Nearly the end of another year.... I thought it was time for the GoggyBlog to have a new look...

Don is spreading the word......Parakey

I got a message from my bro Don to check out the mowblog he'd just updated.... he'd not been updating it for a while but there has been a flurry of postings over the last few weeks... winter must have arrived finally in the UK? We'll find out in just over a week when we're back for Christmas.
Here's an interesting article I got from Don - it's a bit of reading if you click on the article but sounds cool, watch out for PARAKEY in the new year! Next he'll be setting up Oracle meetings in SecondLife?? maybe we can talk about that over Christmas....

"The guy who co-invented the Firefox web browser, Blake Ross, is about to unveil a radical new way of managing all your content, wherever it might reside. The project is called Parakey. Essentially, it will overlay your existing OS and allow you to manage your photos, files, web pages by creating a kind of local server on your machine. You can then decide whom you want to give access by allocating different keys for friends, family, public access etc. You can sign up to get information on the project at www.parakey.com and read about it in this article on IEEE Spectrum." - Mowblog8th Dec 2006

Tweed Heads / Coolangatta weekend

We popped up to the Gold Coast for a weekend to visit Ja and Cass and check out their new house in South Tweed. It's a gorgeous place they've bought with get views of the Tweed river.

Tweed Heads is right on the NSW boarder with Queensland.
They showed us around and it's a lovely area, Cheers Ja and Cass!

















Beers down at Coolangatta RSL in the evening....
This is the longest surf break in Australia.

A week in New Zealand's South Island

We travelled around the South Island for a week. The first weekend was spent in Christchurch with some friends who we met playing touch rugby in London (Rick and Sue), they showed us around and took us to a rugby game Canterbury vs. Counties in Christchurch's international stadium. Then on Monday morning (with a car lent from the Harlow family) we headed down through the middle of the south Island to Lake Tekapo (take-a-poo hehehe) for a hike up a hill with great views of the lake and mountains.

Lake Tekapo - from ground and up hill

We continued down for my birthday night in Wanaka (nice small Ski town though low season this time of year).

Queenstown lake view
Tuesday and an hour drive over the Crown ranges to Queenstown (great picturesque town on the lake!) for two nights and a bit of Jet boating, Quad biking and a few beers or 5! avoided the bungy jumps though. Next it was back up the west coast to Fox Glacier where we booked in on the afternoon Heli Hike on the glacier. This was definitely the highlight of our week very impressive and even educational, brought back geography lesson memories from Watford Boys, I’m sure I did a project on glaciers at some point!


View up Fox Glacier from the middle


View down Fox Glacier.

Finally back to Christchurch via Arthur’s pass and home to Sydney. So we did over 1300 km in 5 days, not a real relaxing trip but the countryside is spectacular and hardly any traffic. K and I think it’s a mixture between South Africa, Scotland and the French Alps that makes up the look and terrain of the South Island New Zealand. We’ll have to go back to see the rest of it and visit some of the Ski fields!

Arctic Monkey's made it to Sydney

Karen, myself, Andrew, Chrissie (Andrew's wife) and Steve, went and watched the Arctic Monkeys at the Enmore Theater in NewTown the other night. Great venue for a gig, it's kind of like Brixton Academy in feel but about 1/3 the size, so big enough to feel atmosphere but intimate enough to make it feel like they are playing just to you. Man they are good too!! one of the best concerts I've been too. Though they do look like a school band when they first come out, probably because they are only 18 eh?!

Ski Thredbo 2006

Timbo, AL, Steve, Dan and myself jumped in Tim's X5 and headed down to Thredbo for a long weekend. There wasn't much snow this year (pictures are of the top), but we had a great laugh all the same...... We are skiing in Australia, what do you expect. Karen opted to stay at home and pack up in Cronulla before our move to Paddington next week, City life here we come.

Cold Play X & Y

Cold Play concert at the Sydney Entertainment Center.
Great venue and one of the best concerts we've ever been too! Cold Play rock.
It was a big Monday: Work, Boot Camp, Cold Play the Australia vs Italy - shame they went out great day though.

A Long Weekend in Fiji

OMG...... that was one of the best long weekends ever!
K and I had a trip over to Fiji for the Queens Birthday long weekend. It was a kind of scouting mission to look at the plan of having our wedding over there next autumn (BST).
We had origionally said Oct 2007, but it seems School Holidays for NZ and Aus are in Oct/ late September, so most likely dates we are looking at is mid-Late September 2007........ we'll keep you posted..................
We caught up with Rob Jo and their boys, and even Rob's parents!, for one evening down on the Coral coast, shame they aren't planning on staying in Fiji now as we could have all dossed with them over the wedding time ;) hehehe just kidding.

Winter in ShellHarbour

This is and example of what we love about Australia...... 'Winter in Shellharbour' (where K grew up), beats winter in Aberdeen as a student hands down, I can tell you.

Just popped down for the weekend to say hi..... G watching the surfers.

