Cameron vs. Wood

... or our first trip back to Hobart!

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and having farewelled our first guests, Jodie and I were heading down to the beach to take some photos of our wonderful view.

"I have an idea", said I. "Why don't I chop some firewood for our next guests?!" Jodie agreed, and I set to work, with Jodie on the camera to mark the momentus occassion [Cameron doing some [more] physical labour].

Chopping some kindling enthusiastically, bordering on unbridled enthusiasm, a piece of wood shattered and sent a large chunk hurtling into my face. As I stumbled back toward the house, blood dripping between my fingers, I managed to gasp to Jodie... "It's bad... take a photo!!!!".

Jodie quickly took control of the situation [without taking the photo], assessed the wound, and sat me down with a towel for pressure. Jodie called our good friend Barry, to see where one goes in a small country town following a medical emergency... to find that the only doctor was conducting his fortnightly weekend clinic, 45 minutes drive up the coast.

We walked over to the the nearby nursing home, to Casualty, and a friendly nurse assesed the damage, and relayed her findings via telephone to said Doctor. The advice was to drive to Hobart for treatment, in order to save my beautiful 28 year old smile [the Doctor seriously asked how old I was to make this determination... "he'll need a good smile"].

Jodie rushed me to Hobart Private Hospital, where I was looked after very well... Here is the time line of the accident.

1300	damaged self while chopping firewood
1310	Jodie finally receives advice that there is a nurse in town to assess the damage
1320	Assessed at Mayfield Nursing Home
1334	Jodie chauffeurs me to Hobart
1504	Heading over the Tasman bridge into Hobart [90 minutes later - no speeding]
1510	Jodie drops me off at Hobart Private [and parks car]
1519	Getting attended to by a nurse [who chastises me for not cleaning the wound]
1524	Jodie is back, and per instructions snaps a photo of me in the ER
1540	Doctor Andrew is here! Administers painful local, stitches me up - "easy fixed"
1600	Leave ER, pay bill [worth every cent]
1615	Shopping! Don't want to waste a trip to the big smoke!
1500	Driving back to Swansea
1645	Arrive back in Swansea, in the dark, safe and sound - stopping only for a few wallabies

I've posted some photos of the event in a web album, here [or by clicking the title of the post]. I've posted them there, mainly because they are a little bloody. Take a look at your own risk.


So, all in all, an eventful day. Jodie and I had been discussing the logistics of getting back to Hobart, and making the trip worth our while. Lots of shopping for toiletries in bulk, appointments and business meetings left, right and centre, with a car full of goodies. As it turns our, one can nip back to Hobart in a flash if it's important enough.

I'd like to see a master card ad go something like this:

Trailer load of wood - $180
Axe - $60
Lost small business productivity due to one partner injured and the other nursing - $
Tank of petrol - $60
Private Emergency visit - $125

Being the first partner in jBErg to get a scar in Schouten House [on work time no less] - priceless!

Our First Guests

Jodie and I hosted our first guests at Schouten House on Friday night! We couldn't have hoped for a nicer couple and we had a lot of fun preparing for their arrival, and breakfast.

The picture is from our dining room, where we served our first continental breakfast! We'll be serving full cooked breakfasts soon, and I'm sure we'll have some shots of the meals, and other rooms of the house in future blog entries.

It was both exciting and surreal, and even the eftpos machine worked OK! Now we are looking towards another milestone of our first multi-night and multi-room bookings for this week. It gets busier the week after that, and we're well and truly into it!

Schouten Beach

A quick picture of the view from Schouten Beach. I had run down to take a photo of the dive bombing birds, but I'm going to need a digital SLR with a telephoto lens to get decent photos of them! I also need to figure out which species they are too.

The view is fantastic, and the sound of the waves on the rocks is very soothing.

Technology

It's time to meet my technology family. Above is me with the setup. Two monitors, keyboard, mouse and 270 degrees of desk.

There are a couple of new purchases for this current setup. The major ones being a UPS [uninteruptable power supply] and a laser printer/fax/copier/scanner.

The UPS is called Albert, and has been sized not for this PC, but possibly the next one. Although I haven't attached all the stuff to it yet, it's only running at 14% load.

I have named my beast - Arnold. I thought it should be an A name, since he is running a Thermaltake Armour case, an AMD processor and an ASUS motherboard.

He lights up when it's dark.

I haven't named my monitors yet... but thanks to Jodie's powers of persuasion and handwriting, they were delivered unharmed!

The printer/fax/copier/scanner is called Happy. Because he is a HP printer. He was very heavy, but by the time he got onto the desk, I was getting used to it! I'm not sure I could have fit it up the steep narrow stairs if I'd followed their lifting advice...

Here is me, lifting the printer.

Here is the printer under lights, ready to be unpacked. The instructions had VIDEO to show me what to do... It was scary, but fun. And it works. We even sent a fax today, after I reapplied the ADSL line filter to the phone line it's attached to.

Here are some more unnamed devices... Two bluetooth headsets, which are invaluable to me... Especially when on hold to telstra. I can keep typing with both hands!

