Just like the birds, cruising yachts have their migration seasons and May is a pretty big one covering all points of the compass globally. There are yachts passaging NORTH from NZ and Australia to the South Pacific; SOUTH from North Europe to the Mediterranean; EAST from the Caribbean to Europe; and WEST from Panama through the Pacific ocean islands.
Halfway across the Pacific, we make our landfall in the Marquesas – May 2021.
Our track across the Pacific from Panama to Cairns. (click to enlarge)
You may recall from our Pacific crossing posts, that we asked Bob McDavitt from New Zealand to do our weather routing over this vast stretch of ocean. We receive Bob’s weekly “Weathergram” on Sunday nights, and the 14th May edition had an interesting article which he calls “The Autumn Flush”, or the annual migration of yachts from NZ to Fiji. To quote Bob, he explains this as follows:
When a cold showery southerly outbreak rattles the windows in Auckland and Northland in May, tons of yachts take that as their signal and head off for the tropics.
There has been a blocking High east of NZ.
Then along comes a kicker of a Low.
The SW flow and incoming High that follow is “just right” for sailing from NZ to the tropics.
The New Zealand weather clusters the yachts together and this makes an interesting spectacle on the marine traffic maps:
Yachts (pink) heading from NZ to the tropics – their AIS positions picked up on Marine Traffic.
There is also the rush of yachts from the East, lighting up the entire South Pacific.
Yachts in pink, from Panama to French Polynesia and from NZ to Fiji
It may be only 5% or so of the traffic on the planet, but these pink yachts do stand out.
We were planning to sail to Fiji in early May, but we will not be joining all these pink yachts on the tracking pages, because my final prostate cancer PET scan will only be done on the 21st June 2023, hopefully confirming the end of the cancer. On a more mundane level:
In Australia, when you reach the age of 75, you have to get an annual “Fitness to Drive” assessment by your doctor to determine your medical fitness and competency to drive a vehicle. I had this done before the deadline on the 1st May and was told that a drivers test will be required every five years after the age of 80. I can’t believe this stage of my life has arrived! Fortunately, my sailing activities aren’t subject to these sensible requirements!
Sydney Modern: Insignificant entrance lacks a sense of arrival.
We have had more visitors: My new brother in law, Eugene and his partner Adelaide came down from Newcastle for our date to experience the new “Sydney Modern”. This new $366 million extension of the NSW Art Gallery was recently completed next to the 1909 gallery and has met with mixed reviews. We also felt ambivalent about the new gallery.
Vast areas with floor to ceiling glazing.
The most obvious feature of Sydney Modern is its failure to address the local climate and sustainability. On the north, east and west, the floor-to-ceiling glazing is unprotected. Sydney, experiences hot humid summers and intense sunlight. This will result in huge air conditioning running costs and won’t remotely qualify the building for a Green Star rating.
Spaces and more spaces – where does the paintings go?
The shortcomings of Sydney Modern are obvious: it lacks a sense of arrival, is far too big, once inside, the open space is too high and lacks definition, the space for paintings is inadequate, An unexpected bonus is a new recognition of how accomplished and technically refined Vernon’s 1909 building for the Art Gallery of New South Wales is by comparison. Its precise classical details and the stone craftsmanship are wonderful in the light of Sydney Modern’s failures.
Adelaide, Annie and Eugene in the entrance lobby of the 1909 gallery.
Reini and Lynne Adelbert from Cape Town visited their two sons and two grandchildren in Sydney and we caught up with them during their visit. We attended two music events with them: The first, a 75th birthday bash at the State Theatre of Leo Sayer and Joe Camilleri, courtesy of our friend Jim Petrie.
The poster for the Leo & Joe concert.
Annie, Reini, Lynne and Dirk at the grand old state theatre.
The second was dinner and a concert at the Dee Why RSL with Ron and Michelle Watson featuring the music of the Commitments. As is usual for the RSL, a fun night for all.
The Commitments in full flight.
