At this match, about half way through The Star Spangled Banner, they released a bald eagle to fly all around the stadium only to land on its trainers arm in exact unison with the last note of the song.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Gridiron final series
At this match, about half way through The Star Spangled Banner, they released a bald eagle to fly all around the stadium only to land on its trainers arm in exact unison with the last note of the song.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Winter olympics week 1
My 2 favourite events this week were the snowboarding and of course the ski-jumping.
Torah Bright won for Australia while Shaun White did it for America.
☺☺☺
Torah Bright won for Australia while Shaun White did it for America.
\
This is how high they both can go off the half-pipe.
Gotta love Simon Ammann's double olympic double golds.
And a creepy Skiing poster...Lol ☺☺☺
Our Two man Bobsleigh found the track challenging on their first run.
The picture shows how they went from just after a start mishap.
It's a long way down when you're Downunder!
☺☺☺Wednesday, February 17, 2010
VJ no more.
It looks like the VJ class died quickly in 2007 after the great (St George) sailor, Larry Selby,set sail for heaven.
Here's a few pictures from when I was sailing them against Larry (above at Teralba lake Macquarie, that's me with a spinaker pole, lol) and below right up to the last days circa 2008.
New Hissy from the 1970's and a couple from 2007.
Here's a few pictures from when I was sailing them against Larry (above at Teralba lake Macquarie, that's me with a spinaker pole, lol) and below right up to the last days circa 2008.
New Hissy from the 1970's and a couple from 2007.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The America's cup has jumped the shark!
Seriously these boats are speed racers.
How could you call them Yachts?
James (Jimmy) Spithill from Oz was the skipper and victorious on BMW Oracle-USA.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Fireball
Not quite a VJ, but great fun.
Check out this clip on Youtube, the ending sums up the camaraderie between classes. I suppose the main tip is to give way to port by going behind the boat even if it's a tad slower than you, lol.
fireball sailing 2008
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Australia remembers 'Black Saturday."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3dPlVvkIZ8 This youtube clip was seen all around the world (Koala) and reminds us all of the disaster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkXSMZBdTLU
This clip shows you what it was like being a witness to the fire front.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkXSMZBdTLU
This clip shows you what it was like being a witness to the fire front.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
BLUDGER
The band was so named 'Men at work' because that's the sign Aussie roadworkers use and often it looks like they're all doing nothing.
Their song "Downunder" has been found to be a rip-off of the tune 'Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree.'
Very fitting that Larrikin music were the winners.
men at work rip off folk song.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Jessica has Dyslexia. Who knew?
By Kathleen Donaghey From: The Sunday Mail (Qld) January 31, 2010
The 16-year-old was a preschooler when she was diagnosed with severe dyslexia – the lone child in the class unable to count to 10 or recite the alphabet. But after enduring the stigma of illiteracy, Jessica's fate changed at age 11 when mum Julie read her Lionheart, the story of Jesse Martin's solo world voyage.
"What people don't realise is that I was reading to her because she couldn't read."...
I was helping her access a world she couldn't reach. When she heard Jesse Martin's story and realised how human he was, Jessica went very quiet, you could see the cogs turning.
"She realised he was an ordinary person with vulnerabilities and humanness. And that's why he wrote the book: so people realised you don't have to be superhuman to go around the world."
Jesse Martin's book Lionheart is a an easy read and good value.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
BRUMBYY returns to Jessica's blog in style.
The Tar
Held by straps from falling out
As boat began to roll
Shrieking din of wind about
Was drowned by Neptune’s soul
Green view was there in glassy screen
Tall mast, submerged below
Momentarily this state was seen
Each time, the Lady on show
Upright again in moving mountains
Those crashing curls of power
Down below still held restrained
Surveying, the destructive shower
Not once not twice, but more they came
Those massive waves with force
Inside the Lady, they felt the same
Yet, each came with its own voice
The fear of Tar against the sea
A boat alone in might
Proved the strength of only she
This girl, who battled fright
With Neptune’s test on passing by
Vessel proved its class in storm
Jessica reached, the ultimate high
An Aussie legend born
Brumbyy
Monday, January 25, 2010
The climb down from Everest begins
This is from her blog entry.
She describes it best:
"That much wind means some very big and nasty waves. To give you an idea of the conditions, they were similar to and possibly worse than those of the terrible 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race. We experienced a total of 4 knockdowns, the second was the most severe with the mast being pushed 180 degrees in to the water. Actually pushed isn't the right word, it would be more accurate to say that Ella's Pink Lady was picked up, thrown down a wave, then forced under a mountain of breaking water and violently turned upside down
Under just the tiny storm jib, the big electric autopilot did an amazing job of holding us on course downwind, possibly or possibly not helped by my yells of encouragement! It was only the big rogue waves that hit at us at an angle (side on) that proved dangerous and caused the knockdowns.
The solid frame of the targa (the frame that supports the solar panels) is bent out of shape and warped (see pic below), which provides a pretty good idea of the force of the waves. Solid inch thick stainless steel tube doesn't exactly just bend in the breeze, so I think you could say that Ella's Pink Lady has proven herself to be a very tough little boat!"
