2011 xmas holidays

To recap

This is what I have been doing for the holidays:

24th December: flew to Canberra to stay with my brother John and his family. It was great to see them again.

25th December: Got up early to open the presents. I got a few nice ones. In the afternoon my mother, sister Pauline and her fiance Barry Wiley arrived. They had driven down from Batemans Bay. They were a little bit late but we had a nice late lunch and dinner. I have never eaten so many prawns. There were more presents to be had. I had a lot of fun with the kids as always.

26th December: In the morning we left Canberra and drove up to Sydney. The trip was ok but the car was a little bit cramped. I was glad when we arrived.

In the evening we attended a party at the house of my neice Caitlin Lang and her fiancee Jarrod. Other family members were there and I met a few people i had not seen for years. When the party was over we went to my sister Maryanne's house in Mosman and spent the night there.

27th December: Pauline, Mum and myself left Sydney and drove up the New England Highway to Armidale. It was a great trip but once again, the car was a bit cramped and I was glad to get to Armidale. We stayed overnight at the Hideaway Inn, which was nice. We had dinner at a local pub.

28th December: Drove from Armidale to Brisbane via Casino. Once again it was a good trip. Sitting in the back seat with the top down I could hear sounds like bells in the trees. It was Bellbirds singing. It was interesting driving into Brisbane.

29th - 30th December: Generally relaxing, taking life easy. Did some shopping in Brisbane.

31st Devember: I went for a walk to the tennis centre and watched some of the qualifiers playing. I couldn't see anyone famous around. In the evening, Pauline and myself went to Suncorp Stadium to see Brisbane Roar play Melbourne Victory. Harry Kewell scored for Victory after 2 minutes. The Roar looked a bit ragged but scored a goal before half time. They scored two more in the second half and won 3-1. It was a good game and my first A-League match. I was very impressed and I felt that it was a good way to spend New Years eve.

Coffee Connect Xmas party

This afternoon, Coffee Connect held it's Xmas party at the Sawyers house. It was well attended and I got to meet a few new people. It was a nice party.

A new computer monitor

I went to the gym this morning for the first time this week. It was a hot day and I really sweated it out. Afterwards, I bought a new Samsung monitor for my computer. It took me a while to set it up but it looks and works just great.

Connect Church xmas dinner

This evening we held the Connect Church Xmas dinner. It was held in the Connect Church Hall, which was packed out. There were a lot more people there than last year. We had a really great dinner. The food was great and my table got served first.

We also had some music. Pastor Simon outlined the vision for 2012, which will be, Bendigo GO.

We expect the church to really go ahead next year.

He also outlined the people who will have ministry positions and who will help release the church members into the 5 fold ministries. It was a really great night and next year should be a great year.

BUCO xmas break up

Tonight I attended the BUCO Christmas dinner. It was held at the All Seasons Hotel in Strathdale. About 200 people attended. It was not a bad night. It was the first time in three years we had everybody together. The food was OK and we had dancing at the end which was different.

A new TV

On Wednesday the 30th of November (yesterday), I bought myself a new digital TV. It was a 22 inch Samsung. I bought it from the Good Guys store. I chose that model basically because the salesman recommended it and because I can also use it as a computer monitor.

I took it home, set it up and it works just great. I threw the old TV out as I don't need it anymore.

What's happening?

I have to say that not much has been happening lately. My internet went off for a while and my TV is on the blink and I will have to replace it. Otherwise, not much is happening that is worth blogging about.

Coffee Connect in Rochester

Today was a very relaxing day. I felt really tired when I woke up so I did not go to the gym as usual. Instead I joined the Coffee Connect Group from our Church for lunch in Rochester. We met for lunch at Kats Kafe in Rochester. It was a great lunch. Great tasting food and great company. About 15 people attended. I have to say it was a nice drive up and back even though it was raining.

"Expect more"

At Connect Church this morning, a visiting minister named Mark Butler delivered the sermon. He is a young man from Davis McCracken ministries. He spoke very well. His word for the church is "Expect More". I also take that as a Personal word.

Another busy wednesday.

It rained very heavily last night and also in the evening. After going to the gym as usual, I picked up my computer from the Eaglehawk PC shop where it had been in for repairs. It seemed it only needed a new cooling unit. I also bought a new keyboard and some new handkerchiefs from Woolworths.

