21 January 2009

Holiday Adventures on the High Seas











Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne 18/1/09

Out of interest, I recently borrowed a book from the library,titled
'Tall Ships'.
Leafing through the wonderful pages
I discovered a ship that I hadn't heard of before,
thus being a replica of an early 18th century ship
that brought the first settlers to Melbourne, from Tasmania.
Her name was The Enterprize, and I was pleasantly surprised
when I learn't that she is docked here in Williamstown, Melbourne.
Fortunately enough we were able to book a trip on this
fascinating ship, and all within reach of public transport.
I can only describe the experience as being awesome.
There is a wonderful sense of freedom once you leave the mainland behind.
Once her sails are up, she glides through the water peacefully,
rocking from side to side sometimes as the swell comes up which makes it hard
to keep your balance.
As we sailed I thought of what the bay would have looked like
pre settlement .
It would have been a sight to behold for those courageous early settlers
as they made their way into the bay.
Void of the pollution haze, filtering out the
distant Dandenong Ranges. Just coastal shrub and clean beaches lining
the shorelines. Oh well. That's 'progress' as some like to call it.
I have another name for it -
'madness'
or
'greed'.
As you can see from these photos, The Enterprize has been
lovingly crafted from recycled timbers,
and attention has been thought out carefully,
down to the last detail.
Her crew is run by volunteers,
and if you would like to see more about this historic ship
you can visit 'The Enterprize'.






9 January 2009

Summer and the living is easy....


Now that the silly season is over,
it's time to lay back and take it easy , for my family
and I. We had a busy Xmas, given that
the annual family xmas get-together,
was held at our place. Lots of organizing and
cleaning up to do before the
company arrived -
a notable event this year in particular
as my relatives from Holland had come to spend
xmas with us. A European man's view of our great land,
is interesting indeed,
and on entering our house they informed me that
only the rich can afford to
live as we do here in Australia...
with our large houses on large blocks of land.
Me thinks , that sometimes we forget how fortunate we
are to live in such a prosperous and lucky country.
And I am forever thankful that my father was of the
adventurous spirit , otherwise I couldn't call this great
country 'home'.




I've just recently acquired a fine piece of early australian furniture-
from my grandfather (possibly crafted by himself)
who has moved to a retirement home
having just turned 100! I am in awe of his staying power -
having survived the 2nd World War,
and living with a health condition as a result,
he is truly remarkable. These photos depict a still life
on top of the cabinet featuring
native flowers, an old model ship ,
and a book I have been reading -
Captain Cooks
Journal on board the Endeavor -
a fascinating read.
I still think I was born two centuries too late ,tee hee,
as I would have been in my element
recording and observing the native wildlife and fauna
just as Banks and Parkinson did in the 1700's.
Whether you're in Australia in heat of the summer
or somewhere else in the world, take it easy,
and dare I say it...
Happy New Year.