Media Workshop; Youth Trust Presentation & Moving House

Wow! What a Wednesday! The day started with a Media Workshop at the Norfolk Island Government Tourist Bureau. Glen Buffett had arranged for Anna from UTC to come to the Island and whilst here she gave a number of workshops to various groups, explaining how to utilise the best from social media. This happy little group pictured below encompasses NIGTB staff, Jason our Tourism Officer and the ladies from the Legislative Assembly.

 It was a fascinating workshop which saw us leaving a couple of hours later, all fired up to get into social media. What greeted us driving up the road but a house! With delight we followed it only to find it stuck under some electricity lines on its way to its new paddock.

 The electricity boys were right on site of course, (with one sitting on the roof) so within a very short space of time the power was off; the lines were raised; the house was freed; and they were on the road again

 It doesn't look like much here but if you look at the power lines just above his helmet.......

 ... and then look at the sharp curve in the road ~ you will see that there was a very fine line!

 Then back to the Gas Centre where a cheque for $500 was presented to Chris Gatehouse, President of the Cheryl Tennis Club from the Youth of Norfolk Island Sporting Trust Fund, to assist with the financial costs of sending James Elliott to Fiji for the Tennis Championships. James is doing really well in his tennis, as well as also studying for his Higher School Certificate. Well done James!

 Gae Christian and Messes Gate busy discussing what on earth is going on with handshakes; cameras and cheque! Rieli, es noen a dem tuu's besnes!

 Then on our way out we thought we'd give another running check on what was happening with the house. It was again on its merry way...

... shortly to take up its new places of residence at Cascade.

See Anna! How enthused you have us! Today a blog. Tomorrow a Pinboard! See you around.

A view from above

A rather different view of our home taken by those two naughty little girls wot climbs pine trees!

Cattlegrids and mud

Last Sunday morning after a very stormy night we awoke to the crunch, crunch, munch of six little calves enjoying their very own banquet in the front yard. That set in place the working day. So much for a Sunday of rest! First to find! the bolts that held down the cattlegrid, then lift it out of the concrete. That was actually enough as far as I was concerned, but the day hadn't even begun. Then it was time to set to with shovels and spades and start the real work

 How delightful that Corinna should phone and invite us up to dinner. Oh no thank you, we said very politely, just before Dids said, But tell Tzarn to call up and visit! Which they did.

 There's no use trying to explain how delightful it was to see him. The photos clearly tell that by themselves. The full days work was cut in half and Tzarn's delightful humour joined the team.

 It's difficult to believe just how much mud can wash down into a cattlegrid.

 And here are two of the little darlings, checking out what we're doing. Nope. Obviously we can't eat dirt, but if we maintain a constant inspection, something's got to happen

 Nah. This is boring. They're just enjoying themselves, digging about in dirt. We'll wander off and find something else to do!

 Number one son putting his back into it

 ...and again. Looks quite pretty really. Shame you can't see the perspiration flowing down my face

 Number one son telling us how it's done

...and a final pose as the itty bitty archeologist looks on!

Happenin Things

Last weekend was the first without my little boy so for large globs of Saturday and Sunday I floated around. It resulted in some random shots being taken of things that are happenin on NI.

David and Dean playing the age old game of Boy's n Toy's!
 

But then they smelled the silence of coffee so had to come inside and tell Janet what to do! Huh!

 Paula brought some of her photographs down to the Assembly and held a mini exhibition in my office. She's really seen and done some amazing things and I think that a bigger, wider, better exhibit would be good before she leaves our little rock

 Scenes of fire dancing captured through her camera lens. Pretty amazing!

...and these three at PawPaw's Pump Shed helping me to put oil in my little buggy. Six legged mischief!

Techno Glitches

Well! That was interesting. I could upload photos but couldn't write anything under them. So. The two photos of fish in Emily Bay were taken by Carmen Jenkins, and the next three photos of cupcakes were taken by Sarah Jenkins ~ who also made the cupcakes ~ who also left some in my kitchen! Yum. Absolutely delicious. I can be your taste tester any time Saz.

Cupcakes!

Peace and Tranquility

Daddy's and Dreamin

When Simon took Miss Rylee to Dreamworld, she took it literally and thought you had to dream! So cute!

