and amazing artworks from not only Russia and those countries that it controlled, but also from the rest of Europe. The tour was supposed to tell us about some of the more famous paintings but for some reason, our tour guide neglected to order headphones for the group (this we found out after waiting outside for half an hour). Leaving everyone struggling to hear what the paintings were about as the guide didn't bother to raise his voice. I left the tour and went round the galleries myself. I got just as much information from the pictures and didn't have to rush through. When I left the museum I wandered the streets until it was time to be picked up.

The bus arrived and everyone got on the bus. We drove to the Nickolavsky Palace to drop off some of the group who were going to attend the folk evening. Or at least that is what I thought. I was expecting to be taken back to the hotel but the tour director decided to change the plan and told everyone who was not going on the bus that they would have to sit around and wait for the others at the show. That was three hours away and the area didn't look to be the best. There were only three shops close by and and a lot of closed buildings and dark alleys. Not the best spot to be dumped for three hours. For the next three hours I looked in the closed shop windows and wandered around the dark alleys. After that, I sat down on the kerbside and waited for the bus. There were eight other people who thought they were going back to the hotel but were left as well. It was not a good end to the day.

Tallinn

2011-10-03T16:38:00.000+10:00

The tour of the old town was impressive. Our guide Nikolai walked us through the town giving history and shopping tips throughout the old town. The town is divided into two parts. The upper and lower. The upper part on top of the hill was home to the royalty, parliament, churches and people with money. The lower part of the town was home to the markets, shops and workers. Today, a few more shops were open so the rest of the morning was spent shopping for souvenirs and eating pancakes.

In the afternoon I went on the 'optional' tour of the baroque style Kadriorg Palace to see the art collection. The palace was ordered to be built by Peter the Great so I guess that one would expect a pretty good collection. After the palace we went for a tour of some other sights in Tallinn including a destroyed nunnery and the Olympic sailing village. I also got to stand on a beach on the shores of the Baltic sea.

Riga to Tallinn

2011-10-02T16:10:00.000+10:00

It was a 9am departure from the hotel this morning. From there we drove to Irnagii and crossed the border into Estonia. Lunch was included and taken in a quiet village called Parnu. The village wasn’t that small but it was certainly quiet. The streets were empty and the shops were closed. We wandered around for a little while but with nothing open it was just really a village, as we arrived back to were the bus was going to be I saw that most were waiting there and obviously had the same idea.

The hotel we were staying at this evening was called the Kreutzwald Hotel Tallinn. It was a nice little hotel although I didn’t stay in it for long. As soon as the bags had been delivered I went for a wander into the city. The old town was about a kilometer from the hotel and up a reasonable steep hill. As the old town is sat on top of a hill (and snakes its way down wards). It was overcast but wasn’t raining so I thought I’d make the best of the goodish weather and have a look. Even though the place was pretty quiet the old medieval buildings were impressive as always and the views of the surrounding city from the little lookout spots. The skyline was full of old roofs, church steeples and tower blocks. But, to have a closer look, that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Riga

2011-10-01T15:51:00.001+10:00

Riga is a beautiful old town with many art nouveau buildings. We had a tour of some of these buildings and heard a bit of what makes a building art nouveau as opposed to something else. The morning was spent looking around the city and the afternoon spent on an ‘optional’ tour of the Ethnographical Museum. We had a tour guide taking us around the different houses in the museum. He also told us a bit of the history of the time when Latvia was under the control of communist Russia. It was quite interesting and a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Vilnius to Riga

2011-09-30T20:55:00.000+10:00

We left our hotel and drove northwards towards Latvia. Our first stop was just over the border at the Palace of Rundale. This palace was the former summer residence of the Duke of Courland (one of the areas of the Baltics) and was designed by the same guy who did the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. The tour of the palace revealed many amazing rooms with decadent wallpaper, floorboards and trim. You had to pay to get into the gardens so afterwards I strolled around the front (also nice) and watched the ducks on the canal that ran through the property.

Upon reaching Riga, the grand capital of Latvia, we drove through amazing buildings, past triumphant squares and stunning boulevards we pulled up in front of our hotel (the Raddison Latvia). It was a very nice hotel and the rooms were modern (if a bit small). After seeing all the splendour that surrounding me I automatically made a priority list. First, laundry; second, drinks in the bar and thirdly, dinner. I found the Laundromat a short distance from the hotel and managed to get what I wanted to accomplish across to the attendant though sign language and a smattering of Latvian that I had read in my guidebook. She answered me in broken English so I can only assume it was that my newness tot he language was obvious.

Vilnius

2011-09-29T20:50:00.000+10:00

The next day we went to explore the town. It was full of old buildings and churches. We had a couple of hours to look around the city. I explored many of the churches in town but there were still many more that I didn’t get the chance to have a look at. I also spent a bit of my time in the main square listening to some musical acts on stage. They had all kinds of music playing from rock and acoustic to classical and even opera. The crowds walked my, some stopped. By the time I had to leave to catch the bus a small crowd was now watching the performances.

I’d decided to go on the optional tour to Trakai Castle that afternoon. Trakai is a small, traditional, red brick castle that sits on a small island in the middle of a lake about half an hour outside the city. The castle was originally built by one of the first kings of the region. Since that time it has been destroyed and rebuilt to what it is today. I was told that many films have been shot there including Robin Hood (which version though I’m not too sure). The whole place was very touristy although there wasn’t much to the castle itself. There were a couple of rooms which had been done up with the history of the castle and informative panels about certain sections. We had a local guide this time who took us through the castle. She was a good guide whose commentary wasn’t as dry as everyone elses. She was also the first local tour guide that liked to take questions. We hadn’t see that in any of the three countries we’d been in so far so it was a nice change.

That night I also attended the ‘optional’ dinner excursion. The tour guide described the restaurant as a ‘folk law dinner’ although there was very little folk law and the dinner wasn’t up to much either. We had our orders taken on the bus a day or so before. I decided to order the fillet of cod served on a bed of mashed potatoes and a traditional salad. In the end what I was given was fish and chips. It wasn’t a pleasant evening that I had invisaged. The staff were rude and unfriendly and the people doing the entertaining, singing and playing traditional instruments appeared bored. This carried on throughout the evening. Even with the coffee after dinner no milk was served. I asked a waiter for it who replied “in a minute" in an exasperated tone. The milk never arrived and after the reaction I received from asking the first time, I did not want to ask again. It was interesting to note that the tour guide and driver were treated differently to the paying customers with the staff being friendly and, I noted, they got milk with their coffee. We were rushed through the meal, in and out with a three-course meal plus coffee in an hour and a half. The consensus among those people on the tour said that the meal was disappointing and staff were solemn unsmiling and rude. When this information was relayed to our tour guide she replied much the same as before. That it was impossible to please everyone and that there was nothing she could do. Apparently it was even too much to listen to the issues the people had with their meal. Even though all who attended (apart from the tour guide and driver) paid 60 euros for the meal. The rest of the evening was spent in the hotel bar with the others who attended the meal. The meal was crap but afterwards was a nice way to spend the rest of the evening.

Warsaw to Vilnius

2011-09-28T20:46:00.000+10:00

In my true wussy sense I woke up this morning with a slight headache. I put it down to a bug that I’d picked up in the long hours I’d spent on the bus and not the beer I’d drank the previous night. It was another early morning and a drive that took pretty much the whole day. Today we were heading from Warsaw to Vilnius in Lithuania. After a quick stop in Augestow for lunch we continued driving arriving into the capital city just as it was getting dark. From the bus, the city seemed like many other I had been to. Some posh areas, some looking derelict. Some fancy restaurants lining the streets, some people (quite a few actually) digging through rubbish bins.

The hotel was called the Hotel Gratis and was situated a little way from the centre of town. It was a nice big room however and that was good as I was sharing again with Merv. Due to the late arrival, dinner was served at the hotel and consisted of Borsch (a beetroot soup) and fish (covered in a suspect looking whitish green sauce).

Poznan to Warsaw

2011-09-27T20:26:00.001+10:00

It was an early start the next day and we drove for several hours before stopping at a McDonalds for lunch. I had a wrap with bacon, mushrooms and other miscellaneous substances. Early afternoon we arrived in the city of Warsaw. Our hotel, the MDM, was in the business centre of town (about half an hours walk to the old town). I had a new roommate, Michael (Merv had his own room). He was a big improvement and I noted was neat, tidy and put a towel on the bathroom floor when using the shower.

In the afternoon I went on the ‘optional’ tour of the rebuilt medieval city. After the war the whole area was rebuilt to look like it had before (although I’m guessing with proper electrical wiring and sewerage system). It looked impressive. Even though we were shown pictures of the ruined buildings taken after bombing raids by the Germans, it was hard to believe that the rebuilt versions were the same ones. It was very impressive. For the rest of the afternoon we were left to explore the town. Looking into the many souvenir stores, churches, cafes and other touristy places.

That evening I met up with some of the others on the tour for drinks and dinner. After plowing my way through one and a half litres of beer (in one glass!) I retired to my room and fell asleep listing, not to snoring or farting, but to accordion music being played on the street outside.

Berlin

2011-09-26T20:24:00.000+10:00

I got a glimpse into what makes a tour director after the ‘optional’ tour around Berlin (which I did not attend). Some of the people who took the tour did not think it was worthwhile and not worth the money they paid as it didn’t stop at some of the most famous sights. Our director turned around and said that it was impossible to please everyone and that there was nothing she could do. There was no sympathetic ear or reason for that particular route. Needless to say, most people did not find it a satisfactory answer to their concerns. To me however, it spoke volumes about our tour guide and set the tone for dealing with any other ‘issues’ that people may have while they were on the tour or about any of the other ‘optional’ excursions.

After a morning in Berlin we spent the rest of the day driving to Poznan in Poland. Poland is a funny place. Throughout the rural areas there were hundreds of signs for Night Clubs and tequila. These glitzy signs are usually outside what look to be very low socio-economic towns and villages that look like they haven’t changed for centuries. What was also an eye opener was the number of women standing on the quiet country roads in the middle of nowhere dressed up like 80’s hookers with fluro faux-feather boas and knee-high boots.

Although Poland at first thought to be a ‘first world country’ it was interesting to note that the water in the country, and indeed all of the Baltic countries, is unsuitable for drinking. All tourists are warned not to drink the water. This was noted in tourist information at hotels throughout the trip until we reached Finland. Despite having to wait for half an hour to check in, not being able to move in the lobby due to a conference, or use the lift, or (for some reason) the stairs, I had my own room. It was bliss! I did my laundry in the sink and let hung it out to dry throughout the bathroom. After that I went to the shopping centre nearby to try and find a UK to Europe adapter for my camera plug. It was not a fruitful quest.

The Tour Begins

2011-09-25T20:19:00.000+10:00

The cycling world championship was being held in Copenhagen that weekend that I arrived. It was therefore not a real surprise to see the Astanda team sitting down to breakfast in the dining room. I wouldn’t have known who they were if I hadn’t seen the team jerseys. They looked relaxed and didn’t seem to be the least put out that they were served up pasta for breakfast. I guess they had a long way to ride that day and so they needed all the energy they could get. Me on the other hand, only had to get on the bus, so I had the full cooked breakfast, with cereal and yoghurt on the side. As I sat eating I was amazed to hear my roommate start telling me about his prostate, the trouble, timing and frequency of his urination and going through a blow-by-blow account of how a prostate should be checked, not something you want to hear about, especially over breakfast and especially when you’re eating sausages! I was glad when it was time to board the bus. I’d met the tour guide, Giovanna, that morning and she told me which bus was ours (three were leaving from the hotel that morning). I chose a seat next to a window and sat down.

My tour group consisted of about 24 people. Most were retired although plenty weren’t. It was a mix of American, Canadian, Australian, Singaporean and a couple of New Zealanders. Most of them were pleasant enough to talk to and most of them I did. The morning’s itinerary was for a tour of Copenhagen and the drive Berlin (via the ferry). The start of the tour was all right. As the ‘included’ local tour guide was telling us all about Copenhagen we wound our way through the streets to the Palaces. These were the same palaces I had seen the day before on my walk around the city. I would therefore have much preferred to have watched the start of the cycling championship which were passing on the street between the palaces and the church. We missed it by a couple of minutes. We then had half an hour to look around (distances being such that you could walk to the bus and browse in the opposite souvenir shop in that time, but not see any of the other sights that the city had to offer). From there the bus moved on and drove us around to the parliament where we had an hour to look around. Unfortunately it was early on a Sunday morning and so only a bakery and a coffee shop were open in that area. Instead I wandered away to the canal and whiled my time away watching the ducks (Mallards). Soon enough it was time for the bus to pick us up again and take us to Berlin in Germany.

