April 2015

April for Helen and I has been dominated by our 2 week trip to Australia.

The trip had two purposes; to meet up with some dear friends from Adelaide….some of whom we have not seen for 35 years and to show Helen a bit of Tasmania to see if it was a prospective future home for us. We essentially stayed a week in each location.

We centred our flights on Melbourne and had an overnight flight from Singapore to Melbourne followed by a early morning flight to Adelaide. We had the dubious honour of having Qantas cuisine, which started OK, but I swear breakfast consisted of a desert-dried, dead goanna that was sliced up for the patrons to enjoy, or not.

We were met at Adelaide airport by Len and stayed for several nights in Len and Heather’s large caravan parked in their front yard at Brighton.  Helen and I enjoyed brisk walks along the beach in a rather chilly Adelaide. We met up with some of the others for a dinner at a local Thai restaurant. The following day went to McLaren Vale for some wine-tasting. 

Next we set off for the Barossa Valley, which was to be the venue for the 21-person re-union. The venue was the camping ground at Nuriootpa. Helen and I shared a cabin with Gary and Di from New Zealand. We liked that arrangement. On the way to the accommodation we stopped for lunch at Maggie Beer's restaurant and shop. Maggie is renown for her combinations of tastes and good honest home cooking.

It was good to walk in the crisp morning and hear the magpies and kookaburras.  Later we talked on the lawn, sipped wine and reminisced with the aid of some old photo albums. They were good years and these folks were such stalwart friends then and have remained so. We enjoyed a barbecue on the premises (and a yellow card) and a meal at the local pub with a trip to the local produce market and some lawn bowls in between. Most of us were introduced to a Swedish lawn game that I think was invented by rug-rats throwing their blocks at each other. 

On the final day we set off to see Len and Heather's shack on the Murray River. All too soon we were saying goodbyes to most of the group and after another night at Brighton we set off to Melbourne and from there across Bass Strait to Devonport.

Ron and Georgie met us there and we were soon settled in their hilltop house.  We later journeyed to nearby Burnie to taste local whiskey and to see some crafts and to taste some cheese. The local industry had been founded on wood products and paper making was an art form.

The weather was nice and fine on our arrival and the following day we planned to walk around Cradle Mountain. The day however dawned rather cloudy and rain threatened for most of the day. We were not able to see the craggy peaks but did enjoy nearly 10km of walking around the area. The walkways are very well maintained and quite a bit of the pathways are on boardwalks. We saw half a dozen wombats and one at close quarters. When our personal petrol ran low we headed back home…well satisfied with the days exercise.

The next item on the agenda was Tasmania’s second city…Launceston. It is about an hours drive from Spreyton where we were staying but we paused for a delightful breakfast on the way at a Berry orchard. The weather was fine and we explored Cataract Gorge on the outskirts of the city. The trees were dressed in their autumn clothes but the peacocks that are usually photograph magnets were in their dowdy costumes. We did a bit of shopping and visited the art gallery and saw the works of some of the early local painters….several of whom had convict connections. Helen and I both liked Launceston with its colonial architecture and somewhat alternate shops. 

On the way back to base we stopped at Deloraine to see a quilting display. Sister Alison would have been in quilting heaven. I was more interested in the memorial to a local racehorse nearby. The horse was Malua who won the 1884 Melbourne Cup over 3200m. He also won races over 1000m and later in his career the national Hurdles over 4500m. He was certainly a versatile performer. The same town currently hosted ’The Cleaner’ an honest, homegrown runner in the Melbourne Cup Carnival of 2014. The horse like other travellers catches the ferry across to Melbourne from Devonport.

The next feature of our stay was to see some of Hobart. We drove down the central part of the island stopping at Pine Lake to see the Pencil Pines and the Lake. The air was chilly but the scenery was spectacular. 

Many of the towns and geographical features in Tasmania have British origins. Helen is from the Scottish town of Bothwell  and was interested to see the local version of the same name. It was a town of a small population with historic buildings dotted around. They were clearly proud of their Scottish heritage because different tartans backed all of the street signs.

