Xmas 2018

Another year gone. Another Prime Minister dumped in Australia. Another Xmas coming up which means another year summary from us.

We are writing these words at Cape Paterson, where it was 34 degrees in early December. Nicky still hasn’t been in the sea yet, but it is freezing. It’s fascinating to start to receive news from our family and friends in the UK. And some of our vintage have retired or are thinking of doing so. A sign we are getting old!

It’s been another year of work, house renovations, trips away and visitors for us in Melbourne.

Nicky continues as a ‘one woman band’ with a range of income streams including academia, Director of Cleft, coaching and mentoring.

Last year the shock news was that Stuart had a job – this year’s shock is that he still has it! It’s been a busy year at Orchestra Victoria, ending with a season of Wagner’s 6.5 hour epic Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. For an amusing take on life on the pit, click here. The band had a tour to Canberra in May – many Auzzies bag the Federal capital, but it is actually fantastic.

Our first full year in our Story St house was all about the next phase of our renovation plans. We converted a lightwell to a loo/laundry and now have a posh bedroom plus en suite upstairs.

Wodonga is still alive at the ripe old age of 18. Like Stuey, his grumpiness is proportional to his age.

Both of us visited the UK in 2018. Stuey went for 7 days in May to visit his folks, as mum Nora had a stroke in Feb. She has made an amazing recovery – they make ‘em tough up North. Nicky made her two work/family trips and acted as a double bass bow mule! One of the highlights of her August trip was Mo and Steve’s wedding, and catching up with Arturo, Naimh and Felix.

2018 was the first year in a while that we didn’t go to Port Douglas. Instead our holiday was a birdwatching loop into NSW and ACT, Wangaratta, Chiltern, Canberra, Batemans Bay, South down the coast, and headed thro Gippsland back home. One highlight was a boat trip to Montague Island just when the hump backed whales were migrating South after calving further North. At one point three of them almost climbed into the boat! One thing we learnt being so close to these wonderful creatures – they stink when they blow water into the air. OMG, they stink. Stuey didn’t know whether to cover the camera lens or his nose.

It was another year full of visitors. Xmas Day 2017 saw 16 round the table, er tables. Many courses, great wines, stimulating conversation and petanque – a good game after a few bottles of grog. Bob and Liz were over from Bristol – we almost had a Canynge Road reunion with Rachael, Paul, Jazzie and Angus, our neighbours in Bristol. We did the usual pilgrimage to the MCG for the Ashes test - this year it will be India who are currently doing very well in Adelaide in the first test.

Although it was wonderful to meet Erin Calder, her visit marked an ominous milestone for us – at first our friends came to visit, then some with kids, then the kids came alone and Erin was the first grandkid to come and stay. Her Grandad Mike was one of Stuart’s first bass teachers and a huge influence. Erin was cool. But this was another milestone in our aging.

Jazzie Wilson returned, without parents, after a spell in NZ.

Hilary and Stormin Norman returned to Melbourne.

Amelie Schrape came to stay, all the way from Wonthaggi. Her trip was part of a school initiative for country kids to get used to life in the ‘Big City’.

Nic went to Sydney to catch up with Justin, Clare and the kids.

And finally Nick and Sally Beach came to stay. Nick and Nicky were half of the Lamorna string quartet many decades ago, and the photo proves, the music is still flowing though it was the only time the viola came out in 2018!

Kangaroos at Cape Paterson

Roo and joey

Boxing Roos

Sometimes we nip to the EcoVillage at the West end of Cape Paterson to check out the sunset and the roos. Today was eventful!!

Xmas 2017

Yet another year rolls by and at the time of writing this England have just been thrashed in the first Ashes test at the Gabba. We have been here long enough to have witnessed that a few times. However we remain confident of clawing our way to series win!

2017 been a great year for us, if a little busy – so what’s new hey?! The biggest news is that we’ve finally moved back into Parkville. We were very happy in Gatehouse St for 11 years, sold it in 2010 to move to the UK and it’s taken eight years to return but we’re back! Australia is preoccupied with housing – the recent property boom has been crazy, resulting a very high prices, to the point that the youth of today fear they will never be able to buy where they would like to live.