Ferries in Europe are big and this one was no exception. Our bus drove into the massive hold of the ferry and four more could have been fit in behind it. There were eight lanes of traffic inside the ferry as well as a large middle section. Upstairs there were three main decks and an outside viewing area, two restaurants, a bar and large duty free shop. It was a short trip across the sea and a short time (just enough for lunch and a chance to admire the view), the boat was pulling up at the harbour in Germany. The bus drove straight to Berlin where we would spend the night.

Our hotel was of the Best Western variety, however when we arrived it was dark and so dinner was the only plan. A group of us went to a local beer garden for tea. I can fully appreciate why tourists get such a bad wrap in countries like Germany. Our group just barged in and automatically started talking to the waitress in English with no attempt made to speak German or even say anything in German. Some of the older guys in the group then started taking photos of the young, pretty, blonde haired, blue eyed waitresses. They didn’t really appreciate this and so told them. This did not appear to have any effect on the two guys who finished taking their photos. The next thing that would give tourists, and particularly Australians, a bad name happened next. One of the other guys, an Australian started having an argument with one of the waitresses (who could speak English) about they type of glass for his beer. He wanted on without a stem (remaking loudly that it would make him look like a poof) and wanted a normal looking glass. At this point, I just shook my head, picked up my glass (with a stem) and walked outside. I didn’t sleep much that night, being kept awake by my roommates nocturnal trumpeting. Apparently though, as he remarked to the whole group upon me coming down to breakfast, I kept him up all night with my snoring. I know the truth, I’m not sure my roommate does.

To Copenhagen

2011-09-24T22:32:00.000+10:00

Security is a pain. It is not because you have to line up for ages, have your bags x-rayed and then given a ‘pat down’ by some random member of staff. It is because of the rude and ignorant staff. Now, another security measure is that you can liquids of up to 100 mL on as hand luggage. This liquid for some reason must be stored in a clear plastic bag. Why? How does the clear plastic bag help security? How does putting your liquid in a plastic bag make the flight safer? I don’t get it. I don’t’ think the person who came up with the idea even thought it through! I had a tube of toothpaste. One tube. Purchased a matter of hours ago. This had to be put in a plastic bag to be x-rayed. Outside the bag it was a security threat. Inside it was safe. What is worse is that I had to pay £1 to purchase a bag! If something is a security threat and you want to make people believe it, then you don’t make they pay for a bag for one tube of toothpaste. Then it just looks like a money making scheme. What is worse is that the rude lady security guard, on an obvious power trip, could not tell me how putting my toothpaste in a plastic bag makes it safer than not having the plastic bag. 48p for a tube of toothpaste which ended up costing me double that to take it on the plane. That is why I hate security. I can see where the idea comes from and I understand. But doing things like that is just dopey as it takes away all the credibility of the policy. I can fully understand why people get annoyed with these dickheads who force you to follow these pointless rules. The worse thing is that they don’t even bother to find out why they are being told to enforce it. It shows that there is something seriously wrong with the security systems and agencies in this country.

Anyway, rant over. I boarded my flight after telling the security guard what I thought of their rules, only leaving when I saw her colleagues starting eye me suspiciously. The flight was uneventful and I arrived at the airport and, after a quick consult of my iphone map, I walked to my hotel. This was the first ‘day’ of the tour. I walked into the hotel lobby and tried to check into my room. Apparently they only have one key for each room and my roommate was already up there. I wandered up as the lady at reception phoned up to let my roommate know that I was coming up.

When I knocked on the door my roommate opened it. I’m not sure if he expected me. He said that he had received the phone call but, as he answered the door in his underpants, I don’t know… I found out quickly though that he was a bogan, and that explained everything. I guess the main hint was that he introduced himself to me saying, and I quote. “I fart and I snore”. He then proceeded to get undressed and change right in front of me while still talking and repacking his bag. This was a man that I hadn’t even met for two minutes and already he was making the single supplement of $1500 sound a very good idea. Still, I decided to make the best of it and just ignore the whole first impression. After meeting the rest of the group the next day, I couldn’t help thinking why the tour couple didn’t pair me with someone closer to my own age instead of the 50 year old light and curtain salesman that they did. After dumping my bags and freshening up I left the room and caught the train into the centre of Copenhagen. I’d arranged to meet Lewis, Naomi and Edie in the city. They were arriving around 2 pm and so I had a little time to see the sights. I wandered past the Royal Palaces, fortresses, harbours, monuments and lots of other sights that the city had to offer. While waiting I spent a bit of time by the fortress moat, watching the ducks swim by. It was quite relaxing. As the time to meet drew nearer I wandered back to the centre and found my way to the mall and to the prearranged meeting spot (with a lot of help from my iphone).

It was good to meet Lewis and Naomi. They came around the corner and seemed to appear out of the crowds pushing Edie in her stroller. I couldn’t believe how big Edie had grown. When I saw her just over a year before she was tiny. I could hold her in one arm then but now, it took two. She was smiling and happy. I’d like to think that it was to see me but probably just because she was in a new place and getting to go for a ride in her pram. After they checked into their hotel we wandered back into town and saw a few more of the sights. We went to check out the Little Mermaid statue and Nyman Harbour, both of which are very famous in the city. We ended up having dinner in a restaurant on one side of the harbour. It was a nice evening. I’d missed the first day of my tour but couldn’t be happier that I did.

Wandering round Westminster

2011-09-23T01:17:00.002+10:00

After a whirlwind tour of historical London it was time for Mum to head off back to Bristol and for me to start my tour, first however, we had the day to explore a bit more of London. The first stop was the Palaces at Westminster. We took the tube to Westminster Station and walked towards the parliament building. It took us some time to find the ticket office (which was hidden down a set of steps, behind a wall in a building across the road), and took us just as long to get through security. You had to have your photo taken and have the pass around your neck while you’re inside. The queue was long but we got through and wandered up to the gates of the Great Hall, where the tour began from. There we joined another queue and waited for our tour guide to arrive. We climbed the steps from the hall and headed inside. My first impressions of the building was that, compared to Australia’s parliament house, it certainly had more plush setting and a lot more history. We were told about the gun powder plot and how a bomb had hit the parliament during WWII. The House of Commons was directly hit and did a lot of damage. They rebuilt the parliament after the war just the same as it had been. It was interesting to note that if all members of parliament were to attend, there wouldn’t be enough seating for them all. This is because there is something like 350 seats and 450 members of parliament. It was kept this way so it would not look too empty when it was seen on television. We also walked through the House of Lords and all the way to the Queens Chambers. It was also interesting to note that the House of Commons is the one place that the Queen is not able to go. When opening parliament she gives here speech from the House of Lords with the doors open through to the House of Commons so that they are able to hear. It was good to go around the parliament and it certainly was impressive. Once the tour finished we left the parliament and wandered outside and over the Westminster Abbey, which is just across the road.

We queued once again. It cost about £18 to get into the abbey which came with an included audio tour. We wandered around with the speaker to our ear through the abbey. We queued, then entered the tombs of previous kings and queens. They have a café at the abbey. It is in the cloisters area. While this seemed a bit tacky it didn’t stop us from having a cup of hot chocolate there and a muffin. As I walked around the abbey, I kept thinking back to how I’d seen it on the television with the wedding of Charles and Diana, and more recently, Will and Kate. You could picture they walking down the isle, saw where the guests sat and when we left the abbey we did so via the western gate where all the guests, including the queen, entered on that day. It was amazing to think of the history of the place. We just don’t get that in Australia.

Mum was booked on the 5 pm bus so we headed back to Victoria Coach Station and had dinner in a nearby pub. I said goodbye to Mum and the wandered back to train station to collect my bags from the Left Luggage section. I’d planned to spend a little longer in London that night before heading back to the Bus station but an hour later I’d looked in all the shops I’d wanted to and lingered on as many benches as necessary so decided to head to the airport early. My flight was leaving ridiculously early the next day so I decided that I would just spend the night there (rather than paying for a nights accommodation and having to leave super early anyway. It was just getting dark when I arrived at Stanstead after a bus ride that seemed to take forever. With my backpack on my back and another in my hand, I entered the airport. After making three circuits of the check in area I chose the spot where I would spend the night. It was a row of benches near one of the large windows overlooking a car park. I sat down and took out my book. Five minutes later I decided that the book wasn’t exciting enough and went off to find a W H Smith store. Half and hour later I had a new book (and a multi adapter for my camera) and wandered back over to my spot. It was a long night. I slept for about two hours all up. That was pretty good considering how busy the airport was. Even at two in the morning the cleaning staff were still driving round on their little floor sweeper buggies past sleeping passengers without a second glance. I know this as I saw several of coming round and random intervals throughout the night. At around four in the morning I changed my spot, fearful that if I fell asleep again (a slim chance but a chance none the less) then I would not have my phone alarm to wake me as the battery had run out. I relocated to a dirty bit of floor near a wall plug and after plugging in my phone, lay down again. An hour and a half later and it was time to line up for my flight check in. I wasn’t the first one there, which surprised me, I did notice however a few tired faces in the crowd and recognised them from various places around the airport. They’d obviously spend the night there too.

Historical London

2011-09-22T19:20:00.000+10:00

Day two in London and we had more sights to see. It was going to be another right royal day. Our plan was to go to the Tower of London in the morning and then head over to Hampton Court Palace in the afternoon. We arrived at the Tower just on opening and walked through the imposing front gate. I’d been to the tower once before (in 1999) and now, over ten years later, nothing had changed. It was still as impressive as before. With buildings that have been there for centuries, little change is good. It lets you picture the history throughout the Tower. We wandered around the Tower, through the exhibits that they had set up in many of the rooms, and pictured what it would have been like throughout history. The most impressive thing though, was the Crown Jewels. I guess that’s what everyone really goes there to see, the crowds were a testament to this. We waited in line, slowly winding our way into the vault. The Crown Jewels are kept in a massive vault with solid metal doors about a foot thick. You pass them while standing on a conveyor belt (flat escalator) and slowly glide past them peering in through the thick glass at the glittering jewels beyond. They certainly were impressive. Actually, impressive doesn’t really even come close. They were very impressive. Spectacular even, and this is coming from someone who sees jewels as expensive polished stones. There were many crowns in there, each more breathtaking than the last. Each crown was set with not just jewels, but pearls, lace, velvet and a lot of just as impressive stitching. After having a second look, and stopping to admire a solid gold plate (exquisitely cast and bigger than my car) we left the Tower and went to Waterloo Station to catch the Southern Line train to Hampton Court.

Hampton Court Palace is the large red brick building next to the river. You can see it from the train station. A quick walk over the bridge and you are there. From the ticket office you walk down a long road which leads to a roundabout and the front entrance to the palace. Surrounding the main court are long corridors, formal gardens, staterooms and lots of kitchens. They say that Henry VIII enjoyed his food and the palace certainly attests to that. The food preparation wing took up almost one side of the palace and were quite impressive. Our audio guide told us what went on in the kitchens and it was amazing to think of all the people working in there. It was kitted out with all of the modern facilities such as roasting spits and boiling pots and had massive fires which must have made it quite uncomfortable for the child who would have had to turn the meat on the spit. The rooms were impressive as one would imagine and the garden, formal in its creation, had secret areas surrounded by high hedges which would have been private to the whole court. These were filled with flat lawn, greet shrubs or colourful flowers. Water features were also common throughout these private little gardens and in front of the orangery. It was interesting to hear about the palaces and how they operated. Being there made the history even more interesting.

First day in London

2011-09-21T20:33:00.001+10:00

It was about seven-thirty when I awoke the next morning. A cup of tea and half an hour later Mum and I were on our way down to breakfast. The breakfast room of the hotel was the basement level. It was tiny. I couldn’t he having a quick look into their kitchen on my way to the continental breakfast buffet. It was clean and all stainless steel but I questioned their washing and sanitising process with the breakfast dishes. I put it out of my mind (my work is dull enough as it is without doing it on holiday), and buttered my toast. After breakfast Mum and I wandered into town.

