Category Archives: Life

Another rambling update…

Leave a reply

Here’s an insight into what I have been up to recently:

  • Started basketball training again (with the intention to play a season on a team). I really need the exercise…
  • Still tinkering with model trains. I’m in the process of re-doing a whole heap of track work I did earlier in the year (or late last year) that I’m not entirely happy with. Contemplated (briefly) a new, much larger N gauge layout but decided to continue with the one I have been working on. Still acquiring random trains/rolling stock/buildings and other miscellanea. Lots of fun.
  • Not bird-watching/photographing anywhere near as much as I would like. Don’t like my chances of reaching 250 species by the end of the year (currently sitting on 215).
  • I have finally delved back into Mac programming. Just working on a simple project to start with but hopefully things will ramp up once I get familiar with it again. Seriously liking the new version of Xcode.
  • Still working (probably too much). Got to pay the bills somehow. While the downturn means less project work it does mean we are putting together a lot more quotations and proposals.

A bit of an update

Leave a reply

It has been a while since I have blogged anything so here is a bit of an update:

  • Work has been insane (both in terms of difficulty and work load) recently, so much for the downturn (I guess that is a good thing for me);
  • Went on my second pelagic bird watching trip (both have been off Hillarys in Western Australia), added two new birds to my life list but felt quite seasick…
  • The model trains have been going well – starting to clean up sections of ugly wiring, fix dodgy sections of track etc.  Adding bits and pieces to the collection (most of it second hand).  Starting to work on the scenery a bit too.

IMG_4071

Yellow-nosed Albatross (Diomedea (Thalassarche) chlororhynchos, race bassi).

SBS Ashes Coverage

Leave a reply

I have been really enjoying the SBS Ashes coverage (although I have been only watching the first few hours of each day).  The three Australian hosts have been entertaining and the Sky commentators in Wales have been excellent.

The only unusual aspect of the SBS coverage has been the advertisement breaks.  Each one starts with a glimpse of one ad followed by a completely different ad played in full.  Has anyone else noticed this?  Is the first ad a mistake?  Or is it a new subliminal advertising scheme because enough of the first ad is shown for you to know what it is?

A rather rambling update

Leave a reply

It has been a while since I have posted here – so here goes:

  • Added a few new birds to my life list – most notably a pair of Bush Stone-curlews (Burhinus grallarius) seen on the road to East Intercourse Island in Dampier in the middle of the night (I was on night shift, not going for a midnight twitch);
  • Work on my British N Gauge model railway is progressing well (tunnels are under construction, some buildings have been added). The locomotive and rolling stock collection is growing also (I have three Graham Farish locomotives: a Class 08, a Class 31 and a Class 37);
  • I seem to be continually adding Macs (in particular iMacs) to the collection – thanks Alex! Thankfully I have a shed…
Edit: Changed Beach Stone-curlew to Bush Stone-curlew after consultation with experts.