Geocaching - Hiding our first treasures

We have been geocaching for about six months and really enjoy the challenge of working out the cryptic puzzles and finding ourselves in new and interesting places.  This week, we have started to hide our own geocaches and have released two out there.  We have been working on them for  a couple of weeks, and researched the locations around the caches. It was fun and turned out to be very interesting. 

We have one called Woodvale Railway Hotel and  this cache is hidden across the road from the site of the Woodvale Railway Station Hotel - every town has a Railway Hotel, but this one was special. It was established during the gold rush, and the railway line was extended to Woodvale in 1882. It was originally called the Baden Baden Hotel (based on the German bathing / spa town) and the name was anglicised before World War 1.   In the gay 1920s, the world had seen the end of the war and the local soldiers were home from London and Paris. A Saturday night dance at the school hall was tame indeed, and many men travelled to the Railway Hotel on a Saturday night where nude table top dancing was the fashion. One local scandal involved a police raid and a well-known respectable Bendigo patriarch bolting naked from the Hotel.

Another is hidden near the site of the old  Woodvale Railway Station. The railway line was extended to Woodvale in 1882 and it provided a new opportunity to receive goods from Melbourne in only a few hours, rather than several days. Originally, this area was called Sydney Flat Railway station and was adjacent to the crossing which is a little south of here, opposite the Railway Station Hotel. In 1912, the Railway Station was moved north and is now just near Nuggety Creek. A large mound of dirt, bordered with Sugar Gums marks the site of the old platform. A violent windstorm blew the station down and it was rebuilt, before being closed and removed in 1931.

It's been fun and we have learned so much about the history of the town we have lived in for the past 15 years.

Christmas 2009

We had a quiet Christmas this year.  It was my first Christmas since my mum died and I didn't feel much like celebrating. We had a lot of offers for Christmas lunch, however we decided to stay at home for lunch and have a cold seafood and salad lunch.

It was great. We made phone calls in the morning and caught up with various family members across the country and have a leisurely lunch that needed little preparation.  Helen was happy with her fish smoker, and Jim got a fantastic multi-purpose torch/ radio/light.

For Boxing Day we travelled to Point Lonsdale to catch up with Jim's family. We took the dogs and Rocky (the new puppy) was well behaved and slept most of the way. We had a great day and it was nice to catch up with the latest news.

Here is  a family  photo of us all on Boxing Day, and our dogs - Reggie and Rocky.  Rocky was exhausted by all of the excitement!

Introducing Rocky

We would like you to meet Rocky, our new Puppy.  Rocky is a Sheltie, also known as a Shetland Sheepdog.  They look a bit  like a miniature Collie dog.  He is energetic, and a cuddly bundle of fur and was nearly 8 weeks old when we picked him up. He was born on 6 October 2009, which is our wedding anniversary.  Isn't he cute?

Helen's 40th Birthday

This week I celebrated my 40th birthday at Picnic Point on the Murray River near Mathoura, NSW. It's been a difficult few weeks since my Mum passed away and I have not been looking forward to my birthday. Earlier in the year, I had talked with my Mum about going on a holiday together for my birthday and now that's not going to happen. It's also the sign of a change in my grief and the beginning of the firsts - this is my first birthday without her.

My husband, my Dad and my nieces: Meg and Alice, and my friend Ellen came along to celebrate with me. We stayed at the Caravan Park at Picnic Point and we had a really nice time. The River was lovely and we spent the days fishing and wandering along the River, and the nights sitting around the camp fire at the Caravan Park. We spent one day near the Edwards River and another day near the Murray River. We caught a few fish, but they were too small and we let them go. We had a picnic for lunch each day, and my friend Ellen organised a chocolate mud cake for us all to enjoy by the river - and it was a beautiful spot.

I was really grateful to have all of these special people around to share this day with me and on the last day, just as we were packing up, a kookaburra flew in and sat on the nearby picnic table and laughed his distinctive laugh. And I remembered, no matter where I go, my Mum will always be with me.

Remembering my Mum

My mum, Raelene, passed away in August after a short battle with Cancer. For those of you who have cared for someone with Cancer you will know how it can be an awful disease. My Mum was aged 61 when she died and I remember when I was a young child and I thought 61 was so very old. But today, it seems much too young to die.

I feel her around me, especially when I am in the bush and I hear the Kookaburra's laugh - I remember how she loved those Kookaburras and how she loved the Australian bush. I especially find it comforting to be near the River. I'm not sure why - maybe it is the sun reflecting off the water, or it is the noise or the smell. Or maybe it is all of those things. Being by a river reminds me how much my Mum enjoyed the Murray River and how she liked to spend all of her holidays camping by the river.

