Great to hear what you've been up to Hope your winter did not turn out to be as cold as predicted, that Malcolm's fully recovered from his motorcycle accident and that things have worked out in the practice.
We've had a wet summer (La Nina) with a few hot stretches.
Look after yourselves and keep up the posts.
Love
Ian & Jacqui
Hey there, merry Xmas & happy New Year Hi Lesley,
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time.
I am now living in Willaura and enjoying life here. I drive through very scenic country, to work in my new job, as a Community Work Coordinator for the Department of Justice, in Warrnambool. Some weekends we take our caravan down and stay at the beach, I have a boogie board & Michael has a surf board. I have not been doing much skydiving lately.
Friday 15 Jan 2011 was a pretty exciting drive to work! I had to cross rising flood waters in four places.
I drive a deisel car which I trusted to have enough torque to get me out of trouble, and I took a punt on the fact the rain had stopped. Most of the water crosing the road looked safe enough, but the last one was pretty risky. I made a snap decision based on my gut feeling. Lucky the car held to the road and I got through. I did not use the the same short cut to go home incase the waters had risen. Fortunately I was able to get home a through lesser flooded causeways that are not connected to the Hopkins River.
Not so lucky was my partner Michael, who had to ride his motorbike around a quite challenging detour. By the time Michael finished work in Ararat, the the police, who were manning a road block on the road between Ararat and Willaura, told him that the flood waters that he had ridden through on the way to work, had risen to to cover the road with 6ft of water.
Fortunately the Hopkins river is far enough from our house to make me feel safe, however, I have heard that some hydroligists are predicting that over the next 30 yrs, global warming could show an increase in the occurence and impact of the La Nina and that for the past 30 yrs our region of the world has had more prevelence of the dry El Nino phase of the oscillating weather patterns. Other websites are saying that this recent bout of torrential rainfall, is the peak, and that natural balances will settle things down a bit. Who knows, I suppose time will tell.
One good thing bout the summer rain (aside from the balmy tropical feeling and the green green grass) is that the goddam locusts have taken a hike. I have been driving to work with flywire tie wrapped to my grill to prevent the little blighters from blocking up my car radiator. They were worse in the afternoon, and for a couple of weeks I had to wash my car every day.
Each locust is around 5cm long and I estimate I collected around 50 to 100 of these little kamakaze pilots on the way hpme. Lucky they had not travelled very far south and I drove through small swarms each afternoon.
The locusts had eaten my green lawn down to the stalks in just one day, then stayed around Willaura for a week or so. They definitely out stayed their welcome, although they had some entertainement value as they are very clumsy flyers, and you've got to giggle when you see them crash and tumble then shake them selves off and fly away.
In the morning the whole pool surface was covered with locusts. Their droppings were littered all over the bottom of the pool ( that must be the first thing they do when they hit the water!). Later that afternoon, after I cleaned my pool, I was floating on my back (in between rescuing locusts) looking up at the swarm of locusts about 100 metres high with about 50 locusts per square meter. There were locust droppings all over the top of my car in the morning as well, so perhaps the locusts have fertilised my garden with locust manure as a farewell present. The lawn has grown back again and it is very lush looking.
Cheers
Claire
Hi Lesley and Malcolm
Sounds like life is very social in Beijing. You seem to be forever going here, there and everywhere. Life on the Gold Coast at the moment is very wet, we have seen very little sunshine and lots of rain. You will no doubt have seen the news with all the floods around central Queensland, hopefully it will not come as far down as Gold Coast. Still dragon boating with Burleigh. Would be nice if our federation was as generous as the Beijing organisation. Not much paddling this year. Regattas seemed to have been badly timed with other events but hopefully things will pick up in the new year, the club is currently preparing for State Titles. I have received an answer on my facebook, please do not be offended if I don't answer to emails as I am not really a facebook fan, I only went in there to try to search for ancestors which I am not have much luck with, need to have a good talk with my mother and father. Anyway take care. PS Never heard the work couchsurfing until last week and you have mentioned it in you publication. Another world!!!
Your so Lucky Dear Lesley & Malcom, was great to hear about your exciting and interesting year and to know that your both well and enjoying life to the hilt, makes ours sound really boring, Adam and Lani look fantastic as well give them our best. All is in order here, going to be grandparents again 3 times over in 2011, boys nextdoor are good, at the moment Qld's under water in most northern regions, were've had rain since beginning Dec and suppose to carry on into the New Year. Anyway just want to wish you all the very best for 2011 and hopefully we'll get to see you soon. Love the Blakes
Love your blog Hi Lesley and Malcolm, so lovely to read obout your travels. We now have Christmas over and I feel like a big fat pig,(I had put on a few kgs. in the past few months) and my family obviously didn't like it, because for christmas they gave me a swiss ball, a drink bottle, and a personal trainer. We are heading off to Tasmania for about a month to escape the humidity, when I return I will be back into serious training. Not all is going well with dragonboating, I have left Burleigh and am now paddling (sweeping) with Currumbin.
We have had an amazing rainfall in the past 12 months, all of the dams are at 100% and we have experianced wide spread flooding.
Love to you both, I wish you a Happy New Year, have a great 2011. Luv Lozza.
