tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227568352024-03-08T06:28:15.067+11:00Jack Left TownAshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-40157531725161971372008-09-11T17:00:00.009+10:002008-09-11T18:00:45.020+10:00Paragliding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrp24TJMkPqKfjEwQ5d5aFAnY9CbshPhZHof-133UJ96PPkV90uMNM5ZjTMtn_Jr8w3DhgBjzxqW1cz-inCOTAtU3YAgJy8KnQq92NSuWITd2NfQMowkmzdYJLzWWz7H4VdPp5A/s1600-h/IMG_0927.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 591px; height: 444px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrp24TJMkPqKfjEwQ5d5aFAnY9CbshPhZHof-133UJ96PPkV90uMNM5ZjTMtn_Jr8w3DhgBjzxqW1cz-inCOTAtU3YAgJy8KnQq92NSuWITd2NfQMowkmzdYJLzWWz7H4VdPp5A/s400/IMG_0927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244655636306915298" border="0" /></a>I know I haven't updated for a while but I have a good excuse, well for the last week or so at least... Last Saturday I started a course to get my paragliding license with the <a href="http://www.paraglide.com.au/">Australian Paragliding Centre</a>, who are based out at Murrumbateman.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCGbSyelwHfpdUf5lsSEAs48hzN5HnashUqbpiyp6Dt6GuXsa_sH_nGQfOe8wdXB-fLYaHXJOmFL63lBwt1wo06abDeeiuQgTa2Kexiep6NADuE1pN2qUsp-_YGs2-eyqsjIY1g/s1600-h/IMG_0925.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCGbSyelwHfpdUf5lsSEAs48hzN5HnashUqbpiyp6Dt6GuXsa_sH_nGQfOe8wdXB-fLYaHXJOmFL63lBwt1wo06abDeeiuQgTa2Kexiep6NADuE1pN2qUsp-_YGs2-eyqsjIY1g/s320/IMG_0925.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244657962785334706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy3oWU8xcYbIFZsMaAuolZ_R0uA789gN25qMzt8pawtbvl-X96k4WZJUOpuA78N6rcoEbbk1F_OX_Z9k5NBObnQbHz8DNM_Y_yJZYpqzUEwkW9wfngLQfAyweMj9YX3gVbil2Lw/s1600-h/IMG_0914.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy3oWU8xcYbIFZsMaAuolZ_R0uA789gN25qMzt8pawtbvl-X96k4WZJUOpuA78N6rcoEbbk1F_OX_Z9k5NBObnQbHz8DNM_Y_yJZYpqzUEwkW9wfngLQfAyweMj9YX3gVbil2Lw/s320/IMG_0914.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244660546320150818" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I've been flying an orange and yellow Ozone Element glider (the yellow/orange glider in the above and following images, and the short video at the bottom of the post, is me) and have had an awesome time doing it!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS2Hy1sxe-I8v8lXHj1G1e4pBRnDxx7ZgHSRZwNolsrN6rptJXJDChyphenhyphenhZOWVyRSnoFArUpnmZFNw4_QTKisqYPL0ZjcZDtgFOe0ovYzMidJRiCsTu6YtQjzJgNAcmsHN5tD9q1A/s1600-h/IMG_0926.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 356px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimS2Hy1sxe-I8v8lXHj1G1e4pBRnDxx7ZgHSRZwNolsrN6rptJXJDChyphenhyphenhZOWVyRSnoFArUpnmZFNw4_QTKisqYPL0ZjcZDtgFOe0ovYzMidJRiCsTu6YtQjzJgNAcmsHN5tD9q1A/s320/IMG_0926.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244657602706650178" border="0" /></a></div> </div> Since starting the course I've learned the basics of handling a paraglider, have about half a dozen 'high flights' under my belt, and am well on my way to having my restricted license rating.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='309' height='256' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwYX1Cv6ARApCimsz_vMClnJN1aBFCRjuA2QgyA8lkOHORzNb2RmW9Q5XUcxK_SaJC9KGgU5kPhnPY' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-64007089870264527132008-06-01T18:25:00.004+10:002008-06-01T19:07:18.080+10:00'sbeen a while...After copping enough rubbish about not updating for so long, though rightfully deserved I guess, I've finally put up a post. A lot has changed since my last blog, I've graduated, got a new job, a new car and am living in a new apartment.<br /><br />I'm now working at ANU working on the development of a solar concentrator dish prototype for commercialization, which is keeping me plenty busy. The dish is similar to the original Big Dish built by the team I'm now working for, shown in the below image, though slightly larger and should be built sometime before the end of the year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PQNr2nZckFrSL4x46FLnn-H-c1SERRRazIh7vGPuQxOSGgk4Wr1oJROhxV3arA_HcNT9hZto69PnoUgDKOn0s5FbtJ9LQ25P_n6aU8bWrraZv6y8yTQqamwXPzzVpATHpjeUeQ/s1600-h/solarconcentratordish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PQNr2nZckFrSL4x46FLnn-H-c1SERRRazIh7vGPuQxOSGgk4Wr1oJROhxV3arA_HcNT9hZto69PnoUgDKOn0s5FbtJ9LQ25P_n6aU8bWrraZv6y8yTQqamwXPzzVpATHpjeUeQ/s400/solarconcentratordish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206827091955781474" border="0" /></a>I'm not going to attempt to get up to date with everything that has happened since the last post in one go, but hopefully it won't be so long until the next one.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-88590899190203008352007-07-16T21:13:00.000+10:002007-07-16T22:05:33.002+10:00My Jet (2)<div>Over the break I headed home to Beechworth to do some final building and testing on my jet. While I was down there I took some video of the Jet running that can be watched by clicking on the images below.</div><div><a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Asha-StartUp707.wmv"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087763381006938322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWInUgWpMQ5yoH067JyETIorS7ZZTlMR6cytWqu2sWk7bvjMQmwrDlJUK80djv4mvI6ZmzdDDVN3vvzySEinLhqD57p-DBxv92IyR7Uq0WltJ3AEsxKFsS4YmvL5d-psYb78psUw/s200/start+thumb.jpg" border="0" /></a>This first video is of me starting the engine and running it for a while. The sound, though it came out a bit funny in the video, is really cool. At the end there's a shot of a set of scales, which measure the thrust being produced, as the engine is accelerated and decelerated.