It's my birthday next week and I am planning a few days of camping by the river. My Dad is coming along and I'm sure my Mum will be with us, but I am sad that she won't write on the card or give me a hug on my birthday.

My dear Mum passed away

I've been pretty quiet with my blog in recent weeks as my dear Mum passed away in Port Augusta, South Australia on August 17, 2009 after a short battle with Cancer.

It's been a difficult time for all of us and I will blog more when I am feeling brighter.

Helen

Captain Jim

Recently, Jim was elected as the Captain of the Woodvale Fire Brigade. This is a position that he is very excited about and looking forward to all of the challenges that comes with this role.

Doesn't he look handsome in his uniform?

Geocaching - Huh?

We have been geocachers for just a few short weeks, but we are addicted. It is so much fun and a great way to get outside and smell the fresh air. Sometimes, it also involves crawling around on your hands and knees, in the rain, looking under rocks, bridges and trees to find tiny containers hidden with treasure. We are slowly working out the technology and working towards finding a way to be geocachers without printing out reams of paper each time, and if you have any tips or suggestions we would love to hear from you.

When family and friends ask what we have been doing we try to explain geocaching, but I think most of them think we are going crazy. How do you explain it to people? Today, we were searching for a geocache under a bridge near the police station (I know it sounds suspicious, but there really was one hidden there and we eventually found it), when a group of teenagers wandered past and wanted to know what we were doing (interesting because it's normally the adults who are wondering what the teenagers are up to!) anyway, we tried to look like we were taking the dog for a walk, but we spent the rest of the afternoon giggling about the excuses that we could come up with - our favourite is 'tightening the screws on the bridge - they are loose so you better get out of the way'. How do you explain what you are doing if you are surprised by a muggle when searching for the cache? Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Geocaching - an exciting new adventure

Over the weekend Jim and I had our first experience of Geocaching. For all you muggles out there (muggles are what we Geocachers call the non-believers), Geocaching is a treasure hunting game that is played all around the world by adventurers who use a GPS to locate hidden containers (called geocaches) then you go online and share the experience of the search with other Geocachers. It is a fun, outdoor activity that the whole family can enjoy and people of all ages can participate in.

With my friend Ellen, we headed out Saturday to look for the first cache hidden in the Whipstick forest not far from where we live. We had no luck and realised that the GPS that finds the streets was pretty much useless. We had a dodgy old handheld GPS and this was very handy. We had a trip home to get the GPS instruction book, then back out but still no luck and eventually we ran out of daylight. Home for tea and more strategy discussions, then we were out bright and early on Sunday morning. This time, our homework paid off and we found three caches in around an hour. Now we are hooked and searching the website for our next adventure. Have you tried geocaching? What do you do for fun on the weekend?

Helen and Jim

An update on my veggie garden

I went into the Veggie garden tonight to pick some spinach for tea. Remember a previous post, Success in the Veggie Garden?? Well anyway, this post should probably be titled 'Disappointment in the Veggie Garden'. Bloody kangaroos. They have come in overnight and gobbled up all of my spinach. There were 6 glorious clumps, all full, rich and looking very healthy after a little rain yesterday. I know it was the kangaroos because they left their droppings - I had considered posting a photo of evidence, however I thought that might be in bad taste. Grrrr.

Happy Birthday Meghan

Happy Birthday Meghan. Today is Meghan's 9th birthday - Meghan is my niece and unfortunately we can't be with her today for her birthday, but I am sure she will have a fun day and I know she reads this blog. Hey Meggie - please save me a bit of cake!.

This is a photo of Meghan when she was on holiday at my house in December - she was weating a CFA helmet and goggles and looked pretty funny.

And this is Meghan's sister Alice, who is also wearing the CFA goggles and helmet. You look great girls.

Spectacular Fiji

Jim and I have just returned from a long awaited holiday to Fiji. We have always wanted to visit Fiji and Jim's sister Cheryl is teaching there for a while, so it seemed like a good idea to visit Simon and Cheryl and see Fiji.

This was our first look at a Fijian beach, from the Sheraton Hotel at Denarau. Nice huh!

Friends had recommended that we stay at Mana Island, which was absolutely spectacular. We especially loved swimming in the horizon pool - it was awesome to look out across the pool and see the ocean.
The weather was perfect, the water was warm and teeming with colourful fish- in all shapes, sizes and colours, colourful coral and the most amazing blue starfish. We swam out to the edge of the reef and were stunned at the colour and depth of the water as the reef dropped away. We treasure our time at Mana Island and will definately return.

There is something magical about a Fijian sunset ... or maybe that comes from the rum in the cocktails at Happy Hour! We enjoyed Fiji and had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. The Fijian people were so friendly and kind, and beautiful people.

