The mid-morning breeze strokes my face and the autumn sun warms my body. I gaze out toward the east at an endless stretch of blue water thinking that if I could travel like a migratory bird I’d circle the globe living in continual autumn.
Council uses bolt cutters on 400 love locks at Mt Keira
ANGELA THOMPSON
Illawarra Mercury 02 May, 2012 12:00 AM
Wollongong City Council has taken bolt cutters to 400 “love locks” attached to the Mt Keira lookout, citing damage to public property.
The padlocks – engraved to symbolise the lasting love of the couples who left them – were removed last month without warning.
Council yesterday issued an apology to affected couples and invited them to collect the dislodged hardware.
Shellharbour couple Sonya and Maurice Lorenz, who attached a lock as part of their wedding ceremony in March 2010, plan to retrieve their padlock because of its sentimental value.
They were alarmed to find it missing on a recent visit to the lookout and believe council should have given advance warning.
“If the padlocks are compromising the structural integrity of the railing we fully understand because safety is important,” Mrs Lorenz said.
“But before they [removed them] they should have notified the public – put a notice in the paper or put a sign up or made some attempt to let people know.”
The Lorenzes attached their padlock to the lookout railing after reciting their wedding vows on March 7, 2010. Afterwards they threw the keys into the escarpment as 60 guests cheered on. The padlock, like their union, wouldn’t be undone.
They returned to the lookout at the weekend because they wanted to size up the railing for two smaller locks they planned to attach for their daughters, 11-week-old Shalomae and Helena, who was stillborn in December 2010.
“You’ve got to look at it realistically and say it’s just padlocks, but there’s also the sentimentality attached to it, and wanting to continue the tradition,” Mrs Lorenz said.
A spokesman for Wollongong City Council said the locks contravened the management of assets policy and were removed because they were causing deterioration and damage to the lookout fencing.
“The metal locks cause corrosion of the fencing, which will drastically reduce the service life of the fencing,” he said.
“Council made the decision to remove the locks to prolong the life of this asset.”
Original story 24th May 2010 The Dolls Point Blogger
FRIENDSHIP LOCKED AWAY FOR A LONG TIME INTO THE FUTURE
When life is so thick that hardly any sunlight can make its way through that’s when you need friends. So on a rainy Sunday like today when dark clouds have blocked out the sun it’s great being out with friends and making sure the sun comes shining through.
We have driven to Mount Keira just a few kilometres northwest of the city of Wollongong. The mountain formed as part of the escarpment fold between 80 and 60 million years ago and sits above the city giving fantastic views of the coastline.
As a matter of fact you can see the Kurnell Oil Refinery which is 53 kilometres to the north and the northern headland of Jervis Bay which is 64 kilometres to the south. To the east the horizon is 77 kilometres away.
From the cliff base the mountain slopes down to the surrounding foothills and coastal plain where suburbia reaches up to encroach on the lower slopes.
At the summit is the Mountaintop Restaurant and that’s where we have come to have lunch and fasten a lock to the railing that runs along the edge of the lookout. We have engraved our names on the lock to symbolise the bond of friendship which exists between us which in some cases dates back 20, 30 and even 50 years.
Happiness comes when we connect deeply with others and when you are with friends a song begins in your heart and although you can’t always remember the words you never forget the tune. It’s what makes you happy.
As friends we meet at least once a week, we show concern when we have problems, we buy gifts on major anniversaries and it’s never a problem to find time should anyone need you.
We celebrate successes, and offer empathy and good listening during hardships and we are always planning and doing fun activities, going to the movies, dinners out and weekend trips or sometimes just coffee. It can’t last forever but it will last until we are gone.
I love the Silver Shadow and in its day it had every luxury option possible. Gear change, windows, seat adjustment, fuel filler cap, aerial, air conditioning and heating were all electrically operated. A hydraulic system with pumps operated from the cam shaft was also a considerable advance, as were power-operated disc brakes and self-leveling independent suspension.
