Sneaking about

We had a couple of problems getting down the coast, first I forgot the key for the boat, which was hanging on the back of the key door, and then I had a trailer tyre shred...and Daile was in front of me... It took an hour for her to turn round, get back home, and back to me with the spare trailer wheel, that i'd unfortunately decided to leave behind in the name of being uncluttered. However, when we got to Pelican beach, it was a laugh with our floating sneaker thing...













Josh and Emma both had some pretty good wipe outs, and Matilda also had a couple...at her own request...and with either Josh or Emma with her. Daile had a laugh too, but I thought better of dumping her in the drink! Ha ha...I'm not ALWAYS a mug! We stayed over at Carlene and Ian's and had another fantastic meal. Carlene is a fantastic cook.



This morning, we went for a breakfast out.. Nice place on the waterfront at Surfers Paradise, and then went for a walk down the beach. It wasn't so nice weather wise today, so we didn't actually go in.







All in all, a pretty good weekend. Now its back to the 3.30am starts...so i'm off.

Its the WEEEEEEEKend...!

Josh had a bit of a wobble about the purpose of working at the end of his first day, and I thought for a moment that we were going to have refusal for the second. However, he got it all together, and was on his feet again at 3.45AM again the next day. At some point on our quiet drive in, whilst he was contemplating the purpose of what we were doing, he realised that, boring though it is, the work he's got is better than most of the other options he has currently, and he's now resolved to stick it....at least until next Wednesday...when we're all off down the coast for a long weekend camping, boating and farting about. It's a pretty reasonable rate of pay it would seem, and there 's the added benefit of being taken and picked up by your positive and willing old man.

Daile and I decided that we'd like to take Emma and Josh out to dinner last night, so Bernadette and Wayne got the short straw, staying in to look after the ankle biters. We went to that belly dance place again, and it was pretty good.





This time the dancer was a black girl, and I think she may even have been British! When she came to get a recruit, I giggled whilst pointing enthusiastically at Josh...since he'd already expressed a propensity to making a twat of himself... but she wanted ME to dance! The result was, needless to say, spectacular!





I got so hot, that I even had to take my hoodie off! Here's Josh telling me how stupid I looked...or it might have been the conversation about the day that Molly changed her socks... I can't remember.



There's a great atmosphere at the restaurant, but outside, its like a party. The area that its in is called the South Bank, and its full of party spirit. We took a stroll afterwards along the winding plant bedecked paths to the man made beach that's there. We had a paddle and watched enthusiastic youths playing about with a ball further in.



On the other side of the beach and pool, is the river, and Emma and I got into trying to take blurry pictures of movement.



We farted about there for about an hour or so....before heading home for a good sleep.



Today, we're going to take the boat, and its new bimini, to Pelican Beach on the Gold Coast. I've officially got my boat licence now having been down to pay the fee in Ipswich yesterday after work, and we're all good.





Whilst there....and 'completely by accident', I found this, in a boat shop...



Snicker snicker!

Touchdown!

Well, some of you may know that I'd hoped that Josh would get a job fairly quickly when he got here, and today we went to see an associate of mine that runs a labour agency. I had arranged this originally for Monday, but Josh found other things to do. I was concerned that, since he's only here for a month, he might run out of time if he didn't get in quick. We didn't know if he'd have any problems getting work once registered or not. Anyway, they're starting him tomorrow! ....at 5am!!!!!! Ha ha! Talk about baptism of fire! He's working at a company that does refrigeration...of what i'm not sure.

But here's the REALLY funny bit.... I've got to take him! Ooops!

He's working at a factory that's right next to where I work. It would be pretty churlish for me to sleep in till 7. Actually, since its 45 mins drive away, I don't think he could get there without a car anyway.

Am I a schmuck? Naaa. He's kid in'e. So up we get...at 3.45am.

Here he is reading Harry Potter to the girls...



:-)

Boat is fast!

I'd not been long at the boat cleaning this morning when Bernadette came out and told me that she thought that the boat might have been painted with lead based paint as they were back in those days...and that I should be careful. A few minutes after that, Daile came out and told me that she'd been on the web, and it sounded like Bernadette was right...and that worse than that, the dust that I was leaving on the floor could be very dangerous to the kids. So I got out the pressure washer instead, and washed off most of the paint! It's still a bit patchy, but its a lot better.

....and then....

we took it out for a spin!

...and it was FANTASTIC!



I was amazed at how quick it was, given that the motor is a fifth of the size of the boat yesterday.
Admitedly, the boat yesterday was (I think) a 6 metre boat, and ours is 4. 3m , but even so. Finger in the air, i'd say we were doing something like 22 knots (25mph).









Yeeeeeehaaaaaa! :-)

Joshie's here!

Well, the big day finally came, and Josh arrived from Sydney with his friend Emma last night. Matilda and Phoebe came with us to meet them. Matilda had been almost uncontainable for several days, and for her, it was like having another birthday! There was considerable talk too, of why Molly wasn't coming...and when she is.
Josh showed us some of the places that he's been to so far, and some of the New Zealand scenery is frankly, stunning! It is indeed a land of contrasts and geographical diversity.
Emma showed us where she'd been living and working, and some of the bizarre features of that landscape. She seems like a really nice lass.
We don't quite know what they're going to be doing, although I don't think Emma is planning to work here, as she's not got the visa that you need. They're only going to be here in Oz for a month, and then its on to Thailand, and beaches like you can only dream of.



As part of the highly efficient Queensland system of taxes, you have to do a 'Recreational boating' skipper licence course ($150) before you can take any boat with more than a 6hp motor out on the water. If you don't comply with any of the rules for what you should take, they can fine you. For example, if you have life jackets for everyone, but they are not the right type, then they will fine you $150 per jacket. It is sensible to have a radio, but if you go for the marine type, that is properly monitored on VHF, you have to do another course....and pay another $160
Anyway, it was a very interesting course actually, and I feel ready now to brave the inland and coastal waterways.





This morning I went out early because I couldn't sleep, to see if I could take a nice pic of the local circus that pitched up here last week. Yesterday on the way to work, there was a fantastic sunrise that I caught the tail end of behind the big top. Today I went there in good time to catch it, but it didn't happen. Here's one of the ones that I did get. Its early and its dark...



Today, this morning at least, I'm going to do some cleaning up of my boat. I've bought some metal buffing mops and some aluminium polish. Lets see what happens.... (Pics later)