In the meantime, the upgrading of sails, canvas covers and electronic systems on Esprit was completed. We had a diver clean the hull, keel and rudder and then took all the superfluous equipment, not necessary for coastal cruising, off the boat and sold it, raising $16,000 for the upgrades. It also decreased the waterline of Esprit by about a 100mm and weight by 700kg!
Our 65 nm sail south to the Jeanneau Rendezvous in Shellharbour in mid May was cancelled due to bad weather, but we are now poised to sail north to Port Stephens, when a suitable weather window presents itself.
Towards the end of May we attended a presentation by Lisa Blair at the Hunters Hill Sailing Club. She is the determined and tough Aussie sailor who got dismasted a 1,000 nm south of Cape Town on her first attempt to circumnavigate Antarctica. Undeterred, she rebuilt her 50 ft sloop, “Climate Action Now” and made a second attempt last year. She set a new record for a solo nonstop circumnavigation of Antarctica. Her moniker “The Ice Lady” is fitting.
Circumnavigators, Annie and Lisa.
I must admit, our preference is for sailing in warmer climes around the equator. Right now, at the end of May, we have clear skies with unseasonal cold weather at night and below average daytime temperatures. On that chilly note, and while waiting for the winter solstice in June, we say cheers for now.
Our last post in January brought you up to date with the knee replacement I had on the 12th January. I’m happy to report that the op was a success and that I regained full mobility within a month. There were a couple of days of discomfort when I pushed it too hard with gardening and walking, but these days are now history.
Having recently had Esprit’s sails and canvas work replaced after six years at sea, we had to bite the bullet and upgrade all the electronics which were starting to malfunction. Chad of Oceanphase Electrical installed a new B&G Vulcan GPS/Chart plotter, new B&G autopilot computer, new B&G ultrasonic wind-sensor/anemometer on the mast, re-wired the navigation lights, new LED’s for the two compasses, etc.etc. Boats, like cars need maintenance!
Annie and Gretha bushwalking in the Warriewood wetlands.
We have had a few visitors: Gretha Jacobs, a university classmate of Annie’s, visited from Cape Town enroute to Albury, where her son Sean is practising as a psychiatrist. Annie’s sister Penny, brother Johan and their partners from NZ arrived at the end of March for Karen and Evan’s wedding on the 1st April.
Penny, Annie and Johan.
The wedding in Newcastle, two hours north of Sydney, was a laid back, late morning event at Tramway Reserve overlooking the sea. Parents and siblings plus grandma, twelve in number, attended in sunshine and good spirits. Michelle recited her poem for the couple, wedding rings were exchanged, the certificate signed and the celebrant pronounced them husband and wife. Eugene’s 20 year old Toyota Camry served as the wedding limousine.
The Schady-Mullers ready for the wedding.
Here comes the bride
Michelle reciting her poem for the couple.
Exchanging rings.
Happy days!
The wedding party.
After the event, we walked down to Scottie’s for lunch. Various dishes were served from a set menu, while the champagne, beer and wine flowed. At 3pm the couple departed in their limo.
Sisters, Karen and Michelle.
The wedding limo.
The long lunch resulted in a Nanna nap before we all set off at 5pm to the SMAC art studio in Tighes Hill for a reception for 120 of their mates. Their friends, SODA band, provided music with a few speeches during breaks. OzHarvest provided the food. I requested a Lobola (dowry) of 10 goats for Karen, from the father of the groom. I was presented with a photo of the goats and assured that the goats were in good health at their Anna Bay property.
Unaccustomed to public speaking …..
Appraising the condition of my goats.
The band played until midnight, after which James Burman, an old sailing friend of Karen’s, got going as DJ until 5am. I lasted until 2am, giving my new knee a good workout on the dance floor, Annie got to our Airbnb at 3am and Michelle drifted in at 4:30am. A good time was had by all.
Soda doing their thing.
