938K in three days and Happy Birthday Stewart

So here is the itinerary - Canberra to Sydney, Sydney to Newcastle, two locations on the Central Coast, Sydney and back to Canberra.

We set off on Friday night and ended up having tea in Esco Pazzo, main street Mittagong - the best Italian we have had since leaving Pompeii!!! Very authentic Italian food, huge dining area and very busy. Service was prompt and the food was excellent.

We arrived around 10pm in Heathcote.
Away again around 10am bound for Newcastle, had lunch and a break at the Westfield Tuggerah.

Had a nice relaxing evening at Whitebridge. We have not seen Al and Barbara all year, so it was especially nice to catch up in person. The next day we set off for Stewart's 80th birthday party at Shelly Beach Surf Life Saving Club.This is the same place that Stewart had his 70th, so I expect that we will be back again in 10 years for the 90th.


Here is our MC - JR the first! He is also a lifetime member of this club.

The birthday boy leads us in the family song

It was a great turnout with all the Rutherfords, lots of cousins and people who only emerge at these sort of occasions. We all enjoyed ourselves.

The Rutherford Cousins Table (missing MLR)

Nicola~~ Kate~~ Megan


Damian

John and John~~~~~~~~~~Cathie and Wal


Cheryl and Jim~~~~~~Margaret, Doug and John


Ruth


Fletcher~~ Al~~ ~~~~~~~~~Barb and Cheryl and Anne

Stewart and Stewart's friend from Teachers College

Wendy~~Pat's daughter~~Rita (Wendy's mum)~~Pat

We adjourned to Cathie's place about 20 minutes away, for coffee, birthday presents and more catching up. Back to Heathcote for dinner.

Libraries of the future

I have been thinking about how libraries might evolve given the plethora of social networking and open source software floating about.

Here is one demonstration of how the future of libraries may work

Wentworth Falls

Last weekend we travelled up to Wentworth Falls to catch up with Tanya and Richard, Alex and Tim and Grandparents.

We celebrated AJR's 12th birthday with a cake and the family get together.

The next day we went to the
Blue Mountains Chocolate Company in Katoomba for a cup of hot chocolate, this involved hot milk in jug, with a mug that had a tea light under it and a ashtray sized bowl of chocolate drops (white, milk or dark) to drop and mix into the milk - yumbo.

'The Blue Mountains Chocolate Company has over 60 different individual handmade chocolates for you to choose from. And then of course, there are Claires famous chocolate coated toffees. Or the coated nuts. Or the hollow koalas and eggs made from our creamy milk or rich dark chocolate. Or the coated soft fluffy nougat. Whatever your taste, we are sure we have something here that's spot on for you! We know that the chocolates we create are world beating, which is why we are more than happy to let anyone come in and try our dark, milk and white chocolate for free. We also have other mouth watering samples for you to try, depending on what we are making today!'

176 Lurline Street Katoomba

Telephone: (02) 4782 7071

While at the chocolate factory we spied the car from Harry Potter - although we looked long and hard we did not see Daniel Radcliffe (AKA HP), the people attached to the car seemed to be in a treasure hunt and I saw them at a later checkpoint on our way down the mountain.

As a small aside JSR took a quick run up to see his Dad in Newcastle, who is recovering from a hip replacement operation. He surprised all the family and he was really pleased to see that his Dad was mending quickly. The trip back to Wentworth Falls took longer, due to lots of banging noises from the car. He stopped at Penrith Panthers and called the NRMA who found that whoever had changed the tyres in the last service just over four weeks ago had not tightened the nuts on the wheel properly!!! JSR made it back to WWF at 9pm much to my relief.

Christmas is coming

As Christmas is coming, I thought I would help you with a countdown, so check the bottom of the blog and you will see how long it is until festivities begin.

Merry Christmas Everyone

Kangaroo Valley Part 3

On our last day, we again visited "Source at Kangaroo", where we sat outside to listen to the birds and the brakes, while eating eggs benedict with a side of mushrooms. Our hosts from Jing Jo Thai were also there for breakfast.


Next stop Fitzroy Falls,
in the Morton National Park.

Stopping at the National Parks and Wildlife Headquarters we bought our first Christmas Present and no I am not telling you what we bought. We walked to the falls. It is many years since I have been here and it still takes my breath away.

Then off to Goulburn for coffee with Mum and Dad at the Speckled Hen in the main street. Food is basic and filling.

Brand Depot next for a look see - JSR had not been there before, very open and lots of things closing down - grabbed a quick Jester's pie. I particularly wanted to try this brand as someone else had tried them and was not impressed. I thought the vegie sausage roll was reasonable, but not exciting. Off home to see the kids.

We really did have a great weekend.

Kangaroo Valley Part 2

The views across the golf course are beautiful.

Views across the golf course and another view of our hut

Advertising Valley style

Sunday we strolled around the village & took photos. Mainly of the plants, as it seems that the spring has sprung a little earlier in the Valley than at home.

Kangaroo Valley Part 1

Last weekend JSR and I ran away to Kangaroo Valley, leaving the children in the care of grandparents (thank you so much).

We left late on Friday, just after 6pm. We decided that we would dine at our favourite restaurant in Goulburn, 'Fireside Inn' which we discovered one Sunday afternoon on our way home from Sydney. We enjoyed a lovely meal, with excellent service. The food is traditional Australian with a hint of Italian. Highly recommended.