 We stayed in Hobart for two nights. Helen and I were in adjacent rooms to Ron and Georgie in the Best Western Hotel. We had a few issues with objects missing and an unhelpful night manager but all was quickly resolved when the overall manager took over the problem. We dined at the Rockwall where the food was excellent and the service was exemplary but loud and giggly guests on adjacent tables sullied the ambience. 

The main mission next morning was the MONA art gallery. This was indeed an experience. Booking…included a 20minute ferry ride where the art experience started. Even the seats were unconventional. On arrival there were around 90 steps to the gallery entrance. The art started even before the entrance with a concrete truck done in reinforcing steel. The entrance itself had angled metal mirrors that took on different patterns wherever you stood. Once inside the old quarry you descend to the bottom and work your way up aided by commentaries and information on Ipods. The collection is that of one man who pursues what he likes rather than big names. His collection is eclectic and off the wall but there are a number of exhibits that do what they should….make a statement or make you think. They were a number I did not like but some I thought were brilliant. There was a sort of elephant in the room with a display of cunts….their words not mine…although I have used the term on individuals. This display consisted of plaster casts of womens genitalia…they must have been close to 100 in a corridor.  Elsewhere I particularly liked a ‘fat car’ which consisted of a real Porsche that was overlaid by fibre glass. It reminded me of fat cats driving fast cars. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to all visitors to Hobart.

The cruise to MONA went along the Derwent River, famous for the final leg of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race. Also famous for an accident in 1975 when a bulk ore carrier, the Lake Illawarra hit several legs of the Tasman Bridge and brought down 100 metres of roadway. 12 people were killed and some halted their cars with the front wheels overhanging the drop. 7 of the dead were in the ship which sank soon after with bridge debris on top of it. Both the debris and the ship still lie beneath the bridge that took almost 3 years to repair. The zinc refinery...where the ship was heading..... is still on the banks of the river not far from MONA

In the afternoon we drove 30 minutes out of town to visit Kathy and Lew. Kathy was part of the Adelaide group and had insisted for a number of years that we visit their house that was adjacent to the beach. What a delightful place it was….a large house on a large chunk of land. Lew’s brothers lived in similar properties either side which was a result of their Dad splitting the family farm. They were close to a delightful bay that contained an almost  private beach. Dora the family Corgi was a real character. With a cute face and a bustling demeanour she was addicted to chasing tennis balls and implored and hinted to potential throwers. Lew said they had everything they wanted locally and hardly left the property…..I would do the same in such a haven.

We dined that night on the waterfront at a seafood restaurant called Mures. Ron thumbing his nose at the restaurant speciality had a steak. The food was excellent but the service was patchy.

The next day it was time to drive back home but not until we explored the famous Salamanca street market. Many rural Australian towns have market days in the weekends. Some have local produce while other have alternate lifestyle products and some have tourist junk. The Salamanca market had all of these. It was well supported and had a range of products and accessories. Helen’s purchases flirted with a fine for an overweight bag.

Our route back home took us through two towns of note. Oatland where there was a functioning windmill used for grinding flour and Ross where the was a bridge built by convict labour and somewhat ornately carved. There was a stone church on a hill and a war memorial nearby.

The following day, Sunday….. saw Georgie’s book group meet for lunch and discussions at the house. The venue had been altered so the members could meet us and Helen joined the discussion on the book. It was a nice social gathering with many interesting folk all with a tale to tell.

Before the afternoon events eventuated Ron introduced us to the land of turbo chooks and turds doing butterfly stoke when he took Helen and I to the arboretum where they help out and take the odd photograph of the wildlife. The turbo chooks are Tasmanian Native-hens and run fiercely for 10-20 yards when threatened while the floating turds are the endemic platypus fraternity. It was rare to see one doing the butterfly stroke and not chugging nonchalantly through the duck weed. Elsewhere the autumn colours gave the landscape and nature shots some added impact.

Ron and Georgie regularly feed a population of Fairy-wrens. The males at this time of the year were not in their breeding livery with more splashes of blue but were cute and a challenge with a 300mm lens. Their tails were still quite blue and their audacious manner was appealing. Some were prepared to mug the bearer of food coming their way.

