Back On The Chain Gang

A weekend escape/retreat.

Saw the latest Harry Potter at IMax on Friday night ~ complete with 3D bits & a 45 minute delay in starting time, with my sister, SarinG & Dorukai, then had my ears assaulted by the Ronnie James Dio line-up of Black Sabbath on Saturday night. Actually, Black Sabbath weren't as ear-ringingly loud as The Cure had been at the same venue on Thursday. 2 hours or so of bludgeoning metal I'd never heard before & it was GREAT!!. Thanks to my Foil for recommending I go with him & getting the tickets. Note to self: Must buy the Heaven & Hell album...

Escaped/retreated to Mudgee & surrounding countryside over Sunday & Monday for a combination roadtrip/photographic safari/headcleaning operation... coincidentally in vineyard territory. However, we only visited one winery. Returned home via Katoomba & the 3 Sisters for some vertigo-inducing photo opportunities ~ evidence of which will be posted soon.

A really nice 48 hours.

And now, back to work.

My Cold, Cold Heart... & Other Parts

Welcome back to winter...

As we drove out of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains last night, my whizzbang temperature gadget thingy in OBluV8 said it was 5 degrees outside. Having just walked the town's main street in little more than jeans & a polyester shirt, I believed it.

So today, I turned up for work in the regulation chambray shirt, complete with dicky-looking logo (I refuse to wear the ones they gave me with my name embroidered on them), I wore a cotton t-shirt under it, to keep what I thought would be a cool-ish day at bay. By 10am, I'd parked myself next to the slow-combustion fireplace, which, not 5 minutes before, I'd stoked with enough wood to build a palatial doghouse. I didn't budge until I'd solved the Target, Cryptic & Quick Crosswords & even the Sudoku in the SMH. I made Junior buzzsaw all the available pallets downstairs into firebox-sized pieces & had to occasionally fight off a few foolhardy customers for prime position. I think it was warmer in Katoomba last night!!

So tonight, I've parked myself & the heater in the computer room to Photoshop the shots from the roadtrip. One bottle of wine later, here are some results:

As always, click on the image for a larger version...


Old Grapevines in Mudgee

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