The Silver Shadow II was introduced in 1977 and was an improved version of the earlier model with changes in external appearance, particularly wrap-around black bumpers with an air dam underneath; handling was also improved. From late 1977 the side-marker lamps were deleted. From mid 1978 on head lamp wipers were mounted.
The Silver Shadow and Silver Shadow II were destined to become the best-selling Rolls-Royce cars ever produced and they remain to this day a Great British icon.
Source – Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd.
With the sun on my face my eager feet race along in front of the surf. I wouldn’t be surprised if a hundred mermaids appeared in the waves and if one of them let a tear fall for me in the ocean then I’d search forever until I found it. Of course I love the beach.
It’s 3 degrees with frost covering the grass. A 12 km/h east south-east breeze cuts across the start line as I head out of the hub riding from Orange to Millthorpe via Forest Reef.
From the canopy of trees emerges a clean frosty sunlight which sharpens my shadowy shape and I begin to chase my silhouette eastward toward Forest Reef.
I ride through vast country farm land, sneaking glimpses up private laneways that I imagine make their way to cosy country farmhouses.
Forest Reef a small hamlet, 10km west of Millthorpe, was a former gold mining village. It’s small today but in the past had 6 hotels.
After 35 kilometres I arrive at the 1840’s town of Millthorpe. It’s just like stepping into yesteryear with the charm of the old buildings still remaining.
I end the ride with a fabulous coffee and lemon meringue tart. It was a delicious combination of sweet pastry crust, lemon curd filling, and airy meringue and the coffee aroma perceived by the tongue made soaking up the warmth of the autumn sun in this beautiful country courtyard at the old mill cafe. It is a fitting end to my two-day journey.
From July this year, you’ll need to register with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency if you want to practice alternate medicine in Australia. It seems that along with treatment, including acupuncture, cupping, massage services, the not so popular involuntary bike seat examination will need to be registered.
Bike seat examination, you ask? Yes, that’s when you hit a bump on our badly surfaced roads and are subjected to a surprise rectal examination by your bicycle seat.
Will this form of treatment need to be legitimized or is the Government over reacting as usual.
On a personal note I for one have had a prostrate examination, a colon examination and a throat examination, and on one occasion all three examinations in quick succession so I’m all for Government intervention.
Professor Ima Bikceat who is an authority on this subject said “Just say for some reason that this form of examination becomes popular, and lots of people want to use this unproven method, potentially an unsafe thing on themselves then that is their prerogative, I don’t think the Government should then say oh well, let’s regulate it then, and register all bicycle seats. I don’t think so”
Latest News
I have just been advised that the Government has clarified the situation and advises that the bicycle seat does not have to be registered as an alternate medicine practitioner as it is considered to be an alternate medicine implement.
It is the rider of the bike who has to register as it is they who are, even though involuntarily, the person conducting the examination. Therefore they are required to be a registered alternate medicine practitioner.
Hunting and gathering is an ancestral thing in my family and as a result, I myself, have long been a contemporary hunter gatherer, fisherman, supermarket shopper and agricultural producer. I rely heavily on this foraging activity and trips to the supermarket to maintain my independent existence.
Way up on the balcony of my 2nd floor apartment I have become self-sufficient. It’s not a big deal this growing of strawberries because on the world scale, Australia is the 28th largest strawberry producer by volume, with the USA, Spain and Japan being the top three .
There are nearly 600 producers of strawberries in Australia and I’m the smallest of those.
But as you can see I rank very high in production efficiency, producing at least 11 strawberries off one plant, in one small tub, on one small table, on one small deck, in a suburb with a population of 1660 which does not even exceed its post code number, which is 2219.
Surely a highpoint for any above ground apartment gardener is eating your own berries, the ones you have nurtured yourself, they just taste sweeter. I love their herbaceousness, their ground-hugging habits and of course who can walk past their simple five-petalled blooms.
If only ice cream grew in the garden then I’d have the perfect present in a pot plant.
We leave Borenore and head back through beautiful farmland to Lake Canobolas. I have a short rest and then continue to the base of the volcanic Mount Canobolas, at an altitude of 1,395 metres (4,577 ft) above sea level; the base is about 950 metres.
