Spung up....

Since my last blog I've left the sublime surroundings of Mornington on the Melbourne Peninsula and made my way to the north and slightly west of the city to stay with some expat buddies in the Caroline Springs area.

My last full day in Mornington was spent walking in the sunshine and enjoying a spot of lunch at The Rocks restaurant down by the harbour.

Nice view....





............pretty average food though. I'm sure it's better than I've experienced through the reviews I've had from others. I ordered a couple of king prawns for starter and they had salad and herbs piled on top of them which made the whole thing very difficult to eat, taste wise it worked but getting it on the fork in the first place was the issue, not very well thought out.

For main course I had some slow cooked pork shoulder. It was nicely cooked and nicely presented but they spiced the pork far too much. For me the point of having pork shoulder is to make sure you get all that full flavour from the extra fat you get in the cut so over spicing it just completely takes all that flavour away and makes it pretty much pointless.

I liked the broth they served with it which came in a separate jar for you to add as you wished however when combined with the pork it made the whole thing tasted like a watery pot noodle. If I was paying pot noodle prices I wouldn't mind but at $34 (£22) I was less impressed.

After that I took a slow wander back in the blissful sunshine and retired to the sofa absolutely shattered but stayed awake long enough to sample one of my hosts home-made pizzas.......delicious !!! Not only tasty but inspiring too........Stone based pizza oven is the next purchase that we'll need to make room in the kitchen for. I'm sure we can squeeze it one the end next to the electric mixer.....and the vacuum packer....and the water bath !!!

So that was Mornington. Thanks to everybody there for making it such an enjoyable time. All the guys on the Stag/Bucks were brilliant Ben, Al, Sarge, Sasha, Malcolm, Jimmy, Rick, Gino, Louis Walsh, James Anderson.....I've missed a few out I know but it was all a bit blurry and I'm rubbish with names at the best of times.

The wedding was beautiful as mentioned many times before but apart from that it was great to meet all the partners of the bucks and the other guests

The Newlyweds, their families and their other friends etc etc etc are just brilliant

So enough of all that cause it's reading a bit like a terrible award acceptance speech. If you're reading this you know who you are :-)

The next day was an early start but it was spent exploring the city of Melbourne and after a spot of brekky I headed over to the mecca that is the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground for those not in the know) and it's just immense. I took a tour so got to see the ins and outs of the entire operation there. The most amazing fact I learn't was that the biggest crowd ever recorded there numbered 130,000 back in 1959 but it wasn't for any sporting event but for a TV evangelist nutcase called Billy Graham.

Even though I had an travelcard which I bought from Frankston station (about the same distance from the city as Oxford is to London) for a mere $11! I must add I walked most of the way to the stadium mainly because I wanted to see how much it imposes itself upon you as you get closer and closer.





All around the ground there are statues erected in honour of famous Australian sporting legends. There are plenty of different sports represented as the ground has been used for far more than just cricket in it's history including Olympic and Commenwealth games and even as a base for U.S. soldiers during WW2.

To be honest I'd only heard of a few of these sporting legends and I was more interested in the cricketers anyway.....






Pace master Dennis Lillie (AKA FOT or F**king Old Tart) at the top and the worlds best ever batsman "The Don" Donald Bradman at the bottom.

If standing outside the stadium and looking at the sheer size of the place is enough to make you giddy then inside is just as impressive.







This picture I particularly like because it reminds me of all those southwards facing smiles from the Aussie batsmen returning to the pavilion during the last Boxing day test... (Englands dismissed used the steps to the right)





The funny looking framework on the pitch is actually a halogen lighting system that aids the natural grass to grow in shaded areas of the pitch. Apparently it was developed by a Dutch guy who used the method to cultivate his tulips.............Yeah right !!! The only tulips that guy had we're firmly attached to his mouth and his bong.

Halfway through the tour we were taken out onto an balcony that gave great views of the Melbourne Park tennis centre where they hold the first of the worlds four major tennis events of the season the Australian Open and also give a wonderful chance to get a good picture of the Melbourne city skyline.







The rest of the tour took us round the changing rooms and other players areas and onto the media area where somehow I just so happened to sit in this seat.





Which was next to this seat.