</div><div></div><div><a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Asha-smokeTest965.wmv"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087763595755303138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzVrNyVGd3OaHVtBtAc3ePvkYFcUTPpmTTsIIvfWr0P7hfMNFGNuRmGJ5zAn5fSnu51Zqb8AXhB2lCkWh3YfnDinZueDKeBmv58yOWvPHxYqUOUYFXnRZhrd80WrOzmtfQ5T36UQ/s200/Hose+thumb.jpg" border="0" /></a>This video is, I think, the more impressive of the two videos posted here. It's a video of me spraying a jet of water from a garden hose into the exhaust of the engine as the engine's running. The result gives a pretty good indication of the volume of air being pushed through the engine.</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-16943213425969026762007-07-09T09:47:00.000+10:002007-07-09T10:40:03.545+10:00Cowra '07It was that time of year once again when we don our best, or visit the charity shops, and head for the Cowra Picnic Races! Once we got there we thought it wise to get a shot of the respectable group that we had traveled with whilst we could be described this way...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084978285298830610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFeQHG7G3Ukpdmgk7FsJv0sLzwLsGvQqKhIxZLsQp4MrMyWvbNKDj1GAlIBoFGNodoDhnC-0w-dxYjhjstyw-5ZLseF8gWoCMgJwXnRask7VdwA1U9xjopNGPkW0yHdoD9kBibw/s320/P7060265.JPG" border="0" />Whilst everyone was looking sharp Pinko was honoured with an invitation to take part in fashions on the field, which he gracefully declined.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084978860824448290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypL1cjwzSc52NgDngfflduPAEoAAQ04NK9nzBKB_I23M1_3K1dRiknEtGDppJKEbQltvN8Erw6lQa_UNzURCvqMWRIukBadRSKIFnHuIj5dPDGVlA1FYCiqw_5xX69lMR4rR1nw/s320/P7060263.JPG" border="0" /> <div><div><div>The girls were getting into the spirit and Phil kept on popping up everywhere.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084979195831897394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJLxBY8yMRw6Bqa3povicwuwGN_WWDlErT8Y37iCspk7ddbTmVFLppvejfooBdpC5rfdRUU4D9w_NY0RoLLNKDkXnz2ak5RFvutEXM9nkCY-VMFFFyCPFkbDppvgUTIGeuigyOA/s320/P7060298.JPG" border="0" /></div><div>The fire was very welcome after the sun went down as our beer blankets could only carry us so far.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084979934566272322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVCXbTaoXtzln6_QfHiJLprSVqrTXPG3G4E7yEOcl3CaTDrB3RmkAqUrLzBSmVPSMyv4zYill282gqmi21H4nk0LSAScw_15Grq9WyswEuYg_sY2m-vek7KsbenhEbW_Zih1wNg/s320/P7060309.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-44546900362818536632007-06-29T23:26:00.000+10:002007-07-09T10:38:37.347+10:00My JetSince I've been back from Europe the majority of my life has been consumed by uni, more specifically my final year project which is the design, build and analysis of a jet engine. The design and build stage is well and truly done, and I'm well on my way with the analysis.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081478333629189346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGMmRaKzjYaYYy6LlTbYyFj3QztChL_B-56on33udmt-lRimXRe-sr376BXVzHIqCCahox4ZDfEDUiM5H3bAaj9NCM9g-nm2blGmWYnDG0jjVmP0WlNQQOfZH27sVXu31dRFPYA/s320/general+pics+001.jpg" border="0" /> <div><div>For the key part of the engine I've used a car turbo, which can be seen in this photo. The right hand side of the turbo is the air inlet, the stainless tube which can be seen hanging from the turbo is the combustion chamber, and finally the jet nozzle can be seen in the left side of the photo. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081478836140362994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjra9quHCD2sAH6GzuNq09wyMWoeINfYsS-goNvBy-I6Keiv3t3xPkP-WG_qhuuOkX9M3E1FJsa1d6NvUY9pdZv8AraYm4mB1FNbag95hmZQGLny6VjSiixpgC19cb1_8oU1QxdEQ/s320/general+pics+006.jpg" border="0" />The engine runs on LPG, same as your BBQ, and is controlled from the instrument panel shown in this photo. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081479158262910210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-yFLFtM2YZ6OeAdf0JU1H86NUUBhz8vwED3TJDTADcjEHfgVzA6rYFA1lHapQ5j4LDbifhb0tbHzv5xmZYTVhpmCpx0xQbVhBeHDO_oJtUJtkIQDOdb83A03wq_85CXzuVQixQ/s320/general+pics+008_paint.JPG" border="0" />This picture points out most of the different parts of the engine and where everything's going. The engine develops up to around 35N of thrust, which isn't bad considering the size of the turbo. No doubt I'll have some more photos to post soon about this as I'll be spending the next couple of months finalizing the write up of the thesis.</div><div></div><div>Oh and if anyone can come up with some ideas for a name for this engine feel free to let me know.</div></div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-38562039171118104172007-06-29T22:58:00.000+10:002007-07-09T10:37:45.129+10:00Updates...Whilst I was living in the UK I managed to get across and do a bit of a whirl-wind tour of Europe.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081470254795705378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxloMtCP4QeluXgYWvNFfbx9lTkoUgmu5V914uIsEhOL9348toiD9-xa3oz0Dh7QspAAP2qiaFh8mgzRrRLdjkX-TVTUJAhOv_AMe78vwuGvgXKiAX8DYnWjQc7Sn7bKqjkkBIw/s320/Brussles.jpg" border="0" />First we went to Belgium, which I was pretty impressed with and probably deserves a bit more credit then it seems to get. <div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081470795961584690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgkDlUNQiG-PUfGaJS0eD-0I0CNR5pubNHg9CG4w3KXrtjOhS2L27CClOUr3nIl_7HDCiCpwfKYuiWl_lzOUiB8SusiH9jjT-u6FY3eEV3zbiMLxsS_xAW0f7Nrg0Dr0ogNOGEw/s320/Germany.JPG" border="0" />Next was Germany, which was nice, although the people weren't the friendliest. Even getting this photo was a hassle. