Happy Birthday, young brother!

Several years ago - well, about 54 - my brother, Grant, was photographed looking pretty cute.
From the looks of this I'd say he was approx. one-year old (I would have been about 11). He was definitely a photogenic baby. That smile really grabs you. (Original monotone photo colourised in October 2011).


(Scanned 35mm slide; Nikon EM )
Fast-forward twenty years to his 21st. birthday (circa 1976 - I can't remember the year but the date is 27th. May) and the cute face has lost some of its cuteness, that's for sure - and it's certainly more hairy! He is also posing looking artistically-serious.


(Olympus 1300 digital)
Now fast-forward another 20+ years - to 2004, to be exact - and that face could be straight out of Hemingway's "The Old Man And The Sea". But notice that the smile hasn't changed in 55 years.

Happy Birthday, young brother. May there be many more.

A weekend in the Southern Highlands

(Click on the images for full-size versions)

Last weekend we meandered our way through some of the most beautiful countryside in New South Wales - the rolling hills and forested escarpment that makes up the Southern Highlands, with their quaint and idyllic towns and villages.
Mittagong, Moss Vale and Bowral are probably the names that come to mind - Bowral in particular because of the Bradman connection. Others include Robertson, Fitzroy Falls and Kangaroo Valley, Berrima and Bundanoon.
This is really a delightful area in which to spend a "lost weekend".

Not too far out of Robertson, on the way to the Jamberoo Valley, is a relatively-new tourist attraction called "Illawarra Fly".
(Rather than my trying to describe it fully, and probably failing to do it justice, just click on the link in the name).
This has been in operation for less than a year, provides a spectacular and unique view of the coastal plain and is worth a visit.
Below are some shots that I took during our adventure.


This view looks north and the southern outskirts of Wollongong may be seen in the distance.

The photo was taken from this..........


Many, many metres above the forest floor and literally walking through the tree-tops.
There was a strong wind blowing above us but on the walk itself it was relatively calm and peaceful - just a (gulp!) gentle swaying!

Not for the faint-hearted is this observation tower - the viewing platform of which is another umpteen metres higher than the walkway and is accessed by a spiral staircase.


I opted out of climbing this thing; I'd be no good on an old four-masted clipper ship and would be clapped in irons pretty quickly for telling the First Mate what to do with his top-gallant!

In addition to the touring we also had much time for eating & drinking, the highlight being the "Tweed & Tartan"-themed dinner on Saturday night.
Several of our gathering decided to become "Jimmies" for the evening.....


(L to R Tony Argyle, Peter Daley, Geoff Nickols, Peter Dalton, Peter Lewis)

The weekend was capped off on the Sunday with a visit to the Bradman Museum at Bowral, followed by luncheon (cricketers always refer to is as "luncheon") in the pavilion, pictured below from the oval.


A delightful weekend spent in an area in which I could live very happily......once I win the lottery!

Airport security gates; what a shambles!

Last Friday I flew from Canberra to Sydney. It's been a while since I've flown but I was familiar with the more stringent requirements of security checks prior to boarding one's aircraft.

The walk-through at Canberra terminal was fine.
I removed my glasses and 'phone, placed them in the little blue tray and walked through the arch without any problem.

The experience that afternoon at Sydney terminal for the return trip was a horror story.
Again, I placed my mobile 'phone and glasses in the tray and walked through the archway.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!

I backed up and grabbed another tray (the first one had disappeared into the "black hole") and placed my watch & wallet in it and also removed my shoes and placed them in the same tray.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!

My two travelling colleagues were watching this from the "we passed okay" side of the barrier and behind me I had a rapidly-growing queue of passengers waiting to go through the same process.

I removed my belt and my small change...which amounted to about four dollars...and placed this lot on top of my jacket (I thought I should take it off too, just in case) in yet another blue tray and then asked one of the guards if he thinks I should strip down to my underwear. No reaction; he just stood there with a dull, bovine look on his face. He certainly found the right job to fit his outgoing personality.

This time I walked through without the alarm sounding and then attempted to find three blue trays which contained all my worldly possessions.
In my haste to get dressed and put away all my bits 'n' pieces, I picked up the tray that contained my belt and jacket, with the coins sitting on top, swung around to place it on an empty bit of bench-top and scattered coins the length and breadth of the entire lobby area.

They were still there when, swearing and cursing (and not under my breath, either), I left this three-ring circus and headed for the boarding gate.

I can only put this fiasco down to the fact that the metal detector in the archway in Sydney was set at a much higher sensitivity level than its cousin in Canberra.

The next time, I'm wearing shorts, T-shirt and thongs and carrying nothing!