Then it was into the MCC members club. Our guide was pointing out the dress code needed for the long room and used me as an example saying that I wouldn't be able to enter because I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I replied by saying "Oh good I thought it was just because I was only Englishman on the tour and we have the Ashes"......I couldn't resist.

All in all it was a very worthwhile tour but my favourite thing by far was just one photograph, the only one of it's kind in the world and the only negatives are held by the people in the picture or at least their family in the case of the elder statesman.

In mine and many others opinons the two greatest players that have ever graced the game - Sir Donald Bradman and the little wizard Sachin Tendulkar.





I wanted to get in a trip to the Queen Victoria market as well but as it's not held on a Wednesday that posed a bit of a problem however as luck would have it my buddies up in Caroline Springs suggested a trip the following day when it was open. What a place it is too, it's huge! Fruit and veg all over the place. Bundles of Meat, fish and dairy in the indoor part too with all kinds of other bit which mean't prezzies for my girls.

This was just one small part of it.





I want one of these at home.....I'd buy everything from there....in fact I'd probably live there :-)

It's my final night here in Australia but I'm hopeful I can come back soon with my girls so better start saving.

I wish it was me going to the airport tomorrow to welcome my girls here rather than it them be picking me up at Heathrow at 5:30am on Saturday morning but whatever the situation or location I just cannot wait to see them.

Toodlepip xxx

New week.....

So it's around 10am here in Mornington and for some reason I've got an urge to go for a walk. Not sure where but I need to get some things so probably head up to main street and maybe a chill on the beach as it's a nice day. Well I say it's a nice day but I've not got my lazy bones out of bed yet but I can see sunshine creeping around the window blind so I'm guessing it's a goody.

Since I last blogged I've been up to St Kilda for spot of lunch. St Kilda is known to be the first backpackers stop when they arrive in Melbourne. It's much more of a seaside town than Mornington with an amusement park and pier.





It also has a slightly more cosmopolitan feel to the main street but still it has lots of American influence.





This weekend was the Australian F1 Grand Prix meeting which takes part not far from here and after an airport drop off we had to actually drive right through the area where the racing was taking place and to our surprise there was very little traffic congestion so I'm guessing they really organise the event well. This was about 3 hours before actual race qualifying too so a time when you'd expect the area to be really busy.


Seeing as Melbourne that day was all about cars I thought I might post a picture of the most common type a vehicle that you see here.





OOPs apologies, not the Skyline GTR...that's a picture of the car you'd see here if I lived in St Kilda. I mean't to post this one.....





I actually have this saved on my laptop under the name "RhysBogan" after an Aussie chap I had the honour of playing cricket with last year. I can just see him cruising along the Esplanade (Espy) blasting out tunes with his arm out the window.

After this lunch we travelled back down to Mornington where we had a few drinks and a chinwag with some family friends (not an air guitar in sight). Having been at the same house for the wedding I was again taken aback by it's beauty and mostly....as I would be...by the Kitchen. I could spend hours in there if not cooking then just looking out at this view.





An evening of junk food and unsuccessful but entirely expected cricket followed. I predicted an India vs Sri Lanka final anyway so I'm not overly concerned by England's tired performance....after all it's only one day cricket and not the far superior test match format which of course we are pretty damn good at.

Next day my newly wedded buddy and I were off out to venture upon the high seas in search of netting ourselves a hearty fish supper. I must say it was tremendous fun and I'd do it again in an instant, maybe that's because I actually caught a few fish. Not sure my fruitless fishing partner would agree !!!







Well I thought if your gonna catch fish you've gotta look and think like a fisherman.












Red Snapper, the first of two. The second one was much much bigger......at least an inch longer :-)








This little f%@k3r spiked me in the finger and it bled for ages. I didn't put my blood dripping finger in the the bay though because I thought a shark might get attracted by the smell and drag me in. The fish is called a Flathead by the way.





So for me quite a successful outing and it's a shame we didn't get anything a bit bigger to sling on the BBQ because although these spike riddled creatures of the sea are not all the friendly they certainly make for good eating so I'm told.

Well that's y'all up to date and I suppose I should get myself motivated. I think I'm going to head down to Fishermans beach to collect some shells for the little one then I think a nice spot of lunch is in order...after that who knows ?!?!