Where is your favourite holiday destination and why did you enjoy it so much?

Helen and Jim

Easter 2009

Easter is one of my favourite times of the year. The weather is usually nice, and it is a long weekend - long enough to get together with family and have some time to relax.

This year we went camping at Boundary Bend. It is a beautiful spot and it was a big camp this year as we celebrated Mum and Dad's 40th Wedding Anniversary. My friend Ellen baked an awesome chocolate mud cake, and brought along raspberry's, which was a delicious finale to our traditional camp oven roast for lunch.

The weather was glorious and it was a wonderful weekend.

Ahhh..

Mechanical Cow

Jim's been busy building a letterbox in the shape of a Cow for his cousin for his 50th birthday. I hope you like it Peter! This is the second cow Jim has made because he also made one for me for Christmas last year. They look great and it was funny to see the cows together. Then, he loaded the cow into the back of the ute and drove it off to live at a dairy near Lockington. This cow has a fantastic way to direct the letter from the front, down to the rear, where they sit on a steel mesh mat and stay dry from the rain. Jim is such a clever boy.

What do you think of it?

Bendigo Says Thanks

A few weeks ago we went along to the 'Bendigo Says Thanks' concert. It was organised by local musician Kate DeAraugo. Kate organised for some fabulous local bands, and excellent visitors to play for free - amazing. Anyway, Kate's performance was excellent, and so was Emily Williams, Paulini and Venette Fields - I have to say the she is a real favourite of mine. Apparently, Angry Anderson was still singing at 10.30 - I was tucked up in bed by then.
The idea of the concert was for people in the community to say 'thanks' to the Emergency Services volunteers and staff who have done such a magnificent job in managing the Bushfire Emergency in Bendigo.

Jim and I went along with the Woodvale Slip-on Unit and we were really humbled by the support and thanks from the community. There was a special area for Volunteers to watch the concert, with great viewing, food and drinks. One really memorable moment for me was when a little boy, aged around 5 or 6, came up to shake Jim's hand (he was wearing the CFA yellow overalls) and he said to Jim, ' thank you Mr Fireman, thanks for saving my house'. It was a really special moment and one that will stay with us for a long time. It was a great day and here are some photos.

Helen

Update on Reggie

Reggie is doing well and we have been surprised at well he managed with three good legs. His broken leg is healing well and we are doing our best to slow him down and try to stop him from jumping and running. It must be feeling better. He has has the inside pin cage removed and that has made it a bit more comfortable for him and us, as we don't have the daily battle of trying to dress and bandage his leg, so he can pull it all off the next day.

He still has the outside cage on to hold the pins in place and we hope that they will all be removed after Easter. He's a happy dog and very keen to chase after the cat or a kangaroo ... anything really.

Eaglehawk Dahlia and Arts Procession

The Eaglehawk Dahlia and Arts festival was on recently and Jim went along with the Woodvale Fire Truck in the procession. This is one of Jim's favourite times - he goes down to the fire station and there is a team of people who polish up the truck and get ready for the procession. It's a fun time and the weather is normally lovley. It was a great day this year and a lot of fun.

Success in the Veggie garden

With all of this hot weather, Jim has been working hard in the Veggie Garden. - we planted some seeds, mulch with pea straw, and water every day. The results have been spectacular and this year the kangaroos haven't been in to munch on our veggies or seedlings. The rhubarb is doing well. This is the re-growth from the dry shrivelled up crown. There is truth in the notion that if you water the dry crown it will grow back!

The chillis look excellent, the silverbeet is happy and there are pumpkins everywhere. There are a couple of different types of pumpkin - a soft skinned, fast growing orange one (probably has a more technical name) , and the butternut pumkins are looking like they are the right shape. It's been a good year in the veggie garden.

Poor Reggie broke his leg

We've had a big week. Last week we lost Rosie and this week Reggie broke his leg. We think he was trying to jump over the fence because he was bored and lonely. He has a clean fracture of his leg, so he spent a few days at the Vet hospital and now has 4 pins and two clamps to hold the bone together. We brought him home today and he is looking very sad and miserable. Amazingly, he wants to hop around on his three legs and the Vet has told us to make sure that he rests. For those of you who know Reggie - that will be hard for him to do.

Anyway, for today at least, he has some nice sleeping pills to keep him snoozing in his bed - here is a photo of him today. He will have the pins and clamps in for 8 weeks, then he should be back to normal and bounding around like he was before. I hope so.

Helen

Remembering Rosie.