Kangaroo Valley and Fitzroy Falls

Since Australia has two long weekends back to back K and I decided to use the second one (plus an extra day) to go camping in Kangaroo Valley, Southern Highlands. It's only about 1 hour from where K grew up and is beautiful.

The days were sunny and warm about 25 degrees but the nights dropped to about 2-3 degrees quite a shock for us after such a hot summer here. Luckily we were well prepared, still a scout at heart me. Dan (or Suntan as he likes to be known, one of my mates from work, a Canadian and mean Bike rider) decided to join us for our downhill mountain bike ride on the Sunday. It was a 3 hour early morning drive from Manly for the lad. We got a bus ride up to Fitzroy Falls with the guide and given our bikes and a trail to follow back down. Dan said it was "entry level, but good fun". K said "oh my god I nearly died!" she went over the handle bars twice. I said "wwwooaaahhh and aahhhhh and ffuuuucccckkk and wwwwweeeeeee" trying to keep up with Dan and his tricks!

We had a well earned beer or 2 after that 12km downhill.

On the way back we visited Mossvale - Highland Wines, Robertson's The Big Potatoe and Cheese Factory (Don's House). On Tuesday we had a good Anzac day playing 2-up with our mates in ShellHarbour (if you don't know what 2-up is for Anzac day then Google it!).

Rolling Stones Concert Sydney Telstra Dome

We took K's parents to the see the Stones at the Olympic dome, first time I'd been in there. It's quite an impressive stadium! We were on the first tier opposite the stage as you can see from the picture. They were really good, can't believe 64 year olds can rock so hard..... come on Dad keep up...I'd have a hard time keeping up with Mick heheheA mate of mine from work, Steve, managed to get pre show party entry the night before and said they were partying with Mick until 5am, and yes they are still on the Bolivian marching powder by the way!

Later that night..... The stage lifted up and transported them to the middle of the stadium... how cool is that.

Storm Surge Hits Sydney East Coast

On the way to the station this morning and the waves were massive! Must be the aftermath of the recent cyclones up in Queensland?? You can even see the Westpac rescue helicopter in the background. Turned out some 15 year old had been swept out in the huge swell and couldn't get back in........ then we got the train to work..... boo!

So you can see it better. K has good taste huh?

Op shop party outfit........................

K's hand and the left ring finger!

Tuesday evening....... down the beach........ diamond ring........ sounds like a perfect opportunity. Yes it's real............. ;) and yes she said YES!

Superbikes Phillip Island 2006

The boys trip down to Phillip Island for the World Superbikes 2006 was once again, as last year, a great weekend. If you didn't see it you missed out. Dan and Andrew from my work came down with me and we met up with K's dad Frank and all his bike mates down there....... laugh?? did we...................! Dan good pictures bro!

Clive and Mel visit us in Cronulla

Good to see some more friendly faces from Norton Rose over in Oz. Clive and Mel pop in to Northies on their trip up the East Coast.

Deep sea fishing trip

Our mate Anthony had his boat ready for it's maiden voyage down in Kiama at the end of week one. Excellent, Ben, Matt, Gog, Antony and Shauna's man Jason went out for a fun filled Sunday. To catch food for Sunday night. We ended up eating out but it was a great boys day out..... cheers Anthony!

Boyz in Cronulla

Well it's been a crazy last 3 weeks with Matt, Tash, Christine, Robbie, Keira and Andy all showing up in the hood! Chris and Robbie flew in from Cape Town after Matt and Tash had been over for almost 2 weeks. It was good to see my big Sis and family again and we have had a blast..... so far as they are in NZ and Bris now back next week.
Cheers Brian for popping down from Brisbane on your holiday/ Honeymoon! hope Mel didn't mind to much and nice to meet Avi.

The Hunter Valley Wine Tour

Hot day to go for a wine tour on bikes, but we had fun. Last count was 7 wineries and about $500 in wine between us (the next day when we went back with the wagon). Hunter valley was a good few days and we then went and caught up with Scharpo and Sel with the arrival of their new son Aden in Terrigal. Well done guys! and Cheers

The City trips

Yes we took Matt and Tash to tourist places not just the pubs and the beach! K says touching the opera house gets you a fine! Matt Foskett, 1B, Watford Herts....

The Reunion

It was a crazy three week ride with Matt and Tash over here. Northies pub figured heavily ;)

Beer hat........ nice one

Beer hat, very handy whilst doing barbie :)

Tinted the wagon

Leaving the car out in the sun over here gets bloody hot inside so we got the windows tinted this morning....... looks fully sic huh?!

Hottest start to the New Year

Temperatures of 45.1 degrees were recorded at Sydney Airport 1st Jan 2006 Fiona, K's Irish friend from London, is visiting and we tried to tour around Sydney but it was just too dam "hot in the City". So we went for the hairy dog option!



First beers in 2006 (apart from last night) Harbour side.


Last one for you son! "I'm not barry brunked!"

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006 SYDNEY

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006!

Sniffing the Bridge on the New Years booze cruise