The air is full of volcanic ash
And the planes wont fly ‘cos they don’t wanna crash
Jo and Mike don’t wanna get stuck
‘Cos having a winter would really SUCK!
Best thing to do is just sit tight
And hope we don’t have to cancel our flight
Stranded in NZ
April 21st, 2010Who Stole the Corn?
March 8th, 2010Someone on this farm is responsible for the theft and brutal mutilation of this corn:
Suspect Number 1 – Colonel Cluck and his Harem of Hens
The Colonels residence is adjacent to the corn so this makes him a suspect. However he has an unfortunate twitch which would prevent him carrying out the task alone. We suspect his harem may also have been involved.
Are The Colonel and his harem of hens really smart enough to carry out a heist of this kind?
Suspect Number 2 – Levi The Arrogant Racehorse
Levis paddock is also adjacent to the corn – and he is arrogant enough to carry out a crime such as this.
On closer inspection however – there were no horse prints in the dirt – and the fence was untouched.
We suspect Levi was probably too busy plotting ways to terrorise Farmer Mike.
Suspect Number 3 – The Three Ducks
The ducks have a history of bad behavior which is why they have been placed on the suspect list.
They are always playing in the hen house despite being told repeated not to do this.
They swim in the hens water when they have their own private stream down the bottom of the farm.
They are hungry ALL the time which gives them a motive.
But are these mischevious little ducks really capable of such a brutal crime?
Suspect Number 4 – The Buff Orpingtons – Buffy,Fluffy, and Puffy
We figure the Buffs were probably too busy with their open home that day to bother stealing corn. Buffy the Corn Slayer? – I dont think so.
Suspect Number 5 – Bessie the Dog
Bessie likes to slink around the farm in her black frock and britches.
She is constantly picked on by the other animals – the cats tease her, the cows chase her, the ducks nip her tail and the fences give her shocks.
Bessie was also caught hiding in Grandpa’s car trying to escape the crime scene.
We suspect this may be an act of revenge.
Suspect number 6 – The Australian
The prime suspect for this brutal massacre is The Australian. We havent seen him but we know he is out there. We have set the trap and when he is caught he will be interrogated and shot!
Headcam fun
December 9th, 2009We tried out our new headcam yesterday and had our first swim.
Fisheye Fun
October 24th, 2009It’s only a couple of weeks now before we head home. In my attempts to get fit enough to run up Paku everyday, I seem to have strained a muscle at the gym yesterday. I didn’t do anything different, so really dunno what has caused it, but found it was agony to walk after my session. Anyway I have been RICEing it so I hope it comes right before we head home. Plus the weather is crap so it looks like a DVD day today.
Here’s a couple of photos from our new fisheye lens for a bit of fun:
Bournemouth Airshow
August 26th, 2009Here’s a little blog about some of my favourite aircraft at the Bournemouth airshow last weekend. Most photos are by Mike.
Vulcan
The Vulcan comes soaring in like a giant eagle. It glides by, gracefully, without a sound.
Everyone is mesmorised as this majestic bird comes in for the kill, silent, yet capable of mass slaughter. We forget this plane is designed to destroy, until it arcs up into the sky with an ungodly roar, loud enough to burst the eardrums of newborn babies, and scare the shit out of unsuspecting spectators. The demon wail subsides and is silent again, on its serene approach, sending shivers down my spine and a bit of wee down my leg.
Eurofighter Typhoon
Ah, the Eurofighter, star of the show, solo artist, show off, wannabe nobody, cos he is the shit! Nobody is gonna steal his thunder. We watch as he flashes by, faster than the speed of sound. We hear him, but we dont see him for a second or two after.
He shoots up into the air, afterburners glowing like he doesn’t already have enough to boast about. He zigs, he zags, he loops the loops, man he is on the ultimate high. He is Eurofighter Typhoon, star of the show!
Wing Walkers
Two red and white planes putter in with what looks like a giant dildo strapped on top.
Is it a dildo, is it a fella?
no its Danielle and Stella
Doing acrobats on top of the plane
They really are completely insane
I watch them against a clear blue sky
Don’t they realise they could die?
Lancaster Bomber
This old fart flew in propped up by a Spitfire and a hurricane, obviously needing a little help in his old age. Hes not doing too bad for an old guy, 65 years old, semi-retired, occasionally doing some freelance work for airshows.
Some old time war music played as he droned around the skies. If you imagined everything in black and white, you could just feel you were in the war with this lofty beast coming across the channel for the kill.
Apparently the Lancaster bomber had a lot to do with winning the war, although I dont see that killing a load of Germans is really something to boast about.
Photo Competition
August 10th, 2009We have a photo in the Larmer Tree photo competiton and are currently in 3rd place, but it is close.
If you haven’t already done so can you please vote for the “red boots” at the following link:
http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/photo_comp.html?cid=4
Thanks!
Jenny’s Duck Eggs
July 14th, 2009Jenny’s ducks have laid their first eggs. Spot the giant one:
And here are the cute little duckies responsible:
Cycle Trip – Photos
June 28th, 2009Click on any of the photos below for a larger image.
Check here for a slideshow of many images: slideshow gallery
Catching the ferry from Poole to France:
First days riding:
First nights camp after 75 kms riding and Mike cooking us dinner:
Mike is all colour co-ordinated:
And so is Lynda:
We did a boat trip for part of the way:
Alcoholic Drinks:
The view from one of our campsites:
Oh my god, they have Wurfelnatters here?
Cycling through wineries:
View from one of the gasthofs that we stayed at, right on the cycle path.
Castles on hills:
A man blowing his own trumpet:
A little drinks hut in the middle of nowhere. We stopped for coffee while sheltering from the rain:
Last day of cycling. It rained all day and we got wet, cold and lost:
Catching the train back:
Goodbye:
Vienna
June 17th, 2009After 925 kms of cycling in 14 days, we have arrived in Vienna.
We have decided against going on to Budapest due to poor roads and heavy traffic on the route, and also time constraints.
We had planned to catch a boat back but they are full and the trains wont take our bikes so it looks like we are cycling back!
Yesterday was a fun day. All accommodation was booked out, so we ended up cycling 92 kms in pouring rain before we found a guesthouse that had rooms. It turned out good as we only had a 30km ride into Vienna.
A poem:
Before the ride I was so fat
Now I cant even fit my hat
But really I am not that thin
I’ve only lost my double chin!
Germany done – on to Austria
June 13th, 2009We have successfully cycled across Germany and are now in Passau, on the german-Austrian border. We have ridden almos 600 kms and our bums are very sore. Next leg is Austria.
The last couple of days we had an awesome tailwind which helped heaps. We are cycling on average 70km per day. My daily calories burned has dropped from 2800 to 1800, so I am definitely getting fitter.
We always seem to get rain when we camp, and it stays fine when in guesthouses. At least the rain has mostly stayed away during the day.
We are having a great time and enjoying the beer very much.