Toodlepip xxx

Guesty......

As the title suggests I have a guest writer today. She's quite new to blogging but not at all nervous about getting involved in putting together of this journal...In fact she was positively enthused with the prospect of waxing lyrical and putting her thoughts into words.

I wouldn't normally think about having a guest writer but I couldn't pass up the chance of having one of Morningtons most beautiful up and coming talents taking part and I'm sure that she'll not only be on here forever in this blog but also in my life for a very long time to come.

It may only be a few words.....she's a bit shy. So without further ado I present to you my guest writer...............Daisy and her words of wisdom...







"z\Aaxssdaaw wdajks sch d jhrfi iyhm ree ed ww ew d f re r mntrt ont onbrvn e vnr bb ub v vn nv ewewe\cE23C \ U ` "










Heartwarming I think you'll agree :-)

So onto the normal schizznizzzzzzzzz and today the sun had it's hat on late this afternoon so we had a wander down to a wine bar in main street and had a couple of glasses of the local Morning Sun Chardonnay and now we are back at the pad eagerly awaiting the Sri Lankan curry that is being knocked up as I type and smelling rather yummy I have to say!

Weather yesterday and last night was pretty hairy! Massive rain and loads of wind. It was my last night at the studio apartment so I sat in and watched the cricket until around 4am.

OK I might alienate a few people here but if you've not already gauged from my previous blogs I'm a very big cricket fan. Of course test cricket is the ultimate form of the game but I'm still partial to a bit of one day cricket and the game between India and Australia yesterday showed just how good the 50 over game can be.

I've always thought that India would go far but I didn't expect Australia to put up such a good fight and hats off to Pricky Pooooontang for answering his critics with a fabulous century.

Ultimately though India prevailed and it has to leave you wondering just where cricket Australia go from here. Now that the greats have gone Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc etc and the other legends such as Brett Lee, David Hussey and the begrudgingly great Ricky Ponting coming to the end of their careers I fear for the teams immediate future and their standing as world beaters.

Mitchell Johnson on his day can take a side out on his own but he's erratic at best and there really isn't much else coming through to excite the baying Aussie public. Making Michael Clarke captain won't boost confidence, they really don't seem to like him down here and even though I like him myself they don't rate Steve Smith either.

As for Shaun Tait.....well in this crunch game he gave away two front foot no balls (free hits follow) and so far is the bowler who has give away the most wides in the tournament.....Australia lost with 14 balls to spare and in my mathematics that means he pretty much lost the game for his team and he never look confident.

But that's enough of that and I'm sorry for boring you. It's Friday night here so obviously being a young blooded man I'm going to be spending the beginning of my weekend slouched on a mahoooosive beanbag watching South Africa vs New Zealand......toodlepip xxx

What day...........

It's Wednesday today isn't it ?!?! Yeah I think so. Isn't funny how you lose track of the days when you are off work? I'm the same over Christmas for me.

So I was hoping to giving you lots of pictures today from my fishing trip and of course the following BBQ but we had to skip it because it was a bit too choppy out there.....too many "White Tips" apparently which I assume are the little breakers on the wave rather than particularly nasty sounding animals. We are booked in again for Sunday morning when the forecast is better.

It's a shame to be missing it but it does mean that I can enjoy some sunshine and drinks if I wish because it's a lovely day inland and we have some Kangaroo to sling on the BBQ and having had it before I'm looking forward to sampling it again because it's rather yummy.....like a mixture of Beef and Liver and those two are up there with my favourites so a Hoppyskippyaussietrippy combo can only be a good thing.

This morning we had a walk down Mornington main street where they had a market and I found a 1kg bag of Wasabi Peas for just $2.50. They are tasty but alas they are not nose burningly hot.

I have had my introduction to Aussie spiders today as well. OK they weren't face suckingly big but they looked nasty. I gave them a squirt with some spray killer stuff and they looked like they were just having a shower! The warning on the can might just have well have read "CAUTION - Aussie spiders will just look at you and laugh if you use this product".

That's today's check-in for me so toodlepips chums xx

Drizzle McSchnizzle....

Was a bit rainy this morning on the peninsula but far from being a pain it was a welcome refreshment from the last week of rather excellent weather.

