Day 338 – Bell High.

  It is kind of stating the obvious but Australia is a big place.  Flying from one side to the other is the equivalent to flying from London to Istanbul.  So when you hit the shores of WA, Perth it maybe another city, yet it is a major city growing into its own style.  On the shores of the Swan river chimes the twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields now housed in Perth’s own bell tower.  The bells date before 14^th century ring royal and true.  They have been recast by royalty through the sands of time.  Once they rang over Trafalgar Square in London celebrating milestones in history Spanish Armada, end of WWII and return of Captain Cook in 1771 after his little discovery; Australia.

Day 187 - Star burst.

 

Today marked the start of the Special Olympics Trans Tasman tournament.  Over 300 athletes competing.  The Opening Ceremony was in full flight this evening with the competitors taking the track in their teams.  A wonderful sight to see.  After one or two speeches. The sky erupted with fireworks.  Let your colours burst guys and girls,  hope you have a fantastic week.  :)

Day 360: Industry.

Behind many a barb wire fence lays the industry of Australia.  Be it sugar, coal, electricity, manufacturers etc we rely on industry to contribute to the running of our country and export overseas.  One industry I particularly lean towards, I’d have to say would be the wine industry, would you believe that all started back in 1860s.  I think the wine makers were drinking a little bit too much of the product they made over that time.  The actual industry didn’t really kick in until 100 years later.  The 1960s started to see Australia etch on maps for good wine makers; and the rest they say is history.

Day 359: Rhapsody of the Seas.

Planes, trains and automobiles are one way to get to Cairns, another mode of transport is going back to the days of the grand old ladies of the seas.  Although in our present world, you won’t have to sleep in a hammock, scrub the wooden deck or worry about being keel hauled if you do something really wrong on board.  Today’s ships are refined with the latest luxuries, from movie cinemas, numerous pools, whirlpools, Casino Royale, themed bars, Adventure Ocean for the kids.  I hope that doesn’t mean they tie them to a rock and fling them off the back – modern day keel hauling (joking).  Would you believe this ship even has a rock climbing wall?  Now wouldn’t that be tricky in the high seas, adding to the challenge of it all.   The Rhapsody is truly a modern day lady of the high seas.

Day 355: Limitless.

 From time to time we all have a fear hidden within us.  We fear things that are unknown to us, and sometimes fear holds us back from achieving our goals.  Maybe sometimes we need to keep in mind a Japanese proverb that says “Fear is only as deep as the mind allows”.  Deep I know for a Friday but face up, how many things have you put off from fear?  I’m totally guilty of not doing things because fear of failure and not succeeding.  But maybe we all need to just give it a go, if it doesn’t work out at least we tried.  We won’t be left wondering 10 years down the track ‘if only’?  So maybe it can all be summed up with this; “Fear not that your life will someday end. Fear only that you do nothing with it.” 

Day 224: Bait or Dinner?

 Way back when I remember collecting Pipi’s for bait along Stockton Beach with my Dad.  At a time you could still drive down on the beach, without permits.   We use to grab the sand pump, just a long metal tube with a handle on top.  Dad use to do all the hard work and I’d go chasing after them in the shallows of the surf, which was a lot of fun.  Wasn’t a great fisherman then and still not today?  I loved tackling the waves, and getting all dirty as kids do.  The Pipi is from the mollusc family and as well as bait, can be eaten, a delicacy in some cultures.  The Common Pipi remains have been found in Aboriginal midden sites dating back 2,000 years.  The Pipi’s have also been known to have a couple of alas; Goolwa Cockle, and Surf Clam.  Just goes to show no matter what you use it for, good things come in small packages.