Wow!! Dear Malcolm and Leslie,
Sounds like you are having a great time in Bejing. What an opportunity. Leslie, I am impressed with the amount of exercise you are doing. Sounds great!! Hope you have recovered from your accident Malcolm. Keep trying to tell the Chiropractic story you never know you may get through!
Thanks for your blogs we enjoy them.
We are all well here and wish you the happiest of Christmases and a 2011 that is all you wish it to be.
Love Janine and HP
Thanks for update Hey Lesley and Malcolm
It was great to read about your year, although I knew some of it from previous emails etc.
Interesting to see me old mate Sue Storr popping up in your blog. I trust she's well.
Wishing you, Malcolm and the family a Happy and Safe Festive Season and may 2011 bring you all your heart's desires.
So, put it out there what you want, feel into it, and clear any fears surrounding it. (this was mainly for Malcolm as he also has the Theta tools to do this - if you need help with it - Skype me on hettyd)
Much love
Hetty
What A Great Year Hi Leslie & Malcolm, What a wonderful Blog and pictures. We can relate to some...i.e. strange things on sticks, having been in China this year !!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS...Cheers David & Helen
Live Life! Hi Malcom & Leslie, I am so proud of you both when I see you living your life to the fullest exploring the world on your big adventure! After the many trials and tribulations of life, you continue to share thesee experiences with your children and enrich their lives. I believe that the person with the most adventures and wonderful experiences in their life are the richest, and the "Riches" as the the name suggests are rich beyond any monetary possessions. Continue to enjoy your wonderful journey and I am travelling with you in spirit. With love an envy! Alfie
Hi Paul, lovely to hear from you. I hardly ever look at the blog site anymore, it's been almost 2 years since I have updated it. Once I got behind on the blogging it just snowballed from there. Now that it's that time of the year, I thought I might think about doing a xmas blog giving an update of the past year. We are still in possession of the Mac and Olympus although I must admit the Mac gets a bigger work out than the Olympus. As for me I am still using the point and shoot Canon. Hope all is going well for you. I have seen some of your updates via FB.
All good for 2010 Hai Lesley and Malcolm, Still all good for 2010.. We have just returned from one week skiing in Zwitzerland with Magda Johan and Kids,it was fun. Much snow. Nice to read news from you....about 8 months we also run over the wall! We look forward to the trip.
Until then, love from Jeanette, Willem.
Happy New Year Hello Les and Mal,
We will wish you a Happy New Year.... We have just returned from skiing in Switzerland with Johan,Magda, Anouk, Carel, Linda en Jesse. It was very cozy and much snow. Much love
Go the apple tea! Great to hear your news, we loved Turkey too, esp the apple tea and the Grand Bazaar. Our Turkish Bath experience was similar, only we got intimate with 22 or so of our tour mates!
What a fabulous trip, you guys are so lucky, how on earth will you settle down when you get home?!
If you get the chance do a 3 day gulet boat trip out of Fettieye (?) down around the Tourquoise Coast, you will love it, so relaxing. All the best Anne and Merv
Merry Christmas Well merry Christmas to all the Ritchie clan.
June Cheadle forwarded your blog on to me, and i really appreciate it. I do enjoy hearing about all your adventures, and think it is so wonderful that you have taken the time out to really enjoy your lives together.
Please keep the blogs coming, and all the very best to you all for the New year
Love margo
Merry Xmas and Happy Ny 2 u 2 What a great update again. Always a plesure reading them. I trust you're having a Happy and Safe Xmas and may 2010 bring more adventures, happiness and abundance in all things good.
Much love
Hetty
Happy Christmas It was wonderful to read your Christmas message and to hear what a great time you are having in Bejing. we are well, not nearly as exciting as your journey. We had Christmas with Ana & Colin and their wonderful hospitality, and now we are home watching Terminator on Boxing Day with all the kids. Have a great New Year.
Love
Lana & Ron
xxoo
Christmas greetings Wow - what an adventure you guys are having whilst we live our mundane existence :) Love the photos - tells me so much. Keep on having adventures and enjoy being "teenagers". Love you both
beutifull Beijing Hi lesley and Malcolm, Nice to read an update of your life. Fine you are both still in good health. See you in September. Love from us.
merry christmas Hi Malcolm and Leslie
Hoping it is not too cold in Beijing today. A balmy 30deg on the coast today. Its been very dry. Everyones lawns turns brown at one stage. All well over here. any moves to return at this stage.
have a great day
Ian
I'll be here in a couple of weeks I'm very excited. Will look at your stay in Chile as well as we have 4.5 days there.
Much love and enjoy Eastern Europe
Big hug
Hetty 3/9/09
Great holiday We are really enjoying your travels with you. It is no wonder you have so many friends, the warmth and hospitality you extend to everyone is coming back your way and well deserved.
fab xmas you both look great sorry to wake you with such an expensive call.lani looks good grills are doing a good job getting her through the first tough weeks.all doing ok here .sal's surviving. no news on may as yet. will keep you posted. safe trips miss you.xxxxxx
Ian & Jacqui
non-member comment
Great to hear what you've been up to
Hope your winter did not turn out to be as cold as predicted, that Malcolm's fully recovered from his motorcycle accident and that things have worked out in the practice. We've had a wet summer (La Nina) with a few hot stretches. Look after yourselves and keep up the posts. Love Ian & Jacqui