I also have my technology mascots. I received both of these with pre-orders for Doom 3 [yes, it's a computer game, and FPS [first person shooter]]. They are pewter casts of the best original Doom monsters. If you don't know who John Carmack is... then well... click the links! It would take me too long to explain, and I know... most of you either 1) don't know and don't care, or 2) know and probably still don't care. You must admit though, these pictures look cool! I just need the Barron of Hell to complete the set.

Pinky Demon
What's this guy? I call him slow fat plasma shooting guy!
Well that's it for now. I'll be sure to post another photo of the whole office once it's actually operational, and hopefully reasonably tidy. I know some of you asked for views of the bay, the house, etc... but there are more installments to come. I can't wait until we have a shredder!

Introducing... The Boys

On Sunday evening, we finally picked up the boys, Irving Norman [pictured above] and George Henry [pictured below] from their luxury feline resort. They have been pampered and kept in the style to which they've grown accustomed for a long couple of months, while Jodie made the move to Tasmania, and we moved into Schouten House. If you would like to check out where they stayed, head over to the Catnip Cattery website. It is simply the best cattery anywhere near Hobart, and Narelle was magnificent... not just for the boys, but for Jodie, and the flow on effects for having all three of them relaxed and happy was just superb for me!

The boys were very brave on the car ride back up to Swansea, mostly in the dark, and were immediately at home in the brewery. The have a whole room to themselves [well, except for all the boxes!] in the new house, which has a donated arm chair - and should get decked out with their kitty caves, a new scratchy and plenty of toys.

Hopefully tomorrow, George might not be soooo excited to be home, that he even lets us have a little sleep in...

Devils. Tasmanian Devils. On the way home in the dark, we managed not to hit half a dozen possums, one rotund paddymelon, and two devils. I don't know if it was the shaddow from the lights of the car, but they look freaking huge - like dogs. Dogs. Except for moving like monkeys with no neck, and shoulders like brick out*-houses. I'm glad they are carrion eaters, because when they look back at you, it's like they are saying - you're next. Now... this all happened rather quickly, and my eyes were mostly on the road... I'll try and get a photo of one next time.

*Thesaurus again

Sunday BBQ

Jodie and I were very fortunate to take a break from unpacking on Sunday, and head down to Peter and Polly's for a BBQ on Sunday afternoon. I met Peter when I started working for DHHS [Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania], and took a keen interest in his work as it was in the same vein as some of my work in South Australia. I ended up working on the same floor when I moved to my most recent project - and discovered we had more in common than 'interfaces'.

We were treated to a feast, including some delicious lamb skewers, in the presence of the grandchildren of said lamb. Jodie was the only one polite enough not to wave the skewers about in front of them. Peter also proudly showed us a freezer full of Highland Cow [hairy coo] meat, from the beasts pictured on the front of the invitation [which Jodie had gotten very attached to on the way down in the rex]! Above is a picture from the farm, where Clydesdales roam with Hairy Coos, and chickens walk about in various stages of undress [it's getting late, sorry].

The view from the verandah is fantastic, with rolling hills, sheep and vines. I'm definitely getting used to living in Tasmania!

Moving In

A photo of the process of getting some of the furniture to the second floor. The stairs to the second floor are very steep and very narrow, so a bed and lounge suite had to be hoisted over the balcony.

The movers did a great job, with two lots of stuff, over a number of hours. We'd had a particularly hectic pack, since my things were picked up Thursday afternoon [Jodie did all the work, while I was still at work] and moved both Jodie's and my things on Friday. It was a long day.

Our House

The picture above is the back of Schouten House, with Oscar parked out the back. We live in the Brewery which was added to the house in 1850. The most recent owners erected the balcony for the second floor, which has a magnificant view of the bay. Just inside the balcony is the office, which is mostly set up, and now has ADSL [broadband internet] - Woo Hoo!

Today was a very productive day, which saw more great strides occur in the study [the beast of a laser printer was set up] and in the small kitchen, which has cookware unpacked, and room to cook. We went into town, and organised some of our accounts, and had a fantastic lunch... The town has been very receptive, and life here is looking very promising indeed.

Schouten House

Jodie and I finally moved into our new home yesterday! We settled on Schouten House a little bit later than the scheduled 1215, and told the movers they should continue to unpack things from the truck when we heard it had been finalised. They were amused!

Jodie and I have been thinking about owning and running a Guesthouse for some time, but it wasn't until recently that everything came together, and the perfect opportunity presented itself.

Schouten House is an historic property built in 1844 and is a lovely, solid Georgian home. A brewery was added to the rear of the building in 1850, and that's been converted into a 3 bedroom manager's residence. At the moment, there are 6 guest suites in the main house, 2 guest lounges, a guest dining room and commercial kitchen, as well as a few outdoor tables for summer food service.

This is only the tip of the iceberg as far has news and stories to blog, but at the moment, we are chin deep in boxes, and on dialup [so don't get me started on that].

