Inch by Inch

July 23rd, 2010

Small z provides Public Housing for Worms. Our thing being ‘Worms’ at the moment. Each day, two or three lucky squirmers get dug up out of the back garden and carried *gently* through the house to the front garden. New ‘homes’ are constructed and the Worms given the keys. There is often an ode or a simple Wormish Song to help settle thier nerves.


Note baggy eyes. Z awoke at 5am with a fever. “Dadda Dadda dig worms…”

The song Small z is tricking up in the above Vid is ‘The Garden Song’ by David Mallet. I teach her these old folky tunes that mean so much to me. Luckily, since she is two and a half, she digs them too :)


Breakfast Ramblings… What’s an Orange Boot?

July 22nd, 2010


Westernport Winter

June 27th, 2010

A wintery morning. Overcast. 20 to 25 knots.

Journey Begins

Noodling South down Cannons Creek. 40mins to the Bay.

Heading down the creeek

Winter Sleep

Cut the motor and up goes the jib. 2NM to go until the Bay.

Warneet Peir

Westernport Bay is wintery and bleak. Wild and kinda lonely.

Winter near French Island

I’m by myself and am a little spooked that there no boats at all out here. A reef in the main and the little Tri scoots along at around 10knots. Wind is around 20knots. A beam reach. We sail the length of French Island to leeward of a sandbar, so the water is flat. Nevertheless I keep both sheets in my hand… just in case.

Winter Wind

Reef

Both sheet ropes in hand

GPS

Past French Island. Bass Strait swell sneaks in.

French Island

Bumpy

East for 10NM to San Remo. A broad reach. Keeping an eye on bullets, but an easy sail/surf for an hour or so. Tricky to get into the dock. Tide is racing against us at 5knots under the Phillip Island bridge. Water pushed up onto the pylons. Sail under then out toward the Strait. Motor back with current and get the pier and cafes to myself. You gotta love winter.

San Remo

Back on the boat early arvo and a quick poke out toward Bass Strait. Rough as guts. Ouch! Turn tail, shake out the reef and crank up the boat, it’s getting late! Sunset at 5pm. A tough 6NM beat across to Rhyll where I anchor for the night.

Rhyll at anchor

Next day, Sunday, it’s 10 to 15knots. Sunny. I planned to eat on board but sneak an awesome breakfast at a cafe in Rhyll. Skim along the northern Phillip Island coast to Cowes. A long run to Stony Point. A poke around the Navy areas and industrial side of the Bay. Finally see my first and only other yacht and also one fishing boat.

Stony Point

I didn't do it

Westerport Industry

Back to Warneet in late afternoon. 50Nm under our keel.

Warneet Peir

Up early and chase the tide to the top of the creek. Snug Surfarosa to the dock and drag myself back to work.

Last morning

Heading Home

Cannons Creek morning.


Pt Leo

May 16th, 2010

Sunny days with light winds were forecast for this weekend so I organised a camping trip. 2 of our mates and their kids came along. A bit brave perhaps as it is getting a tad colder… L and small C had a fun sleep over at our house then we hitched our wagons and noodled the 20 km up the road to the Point.

Nice to sit next to the beach on a chilly night warmed by a fire.

Camping in May

The dog health supplement
next day was simply gorgeous. No wind, blue sky. Da Bone and I took J fishing in a gloomy valley creek with a huge reputation for bream, but after an hour all we had to show for it were very icy hands. So I took small Z and J down to where the creek flows into the sea and we spent 2 hours falling off 'cliffs' and building sandcastles. Exhausting but fun. Small Z is on a creativity jag. She got the whole 'drippy castle' thing down. If you have no idea what a drippy castle is then picture dripping wet sand to make tiny spirers, towers and dragon lairs...

A lunch, a walk, a bit of talk, then home via Flinders and Chips and Chia. A bit bogan a tad hippy.

Pt Leo


Tooting and Rattling

May 12th, 2010

Small Z and I have been going on train expeditions lately.

Stony Point Line

We get on a Two Carriage Diesal Rattler at a our local station – Hastings and travel to the end of the line at Stony Point. 15 mins away. Wait 10 mins (Go see the pelicans on the peir) then return.

Nice for me as we get to laugh and play while fun stuff happens around us. I like that Stony Point Station is a few meters from the water too!

Stony Point

She is obssesed with all things train, so is in train heaven the whole time. I should get her a regulation ’spotters’ raincoat and a notebook…


Mothers Day

May 12th, 2010

Got Surfarosa on the water for Mothers Day.

Surfarosa

Small Z had a hoot. She loves the idea of a party and opening presents. A day for mum was fine by her. Her Nana and Nanas partener came too.

Surfarosa Mothers Day

We left from Warneet peir at around 11am after a surprise motor swap. Getting out onto the bay was such a balm to my soul. Small Z knows all about boats. She knows her port and starboard. Knows what a mast does and a boom. Names the sails. Knows bow and stern and rudder and anchor etc etc. She was in boaty heaven as we sailed out onto Westernport Bay and over to Hastings to anchor and eat cake and drink coffee.

Surfarosa Cake!

Wind was around 15 knots all day. Both sails up and a clean bottom saw us hooting along nicely.
B slept on the net.

Surfarosa Sleep

Surfarosa B

Dropped family off at peir in late arvo. I slept on boat and noodled my way back to boatyard in morning.

Surfarosa Night


Carny folk

April 15th, 2010

Old fashioned fun. A carny ride on the Hills Hoist.


Swinging in the morning sun…

April 1st, 2010


See the Little Puffer Trains all in a row.

April 1st, 2010

We had a family day on a train recently. As you do when you live in a wonky ‘Toddler Land’. Next to a wonky Diesel Train line.

I must admit it was a great day. Starting at Hastings Station, ending up back at Tyabb Antique Packing Shed after a return trip to Stony Point.

Train

Hastings
“Is this the right Station?”

Train oh Train

Train

Train

The train line terminates at Stony Point. All surrounded by water and kooky with its general store, caravan park and pier right next to the station.

However the train only stops there for ten minutes!

If you don’t get back in time it is a 2 hour wait… *gulp*, i’m not sure Stony Point is that captivating.

On the other hand, Tyabb Antique Packing Sheds are a wonderland. No problems drifting through 2 hours there.

Train Cafe
Note: ‘Train Cafe’ at Tyabb


A Crocodile in the Barber Shop.

March 26th, 2010