Fiction books read (2008)

• The Wire in the Blood (Val McDerend)
• Retribution (Jullianne Hoffman)
• Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) 
• The Last Don (Mario Puzo) 
• Monsoon (Wilbur Smith)
• A Time to Die (Wilbur Smith)
• The Blue Horizon (Wilbur Smith)
• The Genesis Code (John Case)
• The Count Of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
• The Partner (John Grisham)
• Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
• Prey (Michael Crichton)
• About a Boy (Nick Hornsby)
• Self Defense (Jonathon Kellerman)
• Nick Hornsby (A Long Way Down)
• The Last Temptation (Val Mc Dermid)

An evening of fondu with great friends

The fondu was delicious.

Pictures of our house and neighbouring park

Floorplan for our new place

Ally mocked these up quickly by memory - its not to scale or anything, but will provide you with an idea.

Our New Home

After a year of searching, we have finally found our home. We exchanged contracts today and now can't wait to move in. It's all very exciting!!!! No pictures yet but here are some arial views from Google Earth.

Self portrait

As you can see, my stubble is now longer than my hair after my super shear hair cut...
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Books: Jack Reacher (Lee Childs)

Another of my recent addictions is Jack Reacher. I'd go as far as saying I have a bit of a "school boy" crush on him. He's the invention of Lee Child and the protagonist of 12 books all of which I have now voraciously read.

So who is Jack Reacher? Here are some facts about Reacher for your interest and enrichment…

• Jack Reacher is the modern day equivalent of the enigmatic stranger who rides into town to sort everything out with fist and gun.
• He was born on October 29th, 1960 on an Army base in Berlin. His father is a Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam. As kids, Jack and his family moved non-stop from one military base to another.
• Reacher mustered out of the army with the rank of Major in 1997 when defence budget cuts made him "lose interest".
• Since leaving the army in 1997, Reacher has been a drifter. He travels around the United States, exploring the one country he never got to see in his childhood. He is always on the move.
• Reacher owns nothing except the clothes he is wearing. He wears his clothes 4 days or so, then throws them away and buys more clothes. He is weighed down by nothing.
• Reacher makes money by doing odd jobs. He also tends to pocket the money he takes from thugs.
• Reacher has blue eyes and fair hair. He is a giant of a man, standing at 1.96m tall with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 100-115kg. He is exceptionally strong. He is also crack shot.
• Reacher has a knack for finding and tackling trouble where ever he goes. As well as helping people in distress.
• Reacher has no doubts about his objective: to rid the world of bad guys. And nobody does it better. However, Reacher is also that rare kind of action hero who always takes the trouble to think things through and solve the puzzles (using his brilliant investigative skills) before sorting the bad guys. He thus combines brute force and brilliant deduction.
• Reacher capitalises on his past career as a Military Policeman. He served for 13 years. He is a hell of a good investigator. Maybe the best the army ever had.
• Some of the baddies he comes across are real heavy weight nasties who have a penchant for cutting peoples' balls off.
• Reacher has the uncanny ability to know what time it is, at any time of the day, without referring to a timepiece.
• He has the ability to take on multiple thugs at once and he generally comes out unscathed.
• He has a fascination with mathematics and a love for blues music.
• He is addicted to coffee.
• He has a passion for pretty women (particularly if they are in distress) and tends to bed at least one per book (surprise, surprise!).

So there you go. Welcome to one of the truly memorable tough guys in modern fiction. Don’t let it be said I don’t try to enrich my readers through my blog…

Unaccustomed as she is to droopy things...

Toilet training for dog owners...

Hanging about in the trees...

Well captured Ally!

Going for the windswept look...

Full moon rising

Taken with my 400 mm lens. I do so love the moon.

Stroll around Manly

We're addicted to Spooks

The British version of 24 and better in many ways. More realistic. Better acting. And a whole lot less predictable in terms of who is going to make it to the next episode or not. That's not to say we don't like 24 - we love it. But Spooks is sublime. And as addictive as crack cockaine. We are on season 3 already. Thank goodness for DVD box sets.

I am counting down the days...

...to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I can hardly wait!!! It comes out here in Australia on May 22, just a few days away. The trailor looks absolutely fabulous and I am thrilled that part of the movie was filmed at Iguassu Falls in Argentina. In preparation for the next installment of Indiana Jones, I have just watched all the other three movies back to back. Now I am ready - bring it on!!

Photography lessons

Here I am giving photography lessons to little Sebastian. He turned out to be a most attentive and quick learning student!! Now he just needs to do weight training so he can lift the camera himself...
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A great photo of Sam and Matthew...

...taken at Rhodes Memorial. Thanks Jo!
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Cute little Oliver

Jessie, my cousin in London, sent over this wonderful photo of Oliver. Isn't he adorable!! According to Jessie in her email, "Oliver has been keeping us very busy causing carnage now he is walking." A small price to pay, I say, for such a cute package!

Sebastian at the North Sydney Market

Nicola and John visit us in Sydney...

...much to our delight!! We went to Watson's Bay for fish and chips. It was fantastic to see them again and catch up. Nicola and John are recently engaged. So wonderful to see a couple so much in love.
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Happy 5th birthday to G-Trove!

Would you believe it! Its exactly 5 years since our first blog post on G-Trove. 1050 posts later and we are still going strong. Our blog has brought us much fun over the years and I know the family has greatly enjoyed it too. It's also awoken my passion for photography. It's a wonderful treasure trove of memories for us to cherish in future years. So please join us in wishing G-Trove a happy 5th birthday...

Rome

Ally and I have just finished the 12 episodes of the TV series, Rome. And it's been a joy. This is without doubt the best historical (and possibly best ever) TV series I have ever seen. The sets are extraordinary and very realistic (in fact, "Rome" comprises the largest set ever made), the acting is superb (most of the actors are British) and the plot (although historically accurate) totally sucks you in. Of course, the fact that there is plenty of gratuitous nudity and sex doesn't hurt either!!!

All in all, this is a great series and I can't wait to see season 2.

Fish barbeque

The Notebook

A big thank you to Jo for recommending"The Notebook" so highly the other night. It was thanks to her that I diregarded my usual bias against "chick flicks" and I am so glad I did. Not since I can remember have I cried so much in a movie. It is a glorious, unashamed tear jerker. And it simply enthralled me from start to finish. The scene of the two lovers rowing amongst the white geese (and what comes directly after) will rate as one of my favourite movie moments . So thanks Jo. And to anyone who hasn't seen it, do yourself a favour and rent it right away! But make sure you have Kleenex to hand...

And while I am recommending movies, I went to see "Ironman" tonight after seeing its unusually high score on IMDB ( a surefire indication of a great movie).  And I absolutely loved it too. Robert Downey Jr. is a comic genius and unexpectedly makes the perfect super hero. I highly recommend it too.

Ally's epic hike

Yesterday Ally hiked along the entire coastline of the Royal National Park - an unbelievable 30 km's in one day!!

She did it with here friend, Katarin, and needless to say, both were very stiff (but elated) by the end of it. Apparently its a beautiful hike reminiscent of the stunning Otter Trail in South Africa.

What was I doing while this epic heroism was accomlished? Pottering around the park taking some photos and doing some birding... Very relaxing in comparison it was!

I am very keen to do the hike with Ally one of these days - but I think (and Ally agrees!) we'll spread it over two days next time.

Pottering at the Sydney Fish Market