Here is the post that fitzy refers to. This bloke is hilarious, lol:
0700/26th position 0911 02420 trip 120/24
Drama - sort of
There we were, me in my running shorts having been limpid with sweat all day trying to trace the HF problem, Pete in his grotty green salty Stubbies, having a small relaxing mug of random Aussie red with rehydrated curry and rice and celebrating for Hilary - idly watching the cloud building up to the south, still stinking hot and humid, water 37 deg. And then there it was - deep grey horizon, rolling black squall line coming in like the vulture stooping - two decrepit old farts jerked into action - just time to put things below, drop in the second reef, roll in the headsail to a quarter of its size and it was on - only about 25 knots, 90 degree wind change, follow the blast around, lightning, deeep sonorous thunder rolling all about - not at all like Mr Krupa's riff over there in the Pacific last year but still musical - torrents of rain - Pete gets naked with the soap, I go down and connect the mast base to the earth and come up and let the rain wash off the day's grot. And now we're in 2 knots, just as the GRIB predicted and due for another couple of days of it. I'd been soaking my other grommy clothes in a bucket of salt water and green stuff so was able to hang it out in the rain and get a free rinse Yay! And it's (relatively) cool and the sea feels really warm...as it would. Lightning away to the north, overcast and spotty rain here.
And then it got interesting. Pete woke me @ midnight - 'There's some black cloud ahead, might be a bit of wind...good night' - not just dark but glutinous inside-of-cow black and lightning all around so I packed the satphone and some gps' into the icebox and got out there - like going under a table and the first blast had us around onto 290 with horizontally slanting rain so thick that I couldn't look into it and had to adjust everything then tack by feel - and a ship! dead in line and we were the give way vessel so had to get behind him except that he stopped right in front of us ... and so it went, non stop for 3 hours with lightning all around, the wind actually hot on my face, my thin pants and T shirt and me wringable - warm water crashing over the bow and back to the cockpit on sheets - black black night, occasional phosphorescence to the side -up to the foredeck twice to sort the furler gradually stumbled through it, the rain eased, the wind backed again and we were back on course and time to wake Pete, who slept through it all. Fun. How I love the tropics.
She describes it best:
"That much wind means some very big and nasty waves. To give you an idea of the conditions, they were similar to and possibly worse than those of the terrible 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race. We experienced a total of 4 knockdowns, the second was the most severe with the mast being pushed 180 degrees in to the water. Actually pushed isn't the right word, it would be more accurate to say that Ella's Pink Lady was picked up, thrown down a wave, then forced under a mountain of breaking water and violently turned upside down
Under just the tiny storm jib, the big electric autopilot did an amazing job of holding us on course downwind, possibly or possibly not helped by my yells of encouragement! It was only the big rogue waves that hit at us at an angle (side on) that proved dangerous and caused the knockdowns.
The solid frame of the targa (the frame that supports the solar panels) is bent out of shape and warped (see pic below), which provides a pretty good idea of the force of the waves. Solid inch thick stainless steel tube doesn't exactly just bend in the breeze, so I think you could say that Ella's Pink Lady has proven herself to be a very tough little boat!"
The Touche Turtle Award 2010
"Gotta love this city."
Here is the post that fitzy refers to. This bloke is hilarious, lol:
0700/26th position 0911 02420 trip 120/24
Drama - sort of
There we were, me in my running shorts having been limpid with sweat all day trying to trace the HF problem, Pete in his grotty green salty Stubbies, having a small relaxing mug of random Aussie red with rehydrated curry and rice and celebrating for Hilary - idly watching the cloud building up to the south, still stinking hot and humid, water 37 deg. And then there it was - deep grey horizon, rolling black squall line coming in like the vulture stooping - two decrepit old farts jerked into action - just time to put things below, drop in the second reef, roll in the headsail to a quarter of its size and it was on - only about 25 knots, 90 degree wind change, follow the blast around, lightning, deeep sonorous thunder rolling all about - not at all like Mr Krupa's riff over there in the Pacific last year but still musical - torrents of rain - Pete gets naked with the soap, I go down and connect the mast base to the earth and come up and let the rain wash off the day's grot. And now we're in 2 knots, just as the GRIB predicted and due for another couple of days of it. I'd been soaking my other grommy clothes in a bucket of salt water and green stuff so was able to hang it out in the rain and get a free rinse Yay! And it's (relatively) cool and the sea feels really warm...as it would. Lightning away to the north, overcast and spotty rain here.
And then it got interesting. Pete woke me @ midnight - 'There's some black cloud ahead, might be a bit of wind...good night' - not just dark but glutinous inside-of-cow black and lightning all around so I packed the satphone and some gps' into the icebox and got out there - like going under a table and the first blast had us around onto 290 with horizontally slanting rain so thick that I couldn't look into it and had to adjust everything then tack by feel - and a ship! dead in line and we were the give way vessel so had to get behind him except that he stopped right in front of us ... and so it went, non stop for 3 hours with lightning all around, the wind actually hot on my face, my thin pants and T shirt and me wringable - warm water crashing over the bow and back to the cockpit on sheets - black black night, occasional phosphorescence to the side -up to the foredeck twice to sort the furler gradually stumbled through it, the rain eased, the wind backed again and we were back on course and time to wake Pete, who slept through it all. Fun. How I love the tropics.
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