Our new place is very similar to Gatehouse St and it has been amusing to see the reaction of our UK visitors and those Auzzie friends who visited us Bristol who comment on the fact that all our properties end up looking the same; with our furniture and general messiness.

Wodonga is delighted to return to Parkville. He actually dealt with the smell of doggy urine that greeted us on arrival much better than did his ‘human staff’!. Our first 48 hours were spent ripping up ‘wet’ carpets. Nice. As to Woody, well he is now 17 and going well for his age though losing some of the sharpness he once had. Bit like us really.

Our first renovation job was to turn the ‘shed’ in the back yard into a small hotel style bedroom plus bathroom. It’s on AirBNB (see www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/20217427) and proving to be very popular with university academics, visiting medics as well as student looking to leave home for a night of passion close to Melbourne Uni. 2018 will see further, much less exciting but no less necessary, building projects such as installation of new plumbing and maybe a couple of new toilets!! Another sign of aging perhaps.

Nicky has even more jobs than this time last year. She made two trips to the UK to work at Plymouth Uni and to see family and friends. She is still Director of Cleft Services at the Children’s, as well as holding a research fellow position at the MCRI. And if that wasn’t enough she is now an accredited executive coach! A skill which she seems to feel the need to practice regularly on Stuart – much to his irritation!

The more shocking news is that Stuart is officially employed – shock and indeed horror! After only 2 years and 9 months he finally became principal double bass with Orchestra Victoria. Watch up for his memoirs – it will all be in there! The job started in July and has been busy and interesting since then. In November he took part in the inaugural Melbourne Conservatorium of Music bass day involving 200 participants – can you imagine? Unfortunately for Nic, she didn’t have to imagine, she had to suffer it!!!

Our chamber group, the one Stuart likes to call ‘Kammermusik’ but the rest of us still call ‘Parkville Ensemble’ has done a couple of concerts this year including participating in the first Melbourne Warehouse Music Festival (https://www.facebook.com/MelbWarehouseFest/).

We have slipped into a quiet holiday pattern in recent years which had us popping back to far North Queensland (Port Douglas) in June. It’s cold and wintery in Melbourne at that time of year, but beautiful at the top end, so is very popular. We went on another great birding day with local guru Del Richards which allowed Stuart to indulge in his obsessive nerdy birdy photography (www.yooying.com/bassbirddude ). We are now approaching our next holiday back to Fitzgerald, our lovely beach house in Gippsland in December. It’s a crazy time of year where everyone wants you to finish bits of work, or catch up socially. So we bugger off to the beach just before Xmas.

And 2017 was a great year for visitors. We have a new large house with spare rooms so do come ‘down under’ and visit. First were Mo and Steve who left the UK and Ireland for some sun over Xmas. Xmas Day itself was stinking hot, well over 30, we were camped indoors, except for a few crazy Brits sunbaking outside. Poor Steve had to suffer lots of jokes about large spiders, then came face to face with one in his bedroom! Next came Niamh and Arthur, who created their own new visitor while in Australia with baby Felix arriving in September.

Caitie Gardner turned up for a few weeks in the middle of the year. We had never met Caitie before but not only was she charming but she was also very good a making beds thanks to her experience as a ‘chalet chick’! We caught up again with her in Port Douglas just before she left to return to the UK.

Long time friends, Mike and Catherine Aldren finally made it down under for a huge trip that included Darwin, Port Douglas then the cold of Melbourne before taking the interesting inland road to Sydney. This is a photo of Nicky with M and C on the beach at Port Douglas taking on an iPhone on a moving bike!

Deanie and Pete returned to Oz to attend Katharine Plows and David’s wedding in October. It was a wonderful day and great to spend quality time with the Plows family once more. D & P had another amazing trip which included the Singapore Grand Prix. Pete was quite restrained and only took around 10,000 photos!

Our ‘frenants’ (aka friends who have been tenants), Lisa and Scott, continue to work their way around the world by returning to Oz a second time. We first met them in Bristol in 2012 when they rented Canynge Road from us. They then turned up in Australia in 2015 only to return again this year via some time in Spain. They are now relocated to London – which made us wonder if they are really trying to avoid the US President – which is not only understandable but also turns out to be true!

And as we approach December we are looking forward to more Canynge Road reunions with the Melville-Thomas clan (from No 4) staying for a few days followed by Bob and Liz (from No 2) over Xmas which course will be accompanied by the obligatory trip to the Boxing Day Ashes test at the MCG.

