The Hobbit - Battle of the five armies

Today I got to see the final Hobbit movie. I saw it at Westfield Cinemas in Miranda. It was a pretty good movie - lived up to expectations. A bit sad that it will be the last of the Tolkien movies. In the evening we watched the big Bash league on TV. The Sydney Sixers beat the Sydney Thunder. It was a good game.

Xmas - New year 2014

Hi there all. Merry Christmas for 2014.

It is Boxing day today. I am watching the first day of the third cricket test against India. I have just watched the start of the Sydney - Hobart yacht race. Great race. Boxind day is a day for relaxing after the stress of Christmas 2014.

To recap:

Tuesday 23rd. Flew to Sydney with Jetstar. The plane was one hour late leaving Melbourne but we got to Sydney OK. A guy in a limousine picked me up from the airport which was cool. I am staying in Gymea with my mother and my brother Bill.  It is good to be back in Gymea again which is my old home town.

Wednesday 24th - Last minute shopping at Westfield Miranda. Got everything I needed.

Thursday 25th - Christmas Day. Mum, Bill and I travelled to Pymble to have Christmas Day at the home of my neice Caitlin Hill and her husband Jarred. It was a great day. Most of the family where there and even tough it rained later, we all had a great time. There were some people that I didn't know but everybody had a real good time. A very nice Christmas day all in all. Everybody remarked at just how much weight I had lost and that I looked much better.

Hospital verdict and I get my computer back

Today was a memorable day for me. I visited Bendigo Hospital in the morning to see the surgeon about getting a stoma reversal. The doctors are happy with my progress and have agreed to perform the operation, which should take place some time in the new year. 

That is good news.

The other piece of good news I had today is that I finally got my computer back from the computer techs who have been working on it for a few days. It has been crashing on me regularly and I thought I would have to buy a new one. But they were able to fix it, so I should be able to keep using it for a while longer. That is why i haven't updated this blog for a while.

To recap...

Saturday 29th December 

I went to the Flemington Showgrounds in Melbourne to visit the motorcycle show. It wasn't bad. some good exhibits. sadly. Neither Kawasaki, Honda or Suzuki had displays. I still saw some cool stuff down there though. Both Hyosung and Motorad had good displays.

On the way home I visited a few camera stores to check out there new wares.

Wednesday 3rd December.

I visited the hospital to see about my renal condition. The doctor who examined me told me that my kidney function had improved and that I was looking much better and hoped I would get my operation.

A new backup drive

Yesterday I released that my backup drive for my PC was nearly full. So I went to Dick Smith and bought a brand new 1 Terrabyte external hard drive. It should last me a while.

A visit to the Surgeon

This morning I re-visited the local hospital to get a check up by the surgeon. They examined me and said they were happy with my progress. They referred me to see the surgeon who operated on me in six weeks time. That is getting close to Xmas. I hope I don't have to go to hospital over the Xmas period.

A busy wednesday

Today was quite a busy day. I went back to the gym for the first time in nearly ten weeks. It was good to go back. I only did some light exercises so as not to overdo it too soon.

In the afternoon i went to Flight Center and booked my flight to Sydney on the 23rd December. I decided to get my ticket early rather than leave it until the last minute as I usually do.

In the evening I attended a service at The Potters House Church in Kangaroo Flat. It was a healing service hosted by American Pastor Gibbs Pettersen. I felt I needed prayer for my internal organs as they are just not the best right now. It was a really nice service and I was glad I went.

Back from Hospital - at last

I haven't posted any items for over a month. That is because I have been in hospital for the past 5 weeks. I developed a strangulated hernia - not nice. I had planned to get it operated on but on the 11th August it got very sore and I had to rush to hospital for an operation.

They operated straight away. The operation was a success but I found out that some of my bowels had been damaged. I spent a week in the intensive care unit which was horrible. I found myself hallucinating from the drugs I had been given.

That was followed by a week in the care wards - which are like Pitt St. Very noisy - hard to sleep.

Then I had 3 weeks in rehab wards - also known as the Anne Caudle Centre. I had to stay for a while because my blood pressure was low, I had a stomach wound which needed attention and my Potassium level were low.

I was finally released on Wednesday the 17th September after 5 weeks. Great to be back home.

I returned to BUCO today after a visit from the home nurse.