Lost my phone today

This morning, I bought a new pair of shorts from Mensland in town. They were nice new navy shorts. In the afternoon, I went to the gym as usual but got home to find I had no mobile phone. I went back to the gym and retrieved it because I had left it behind. Some honest person had handed it it, which I am glad of. In the evening, I got an email from my mum telling me that my sister Pauline is getting married in March next year.

The last week in October

I haven't updated this for a bit so let's recap. On Friday 21st October Roger Connell came up here to BUCO and installed a new database for the Case Management workers. It is good that they will now have their own data store. I spent most of the day with Roger and Riana getting things sorted out.

On Monday the 24th October I felt really ill and did not go into work at all. I feel that the indigestion made a bit of a comeback after I ate some very spicy sausages.

I felt better the next day and was able to go to work. Wednesday the 26th was Bendigo cup day. I did not go to the races but did some shopping instead. I bought some new trousers and undies.

I came back to work on Thursday the 27th. I had to see the doctor in the afternoon. It was a new doctor named Dr Tarsh. He seemed really nice. He put me back onto my regime of blood pressure tablets but otherwise it seems my health is generally quite good. People are telling me that it looks as though I have lost weight. That feels pretty good.

An expanded role for the ER database

Today Roger Connell came up from Melbourne and installed new databases on the computers for the Case Management team. This will allow the Case Management Services to link more fully with the ER as far as reporting is concerned.

First Sunday in October

I felt tired most of today as it is the first day of daylight saving. Can be hard to adjust to. At church this morning a visiting prophet named Kevin Forlong preached. I feel that his words were very relevant both for myself and the church as a whole.

Grand final day 2011

Today was AFL Grand Final day 2011. After a see-sawing game, Geelong won by 38 points. It was a good match. I went to the gym in the morning. In the evening I got an email from my brother Bill who has been appointed to a Softball coaching job in Holland! Pretty cool. I am very happy for him.

A new chair

Today I bought a new office chair from Office Works. It cost $144.00. I took it home and after a bit of grunting, I got it assembled OK. It is very comfortable. I hope it will make my back feel a bit better. No more unnecessary twisting around in the old chair.

I went to the gym in the afternoon. It rained heavily all day long. I bought a new umbrella.

A new vacuum cleaner

The most exciting thing I did all day was buy a new vacuum cleaner from Aldi. It cost $39.00 and works really well. My place feels much cleaner.

A very busy Wednesday

In the afternoon, I had an inspection of my unit by the real estate agent. I spent a fair bit of time cleaning the place and everything passed muster. I put in a request for a new stove and a new toilet bowl. The old one's are getting a bit well, "ratty".

I visited Les Penna motorcycles to check out the range of Laro bikes. They did not impress me much but I was impressed by the range of Hyosung motorcycles. They looked pretty cool.

I have also started learning PHP in order to improve my skill level.

A new cleaning job

was due to have a real estate agent inspection done on my flat today, but I cancelled it as it would conflict with the start of my new cleaning job in Forest St. I got the job done OK and found out that there is some more work in the offing! Very exciting! Stay tuned and I will let you know more when
I have more to post.

The BUCO web site is now with a new host.

A new debit card

My new MasterCard debit card arrived in the mail today. I haven't had one of these for years. It feels good to have one.

Long weekend in Sydney

To recap: I have been away since last friday (26th August). I flew to Sydney on Friday for the 40th birthday party of my younger sister Frances. When I got to the airport to check in, I found that the ticket agent had not included my baggage in the ticket so I had to pay an extra $40.00 to get my suitcase on board. I was really annoyed as this has not happened before. It an expensive enough weekend without having to fork out any extra.

The flight up was smooth enough. I stayed with my brother Bill who seems to be recovering well from his bike accident. His new unit In Neutral Bay is not bad. Not as nice as his old one. Smaller, but quite livable. The party was nothing flash but it was good to catch up with my relatives again. I also my met my future brother in law, Barry Whiley. He got engaged to my sister Pauline last week.

The other good news was that the Sydney Swans beat Geelong away and the Wallabies beat the Kiwis. It was a good day overall.

I flew back today. I caught the shuttle bus from the airport and was back home by 4.00 pm. It was a good trip but glad to be back here once more.

