New Beginnings......

I have just began work on a new site out at Jervis Bay. It is part of a navel base and a completely new experience for me as the base is totally different to any work environment that I have previously known.

Upon entry one drives down a winding road which passes through a golf course. The golf course is interwoven throughout beautiful gardens and many beautiful Australian antive trees. Dotted around are a few historic houses that the personnel live in as well as the college and adminstration areas which date back to 1911. However, all have been retained to blend in with the natural environment and are ever so serene to walk amongst. There is not just a beauty about Creswell but also a peace and tranquility about it. Initially when J first asked me to work here I imagined a gloomy atmosphere which reflected navel ideals and the military's way of life, instead there is a distinct calmness to be found. For example, one can think clearer there, the sounds of birds and the ocean come from all directions as Creswell is located out on a penninsula. There is a stillness about the grounds that is interupted occassionally by a wallaby or kangaroo making his/her way into the Boodewree National Park which surrounds the base. The gently sloping hills and lawns give such a feeling of harmony that one tends to forget the stresses of everyday life. It has taken a week for me to appreciate just why I feel so relaxed here indeed, I have spent a week away from most of my habits. there is no television here, no shops, no advertisements anywhere. It takes a while to slow down and then one realizes that your brain is at rest, free from the commands of noise, the consuming frenzy of stores, the business of time constraints and obligations to meet. Yes, over many decades Creswell has grown to embrace a quietude that the rest of the world can only envy. Few cars are driven here and those that are used on the roads travel throughout the grounds at no more that 25kms. My developed urges to hurry, hurry, hurry have become not so rushed or panicked to hurry onto the next task. It has been almost a soulful experience.

What was that word???? Ahhhhhhhhh yes...."just beathe".

Last weekend J and I decided to take some time for ourselves and have the weekend away exploring a lovely little town which we saw on "Getaway". The town was called Bermagui and is located at the start of the Sapphire Coast. We set out on the three hour drive and enjoyed lunch at Ulladulla along the way.

The entry into that section of the south coast is absolutely beautiful with the coastline as blue as it's name "sapphire". There are many penninsulas and small townships along thr way however, we loved Bermagui, it was everything that was talked about on Getaway.

The smalltown was built around a harbour back in the mid 1800s. It is obvious that fishing is a very important way of life for many of the permanent residents there as it is mid winter here and there were many people out still casting their fishing lines late into the evening. J and I had read that the continental shelf is only a mere 20 kms away hence, the deep sea fisherman fish for marlin there. I stopped to shoot some photos of a very beautiful sunset and was captivated by the beauty of the harbour with small fishing boats dotted around.

J and I visited the Bermagui Country Club for dinner and sampled some of the local catch which was delicious and then headed back to get settled for the evening.

Early on Sunday morning I awoke to some noisy honey eatters overhead. I think they were fighting about some leftover cones on a Banksia Tree. J made a quick coffee for us and we headed off to find the famous Bermagui Blue Pools at the bottom of the cliffs.

This is a most beautiful sea pool which was built back in 1936 by a local philanthropist Bill Dickenson. The pool follows the natural form of the rock and blends in to the cliff area beautifully.

As I stood taking some photos J and I marvelled at the ocean which was only a few meters away. The surf's swell crashed into the side of the pool and at times was twice as tall as us. In all it was a very exilerating experience.

From the blue pool one can see further along the coastline to some magical beach views filled with enormous waves roaring in on the white sands. We stood enthralled at the scene and all I could think of was a song I had heard recently called "If This Is It".... no one move, no one speak, please don't say it's only me....it's just not me. And even though I won't forget I just don't want this to end just yet, not just yet......and one look on J's face said that he wanted to stay a lot longer too.

Farewell Merinko

This evening we farewelled a workmate named Merinko. Merinko migrated from Crotia a number of years ago leaving his war torn homeland to begin again in a new country. He worked hard to build a home and eventually met a woman here whom he had hoped to marry. Unfortunately this did not work out and loneliness and isolation soon set in. J and I met him onsite. He was a strategic concretor and very good at what he did. We often stopped to ask him how his day was going or what he had done during his weekend. I commented to J many times that Merinko must have been a very lonely man.
Tonight we all gathered at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church Vincentia to remember him and say a final farewell. I remarked to J and other collieges afterwards that one can never show too much kindness to another human being as we never know what life (or death) holds for us around the corner.
The world is a lesser place for having lost you from it Merinko
Rest in peace

If I could catch the sound of waves I would do it just for you And share with you a flower’s beauty on the days you're feeling blue.

It is a glorious day here down in Jervis Bay and so full of beauty that it makes one want to take your camera out and go for a walk until the rest of the household gets out of bed lol. Billy Joel floods the house with the most motivating of sounds. The smell of coffee coming from the kitchen and floating down over the back yard.

Windows and doors open, letting the sounds of autumn mingle perfectly with the music and believe me when I say that the sounds of autumn include kookaburras that like to let each other know when they are awake. They sit in the tree outside of my bedroom window and stake out their daily claim by being very vocal.

One can touch the depth of your own soul on such a moment in time, feel all the beauty within and enjoy the little things such as these. Have a good day everyone.

