Diamond Princess Returns

This morning as Jo and I walked along Bellerive Beach we watched the Diamond Princess gracefully entering the Derwent to dock in Hobart. Just a few minutes ago as we ate our tea they were off again. They say the ship carries around 1400 wealthy tourists. I wonder how much money they all left in Hobart today. The photo above I took at maximum zoom on my little camera out of our kitchen window.

There was an item on our news this week saying that the discount airfares are changing the face of tourism in Tassie. Instead of people coming for a week or two and driving around the state, they are are now coming for just 24 or 48 hours and flying out again. Good for Hobart, but the rest of the state are crying poor.

My Blog Word Cloud

Hey, I saw one of these word clouds on Ali's page and I couldn't resist having a go myself. Thanks Ali

DUX of video production

Congratulations to Simon. Tonight we attended an award night for Elizabeth College held at the University of Tasmania. Simon received an award for being dux of the college for video production.

One Heart for the Nation team visit Hobart

Yesterday Hobart was host to a team of national leaders who are all part of the 'One Heart for the Nation' team. The group of six pastors included Brian Medway, Graeme Cann and Ian Shelton. Last night our church hosted a public meeting for the pastors at which Brian Medway spoke and shared his passion to see the Church in our nation become one in heart and purpose. About 80 people gathered for the night of which about half were members of our own church. It was a great night of worship and fellowship. Jo and I were able to provide some accommodation overnight for Graeme and Ian, both of whom I have met up with in the past. It was a great honour to have such a group of high caliber spiritual leaders in our nation come and visit us here in Hobart. I know their visit will continue to bear fruit in the days to come.

Larry is usually a friendly name

These are the very words that headed the news bulletin on TV tonight. However they went on to say that people are now cursing the name. The reason - a cyclone hitting north Queensland that they have named 'Cyclone Larry'. I understand people not being excited about a cyclone, but cursing my good name ... Mmmm! I reject that.

Scabaderos

Yesterday our youth group had a most unusual activity at Salamanca Market. Four of us were asked to dress up in some sort of disguise and mingle with the crowd at the market. The youth group were sent out in four teams and were given 90 minutes to find each of us. This is we came up

Our youth pastor Marshall

Would you believe, our pastor for worship and creative arts!

And finally you know who

Well the good news is that despite their being a massive crowd at the market, we were all found.

Cheap Airfares

Just a thought. Both Virgin Blue and Jetstar currently have a sale on for flights between Melbourne and Hobart for the months of May and June with seats available from $39.00 each way.

Our visit to Victoria

Jo and I have just returned home from spending four days in Victoria. The purpose of our visit was to attend Glenn & Gemma's wedding. Last night I posted a few pictures of the wedding. The wedding was a great occasion. It was a sheer indulgence of fun, celebration, food, family and colour. Congrats to all those who worked hard to make is such a wonderful day.

Apart from the wedding we were able to cram a lot into our four days in Victoria. On Sunday we were able to travel down to Leopold and visit Jo's parents. We then continued on our way to Warrnambool and stayed overnight with our good friends Wes & Deirdre. On Tuesday morning we were able to catch up with David, Narelle, Nicol and Michael - and then we moved on to the home of Jason and Tania Martini for a wonderful meal with some good friends.


Of course there are more Martini's than just Jason and Tania. Meet the most delightful family members: Hannah, Jayden, Joseph and Esther.

Of course we must add the newest member of the family, Levi!

Well we left Warrnambool and drove back to Melbourne on Monday afternoon and arrived home just as Mum was getting a magnificent roast dinner out of the oven. As a special treat, Mum had invited two of Jo's sisters for tea.

Tuesday morning we drove into town and met my brother Ben for lunch in Lygon Street before finally making our way back to the airport for the trip home.

It's always good to get home, but we had a wonderful few days and enjoyed being with so many family members and good friends. Now it's back to work!