No we didn’t have to climb 445 metres but we do have to conquer a category 3 climb from 959 metres to 1132 metres up Mount Towac but now I don’t know that or for that matter what a category 3 climb is either.
I cruise pass the turnoff to the Mountain Tea House thinking “why would I need a rest.” Then I see Pinnacle Road. Pinnacle, I say to myself, a pinnacle “……..adding to the loftiness and verticality of a structure………..” that’s when I see the sign above ” 6 kms of winding road.”
Then I see this sign. The road goes upwards and I enter the silence of the hills. I ride determined to make the summit, I never look up, I keep my eyes on the road. Push, push, push.
All of a sudden my wheels turn square, my legs fail me, my mind and resolve cracks and my ride becomes a walk. I’m off the steel stallion. I can’t ask any more from him. I grasp for breath, I drown myself with water, I wave to my fellow riders passing on by.
As I consult the ride notes and see that this hill isn’t even mentioned I hear the colourful bird life laughing at me which leads me to believe I wasn’t the first to get off and walk.
They say that Mount Towac, height 1350 metres, is a little rugged, I’d go along with that, but I did learn that I can walk uphill for nearly 2 kilometres and probably go faster than I can ride. Yeah, excellent views at the top, well worth the pain.
It is then a thrilling descent of 244 metres. I sprint kilometre after kilometre toward the town of Orange. I’m racing alone, wheels spinning around, my bike is my freedom.
Details ot the epic ride.
We arrive at the turnaround point for the discovery ride. It’s the small settlement of Borenore located just 17 kilometres from Orange (although we’ve ridden over 23 kilometres to get there.)
The main attraction is the post office-general store-café which is just across from the old railway station. It proves to be an ideal rest spot for coffee and conversation with our fellow riders.
The Borenore railway station is on the Broken Hill railway line and was opened in 1885. The buildings are really well-preserved and I understand that the nearby court is used by the local tennis club.
The countryside is wonderful with orchards, vineyards and other agricultural enterprises. This little old shack has seen better times.
A few minutes off for a coffee break. The sun and the sea, gentle waves play with the sand as the seagull splashes and frolics away. I love the beach and the salty air.
Click creak squeak and rattle are the sounds coming from my bike as I race along the bumpy road to Lake Canobolas. The lake used to be the town water supply but is now a recreation reserve.
We’ve travelled about 10ks and as the sun trys to warm the air we take a small break by the lakeside.
From the lake we head north to the small town of Borenore and enjoy a relaxing ride along quite country roads.
It is day one of the weekend and we are doing the 50k discovery ride. It’s a camping event but we decide to stay at the Comfort Motel. A wise choice as it turned out because the temperature fell to 2 deg with a strong overnight 30 km/h sww wind.
The start and finish lines are at the Central HUB and it is here we gather for the big event.
I push my pedal, the wheels turn and I feel I’m starting a revolution. Soon I’m riding a thin black line that curves its way through an ocean of green fields, fruit rich orchards and hillsides that are bathed in the colours of autumn.
I have numb fingers, toes and nose but I keep those wheels gliding over the frosty shadows. It’s freezing out here but I push on through the orchards to Lake Canobolas.
I’m in the central west of New South Wales at a town called Orange. Orange is 206 kilometres (128 miles), west of Sydney, at an altitude of 862 metres (2,828 ft). Orange has a population of nearly forty thousand
Its most significant landmark is Mount Canobolas with an altitude of 1,395 metres (4,577 ft) and it is around the base of this volcanic range that we will discover and enjoy the scenery of Orange and the surrounding towns.We make the often snow-capped summit of Mount Canobolas our first port of call.
We’re in Orange to see it and do it by bike for the inaugural Bicycle NSW Discovery Weekend.
Saturday 24 March
BNSW Discovery Ride – Loop ride that includes Lake Canobolas, Mount Canobolas, Borenore, Mountain Tea House, Local Wineries, Local Orchards – Approx. 50km
Sunday 25 March
BNSW Explorers Ride – Loop Ride that includes the towns of Forest Reef and Millthorpe, Local Wineries, Local Berry Farms – Approx. 65km
Halo, a cirrostratus cloud caused by high level ice crystals around the sun over Sydney . Picture: Bob Barker Source: The Daily Telegraph
A halo is a distant cousin of the rainbow which is caused by sunlight shining through water droplets.