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081471195393543234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Q7tqnMceUmvBYChuvLFo5bDQeg19XnMhVPrlAavLKHNpNjC2YyhUOcmxou_Hz8JBPlJWB8UbpV6OlB3Qz33e_ff99D6wLwRFGpUwR6AnWXh8VU9a199-LvnmDxq6M4lOJ6Nn5Q/s320/Vienna.JPG" border="0" />Next was Vienna, which I really liked. Not somewhere that would have been at the top of my list of places to visit, but definitely somewhere I'd recommend. I had the best cake I think I've ever had there. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081471736559422546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmkEGeQvp9YhiVh6tmhQ66gFW8quRpok2f4QsBn54bzZSjcqDsIJPSXfFNeNwx9NLrFmv0KlzEfTn9Cg4UmPojWjK7vgQEzUFDBaVukiNEZ9PEuZ_DrrynInF1tAh3wETVEXFDOQ/s320/Swiss.JPG" border="0" />It was a really mild winter while I was over there, but in Switzerland we got to see some real snow! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081472586962947186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpW3iI3YJvcwtFt9EfMprGkjDM_DOGOS7KkuJTRpWL6SVnNwxiYwXMzzKXc9oOtmcbD6rkd8eIaPXCM5uD0NJobZ0Gu-E282yb9PpQgtWmMe_erMCAwpvaXMaMi2Ul5zPh_z4-pQ/s320/Gondola.JPG" border="0" /> Venice was definitely one of the best places we went, there's just nowhere else like it.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081473089474120834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOp931ogfFkCc2WEGEwC7dInd5a1pPgK9pSBG9reEgdnSnaqEmtKiVxsU-a-2cSBYtSE_6cxtysE_H9xM0csyWGYYE0NbXtxuXO4x5fXg-7uiazuMJLmb5URYZda5v3PRj2Plbw/s320/David.JPG" border="0" />Florence was a bit of a let down, although in all fairness we didn't get to spend enough time there to get a good feel for the place. This isn't the real David, but it's about as close as you get.<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081472187530988642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGBdcSE2JlOiWG20Yw2-5Nq0tqtFJQFPzYKxiHK6B2kcEGrC4mdQha7Mxi1MavzNLbc4VBU69vILnqjwMKac2H3qfCARVlpR6nha__F0G7yevJngn6wtmksvI1TDhnx9ZOMhK_w/s320/Pope.JPG" border="0" />Rome was really amazing, it's crazy to be in the middle of a city and then turn the corner and be looking over ancient ruins. Being there at Christmas we got to get blessed by the pope too, twice!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081473514675883154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYeyJ9PL1RdmbBw34QrDr6KHk43HjXrVCavdoXOunW3BADu7MQUgiYztMHVvdgsYCyGCaQIDuH8liDH0ELHomQhI5sxwbqbzBgR183saHXkXXJnsg8PaJWI4Lpi1PMzWg02GJ3XQ/s320/Paris.JPG" border="0" /> Paris was really cool, but I reckon to you'd need spend at least a few weeks there to really see it. The Eiffel Tower is amazing by night. The Louvre was crazy, the Mona Lisa is surprisingly small, but I reckon managing to find our way out of there was the most impressive part of the visit. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081474485338492066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHv-aOLN7gb17cyKcXb5j0aHVHHeWkKmOJIZssZTdZhEBozqaxhG2Y6dMTcD_DvK9SRNjFob676HOY6F6tsYO528LvtlPKwpcq-Iduw4rYq9DdcdBVf605mk4PlYwBSdWNhKuNVQ/s320/Snails.JPG" border="0" />When in Rome.... Well, Paris in this case. Only problem was where we were you could only order these snails by the dozen. Frogs legs went down much easier...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081475915562601666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6J8XrJ-Osk3luG-xzPkhELattq3PGv8sVwfZuecm1PBGNY3mNJevHzKFjgYmsqB0LyZa9uwbFs4l1y2qFtHetfGeoRvl7wdgzj_ElmmboD-QRMYZp8hpixUmxi2WdVmi_oC9vAg/s320/Mt+Fuji.JPG" border="0" /></div>On the way back we went though Japan and stopped in Tokyo for the best part of a week. While there we went on a tour up Mt Fuji, shown in photo, but could only get up to about 2000m, which is apparently really good for the time of year we were there. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081476448138546386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9bOHh8wN61LpobcBC_9w3lTyF3FjiuNMhUvmqGT0VmA8W_lZ-LYqCgxf-ws3zcGjQSz16T5Ij4xlb7U0zBPRomA8tHsbhYWST93sqfSsg3w0m6yrJ16UnRulMMmCOA7ZChso2Q/s320/Tokyo.JPG" border="0" />Sydney's like a small country town to Tokyo, even London had nothing on it. Still the strangest place I think I've ever been... </div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-81222972964183179722007-06-29T22:08:00.001+10:002007-07-09T10:36:07.064+10:00Updates...Ok I said I'd try and put up some stuff to fill in the blanks from my last posting so here goes...<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081463971258551186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQ8dvqcllMNUirCWGTX1FkcVRAtD4sU0Cv8zHYbeoEXCYRhykPKU1n73m8_imCdVigECBna0XNlVxQzXaEhKbQWfdOUjjoH40dPvO8PRFbm7kNM81MuEASaeJrizC2brBj1yX3Q/s320/Leeds+bodington.JPG" border="0" />I did a six month exchange to Leeds University in the UK and lived here (well the buildings off in the distance to the left)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081469541831134226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZnBjWh4ZMm6zOyhermZS1Aza1BWPjxtk9xrJQycOdsewtck9v3C-yVmymP2MnF0JPd3Gjj2XAAFf-FHbfyqCxI9hUEcGHwjBNiqHfX1NId91ZHYUgFc-DGU4f8MPE8Cfh10z5w/s320/Leeds+bus.JPG" border="0" />Spent lots of time on a bus very much like this one heading in and out of town. This is one of many trips into town of a night. My bus line ran until 3am most mornings which was handy.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081469047909895170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HLNCnPoSy7HYgW4GWJ1ScFsWYehsUhJGzQ0-9H8EqKbzLefZWBrJQcSldMlIv9mNrk78bQTcORibl7QbA1Fj1LNGRQXwtDGAEYE8mxuW3DbDZu8AXbM9BQw_xmSr5brrTIHxeA/s320/London+eye.JPG" border="0" /></p>Even though London was only about 4 hours by train, I knew many locals who had never been! Most Pom's had absolutely no real concept of distance.