Eugene, Evan’s dad hosted a big breakfast for all comers on Sunday morning, at his house in nearby Mayfield. The 30 or so guests repaid his hospitality, by all going down to SMAC studio to clean up the venue, which was done and dusted by 12pm. We arrived back in Sydney at 3pm for a lazy afternoon and some restorative sundowners.
Annie, Frank and Penny above Towlers Bay.
Penny and Frank spent two weeks in Sydney, during which time we did some walks along the coast and also went sailing for three days on the Pittwater. Jim and Gail Petrie from Cape Town visited Sydney after a long absence. They had a busy time reconnecting with friends and attending concerts. We caught up with a dinner and also went sailing, reminding us of the good times we had on the water, when we shared Backbeat for eight years.
Penny and Annie at Barrenjoey lighthouse.
April was also a month of other milestones: My 76th birthday came around and Annie and I celebrated 36 years of marriage and other adventures. So far, so good, as we plan to share a few more adventures in the coming years. To quote Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ song “Rebels”: “With one foot in the grave”, (not quite yet), “and one foot on the pedal” (for sure!)
Michelle, Ron and Annie – the waterfall walk.
During the last six years, we have met many sailors from different countries. From couples like ourselves, to single handers and parents with young children. We are still in touch with many of these friends and follow their progress as they sail from continent to continent. One person in particular, who we met in Brisbane on our return journey to Sydney in October 2021, is Kayo the Japanese Australian architect who started sailing at 40. She bought a 34 ft monohull and sailed single handedly from Brisbane to Japan and back to visit her family.
Kayo on Nausikaa in Brisbane – October 2021.
Shortly after we left Brisbane, she sailed to Darwin and then crossed the Indian ocean to Cape Town, before crossing the Atlantic ocean to the Caribbean, all single handedly. We got word from her in late April, that she has transited the Panama canal and is now ready to cross the Pacific ocean, back to Australia at the age of 59. Well done Kayo and godspeed!
On the same day, we learnt that the 40 year old South African sailor Kirsten Neuschafer, finished first in the 2022/23 Golden Globe solo nonstop around the world race, sailing south of the three capes, Cape Leeuwin, Cape Agulhas and Cape Horn. This challenging race is without modern technology, with similar equipment that was carried on board Robin Knox-Johnston’s 1968/9 race winning 36 ft yacht Suhali. In the 2022/23 race the boats had to be a maximum length of 36 feet and designed before 1988. Of the 14 starters, only 4 are expected to finish the race.
Kirsten at the finish.
Add to these two exceptional women, the Australian Ice Maiden, Lisa Blair, who in 2022/23 became the first person to sail around Antarctica solo and nonstop, and you meet the new generation of female sailors following in the wakes of legendary women who went before.
Lisa Blair promoting awareness of Climate Action.
GO GIRLS!
That’s our news and pics for now. We’ll do another post when there is more news and pics.
We flew in to Auckland on the 18th December 2022 for a busy three weeks, visiting friends and family. Annie’s brother Johan (Joe in New Zillund), kindly picked us up from the airport to spend the first week with him and his partner Mary Griffiths in Brown’s Bay.
A beautiful trompe l’oeil * on an old building to illustrate the meaning of “Aotearoa”.
The Maori name for NZ, “Aotearoa” means “land of the long white cloud”. This refers to the cloud formations which helped early Polynesian navigators find the country.
(*trompe l’oeil = visual illusion in art, as used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object.)
Brown’s Bay coastal walk with Mike, Lynette, Joe and Annie.
Mary and Joe had hikes, scenic trips and social events lined up for us, which I enjoyed in as much as my buggered left knee would allow me to. Apart from walks along Long Beach, Brown’s Bay and the city, there were a flurry of social events at various friends for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Magnificent trees in Long Bay regional reserve.
Street in Ponsonby with Christmas decorations on all the Victorian houses.
Visiting one of Frank Tonetti’s container housing projects.
Christmas Eve dinner at Alec and Vick’s.