Our first stop was the Buckingham Palace ticket office. We purchased tickets for the 11 o’clock entry and then went for a wander around St James Park and watched the squirrels. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Buckingham Palace is the most impressive palace I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a few!). I couldn’t say there was one thing that didn’t amaze me, from the carpet to the ceiling it was stunning. That isn’t even taking into account any of the history or moments of the palace that I’ve watched on the telly. We ambled around listening to audio tour and taking our time, taking our time to soak it all up. We saw an exhibition of the Royal Faberge collection which consisted of some delicately carved and super expensive ornaments including quite a few of the trademark eggs. It was impressive. It took around two hours to go through the ‘guest wing’ and before we knew it we were standing on the steps overlooking the rear garden. After a few photos we headed down one of the winding paths, past the lake and out of the palace grounds.

After a quick lunch in a pub we once again wandered off through the narrow streets. We ended up in Westminster, by the cathedral to be exact, and went in for a look. It was impressive inside but the view from the tower was even better. From the top you could see most of London, the classic skyline all around with 360o views. From the top you could see the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the dome of St Paul’s and even Buckingham Palace. It was windy at the top, but the sunshine shining down made it an even better view.

We couldn’t stay up there for too long as we had an appointment. Laura was paying for a treat for both Mum and me. Afternoon tea at Browns Hotel, one of the poshest establishments in London. The spread was impressive, three tiers of scones, sandwiches and cakes. And of course tea. We spend the rest of the afternoon sitting in the luxurious surroundings and eating all we could. After going through two set of tiers and two tea pots full of tea, it was time to head back to the real world. And we wandered out the land of top hats and into the one of baseball caps.

The flight from Brisbane

2011-09-20T03:30:00.000+10:00

I was excited when I arrived at the airport. Dad dropped me off around nine at night. My flight was due to leave a little before midnight so we were in plenty of time. After one last coffee I said good-bye and wandered downstairs to start the customs process. It took hardly any time at all. In fact I spent more time filling in my form than standing in line. Before I knew it I was through and browsing in the souvenir shops on the other side. I toyed with buying a camera duty-free but in the end, even the tax free prices were too much for me to part with at that time. After much umming and ahhing I wandered over to the gate.

I was the first one to arrive so I sat down, took out my book, and started the wait until it was time to board. The crowds slowly gathered and before long the announcement came over the loud speakers that it was time to board. I joined the queue and presented my ticket and passport to the lady at the gate. It always surprises me that you have to show it before you board the aircraft, especially in an international airport when you’ve already gone through security and customs, the airlines mustn’t have much faith in airport security. Of course, this part has nothing to do with security and more to do with keeping the general public in a prolonged state of fear in order to push government policy and politicians’ agendas, but I digress.

I’d like to say the flight was long and uneventful. It was long but not uneventful. Unfortunately. After dinner was served and the free alcohol was given out the guy in the seat behind me started to make a fuss. This involved kicking the seat in front of him, grabbing through the seats in front of him and yelling at the top of his voice to the people sitting in the seats two rows ahead. Unfortunately for me, I was stuck right in the middle of all of this. And doubly unfortunately for me, the flight crew did not want to do anything about it, no matter how many times me, and the person sitting next to me pushed our ‘call’ bells. Despite a few indifferent warnings from one staff member, the man behind me did not change his behaviour. For the next six hours I had to listen to him yell for more whiskey (he obviously couldn’t hold his drink, but the crew kept serving him until about four hours into the flight). He at least stopped trying to reach through the gap between my (and my neighbour’s) seat. This could have been because the last time he did it I grabbed his arm and tried to tear it from his shoulder bending it around and down in the process, but I’m not sure. I was glad when the captain’s voice came over the speakers that we were now going to land. The man behind me didn’t stop yelling all the way down and even out into the terminal. The crew smiled at him and said a cheery goodbye as he left. It’s a shame that the crew didn’t show the same courtesy to the other passengers when we were in the air. I swore then that I would never fly Malaysian Airlines again. It wasn’t just their service, but also the way they showed complete disinterest in the thoughts and feelings of the people sat near the drunk, and just appeared to want a peaceful flight (from where they were sitting down the cabin).

Unfortunately this promise was broken four hours later when I boarded my next flight to London (but I swore to not go with Malaysian Airways once this holiday was over). The next flight was a lot better than the last. I still didn’t get any sleep, and my seat was next to a bulkhead so I had half the leg room of all other passengers (including those in the rows) but at least I could sit without someone yelling behind me. In the following 12 hours I watched the Harry Potter. Harry Potter movies to be more exact. Movies 2, 3, 4 and 5. I also watched several episodes of the Simpsons, the Big Bang Theory and several mind numbing episodes of some other reality TV show about a someone with too much money and no brain. After what seemed like an eternity (as I’d had to resort to watching the reality TV show) the plane touched down in London. It was good to get off the plane. I walked through customs and then had to wait about half an hour for my bag to come through. After that I was out into the main terminal.

It was the faces of Mum and Aunty Carole who greeted me at the Arrivals gate. It was good to see them and despite not sleeping for the past 48 hours, I was happy. We caught the Tube into Victoria Station and had dinner in a pub nearby. Fish and chips and a pint of Fosters never tasted so good. I told my story to sympathetic ears and we all agreed that the flight crew should have drugged the man to keep him quiet (we didn’t, but it would have made my flight easier). After dinner Mum and I said goodbye to Aunty Carole and wandered off to find our hotel. A quick look at the GPS on my phone and we were winding our way through the busy streets of London. The hotel was a simple one but the bed was comfy and the shower hot. After climbing the 99 steps up to the room (over four storeys) it was very welcome.

Holidays!!!

2011-09-17T20:07:00.003+10:00

After four years the time has now come. I'm off on holidays! It's been a while. So I'm looking forward to it. My plan is to do a tour around the Baltics and a bit of Scandinavia.

Suit Up!

2011-09-07T08:56:00.002+10:00

Yesterday me and the EH admin had the important job of going through the disaster response kits and updating them. This involved making a list of everything in the kit such as high-visibility jackets, overalls, clip boards, pens and helmets and seeing that it was all there. On this occasion it was.

Getting Closer

2011-09-02T15:25:00.000+10:00

As I said before... Vrooooooom!

Down on the Bogger

2011-08-07T21:51:00.003+10:00

This machinery was used to collect all the mined rock. The front bucket flips up and over living the rock to the carriages waiting behind. This is apparently the only working one in the world as they have now been banned as they were very dangerous.

Going underground

2011-08-07T21:51:00.001+10:00

While up in Tennant Creek I decided to do a bit of sightseeing. This is me out the front of one of the many mines that are found in the Tennant Creek area.

Vrooooooommmmmm!!!

2011-06-10T15:39:00.003+10:00

Almost got to tick one off the bucket list. 40km/h short!

Hot Kebabs

2011-05-13T18:18:00.003+10:00

I don’t know what I was expecting when I rounding the corner and started down the little lane behind the shops. The complaint said that there had been a load of meat left outside at the rear of the shop for the afternoon. I don’t know why it was the last thing that I was expecting. I thought that it would just be a complaint by a neighbouring shop owner; just an unfounded dispute where one side thinks it would be more inconvenient for the other part for the health inspectors to come around and inspect. I didn’t expect that I would go down that alley and find two and a half pallets of meat sat out the back of the shop.

Of course, that’s exactly what I found. The pallets were just sitting there. I walked up to them and had a look around. It was meat alright, some defrosted, outer temperatures well inside the ‘danger zone’. I went inside the shop and talked to the manager. Delivered by mistake, meant to go to the other store, no time to move it, thought it was still frozen… The usual excuses were given, none of which changed the fact that there was nearly three tonnes of meat sat outside in the sun. In the end the decision was down to a combination of temperature and time. The time was about 6 hours. The temperature was from frozen to the low teens. I called my boss. It was a lot of meat and the first time that I’d dealt with anything like this. I was glad that my boss agreed. The meat that had defrosted must be put in the refrigerator straight away while the meat that was frozen may be put into the freezer. This was based on the supposition that the meat would have been within the ‘danger zone’ for less than two hours. I left the shop as it was being loaded onto a truck to be taken to another store.

The next day I had to follow up. It was not what I expected. The meat had all been put into the freezer. That along with another couple of inconsistencies within the stories made the next decision tougher. I went back to talk to my manager. Due to the uncertainty and non-compliance with the previous directions, we were to seize all the meat. All two and a half tonnes! The owner wasn’t happy but we had no choice. We taped up the freezer where the meat was all stored to await the 72 hour appeal period. It was a stressful week of waiting. Each day I thought that I would be getting a phone call from the local courthouse saying that I was expected in court to present my case to the magistrate. I was surprised that the call never came. Even so, I spent that week writing up detailed statements and notes regarding the seizure. All reasons and actions had to be justified with legal justification. I couldn’t wait for noon on Friday the 13th. That’s when we would be able to collect the meat and dispose of it. The appeal period would be over and only further investigation, clarification and education left to do.

As the clock hit 11:30 am I started to relax. It was the time for action. We parked the ute behind the shop and started to load. It took us nearly three hours to load all the meat onto the ute and then stack it in the bin. We filled the bin up and still had a ute load left. It was almost two and a half tonne that we disposed of in the end. It was all taken down to the local tip and buried in the rubbish.

It certainly was a waste but really there was no excuse and it had to be done. The owner and his staff should have known better. From what I hear this is one of the biggest seizures that has happened in Alice Springs. It isn't over yet. There are now further interviews to conduct, reports to write and education to be conducted to ensure that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

To Coober Pedy

2011-04-30T13:28:00.001+10:00

I hadn’t been back in Alice Springs an hour when Stewart said that he’d like to head down to a place near Coober Pedy to look for a legless lizard. We were driving back from the airport and I must say that I didn’t think much of it at the time. A round trip of 1400 kms is a long way to go just for a little lizard, even if it is a legless one. Despite the distance and my initial uneasiness about putting the kilometers on my car, I agreed to drive down there with Stewart.

It’s always interesting to go out with Stewart as you get to see some weird and wonderful creatures that you otherwise would not have even the slightest chance of seeing. These things you need to look for! The drive down there was long and tiring, but the passing scenery and the book on tape kept interested. It’s always amazing to see how the landscape changes. Around Alice Springs it is hilly with a few low trees. As one drives south the scenery changes into sand country with dunes and spinifex dominating the landscape. All too soon though this changes to rocky woodland then open plains with vast treeless expanses stretching across the horizon. Around Coober Pedy though the landscape gets even more unusual. There isn’t a tree to be seen anywhere on the land. Large heaps of dirt (left over from the opal mining) are piled everywhere with new ones being made every week means that it is a continually changing the landscape. These large heaps become the dominant feature. On an open plain with a few rocks lying around the place even a mouse walking across it would be the dominant feature. For that reason, Coober Pedy seems to be another world. The native Coober Pedians make it even stranger.

We stopped just outside Coober Pedy and had a poke around. After a bit of searching and a lot of swearing about the flies, we found the legless lizard that we were looking for. After taking a few photos we were on our way back into town for tea. It was a long but eventful day.

The next day we were up early with the hope of having a look around the town and surrounding landscape. Unfortunately it had rained overnight which made me a bit apprehensive about driving over the roads. We drove out along the main road that heads off to Oonadatta and stopped just after the dog fence. Driving along I could feel the mud sticking to the wheels of the car. When I got out and over to the dog fence to take a photo and then walked back to the car and had grown by two inches. I didn’t think driving to the ‘Moon Plains’ would be a smart idea. Especially in my car that, while I had every confidence in the vehicle, wasn’t equipped for off road travel. That’s the trouble with getting blow outs and being bogged in the work vehicles (which has happened quite a bit over the past couple of weeks). It makes one quite uneasy about taking a two wheel drive vehicle with road tyres on muddy corrugated roads. The high clearance doesn’t help with those sorts of drives. We didn’t get to see the ‘Moon Plains’. I don’t know how moon like they are (apparently it’s just a wide open are with small rocks everywhere) but it will have to be left for another trip. I think that if it hadn’t had rained I would have gone on it. The road wasn’t that bad just sticky. It wasn’t as bad as driving on black soil but it might have been further down the road. I didn’t want to risk it.

In the end Stewart seemed happy enough to carry on and even happier when we found a little dragon on our way back. That was another new tick for him (and me). It was a big drive as we arrived back in Alice Springs just as it was getting dark.

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

2011-04-28T20:08:00.001+10:00

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) 01, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

Drying itself in the morning sun after going for a diver in a pond at Melbourne Zoo.

Common Eggfly Butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina)

2011-04-28T19:29:00.001+10:00

Common Eggfly Butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina), originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

This photo was taken inside Melbourne Zoo's Butterfly House. The tip of this butterfly's wing has been broken off which may suggest a run in with some over-zealous tourist who tried to pick it up.