<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081464709992926130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjNv8UfZMSTEo5ZPJfxvQBlBQk7ufIdKkKhrjaIDtt-F18O5djoEddDIpIspFyqTD6xQbang1yHcSo71_HeavhtmVJXjGznSmMF6MlOyp_7G8RJ_aItf8oYdTEnRLuzdWVJBokA/s320/York.JPG" border="0" />You don't have to be studying engineering to realise that things were built differently a while ago. This is a photo of The Shambles in York, in which some of the buildings date back to the 1400's.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081466814526901186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjboeEN0zUQ0JKoSJzmDFUzbTtXoPsNo6HMTfkDs5LTnv7mqEx1SsWWFzlsH8n9SWXC4E2qPdYI_SKm2ZzhlYupIpacezKA2o25Pk1rpwFXDIUSyoivJD6yjWWk_5l2kQyenDEtw/s320/endinburgh+castle.JPG" border="0" />Edinburgh was only a couple of hours on the train and was probably the most impressive city I saw in the UK. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081467209663892434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtuyoWIyXhZLOEXZWDSmyljf8aMFyKqKDZfLXZxrtdVEIHI19Q-bEADtCraPkNydCiAiowpk6i-sfXjLZdRgITD56imtmkGgnHaFAaqprh4UulkmVwXNVLfOt1WKrC1SSASfLYA/s320/Jude+me.JPG" border="0" />Ireland was very easy to get to, especially from Leeds, but really from anywhere in the UK. This is a photo from when I visited a friend who I met in New Zealand, Judith, who lives in Belfast. I headed back to Ireland twice more, not paying more then about $60 return including taxes.<br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081468098722122722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPOAEFYpQEQjYiJf9HbPtJ6dG9fBWrBuwL4ZaWiWdWcHV4WqWO_APakzDvzveBn8NsW__1wDCwM2aGa5J48MW3oVXdmfV5NC_AennvF2C5GLsDO9DgaFlD-YH9s2PQU37uWAjww/s320/Leprechauns.jpg" border="0" />Jen, another Aussie studying at Leeds, and I trying to fit in amongst the locals in Dublin. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081468541103754226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h3jngOActSIuh8nZyd-XPhsdC0laHbj6ejMvsdSo9DzeTwzD6xkp9ng0vWACI0RheRxRfnsBs7fbRMB0K1KKAoFsf9wJgonug6ydI0lkYidG4H8PuVtL0mpMEADUPc0OWTDOyw/s320/Oneills.JPG" border="0" />The beers weren't quite as cheap, although admittedly I wasn't there on a Thursday, but they did a great lunch, and the Guinness is always good in Ireland. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081475267022539954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWcsY2hBZ1rSl1HSnhfB3aldgc4ufQy-0eC0ZQCBUwJV12H7C78FryPy_GUI29OcvuJGQAAMwknuLUTObjiHq2_gY91JFoSuszkjXdJMlfF08CHICaPVBepG913jE5taywDZVTew/s320/guinness+van.jpg" border="0" />Who says drinking isn't a career... These guys get to drive around to all the pubs in Ireland and 'test' the Guinness to make sure it's being served right. Where were these guys at careers day in high school!Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-67298063190221450382007-06-17T20:23:00.000+10:002007-06-17T20:43:43.185+10:00I'm Back!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm3HNX89_By9oLNlxg_ZjiHIBfsHf4Lpl8Y6QVcwEb8Kp6f4w88XpOmT8xISEHNsHNFFWSxHmz8t4WuX1dbFUWptZGuhYIkFr9K5Sy8G-EsAD2O8PHb8LkFE4TFe-Yajq2axPxg/s1600-h/Dobs_and_Pinko.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076981053903106466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwm3HNX89_By9oLNlxg_ZjiHIBfsHf4Lpl8Y6QVcwEb8Kp6f4w88XpOmT8xISEHNsHNFFWSxHmz8t4WuX1dbFUWptZGuhYIkFr9K5Sy8G-EsAD2O8PHb8LkFE4TFe-Yajq2axPxg/s320/Dobs_and_Pinko.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>It took me a while but I finally regained access to my blog! There's a bit of a gap since my last post, so I'll try and upload some photos for what I've been up to for the last year or so...</div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-44454743039164877132006-11-28T20:50:00.000+11:002007-07-09T10:04:50.541+10:00Indian Otley RunJust a quick post before I go to class of some pics from last week when my house (Whewell) did the 'Otley Run'. (Look out for more explaination soon...)<br /><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/320/group_indians_bus.jpg" border="0" />On the bus on the way in (the before shot...)</p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/320/woodies.0.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">The first pub.<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/1600/group_indians1.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/320/group_indians1.1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><br />Hmmm, still seem to be having troubles with blogger, but will try again soon.<br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><div> </div>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-13659905019505507852006-11-16T04:31:00.000+11:002006-11-16T04:47:12.315+11:00Ash is back<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/1600/SV500050.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/7651/2777/320/SV500050.jpg" border="0" /></a>Ok, though my computer is still playing funny buggers I can now put up posts from other computers so hopefully soon I'll get a chance to put up a whole bunch of photos to put up from my travels. The above photo is from the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, cheers everyone!Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1159029892624006672006-09-24T02:14:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.635+11:00LeedsI've been in Leeds for almost two weeks now and I have to say that I quite like it. It's very busy, which can be frustrating as I am out in the sticks a bit, but it's quite a fun little (3/4 of a million people or something similar) city. Here's a few photos to give you an idea:<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/P1100108.jpg" border="0" /><br />Above is the town hall, I'm not sure exactly how old it is but, like many of the buildings around here, it may well have been built before Captain Cook was in nappies. I had a quick squiz inside and it's really nice but there was some function going on so I didn't hang around to get a photo.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/P1130126.jpg" border="0" />Apparently there's about 100,000 of us students in Leeds, and our presence is certainly felt.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/sea.jpg" border="0" />One thing I've found since arriving in the UK, but especially after my time in London, I have realised that in Australia we, believe it or not, perhaps customer service (and the general good nature of people) for granted. People are rarely willing to offer any assistance and when they do, like if it's their job or something and they're forced too, they aren't particularly helpful. Leeds doesn't seem so bad, though when I saw this sign I did wonder...<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/P1100111bigger.0.jpg" border="0" /> Just because I'm on the other side of the world doesn't mean that the thursday night pilgrimage has to stop...<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/P1130124.jpg" border="0" />The above and below (on the next post as blogger is still playing games with me) photos were taken on one of the few typical english days (as far as weather goes) that I've had since I've been here, though I was still in shorts and a T shirt. They're both taken just down the road from where I'm living and in the background to the right of the photo below is the buildings that make up Boddington Hall where I'm living.<br /></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1158435060596086182006-09-17T06:05:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.425+11:00The United Kingdom of Ash<p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/dbl_dkr_bus.0.jpg" border="0" /> Can you believe it, they actually let me in! Two Fridays ago I touched down at Heathrow airport and had a couple of days to spend in London before heading north to Leeds. Perhaps I wasn't quite operating at my peak performance with my body telling me it was 0200 h but all the clocks around me saying that it's 1600 h but after jumping on the tube from the airport it wasn't all that obvious where I was; London or Melbourne. The trains looked the same, as did many of the houses in the outer suburbs, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. However the giveaway, the moment that I <em>new</em> I must not be in Melbourne, was when two blokes jumped on the train with cans of Fosters. Can't say I've seen many people drinking Fosters anywhere back home. <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/arm_sht_big_ben.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>It was recommended to me that whilst in London I buy a ticket for a 'jump on, jump off' open top double decker bus tour. I went with The Big Bus Company and would also highly recommend doing one of these tours. It's a great way to do all the touristy things in London, and it's easy so you can do it even if your body is telling you that you should be asleep. The above photo is me on the tour with Big Ben behind me.<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/smrt_car.jpg" border="0" /></p><p></p><p>One thing about London is that everything is small and all crammed in together; they have washing machines in their kitchens and in the place where I stayed a few nights in Leeds the toilet and shower were one in the same. These little Smart Cars are everywhere. A bloody good idea for somewhere like this. They are all crazy drivers too, it doesn't matter if their driving a Smart Car like this or a double decker bus, they still drive like their driving a sports car and are above any road laws.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1158436125406599252006-09-17T05:36:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.511+11:00The United Kingdom of Ash (continued)Blogger was playing up so I'll have to finish the rest of the previous post here.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/lndn_eye.jpg" border="0" />The tour takes you around to all the sites and whilst I didn't have a whole heap of time up my sleeve (I'd spent the morning trying to fix phone problems I was having) I got to see most things. I did manage to stop at the natural history museum as well as the science museum, and with it being such a clear day I thought I had best make the most of it and go on the London Eye (above) even if it did mean that I spent more time in line for a ticket then actually on it.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/big_ben.4.jpg" border="0" />You can see Big Ben (apparently technically only the name of the clocks bell) from pretty much anywhere in the middle of London so I have a whole bunch of photos of the big guy from several different angles, however this is probably one of the better ones and was taken whilst I was on the London Eye.<br /><br />That's all for London for the moment but stay tuned for some posts on Leeds. I've only been in Leeds for 5 odd days, but it seems really good so I'll put up some photos from around here soon.