The Wind from the East

Church was interesting this morning. I actually can't remember the sermon but I do remember well a prophecy that was bought at the end. It went like this "Normally in this country the wind comes in from the West. But the Lord will bring in a wind from the East. Go with this wind as it will prop you up, not bear you down"! Interesting!!!

A new computer - a clean bill of health.

A few interesting changes have been afoot at BUCO. I now have a new and more modern computer to work with. BUCO have opened up a new office in 49 Forest St. It looks like I will be spending some time there each week, working on updating the BUCO website. I have also got the job of being the cleaner for that building as well, which will increase my workload but also give me some extra income. That is great, things are looking up.

I also visited the doctor this morning for a check up.The results of my recent blood test were in. It is good news. I don't have Prostate cancer and my Cholesterol levels are ok. As well as that, my blood pressure is fine. So it looks like my health is good. Just need to keep losing weight.

Connect Church are not going to go on with the website I have developed. They are going to employ an American program for the web stuff called "Kingdom Tools". This should be interesting!!

Another Focus Night

Tonight was another Focus Night at Connect Church. Ps Simon continued to outline his vision for the future of this church. He believes that we can be a church of 10,000 people in five years. Not just the 300 we are now. He also talked about a bible college servicing Central Victoria. The theme of the night is that God is expanding our capacity to "dream big" and what God can do in us! very exciting stuff.

Connect Church Focus Night

I attended the gym this afternoon after going shopping this morning. In the evening I attended Focus Night at Connect Church. This was my first Focus night since I have been at the church. Ps Simon Williams outlined his vision for the church. It involves incorporating the five-fold ministries, ie Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, Prophets and Evangelists into the church structure, rather than everything being just the traditional Pastor and teacher method. He believes that this will release the church to be the large and powerful church it was always meant to be. I feel that things will get exciting in the future.

A new watch

This morning I had the real estate agents come through for an appraisal on the property. It was fairly quick and painless. In the afternoon i bought my self a new watch. It only cost $9.00 from Aldi but it fits well and is very comfortable. Saved me buying a more expensive one from the jewelers. Let's see if it lasts.

A new TV antenna

This morning I bought some new socks and undies from Lowes. I was starting to run out. In the afternoon, the TV Antenna man came around and fitted a new digital TV antenna. That's fantastic as I now finally have proper reception. No more drop-out's, which is cool.

A new Sim card and a new gym

I finally got my new Sim card working for my mobile broadband. I had it in the wrong way as it turns out. But now it is working ok. Today I visited Feelgood fitness in Strathdale and took out a membership. I was able to do this as they have a special membership offer that makes membership cheaper than normal. As this gym is much closer to home I will not have to make such a long trek any more. I will concentrate on cardio work more than adding muscle.

The Shiraz group meets again

The Shiraz group met again at Trevor Clark's house. Six of us attended. Trevor told us some amazing stories of his recent adventures in Fiji. Kevin Furness told us that he and Jenny are about to go to the United States for a reunion. In all, it was a good fun night, and great fun to catch up again. The weather is still very cold. I went to the gym again in the afternoon.

Learning ASP.NET with WebMatrix

I have just downloaded a version of Microsoft WebMatrix and have finally started learning ASP.NET. It is an interesting topic once I have started to get my head around it.

Fluvax shot

I had to go to the doctor today to get my Fluvax shot, which hopefully will help me get through the winter. I feel it will be a cold winter as the weather has turned very cold already. I did not go to the gym as I am still coughing and sneezing. I felt better later though.

Eurovision weekend

I spent last Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights watching the Eurovision song contest on SBS. It was a great show, except for the winner. I did not like the winner (Azerbaijan) much at all. Of course, I am not the judge. The weather is very cold and I have come down with a bit of a cold. I hope that I get over it soon.

A new book

Today I went to the gym as usual on saturday. I did not stay long as (i hate to say it), I just could not get into it. But there was a book sale in the local church hall and I bought a few computer books for only $2.00. One was a book on Flex which I have started reading. Maybe it is time to get into Flex. I have recently downloader Abobe Flash Builder, so I will have to start studying. I have also been watching Eurovision 2011. It is cool so far.

Death of Bin laden

I heard on the news that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday for 2011. I did something rather unusual today. I attended both the morning and evening services. Ps Tim Hall preached at both services and he preached on "the beginning of sorrows" in the evening. Very powerful. It was a very pentecostal gathering, which I have not felt for some time.