Orchard Butterfly (Papilio aegeus)

2011-04-28T19:14:00.001+10:00

Orchard Butterfly (Papilio aegeus), originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

I went to Melbourne Zoo this afternoon (again) and took this photo in the butterfly house.

Meerkats for my birthday

2011-04-25T17:12:00.014+10:00

As I looked out of my window this morning the world was covered in a thick fog. From the spare room at Laura and Paul's apartment I could hardly see the other side of the street. The city, which can usually be seen with the lights still shining, was invisible. As I swung my legs out of bed I sighed. Today was my birthday. 32 today! It seems to have come around so quickly. Feels like only yesterday I was 31. The years just now seem to be going so fast.

This year was going to be different though. I was spending my birthday in Melbourne with Laura. I'd come down a couple of days before and had spent my days entertaining Max and shopping in the city. Our birthday morning started getting up with Laura and Paul seeing to Max's morning needs before we settled down with a cup of tea to open the presents. I received a book on insects and a Bill Bryson book from Mum and Dad and from Laura and Paul I got a meerkat cup, meerkat t-shirt and my photo taken with the meerkats at Melbourne Zoo.

We arrived at the zoo around 10:30 and went straight over to the meerkats to get our photo. We were let into the enclosure through the rear and sat on a log. As soon as we sat down the meerkats came over to us and started to over our laps. To keep them interested the keeper threw mealworms onto our laps. The meerkats loved them and grabbed them as soon as they could get to them. At one point we had all nine climbing on us. It was good fun. The meerkats are cute little things and their fur is surprisingly soft and their claws unsurprisingly sharp. It was something that I'd never really do and was very fun.

Laura and me with the meerkats.

Graduating

2011-04-20T22:18:00.012+10:00

I never thought that graduating was a big thing. To me it seemed to be a lot of money to spend for a couple of seconds walking across the stage and getting to shake the hand of the head of the uni whom you have never even spoken to before. For that reason I wasn't going to go to my graduation. That's what I said but I still booked my flight back to Brisbane and paid the money after being told by a few friends that I really should go and do it.

And so this afternoon, me, Mum and Dad drove up to the Sunshine Coast for me to graduate. Before I could walk across the stage I had to get my uniform. It consisted of a cape, hood and a mortar board hat. After about fifteen minutes I was able to get it all on together the right way and looking presentable. With that we started to wander over to the sports stadium where the ceremony would take place. After two hours of waiting around we took our seats and settled down for the ceremony.

It started with a procession of all the academics in their gowns with all the trimmings. Speeches followed. After what seemed like a long while the procession of students getting their degrees began. From my degree there was only me and one other person who received their degrees. The other two people who were graduating didn't attend. Still we walked across the stage and shook hands with the Chancellor, he said well done and we walked off the stage. That was it.

It was all over very quickly but I'm kind of glad that I went. It was good to get my certificate. I feel quite proud of what I've done although I do think that anyone can complete a degree, it was good that I did it.

Me in my graduation gown and hat.

Dad, Me and Mum at the Graduation.

Complaints, complaints, complaints...

2011-04-13T13:26:00.000+10:00

The first complaint about me came as a bit of a shock. I’d just arrived at work and the boss comes over to me to say that they have to write a ministerial (a brief for the minister for health which then gets distributed to the local member of parliament) about me. I wondered why. What had I done that was so bad? My first complaint was due to a letter that I had written. The proprietor had seen it as me threatening him and saying that I would close down the place. Where he got this idea from I don’t know. You only have to look at the track record of our program to see that we haven’t closed a place down recently. We haven’t closed a place down in the past five years. We haven’t closed a place down… ever, as far as I’m aware. I received a couple of letters from local members of parliament whom I really would have liked to have written back to. Unfortunately I can’t tell them where they can stick their support and just had to stick the letter on the file with no reply. Just another thing I guess I’ll have to get used to.

What do you Finke?

2011-02-24T12:56:00.008+10:00

This week I went out to the community of Aputula, otherwise known as Finke. Finke is famous in Central Australia as it is the start/finish point for the Finke Desert Race, which is a major race on the off-motorcycling calendar and follows the Old South Road for over 200kms before finishing in Finke. The next day, the riders do it all again but head north. We weren’t here for that (being four months early – the race is in June). Our drive down to Finke wasn't as quick as the race (and we went down the highway before cutting across which is about 420 kms) but it was a good run down there.

Me Driving to Finke.

After receiving a complaint regarding the store we went down to investigate. Our time in the community was spend conducting inspections at the various registered premises in the town, touring the sewerage ponds, landfill, bores, power station and airstrip as well as meeting with various community representatives and managers from the shire services. We had quite a bit to do in the town but in the end we got our inspections done and letters written.

On Wednesday morning we left the community and headed back to Alice Springs. It is 151 kms of dirt road before getting to the Stuart Highway near Kulgera. On the way we saw a sign for the Lambert Centre and had to go. After all, it was only 12 km away. After some real four-wheel driving we arrived at the Lambert Cenre. The Lambert Centre is the geographical centre of Australia. Now I can say that I really have been to the middle of Australia!

The way to the geographical centre of Australia.

The Lambert Centre.

On the way back to Alice Springs I had another first. Driving along I heard this massive bang and the steering on the car became very still. I was traveling at around 110 km/h but managed to stop the car and pull over to the side of the road. It was my first blow out! It wasn't a big thing. Being in the outback there were no cars to hit and I could slow down easily. It was exciting though. The tyre took a while to change (another first) but we were soon on our way back to Alice. This time, we arrived without any further problems.

Changing my first blown out tyre.

A rapid trip to the Barkly

2011-02-12T23:57:00.005+10:00

At the start of February, Cyclone Yassi hit Cairns. It was a category 5 cyclone and therefore, understandably, caused quite a bit of damage. It was bad to watch the devastation on the television but we didn’t think that it would affect us much. We might get a bit of rain, maybe a bit of wind too, but nothing too bad. You can imagine my surprise when I read in the local paper it would reach Alice Springs as a category 1 cyclone and we could expect widespread flooding. That lunchtime as I walked down the mall I was even more surprised to see people building walls of sandbags in front of their shops and businesses. I’m on the Public Health Counter Disaster Committee for Region 3 and the reports that we’d been given only stated that there might be minor flooding. These businesses were quite a way from the river and would only be reached with very major flooding. That weekend we were told that we might be called upon depending on what happens. It was very unlikely, but we had to be prepared just in case.

That weekend there were a few very heavy passing showers and lots of dark clouds on the horizon. Not the major flooding that the papers said would hit Alice. Not even the minor flooding that the Government had said may happen. The river didn’t flow that weekend. It dribbled over the following week but was that light that you hardly had to slow down when driving across the causeways. The storm passed to the south of Alice Springs. The decision was made however, to start a voluntary evacuation of some of the remote communities. In the end, one community did evacuate some residents. The thing was, they didn’t have anywhere to go. It wasn’t a disaster situation and therefore no shelters were open and the government departments didn’t have any legislative power to do anything really. In the end, the show grounds at Tennant Creek, the closest major town to the community, was opened for the influx of residents who left their community.

On Monday afternoon, I was asked if I wanted to go up to Tennant Creek with another EHO, Aaron Clifford, to do an assessment of the show grounds for environmental health considerations. So after a very busy afternoon booking accommodation, making phone calls to many other government agencies and a lot of paperwork it was confirmed. I was going up to Tennant Creek and would be back on Friday. We left early the next day and were up in Tennant Creek just after lunch. We went straight around to the show grounds and started work. Our job basically involved us checking out the facilities, ensuring the food preparation areas were safe and suitable for use; the ablution facilities were sufficient, in good working order and in a sanitary condition; that the accommodation was safe and sufficient and to basically look for any other environmental health issues that could affect the health of those staying at the grounds. We then had to arrange cleaning of the facilities, use of alternative food preparation and storage facilities and ensure that the necessary precautions were taken to ensure that the health of the residents was not compromised. It involved a lot of meetings with people and seeing what people could do to help. These people were then matched up and everyone was happy. It took us two days to get everything sorted and write our reports on the trip.

A flooded road near Wycliffe Well.

Me at the Devil's Marbles.

Tennant Creek.

It was a good trip up to Tennant Creek and a good learning experience on how do conduct a rapid assessment of an evacuation centre and how to get what you need through meetings, phone calls and lots of luck. In the end we accomplished what we'd set out to do and the boss was happy with the final report. It was a good week.

Going for a Drive

2011-01-24T17:05:00.004+10:00

Each night for the rest of the week we went for a drive. North, south, east and west, we covered each point of the compass. Heading out of Alice before sunset then driving down the road until we decided that there wasn’t much out, and we turned around. It was a shame that there wasn’t much out. The days had been hot but the nights were relatively cool. For whatever the reason, there wasn’t as much out as should have been. Even so, we did get to see quite a few cool things.

Stimpsons Python (Antaresia stimpsoni).

Me illegally interfering with a gecko (by picking it up).

Southern Spiney-tailed Gecko (Strophurus intermedius).

Marbled Velvet Gecko (Odura marmarata).

An angry Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australis) that I suprised (and suprised me) while walking down a dry river bed.

A House Mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) eating grass seed near Glen Helen.

Australian Owlet Nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) that didn't want to get off the road.

Centralian Carpet Python (Morelia spilota bredli).

A fly on a tree.

Bynoes Gecko (Heteronotia binoei).

Rocking the Rock!

2011-01-17T17:03:00.002+10:00

Stewart was here for two weeks and in that time we saw quite a bit. The next weekend we drove down to Ayers Rock. Even though I’d been down there twice before it was still as impressive as the first time. The massive red rock comes looming out of the desert. It starts its looming when you’re still quite a way off and gets even bigger and more loomier the closer you get. We arrived late after stopping to take a couple of photos of critters that we saw along the drive. Despite the lateness of our arrival we were up early before the sun. We drove out to the new viewing platform that was recently built at a cost of over 3 million dollars. Unfortunately they must have ran out of money for the signs. There was one in the local indigenous language but not one in English. I can only guess that more aboriginal people visit the sunrise viewing platform than those who understand English. We drove half way around the rock before I decided to turn around. I don’t know why they only decided to put the indigenous language on the signpost. Is this politically correctness gone overboard or just a stupid mistake? I’m hoping it was the latter. The sunrise was impressive but as there were about eight tour busses that were there as well as a few cars and campervans, (I can only assume they either followed someone in or can speak the local dialect), the view was more of the crowds instead of the rock. One thing that amused me was that they built the viewing platform spending all that money but didn’t bother to take out the two or three trees that were in front between the platform and the rock and blocked a portion of the view from most angles. Even the ones on the very top of the dune!

After the sunrise we went to the base of the rock and waited a while to see if they would open the climb. Unfortunately they didn’t because of apparent high winds (even though there wasn’t even a breeze on the ground), and so in the end, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we decided to do the base walk instead. As someone who has both climbed the rock and done the base walk I would have to say that the climb is much more impressive. Hopefully there will be a next time. The Aboriginal Land Corporation has just purchased Voyages Ayers Rock Resort and so it looks like they’ll be closing the climb pretty soon no matter what the weather. It was a hot rock on the day we walked around. Ten kilometers under the blazing sun but by the end we (or at least I), felt we’d achieved something. After that we went to the cultural centre before heading over to the Olgas. Stewart wanted to find a little dragon (a lizard not the mythical kind) in the area so we decided to do the Valley of the Winds walk. It turned out that the little dragons were quite common. We walked to the first lookout (about one kilometer return) and we saw five of the little things. I’m going to have to go back when it’s cooler and do the rest of the walk.
The weekend seemed to go very quickly and before we knew it we were back in the car and driving back to Alice Springs.

Pale Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus laevissimus)

A tourist photographing Ayers Rock.

Western Brown Snake (Pseudonja mengdeni).

Driving back to Alice Springs

2011-01-10T16:45:00.001+10:00

I’ve been back in Alice Springs for two days now and today is my first day back at work. Stewart and I set off on the 4th of January driving south through Broken Hill and Port Augusta back to Alice Springs. The drive took around five days to complete and all up we drove over 3500 kilometers. There were a few long days and some even longer drives. Time wasn’t against us but I did have to be back by Monday. In the end we drove straight through. We could have stopped in Dubbo. We could have stopped at Ayers Rock. In the end, we drove straight through and arrived in Central Australia with two days to spare. It was only the second time that Stewart had been to Alice Springs. He drove out with me when I first brought my car out. Then he only stayed for a couple of days then so this time, he had to see a bit more of what Central Australia had to offer.