It is a phenomenon which forms as sunlight is refracted in ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. The sun shines through a thin cloud cover, up about 9km above sea level, where the temperature is between minus 30C and minus 35C.
When I used my Pentax Optio without a filter and reduced the gamma these weird and wonderful impressions were created.
At last a day without rain. I could be mistaken for thinking it’s summer. We rode our bikes out to South Cronulla Beach as part of our training regime to get fit for the discovery weekend in Orange, from 23-25 March.
From Dolls Point the ride is about 12k. After crossing the Captain Cook Bridge, which has fantastic views, you just coast through the mangroves on the edge of the Towra Point Nature Reserve.
We then head on past the Shark’s footie field by the edge of the golf course and up the hill to Wanda Beach. From there we glide on down to Elouera, The Alley, Cronulla and to our destination; South Cronulla Beach.
Cronulla Beach is home to one of the original surf clubs of Australia, the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club which was established in 1907 and it is here in the beachfront buildings that we pause for a coffee, a swim and a relax before heading home.
Well here I am in the Facebook naughty corner, reported for abuse and blocked for 7 days just for asking someone I didn’t know to be a friend.
I’ve been on Facebook since 2007, haven’t said much and don’t have many friends, about 50 until last week, I now have 78.
That’s when I got this great idea to get more friends.
Whenever I Google my name, Sean Fraser, I see millions of entries for Sean Fraser. (This is the latest search result. About 13,300,000 results in 0.25 seconds)
My plan was to put these results to use and make as many friends as I could. And as I was reading search number 6 a brain wave hit me. I would connect with every Sean Fraser I could find on Facebook.
Search Results
1. Sean Fraser (Jamaican footballer) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Fraser_(Jamaican_footballer)Cached – Similar You +1′d this publicly. Undo Sean Fraser (born 15 February 1983 in Kingston) is a Jamaican soccer player who is currently playing for Alianza in El Salvador Primera Division.
2. THE DOLLS POINT BLOGGER | Sean Fraser seanfraser.wordpress.com/Cached – Similar You +1′d this publicly. Undo 27 Jan 2012 – Posted in life, yummy food | Tagged ice cream, Life, Nutella Pizza, Photography, Pizza, Prima Luna, sean fraser, strawberries, the dolls point …
3. Sean Fraser – Psychologists – Windsor, NSW – Yellow Pages® www.yellowpages.com.au/nsw/…/sean-fraser-13680674-listing.html Similar You +1′d this publicly. Undo Psychologists in Windsor, New South Wales, 2756 – Sean Fraser – Yellow Pages® directory.
4. Sean Fraser profiles | LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Sean/FraserCached – Similar You +1′d this publicly. Undo View the profiles of professionals named Sean Fraser on LinkedIn. There are 25 professionals named Sean Fraser, who use LinkedIn to exchange information, …
5. Sean Fraser – Australia | LinkedIn au.linkedin.com/pub/sean-fraser/32/2b6/929Cached You +1′d this publicly. Undo Brisbane Area, Australia – Construction Manager at Ausmar Homes View Sean Fraser’s (Australia) professional profile on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the world’s largest business network, helping professionals like Sean Fraser discover …
6. Sean Fraser Profiles | Facebook www.facebook.com/public/Sean-Fraser Cached You +1′d this publicly. Undo View the profiles of people named Sean Fraser on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Sean Fraser and others you may know. Facebook gives people the …
7. Sean Fraser profile page | British Swimming www.swimming.org/britishswimming/disability…/sean-fraser/741/Cached You +1′d this publicly. Undo Read all about disability swimmer Sean Fraser. … Sean Fraser. Share this page. Welcome to Sean Fraser’s profile page.
8. Sean Fraser (Have Cynicism, Will Travel) on Myspace www.myspace.com/groovageCached You +1′d this publicly. Undo Sean Fraser (Have Cynicism, Will Travel)’s profile on Myspace, the leading social entertainment destination powered by the passion of our fans.