I have not updated this blog in a while as there has not really been very much to report.

A new vacuum cleaner

At lunch time today, I was downtown and stopped to browse a second hand store. I saw a vacuum cleaner for $45.00 so I bought it. I took it home and it works really well. I threw out my old one. I feel that it is a good buy.

Bendigo UnitingCare web site up and running

Today, I finally got the Bendigo UnitingCare website up and running. It still needs some work but it is running OK. I am glad about it and I am sure every one else will be also.

Bendigo UnitingCare web site ready to roll

Today was a significant day in the history of Bendigo UnitingCare! I set up a domain name for our new website www.bendigounitingcare.com.au and managed to get the hosting site set up. I am waiting to get more details from the host so I can upload the web page. It is getting exciting.

Another shopping wednesday

Today, being my day off, I did some more shopping. I bought two new winter shirts from Lowes, a new pair of gym shoes from Rivers, got a haircut, closed off my Telstra account and bought some cough medicine when I bought my blood pressure tablets. I went to the gym in the afternoon and put in a very solid session.

Grand Prix Sunday 2011

I did not go to church this morning as Simon was not available. I stayed home and finished off a few jobs instead. Later, I watched the Grand Prix. It was not a bad race. Sebastian Vettel lead from start to finish.

Web site approval

At BUCO today, I finally had a meeting with Kath about the BUCO web site. She suggested a few cosmetic changes which I achieved with the help of Sue. I feel that the BUCO web site will be up and running soon. The board are anxious for it to be up soon.

Bendigo Motorcycle Expo

After church this morning, I attended the annual Bendigo Motorcycle Expo at the Showgrounds. It was not as busy as the last one was, but I still got to pick up some useful information.

Another ACN meeting

I attended another meeting of ACN. It was held at the same place as last time. This time there were more people and It was more like a training session. I still haven't registered as an agent. I found out about some new technology and got to ask a few questions.

I went to the gym in the afternoon. I later discovered that the motorcycle expo is on again in Bendigo this weekend.

St Patricks Day 2011

Today was St Patrick's day. At lunch I has a beer at Pugg Mahones, a rip off at $7.00 a glass. After leaving BUCO i went down to the Brian Boru for a couple of glasses of Guinness, which were more reasonably priced.

A missed inspection

Today was another Wednesday free. I was really tired after a long day on Tuesday. Roger Connell visited from Melbourne. I had to arrive early and did not leave until late as I had the cleaning to do. I bought a co-axial cable to help connect my new amplifier to the set top box and I also bought two new chairs. I thought a real estate inspection was due to day, but I had my dates wrong. It was supposed to be yesterday. I contacted the estate agent and re-arranged a new date for the inspection. I also paid my first ACN bill today. I found out that there will be another meeting this Saturday with ACN at the Barclay on View. Apparently the head honcho will be speaking!!

Japanese earthquake

Today there was a huge earthquake in Japan. Measured 8.9 on the Richter scale. The TV footage of the Tsunami were awesome. The usual TV programs on SBS were suspended.

My new mobile phone

Today I picked up my new mobile phone. I had to go to the courier's office to get it. I took the wrong bus and had to walk for about a while in the rain. I was sick with the flu yesterday. I feel better today, but I got a little bit wet. It is raining again. We hardly need more rain I think.

My mobile broadband arrives

Today turned out to be a very eventful day. My mobile broadband from ACN arrived in the mail. I got it set up on the computer OK, but when I loaded the Sim Card into the mobile receiver, nothing would work correctly. It kept giving me a message that it could not locate the Sim. This left me very angry. I went to Optus in Mitchell St and the young lady set me straight. I had not installed it correctly.

After that I went shopping. I looked into buying some sheets. I ended up in Target and bought 2 blankets, 6 tea towels and 1 toaster. All up it cost me about $43.00.

Later, I got the Sim card working, and although the internet seemed slow at first, it now works OK. I feel much better now.

A new phone and Internet

Rod Geri rang me this morning and we discussed getting a new phone/internet system installed. After a while, I agreed to go for a new mobile phone and a fairly cheap broadband internet. Overall, this should cost me less than I am paying now. let's see how it works out!