I still feel very weak but I am sure I will get back to normal soon.

The Shiraz club meets again

This evening, the Shiraz club met once again. It was our first meeting in quite a while. We met at Kevin Furness's house once again. We met to to pray for Trevor Clarke, who is on his way to Africa for ten days. He is going to where the Ebola outbreak is, so we felt he might need our prayers.

My trip to Masada Hospital and a new CD

Hi there folks. It has been a while since I last blogged. Really has not been very much to blog about.
 However, today was quite an eventful day. I had an appointment at Masada Hospital in Melbourne this morning. I had to see a Hernia specialist about a possible operation for my hernia repair. I had a a hernia operation in Bendigo a few years ago but it seems the mesh did not hold and I began to show a bulge.
The doctors in Bendigo do not seem to want to operate so I had decided to see a specialist in Melbourne.
He examined me and told me he feels that he can do the operation. He showed me photos of previous operations he has done and I feel confident he can do the job.

When I got back to Bendigo a CD that I had ordered had arrived in the mail. It is "This is the Mystery" by Debbie Zepick.

Watchers 8

I finally got my copy of LA Marzulli's new video, Watchers 8 - Cloak of Secrecy in the mail. It took a few weeks to arrive but I am glad that it is finally here.It should make good watching.

Exo Vaticana and the Supernatural Worldview

I received a couple of books in the mail this evening. They were titled Exo Vaticana and the Supernatural Worldview. Written by Chris Putnam and Tom Horn. I saw them advertised on Prophecy in the News so I decided to buy them. A DVD from the Pikes Peak Prophecy Summit was included. They should make great reading.

Another sick day - and Watchers 7 arrives.

I had to go home at lunchtime today. I was feeling rather unwell. Another stomach bug! I think I might have eaten something that did not agree with me, or maybe it is just that time of year when the bugs happen.
A good rest was required.

Also, a DVD arrived in the mail. it is called Watchers 7 - further evidence by LA Marzulli. I can't wait to watch it.

AdsUp program

Today I visited Bendigo Family and Financial Services and applied to join the AdsUp Program. This is a saving account with the NAB bank that is designed to encourage people to save.

Kits cafe in Rochester

Today, the Coffee Connect group paid another visit to Kits Cafe in Rochester. there were only about 8 people there but it was a very good day. I had the nicest lamb shanks that I have had for a long time.

The mars bar cheesecake was nice too.

Eurovision 2014 weekend

This weekend is Eurovision 2014 weekend. I am watching it as usual. It has been a good show so far.

Sunday 27th April

 I went down to Rosalind Park today to do more practice with my digital camera. I took several photos of the fountain at the cascades using the various exposure modes.

On the way home I stopped by the video  store and bought a copy of Cowboys vs Aliens.

My new brace and my new book

I got my new brace today from OAPL. It cost me $300.00 but i feel it will help my hernia problem. It might give me some support.

Also a new book that I ordered online, Visual Basic 2013 step by step finally arrived.

Connect Church Dinner

At the moment it is raining very heavily. That is OK, because it has been very dry for a long time.
This evening Connect Church held another Focus Night Dinner. Not a huge crowd turned up but it was a very informative night.

Noah - the movie

Today I saw the movie Noah at the Bendigo Cinemas. I was rather disappointed with this movie. While the acting and the Cinematography etc were very good, the movie really butchered the plot. It was very different to the Bible story in many ways. I was generally rather disappointed.

Heathcote with Coffee Connect

The Coffee Connect group had a morning out in Heathcote. We went there for lunch. There just happened to be a farmers market in town. There were a few interesting displays including a snake show and the Ulysses Motorcycle club was on display. It was a really nice morning.

Blood test

Today, I visited my doctor to hear the results of my blood test. Everything is fine for the most part. No need for any drastic changes yet. Good news.

The 300 - Rise of an Empire

Today was Labour Day - public holiday in Victoria. I celebrated by going to see a movie. it was the 300 - Rise of an Empire. Very gory but very entertaining.

Visit to OAPL

This morning I paid a visit to OAPL in Golden square. I had an appointment to see the Orthotist. He measured me up for a new brace for my hernia problem. It should be ready in about 2 weeks time.