Stopping off in South Australia on the way back to Central Australia.

A sea gull flying away from Port Augusta in South Australia.

Finishing Uni

2010-12-17T11:30:00.001+10:00

It's official! I've passed my Bachelor of Science (Environment and Health) degree.

It's such a relief for it to be over and I'm very glad to see that I'd passed everything. I was worried it might be close for Health Promotion Settings as I just scraped by with the first assignment (which was worth 20%). Now I've just got to focus on my job now. I might go back to uni next year. I'd still like to study something else, maybe do a masters if I can. I'll just have to see how it goes. For now though, I'm just going to relax.

Flat Photos

2010-12-15T17:45:00.003+10:00

The front door of my flat. Number 27 on the first floor.

The lounge area.

The Kitchen (more of a kitchette I guess).

The bedroom.

The ensuite.

The views of the range is right outside my window.

Here today, knicked tomorrow

2010-12-15T17:27:00.003+10:00

Last night was the second night that I spent in my new place. I spend the evening cataloguing the many changes to the inspection report that the property manager did not include. I don't think that she actually inspected the flat since the last person moved in as there were some rather big changes. It was a quiet and unevenful evening. Or at least I thought it was. This morning when I left the flat I looked up at the hills. They were sparkling a burnt orange that is so common for the range. It was quite a lovely sight. My eyes moved down the range, to the stairs and I started to walk towards them. My eyes moved down to my bike. Actually, they didn't. I should say that my eyes moved down to where I'd left my bike the previous evening. My eyes moved down to where my bike should have been this morning. It wasn't there. The previous evening I'd chained the bike up to the railings. Someone had obviously been able to bust the lock on my chain and then knicked my bike. It appeared that none of the other bikes outside any of the other units had been touched. It was just mine. I'd like to say that I was suprised, outraged and offended by the theft. The truth though was that I wasn't in the least bit surprised. It was not a shock. While I was mildly annoyed it was due more to the inconvenience of having to walk to work in the hot sun. Alice Springs is no longer a safe town. I'd been hearing people tell me this ever since I'd arrived. The guy I replaced had two push bikes and one motorbike stolen in the three or so years he was in town. It was almost expected. I don't hold much hope of ever seeing it again. Not that the person who took it will probably hold on to it. They probably just took it, rode it for a short distance and then dumped it somewhere. When I bring my car out here I'll have to make sure it has full insurance. As for another bike. I won't be getting one any time soon. Instead I'm thinking that I should just buy some rollerblades instead. That way I can lock them up in my apartment at night. Welcome to Alice Springs!

From Hong to the Hills.

2010-12-14T17:21:00.003+10:00

Today I finally moved the last of my stuff from the departmental house in Hong Street into my new flat. One suitcase, one large backpack, two small backpacks, five boxes, two crates, six plastic bags and I left the partridge in the pear tree as I couldn't be arsed carrying it up the stairs. My flat is on the first floor. It's basically one big room that is cut in two (by a wardrobe) with a bathroom off to one side. It is semi-furnished with a sofa, dining table, bed, fridge, etc. It's big enough for me although now I've got to go shopping for more things to fill it with. First on the list is a massive wide screen digital LCD television and xbox. Of course, with only a push bike to carry things on I think I might have to leave that until after Christmas when I have my car out here. Might make things a bit easier.

Little-button Quail (Turnix velox)

2010-12-07T17:08:00.002+10:00

Button Quail, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

He may be have a funny hair style, but he's as cute as a button.

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus)

2010-12-07T17:06:00.001+10:00

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus), originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

It may be called horridus, but really it's quite cute.

My first day as an EHO

2010-12-01T17:54:00.003+10:00

Today the culmination of three years of university study. Today I began my new career as an Environmental Health Officer. Actually, today was like many others that I've had in the four months or so that I've been here with the exception that I'm now responsible for sampling of vector insects in areas of high risk in Alice Springs. That basically means that I go out to the swamp and set traps for mozzies. After I'd sent them up to Darwin it was back to my usual administration role. I'll be doing the two jobs for a little while while I'm learning what I'm supposed to do as an EHO. Over the next couple of weeks I'll also be going out on inspections with the others in the office. Now for the steep learning curve, let's hope I can make it up!

House Hunting

2010-11-29T16:35:00.000+10:00

The house prices in Alice Springs are ridiculous. It was good to hear someone else voicing my views. I was standing in line at the real estate office listening to the rental manager explain why it wasn't the fault of the real estate agents (even though they 'value' the properties and give their prices to the owners) but instead it was the property owners who thought they could get what ever they asked for. It made me smile. Everyone appears blameless. When I left Alice Springs I though that prices were expensive. It might have just been my wage making everything look out of reach but now I've returned I realise that now things are ridiciously expensive.

I'm house hunting at the moment. To share, or not to share. That is the question. But what is the answer. I don't know. Sharing has its benifits. Instead of paying full price for a rental plus utilities you only pay a part of it. Most of the share places are around $200 a week where you share with 2 or 3 others (including the bathroom). The cheapest one bedroom rental property is $250 plus utilities. I don't know which I should choose. On one hand you get everything included but you have to share with 3 strangers. On the other you have to pay out even more money which drastically reduces your savings. In the end it came down to 'eenie, meenie, minee, mo! With that I'd chosen to get my own place and not share. That is the plan at the moment. I'm supposed to be spending a bit of my time out bush as part of my job so it might be a lot to spend if it turns out I'm not there much. For the next few months though I'll be in Alice learning the ropes so I'm sure it will be nice to have my own place and be able to do what I want when I want. We'll have to see how it all goes. It's so hard to see if the right decision has been made when you don't know what the future holds. I guess I've just got to wait and see.

Finishing uni and continuing work

2010-11-26T09:39:00.007+10:00

Last week was exam week. My last exam was all about Health Promoting Settings. Stewart was kind enough to 'invigilate' my exam for me. As I pushed my chair back from the desk after writing my final paragraph, my had was aching and my head was spinning. If all went well, I told myself, that was the last exam of my degree. It was a sobering thought. I only had one assignment to complete before it would all be over. That assignment took me the rest of the week and most of the weekend to finish but when it was over, it was over. It didn't feel it though. When I was at uni and finished an exam or assignment there was great relief. Not this time though. This time it didn't really feel as if I had finished. Of course my evenings were a lot more relaxing afterwards. I could sit down and watch telly and let my mind just fade away into oblivion. Before I'd be up until the wee hours (or at least around 10 or 11 o'clock) doing my readings, writing notes or drafting assignments, or at the very least thinking about what I needed to do. But it didn't feel like I'd finished. I guess that's because I'm now working full time (and have been over the last semester). Uni took a bit of a back seat in things as work took over. Now I've got to wait until my results. Then I'll see if I can get the bit of paper to make me and EHO. In the meantime, I start work as an EHO on the first of December. No relief, just fear.

Taking Procrastination to a new level

2010-10-28T09:04:00.001+10:00

I just bought a new vaccum cleaner in order to clean my house better the next time I procrastinate. As it's coming up to exams it's needless to say that my house is the cleanest it has ever been!

The mystery of the missing wheelie bin

2010-10-23T08:27:00.001+10:00

It was about 1:30 in the morning when I awoke to a loud banging sound. It took me a few minutes to realise what it was. As I looked outside I saw a group of around 7 or 8 kids milling about outside the front of the flats. I say kids but they were probably around 15 or 16 years old. The banging continued. It sounded like they were trying to break down the fence that stood at the end of the row. Why? Who knows. I'm sure they didn't even know, it was just something to do. I was just wondering if I should tell them to leave when one of the neighbours yelled out of her bedroom window that they should move along. After a short argument (with lots of short four letter words) the boys departed into the street with my neighbours wheelie bin where they proceeded to make a racket for the next 15 minutes or so giving each other rides and chasing each other up the street. When they got tired of that, they went on their way. When I first moved into this flat my wheelie bin was missing. I'm pretty sure I know what happened to it now. Lucky my replacement was full of stinky rubbish otherwise I think they would have taken mine as well. Lucky I forgot to put it out to be emptied this week.

The Floating City and Sydney

2010-10-02T21:44:00.000+10:00

Floating City, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

Overnight this ship docked at Circular Quay. It dwarfed the ferries below and even stood it's own against the skyscrapers. You can see why they are called floating cities.

Visiting my new Niece

2010-10-02T12:40:00.004+10:00

The next morning before the city had started to rise (it was about 8 o’clock but it was a Saturday bear in mind), I was sat on a train heading for Newcastle, to visit my new little niece (and of course Lewis and Naomi). It was a nice train ride up there. You leave Sydney through the back end before turning north. Before you know it you’re travelling through forest and along the Hawkesbury River. I arrived at the station and, with the help of my iPhone map application, found my way to Lewis and Naomi’s door. Inside Edie was just waking up and before I knew it I was holding her. She certainly was small. She just sat in my lap and stared up at me. I thought I was facinating her but it turns out that it was just the light she was looking at. At the moment to her, I'm just a blur. I’d arrived early so Lewis was out on a bike ride. He returned before long and we went out for lunch at one of the local cafés.

After lunch Lewis and Naomi took me out to the local wetlands centre. They'd been past it many times but as I was there they thought that they'd go in and have a look. The wetlands were filled with birds. There were sacred ibis, splendid fairy-wrens, welcome swallows, many other species of bird all living in the wetlands. I took lots of photos as we walked around. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Lewis and Edie

A Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena)

Lewis and Naomi with Edie

Lewis and Naomi going for a stroll

We left the park when it started to rain and headed back home. After gorging myself on many mulberries from the tree in their backyard, I headed back down to Sydney.

To the Zoo

2010-10-01T12:39:00.003+10:00

The next day I went to Taronga Zoo. Taronga Zoo is perched on the hill on the banks of Sydney Harbour. The zoo had everything that one would expect in a zoo. Lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, seals, penguins, kangaroos, birds and reptiles. What I really enjoyed was the setup that they have for the platypus. There was a massive tank set up like a creek bed. It was well put together and the platypus was swimming up and down. The Australian Nocturnal house was good although it made me wonder. They had the sounds of the night being piped in to the background. I think that they must have been going for show rather than realism as on several occasions the wail of a coyote came through the speakers as I stared at ring-tailed possums and phascogales. A coyote is not something you expect in the Australian bush. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Another day of walking, but well worth seeing (again).

A cormorant sunning itself in the aviary

An Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis) outside the Zebra enclosure

A Peaceful Dove (Geopelia striata) sitting on a rock

A Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

A Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles)

The view of Sydney Harbour from the zoo's amphitheatre

To Sydney

2010-09-30T17:20:00.000+10:00

After nearly a week on the Sunshine Coast I flew off down to Sydney. I arrived in the morning and took the train into town. From there I found my hostel, dumped my stuff and went for a wander around the town. And wander I did. From the hostel near central station I walked to Circular Quay then through the botanical gardens and back along the waterfront to all the way to Darling Harbour and then back up to the Observatory before heading back to the hostel via The Rocks. It was a big walk!

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Observatory

Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House

Bridge climbers

The hostel itself was like any other hostel. Big, noisy and full of strangers. I was sharing the room with seven others. I think that I’ve just about reach the age when I’m over hostels. I’m over sharing a room with seven flatulent, snoring strangers. Still they’re cheap, I guess that’s the main thing.

Presenting at Uni

2010-09-29T17:34:00.000+10:00

I left Alice Springs around lunch time today bound for Brisbane. This was one of my trips back in order to give presentations as part of my continuing uni course. As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight I listened to the people getting called for their flight that had already boarded. It seemed there were quite a few. The calls kept coming until the boarding gates were empty, yet still all of the passengers hadn’t arrived. The plane ride was uneventful as was the lunch that was offered onboard the aircraft. The plan was for Stewart to pick me up from the airport and then I’d head up the coast and start preparing the presentation which would take place the following day.

That’s why on a sunny afternoon I found myself inside a cavernous lecture theatre in front of 40 bored faces as I began to give my presentation on the Photovoice community engagement strategy in practice in Alice Springs. I talked about the project, my group, the photographs taken and finally how the practice went and what the conclusions were. After saying “the participants used photovoice” seven times on the one slide and “basically” 38 times throughout the presentation, I sat down amongst the audience and tried to melt into the seat as the next presentation started.