Arriving just after 10pm at the Kangaroo Valley Golf & Country Resort, we found our hideaway, at number 20 easily. It was very welcoming and felt at home straight away.




On Saturday awoke to the twitter of birds and the thwack of golf balls - a blissful sounds!
Eventually we looked out of the window finding the valley full of mist.

and dew hung on the cobwebs strung in the trees.

We set off to explore the village of Kangaroo Valley and started with Hampden Bridge, which we had crossed late on Friday night. This is the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial times in NSW, opening in May 1898. The bridge is named after Lord Hampden, Governor of NSW from 1895-1899. The bridge is only one lane wide.

Two views of the Bridge



JSR filming at the bridge

Breakfast was the next need for the day and it was found at Source at Kangaroo. The food was excellent and the restaurant had views to the bridge. Afterwards we wandered around the bridge and looked at the river. At least once each five minutes the peace of the valley was shattered by the sound of squealing brakes as cars, trucks and buses worked at stopping to give way to oncoming traffic on the bridge.

Off to Berry next. Here we mooched around the shops and did very little, found an excellent wine shop and then had a bit of bite at the old post office, called Postmans Ghost Cafe. It reminded us a lot of the old post office cafe at Wentworth Falls. Headed back up the hill to Kangaroo Valley.

Thought that the restaurant at the golf club might be the go, but it was fully booked, then tried the Thai Restaurant in Kangaroo Valley, but it was also fully booked, so we booked for Sunday night. Ended up eating cheese, biscuits and dip in our room. Watched the Bill and drank some wine that we bought in Berry.

Sunday had breakfast in town at the Cafe Bella where we also played a game of chess. Food was nice, if slow and the pepper mill had to be found!!!

The afternoon was dedicated to the art of golf, he played and I drove the fastest golf cart in the valley.




Dinner was at Jing jo Thai, in the main street of Kangaroo Valley. The food was excellent, and service wonderful. The vendors are from Sydney, where they also ran a Thai restaurant. As we were leaving with a lovely bottle of Margaret River semillion, that we had not finished, the couple sitting nearest to the cash register asked us about the wine? We said we liked it and they were pleased as they had recommended and supplied the wine to the restaurant! Such a small world in the Valley.

MLR's concert

Wednesday night was Gala night for MLR's school as they finally ran the school concert. It was supposed to happen in the last week of second term, however too many people were sick and it was postponed until now. There are a lot of "gala events" this year at MLR's school as it closes at the end of this year as part of the ACT government education rationale and the 2020 vision.

This is England

TSS and I went to see the Boynton Beach Club as TSS had free tickets. When we got to the Dendy we found that Boynton Beach Club was not on so we went to see "This is England" instead.

This movie is about the punk era in Yorkshire, England. Set in 1983 about a 12 year old boy who joins a teenage group of skin heads in the long summer holidays. It is semi autobiographical for the director.

• It is about Thatcherism and the Falklands war,
  
• it is about immigration and fatherless children,
  
• the haves and the have nots,
  
• its a powerful movie and will stay with me for a long time.

Not necessarily a movie I would see again.

Mika - Love Today

I love this song, as it is "unusual" thank you Kath and Kim.

Mika says "I was born in lebanon and rasied in Paris and London, hopping from country to country like a footloose hippy with my four brothers and sisters.

Coming from different background to most I found no place at school and delved into music from an early age. I started writing songs as a kid, not because of grand ambitions but because it was an easy way to tell a story, a joke and often the truth. Tell the truth in a song and people are less pissed off than if you were to say it to their face.

I sent out my stories to anyone and everyone, not surprisingly I often got no reply. The further I got into music the more attention I was getting for my own song writing, I made a choice last year and decided to go for it."

'Life In Cartoon Motion' is my first record. It has a coming of age theme, and deals with my transition from childhood to now. What's my sound? I guess it's in the writing. I apologise in advance to the people whos stories and characters I have borrowed from. Remember, It's only a caricature.
From Mika's myspace site.

Mika - Love Today lyrics

JSR is now the Master!

Congratulations J, on achieving a wonderful outcome, completion of a masters is a great thing, I admire your determination, tenacity and perserverance.

Not only does J have a masters in IT, but he has an mcsd, mcad, mcp and a mcts!

I am looking forward to next May, which will see us both in Wagga for the graduation celebration.

Love you,
Mondo.

Cleaning philosophy

I had to share my cleaning philosophy with all of you - just in case you had missed it.

Happy Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

MUM

Vader Boy

Pink- Dear Mr President - Live

Truly Tragic Thursday

• 6am up
• between 6-730, empty and fill dishwasher, get clothes ready, have breakfast, pack bags, make lunches, blog
• 7.30-7.45 shower and dress
• 7.50 off to work
• 8.10 arrive at work
• 9.45 leave work for a meeting at MLR's school
• 11.20 back at work
• 11.30 meeting
• 1.30 meeting
• 2.30 meeting
• 4.20 parent teacher for AJR
  
• 5pm pick up MLR from after school care
• 6pm drinks and nibbles with C&D
• 7.50 home
• 8.50 cleaned kitchen and made a tuna pasta warm salad
• 10pm kids in bed
• 10.30 put washing in dryer and run dishwasher again
• 10.45 go to bed

Hot Library Photos

I bet you thought this was a joke, well you know it takes all kinds!!!

Click on the title of this post to some great pictures of libraries around the world. Makes me want to travel just to get to these places.

Thank you L.

Enjoy.