I've got to go! The birds are diving. Yes, birds. And they are diving! Just quickly here's three indications we've had already that this move is the right one!

1. Dive-bombing birds.
2. The sound of the ocean on the rocks.
3. The sunset and sunrise from our balcony.

Jodie and I were very tired yesterday and had a very early night. We were so excited, that we woke up at 0539 to a wonderful sunrise and the veiw of the hazards across great oyster bay. It was breathtaking.

Don't Download This Song

A quick post while on my lunch break, eating delicious left over pasta from Jodie's Monday night creation.

Weird Al Yankovic has a song entitled Don't Download This Song which is worth a listen and a watch since there is an animated video for it on his MySpace page here.

I have a habit of getting upset when people say stupid things about music [some of you know what I'm talking about].

The demonisation of copyright infringing music downloads is one of the things I get upset about. Any exposure to illegally obtained music has only made me buy more music! It's about really inexpensive advertising - and it started long, long ago.

I remember when I got a very special Guns 'n Roses tape [it was a tape, not a burned CD, or download of MP3 - so we are talking a long time ago]. By request it had Don't Damn Me as every third song or so, and had a range of songs from at least four albums. What happened then? When I got a CD player - I went out and bought those four albums.

The same has been happening since CD burning and MP3 [or yes, Ogg] filesharing. I might not be buying CDs like an addict like I used to [when I started to discover bands - their back catalogue set me back some serious cash] - but any music downloading I may or may not do - doesn't hurt the music industry.

I support the likes of Apple, who instead of just bellyaching* about the problem, provide a solution - i.e., make it easier for people to purchase music, and in a format that is useful to people who buy it that way.

* ain't a thesaurus grand?

Starbucks [again]

Jodie and I were at Starbucks again today, and took the opportunity to purchase some HUGE 20oz [591ml] Starbucks mugs - with HOBART plastered on them. I think I shall start a web album with all my favourite coffee mugs in there!

I still haven't heard from you folks in Adelaide about your Starbucks or lack there of...

[Update] Grant [the Oacis one] let me know that Adelaide indeed does have a Starbucks, that recently opened in the mall. Now I know where we might get a second set of Starbucks collector city mugs.

Starbucks

Just a quick post to say that Jodie and I had coffee at Starbucks - in Hobart! today. The only thing I really want to find out is if Adelaide has one yet... and if not - in all your faces! Bwa ha ha ha...

One of the nice things about Starbucks is that they actually tell you the volume of each of their coffee sizes!!! We both had a Venti - 600 mL. Good Stuff. Then sushi for lunch.

Oh yeah... someone from Adelaide - comment and let me know where you guys up to in the Starbucks scheme of things...

Jodrell Bank [again]

Just a quick post to show the calculations for the sceptics of the 'size of the sun, in relation to the spaced out solar system model'.

As you now know - the Sun is located at the Jodrell Bank site.

Earth is located at Tytherington High School, Macclesfield, Cheshire.

I have used http://www.bikely.com to measure the distance from the 'Sun' to 'Earth' in the model. The location for the high school is shown in the google map here. The bikely map is here. The distance is 12.68 km.

The diameter of the Sun is about 1 392 000 km.

The average distance between the Sun and Earth is about 149 598 000 km.

The diameter of the circle made by the tracks on which the Lovell telescope sits is 107.5 meters.

If you use the ratio of the diameter of the Sun to distance from the Sun to the Earth... Then if the diameter of the tracks of the Lovell telescope represents the diameter of the Sun... The distance from the Lovel telescope to the sculpture of the Earth should be 11.55 km.

I think that's pretty close. It's something you could relate to the kiddies. It would help them visualise the solar system...

Orford

Last weekend, Jodie and I had the pleasure of a trip up to Orford, and stayed at Sanda House. Jodie had a gift voucher for the four star Bed and Breakfast from the careconnect.sa [the programme formally known as the 'Oacis Programme'] as part of her farewell present from the project. We'd both like to thank everyone who contributed - we had a fantastic time!

One of the highlights was Scorchers, the local pizza place! They serve a fantastic range platters, and pizzas with fantastic local Tasmanian produce. The seafood pizza was awesome, and the chili jam worked wonders with the chicken [Huon valley] mushroom. We also had Tasmanian organic ice cream for desert!

Breakfast was also great, with freshly baked bread, and homemade conserves and jams from fruit grown in the orchard on the property.

Another of the highlights was a walk along a wonderful beach with Jodie, and finally discovering a small bird that can walk instead of just hopping all over the place. If I only knew what it was, it would be a good candidate to replace the Albatros as my favourite bird.

Saag Gosht, Stout Battered Flathead

A week ago today, Jodie and I made a Saag Gohst [Spinach / Lamb] curry, that was absolutely delicious. The curry is pictured above, but does not do justice to the dish. I even got comments on the wonderful smell when I had it for lunch at work.

I don't have photos of the other wonderful meal we created - a stout batter fish and chips! I managed to forget the memory card wasn't in the camera when we created the meal. We fried flathead, which was very tasty!