Easter 2010

It was the Easter Weekend of April 2010 and J and I had tickets to see Carol King and James Taylor in concert at the Hunter Valley. It seemed to good a chance not to pass up and with seats up close to the stage we set off to Polkolbin on Good Friday.
The weather was perfect and we both enjoyed every minute of the drive there. Our accommodation was at the Villa Province which was very lovely and made me feel like I was experiencing a touch of French provincial Europe.

We visited only three wineries out of the 120 wineries that we could have visited but J and I decided to explore the country side and Cessnock as well. Upon our next visit we will take in a few more wineries then. The three we chose were the lovely Allison Wilkinson winery, McGuigans Winery and Tempus Two Winery.

Now I have always enjoyed Mcguigan’s wines but was delighted to find out that Tempus Two Winery was also owned by McGuigans.

The views all around the Hunter are spectacular and well worth taking your camera along and even the individual vineyards are very beautiful up close and personal.This is the strikingly smart Tempus Two Winery.

The opnly way to describe the Hunter region is to picture rolling hills everywhere. There are views across the vineyards to the Brokenback Ranges in all directions and as the clouds came and went their shadows moved across green terrain with dams and vineyards woven in and out.

Within the wineries themselves we browzed and tasted and listened to talks about grapes and production. There is an amazing amount of science involved in the production of wine and we tasted to our hearts content from the lightest to the heaviest and purchased several bottles to enjoy back at home too.

We also stopped at several cheese shops and a chocolate shop.

Come Saturday night we made our way to the Hope Estate Winery where the big concert was to take place. Our friend Garry and his wife were also attending the concert however with 15000 people present it was like looking for a needle in a haystack lol.

So after dinner we settled back to enjoy the music and the memories of the 70s and what a wonderful treat it was.

Now apparently King and Taylor came together in Las Angeles at a club called the Troubadour and the evening was such a magnificent success that they sat and planned a reunion world tour with James’s original band. Carole King is now 68 years old and James Taylor is 60 years old and a look around the audience said that most of us were over 40 lol. Imagine 15000 people all of a similar age, all gathered together in an air of excitement to celebrate the best songs of two pivotal singer-songwriters. It was a magic al evening

We woke Sunday morning to another beautiful day. At the front of the villas is the loveliest fountain and the birds enjoyed frolicking there. I shot a few more photos before we left to head to Sydney for a few days with the family. It was such a relaxed and peaceful weekend that we did not want to return to the rush and bustle of work.

From our family to yours....we hope that you had a safe and Happy Easter. If your holiday break seemed to fly by much too quickly please do not dispair because the Anzac Weekend is only a few weeks away..

For you wake one day, look around and say, somebody wonderful married me,......

It is good to do something for one's self every now and then. The other day I wanted to purchse something for J in rememberance of our 28th wedding anniversary and walked around for hours looking in the shops. J and I are not what you would call "slaves to possessions" or materialistic people. In fact, we live quite simply and enjoy living this way. There are distinct advantages in living simplistically. For example, there is little to no clutter and no debt. I digress.
Each time that I looked at an object as a present I wondered as to the amount of use it would receive so in the end I decided to head home and have a think about it. While walking to my car I passed a travel agent who was advertising P&O ruises Now think about this for a moment.....two glorous weeks cruising the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean, someone to wait on you all the time, no phones, no customers, no meetings, no primary clients and no work. Two weeks of someone else's cooking, two weeks of snorkling, diving, fishing, enjoying beautiful islands and two weeks of dancing, relaxation and sleep. Yes....this was definately going to be a great wedding present so, off I went inside there and then to book it.
J and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with a cruise and we still talk about the memories and excitement associated with that trip so this one will be even more exciting. We will be cruising on the Pacific Sun which will leave on December 29th ready for New Year's eve. Now our last cruise visited the exact same ports however, this time we know what to expect and what shore tours to book onto.
How to wrap a cruise as a present? I took home the brochure and put the receipt and brochure into a gift bag along with an anniversary card. John was getting ready to go out to dinner and was surprized when I gave him the gift bag. As he realized what the brochure was all about the biuggest grin spread out over his face and he was soon caught up in the excitement . Now we are looking forward to our Christmas break. This past Christmas break was cut short when we were asked to return to work early. At the time it did not seem such a hardship however, since returning to work we have both realized that our Christmas holidays are necessary to our wellbeing for the rest of the year. By next Christmas I hope to be at Duntroon Military College working and John will be out on the point on Jervis Bay at HMAS Creswell. Come Christmas we will be taking a much needed break to go cruising. Happy 28th wedding anniversary J. x

When I was young, I couldn’t think
What it would be like to be older.
How could I know it would bring such joy
Just to cuddle my head on your shoulder.

So many things bring happiness now,
Like a rub on the back or your gentle smile,
And my feelings for you are stronger today
Than they were when we walked down the aisle.

When I was young, my fondest wish
Was a marriage that could be this good.
Where we’d work through pain to laugh again
As loving partners should.

As the days drift by we’ve settled in,
To a love that’s rich and rewarding.
Just sharing with you is a dream come true;
You’re a pleasure well worth hoarding!

I can honestly say that I’m happy with you;

to me you simply shine,
We're best friends, lovers, work mates and more

And I’m blessed and thankful that you're mine.

Grow old with me, the best is yet to be, the last decades of life for which we both were made.

Sunday Afternoon In Pictures.....