ACN Meeting

This evening I attended a meeting held by ACN at the Barclay on View in View st. Rod Geri told me about it. Peter Fox and Manny Mavroustakis attended also. A chap was talking about a telecommunications company that I had not previously heard of. This is a chance to earn some residual money if I go ahead with it. I got an email from TAOC telling me that I have not been successful in my application to work with them.

Some new purchases

Today I bought a HP printer from Dick Smith Electronics. I also bought a new pair of trousers from Lowes. I feel that I am starting to get a proper office set up.

No joy from XXXX

This morning I received a phone call from XXXX Antiques in Castelmaine. I was told that I would not be getting employed by them. The owner has decided to employ another person on a full ttime basis. That means I miss out. That is OK.

30 th "Spiritual birthday"

Today (13/02/2011) marked a special occasion for me. I became a christian this day 30 years ago.
I feel that 30 is a significant year. In a biblical sense, it marks a time of maturity. I went to church this morning as usual and in the evening, I had a quite celebration at home with pizza and red wine.

It was a quite day but a good one.

A new backup drive

At lunch time today I walked up to Dick Smith in the marketplace and bought a backup drive for my PC. I feel it is necessary to have a backup so that I do not loose any data.

TAOC and Ramjahal

Today I went for an interview with Louise Howland who runs TAOC (The Art of Conversation) in Kangaroo Flat. This is a board game that is sold overseas. She also shares her business premises with Ramjahal, an embroidery business run by her partner Keith Lamb (the former lead singer of Hush, a famous rock group from my youth). I was there to discuss the prospect of keeping their web site updated on a regular basis. I was actually a day early (my mistake), but they were very gracious about it. We had a good talk and although nothing firm was decided, she sent away an email to the bloke who created the web site so that we could both get more information. I will find out more later.

XXXX Antiques

Today was a very interesting day. Hot but most interesting. I traveled down to Castlemaine to meet Mr Peter Landis who runs XXXX Antiques. He and i discussed the possibility of me working for him. The job will involve cataloging his antiques onto an eBay site. It will be a paid job if it comes off. I will know in a week or so if i will be working for him. His store certainly had some very interesting antiques for sale.

My computer was not ready to pick up from the dealers as the dealer is snowed under with work.

Web site approved

Today was a very hot day. In the 40's again. Thankfully, a cool change seems to have come through. It may be a bit cooler tomorrow. Kath Tointon is back at work now and she has seen the web page I have begun to develop for BUCO. She is very happy. She feels that this helps to extend the agency's reach. I am glad she likes it.

XXXX Antiques

This morning during breakfast I received a phone call from a lady in Castlemaine named Sheila Landers. She and her husband Peter run XXXX Antiques and are looking for somebody to help get their merchandise up onto the web and up for sale on Ebay. After having a chat with her and visiting their website, I agreed to go to Castlemaine on Wednesday and have a chat with them. This could be interesting, I feel.

A surprise phone call

This morning I got a surprise phone call early in the morning. It was from BEST Employment who informed me that an IT position had come up in Castlemaine and was I interested? I said that I was and came in and gave them an updated version of my resume. They then sent the request on to Castlemaine. It will be very interesting to see what comes of it.

The set top box saga - part 1

After paying my bills, I went to Dick Smith Electronics in the market place to purchase a digital set top box so that I could receive Digital TV. I chose a Sanyo model for two reasons. Firstly it had a 12 months warranty and the store salesman assured me it was good quality. It cost $109.00, so it was a fairly expensive model. I took it home but after connecting it, i could not get it to work properly. The front LED display simply would not come on. I rang the Help line and they said the box must be faulty so I took it back to Dick Smith who gave me a replacement one. I took it home but have not yet installed it. I will do that tomorrow evening.

A day in Melbourne

Today, being Wednesday was a free day for me as usual. But I did not feel like hanging around Bendigo as usual, so I took an early morning trip to Melbourne. I had not had a shopping day there for more than 3 years so it was good to get down there again. I visited a lot of shops but did not buy very much. I was back in Bendigo by 5.00 pm.

At the moment there are terrible floods in Queensland. I rang my mother in Brisbane who assured me that she is OK. I am glad to hear it. It is still raining here at the moment. I hope we get some summer at some stage.

Back from Sydney

Today I flew back from Sydney. The aircraft was delayed slightly due to lightning at Sydney airport. The flight down was very bumpy. I caught the bus back from the airport and was back in Bendigo by 8:00 pm. It is good to be back.