Friends were just out there, all I had to do was get into Facebook and the rest would follow. Well it did, and now I have 78 friends, 29 of them Sean Frasers. All of a sudden I had connected with these other Sean Frasers having great and different lives in far-flung places of the interworld.
It has created a little confusion because my wall is now full of Sean Frasers doing and saying things and I can’t tell who’s who or even who’s me.
So you can imagine how surprised I was when a pop up from Facebook appeared announcing that I had been blocked for sending requests to people I don’t know. I feel like one of the Winklevoss twins, rejected by Zuckerberg and his mates. They should remember that those investing in the social media will have little to sell and no chance of making a buck if we stop using their sites.
I’ve met some of my best friends on the internet, Slamdunk, Vicki, Neil, The Juicer, Timm, Kitty, Pamela, Sartenada, Nadezhda and Xenophilicx.
Friendship is what you make of it and I’d like to thank all the Sean Frasers of the world for being who you are. I don’t care whether you post that you’ve just had a slice of toast, or a shower or a hair cut or you’ve fallen in or out of love or your wife has given birth to your first child or you just post a beautiful picture that captures a moment of joy for you or your family……………..just keep posting what happens in your life and adding friends. What could be the harm?
Maybe I’ll have to wait until I get to the nursing home where, I understand, you can talk to anyone , even if you don’t know them.
Thanks to all the Sean Frasers, sorry if I have inadvertently offended you.
We continue through the lush green alpine valley from Villard-de-Lans, St Julien, St Martin and Chapelle-en-Vercors and finally arrive at the car park of Col du Rousset. In winter this is a very popular ski resort.
The view from the top is spectacular. As you can see the descent down the southern side of the Col du Rousset snakes down to the base some 800 metres below where the lavender fields thrive in the drier Mediterranean climate. Sometimes I wish I was a motor bike.
Technically the day begins at 12:00 AM, but that’s at night, and it’s too dark for me to take pictures so I’ll settle for some time nearer to sunrise for my new year to start.
This year I’m not going to make any resolutions because I figure I could be just wasting my future time in advance.
And maybe that’s the best thing about time: the fact that it’s in the future, and it just waits there ready to be used.
It means my next year, next day, hour, minute is just ahead untouched, waiting for me to decide what I’ll do with it.
Perhaps what I’ll do this year is complete all the things I was unable to finish last year. That might be useful.
What I have decided is that I don’t want to achieve greatness. At my age I’m happy just being ordinary.
I’d be happy to be in love, just for the pleasure. I’d be happy planting seedlings and spending the time to nurture them to maturity. I’d be happy to work and play hard so I’m tired in the evening and sleep easy. I’d be happy doing a bit of caring, sharing, giving and loving.
I’d be happy just knowing I can enjoy deciding what to do with my life. So let the new day and the new year begin and hope that it is full of happiness for all of us.
Of course we don’t know exactly where we are but we know it’s somewhere in the Vercors regional natural park past St Agnan en Vercors but before Col de Rousset.
This is the life we love. All we have is the sky above and the road below.
We arrive at this small valley, a dell of wild-flowers, with trees and grass growing in it and decide to have a picnic in the park.
We rest for lunch by this small stream and watch the golden hue of the water pools fill and then overflow.
The stream runs off, bubbling and cool and soon is beyond my gaze tumbling down towards the valley and onwards to the lakes and ultimately the sea.
I see the sun light through the moving leaves, and now and then it touches and warms the river stones.
Time for the Volley boys to have a rest after lunch.
It was late May, we were somewhere on the edge of a wide expanse of alpine meadows that were flanked by sun-baked hills where the gentle slopes stretch up to cliffs and mountains of incredible beauty.
We pull over, jumped out of the car and meet with nature.
We lay down in the fields and it was here that the astonishing feeling of joy, happiness and freedom began to take hold.
We could breathe the fresh air, we could feel the warmth of the sun, we knew we were about to become enchanted by the Vercors regional natural park.