Following on from the last blog post I've been petty active. Of course the highlight so far and the reason I'm here was for the wedding and I have to say it was a pretty perfect day, even the weather behaved impeccably to the point that the only bit of cloud cover was when everybody was outside for the actual ceremony which made it slightly cooler and much more bearable, especially for the marriage vows, speeches and readings. They do things differently over here, much more jovial than the usual stuffiness of a UK wedding.

The bride and groom both looked amazing as did their beautiful daughter who pretty much stole the show with her antics and cheeky smile. The setting too was just incredible being out on the lawn in the stunning gardens at the brides family home which overlooks the bay.





The reception was also a very fun affair highlighted by the brides father and his very impressive air instrument repertoire!! Yeah I suppose that is usual dad stuff when it comes to their childrens weddings but when you consider that the father of the bride is a very well known and well respected TV news reporter it just seems all that bit more humourous. We watched him do the 6pm news report yesterday and all expected to see him suddenly bust out some air guitar to Bon Jovi alas it wasn't to be be he's still a legend.

So anyway yesterday we got a coach tour up to a few wineries in the area.





Again it was a terrific day, started off very hot and a bit muggy but soon it calmed down and a welcome breeze came whistling through the valleys.





That climate alone made for some very nice wines, mainly Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir but there were some other including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a whole host of blends, the last of which was my favourite but it's the only one who's name a cannot remember. Not that it matters too much because these places rarely distribute outside of Victoria let alone internationally. Finished the day off with a mountainous BBQ at the matrimonial home before head back to my studio apartment for a nice nights sleep.

Depending on the weather tomorrow we may head out on a fishing trip for a few hours and I've promised to cook up something yummy if we catch anything worth eating. I've never been deep sea fishing before so if we can get out it would be great. I've course fished many times as a teenager when up in Ely visiting my pops but I don't think I'd have been able to make a fish finger out of anything I caught then let alone a fish supper.

Thinking it might be a good idea to give the liver a bit of a rest too as it's been pretty much non stop boozing since I got here and I think my internal organs will appreciate a bit of time off.

Also thought I'd got ahead of the game with regard to the bug bites but I've just noticed one on my back and it's an absolute whopper, I've left my itch cream at the studio too so it looks like it's swinging back in the bugs favour. Rest assured I will not give up you little critters. Ultimately I know they will win but I'm going down fighting!!!

So I guess I better sign off as I've got to go to the supermarket for provisions. The supermarkets here are so expensive, it's the complete opposite of the UK. There are really only two of them and they seems to be in competition as to who can be the most expensive rather than the other way around. They certainly wouldn't be able to get away with with it in the EU with the competition and pricing rules.

It's actually cheaper to buy groceries from specialist stores rather than the big supermarkets and the more I think about that the more I like it because it supports the local economy, you still have green grocers, butchers and fishmongers in the shopping areas and where in the UK do you see that these days? Tescos & Chavsdas et al have a lot to answer for.

So that's it.....Toodlepip xxx

The latest....

So it's wedding eve and I've temporarily checked out of my studio and will soon be checking into the Mornington Motel with my buddy Bobatron. Will be nice to see him because I don't think I have done since his move to Sydney about 3 years ago.

The Motel is situated just up from the main drag. I stopped there for a coffee yesterday and took a couple of piccies.

The U.S. influence is pretty strong when looking left and right from the coffee shop






As you can see the weather was quite mild yesterday and the same applies for today but the forecast is saying that it should be nice and sunny tomorrow which will be great for the ceremony and it'll also mean that the photos won't be full of crimson skinned English people so good times.

Walking back from town and whimsically wondering "What if we did move here?" I came across this rather smashing house.





With this rather smashing view......





I should imagine it comes with a rather smashing price tag too so might be a good idea to start buying lottery tickets.

BBQ culture is alive and strong and yesterday it was wonderful to be around the matrimonial household eating various amounts of charcoal encrusted goodies and drinking some of Australia's cheapest (but pretty bloomin good) beers.

I do miss having my Twyfordian buddies around at times like these but I did feel slightly amused and heartened to see these little critters on the supermarket fish counter and they reminded me of my wonderful Johanna........