Freezing in Alice Springs

2010-09-18T18:51:00.004+10:00

It's just past six o'clock on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon. The sun is still out yet you wouldn't know it. Sitting in my flat I can hear the wind whistling through, under the doors, through windows and anywhere else through which the wind can flow. It's 11 degrees here at the moment and has hovered around there for the the past couple of days. We had a bright and sunny spell a couple of weeks ago and I really thought that spring had arrived. Now, as I'm sitting here wearing two jumpers, it seems like that was just a dream. I've been sitting here listening to the rain and watching it splashing against my window as I try and work on my assignments. My mind keeps wandering onto other things leaving me with a blank page after an hour sitting in front of the computer. I'm blaming the weather.

Lots of assignments

2010-09-15T12:36:00.003+10:00

The assignments are now coming thick and fast and so I've been trying to do some and finding out how to do others. Yesterday I uploaded the reflective essays from the first 17 days of my work experience. As this is only worth 10% I was wondering how many more essays will I need to do to pass. The course outline is written very vaguely and so I have to keep asking the teacher what is required. This seems to be quite common leaving me wondering what I'm actually supposed to be writing about in my assignments.

My subjects are taking up a lot of my time and I don't seem to have any to spare. Every night is spent doing readings or writing long and pointless essays. As I say, it is hard to know what amount of effort to put in. I don't think there is much use trying for more now my time is limited and the past marking variability of assignments does not mean that a lot of work will pay off. Even so, it's hard to juggle it all. I actually wrote this in a letter to one of the teachers. It's taken three years but I'm finally realising how annoying and frustrating it is.

Spring has sprung!

2010-09-01T14:09:00.003+10:00

Today is the first day of spring and already I can feel it. Today was the first morning I've been able to walk to work without a jumper on. It's kind of nice that it is warming up as it makes it so much easier to get up. On the other hand, the fact that it is starting to warm up means that soon it will be very warm. There is no real middle ground when it comes to weather out here. It's either freezing or hot. Still, hopefully there might be a couple of cooler days before it really starts heating up. We'll have to wait and see.

The book has finally arrived!

2010-08-31T16:47:00.005+10:00

After waiting nearly a month, my text book, Health Promotion: principles and practice in an Australian setting, has arrived. I ordered it a month ago through Fishpond.com.au and it was supposed to arrive on the 10th. It certainly wasn't quick. I received books from the UK that I ordered after this one, before it arrived. Still, at least I can start my uni (or at the very least look for another excuse).

Counting the votes

2010-08-21T20:24:00.010+10:00

Today was the day of the Federal Election for 2010. Currently I’m sitting in the Lingiari electorate. The sitting member is currently Warren Snowdon. I met old Warren on one occasion when I attended one of their fundraisers (after being strongly requested to by my housemate). He appeared to me to be your typical politician. Kind of slimy, only really interested in making you like him. That was enough for me not to vote for him and so today when I cast my vote, I didn’t. Apparently I’m sitting in a strong Labor seat with a large enough margin not to worry him. The Liberals candidate was surrounded in controversy with him allegedly breaching a restraining order. Currently across Australia the Liberals have about 43% of the primary vote with Labor at around 38%. Labour is still expected to win however on preferences. The Greens have around 11% of the primary vote.

Voting signs out the front of Gillen Primary School where I cast my ballot.

I voted for the Greens for both the House of Representatives and the Senate. My preferences around the independents and other minor parties. Neither of the major parties were going to get my vote as I believe that both the major parties are out of touch with the real world. Across Australia it looks like the final result will be pretty close although currently the ALP is in the lead (ALP – 64 and L/NP 56 with 3 independents). We’ll have to see how it goes. Julia or Tony?

Uni by distance

2010-08-16T08:59:00.001+10:00

The third week of uni has now been and gone. It went so fast I hardly even realised. Things start being due at the end of next week so I've got quite a bit to do to catch up. If I wasn't working then it would be so much easier as I don't seem to have any time at the moment. This weekend my plan was to work on my stakeholder plan and my EH governance exercise this weekend. In the end I managed to get quite a bit done on the governance exercise (even though I'm still not too sure what I'm really supposed to be doing). I've still got to choose an organisation to do my stakeholder analysis but I'm going to get that done by Friday. Hopefully...

New Bike

2010-08-15T17:43:00.002+10:00

Last week I became the proud owner of a new Southern Star 'Apogee' 18 speed mountain bike. It has all the trimmings including 'grip shift' gears and front fork suspension. I was in two minds whether to get it or go for a more expensive one from a proper bike shop. This one I actually bought from K-Mart. It was a bargain price of $99 or around $350 for another one through a proper bike shop. I've ridden the bike once and already I'm thinking I should have spend a bit more. That one ride flattened the front tyre, the seat (despite being too thin for my bum) won't stay in place and keeps slipping forward or back, no matter how tight I tighten it. I could go on about the stiff gears, the unaligned brakes and gears, etc, etc. But I won't. Well, not any more than that anyway. Of course I can quite easily fix these things with a spanner and a bit of money but that's just it. I wouldn't have had to do these things if I just bought one from a proper bike shop rather than just a shop that sells bikes. Of course, all things considered I've still saved myself about $200 so I guess I can't complain. I'll just have to see how it does in the future. I'm looking forward to getting out in it and going for a ride again.

I'm an uncle, again!

2010-08-06T23:23:00.003+10:00

I’ve just heard some great news. I had a text from Lewis not 10 minutes ago saying that Naomi has just had a “full term female infant by caesarean section at 2105 hours”. With those no nonsense words a smile spread across my face. I’m an uncle again!

Lewis, Naomi and their new little girl.

Regulation Workshop

2010-07-22T12:04:00.000+10:00

As soon as I arrived in Brisbane from Melbourne I was once again up the coast and sitting in class once again. As part of my final semester I had to attend a 3 day intensive workshop on regulation and Queensland legislation. It certainly was interesting, if not a little dull. Still, when I’m qualified that’s what I’ll be doing for the first couple of years at least. Applying the legislation to real life. First of all I’ve just got to learn the legislation!

Emergency?

2010-07-19T21:07:00.001+10:00

Fire Engines, originally uploaded by Ryan McLean.

We were sitting around with a cup of tea this evening when I heard sirens outside. I went out onto the balcony to have a look and was surprised to see that they stopped right outside my sister's flat. The first fire engine turned up and the guys got out and ran into the building. Then the second engine arrived. By this time I was wondering if they knew something that we didn't. Either way I stayed outside watching. Then another engine turned up. This time they firemen didn't rush inside so I figured there was no need to worry and went back to my cup of tea.

Wet and windy Melbourne

2010-07-18T19:39:00.003+10:00

My first day in Melbourne visiting my sister and her husband. And of course my new (or at least 6 month old) nephew, Max. This morning we left the house. It was a typical winter day, windy and overcast. We head to the Studley Park Boathouse for lunch. It was picturesque little house at one of the many bends of the Yarra River. Unfortunately just as we sat down it started to rain. With the wind as well, it was cold. Still, we had a nice lunch before we went for a drive around Melbourne in order to settle down max and put him to sleep. It seemed to work wonders. It rained for the rest of the day so we couldn't really get out and about.

The next day however, Laura, Max and I walked into the city (well, Max was in the pram). First of all we had breakfast at a place called the 'Auction Rooms'. I'm not used to all of these trendy cafes that are dotted around Melbourne. It's quite nice to just go for a wander and then being able to stop at a little cafe. After breakfast we went to a group called 'Songbirds'. In which all the adults in the group sang songs in order to entertain the babies and infants present. The kids seemed to enjoy it as they were clapping and singing away. I held Max during the session and he seemed to be enjoying it. Whether he understood it I'm not sure but he certainly enjoyed the music. After that we did a bit of shopping in the city before walking back home. We did a bit of walking. All up it must have been around 7 km and we had a breeze blowing at us from every angle as we walked down the streets. My feet are sore now but it was a nice day for walking. Tomorrow I'm heading back to Brisbane and back to a week of uni.

Heading to Melbourne

2010-07-17T23:24:00.000+10:00

I've just arrived in Melbourne. I flew on Tiger Airways from Alice Springs arriving in Melbourne around 10 o'clock. The flight was alright. The Tiger staff were not unfriendly, but then again not as friendly as those on other airlines. They looked like they had all had a long day. Inside the plane everyone was crammed in like sardines. I was so glad to have a window seat that way I could have a bit more room as I leaned over to the window. I needed this extra room as there was a guy sitting in the middle who was built like a brick... outhouse. I could also see the lights of Melbourne twinkling below as we came closer to land. From my view above the city, the sprawling streets below went off into the distance until they were just a blur. Whether this was to do with the rain or the fact that I wasn't wearing my glasses I do not know. Either way, the city looked big. Streets of orange, yellow and white lights ranged off in every direction. We flew over this mass of light for about 20 minutes. Before getting gradually closer and closer to the ground. Before I knew it we were on the ground and taxiing to the terminal.

The terminal reminded me of cattle being loaded onto a truck. We were herded across the tarmac and down a walkway with fences on either side. There were security guards sanding on the other side of the fence (some even leaning on the fence) ushering us down towards the terminal. The terminal was itself a big shed where the passengers milled around, waiting for their bags. Having only hand luggage I walked straight out and in 5 minutes Paul had picked me up and I was on my way to Laura and Paul's house.

My first impression of Melbourne is that it is cold. There is a cool breeze blowing and my thin jacket wasn't much protection. I would have liked to have brought my big, thick, windproof one that I had in England but unfortunately I only had hand luggage and that was full with my computer, camera, papers and a few clothes. I should have had a bigger bag but by the time I'd packed in on the morning I was to leave, I didn't have enough time. As you can see, I was really prepared. I'll be in Melbourne a couple of days before heading off to Brisbane and then back up the Sunshine Coast to attend a regulation workshop as part of my uni course. Maybe I'll have to do a bit of shopping as well. Get myself another jumper.

Mixed results

2010-07-12T08:58:00.011+10:00

Today the results for semester one of 2010 came out and I had both good and bad results. The good were very good, but the bad were quite perplexing. I really thought that I'd get a better make for the SRP. I'm phoned up the supervisor of the subject to ask where I went wrong. She didn't mark it so she didn't know. Instead it was marked by another teacher. I'm going to have to ask him as I'd really like to know. I'll just have to see what he says.

My results for the first semester 2010.

As for the rest, I can see why I didn't get a good mark for epidemiology as it was a tough subject. I had a great group for my Integrated Environmental Management class so getting a HD was not impossible and I'm totally amazed that I got a HD for GIS. Even now I only know the very basics and still am unsure as to what exactly metadata is. All up the results were okay and I'm quite pleased but I'm just amazed that I didn't do as well as I thought for the SRP, especially as each assignment took twice as long and had twice the amount of work than any of the others did. It's especially bad as I took my final report to the teacher to look over it in order to get the best mark that I could. Obviously that plan backfired.

What a racket!

2010-07-11T22:22:00.000+10:00

I believe that everyone should have a smoke alarm in their house. However, I do believe that they should be easy to turn off and that people should not install them in places that are going to be in the path of steam rising when one opens the bathroom door. That’s what happened to me tonight. I’d just had a shower and came out of the door to the bathroom. I hadn’t wandered two metres down the hall way when I heard this deafening BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I looked up at the ceiling searching for where the alarm was. I couldn’t find it. That’s a tip for when you move into a new house, find out where the alarms are. As the incessant beeping continued I spotted it and reached up to push the ‘hush’ button. Nothing happened. I pushed it again, and again, a little harder. I pushed it again yet still the beeping continued. I must point out here that I am fully blaming the beeping for jumbling my brain, for I continued to push the buttons for about thirty seconds more, fully expecting a different result! In the end I gave up and reached up to remove it. I couldn’t reach. BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEEEEEP! Still it went on. I ran down the stairs and grabbed a chair and raced up again. I climbed up and had a look at the alarm. ‘Slide to remove’ it said. That sounded simple enough. It wasn’t. It took me a full 2 minutes of cursing, threatening and pleading with the smoke alarm to stop, all the time tugging, twisting and tapping. At this time I was prepared to start hitting it with the chair to make it stop but with one last tug I wrenched the thing from its bindings. With in two seconds I’d removed the battery but still the sound continued. It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it was just the ringing in my ears. Now, 10 minutes later it is just subsiding. I might put the battery back before I go to bed. However, if it happens again I’m going to have the hammer ready!