The Wedding

Well OK I've given it a few days and no one else in the family has published any wedding photos, so this is an exclusive!

YOU CAN simply click on any photo for a larger veiw.










If anyone would like me to send them a CD with approx 220 wedding photos on of various quality, let me know and I'll see what I can do!

Simon's new look

Firewall

One of the benefits in changing our day off to Tuesday is that it happens to be the day you can go to the pictures cheap! Well the weather today was not that great. Summer is over and we were looking for an indoor alternative to our usual picnic at a secluded beach somewhere. Our kids had told us that Harrison Ford’s new movie, ‘Firewall’ was not meant to be all that good. It has had little publicity and not had good reviews, but we thought we’d give it a shot.

Some actors like Sean Connery improve with age, however I reckon Harrison Ford probably made his best films when he was younger. He does tend to come across with a rather monotone personality. Then you soon notice the film has a well worn story line and a somewhat predictable plot - but all that being said, I thought it was quite entertaining and somehow it seemed to work.

The surprise package was the guy who played the villain. An actor by the name of Paul Bettany. He was the writer poet in ‘A Knight’s Tale’ and also played the imaginary room mate in ‘A Beautiful Mind’. Playing a villain was a different sort of role for him, but he did it well.

For anyone into technology the film gave us some interesting insight into alternative uses for I Pods, mobile phones and dog collars equipped with GPS technology.

You only have to look at the Oscars last night to know that the standard of movies being produced by Hollywood at present are not all that much to rave about. That being the case, I thought going to see ‘Firewall’ was at least worth the $8.00 admission price on super Tuesday.

Travel Light

  "Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in this neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. Don't think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don't need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.”
(Matthew 10 - The Message)

Sandy Bay at 6.30 this morning.

Walking the bridge

It's a bit tricky finding where the path across the bridge begins, but with a little persistence we managed to find it. This morning Jo, Shadow and I walked across the bridge to the eatern shore and back again. Once on the eastern shore we walked down a little ways on the other side, so it took us about an hour and half altogether.




It reminds me of another day and another bridge - almost ten years ago to the day - that we walked the San Francisco bridge.

Sunrise at Sandy Bay

If you get up early sometimes you are rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. This morning Jo and I walked on Sandy Bay Beach and watched a magnificent sunrise.

Cruise Ships in Hobart

Quite often when we throw open the curtains each morning we see another large cruise ship that has come to dock in Hobart. This morning the Princess Diamond was at the pier. We noticed the ship as we drove home after our early morning walk on the eastern shore. The ship was so large it dominated the city skyline, so we decided to take a small detour on our way home and stop for a closer look at the ship.


I have since been able to find out some more info on the ship.

Date Commissioned: 2004
Built in Japan
Country of Registration: Bermuda
Maximum Capacity: 2670
Crew Nationality: Multinational
Officer Nationality: British
Tonnage: 113000
Length: 951 m.

Join Diamond Princess for an unforgettable voyage and you will experience the next generation of Personal Choice Cruising aboard Princess' most innovative ship yet. Diamond Princess boasts 750 balcony staterooms, an array of dining options including Anytime Dining with four themed restaurants, plus Sabatini's, Club Fusion, four sparkling pools, an impressive library and one of the largest Internet Cafe's at Sea. You will feel like you're on a five-star floating resort.


Facilities/On-Board Activities
Athletic/Exercise Facilities
9 Hole Golf Putting Course
Golf Simulators
Children
Baby Sitting Services
Children's Playroom
Kids Pool Area
Teen Center
Dining
Cafe
Dining Rooms - 3
Pizzeria (Open 24 Hours)
Room Service
Entertainment/Recreation
Bars/Lounges/ Night Clubs - 3
Card Rooms
Casino
Library
Nautica/Spa
Pool Bar
Pools - Outdoor - 4

After all that, my next holiday will no doubt be a humble tent!

We noticed the Princess Diamond leaving port as we ate our tea tonight. There's always something different happening on the Derwent.