The Tonetti siblings, Julia, front and Paulo, back with their partners James and Shahlaa.
Christmas lunch at Joe and Mary – Shahlaa, Sage and Lisa left, with Marco Tonetti right.
Morning tea: Annie and Kathleen, Jim Petrie’s sister.
After Christmas, Annie and I drove down to Tauranga, about 3 hours south east of Auckland on the Bay of Plenty. My brother Vanna and his wife Annemarie’s two children, Anneri and Stevan live in NZ with their spouses and children. Vanna and Annemarie are presently visiting their offspring after 3-years of Covid travel restrictions. The mob is in good shape and thriving.
The Muller/Fourie clan in Tauranga.
Annie, Dirk, Vanna & Annemarie.
Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland harbour.
During our circumnavigation we have met many Kiwi’s. Sailing like rugby, is an obsession for Kiwi’s, which is borne out by the thousands of yachts in Auckland harbour. We had a long lunch catching up with Mike and Sarah and Topher and Michelle at Mahurangi West on the Pukapuka inlet, about an hour north of Auckland. They will shortly return to the Med to get back onto their boats, but other Kiwi friends, Jonny and Tina left a week before, to join their boat at Ushuaia, the southern tip of Argentina, to round Cape Horn into the Pacific.
View from Mike and Sarah’s house in Mahurangi West.
Topher, Michelle, Sarah, Mike and Annie
The following day, Bruce and Caroline Cowan, took us out on their Farr 40 for a delightful sail on the Pukapuka inlet and to visit these islands.
Sailing on Bruce’s Farr 40.
Walking on one of the islands in Pukapuka.
After a New Year’s Eve dinner party at Penny and Frank in Stanley Point and then watching the fireworks across the harbour in the city, we woke up to a beautiful New Year and Annie’s 68th birthday. We felt energised enough to walk along the harbour front to the Stanley Point Naval Base and back.
New Years Eve dinner at Penny and Frank.
Auckland Sky Tower early evening – my photos of the fireworks were not successful!
We travelled south to Whiritoa after the new year to relax at Penny and Frank’s holiday cottage on the East coast of the Coromandel and north of Tauranga. Continuous rain forced us to relax for three days before visiting Philip and Lindsay on their farm at Katikati and later drive north to Whangamata on the coast.
Penny and Frank’s holiday cottage.
On Monday the 9th January, Joe dropped us off at the airport on our way back from Whiritoa and we had an uneventful flight back to Sydney where Michelle and Kristian picked us up at the airport. They had spent more than a week on Esprit, exploring the Cowan Waters and Hawkesbury River, after visiting Kristian’s family and diving off Stradbroke Island in Queensland.
Michelle and Kristian diving at Stradbroke Island.
We caught up with their news before they flew back to Singapore and Fiji respectively, to start back at work. On Thursday the 12th Annie dropped me at Westmead Private Hospital for a total knee replacement on my left leg at about 4:30 pm.
The cut looks interesting.
The TKR technology has improved remarkably since the right knee was replaced 18 years ago. I was able to get up the next morning with moderate pain and started physiotherapy at 9am, walking with first a frame and then crutches. By Saturday morning, I was walking unassisted and the surgeon and the physio agreed for me to go home after 36 hours.
Impressive bruising from the tourniquet.
It is much easier recuperating from home with less interruptions. Matt Jones the surgeon, will check the result and x-rays and take the sutures out after 14 days. Hopefully, that will be the end of this adventure.
Our previous post of September/October probably didn’t reach you by email, as we were busy migrating our website from a UK host to an Australian host. That post is on our main page, if you want to catch up with our earlier news.
Walk along Mona Vale beach.
November and December will go down as my left knee month. After surviving 75 years of use and abuse playing squash, climbing, walking, sailing and tearing ligaments in the process, it finally gave notice. Slowly but surely, walking to the local shops, gardening and house chores became very painful.
Drinks at RMYC: Ron, Annie & Michelle.