I wish I could smuggle a Johanna the Spanner Crab back to the UK :-)

Well I must dash, Bobatron and the Sheriff are due in soon and I'm guessing that'll soon mean beer'o'clock.

Toodlepipions...xxx

Oz update....

Well excuse me for being a bit lax in the blog department. I've not yet bumped into the guys whom I'm renting my holiday studio off to get an access code for the wifi so I'm having to do what I can whenever I get a connection. At the moment this means walking into the town and using the library wifi which is great because it gets me out and about.

So the first few days here were pretty hot. According to the weather forecast it was only about 22 or 23 degrees but with the depleted ozone above Victoria I alluded to in my last post it felt around 10 degrees higher. I can't imagine how uncomfortable I'd feel if it hits 35 as it often does ?!? Anyway today is much cooler, plenty of cloud in the sky and a nice breeze which mean covering up a bit more but certainly nowhere near getting the gloves out.

The walk down to town from my studio is really rather pleasant. Yesterday I took the beach route which was lovely but such hard work, I never remember quite how difficult and demanding it is walking on sand, especially on a hot day.



I ended up leaving the beach and finishing the rest via the footpath and from there you have this great view across the bay and you can just about see the city skyline of Melbourne. Pretty sure my iPhone camera is not going to pick that up but I assure you it's there somewhere...



I'll get some more pictures of Mornington town later today when I've finished up here and post them up when I can. Once you see some I'm sure you'll see what I mean when I say there is a good deal of American influence.

The walk back to the studio is somewhat different in terms of elevation. I was absolutely knackered when I got back there yesterday...I was sweating like Homer Simpson in a doughnut factory !!!!

One thing I have been doing is eating well. I'm absolutely loving my little BBQ area at the studio, slightly concerned that there might be some meanies in there wanting to have me for dinner though.

I'm not entirely sure it is a BBQ to be honest, it's more like one of those gas fired hot plates that you see in burger vans. I adore it though and I want to get one at home.

A word of warning though to those who like their vices and are considering Australia as a residence or for a holiday it's very expensive for things that are bad for you. A packet of 25 B&H cigarettes is around £14 and you're looking at around £5 or £6 for a beer too. As for other things that of course I'd have no interest in at all being a good boy but I know a few readers might be eager to know these things.......I did overhear somebody suggesting $350 a pop....and that's not Colombian dollars either !!!

Good Morning....

Well indeed it is good morning from me.....07:46 to be precise and I'm feeling pretty good it has to be said.

My first few days in Australia have been pretty good from what I remember. First couple of days were consumed by the bucks party and the subsequent hangover from hell although I do still have some very nice images in my head from the bucks especially the lawn bowls and of course my buddy launching himself off a pier into the ocean....all the usual "soon to be wed" antics you'd expect with some of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

Day two was a complete right off. I don't think I muttered more than 4 words the whole day whilst I was curled up on the sofa!

Yesterday morning we took a walk into Mornington itself and had a coffee. Was really nice to have a stroll down there and chat along the way about the area. From what I've seen of Melbourne so far it seems to have a great deal of American influence in the way it's set out, driving down from the airport, especially along the bay road reminded me of the drive I took with a colleague when working out in states, it could so easily have been that same southern Californian coastal road with it's houses built into banked hillsides facing out to the ocean and Mornington reminds me of suburban L.A. but much cleaner :-)

We came back down this way a little later too for some lunch and a few drinks at a restaurant on the esplanade. Very good it was too although a little expensive when compared to a UK eatery. Food prices here have shot up since the recent floods, foods like bananas have risen in price by around 300%. I suppose it's all very well and good being a self sufficient country like Australia is until that point when the system hiccups and then it has to catch up with itself again.

One example I was given is that you can buy bananas in a supermarket for $2.99 a lb and in a city market they can be as low as $0.99 a lb............Looking forward to getting involved in these markets :-)

Of course Melbourne is a much much bigger place than just a couple of roads and a few beaches and I'm looking forward to getting around and exploring a bit more.

The one thing that never seems to chance with warmer climates versus myself is the amount of insect bites that I always accumulate. I'd like to think of it as a compliment to my exquisite taste....Oh well more antihistamines required.

