Have I become a collector?

(Camera - Sony DSC-F717)

Another 'bike has been added to the stable........a 1982 CM250 Custom. (Click on image for full-size).
I had original thoughts of buying this to strip for spare parts to support the CM400A (they are identical except for engine capacity) but on reflection have decided to refurbish it instead.

Two reasons for this decision :-

• It's in too-good a state to butcher and needs very little in the way of anything to make it usable. After all, it only ran out of registration three month's ago.
• Second is the fact that the cost of registering a motorcycle in the ACT is determined by its engine capacity. Anything over 300 cc costs TWO AND A HALF TIMES more than anything under that capacity. To register the CM400A will cost (next February) $511 yet to register the CM250C will cost a mere $197.

As I am only riding a motorcycle for pleasure and leisure I have no desire to cough up $500+ just to stoke up the coffers of our local government, so I'll do a mild restoration of the smaller-capacity 'bike and then register it.

The plan is to have this done within the next three to four months.....but plans have been known to fall apart before!

I'll update in due course.

Father's Day 2009.

Weather-wise, just a superb early-spring day in Canberra and, with the weather warming up, an opportunity to continue getting to grips with my motorbike.

This was only the second weekend on which I'd had a chance to ride it in good conditions, so I ventured forth into Sunday traffic at about 10:00 AM, heading off into the city to a favourite second-hand book-store.
The experience was exhilarating and I was reluctant to get off the 'bike after returning home, some 25 kilometres later.

This afternoon, when my children & grandchildren came over for a traditional Father's Day b-b-q, my son-in-law took these two photos - the first of me on the 'bike.

He was very kind in not taking a shot when I gently laid the machine down on its side as I ran out of momentum whilst trying to do 360 in the cul-de-sac outside my home!
But I learned a lesson - one cannot turn a motorcycle if it is not proceeding in a forward direction.
I also discovered that I can lift the CM400A back into an upright position if I drop it.......something which I was wondering about.

My son, Drew, asking me how come I dropped the 'bike!

The Day of the Bike!

Well, the Great Day arrived last Saturday (22nd. August), when I received a phone call from the bike-transporting truck driver to say that he was at Yass and heading in to Canberra and how the heck did he get to my place because his GPS was RS and he didn't have a map!

Suffice to say that he found the place and the motorcycle was duly delivered that afternoon.

Here's a shot of it in the garage.
Not very flattering but I had to take an "on arrival" photo:-

(Sony DSC-F717)

I didn't ride it until the following Sunday morning, taking advantage of a relative traffic-free suburbia to get used to the on-road experience.
The funny thing was, I'm breezing along at what I thought was an indicated 50 kph (in the 60 kph limit around town), pushed it up to an indicated 70 kph along the 80 kph-limited arterial roadway, and thought to myself "This seems rather speedy - maybe it's just because I'm not used to sitting on a bike, exposed to the environment".

When I arrived back home and was checking over the bike I just happened to get a very clear indication that there are two scales on the speedo: The inner scale, in a dull red, is in kph. The outer scale, which I was referring to and is in easily-read white characters, is in mph.
So when I was reading what I thought was 50 kph I was actually doing 80 kph and ditto for the 70....I was hitting 110 kph!!!
No wonder I thought it was breezy!

There will be little opportunity for riding this weekend as the forecast is for rain and I prefer to gain experience on dry roads before tackling anything as adventurous as wet weather.

Old-age crisis? On-set of senility? I don't care either way!!

Last weekend I attained a "life target" that had been sitting at the bottom of my mind for years and years, gathering dust and becoming mouldy but never objectionable enough to throw out.

I gained my motor-cycle learner's permit!

I'd always wanted to own and ride a motorbike but had never actually done anything about it.
All it needed to prompt me into action was my son going for his license over a month ago and then buying a lovely learner-legal 1980's Yamaha "Renaissa" cafe-racer bike. A great little machine and not often seen on the "For Sale" sites.
(That's Drew's bike, below).

(Photo Sony DSC-F717)

So I made a booking for the compulsory 9-hour (4.5 hours per day) learner's training session which is run here in the ACT by "Stay Upright" under contract to the Territory's government.
On Saturday 8th. and Sunday 9th. August I joined 10 others at the training site and had a ball......tiring at times, but good fun all round.

The Sutton Road training area is near Queanbeyan and was once the driver training facility for the Australian Federal Police. There is a closed-circuit track and also a skid-pan.
The facility is now used by various organisations for motorbike education, advanced driver training (cars), heavy-vehicle training (trucks, forklifts etc) and to train Commonwealth-car drivers in evasive driving tactics.
This is the motor-cycle training area.......