Steppin off the rock

On Saturday, 30th June David and I flew out to BrisVegas to assist with Duane starting at the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE. He didn't want us to go so he flew out on Tuesday 3rd July!! Nonetheless, by the end of the ten days I believe he had found us useful!

 Saturday night at the Chiffley on Queen Street, and a Sunday morning stroll found an exhibition of latin dancing happening in the Mall.

 Chel's joined us and we spent a wonderful couple of hours cruising the Mall and people watching.

 Always an incredibly enjoyable pastime for me. I love watching humanity.

 A visit to the Queen Street Flea Market where we had tremendous fun. Talk about What's one man's trash is another man's treasure!  I decided that I could probably hold my very own Flea Market with all of my hoardings. But how would I let them go?

 Chel's and Dids' wondering where on earth I'd gotten to

 Photographing suitcases of course. 

 We then found a gorgeous little Chinese eating house. The menu was a huge book, filled with beautiful pictures. I thought it would make a great gift for some of Dids greedy little friends!

 Refuelling before the serious shopping starts.

 Thomas joined us in the evening and we all went to Gilhouley's for dinner.

 He and Chel's had alot to say. Nothing worth listening to of course. He was off to Dubai the next morning, and then on to Ireland.

 Chel's and I visited the Queensland Art Gallery and saw an exhibition of paintings loaned from the Prado, the famous Art Gallery in Madrid, Spain, which I have been privileged to visit on several occasions.

Won't mention the time that I was lectured by the Policia for falling asleep on a park bench outside the Prado! Oh dear. Oh well.

 Then an exhibition by contemporary women of Australia.  This was magnificent. There was a display ~ and these photos certainly don't do it justice ~ of a tree made out of multi coloured pieces of wool, wrapped around this and that. You could walk through the trunk. There were notebooks and letters attached; granny's shawl; a baby's cover. Stunningly amazing. If I miss out on anything living on NI, it's the opportunity to go to Art Galleries and Theatres. 

 This was the first trip that Dids and I had been on together for fourteen years. We'll have to do it more often. Chel's and I can go to the Galleries and he and Duane can escort each other around BrisVegas!

 Me posing beside the river as we come out of the Gallery. Chelsea of course had stopped to talk to an old man sitting on a park bench and his little dog!

 I was delighted to find a Croc's store that was displaying some shoes for Dids. At least a metre long. Much laughter enjoyed ~ by Chel and I anyway

 We had stayed in the apartment of a wonderful friend, but spent the last two nights at Jupiter's Casino. Such fun, and a wonderful room. Here's three out of my four precious ones, standing on the balcony

 ...and this is the view!

 I stood outside on the balcony and just clicked in a 360

 extreme right..

 .. moving left ..

.. and some more ..

.. and continuing, round to the Jupiter's sign on the Casino wall

  Chel's doing the return favour. Ta Baby

 

Dids checking out the view of Surfer's Paradise and comparing it to two islands and Emily Bay. Hi tal Norf'k winet haens daun!

I'm on the balcony, now taking internal photos

I have a fascination of hotel rooms, and quite like this one

which, had we spent more time in it, we could have relaxed in the loung! Unfortunately we were driving round and round like flies in a bottle, getting things to set Duane up and things Chelsea needed. Oh yeah. Did I mention our shopping?

Then caught the monorail from Jupitor's to Surfer's Shopping Centre - where the real fun begain. What shoes?

Dids took the kids to The Hog's Breath Cafe  for dinner and then Chel insisted we walked along the Marina. Dids and I got a quarter of the way and decided it was too darned cold, so I took a photo of Dids with the lights of Surfers and the Marina in the background ~ and got back into the car

Dids and the handy little camry. Huge boot. Which we needed every minute of every day

The Gold Coast Institute of TAFE where Duane will be spending the next year or so, taken from the top of Australia Fair Shopping Centre, which I got to know so well

Leaving the apartment ~ huge thanks to the owner ~ and Dids all rugged up. Pretty darn chilly in BrisVegas in July

Sweet Humma shouted us a coffee, so we had breakfast and took a snap to show her just how much we enjoyed it!

En daas daa. Fantastic to see you Chels. Hopefully, we'll see you again pretty soon.