This week has been a sad week, because we lost our beloved pet Rosie. Rosie was a Shetland Sheepdog, a miniature Collie and she died this week aged 15. I remember when we first brought her home - she was a ball of fluff with tiny sharp teeth and long, sharp claws. She always hated to have her toe nails cut and I think it was worse for us as we tried to hold her down and she tried to wriggle away.

She was a smart dog, wickedly mischievous and would perform any trick that involved a food reward. As a puppy, Rosie loved the rain and the cold weather and her thick, woolly fur kept her snug and warm. As she got older, the cold winters bothered her as arthritis stiffened her bones - I am relieved that she won't have to endure any more of those bitterly cold winter days.


Over the past year, Rosie wasn't well, with a nasty ear infection that robbed her of her hearing and sometimes her balance. She was sensitive, loyal and friendly and will be sadly missed.

Rainbow Bridge -
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.


When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.


They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Bushfires in Bendigo

Last weekend we experienced the worst bushfires we have ever seen in Bendigo. The bush was tinder dry and there was a huge fire storm that raced across the bush and into the residential fringe of town.

The speed of the fire was amazing and the wind was ferocious, leaving a deadly trail of destruction. Here are a few photos of the weekend. There is a smell in the area, of ash and soot, and devastation - it's an unusual smell and once it gets up your nose it's hard to clear it away.

Jim was a hero and travelled to Redesdale to help protect the town, then came back to help out in Bendigo - what an amazing effort. Helen was helping out with Firefighter welfare and making sure everyone had enough food and drink. Here is a photo of Jim on Sunday - he took the media on a bus tour of the fire damage and one of them took his photo at this burnt out property.

There were ferocious fires all around the state and it was hard to imagine what it would be like to face up to a fire front like this. Would you have the courage to stay and fight?

The heat of the fire is so intense that it melts the metal in the cars and it runs along the ground like water over oil. It's hard to believe the intensity of the heat.

This photo below is of Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and Victorian Premier John Brumby. A picture tells a thousand words and I wonder what John Brumby was saying. You can see the pressure and concern on the PMs face - there is much bad news to come.


Please give generously to the Bushfire appeals and if you meet a CFA firefighter, give him or her a pat on the back and let them know how proud you are of what they do.

Helen

Heat wave - it's a stinker

Urgh - it is soooo hot. When can we move to Antarctica? I love penguins! We are in the midst of a stinker of a heat wave. Bendigo temperature was 42 degrees today - it's too hot to even think, let alone work or sleep. My mum is in Mildura and she had 44degrees today and my sister lives in Port Augusta where it topped 46 degrees. This is ridiculous.

I work inside an airconditioned office, so I shouldn't complain too much. Jim's workplace will be really hot and he does manual work too - he will be tired and grumpy when he gets home. I worry about my pets being outside - I thought about freezing some containers of ice to try to keep their water cool, but it won't last long in this heat. And fortunately, so far, there are no major fires in Victoria.

What are your tips for surviving the summer heatwave? Do you have any suggestions, because I really need them today!

Stay cool

Helen

Clean up day

Jim and I have both been sick with summer colds and we have felt pretty miserable for the past couple of weeks. I don't think that I have been for a ride on my new bike all year - my focus was just to try to keep breathing and walk to the car without coughing. Anyway, it is all behind us now and I hope that we have built up a strong immunity when those autumn and winter colds come along.

It's clean up day today - time to clear away all the unwanted papers, junk and have a bit of a look around to see what needs to find a new home. I love clean up day - it feels nice to tidy things up and make a fresh start for the new year.

Cheers

Helen

Olive Trees

I forgot to mention that we received a gift of 6 olive trees - they are Kalamata olives and quite big, so we just need to find the right spot and plant them in our garden. They are apparently a few years old and we can expect to have a small crop of the lovely black olives next year.

I have no experience in planting or caring for an olive tree - anyone got any tips to share?

Cheers

Helen

Christmas 2008

Well I must have been a good girl because I got all that I wanted for Christmas. Of course there were all the material things - Jim and I bought each other mountain bikes for Christmas. I survived the maiden voyage and I am continuing to improve my balance and confidence.

We travelled to Mildura for Christmas this year and celebrated with my Mum and Dad, my sister Carol and her partner Wayne, and her kids Meghan and Alice. The weather was warm (OK it was hot), but we survived. We had a nice roast lunch ( why do we have a hot roast lunch on such a hot day), and on Boxing Day we explored some of the tourist attractions in Mildura - Woodsies Gem Cave and Kings Billabong, before heading to the river for a swim. It was beautiful. We filled up the car with local fruit - watermelons and oranges and made the long drive back down the Calder Highway.

I'm interested in hearing about your Christmas? Did you get any nice presents? What did you do on Christmas Day? Boxing Day?

Hooroo

Helen