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1154155470600936632006-07-29T16:17:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.330+11:00Cowra picnic races '06My apologies for taking so long with this post, but here it is. A few weeks ago were the Cowra picnic races and with Pinko being a Cowra ex-pat, the troops were rounded up for the event. Unfortunately the camera got stuck on a setting that no one ever new it had, so most of the photos are a bit blurry. We got to Pinko's place on a Thursday night and, after all being repeatedly beaten by his old man in darts, went inside for tea... and a home brew or 24...<br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/pinkos_place_thu.jpg" border="0" /><br />The next day we all got up and donned our Friday's best ready for the big day. Pinko lives on a vineyard and it seemed a rather appropriate place to begin. The red bowtie was a very spur of the moment thing but worked brilliantly! In a 'special' kind of way...<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/before_vineyard.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>With Pinko catching up with just about everyone in Cowra, he was sometimes hard to get a hold of. This is a photo I managed to get of him between reunions.<br /></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/Pinko_fast.jpg" border="0" /><br />In the time it took to loose our eskies and regain them again a fair percentage of our tent had migrated into town. However Louis, Pinko and myself did our best to encourage people to visit our tent on there way through.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/ticket_holders.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Eventually though it was time to follow the masses into town so after stashing the eskies in a super-secret hiding spot, we began to groove on in.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/pinko_walking.0.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p></p><p>After a great night, two black eyes, a lost pair of sunnies and an incident with a barbed wire fence, it was time for the long walk home. As this was our first time to Cowra for many of us, Pinko decided to show us the scenic route, which we were only informed of well into the hike. Needless to say, by the time we got we were well and truely ready for a feed. (The corrosponding image doesn't appear to want to work at the moment but i'll try and post it again later.) </p><p>So thanks Pinko for putting us onto a good thing, and a big thanks to your folks for putting up with us. Look out for us next year Cowra!</p><p></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1152083234016039442006-07-05T16:39:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.103+11:00Leeds, prepare yourselfI've, FINALLY, got my official acceptance to University of Leeds for next semester. Why I'm choosing to swap a nice and warm Ausie summer for a miserable UK winter I'm still not sure, but it will be different to have a white christmas at least. Waiting on this confirmation has meant a lot of organising stuff without really knowing what was happening but now it's happening. A bit scary really.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/england_Leeds.jpg" border="0" />Now that I have been accepted I can begin my work experience that I've organised. As of next week I'm working in defence with Navy Platform Systems for nine (or so) weeks.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1152081232616131342006-07-05T16:19:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.984+11:00On the move<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/IMG00009_lighter_cropped_sml.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/IMG00009_lighter_cropped_sml.1.jpg" border="0" /></a>Last weekend Erin and I decided that we were going to do some walking. But before we could do this we had to make sure we were properly equipped. This meant several trips to most of the outdoor stores in Canberra, and ended with several bargains, and us having to right gear (that looked good too). We were perhaps too ambitious in our plans and didn't get to go for a walk in Namadgi, but instead just went for a walk up Mt Ainslie. The photo left is us at the top; we managed to fend off the roos but not night fall.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/ash_erin007sml.0.jpg" border="0" />The picture above is from two weekends ago, just before the house party. Straight after exams Erin and I headed down to Beechy to visit the folks and give Erin a look at Beechworth. We only were able to stay a couple of days but it was good. Dargo (my dog in the pic) was pleased to see us as she was spoiled more then she probably has been for a while.<br /><br /><p></p><p></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1152084367878984762006-07-05T15:18:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:56.215+11:00That'll do donkey...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/sam%20and%20donkey_sml.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/sam%20and%20donkey_sml.jpg" border="0" /></a> I've been meaning to publish this post for a while but have kept forgetting, so here it is now. The photo is one my cousin Cristy sent me of hers and Leon's daughter, Sam, getting into riding early (like mother like daughter) on a stuffed donkey that I got them while I was living with them. It's probably a couple of months old now so no doubt Sam is even bigger now and has probably progressed to riding Keb, their dog.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151307858994614872006-06-26T17:28:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.822+11:00Monc party #... 5?<p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/house.jpg" border="0" /> Saturday just gone was time for the fifth (can anyone confirm or correct this?) Moncrieff st party. Once again the punch came out, as did many of our friends. </p><p><br /></p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/kate_erin_trace.