(Photo from Nokia phone)

I was the eldest.....by the length of the home straight! Most of the others were half my age.
Three females, eight males. Two male trainers (Andy and John). Nine Honda CB250's and two Yamaha Scorpio's. Helmets and gloves were provided for the course.
Here's me and my Honda. No, I'm not wearing an astronaut's skull-cap under the helmet....it's a compulsory hair-net!

(Photo from Nokia phone)

At the end of the weekend only one person had failed to pass all modules so ten of us were handed our certificates and on the Monday I got myself off to the motor registry, handed over my certificate and was awarded with a rider's endorsement (restricted) on my driver's license.
It was a great feeling.

This past week has been a matter of (a) buying protective equipment and (b) selecting and buying a suitable motorbike, both of which have been accomplished.
The equipment acquired so far consists of the most important (and expensive) item - the helmet, and suitable gloves.
Next on the PPE front will be boots and jacket.

The bike was a harder choice.
I would have loved to have bought something along the lines of the type bought by my son but my 63-year old back and joints might just have a bit of a gripe about being in a bent-forward position most of the time!
So I then leaned (pun intended) towards the cruiser style, finally settling on the Yamaha Virago 250cc (learner-legal) and as late as this afternoon it was just a matter of selecting which one to make an offer for.

But then I saw this.........

(from Ebay)

A 1980 Honda CM400A, with 2-speed semi-automatic gearbox.
"So what?", you say. "A frumpy automatic...why not buy a scooter?!"

Well, this old bloke chose this bike (which I've bought from another "old bloke" in Melbourne) for a couple of good reasons....well, to me they were good reasons:-

• Late 1970's/early 1980's....yet with both electric & kick-start, disk brakes and alloy wheels.
• Its rarity in Australia. They were never sold here, yet share most mechanical bits with the CB400 series, which were available in Down Under.
  
• Semi-automatic gear-changing makes for one less thing (clutch operation) for me to concentrate on when learning out there in the big world.
• The larger engine (400 cc) is learner-legal yet capable of maintaining posted highway cruising speeds.
  
• The included "stuff" with the sale....a top-box for the back, a screen already fitted, spare starter, spare light and some additional bits 'n' pieces, including manual.
  
• Price. At $2,000 it was less than half what I was looking at for a Virago. If nothing else, I'm not going to be a whole heap of money down the tubes if I don't like the bike or bike-riding.
  

Now, if you would like to see how a pristine example presents, have a look at this on YouTube.

I should have mine arrive later this coming week, all being well. Can't wait!

A new tartan is born.

Now the 10,039th. design registered with the Scottish Government's Register of Tartans, I am proud to present the new "Kennewell" tartan.

I have been asked the inevitable questions "How?" and "Why?", although usually in the reverse order, so the following may provide some answers if you are curious.........

In June of 2004 my father died and following the funeral the three (of four) siblings who attended agreed that if we didn't commit to having a regular get-together then the next funeral we attended would be for one of us.
We aren't kids any more: I'm 64 this year, my younger sister is in her late 50's and my young brother is in his mid-50's.

Following our first reunion, in July 2005, I was contemplating the fact that there was really no family legacy to pass on to our children, grandchildren, ad infinitum. I thought it would nice to leave something behind that would have a permanent link to "Kennewell". Nothing came to mind at the time but the seed had been sown and sat in the back of my mind, germinating away in my sub-conscious.

Back in my boarding-school days I was provided with a travelling rug (part of the mandatory "kit" that we had to have). My parents - most likely Mum - chose a pure-wool Onkaparinga item, blue on one side and a predominantly-red tartan on the other.
I used this rug between 1956 and 1963, taking it with me when travelling on the North Coast Mail train between Sydney and home on the north coast.
After I finished school at the end of 1963 the rug simply became part of the accoutrements at home. In fact, my mother used it as a cover on the dining table for games of cards - the blue side provided a lovely baize surface.

When we (young sister, brother and I) cleared the old family home in 2003 after our father went into nursing care, I brought the old rug back to Canberra with me and put it away in a wardrobe, where it sat for a couple of years.

After our initial reunion in 2005 I decided to have the rug dry-cleaned, probably the first time that had happened in its lifetime!
Apart from a couple of permanent stains and a couple of cigarette burns (my mother and her card-playing cronies, no doubt), the rug came up beautifully, the colours bright and clean.
It was then that I became curious as to the design of the tartan and with the auspices of Google and a small book I had on Scottish "stuff", I was able to determine that it was the Princess Elizabeth tartan.

It was when I visited one of the web-sites I learned that it was NOT necessary to be of Scottish descent in order to have a tartan. In fact, I was amazed to discover that businesses, towns, and families without any connection to Scotland had tartans.
It was then that I thought what a wonderful legacy to leave the descendants of the Kennewell family - or families, if other Kennewell's so desired.