Today is also the day that I move over to my rental accommodation so I'll be off soon to get provisions. I'm thinking it might be an opportunity to get some exercise too as it's quite a walk from the house to the town, only around 15 minutes but it's all hills so if a get some healthy stuff and walk that walk a few times maybe I can even bring a little bit of health into my holiday.

Until later fellows....Toodlepip xx

Singapore......

That's where I am right now..........for about the next 45 mins then it's off to Melbourne.

Hopefully my AC power socket will work on this seat !!

Preparing for orf

Just one day to go then I'll be off to Australia for a few weeks.

I'll probably have all my stuff packed and ready to go by tomorrow lunchtime as I do like to get to the airport nice and early.

I don't know what it is about airports that seem to make people fuss and get all flustered, personally I love the places and could spend hours in them. Having said that delays are a pain and I'm not keen on them but I'll happily get the to airport 4 hours before a flight, sit down, have a beer or two, read a book or just people watch.

I used to be petrified of flying so much so that I didn't actually get on a passenger plane until I was 25 but since then I've certainly racked up a few air miles.

I think though that perhaps this is the one I'm most excited about. I'm not looking forward to the 23hr flight time too much but I'm definitely looking forward to flying on an Airbus A380.

Certainly a bonus that all the seats have power sockets for laptops :-)

I've cleared off all my non used apps off the iPhone and filled it up with songs. I've also transferred over 25,000 ableton files and loads more tunes, combine that with Football Manager 2011 and I reckon 23hrs will fly by........I wonder if they have radio too so I can listen to the cricket ?!?!?

Travel updates will happen....

Toodlepip

Blog off.........

So it's been a while and I've suffered from another attack of lazyblogitis. I've been a bit busier at work in the last few weeks which is fantastic but it's left little time to think of bloggy stuff.

I was asked about my lack of blogging activity last Wednesday by a buddy and only yesterday by central Twyford's most wonderous, charming and welcoming pub landlady (Is that enough sucking up Karen?)

Good food, fine Ales and a warm welcome to all right here at the Duke of Wellington.

So a quick update about what's coming up in my world......

Musicwise I've been a little quiet on the DJ'ing front which has actually been quite welcome. I'm getting far too old to be doing it regularly as even though I love it there are other things in my life that require awareness on weekend mornings and the two never really have gone together all that well.

Saturday just gone I was spinning some tunes..........not playing..........don't you just hate it when DJ's say they are "playing" some tunes? I hardly think sticking on other peoples records and getting paid for it is "playing". Strumming a guitar, tinkling the ivories or bashing some drums is "playing".......sorry off on a tangent there !!! Where was I?........Oh I was spinning some tunes for the folks at my more regular haunt downstairs at Sakura. Was a very good night actually thanks to some rather nice tunes that'll shortly be busted out on the beaches at the Miami winter music conference.

The only other booking I have at the moment is at Bar Mango (the place I call home) in April (or is it May) alongside my DJ hero Brandon Block.....more info to follow on that....

Foodiewise I'm excited and honoured to have been asked to be a judge in this years Reading, Steady, Cook! competition. There are several heats leading up to the semi-finals and final which will be held in Reading town centre on the 4th and 5th of June 2011 as part of the Eat Reading Live programme. I had such fun being a contestant last year and it's just so nice to be part of it again this year and I'll also be doing a demo all of my own on one of the kitchen stages on the finals weekend.

Sportwise the cricket season is gearing up to kick off and net sessions down at my club (Sonning CC) have started. I have a small sub committee role at the club looking after all things related to the pavilion so I still have plenty of projects to get under way there before the season starts and in particular for our confirmed match against the MCC. Once the season gets going why not come along and spend a lazy day watching a match, we have plenty for the kids to do, a stocked bar and every now and then the BBQ gets a blasting.

In the professional game I think that the ICC world cup so far has been tremendous, perhaps a little drawn out with all the associate nations involved but I think it's right that they are there and as Ireland showed against England they can compete with the best now and again and they should be given that chance on the world stage, perhaps that result will encourage cricket Ireland to spend more money developing a team that can soon catch up with the test playing nations, they certainly have the talent there.

Travelwise...............not much going on.........

Oh except for that small 3 week trip to Melbourne I'll be taking in a few days time :-)

I'll be keeping you all up to date on that so don't you worry.

Toodlepip for now :-)

xxx