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center">With Dobs about to start exams Kate was relieved of driving duty and was able to let her hair down, or tie it back... Meanwhile Erin and Trace (both honorary house members) made the most of the night.<br /></p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/erin_trace.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 221px" height="224" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/erin_trace.jpg" width="298" border="0" /></a></p><p>However with Trace, plus some encouragement from Erin, opting to drink the punch straight from the eski as opposed to the usual method of using a cup, her early retirement from the night was inevitable.</p><p></p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/Pinko_zac.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>I think the less said about this photo with Pinko and Zac the dog the better.</p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/nemo_ash.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/nemo_ash.0.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p>Once again the nemo hat made an appearance. How could it have been a bad night!!!</p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151306272954010422006-06-26T17:02:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.686+11:00Old man JierThis year the queen shared her birthday with Jier's 21st. It was held at the sports bar at ADFA and was a great opportunity to catch up with my ADFA mates. My night was kept quite small as I was being served mid-strength Jim Beam's against my will. I feel so violated...<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/bas_suzi.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/bas_suzi.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Early in the night Basu met a girl called Suzi. Unfortunately for Bas, after getting to know her a bit better he decided that she was too fake.<br /><br /><br />As the night drew to a close, the lights came on and the rain came down. We were all very cold, wet and unimpressed by the excessive taxi line. Still don't know who the random is at the back...<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/going_home.jpg" border="0" /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/unhappy_bas.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/unhappy_bas.jpg" border="0" /></a>Basu did find another girl to dance with later in the night, and not made of plastic (though there were some of them out at moose too). Unfortunately though for Bas she apparently was out of bounds for another week. Needless to say Basu was somewhat shocked and upset. When the 'friend' was confronted the next day about this 'out of bounds rule' she was as confused as he was.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151305075004677632006-06-26T16:46:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.539+11:00What engineers do<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/car.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/car.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Recently I was shocked and appalled when someone (don't worry Damien you will remain nameless) suggested that mechanical engineers work in labs with test tubes. To clarify this I'm posting a picture of our last major project; a remote control car that my manufacturing group and I designed and built. Basically we were given a box of car parts (like the front and rear assemblies, receiver, steering servo etc) and were told to build a chassis that was light, had quick and easy battery removal, strong, could easily be manufactured on mass scale, and obviously went well. Our design, as can be seen from the picture, used a piece of aluminium box section that was machined using a CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151303857799933962006-06-26T15:45:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.374+11:00Bedford @ ANU<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/dobs.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 395px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="300" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/dobs.jpg" width="402" border="0" /></a><br />Just before exams the Bedford boys managed to get into the ANU recording studios to lay down a track. A mate of mine is taking a recording course and needed to record a piece for his assessment, hence the recording. This meant though that the recording is what the assessors wanted rather then exactly what we would have done, but it still sounds good. There are a couple of hick ups throughout the recording that we would have fixed but the security guard kicked us out before we could. With any luck we'll be able to get back in and get some more stuff down soon. Click on <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Asha-NeighbourhoodWatchBedfordDecision258.mp3">here</a> to listen to the recording.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151300678536260972006-06-26T15:29:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.236+11:00Wolf and Bert (but no Ernie)A couple of weeks, perhaps months, ago Wolf Mail (shown below) came to town. For those who aren't familiar with him he's an amazing Canadian (I think) blues guitarist and well worth a look.<br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/wolf.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 386px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="284" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/wolf.jpg" width="403" border="0" /></a><br />For a while it looked like I would be going by myself but in the end Dan and Louis headed out with me and later Karina, Trace and Hez made an appearance.