A cold, wet day

2010-07-07T17:39:00.003+10:00

Yesterday was rather cool. Actually to say it was rather cool is a bit of an understatement. It was cold and wet. The town of Alice Springs broke a record yesterday. It registered the coldest day ever recorded with a maximum of 6.4 degrees. I had to keep my jumper on all day, even when inside!

Splendid Central Australia

2010-07-03T10:57:00.015+10:00

Yesterday I went for a wander around Alice Springs. I walked from my place in Hong Street up to the telegraph station taking the eastern route up and the western route back down into town. It was surprisingly quiet. I saw a few tourists at the telegraph station and a couple more on my walk back. However, as I was walking up to the station I saw no one. I remember noticing how quiet it was with only the birds and the wind to be heard. It was quite a pleasant walk. There was slight cool breeze blowing but the sun was warming in the morning air. There were quite a few animals that I found on my walk from kangaroos to grasshoppers. I found a tree with about eight crested pigeons sitting in it. I managed to get a couple of photos before they flew off.

A Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) watching me.

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station.

When I arrived at the telegraph station I was surprised to see that there was quite a bit of water up there, although I could still cross the river without getting my feet wet. From the telegraph station I climbed Trig Hill which is where they placed the first measurement marker when originally surveying the centre.

A Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) that was checking me out.

The trunk of a River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) that was growing beside the Todd River.

A Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) that was sunning itself on a rock.

My white legs sitting on top of Trig Hill.

On my way back from the telegraph station I took the Bradshaw Walk which winds its way through the hills instead of following the river. Along here I was amazed to find a splendid fairy-wren. These are bright blue birds that flit around and are quite hard to get a photo of. I've been wanting to see one of them in the wild for quite a while but until yesterday only ever saw them in wildlife parks.

A male Splendid Fairy-wren (Malurus splendens musgravei).

It was a nice walk and good to get out and about in Alice Springs. Even though the surrounding area appears very dry, the recent rains have brought many animals out and have made the red centre a bit greener.

Firecracker Night

2010-07-01T20:53:00.002+10:00

I'm sitting here listening to fireworks going off all around me. The smoke trails can be seen shooting up into the sky exploding into reds, greens, blues, golds and every other imaginable colour. The fireworks are a way of celebrating Territory Day which is tomorrow. I like fireworks. Didn't buy any this year instead I stood out in the street with the other neighbours who were watching the show.

The fireworks show from my door step.

I was surprised to find that fireworks are quite expensive. Especially for something that you are going to set alight, even if it does provide an impressive show. The cheapest set of fireworks that I found was $20 and contained a few rocket types and a twirly sparkler. At the moment I can still here them going off in the street and they have been going off for the past two hours so it seems that everyone here has plenty of money. It looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight, but for once, I don't really mind.

My first day at work

2010-06-29T17:30:00.002+10:00

I've just finished my first day at work. As soon as 4:21 pm came around I shut down my computer and made my merry way out the door. Well it wasn't exactly like that but it wasn't exactly a tough day. It's scary how I was able to slot back into my old role as soon as I arrived back and even scarier how easy it was. Nothing seems to change. Not in Alice or the way the government runs. When I arrived I turned on my computer and found I had not been given access to the databases that had been requested the week before when they were setting up my computer account. It was for that reason that I didn't really have a stressful day. Instead I just had to try and get my head around the filing system of the person I was replacing and trying to make it suit me. The rest of the day I spent filling in forms. Forms for ID cards, forms for keys, forms for swipe cards, forms for pay, forms for superanuation, forms to fill in forms. I wonder what my second day will hold. If the past is anything to go by, much of the same.

Arriving in Alice Springs

2010-06-28T18:44:00.010+10:00

I'm now back in Alice Springs once again. I arrived about 1:30 this afternoon and was picked up by Julie, one of the EHOs in the office, and taken the the flat that I'll be staying in for the next couple of weeks. It's hard to know if Alice Springs has really changed that much since I left. It seems a lot busier and the housing prices are amazingly high but apart from that I don't really know. I dropped my stuff off at the flat and immediately headed into town to pick up a few essentials (cleaning products as the flat was a mess).

The Hong Street flat where I am staying.

After that I walked back into town and bought myself a pillow. Since I arrived back in Alice Springs I've been thinking that it would be nice to have something like a home comfort to make my stay easier. Also while I'll gladly use the sheets, a pillow is more personal. I'd rather not have my head pressed against someone else's dried dribble as I sleep. I'm glad I did. I used the voucher that Laura and Paul bought for me. At the moment I'm just thinking of my time here will hold however long that will be.

The plane that I arrived on being unloaded at Alice Springs airport.

Walking around town I can see that the social problems around Alice have not improved at all over the previous three years. I saw a lot of broken glass around and a lot of indigenous people just sitting around with nothing to do. One thing that I also remembered which hit me as soon arrived. The smell. It's not so much smell of Alice but more of the smell of some of the residents. It's a mixture of dirt, wood smoke and weeks of built up sweat. It was obvious. As I say, on the surface, it appears that nothing has really changed even with the intervention that started before I left and is still continuing. At the moment I really don't know whether or not it is good to be back. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

I'm leaving, on a jet plane

2010-06-27T20:27:00.003+10:00

Don't know when I'll be back again. Hopefully thought it won't be too far away. I've been thinking and although I quite liked Alice the last time I was out there I would like to try somewhere different. Of course I know what is out there so it's much easier for me to go out there in the first place. I think if I was going to head somewhere different then I probably would have just stayed up the coast. Either way tomorrow at 5 am Mum and Dad will be taking me to the airport for me to catch my flight. I've spent the day packing and wasn't able to pack anywhere near what I wanted to. Lucky I'm coming back in three weeks, I'll be able to pick up everything (or a bit of it) next time. That's another thing. Now I'm getting a nice collection of stuff. Alice is kind of far away for me to take it all out there unless I either drive it out myself or pay someone to take it out there. That being the case. For the next six months it looks like I'll be living out of a suitcase.

Heading to Alice Springs

2010-06-25T21:47:00.004+10:00

The time has come for me once again to leave the east coast and head into the centre of Australia. On Monday I'll be catching the 7 o'clock flight to Cairns and from there to Alice Springs. If all goes to plan I should arrive in Alice around 1:30 in the afternoon. At the moment I'm packing. I don't really know what to pack as I can't really take that much out with me as I'll be flying out there. At the moment I've just filled up a suitcase with clothes. I want to take a lot more but can't seem to find the room to put it all. I'm kind of sorry to be going, I think I'm getting to the stage in my life where I want a bit of stability and not to keep moving around. I'd like to find a place to make my own. Still, that's a long way off. First I have to get a job and earn money. Unfortunately that needs to take precedence over everything else at the moment.

There is NO democracy in Australia!

2010-06-24T19:24:00.011+10:00

Kevin Rudd is no longer Prime Minister after only two and a half years. It was an unexpected turn of events. Kevin Rudd was removed as prime minister by the Labour party. At the moment I'm just watching an interview with Julia Gillard. She says that it was a hard thing to do and how she did it for the country. It just makes me think, what a load of crap. Apparently Kevin Rudd when and spoke to Julia last night where he questioned her loyalty. She seems to have just proved that she doesn't have any loyalty. Her saying that she did it for the country is just false. She saw that she had the support from the people who run the Labour party (and probably also run the government), and took it. She wanted the top job and was able to use the past few months as a good excuse. Kevin Rudd wasn't even given the chance to see if he could win the next election. That is probably the worst thing about it. The people don't get to say who's leading their country, it's the Labour party. We didn't vote for Julia Gillard as PM. The fact that she keeps saying that it was in the national interests to take over in my opinion, makes it sound even more like an excuse. She saw an opportunity and took it, the anti-government adverts of the mining companies may have helped with the bad poles for Kevin Rudd. Does this mean that the mining companies are going to win? It certainly looks like they have benefited. Julia Gillard said that she is opening the doors of the government to the mining industry. Is that literally what she means? They have won? The proposed tax as it stands is no more. So it certainly looks like they aren't sad to see Kevin Rudd go.

Now, I'm not a supporter of either of the major parties but it certainly makes me feel sorry for not only Kevin Rudd, but also Australia. It goes to show that democracy is just a show in Australia. It's the people who run the labour party who really run the country. Now they've just put in another stooge to do their bidding. Now I guess we'll just have to find out what happens in the election later in the year. Not that who we vote will Necessary be the prime minister. It will at least give a chance to send a message. The vote in Australia, I now believe is nothing more. It is now worth a lot less.

Farewells

2010-06-22T22:09:00.005+10:00

This evening was my last proper evening on the Sunshine Coast and so me and a few friends went out to dinner to celebrate/commiserate my departure. We had a few drinks and went to dinner at a restaurant called 'Thai Seasons' in Mooloolaba. The food was good and in my price range (relatively inexpensive).

Me looking very surprised to receive my leaving gifts from Karen.

Darren and his birthday gifts.

Cadence, Hannah and Darren.

Chantal, Karen and Chris.

After that we went for ice Cream and coffee which was a really nice way to round off the evening. It's kind of sad to be going. I was given a card that everyone had signed which was a really nice gesture. Makes me sad to be going.

Final Exam

2010-06-22T15:18:00.002+10:00

I've just finished what I hope will be my final exam at uni. This one was for GIS and I must say that I'm not really confident with how I did. It was one of those exams where we had to write down as much as we could remember. Unfortunately, as soon as I walked in there, as is the usual case, everything automatically left my head. Everything about the shape of the earth, coordinate systems, vector and raster data models, all of it was just gone. So I sat there for an hour and a half trying to remember and writing down what I could. I left with about half an hour to go. If I pass then that will most likely be my last exam of my uni career. I really hope it is and I really hope I pass. Fingers crossed!!!

Final Scientific Report for the SRP

2010-06-18T15:28:00.003+10:00

I've finally finished writing my final report for the SRP subject that I've been doing. It seemed to take me ages. I've been working on it most of the week, sometimes staying as late as 1:30 in the morning. Of course the usual time I've headed home was around 10:30 pm. I've just emailed it off to the supervisors and I'm glad it's over. There wasn't much guidance with the whole subject so in the end we all just seemed to be fuddling through, just hoping that we were on the right track. In the end, I still don't know. Our group did a presentation yesterday which went for nearly an hour about our research into the source water toxicity we were investigating. Once again I was pretty nervous about the whole speech but didn't use my notes as Darren said to do. Instead I just got up there and talked using the power point presentation to guide me. In the end I think it turned out okay. Really I don't know though. We were asked some questions at the end. I was asked why I was surprised that the nitrogen levels didn't change throughout the treatment process. Why was I surprised? I though that it was obvious that I though they were going to change! Why else? Still I said this and then the examiner started talking about how it is total nitrogen and the only way it is going to change is through microbiological digestion where evaporates it off as ammonium. Very interesting but I still couldn't find anything about that on the internet. What I could find wasn't really much help so it was quite time consuming finding out information about the process. In the end, I hope I passed the subject. I don't know but I think I did.

Late night study sessions

2010-06-16T00:28:00.000+10:00

I spent most of this afternoon in the computer labs trying to finish the write up for my SRP subject. I've got to produce a detailed lab report regarding the tests that we performed on the sample. For the past three days I've been researching and working on producing the report. It's now just past midnight and I've been here all afternoon and evening trying to get it finished. Unfortunatly though, it doesn't look like I will get it done as I've been stuck on the results section for most of the evening and even now I still haven't analysed all the results. I've got to concentrate the EC50 and make a dose response curve. It's due friday but I want to give this to one of my supervisors to have a look at and make sure that I am on the right track. I've still got tomorrow to finish off the slides for the talk but I'm much rather have it done this evening. One of my team members and me have been sitting here for a while trying to nut it out. Maybe another hour or two and it will all be sorted.

and a sea cucumber!

2010-06-10T19:42:00.004+10:00

Or at least I believe it is. It is either an inconspicuous sea cucumber (Holothuria difficilis) or a Blackfish (Holothuria atra). I'm never too sure with my black, squigy blobs. Any ideas?

I poked an anemone!

2010-06-10T15:56:00.003+10:00

Why not? Everyone should poke an anemone.

I believe that this one is a Green shore anemone (Aulactinia veratra).

Learning GIS, or not

2010-06-09T12:24:00.006+10:00

After a week of working on my GIS assignment I believe that I am finally getting the hang of the basic applications. The GIS software does not appear to me to be very user friendly. At the moment I am not able to tranform shapes to shapes that are contained within a shapefile which is what I want to do. I'm not sure how people go about cropping maps but using the ArcGIS software it seems to be impossible. I just hope I can learn enough about how to use it to pass. That's my aim now.

