Ramblings from the road
I took up oil painting in June 1986; Australian landscapes mainly and some still life when I needed a change of subject. I studied for about two years under an old artist name John Spink who specialised in bush scenes, old huts and billabongs.
Continue reading “The Artist”
Broke camp to drive west to the coast. A 500km day and virtually dirt roads all the way. The roads aren’t too bad, just a couple of soft spots, a hang over from the recent rains.
Continue reading “Ningaloo”
“He’s got a lot to answer for, this bloke.”
“What do you mean; He’s got a lot to answer for, this bloke. What the hell are you talking about now!”
That was the start of another argument about music that Marg and I frequently have. Let me start from the begining:
Continue reading “Music Review”
10th May 2002: Gladstone – Carnarvon
We make our way to Carnarvon where we decide to spend a few days catching up on maintenance of the camper, shopping, washing, etc. We also book a flight for Julie’s dad from Melbourne to Broome in mid-June so he can join us for around 11 weeks while we explore the Kimberley region.
So it came to pass that the old man and I entered the Middle Rhine gorge and found ourselves at the ancient town of Koblenz on the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. My intentions are rubbery; unlike Switzerland I haven’t been here before, nor is there a set itinerary such as the recently completed wonderful Bavarian tramp. The basic idea is to explore the sixty-odd kilometre gorge by boat, train or both.
Our lodging is modern and well appointed, with a view of the impressive edifice, Herz-Jesu Kirche (it’s an old, big Church). The pension is situated near the old town and not far from the two aforementioned rivers; we feel upbeat about our next few days and what they will add to our already impressive cache of sightseeing features and historical learning.
Continue reading “The rock, the Rhine and the climb”
My introduction to rock and roll music came when I heard “Rock Around the Clock”, sung by the late Bill Haley. The song was from the movie “The Blackboard Jungle” and was virtually the predecssor to all other rock songs that followed in that era.
Continue reading “My Music Journey”
We make our way north in the rain to Shark Bay camping at the Monkey Mia Resort (sardine city); we are packed in on a lawn with plenty of other campers. Having said it is packed like a tourist city, the surrounds are excellent.
Continue reading “Shark Bay”
We migrated to Australia from Holland when I was 12 years old and my first look at Melbourne was from the deck of the migrant ship ‘Sibajak’, just before we docked at Port Melbourne. The skyline of the city was nowhere near as imposing as it is today and at first sight I couldn’t say that I was over-impressed.
Continue reading “Bonegilla”February 2000
I imagine that every racehorse owner dreams of owning a Melbourne Cup winner, or a Cox Plate, a Golden Slipper, or to stand in the winners circle after winning the Caulfield Cup.
Continue reading “Ole Black Magic”