Google maps bogged down in... mud.

Ooops. The Google street view car (an Astra I believe) got itself into all sort of of bother.




[Image Google]


Thank you Nissan Patrol!

Hat Tip: Google Street View: Google Street View Car Stuck In Mud Down Under

Harry at 4 months

No reason, just though I would post these:


Two months


Four months

Random Baby Pics

Hit refresh for new/random imagery...!

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Sandy Point New Years holiday.

A few beers, the lads and 35knots of Easterly.

www.flickr.com thomasrdotorg's Sandy Point- New Years 2008 photoset

Also I got 37.5 knots on my 9 year old Torquay freeride 272. With a wavesail. That's gotta be a some kinda record...?

See the GPS data track in Google earth here. I think with a speey fin, a wet n' dry and maybe a race sail I could actually get 40 knots out of the old girl.

And still pull these off:

Elwood sailing day 22 December

Love to tell all about our day out sailing, but knackered. To Donny, Tony, Duncan, Ben & Paul; well played.

www.flickr.com thomasrdotorg's Windsurfing photoset

Pic Post 2: Rally of Melbourne- my ride

With Adrian Rowe in tow, we went up to the Toolangi state forest for a visit to the testing site for the Rally Of Melbourne where Neil Bates took me for a wild ride in his Toyota Corolla S2000 class rally car. I have been in cars with several race drivers and I have never, ever seen a driver as busy as a rally driver. Sawing the wheel back and forth like Mr Miyagi's "wax on wax off" scene and more toe tapping than a blues gig, it's a busy office for the rally folk.

I would hasten to add, that until you experience travelling through the bush at warp factor ludicrous... well maybe you haven't lived.

www.flickr.com thomasrdotorg's Rally of Melbourne photoset

Pic post 1: HSV Maloo

I'm going nuts with the pic thing (Tony P complaints about photo numbers has only slowed- not stopped- me.
So here's post one for today: HSV Maloo. A sweet, sweet ride.

www.flickr.com thomasrdotorg's Holden HSV Maloo- VE edition photoset

MotoGP weekend at Phillip Island

What a busy, insane, fun, triumphant, and satisfying weekend.

Broadcaster, producer, news reporter, interviewer, host, MC, commentator and- above all else- MotoGP fan.

www.flickr.com

More pics here.

The SNOW!!

We're back a day or so and frankly I will let a picture tell a thousand words and I have a thousand things to catch up on!!

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Ladies and gentlemen

Carl Vickers:

Whole lotta burning DOUG!

Here is Father-in-law Doug "celebrating" 30th anniversary of the passing of The King.

Oh dear.

And now the video:

Rachel and I purchased a new Canon D80 (you google it not me!) and so I've been thinking about how to get said pics online in a timely and efficient manner:

FLICKR! I've had an account for a while, but finally got off my arse and started using it. The upload tool is excellent- resizes AND tags and does all the hard work for you...

www.flickr.com More of thomasrdotorg's photos

posted by thr at 10:00 pm 0 comments

From the boat...

4:00am after wedding day. We arrive home after OWNING the dancelfoor at Veludo's for hours on end. I threw my credit card behind the bar and bought drinks for anyone and everyone. Great!

---

Honeymoon- Day one
After the stress and time-compressing madness of wedding week, we found ourselves in the same way post-wedding day as we were due at the airport early and were supposed to meet most of our various families at the Beach House in Elwood on Saturday for breakfast.

Thankfully we'd both packed our clothes and items for the trip a few days earlier.

My windsurfing kit was in a sad way- some at Donny's, some still at mine, and packing would take a while. Some of our wedding presents were in Mike and Alison's car, so there was much to sort out in a short time.

I woke Don, Mike and anyone else I needed. All assembled at our house. Donny and I whacked it all together and we went back to the reception place to clean up and clear out. Breakfast had to be done n' dusted in just a few minutes. We then went to load the windsurfing kit onto Rachel's car using wrap racks- these are almost roof rackes, but the gear was going to collapse the roof, so Kat and Carl jumped into Carl's van Morriss (as in Van Morrisson) and they took the kit, we took ourselves.

Mad dash to the airport ensued- complete with stop off for video camera and inverter for 12v-240v (hence I am writing this from the boat using my charged up lap top). My darling wife and mother-in-law felt the best way to spend the trip was to talk about how late we were going to be and with my gear it would be extra stressful.

I am very happy to report that nothing like they predicted occured. No on wanted to fly out of Melbourne on Saturday lunch and we were 45 minutes early checking in.

We flew Melb-Syd, Syd-Proserpine. The Virgin Blue flight attandent asked us about our holidays and I told her it was for our honeymoon. A few minutes later another flight attendant came down and gave the couple behind us a free drink "with the compliments of Virgin Blue". I knew it was for us, but I wasn't about to speak up. Virgin may have the prettiest flight attendants, but perhaps not the smartest.

We arrived in Airlie Beach via the bus (gear in the hallway!) and were shown to our 32' Catlina named "Beach House". Irony? Perhaps. We managed, despite growing exhaustion, to go shopping, run around getting various things, and get fed and watered. I bought some alcohol- (cask red, slab beer, 6 ltrs of Tonic Water, 8 Bacardi Breezers). This added neatly to our bottle of gin, 2 bottles of pinot noir and bottle of chardonnay. It's a fair mix.

Slept fitfully as it was (and is) hot n humid. Up early for our briefing from 8:30, then picked up our diving gear and headed out to sea with Craig from teh chrter company. I kept (for me) quiet) while Rachel learnt 10 years worth of sailing in an hour. She was clearly overwhelemed, but I assured her I'd keep it simple once we got going. Craig wished us well and took off in his rubber duck. We tacked about for a bot of practice and then set all possible sail for Nara Inlet. Rachel got a touch of sea sickness and "did a Rachel"- went to sleep. I sailed the boat to Nara Inlet and we arrived just after 4pm.

Rachel having a steer before the ravages of sea-sickness sent her to sleep. My Dad always told me that giving someone a steer normally prevents seas-sickness. What can I say, my Bride ain't normal...

Once anchored, we jumped in our duck and went to see some Aboriginal caves further up the inlet. It was so hot n' humid that once we'd seen the caves, we sped home for a swim and a rinse off under the shower. Beautiful sunset followed (short twighlight up here). I got carried away and rang about five people to gloat/pass on information and after all of this excitement, we crashed out about 9pm.

The wind looks like it will persist from the North and get stronger today. We are effectively going to circumnavigate Hook Island and hide behind Border Island so I can get a windsurf. We'll then go and hide in the inlet parallel to the one we're in at present...


This is what true happiness looks like. I wish it on everyone.

...and just like that

... my single days are over.

Yoiks!

Tone sent this to me.

It's not exactly my best moment- nor best pic. But I like it...

Flickr Photo Download: Golf!

Flickr Photo Download: Golf!

Cameron Reilly's pic from our lil golf session last week!

Christmas morning

A very merry Christmas to all. To my Mum (who's in transit to WA) to my Brother (who's in Ohio with his wife Sarah and family) to all friends and acquaintances- enjoy!!

Miss Rachel is on night shift, so her arrival home at 8am was the start of the Christmas morning fun. As I've previously stated: she is nuts for Christmas and could not wait to get the gift giving underway. All I want for Christmas is a sleep in...

I did rather well this year!!

...as did Rachel

...and Caboose

Our tree before we went present mad!