We flew home via Melbourne and Singapore and arrived home to a very happy dog who had been looked after by friends.
It was good being back in Singapore albeit for a short time. It is such a contrast to Malaysia and quite a while since we had been to Orchard Road

March 2015

March has been a very busy month for us. Helen certainly has a full program with teaching, keeping fit and social activities with friends. The photographic taskmasters and my two students have kept me busy with a trip to Fraser’s Hill and to Langkawi with Helen and several friends and their wives (this will be in a separate blog). 

Dani will soon be in the run down the straight in her degree. She is busy also training for the London Marathon and has run a couple of good half marathons as part of her training.

Recently Dani's notoriety caught up with her. An author in Singapore is writing a book about peoples favourite trees in the republic. He wanted to track Dani down to interview her about her efforts to save the Banyan tree in the grounds of Tanglin school.

http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2008/07/student-protest-earns-reprieve-for.html#.VRpf5pOUfPE

Note; A portion of the tree was saved and planted elsewhere in the school at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars.

Nikki continues her work and play in Okinawa.

We had some improved performances in the pub quiz recently with a first, second and third in the last three weeks. We have also shared in the Jackpot twice and now have a healthy kitty as a consequence.

I went on my annual trip to Fraser’s Hill at the beginning of the month. This cool, hilltop haven for birds and other wildlife has been decaying somewhat over recent years and I was pleased to see a nature photographer and his wife have taken over one of the large houses and converted it into a B and B. I stayed with them and really enjoyed it. The meals were excellent and there was some cooperation with the wildlife in the vicinity. A crew from the BBC was there one night filming spiders and snakes.

On other photographic fronts it seemed like a month of midwifery. At Penanti two pairs of Kingfishers fledged a bunch of chicks between them. This species of Kingfisher are quite common in Malaysia and Singapore but they are not easy to approach. I have had one friendly pair who have given me great shooting opportunities in the last 4 seasons. They have merited a blog dedicated to them.  http://malaysianwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2015/03/my-favourite-couple-pair-of-white.html

 Elsewhere I followed the growth of a Coppersmith Barbet chick. The parents regularly stuffed it with berries and carried away copious amounts of poo. A dead chick was also removed well away from the nest to avoid detection by predators. The nesting hole was in an old tree about 10minutes from home behind the Gleneagles Hospital. I have also written a separate blog on this project.  http://malaysianwildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2015/03/coppersmith-barbets-raising-young.html

I had another trip during the month, which lasted one day. We had to renew papers for the MM2H visa we are on and this involved going to KL for the day. I caught an early plane and returned around 5 pm. It was an uneventful trip other than a taxi driver who had as many connected neurons as the average frog butt has feathers. My only souvenir of the day was a picture of a chopper motorcycle donated to Malaysia by the American family who make custom choppers on TV.

Internationally the main impactful event for March was the passing of Lee Kuan Yew. He may have been unbending on certain issues but his clear vision and able assistants lead to a spectacular rise for a tiny island state that has no natural resources and no farms. It is particularly interesting being able to see how Singapore and Malaysia have tackled similar problems since their split almost 50 years ago. Helen and I have experienced both countries collectively for almost half of their struggle and development period following British rule. Whatever your viewpoint our family has been influenced by the modern state of Singapore  and indirectly by its founding father. I know he was directly involved in getting IMCB started.

I followed the Cricket World Cup with interest. It was available on local TV for a rather exorbitant fee so I contented myself watching the semi-finals ate the Irish pub at Straits Quay. It was a pity the final was not in NZ as that would have levelled the playing field somewhat. The Black Caps certainly acquitted themselves with honour before and during the final.

As mentioned we enjoyed some time at the Berjaya resort on Langkawi Island. We had a choice of a water proximity chalet or one in the forest. We chose the latter and were entertained by the passing wildlife.

Finally I was happy to receive notification earlier in the week that three of my images had been shortlisted for the BBC Wildlife Photography competition. I submitted 30 and there must have been tens of thousands to sort out. This is done by a number of judges and the listed jury will sort it from here. You always hope but it is a numbers game. Two of the images were taken in Queensland last year and third one is my Bee-eaters. Who would have thought I would be represented by a bird with a ballpoint pen.