In the meantime, we both wish you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year period. Please stay safe, well and in touch.  N&S (and of course Woody!!).

Cape Paterson sunset 9/1/2017

 

Cape Paterson is beautiful. Many people don't know this, so its our little secret! Let them all go to Inverloch and we can keep this little corner to ourselves!

 

Stuey nipped down to do a rental handover, just in time or sunset at the Eco Village, now called The Cape, at the West end CapeP, just where the sun dips into the ocean.

 

The roos were out en masse...

 

 

 

 

The sunset was stunning...

 

And so too was the moonscape...

 

New year at Yandoit

In what is becoming a bit of a tradition we spent New Year's Eve in Yandoit, at the most amazing property owned by Gordy and Jodie (aka Farmer JH). As you can see, fun was had by all...

Nicky and Mo have finally worked out how to get on. By ignoring one another and looking at long billed corellas on the Loddon River in Newstead!

As temperatures soared to 30+, the akubras and fly nets got a workout.

Team shot by the BBQ on New Years eve.

Over a short 24 hour period, Mo, Steve, Mirella, Jonnie, Stuart and Nicky - ate, drank and talked! Thanks to Steve and Mirella who each provided a course of smoked salmon, dill and crème fraiche on pancakes/pikelets! Thanks guys! Lamb rack done on the BBQ completed the savouries to be followed by Mo's amazing Chocolate soufflé.





















Mimi - in true form went out hard and fast but faded rapidly towards midnight and indeed DID NOT see the New Year in conscious! Probably due to too much ENGLISH champagne, er sparking wine.

Steve survived the heat - of both the sun and the BBQ. His skin was slightly less translucent by the start of 2017 than it had been on his arrival in Aus. 

Nicky speaking of her admiration for her husband. Again!

The boys did us proud on the BBQ - and unlike last year there was no total fire ban so things went well. we hope you all had a as nice a day as we did - thanks again to Jodie and Gordie for letting us enjoy their place. A great way to see the NY in.

Xmas Day 2016

Its Xmas in Melbourne and time for another degustation day in North Carlton this year. Attendees were Ruthy, Richo and Katie, Mo and Steve, Louisa and Riccardo, Yi, Peter, Gwenda and Ian and of course us.

The theme of the day was Fairy Stories! So the hardest part of the meal was working out if a dish had any vague connection to a fairy story. We tried!

The first two courses were made by Richo, starting with 'The Little Mermaid', Kingfish Bacon, served with smoked salmon roe, washed down by a Moet rose...

The dish was a delight, great start to the day. The video work was a bit mixed, as Stuey stuffed up the focusing, but never mind. This is cancelled out by the excellent effort by the girls - Katie doing her bit in front of the camera with Nicky and Ruthy cackling in the background. The grog was starting to hit the mark and its only the first course!

Course 2 was a goats chevre with beetroot present in so many ways I would get RSI if I tried to type them all. This was matched with 3 contrasting pinot gris from Australian and New Zealand. It was just about voted as course of the day. Its fairy story was Three Billy Goats Gruff. I will let Richo explain, and for some reason this was enhanced by Katie doing the vertical splits...

 

Next up, course 3, was pork done three ways, AKA Three Little Pigs, of course, which consisted of:-

 

Pork belly - by Nicky

Pork cheek - by Steve, sabotaged by Nicky

Vietnamese pulled pork sliders with Asian slaw - by Stuey

 

This was helped along with 3 different Passing Clouds pinot noirs

 

 

We were treated to some magic tricks by Katie and her 'beautiful' assistant between courses. Many of them were remarkably similar to last Xmas. But that is OK.

 

Course 4 was called the Emporer's New Clothes....

 

 

 

The aim of this dish was to have a break and do some exercise, like go for a walk. That didn't happen as it was 37 degrees outside, so we all hunkered in with the air con!

 

Next came course 5, the beef dish, by Yi and Stuey. As Gwenda and Ian Langford were with us this was washed down with copious amounts of Mt Camel Ridge cab sauv and shiraz, from 04, 09 and more recent vintages.