Sunday 23rd February 2014

At Connect Church this Sunday, we had a visit from Pastor Karen Dunham, who is the pastor of Living Bread Church in Jerusalem. She was a very dynamic preacher who told us some harrowing stories of her time in Israel. Certainly very dynamic.

Check out her website at http://www.livingbreadchurch.com/. Well worth viewing.

A new photography book

Today I bought a new book on Digital Photography called Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies. The author is David D Busch. The book only cost me $14.50. I had been given a $30.00 Dymocks voucher for my birthday. I am sure I will get a lot out of it.

My 60th birthday

Yesterday, I turned 60. That is ok as they say 60 is the new 40. It was a bad day at work as the computer network did not work properly. I celebrated my birthday quietly at home. I got lots of emails.

Today, I bought myself a color laser printer from Aldi. It now works fine.

A busy wednesday.

I had a very full on day today. In the morning I had a visit from Tony Harrington Real Estate. They are my new estate agents. They sent a rep around to collect the paperwork and do an inspection.

At 11.30  I met with dean Shirley an we discussed the layout for the new BUCO website. He had some very good ideas.

I got a letter from Energy Australia telling me my electricity bill was overdue. After a phone call to them, I was able to sort out the problem and it turns out my bill is actually in credit!!

I visited Connect Church in the afternoon. It seems they want to redo the video messages at church like they used to do. I might volunteer my services with my new camera.

First day back at BUCO and a new fridge

Today, I went back to BUCO for the first time this year. It was a fairly quiet day. My new refrigerator also arrived. It was nice to have a new fridge after a long time.

Back from holidays

Today, I came back from my holidays. I spent 4 days in Sydney followed by 6 days on the Gold Coast.

To recap:
24th December. Flew to Sydney. I met my brother Bill and sister Pauline at the airport. We Bill and I booked into the Cronulla cabins for 4 days. The cabins used to be a caravan park and are now just very cheap short stay accommodation.

25th December: Christmas day.
Christmas day 2013. The family gathered for Christmas dinner at the house of Mark and Lizzy Sergeant. Most of my available family were present. it was a wet and drizzly day so we had to stay indoors all day long, but it was one of the best Christmas days I can remember. I will not post any pictures as I don't have permission from my relatives to post their photos. I got some great presents as well.

26th December: Boxing day.
Boxing day for me is always a kick back sort of a day. I watched the start of the 4th test and the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. I them went down to Cronulla beach for swim. Nice to see Cronulla again.

27th December: Sydney.
I went into Sydney to do some photography. I went down to Circular Quay and got some great photos. There was a very large Ocean Liner docked at the Quay. I managed to get some great shots both of Circular Quay and from inside the Queen Victoria Building.

28th December: Sydney to the Gold Coast.
Bill and I flew up to the Gold Coast. We flew up on separate flights. He flew with Jetstar and I flew with Virgin. I arrived half an hour before him. We went to his unit in Runaway bay.


29th December: Shopping at Harbourtown.
I took the bus to the shopping Centre at Harbourtown. I needed a new pair of thongs and I bought a pair from the Rivers store. Everything was half price. While I was there, I went to the Cinema and saw the latest Hobbit movie. It was brilliant. The temperature reached 39 degrees and I was glad to have the chance to have a dip in the pool when I got back.

30th December: Mariners Cove and bike riding.
I went down to Mariners Cove to take some photos and hire a jet ski. I took some great photos and booked a Jet ski ride for the next day.

After lunch at the Hog's Breath Cafe, I hired an electric bike and road firstly up the spit and then into Surfers Paradise. It was fun to ride.

31st December: My first Jet ski ride
I went on a Jet Ski safari with a Jet ski hire company. I had never ridden a Jet Ski before but I still managed a 1 1/2 hour ride up the Broadwater. It was tiring but a lot of fun and I am glad I did it. Bill and i went to see Mum and had a quiet party with her on New years eve.

1st January 2014.
In the evening some members of my family and I got together to celebrate my 60th birthday. We met at Mano's restaurant in paradise beach. It was a lovely night and  a great dinner.

2nd January.
My youngest brother Patrick bought over his runabout boat and took Bill and myself out for a spin on the Broadwater. The trip went for an hour and a half and was a lot of fun. Nice to be with my brothers again.

3rd January.
Flew back to Victoria. I had a great time away.