OF MT DANDENONG, YARRA VALLEY AND LITTLE BOURKE ST

FRIENDS RICKY + JENNA, LEE + JORENE came to Melbourne last week end from KL. This was their first trip down under. Rick bought a CBD apartment for his kids so that they can live in it when they come for their studies. This is now such a common practice and the parents are able and can afford to offer their kids such accommodation and education.

Back in the old days we did not have such facilities offered to us by our folks. 

But I am grateful we got an education, nonetheless.

First stop on Sunday we took them to Mt Dandenong in 068. Lucky we have 068 so we can accommodate 6 people in one truck. We stopped for some photo opportunities at a garden to admire some beautiful sights especially the brown and red leaves. Then we took them for lunch at Olinda, at the Pie in the Sky, Victoria's #1 and Australia's Top 10.

I think they enjoyed the meat pies - a first for them.

We spent some time in the Yarra Valley after some brief shopping at Olinda; visiting the De Bortolli vineyard. They went for the wine tasting like duck in water and loved it. Dinner was at West Lake Chinatown enjoying Goat stew pot.

MONDAY NIGHT WE TOOK THEM OUT to visit the Italian section of our town - Carlton. Lygon St was quite 凄凉 as some proprietors elect to not open on Mondays. Nonetheless we enjoyed the atmosphere, the cool evening and our pastas and risottos.The De Bortolli wines were pretty good too. They bought pinot noir as per my suggestion and it paid off. I brought a bottle of Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz and it was well received.

All in all a good show and good companionship .....

This time, Devonport

How I landed with the job I needed to do today I had no idea.

I am beginning to feel like I am a Fly In Fly Out materials handling "expert".

Anyway I reached Tullamarine by 7am for my 8.25 to Devonport (Tassie, of course). By 9.25 I was on the ground in Devonport to do the site survey job. Paul from Berry Exchange picked me up from the small airport.

After an hour of surveying his facilities and understanding his needs for handling, packing, storing, freezing berries and a obligatory cup of coffee we bid farewell and he sent me to the local airport again. I tried to get on an earlier flight home. Lucky for me I got on the 1.15pm flight or else I would have to spend the next 5 hours waiting for the following plane.

The service today was operated by Qantaslink and it was my first on a Dash 8 400 series (74-seater Turboprop). I just loved it. From MEL we flew out on runway 27 towards the west and then turned a big left hand arc over Port Philip Bay towards French Island. The pilot then turned South and flew over Bass Straits this morning towards the Big Apple Aisle. Same way on the return sector in the afternoon except we flew North from Devonport, of course, past the northern suburbs and landed on runway 27 again.

It reminded me so much of flying a high wing Cessna.

Approaching Melbourne Airport

Berry Exchange loading docks

Australian Spyder

I saw this Vietnamese guy with his Can Am Spyder at Springvale the other week.

Strange-looking bike but really awesome. This guy imported the bike from Canada; there is no local dealer for bike sales. The Vietnamese guy is a cool dude.

我家另一半

我家另一半 is a pretty good cook. 

For the first time she has cooked a roast chicken for me for today's lunch. 

The only contribution from me for this meal is that I this morning I went to Coles to buy the roasting potatoes for her.I reckon what she has cooked is juicy, succulent and fantastic.

又星期五啦

FRIDAY NIGHT AGAIN .... 另一半和我俩在 KIMCHI FRIENDS Chadstone 吃晚饭。Beef Bulgogi and seafood soup. 简单有好味。

Chong Hock Choong

有朋从远来拜访，五月十七日星期四傍晚在唐人街吃晚饭。

My First Truck

I COLLECTED MY NEW WHEELS ON 2 MAY. IT'S A LANDCRUISER PRADO GXL DIESEL. White, of course. One colleague comments to me, "Al, you have been with CEPL and TMHA for too long". Ha ha.

This is my first truck I ever own, though technically speaking, I don't "own" it; the finance company does! But I am thinking the emphasis is on "truck" and not on ownership; because although it is a motor vehicle, it is more of a truck than a car.

It drives like a truck, it is built like a truck, it does not have very good acceleration unless I have a heavy right foot, it is a truck. Albeit I must also say that it has good on-road manners, and driving in it is like sitting in a big arm chair.

(For a measure of macho-ism,  I would have loved to own a FJ Cruiser but it being a two-door vehicle, is not accepted by top management. Whoever comes up with that decision has rocks in his head.)

When I first took delivery of 068 I was rather overwhelmed by it. It is big, a little difficult to see through the rear window, and I am always checking to make sure I drive within the lines. When reverse parking I hate the dash display of its reverse camera because it is so outdated -  the display is still in B&W! If not for the reverse parking sensors I think I will not be able to reverse park at all.

I liken driving this truck at night traveling on a freeway to trying to land a Piper on a narrow runway without runway lights in strong cross winds. You get the drift. 

However it is my first truck and I am loving it.

Mother's Day

TOMORROW IS MOTHER'S DAY IN AUSTRALIA. Today we have a lunch at my eldest sister's home

Huon Valley

9.40AM ON FRIDAY 10 MAY I TOOK OFF IN A JETSTAR FLIGHT to Hobart, an hour 15 later we touched down in beautiful Hobart. It was a cool day, not chilly, forecast temp was 22 C. I did not have any checked in baggage so I disembarked and made my way to Avis to get my hire car. 10 minutes later I was in my Kia Cerato, making my may to Huon Valley via A3 Tasman Hwy. Lucky I had my GPS on me.....

The drive took me through the city initially. In the city area I saw some familiar places; Salamanca, the apartment we stayed there several years before, Mt Nelson where we went to take in the views of Hobart and surrounds. I followed my GPS and crossed the River Derwent on the bridge heading for the west of Hobart joinig the Southern Outlet A6. This part of the city is just so beautiful and enchanting this time of the year. Everywhere my eyes could see I saw trees with brown and orange leaves interspersed with the evergreen natives. It looked so much like Auckland especially with homes built into the slopes of the rolling hills. Another time, I should make time for you....

The drive took me through woods and mountains. 60km's on I reached my destination. I was here to do a site survey of Huon Valley Mushrooms' equipment. Warwick (he has a Ph. D in Micro Biology) met me on site. Before getting down to brass tacks he said, "Would you like a cup of coffee to start with?". I did like a cuppa.

And he made his in a cup so big like 200mm wide in diameter. " Not very long" he said, when I asked him how long that cup of coffee would last him. 

We went to work and I was glad I got the job done in one hour. It was a long way to come to Hobart to do this job and I certainly did not want to go away not having got all the answers ....

My flight was to depart HBA at 4.50pm so I jumped in my Cerato and headed back the same way I came from in the opposite direction. By 2.30pm I was near the airport which is located in Cambridge. I was thinking, "It's a nice name". I had a bit of time to kill before the flight and I needed to make a pit stop, desperately. So I pulled over and stopped at this cafe for a quick lunch of a meat pie, some juice to hydrate me, and a danish. All good now. I had plenty of time left before dropping the hire car off and checking in for my Qantas flight. So looking forward to going home..... SM's waiting for me.