We arrive in Villard de Lans about 30km from Grenoble. It’s both a summer holiday resort and a winter sports center with magnificent views and great skiing.
But we are not here for the holiday, we are here for the beginning of our adventure drive through the western plateaus of the Vercors regional natural park.
Well we made it to Grenoble and are staying at the Novotel Nord Voreppe on the outskirts of Grenoble, between Vercors and Chartreuse.
The Novotel is a basic 3 star comfortable hotel but the funny thing is that when we were booking in a couple ahead of us with their pet dog asked for the best room rates. The attendant advised that it would be 90.00 € for the room for the couple and an extra 11.00 € for the dog (pets are allowed to stay in hotel rooms in France)
When it was our turn to book the room rate was also 90.00 € for the two girls and 11.00 € extra for the third person, (that’s me) the same rate as for the dog. I didn’t know how to take that and stayed up all night licking and scratching.
The view of the massif, as seen from the room, gives some sign of the mountains and plateaus that are in this area.
Our plan today is to drive from Wyler on through Switzerland and perhaps end up in France.
Light rain is falling as we set off from Wyler heading to Innertkirchen, Interlarken and on to Montreux, Lausanne then Geneva and into France.
I know it seems odd to describe the trip through Switzerland in one sentence but it’s a small country and the girls didn’t want to stop, mainly because they had no Swiss francs to spend.
To put it in perspective Switzerland is only about 350 km long and fits into Australia 186 times.
They say Australia has sheep and cattle stations that are thousands of square kilometres in area, with the nearest neighbour being hundreds of kilometres away.
In fact Anna Creek station, the world’s largest working cattle station is roughly 34,000 square kilometres, Switzerland has an area of 41,277 square kilometres.
So you can see Switzerland is a relatively small country. I’ve been to Switzerland many times and there is an awful lot to love about Switzerland and it’s just ridiculously beautiful. The Alps, the lakes, the forests, the incredibly neat fields and farms and the outdoors are just wonderful.
However the girls found something other than nature to seek out. They went on a unique shopping quest. The quest was to find the most effective anti-wrinkle cream on earth. According to their ‘back of the car’ conversation they knew what was the best anti-aging regiment they had ever tried and they knew there would be a fair chance that it would be in Switzerland.
I chose to believe them and for the record the cream is called Lacura Q10 anti-wrinkle day cream and its ingredients include Bioflavonoid and Coenzyme Q10 which, they say, is designed to suit all skin types. It is available at Aldi stores. In fact when it was marketed in Australia it was so popular it had to be rationed.
As we drove along Rue de Lausanne in Morges we spied an ALDI store. The search for the new miracle face cream was on in earnest.
Precious cream, precious cream they called as they ran into the store…..…the hunt was on.
The sad thing was that they couldn’t find the cream at the Morges Aldi store and in this part of Switzerland the girls’ broken Frencglish language was of no use. They came out with three bananas.
The rest of the trip from Switzerland to Grenoble, in France, was subdued but I understood the dark place the girls were in, for once you’ve used a product that you fall in love with, well, you just can’t go without it.
I went out for dinner with friends last Saturday night. We slipped over to Randwick, a suburb of Sydney to an Italian restaurant called Prima Luna.
I had a great time, as usual, and I really enjoyed my meal. For the main I had Rotolo di pollo con spinaci e fetta which is slow cooked chicken breast roll.
It’s filled with spinach and fetta cheese and comes with rosemary sauce, roasted potatoes and vegetables. It was just yummy.
But what was really great was the desert.
I shared a Nutella Pizza. Yes a pizza.
It’s a pizza base topped with Nutella, fresh Strawberries & Vanilla Gelato. It was just beautiful.
I lifted up my first slice. The warm melted Nutella caressed my mouth. The soft white creamy rich vanilla gelato made my lips gleam and the red flesh of the plump heart-shaped strawberries filled my palate with a burst of sweet succulent flavour.
I joyously ate more than my fair share and it was to be one of the most delicious deserts I’ve ever had.
I’m now totally addicted. I’m going to try to make a Nutella and ice cream sandwich.
