NECTAR OF THE GODS

Well a great day and I agree with Bill - Chateauneuf du Pape is worth every cent - the "NECTAR OF THE GODS" - pagan god, Bracchus was pretty good, obviously. So obviously was the pope who didn't like Rome and the Catholic Church had two popes - one based in Rome and the "naughty" one who selected Avignon. 
History lesson:
"The city is well known for its Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), where several popes and antipopes lived from the early 14th to early 15th centuries."
The popes of this period - the naughty ones certainly must have been very knowledgeable of 
about wine producing areas!!! Maybe they liked the god - Bracchus!!!

Bill's culinary delights of a chicken Caesar Salad was delightful and his peach pie with ice cream - well, I love dessert and this was a really great one.

Then to my surprise just as we finished eating as if on cue - a mobile rings and it is some people just arrived in LAX - so I saw and was introduced to people who I had heard of but had not met ---- via skype!!! Something that I had never heard of before today. Lovely to talk and meet with people in LAX - Diane and Bill will inform in due course who these 3 lovely people are.

The downside of the day was that it rained - started at about 6.30pm yesterday and hasn't let up - so it was cool. Thus not quite the clothing I intended to wear.I got to the CBD - collected my "racing " papers, had a glass of iced water at the Harlequin Club, went to the "little" room (!!! - modesty prevails) - (45 minute train gap ) and then got the train to Kuraby.The airconditioning on this train was on FRIGID level. I froze for the 40 minute trip - however there were NO ferals on the train. Another miracle!!!

Coming back - just missed by seconds the train I was to catch so had 1/2 hour "admiring" Kuraby Station.!!! Train arrived on time - again feral free. Intended to get off at Central and see old friends at the Whistle Stop, Sofitel but it was raining harder, so got off at Roma Street and waited 15 minutes for my train home, which was full of disgruntled office workers and was home by 4.45pm.

I am beginning to enjoy March very much!!! I got my quarterly gas and water bill - the one that I was having all the trouble with as it was being "guess" read - the meter - as you couldn't read it. Wish I had looked at this bloody meter years ago!!! The Gas/Water people must have thought I owned the Bank of Zurich!!! They did eventually apologise for their failure but they sure didn't reimburse!!!

From previous $300 a quarter I am now down to $95!!! Joy joy and more joy.

A great day except I got very wet and so it will be bed early tonight.

Oh yes - Diane's garden is looking great and she has some rather strange little flags all over the place - maybe Diane you might put this up on a blog report one day and explain?

My last posting in PNG, Pindiu, Finschhafen Sub-District 1969, cont.

Part 2 

(continued from yesterday)

4. From the air – the little green airstrip

Below: The Pindiu School is the furtherest building as

you look at the ranges towards the coastal area, where the sub-district headquarters of Finschhafen was located. When the rainy season was on, the whole valley was clouded in, so sometimes for weeks, there were no planes able to fly in with fresh supplies. You lived on tin foods (ugh!) and my fresh eggs from my wonderful Rhode Island Reds! Your vegetables were obtainable from the native’s local market which was held on Saturdays.

5. Below: Mountains at the end. Plane no stoppie – you no livie!

You would be amazed how “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines” could slam on the brakes once the plane hit the ground.

You virtually “buck jumped” to a standstill!

The Administration office at Finschafen. ( Below)

The two guns are ex- WW2.

Where I arrived at Finschafen in 1964. The Buki Wharf.

In this coral / reef protected lagoon area we would water-ski.

I used to swim across to that island in the background. Or be paddled across in my big native canoe! Dolphins of course were in the lagoon and you felt safe whilst they were there. No sharks! However sea snakes abounded and a bite from one of those was fatal.

I lived in dread of them.

At the bottom of the lagoon – much bigger than shown here – I think there were 3 or 4 islands off the mainland linked by reefs – the sea bed was riddled with “belly drums” from WW2 planes. The water was always as clear as crystal. The drums ( fuel tanks) were dropped from the bombers before landing at the Finschafen airfield by the Americans!

Finschafen was a major airfield used by the Allies after the Japanese were removed for the assault on bases further north.

My last posting in PNG, Pindiu, Finschhafen Sub-District 1969

PART 1




PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY PAUL OATES ( KIAP)

21/03/2009.

Paul arrived at Pindiu the day I left – December 1969.

1.The Cessna 172 that delivered Paul to Pindiu in 1969 and took me back to Lae and out of PNG for the Canadian disaster . Also photos of  Pindiu in 1969 courtesy of Mike Slough and finally Pindiu in 2007 courtesy of Furune Bean (nee Wama).  Finally, Finschhafen SDO early 1970’s courtesy Steven Cottingham and Buki Wharf 2008 courtesy of Robert Ilu.

This photo below of the plane was at Lae Airport. Not Pindiu – Pindiu had no trolleys! Also at Pindiu – chocks would be on the wheels to stop the plane from moving.

At Wau – well before I got there in 1968 – a DC3 – landed and taxied to the top of the strip and chocks were not put in place and the plane decided to try to take off by itself !

Ended up a mess in the plantation at the bottom of the strip!!!

2.Pindiu Airstrip – plane taking off – note the ups and downs of the strip and the clouds coming down from the Mountains.             ( Below)

3. Above:  At the end of this strip – the valley appeared – so if you went down – it was really down.

The road you can see is the road up to the Mission Station – note the landslides!

I lived just right under the planes right wing  – as the plane comes towards you.

Obviously another plane took this photo – flying in PNG was really by the seats of your pants!

School was looking at the photo off from the level and clear ground on the left of the photo.

To be continued tomorrow

Australia's New Airforce Planes

Today I saw the arrival of Australia's new planes for the Airforce doing a fly past - 8 or more of them I counted, all following an F-111, which they are replacing. Pretty impressive display.

Super Hornets-Long flight to Australia

The historic first flight of Air Force's Super Hornets into their home base, RAAF Amberley, will occur this Friday, 26 March 2010.

Minister for Defence Senator John Faulkner will formally welcome the new aircraft to Australia during a ceremony at Amberley, along with RAAF members, Industry representatives and community leaders.

The F/A-18F Super Hornets are the Air Force's first new air combat aircraft in 25 years.

Five Super Hornets have departed Naval Air Station Lemoore in California after extensive preparations, including acceptance flights and ground tests. While air to air refuelling is occurring, the long journey to Australia involves several stops, including Hawaii and New Zealand.

Air Force is planning to mark the Super Hornet arrival with an escort of F-111s, as the new aircraft fly over Brisbane and Gold Coast on approach to Amberley. The F-111s which have been stalwarts of Australia's air combat fleet will be retired at the end of 2010.

"The Super Hornets represent a major step forward in air combat capability for Australia. Air Force is acquiring 24 multi-role Super Hornets which will provide a bridging capability during the transition to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter," Senator Faulkner said.

"The Super Hornets are an important acquisition," Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, Greg Combet said.

"Air Force, Defence Materiel Organisation, United States Navy, The Boeing Company and their industry partners, General Electric, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon share the credit for this project's success."

Australia's Super Hornets will arrive at RAAF Amberley progressively during 2010 and 2011.

Photos and information from the RAAF website.

My first post

For some time, I have been an avid reader of my friends' blogs. You know the saying, if you can't beat them, join them.