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="293" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/wolf_crew.jpg" width="383" border="0" /></p><p>A bit later in the night Louis managed to open his eyes, and began to remind me of someone...</p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/bert(loui).jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/200/bert%28loui%29.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/sesamiestreetbert.gif"></a> Can you see it...?<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 64px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 68px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="65" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/sesamiestreetbert.0.gif" width="60" border="0" /></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1151299771010344792006-06-26T14:17:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:55.061+11:00Where do I start...<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/GuyComputer.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/GuyComputer.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I know it has been a while since my last post so I intend to do some catching up. It's not that that I haven't had anything to post, quite the opposite. The semester has just ended so I've only just managed to escape all the assignments and exams; I never thought I'd become so familiar with the wee hours of the morning sober. For a while there the picture above could have been a surprisingly accurate picture of me, unshaven, long hair, hours behind a computer, but with empty coke cans instead of coffee cups. Anyway it's over for the moment so here goes.Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1146375373188158552006-04-30T14:55:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:54.913+11:00The most warmed house ever (almost)<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/Trace%20and%20Grant.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/Trace%20and%20Grant.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Last Saturday was Grant's (shown left in his Disco Stu pose getting his birthday present of Trace) birthday and, with him also moving into a new house with a bunch of the other lads, was call for celebration. The new house is down in Quanga's (Queanbeyan) so a car load of us (it's always a good idea to travel in large numbers when going to places such as this) jumped in the car and headed down and then later ventured into town.<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/Fire%20progression.jpg" border="0" /><br />What's a house party without fire... If you think that the fire bin looks familiar you're right, it's the same fire bin seen at such parties as the first and second Moncrieff party's. However unlike when it was used at Moncrieff st there was no wood for fuel and so removal boxes had to be used, which meant that constant refueling of the fire was needed. It was found that, especially in such a small backyard, trying to put a large amount of cardboard at once did not solve this, as can be seen above. </p><p><br />Being the time of year when things are cooling down a fire was a great addition to the party to help keep us all warm. But it some other uses for those having trouble kicking the habbit...</p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 394px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="314" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/Big%20cig.jpg" width="412" border="0" /><br />Trace and Erin, both Quana's girls themselves felt very much at home at the lads house. So comfortable in fact that they helped to provide us with some enterainment in the more quiet parts of the night. Just ask Dobs, but i think his face says it all (below) <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/Trace%20and%20Erin.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/Trace%20and%20Erin.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/happy%20dobs.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/200/happy%20dobs.2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22756835.post-1145082268494861642006-04-15T16:24:00.000+10:002006-11-14T08:15:54.807+11:00The recent additions<p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/family_with_bubs-1.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/family_with_bubs-1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Over the last few days I managed (after a small hickup that i won't mention) to make my way down to Melbourne to visit the family, which included a few, yes 3, new additions. Above is myself with Leon and Cristy's new bub Samantha, my dad in the back with Adon and holding Paige and mum is holding Matt and Jay's newest daughter Holly.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/IMG00009.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="314" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/400/IMG00009.jpg" width="333" border="0" /></a><br />After visiting the new additions on my dads side of the family is was off to visit Myra with her new son Lauchlan (you'll have to forgive me if any of these names are spelt wrong) shown right. </p><p><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/1600/IMG00020.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2906/2320/320/IMG00020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And of course i'll have to mention Leon and Cristy's first baby Keb who wasn't too impressed with the decrease in attention now that Samantha has come along.</p>Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00362304284537100589noreply@blogger.com3