A screen shot of my GIS map for the Orange-bellied Parrot.

Searching for GIS data

2010-06-05T13:42:00.002+10:00

At the moment I'm sitting in the computer labs trying to work on my may for my intro to GIS subject that is due on Friday. I'm having real trouble with my project. We have to design a map on something and I chose to do the Orange-bellied Parrot. I was going to show the feeding grounds, breeding grounds, migration routs, treats and human interference. I've been looking for data to use for the past 3 weeks and so far haven't been able to come up with anything useable. This is disappointing as when I chose this topic the tutor told me that I should be able to find everything I needed. That didn't turn out to be so. Now I'm sat here wondering whether I should continue. I want to have this map completed by Monday giving me the rest of this afternoon and tomorrow. Should I choose another topic? What would be good? If I do change I think I'll have to do something based in Buderim as there is some basic data available from the tutorials. I'll just have to work out what kind of project to do it on.

Doomed SRP

2010-06-04T12:00:00.002+10:00

Today Anne basically told me that Peter and her weren’t expecting much from our assignments that we did down at smart water for our SRP. Is that right? A teacher saying that she doesn’t expect a lot from you. I thought that teachers were there to encourage you. When I spoke to her it seemed to me that she didn’t care how we went. I was certainly shocked to hear it as I'm working pretty hard on my assignment and am trying to get it as good as I can.

Decision time

2010-05-31T15:42:00.002+10:00

Deciding whether to head back out to Alice Springs has been a long and confusing process. There are many choices, many sides to the argument and many reasons. It was a really difficult choice. I've enjoyed my time on the coast and although I enjoyed my time in Alice things might have changed in the time I've been away and if I go back it will be to a town that I don't remember. In the end I decided that I'd go back to Alice Springs and work as the office AO2. At least I'm almost guaranteeded a job in six months time then. No I've just got to get everything ready for my departure. When I get out there I'm going to start searching for a place to live. The rental prices are a lot higher than the last time I was out there. Where I was thinking of staying (was $150pw) has now gone up to $245pw. At least I'll be staying in the Hong Street flat when I first get there so I won't have to rush into finding a new place. I just hope that I can find something in my price range. Looks like I'll be sharing for a while longer.

Shocking shadows

2010-05-27T22:33:00.003+10:00

It took 3 years but I’ve finally seen it all in these apartments. I’d just turned out the lights and crawled into bed. I was laying there thinking my thoughts when I heard someone walking on the stones outside my window. I peered out over my covers and saw a shadow standing there, leaning against the window. I put my head down. Sometimes people wander along outside the window. Tonight however was different. A few moments later the first silhouette was joined by a second. I could hear them talking with American or Canadian accents. Then the noises changed. I could hear them kissing and moving around outside on the stones. I lay my head back down on the pillow and closed my eyes. Nothing new. That had happened once before. Soon however the noises changed. I could still here them moving on the stones but now there was a slight banging on the wall. I looked up again. The shadows were still there. I could still hear the stones. I listened a little longer and stared at the shadows. They were moving. The rhythm was unmistakable. The silhouette were having sex. I couldn’t believe it. The noises got louder, the guy was starting to grunt softly while the girl was squeaking. I was just about to say something when the sounds stopped. They started to talk softly. It was over. How romantic I thought. I closed my eyes and tried to get to sleep. I couldn’t help over hearing the girl say, “I hope you didn’t cum on my jeans”. There was a pause. “You did, I can feel it”. With that I head the girl brushing down her jeans trying to remove the spillage. I closed my eyes again. A moment later I heard them walking away talking softly to each other. Geez, Canadians!.

To go or not to go

2010-05-27T15:00:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I met with one of the teachers of a course that I'll be doing next semester. I wanted to find out if I could do it by distance. After the emails that I'd received from the course coordinator I was quite surprised when she told me that she could work something out. Now I've just got to hear back from my other course and I'll be able to make a decision on whether or not to go. It's quite a difficult decision to make. I don't know how I'll do out in Alice. Will I be able to get my studies done out there? Will there be enough time? What will it be like when I return? Do I really want to go back to Alice Springs? I know that it's a good opportunity and will give me some much needed funds. I'm tired of getting to Christmas time and not having any money or not being able to buy new shoes without stressing over the cost. If I was to stay on the coast I'd probably have to get a part time job anyway. I really dont' know what to do. Part of me wants to go but another thinks I should stay and finish my degree. Alice Springs will still be there in six months time.

Presentation nerves

2010-05-26T15:42:00.002+10:00

I was very nervous this morning. Not because of anything that I should really be nervous about but because I was to do a presentation. I arrived at uni around 6:30 and met my group members, Darren and Hannah, on the first floor of ‘C’ block. The subject was Integrated Environmental Management. Our task was to present a talk on an environmental issue. Our group chose to talk about the Gunns pulp mill that is in the process of being built in Tasmania. We covered the background, management strategies, problem analysis, solutions and evaluation. Both Darren and Hannah gave their speeches without any problems. When it was my turn I stood up and started to talk. I must say that I was rather nervous but I trembled my way through. The feedback was quite good and we were given 13 out of 15 for our talk. We had to change a diagram and in the talk and I presented two separate solutions but apart from that it went well. Now we just have to hand in a report and I will have finished that subject.

Smart Water and Microtox

2010-05-22T14:37:00.007+10:00

This past week I have been down the coast at the Smart Water centre. This centre is owned by Griffith University and used for doing water testing on many different subjects. Recently they have been doing a lot of work into estrogens and androgens in the water. Our trip down there started on Wednesday where we took our samples down there to perform microtox testing on them. This basically means using luminessent bacteria on the concentrated samples to determine whether there is anything toxic about the chemicals that we extracted.

Me preparing a plate of luminessent bacteria for the microtox assay.

For the most part the samples went well and we had all of them done by the Friday when we returned back up the coast. Now comes the fun bit. We have to analyse all the data from our samples and construct dose-response curves for all of them. The analisys of the samples will be put in to the final report that we need to write about the samples due in a couple of weeks. It will take quite a few weeks to write so I'm going to have to start soon. Unfortunatly with all the other assignments also due in the next few weeks time is one thing there won't be much of. Still, that's what uni is about.

Jessica Watson – sailing around the world

2010-05-15T19:00:00.001+10:00

Jessica Watson, a 16 year old girl from the Sunshine Coast has just completed an around the world trip becoming the youngest person ever to sail around the world singlehandedly. Today I watched her triumphant arrival back into Sydney harbour. It was quite impressive to watch. It seemed that hundreds of boats turned out to escort her to the dock in front of the Sydney Opera House with thousands more lining the shores of the harbour and at the opera house itself. As the boat pulled in and she stepped off onto dry land for the first time in seven months a cheer rose up from the crowd. Supported by her father and brother she walked along the pink carpet that had been rolled out for her arrival. The PM and Premier of NSW were there to greet her and there was a big ceremony with speeches about her arrival. Everyone was saying she was a heroine for doing the trip. It as funny for her to turn around and say that she’d have to disagree with the PM on that one. She did not consider herself a hero. She said “you've just got to have a dream believe in it and work hard”. Very true, but I think that having a bit of money also helps you achieve your dream. There is no doubt though that it was an impressive feat. Makes me think that I’d like to do something like that. Maybe I should learn to sail.

An offer of my old job

2010-05-12T18:09:00.003+10:00

I've just got off the phone after speaking to my old boss in Alice Springs. Apparently the replacement that replaced my replacement is leaving my old job. My old boss suggested that I might want to take it and work in that position before until they have their next round of recruiting (later this year). This would mean that I'd have to finish my degree by distance. I'm going to look into it. It would be nice to have a bit more money and get on the job experience when finishing off my final six months. Hmmmm, what to do...

Grey water sampling

2010-05-12T18:02:00.006+10:00

The past week has been spent conducting water sampling for my SRP subject at uni and so have been getting up before the sun every day. It seems odd to be getting up while it's still dark but usually there is quite a nice sunrise to make it worth it. The water samples I have been collecting have been from a grey water system in Bli Bli. I have been sampling the influent and effluent tanks which will not only let me know what toxins are present in both the samples but also if the membrane filtration system is working. The particular system hasn't been serviced for about a year so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Me preparing water for the solid phase extraction.

The rest of the day (and I do me the rest of the day) was spent in the lab filtering the samples. The samples have to be filtered through a special filter that collects the toxins in the water. Unfortunatly this can only be done in 6 mL lots and so filtering the samples takes quite a while (on average being about 5 or 6 hours depending on the amount of particulate matter in the samples).

A sigh of relief

2010-05-12T18:00:00.003+10:00

I've just come back down to the uni to quickly finish an assignment that I started yesterday. It is a analysis strategy for my biostatistics class. I was expecting to have an all nighter (until 5 am tomorrow when I'd have to leave to head up the coast to collect some water samples) but instead I came in and found that we have a weeks extension. I'm so glad. This means that I'll be able to finish it on the weekend with a lot less stress.

10 Things to do before I'm 32

2010-05-09T14:11:00.003+10:00

Here is a list of the things that I want to do before another year has passed. While there are a lot to choose from on my bucket list these are the ones that I think I can accomplish given the fact that I am a student and have no money. I'd like to be able to look back at the past year and say, "yes, I have accomplished something this year" as in the past I feel I haven't done enough. They are in no particular order but I want to be able to do all of them before my 32nd birthday:
1. See a platypus in the wild
2. Be able to touch my toes
3. Climb Mt Coolum
4. Stay up all night long and watch the sunrise
5. Make a fire without a lighter or matches
6. Be able to do a handstand
7. Reduce my BMI from 38 to below 27
8. Be able to run 1120 metres in 6 minutes 30 seconds
9. Pass all courses at university
10. Grow a beard (and make it look good)

Not so weakly wandering

2010-05-09T13:26:00.002+10:00

I've just done my walk again and this time and I mustn't be as unfit as I thought. This time I was able to walk the 3.2 km in about 35 minutes with an average speed of 5.43 km/h. I did the walk at about the same time of day and at about the same pace and now I'm here I don't feel as tired as I did before. Must have just been a bad day.

Weakly wandering

2010-05-05T14:28:00.003+10:00

I've just walked to the university from home via Woolies and I've just arrived at the uni. I've got to say that I'm absolutely exhausted. So much that my legs were shaking. I must be even more unfit than I thought. That's what uni does to you, a few weeks of no physical exercise (but lots of mental exercise) leaves so unfit you can't walk to the shops and back. It only took about half an hour and wasn't even hilly. Tomorrow I'm going to have to make the effort again to get out and exercise. By the end of June I want to be fit.

31 Today

2010-04-25T19:34:00.002+10:00

I'm now officially on the wrong side of 30! Still, today has been a nice was to head over to the other side. This morning started with a nice cooked breakfast which was very nice. The breakfast kept me going for most of the day so there was no lunch but we took Dad to the airport. He is flying down today to visit Laura. Mum and I went to see 'the Clash of the Titans' this afternoon. I've heard that it didn't get a really good write up but I enjoyed. It was action all the way and some amazing special effects. After that we finished of the evening by heading over to Red Rooster. It's been a nice relaxing day. After the busy week I've had at uni this week, I needed it. I think I must be getting old.

Flu shot

2010-04-13T17:54:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I had a flu shot. I had one last year and I think it helped. Of course I'm not too sure but as they give them out for free and they are supposed to do you good then I thought It would be beneficial to me if I got one. This year the vaccine contained both the current seasonal influenza virus but also the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Influenza A virus. I was told that I might experience some side effects such as a fever, sore arm or aches but as yet I haven't felt anything. I'm not sure if it will work but I figure I might as well try to protect myself and do my bit for those around me as I wouldn't want to give anyone the flu as well as wouldn't want to get it from anyone.

Wasps in the backyard

2010-04-08T23:15:00.004+10:00

It's the Easter holidays now and last week I went back down to Brisbane to visit my parents and friends. I'd been there a couple of days before I noticed a colony of Brown Paper Wasps (Ropalidia revolutionalis) that were setting up a home on one of the pot plants around the house. I managed to get a couple of photos that didn't come out too badly.

A brown paper wasp (Ropalidia revolutionalis)

These wasps weren't at all aggressive and let me get quite close to take photos. I guess they would attack me if I was to touch the nest but they were happy to just watch me as I snapped away.

The nest itself was about 10 cm long with lots of honeycomb egg chambers running down its length.