Category Archives: Family Life

Family Life, Holidays, Out and About, Skiing

Big Day of Skiing …

September 18, 2013 Scott Leave a comment

As has been the case the last two days, we awoke to rain on the roof. Oh no, not another day of reduced skiing at Falls Creek.

Turned on the iPad to check the radar and it looked that the rain was just about to pass us with another couple of hours at least before the first cold front made it to us.

A quick bite of breakfast and we got up to the top of the mountain as the rain stopped at 10:30 am.

We skied until 1:00 pm mainly on the northern slopes of Main Street and Highway 83.

After some lunch, (the prices certainly haven’t got any cheaper at Cloud 9) Rachael grabbed the snowboard and headed off for a lesson. The rest of us made our way across to Ruined Castle and Scott’s for the afternoon.

The first cold front hit with about 6 spots of rain and a couple of flakes of snow, so we continued skiing.

Around 3:00 pm, the wind started picking up – a precursor of the second and stronger of the cold fronts.

Rachael had finished here lesson at 3:30 pm, so we did a few more runs with her but the rain was starting followed by sleet. It was time to head back to the Lodge.

It was lucky that we headed down when we did as they shut the lifts down 15 minutes later due to the risk of lightning.

The rain came in strong as we just got into the Lodge (that was lucky), followed by some heavy snow but this was only short-lived, lasting about 30 minutes.

The rest of the evening has been a mixture of rain, sleet, hail and snow so it will be interesting what the slopes are like in the morning and if we will get a full day. 🙂

As well as the GPS I carry in the pocket, I tried an App on the iPhone today called Alpine Replay which seemed promising except that the battery on the phone ran flat 3/4 through the day. Tomorrow I will shut everything down on the phone apart from the App and see if I can get some more time out of it.

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Family Life, Holidays, Out and About, Skiing

Stop raining already …

September 17, 2013 Scott Leave a comment

We awoke again this morning to rain. In fact it had been raining all night.

It is one thing to ski in the cold and even when it is snowing but skiing in the rain is no fun as once you become saturated through you need to call it a day or you may end up with hypothermia and that is not good. 🙁

So for another morning we waited it out in Schuss Lodge.

Finally around lunchtime, the rain seemed to have abated but was still overcast. A quick bite of lunch and it was up the mountain.

For most of the afternoon, we were rain free and considering that the slopes were not groomed overnight, the snow wasn’t too bad and we managed to venture to all the 11 runs that were operating today at Falls Creek.

We skied again until closing of the lifts and managed a not too bad 33 km for the afternoon.

The weather is a little hard to predict for tomorrow as we have a low over the top of us with the last 2 days moisture circling the resort and there is a couple of cold fronts over the top of Adelaide heading this way which should make it by morning. Maybe we will get some snow. 🙂

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Family Life, Holidays, Skiing

Wet, wet, wet ….

September 16, 2013 Scott Leave a comment

After a couple of perfect traveling days to get to Falls Creek and clear skies even last night as we grabbed our skies and settled into Schuss Ski Lodge, it all went downhill around 5am this morning with the sound of heavy rain on the roof.

The thunderstorms that had hit Adelaide only 10 hours earlier had made it to the snow and there looked like little respite for a while.

Checking out the radar, it wont be at least til after lunch that we will get out on the slopes and what damage has the rain made.

I have just had a look at the mountain cams and there is about 10 people that are brave (mad) enough to be out there doing it and most of them seem to be shredders (typical). 🙂

At around 2pm, the rain started subsiding so we decided at least to take our skis up to a locker at the top of the mountain and if the conditions were OK then do some skiing.

There was a light drizzle up there and visibility wasn’t too bad so we skied until the lifts shut down. The snow was very good and it probably had something to do with the lack of people on the mountain – obviously fair weather skiers. 🙂

Nevertheless we did get very wet and cold by the time we finished but a hot shower and beverage around the fire made it all worth while. Even though we were only out for 2.5 hours, the mileage was an OK 23 km.

The rain has persisted into the night and looking at the radar there is some good stuff on the way including lightning. Hopefully there is some snow left in the morning.