I was able to use an online utility to design the tartan and, after several patterns were done, I sent images to my siblings and the final design was chosen.
However, it took another six months to get around to having it woven, and this was accomplished in 2007 when a local weaver, using wool yarn, wove a sample about three metres x one metre in size.

Another year was to elapse before I finally got around to registering the design in Scotland, but in hindsight, that delay was probably a good thing because in the meantime the Scottish Government had taken on the role of managing the tartan registry - a function that had previously been done by two separate private bodies, leading to some confusion.

So in June of 2009 I was able to submit the design to the Registrar and have it approved and included in the list - at No. 10,0039.
In due course a sample will be posted off to them for their archives. (Actually accomplished in 2011).

This is the culmination of a project about which I became quite passionate and it gladdens my heart to know that, with the agreement of my sisters and brother, there is a permanent legacy for our children and their children, ad infinitum.
And it also means that my mother, who had a Scottish ancestor (Kyle), has her Scottish ancestry perpetuated in a tartan.
That gives me a nice feeling.

Eden - aptly named.

(Olympus 300 Digital)
Down on the far south coast of New South Wales, just above the border with Victoria, sits the little fishing town of Eden.
This is a beautiful spot to spend a weekend and we did this in 2003, when the Canberra MG car club arranged a weekend tour.

Eden has a strong history associated with whaling, the operation ending many decades ago.
Now the only whaling activity is centred on whale-watching, rather than whale-catching.
The fishing industry remains very strong, however.

(Olympus 300 Digital)
Eden is also the most southerly port in NSW and is the haven to which any retirements from the annual Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race head if they drop out before crossing the Bass Straight.

A delightful spot and it is easy to see why the location was named "Eden" - it is a little bit of paradise.

Winter is definitely here!

(Sony DSC-F717)

Last week I and my boss did the monthly run from Canberra up through the Snowy Mountains, calling into the Snowy-Hydro locations which are serviced by the company for whom I work.
The trip took in the power stations at Talbingo, (T3), Cabramurra (T1 and T2) and Khancoban (M1 and M2) plus the various Group Control HQ's, depots and accommodation at Cabramurra.

We took a 2-wheel drive Hyundai van, loaded with equipment and supplies that needed to be dropped off at the various locations and we weren't far out of Cabramurra when we ran into snow (see photo above).

Our original overnight stop was to be Cabramurra but it was pretty clear that we had a very good chance of being iced-in and would not be able to negotiate the road to Khancoban until well into the following day.
Whilst we were having lunch the snow really started to come down and a decision was made to do the T2 inspection as quickly as possible and then head to Khancoban, which is below the snow-line.

(Nokia mobile phone used for both images)

Cabramurra, and our van is in the centre background.

The "village square" (90 degrees to the left of the first photo) which looks very European. Footprints have already been covered.

(Nokia mobile phone. L-to-R Bob McGregor and Liz Schaeffer from Snowy-Hydro and Len Petch, my boss)

This is the entrance to the Tumut 2 (T2) power station, which is another kilometre in under the mountain. It seems like a long drive but at least the tunnel is lit.
This station - and Tumut 1 (T1) - are the only two underground power stations in Australia.

Although only about 20 minutes from Cabramurra, this location was below the snowline that day.

The trip continued the following day (Wednesday) with visits to Murray 1 and Murray 2 (M1 & M2) power stations near Khancoban, followed by the return trip to Canberra via Tumbarumba, Tumut and Gundagai.

Certainly a very refreshing couple of days and a change from the regular nine-to-five routine!

An old hobby resurfaces.

(Nikon EM, scanned from 35MM slide)

Once upon a time......
Well, back in the late 1970's and into the early-to-mid 1980's, I used to paint military figurines.
It started off as a hobby for my own interest but I ended up doing commissions.

When I moved to Canberra in 1984, with the HUGE change of lifestyle and work I gave it away, not resurrecting the interest until 2005.
Then it lapsed for another few years until recently, when the interest resurfaced and I dusted off the paints and brushes, taking up where I left off almost 4 years ago.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

(Sony DSC-F717 digital)
We don't get too many of these larrikins hanging around our place. Plenty of their cousins, the pink & grey galah and a variety of parrots. These fellows often fly over but rarely stop to eat.
Photographed recently, snacking on a hand-out of sunflower seeds in our front yard.
(The dish is fixed to the stump of what was once a beautiful weeping cherry tree. Then the rains stopped).
I tried to get them to raise the crest by making a bit of a disturbance, but they were too accustomed to urban living to be alarmed by some bloke making silly noises!


A lovely bird. Just a pity that they screech so loudly - usually at dawn!

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.