It's Christmas and it's happening again...

Another Christmas and again we're off on another cruise around the south-west pacific.

This time next week my partner & I will be very near boarding on 2 weeks out of Sydney, first stop New Caledonia, port hopping around Fiji, & back to Sydney.

The good thing about cruising at holiday time is that the boat ain't full of OAPs waiting to pop their corks or looking for a senior fling.

The bad thing is that there's plenty of families & their offspring.
Gone are the days when you could actually bring the bad behaviour to the attention of the parents, & a clip around the ears would resolve the issue. Now days imps can literally get away with murder because touching them will be a breach of universal law. Actions don't matter & consequences of bad actions ain't a thing to these entitled little toads.

Anyways, hopefully it'll be a fair & fun time full of new experiences, and a break to relax from an interesting work year.

Happy holidays to all. If you're not holidaying then make the most of whatever you're planning to do.

Nearly a year since last post...

and nothing much has changed apart from every workmate in my team over the last nearly 4 years.

This will be a ramble of mixed words, experiences & whatevers over that time.

4 years. After choosing to change from the easy stuff that would come to an end to got to the hard stuff which just about killed my brain I've actually survived 4 years. FFS.


I've been pretty much stagnant since the last blog because I've put too much effort into doing work to my own perfectionist standards & not enough into the rest of life. I literally cannot think of what I've achieved in both work & home place over that time.

The short sharp learning lesson is that you can't please all of the people of the time & when you do apparently your efforts are not always appreciated. Aim to be average unless you can constantly be outstanding.


Your are your ruler of your destiny & life is what you make of it.
Surround yourself with situations & people you want to bring goodness to you life, BUT do not be afraid to ask for help.


Enough waffle. Eff knows how long I'll leave this up after I post it.

Older, unfitter & older, but...

Workplace bullying has led me to purchase a Fitbit.

The best thing about it is it's a new toy that'll keep my mind occupied away my age & general unfit state.

The worst thing is, apart from an admission of my age & general unfit state, is setting it up. Who needs to use all the features on a smart phone the you don't normally use for real life?

Anyways, here's to an unreal expectations of 10,000 steps a day & cursing a thing on my wrist where there's been nothing there for nearly five years.

This may be my last blog if I don't meet the demands of my new fitness assistant.
If it isn't, then perhaps my mindset changed & I'm living better...

Now, time for a chocolate & energy drink laden breakfast. I might as well go out with a bang.



Oh... & by the way, we went on another cruise. Starting to not mind them too much to do a second.

Long time, No post

As the title says, it's been a long time between figurative drinks.

It's been a hectic time the last year.

• Changes at work.
• Death of a parent.
• Support from an unexpected place.
• Sorting with all the bits of cleaning up an empty house.
• And an upcoming cruise to bypass part of the New Zealand spring.

Nothing special to say, other that point two makes you think who's going to be affected when you pass.

Fortunately my father seemed to know his time was near. He'd sorted his finances & his will was simple - 2 children get half each.
He was also a meticulous and organised hoarder. There was a manual for every power tool & everything was in it's place. That was a great benefit when we had a garage sale; you bought a power drill you got the tool, the case & the instructions.
On the opposite side, there was several trailerloads that brutally went straight to tip or recycling.

He was a quiet unassuming man who did a lot for the local community.

Sorting through his emails there was so much he did, via the resources of the local Menz Shed, that I'd ever known.

I couldn't speak at his service, because I didn't have the words. Best left to his brother & a nephew.

This is the first time I've written about him since his passing.

Thanks to all those who've supported my sister & I through the process. Even to the executor & real estate agent who did the jobs, but never made it feel like a sad process.

There were a few hindrances & unexpected roadblocks, but those events are best left.

Another year of challenges ahead.

Christmas (and New Years) on a boat - Review

Recap: So this year for Christmas we decided to escape the usual rotation and set sail from Sydney on the Dawn Princess around Vanuatu & New Caledonia.

Looking back at what we did it was a little like but a bit shorter than the original itinerary it was meant to be:


Day 1: Sydney (Depart)
5: Vila, Vanuatu
6: Wala, Vanuatu
7: Luganville, Vanuatu
8: Mystery Island, Vanuatu
9: Lifou, New Celadonia
10: Noumea, New Caledonia
11: Isle of Pines, New Caledonia
14: Sydney (Return)

In reality it was:
1: Sydney (Depart)
5: Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
6: Champagne Bay, Vanuatu
7: Vila, Vanuatu
8: Mystery Island, Vanuatu
9: Lifou, New Celadonia
10: Noumea, New Caledonia

14: Sydney (Return)

Wala & Luganville were cancelled due to issues with docking facilites still not ready after cyclone damage. No explanation was given to the disappearance of the Isle of Pines. Oh well, what you haven't seen you can miss.

Short version was the cruise was better than expected.
Despite mostly 97% Australian passengers, Kiwi jibes expected, most everyone on board was friendly.
Being a Christmas/New Year cruise, the age range was around 2 to 92.
Kids seemed to get board on the leg back to Sydney so getting a lift that hadn't had all the buttons pressed was a minor miracle. Exercise walking up & down stairs was probably better anyways.

Which leads on to the food (why exercise in needed). Ranged from disappointing to 5 star.
Nightly meals were a set time/seating in a dining rooms. You could eat as much as you like from the high class menu.
Similarly, if you got sick of quality you could visit the buffet. Range was from meh to eat-all-the-food.
Finally, a trip to the steakhouse (extra costs involved) was no complete without a full stomach.

Onboard facilities were OK for a mid-sized ship. Easy to get familiar and again much exercise from walking from one end of the boat to the other getting to shows between theaters.

Don't want to rabbit on; you can't really describe cruise life until you've done it for yourself & you can't describe your experience as everyone else's was different.
It was the perfect cruise for the first timer. It covered two annual celebrations, a variety of ports of call & 6 days of variable open water.

Had doubts, enjoyed, would do again, but probably not in the immediate future.

Oh, and here's a couple of pics...