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Family Life, Geocaching, Out and About, Sporting Life

We are the champions …

September 7, 2013 Scott Leave a comment

Rachael had her Netball Grand Final today. Her Ironbank team has been undefeated all year and got to play against the Uraidla Netball Club at Piccadilly. The weather was perfect for the game which is unusual for Piccadilly as every other time I have been to watch her here it has been cold, wet and foggy.

The girls played well with:

16 goal lead by quarter time;

22 goal lead by half time;

23 goal lead by three quarter time;

and a final lead of 24 goals for a 50/26 win.

Well done to Rachael and the rest of the team.

With the the perfect weather, it was time to do some geocaching around the area and made 13 finds for the afternoon with a couple of walks.

I had a 3.5 km walk through Mt George Conservation Park following parts of the Heysen Trail and a 1.5 km walk through the H.K Fry Reserve.

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Family Life, House Renovations

We have gone solar …

December 15, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

After receiving a power bill of $1400 three months ago, $400 more than our normal $1000 bill, it was time to look at alternatives.

Without going primitive, the only viable option was solar.

We have been looking at it for a while but it always seemed too expensive. But with most things, over time the prices do eventually come down and now was the time to take the plunge but I am sure it will be even cheaper in the future.

So after looking at a number of different options – Chinese vs German vs Italian inverters, Chinese vs German vs Canadian panels – it was decided to go for a German Sunny Boy inverter and Canadian Solar panels. Then what size system and this was a matter of matching available funds against available systems and ended up with a 4 kW system.

Today was installation day and of course it was cloudy.

The installation team started at 8:00 am and had it all finished and connected by 11:30 am.

Even with the clouds, It was putting out enough to turn the electricity meter backwards – haven’t seen that before. 🙂

At the time of writing, we have generated 8 kW in 5 hours and that is with cloud cover so cant wait until the sun comes out. 🙂

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4WDing, Family Life, Geocaching, Out and About, Scouts

Yorkes again ….

November 18, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

I have wanted to get back to Yorke Peninsula and clean up more of the ever increasing geocaches that are appearing there. This weekend was my opportunity with Rachael and the Bleden Venturers looking for transport across to Yorkes for a different sort of clean-up weekend.

The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) have a Marine Debris Survey Program that has been going for a few years and the Venturers offered to assist by doing a survey on Gleesons Landing and Daly Head Beach at the western side of Yorke Peninsula.

Gleesons Landing is well known to me as all shifts in the Metropolitan Fire Service hold a 4 day camping break each year although I haven’t been for a few years. It was good to get back.

We finally made it to camp at 11:30 pm and the place was deserted which meant we had the pick of the campsites. The kids spent about 30 minutes setting up camp and were soon in bed. I was ready in 3 minutes since I was sleeping in the roof top tent. This gave me a chance to go for a wander around to the point and grab a geocache. 🙂

Saturday morning and making sure the kids were OK, it was time to hit the road. The plan today was to grab finds and do a lot of the walking geocaches in the Innes National Park. The temperatures were in the mid 20’s so perfect for some long hikes.

Considering the walks, I made 21 finds for the day and saw some spectacular coastline in the process. I had made my way across to Stansbury and camped there for the night. It was a little windy but slept well.

There was only a half day to go geocaching as I was due back at Gleesons Landing to pick up the kids at lunch time. Still managed 16 finds in the morning.

After picking up the kids, it was a quiet drive home as they all slept – they must have been tired.

It was a good weekend for them and me as well. Even our Japanese billet enjoyed the camping experience and I am sure she will remember her stay in Australia.

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12 of 12, Family Life, Home Life, Rachael at School

November 12 of 12 …

November 12, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

Today was a quiet sort of day. Being a Monday meant that it was a day off but I didn’t have a lot planned for the day.

8:00 am was the time my on call for the weekend ended so off with the magnetic roof lights until Wednesday when I am on call again. It was then school drop off time, taking Rachael to Blackwood High School.