 

 

 

 

Then we moved onto the sweet courses both by Ruthy. This was paired with a 2000 Calvados, when ensured that if people were not pissed beforehand they would be so after. First Course 6...

 

 

And finally the hansel and Gretel dish, course 7. Ruthys reference to asbestos was not literal. I hope!

 

 

The recycle bin got a bit of a hammering...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xmas 2016



As you read this we are basking in an Australian summer. Xmas Day is forecast to be 36 degrees! It has been anything but that over winter, the coldest winter in our 20 years here. We didn’t come across the world for this much rain, we could have stayed in the UK!!

Xmas 2016 will be very similar to the previous year, and lots before that. A degustation day with Ruth, Richo and Katie, our god-daughter. This year we have Mo and Steve with us, and a few other friends, so the feast will start at midday and rock on late into the evening.

This will be followed by the Boxing Day test which will be the Pakistanis this year. We hope they put up a better fight than the Windies last year. Then it’s the Ashes again in 2017!

What a crazy world we live in. We have sat here in Oz watching the Poms vote for Brexit and the US vote for Trump. Irrespective of your views on each subject, both outcomes were a surprise that will lead to uncertain times. Life has been much quieter here in Australia. The rugby and cricket teams have been universally rubbish, and the Western Bulldogs winning the Auzzie Rules – as big a surprise as Trump and Brexit.

For us it’s been a year of saving for our new house. We signed the contract in Feb 2016 on a Victorian terrace back in Parkville, just around the corner from our old place (see above). But we don’t get possession until 31/3/17. Stuey went to an auction back in Oct 2015. It went for stupid money – the real estate market has gone bonkers in the last 2 years. So it looked like we had been priced out of Parkville….until two neighbours approached the agent that day as asked him to sell their places, via private sale. We were lucky enough to secure the one on the photo. But as the people in the house hadn’t got a place to move to, they needed a long settlement. So, possession on 31/3, house warming the following day – April Fools Day! So coupled with Stuart’s mother, Nor, moving from Poulton-le-Fylde back in to Manchester and Nic’s parents deciding it’s time to down-size, we’re keeping the real estate industry in business. However Woody, our one remaining cat is looking forward to returning to whence he came, over 16 years ago!

Just before Xmas we nipped down to Cape Paterson for a week, just as we did last year. Australia basically closes down on Xmas Eve – following that we have Xmas hols, the main Summer hols and financial year end for many institutions. So December is manic, trying to get things finished. So we run off to the coast.

Nicky has been working her many jobs with her newest career, as a professional coach, going really well – though sadly not quite well enough for Stuey to retire, but she is working on that. Her salaried jobs include a day at the Kids Hospital, one in the MCRI, and time with the Royal College and the Australian Dental Association. And if that wasn’t enough she has a long distance appointment at Plymouth University which gives her a good reason to make a couple of trips back to the UK each year.

Stuey did lots of music, the first half of the year with Orchestra Victoria, the latter half with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra plus a few trip to Tasmania. One of his highlights was doing the Elephant in OV’s production of Carnival of the Animals. Please note: Nicky made the costume – that girl guide badge was a sound investment all those years ago!

In January Stuey will go to Devonport in Northern Tazzie to coach the basses on a string camp, same as Jan 2016. It was knackering but great fun, with 150 participants in four orchestras aged from 7 to 70!

The first of our visitors for the year was Stuey’s Dad, Graham in Jan. We had a cricket net session with Charlotte, our friend who is an elite cricketer, and plays for the Sydney Thunder in the womens Big Bash 20-20 league. We then caught up with Barbara and P, Jane and Graham then Esther and Stephen. In addition to much eating, drinking and laughing, all were, or course, taken to Woodlands Historic Park, to see kangaroos in the wild…

…as Stuey’s new obsession is wildlife photography. It’s all Nicky’s fault as she bought him a ‘you-beaut’ 150-600mm tamron lens as a 25^th anniversary present in 2015. The lens soon outshone the camera, so a new Canon EOS 80D ‘had to be bought’ in April and 10,000 pictures have been snapped this year, many of them birds. The yellow honeyeater was taken in Port Douglas on our holiday in June, was just one of over 100 different species that we saw over the course of a few days (not that it’s a competition of course!).

 Merry Xmas and here’s to a safe and less turbulent 2017, Stuey and Nicky