Karen suggested I have X-rays taken and as she is not allowed to treat her family, referred me to her colleague, Matthew Jones at Westmead Hospital. A MRI scan confirmed loose fragments, very little cartilage and arthritis. He said an arthroscopy would be pointless and suggested a total knee replacement asap.
Walk at the Mona Vale golf course next to the beach.
The “Conformis” customised knee implant is being manufactured in the US as we speak and the knee replacement is scheduled for the 12 th January 2023. In the meantime, anti-inflammatories helps a bit. Quite a busy medical year!
Some of the ladies at Sunday sundowners in our complex.
Word from Fiji is that Michelle has settled into her new apartment and bought a small Suzuki 4WD, with which she is bashing the bundu. She is enjoying her new job and apart from Fiji, is also serving eight other Pacific nations in her role. Kristian her beau, visits frequently from his base in Singapore.
Michelle’s apartment in Fiji.
Exploring off the beaten track.
River and pool 20 minutes from her apartment.
Kristian & Michelle in Fiji.
Karen and fiancé Evan announced their wedding for the 1st April 2023. Apart from seven family members from each side, the rest of their guests are friends and colleagues. They have decided on a low key affair in a Newcastle art studio with catering by a food truck from OzHarvest, a charity that collects food for homeless people. The proceeds go towards providing meals for the homeless. Cocktails and desserts, will also be provided by food trucks for the event.
Evan & Karen.
OzHarvest food truck.
During the month of November, I had a vaccination against shingles and another against pneumonia, provided free of charge for old farts like me, by the NSW Government Health Department. Annie’s garden in the meantime, has gone from strength to strength. We are eating lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes from her garden every evening at dinner.
Annie and her garden.
Ron & Michelle in the classic MG Ron has meticulously restored.
We will be flying to New Zealand on the 18 th of December to visit family and friends and will be back in Sydney on the 9 th January 2023. So, here’s wishing you a merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Cheers for now.
With the warmer weather, the snakes are coming out of the wetlands to sun themselves. Walking with Karen and Annie on Sunday morning, we took a wide berth around a 2 m venomous red bellied black snake and 50 m further, found a sleepy python enjoying the sun next to the path.
Hello Red Belly!
Lazy Python.
A day after the ascension of King Charles III, Australian larrikins were at it again – I received an email with a new version of our $5 note, which until now, featured the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Aussie $5 note
Our new fiver?
On the 21st September we celebrated with Evan, Karen’s 34th birthday at their flat in Redfern with Michelle, who had just returned from her hikes through the Redwood forests of California.
Karen’s birthday.
Michelle and giant redwood trees.
Path cut through a Redwood tree trunk.
Sailing on San Francisco harbour.
Around the same time, the new 6.25kW solar panel array was installed on the roofs of our townhouse and garage. The contractors were fast, as their teams completed the solar panel installations on four townhouses in our complex in one day. Some more townhouses followed in the following week, proving that our initiative to change the bylaws to allow solar panel systems was timeous.
Up goes the solar panels.
The Manly Jazz Festival was on again this year and the weather gave us a welcome break on the 25th September to enjoy the bands on five stages in the streets of Manly. There were also roving groups playing music.
Manly Jazz.
Young musicians.
Roving quartet.
After a test drive of the new BYD Atto 3 electric vehicle, we took delivery of our new car on the 4th October. The car drives well and we are charging the battery with our new solar panel system during the days we don’t need to drive. The range is about 420 km on a full charge, but so far, we haven’t used more than 8% of the charge in a week. We have yet to try the fast DC public chargers which can charge our 60.5kWh battery from 20 to 80% in 45 min.
BYD Atto 3
BYD EV with its energy source on the roof behind.
The next day Annie took Michelle to the airport for her next assignment, this time for UNICEF in Fiji, for the next year. On the way back, she dropped off Karen’s car in Redfern and came home by bus. In the meantime I re-arrangedall the sh*t in the garage to fit in the mid sized Atto 3, SUV electric vehicle.