After getting a $1400 electricity bill, solar is starting to look attractive. Had the first salesman come to go through the options, get up on the roof then give me the price. Have another couple of companies coming around next week. I can see a lot of confusion coming with all the different options of inverters and panels.

It was time for some chinese massage time on the lower back – one day it will be normal again. A long overdue haircut then back home for a couple of toasted cheese sandwiches and a coffee for lunch as well as get some pathtags ready to post to the US.

Being a Monday meant that Rachael finished school early at 2:25 pm – they never seem to be at school. Bradley has already finished his last high school exam and is getting ready for Schoolies.

Last task for the day was an inspection on our rental property to see what cost I am up for for repairs. Seems to be a lot of electrical stuff with some plumbing and painting. Hopefully it isn’t too much.

That is it for November 12 of 12 ….

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12 of 12, Family Life

October 12 of 12 …

October 12, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

Yesterday would have been a more interesting day as I headed out for a day of geocaching down south finding 46 geocaches and driving 250 kms, but the 12th fell today. 🙁

This morning was spent logging the 46 finds from yesterday as well as submitting 4 new caches hidden while out yesterday. These 4 caches will form part of a series highlighting towns around South Australia that may be the location for the 2014 Oz Mega. The actual location is yet to be announced.

Jenny has been busy getting the pool ready for swimming but after the weather on Wednesday with hail, snow and rain, I am not sure that the Mother Nature is ready for the pool. 😉

In the middle of our family room is a mountain of mess that has spewed out of Rachael’s suitcase. She has been back from Japan a week now – you would think that it would have found a home by now.

A visit to the post office to send off some pathtags to the US and pick up the mail. It was obvious that ETSA wanted to make sure that we knew there is a change to our power supply as there were 2 letters from them.

Tonight there was a family gathering to celebrate 5 birthdays on Jenny’s side of the fence. It was held at the Blackwood RSL. Given that it was a Friday night and we had booked in 40 people, the staffing would have been appropriate but it wasn’t and we had to wait 2.5 hours to get a meal. I was very hungry by the time it came. At least we had cake. 🙂

That’s it for Octobers 12 of 12.

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Family Life, Holidays, Skiing

Another good day in the snow …

September 13, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

With overcast conditions and low temperatures this morning including a little fog, it looked like it may not have been a good day on the slopes at Falls Creek. It was good that everyone else was thinking that as there were hardly anyone on the slopes.

Started on the Summit on some nice groomed runs where I managed to make my own tracks up until 10:30 am when the ski schools descended. Made our way back over the mountain but couldn’t quite find runs that would top the ones from this morning.

Around lunchtime the clouds parted and we had blue skies which was unexpected. Then the temperature dropped and the snow crusted up followed by snowfalls.

After doing 55 kms for the day it was time to call it quits today and head back to the Schuss Lodge.

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12 of 12, Family Life, Holidays, Skiing

September 12 of 12 in the snow …

September 12, 2012 Scott Leave a comment

We were never going to get another day like yesterday. Even though the skies were clear and it was sort of warm (8C), there was a wind that dropped the wind chill down to -5C. Also as the temperature didn’t drop below zero last night, the slopes didn’t start the day as well as previous days.

But you make do with what you have and we headed out a little earlier than other days to enjoy another spring day of skiing at Falls Creek. The plan was to start over on the Summit and move across the mountain finishing up at Main Street. This seemed to work yesterday well.

The plan changed slightly once we got to the top of the mountain. Rachael needed some video for a school project so a few runs down Main Street before heading to the Summit.

We made it over to the Summit earlier than yesterday but the conditions weren’t the same as they never groomed the mountain so it was very similar to what was left yesterday afternoon. A couple of runs here then we headed over to Ruined Castle and Scotts. This seemed to be the pick today.

Eventually the wind won and I headed back to the Schuss Lodge while Rachael went for her second snowboard lesson while Jenny pottered around with a Blackwood Mum who was on the mountain as well.

Tomorrow looks like it may have some fresh snow falling – I guess the sunny days couldn’t last forever but it has been a great week so far. That’s it for the September 12 of 12 …. with a bonus video 🙂