Michelle off to Fiji.
Celebrating Fiji day with traditional Kava, after her arrival.
The following week was a busy one for us retirees – how exciting! Monday 10th, started with my appointment at Royal North Shore Hospital, Nuclear Medicine department to review my progress four months after completing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The oncologist was satisfied with my Prostate Specific Antigen test which had come down from a value of 5.8 to 1.3 and expects a final PET scan in June 2023 to confirm the all clear.
On the Wednesday, we celebrated this result by buying a new 40” smart TV to replace our ancient 34” analog TV which our friends were laughing at. It is a bit of largesse, as we never watched TV for six years and now we only watch the 6pm news to check the weather forecast at the end of the news broadcast. We are readers and thoroughly utilise the local Mona Vale library.
Thursday evening Annie and I gave an audio visual presentation at RMYC about circumnavigating the world in their safety series. We spoke about weather and route planning, navigation, safety measures, maintenance and breakdowns on extended voyages, illustrated with maps and photos from around the world. The 45 minute presentation was well received and resulted in 45 minutes worth of questions.
Esprit’s route.
The following night we attended a show by the American stand up comedian Arj Barker, who our girls introduced us to about 10 years ago. Barker has enjoyed success in Australia for a number of years since first appearing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2000, and presently resides there. He really understands the Australian idiosyncrasies and is a laugh a minute.
Arj Barker.
The sailing season opening day at Royal Motor Yacht Club was on Saturday 15th October, with all the pageantry and a sail past which is synonymous with its royal status. It was good to catch up with old friends and enjoy champagne and canapés at 10 in the morning, resulting in a Nana nap in the arvo.
Sailing season opening day at RMYC.
Afterthree weeks of charging our Electric Vehicle from our solar panels at home, for driving around Sydney, we did our first longer trip to the country at the end of October. We had to drive to East Maitland near Newcastle, to do a pre-settlement inspection on an investment property we bought. This was a good opportunity to check the distance we could travel on a fully charged battery. The owners manual indicated a potential range of 420 km.
Charging the EV from our solar panels.
Starting at 95% charge and driving at 110 km/h, we covered 320 km on the return trip. We arrived home with a 10% charge (43 km), indicated on the onboard computer. We are happy with this, as the over the air software updates received via the car’s internet modem, stated that the first long trip would determine driving style and various parameters for the longer term.
On this new tech for old brains note, we say cheers until next time!
In a previous post, I showed the banana trees that were taking over the back yard garden. Having trimmed the trees, we soon realised that this mini banana plantation was going to give us grief in future, due to it’s invasive root system spreading out under the paving. I bought a reciprocating saw with a 300mm pruning blade and cut the trees down, to be confronted with the stumps and roots, which I attacked with a new axe. After four days of swinging the axe and swearing at the stumps, Johno the tree feller came to my rescue with his stump grinder. Annie eyed the open patch.
Installing the treated 200 x 50 mm sleepers.
She had her heart set on a veggie and herb garden, so on August 2, I went to Bunnings in Belrose with my Ryobi reciprocating saw to cut 4 x 3.0 m long timber sleepers into shorter lengths for this garden. Bunnings don’t offer a cutting service for wet timber, so after cutting the 200 x 50 mm sleepers, I loaded the timber into Karen’s 13 year old little Nissan Micra to cart it back to our house.
Ready for the garden soil.
Building the treated timber walls was straight forward, but then treating the lumpy and acidic soil with bags of lime and chalk, carting in three loads of 15 x 50 litre bags of garden soil and compost with the Micra, was hard yakka.
Annie planting her veggies and herbs.
It was a pleasant surprise to bump into an old friend Judith MacDonald at a local bottle shop, so we met for dinner with her and partner Neil, at the local Forest hotel pub. Weshare the dubious reputation of being thrown out of the Dee Why RSL with some other friends, after a raucous and liquid “Black Sorrows” concert, years ago.
Judith, Dirk, Annie and Neil.
We enjoyed a visit from Karen’s fiancé Evan’s dad, Eugene and his partner Adelaide and had a slideshow of our sailing and a BBQ. The next day we did a wetlands walk and showed them around the Pittwater before they took the train back to Newcastle.
Eugene, Adelaide, Dirk and Annie.
News from Michelle came in from Europe: After her Swiss Alps hikes, she went to Portugal and spent a week in Lisbon with friends and attended the Boom Festival.
With her friends at the Boom Festival.
Portugal: finding shade in the heatwave.
Kristian flew over to join her and they travelled along the north coast of Spain, visiting the Guggenheim in Bilbao, before he returned to Singapore.
Bilbao – Guggenheim museum.
Kristian & Michelle in Spain.
This was followed by a five day, 150 km hike through Spain on the Camino de Santiago trail.
Camino de Santiago – which way now?
Back here in Sydney, we have settled down in Warriewood and now focus on getting Esprit, our home of six years back in shape again. There a numerous components on the boat that need maintenance and upgrading before we can sail offshore again. Yesterday I fitted a new toilet pump and fixed the shower pump in the aft head (bathroom). It was quite a job to remove the VHF radio and handsets which B&G will replace for us, after ongoing malfunctions.
Pete Murray at the DY RSL.
In between, we have attended a few music shows, including Pete Murray and his band, drove up to Newcastle for consecutive Saturdays to look at open homes, with the view of purchasing an investment property in the area. On Sunday evenings we have methodically invited our fellow strata owners in batches for sundowners, in order to get to know everyone. Quite a diverse and friendly group of people, who we could get along with well (we hope).
Sydney rainfall 2022
Our weather gurus predict that La Niña will continue! The chance that the current La Niña will last through this year is over 70%. If it happens, this will be only the third time with three La Niña winters in a row on record. Meanwhile the record temperatures and droughts in the UK and Europe continue and Pakistan has had the worst flooding in history. Our Bureau of Meteorology confirmed yesterday that Sydney had its wettest and coldest August since 1859. Don’t tell me climate change is not real!
Burning Man 2019.
At the end of August, Michelle met up again with Kristian in the Black Rock Desert, 160 km north of Reno, Nevada for the annual nine-day Burning Man Festival. This follows a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic shutdown. Its name derives from the week’s main event, where a 12 m tall wooden man atop a 9 m structure is set ablaze. The event includes music, art installations and no money changes hands. Gifting is the rule.
Kristian loading provisions and water for 30 friends at Burning Man into their U-haul.
Paradisium: Constructed of charred trees from the Californian wildfires.
Gaia, a 12 m high metal sculpture.
Continuing a tradition that started in 1986, the annual Nevada event draws tens of thousands to the bike-friendly temporary city. Participants must bring everything they need to survive in the desert, with summer heat often tipping into near-freezing temperatures at night. The principle of inclusion and self-reliance, guide the behaviour of the participants.
Our metal birds.
We have an African Secretary Bird and Guinea Fowl metal sculptures in our front garden. A local Kookaburra (Kingfisher) has taken to sitting on the Secretary Bird’s head. I can’t figure if this is for company, or to show the Secretary Bird who is in charge.
G’day mate.
Australians were saddened by the passing of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, their queen and head of state for 70 years. At her coronation in 1952, I was a grade 1 pupil at Northmead Primary School in South Africa. As a British Commonwealth country, she was head of state of South Africa as well and each pupil received a glass with her picture on it to commemorate the event. After a referendum, South Africa became a republic in 1961.
Since arriving in Australia 26 years ago we became accustomed to her profile on our coins and notes and despite an Australian republic referendum in 1999, our multicultural society admire her so much, to vote to retain the status quo. Charles III will now be king and head of state of Australia.
On this sombre note we sign off this post. Look out for exciting news of our new solar panel installation and delivery of our new electric vehicle.
