Golfing in Eden

On the second-last Tuesday of August, this year, Jenny used the viewing tower, on the third hole at the Eden golf club, to ensure that the fairway was clear for our tee-shots.

From 2010-09-18

We were lugging renting clubs having left our own sets back in Canberra and not realised this until almost half-way there. (The rented clubs were probably better anyway.)

From 2010-09-18

Jenny takes a shot from the fairway of the seventh from within the middle of a mob of kangaroos, who are evidently very familiar with the game.

From 2010-09-18

On Thursday, we took our leave from Eden and returned to Canberra. I'll post, next, some photos from my final group dinner and our last Bramley's Bar.

Ben Boyd

At the end of August, Jen and I visited the Sapphire Coast and stayed at Eden. On the first afternoon, we took a walk around Lake Curalo and along Aslings beach to the rock pool. Afterwards, we climbed the steep embankment and followed Imlay Street back through town.

From 2010-09-18

After viewing the old whaling works, we headed up to Boyd's Tower. Nearby, the water, as viewed from the southern head of Twofold Bay, was very enticing!

From 2010-09-18

Boyd's tower is imposing and in great condition. It was not granted a licence from Sydney to operate as a light-house so Boyd packed up and headed to California instead.

From 2010-09-18

After taking some lunch near Boyd's tower, Jen and I headed right out to the tip of the headland.

From 2010-09-18

Later we took an afternoon hike in Ben Boyd National park from Bittangabee, past the ruins to Saltwater Creek and back again. On the return journey, the urge to bathe was once more irresistable for me!

From 2010-09-18

A little further south is the grand Green Cape Lighthouse. It's a beautiful structure though its function is now carried on by a small electric, automated system, just visible on the right edge of the picture. Construction of the lighthouse was started by a private operator that won a government contract. Though he ran out of money, the project was finished with government funding and was staffed by three full-time lighthouse operators.

From 2010-09-18

In the evening, we walked to the marina and watched the sun set over the fishing boats, and then took 2 x everything on the menu at the restaurant behind us.

From 2010-09-18

In the next post, I will show you how we faired on the course before our few days in Eden closed.

Last game of the season with the Uni-Norths Owls

Our rugby team had its last game of the year in August against Easts. We came out victorious from the clash. I'm pictured below with the club's third-grade side. Though we didn't make the finals this year, I had a great time with the club and reckon that it helped to keep me sane during my final year at the ANU. The club attracts a great bunch of blokes and I am always grateful to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. Here's to a huge 2011 season!

From 2010-09-18

Last beer at The Fox

On Friday, 20 August, Jenny and I finally moved out of The Fox. We packed and swept, scrubbed and vacuumed. Here is the kitchen, formally home to my oft-thought-of keg-fridge.

From OuttaFox

Here I am vacuuming carpet (yes, thrilling) that, along with every other furnishing, was removed to make way for the ensuing refurbishment days after we moved out!

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One of the best things about The Fox was the garden in the backyard. There were these lovely big olive trees and it most mostly pretty peaceful to barbecue, play darts and relax out there.

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Gav, with Rhiannon, came to give us a hand with the last couple of heavy items. Rhi didn't do anything and so she didn't get to have a beer.

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Here are Jen and I in front of our first little home together.

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It took all of my modest Tetris-skills to pack my gear on to the truck! See how compressed the rear tyre is? From here, we headed to Cowra and added to the Pinkerton family collection of washing machines (now four) and fridges (now five).

From OuttaFox

After all of this hectic activity - through finalizing the thesis, selling the motorbike, saying our farewells and the moving out of The Fox - Jen and I took a trip at the end of August to the Sapphire coast. I'll mention a few of the highlights in my next post.

Outta Fox

Though we had disposed of some old furniture, we still had a lot of things to move out from the Fox. With this in mind, we started first with moving Jen's things across Canberra. The ute pictured, so kindly loaned to us for our move, was invaluable. I'm shown below on the Monday morning, 16 August, and obviously making light of the job ahead.

From OuttaFox

So for a few days there, we had only the most rudimentry of furniture. (Good practice for the way I have "furnished" my apartment in the US now.)

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Jenny made the tough decision to sell her motorcycle before we departed for our post-doc jobs in the States. This was Jen's first motorcycle and she learnt to ride with it. I was a bit attached to it and then it wouldn't start for the prospective buyers! I imagined that it was for show, so that we would keep it. I persevered and now it lives out near Belconnen. I'll hope to see it around town again (and probably still with an L-plate on it) in 12 months. Jenny rode this bike all the way to Eden with me at one stage and took it to Newcastle and back another time.

From OuttaFox

Friday, August 20, 2010, was our last day at The Fox. It was going to the biggest day of packing and cleaning, so we started early. In the next post, I will show you how we managed it all. Before I finish though, I point out the daffodil in the photograph below. This daffodil is descended from one of a number of bulbs that were given to Jen along with some tulip bulbs. We planted these here in preference to the problematic Jerusalem artichokes that we had tried previously. Every spring, we saw that these bulbs were multiplying and were gratified that some of the daffodils bloomed in time for us on our last days in our old home. I bet that the tulips are in full bloom now and trust that they are again brightening people's days.

From OuttaFox

Last party at The Fox. I still can't believe it!

Jenny and I had a good supply of ale on hand for our last party at The Fox on Saturday, August 14. The weather was still pretty cool at this stage, so we had the fire bin chock full at all times. I had been hoping to have that last hurrah at the Fox for some time but had to wait for revisions of the fateful document. The beer though, never had tasted so good!

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Here we are, playing with some sparklers, later in the evening.

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You can see how full that bucket is! Also, it reads "Live Free or Die", the state motto of the US state of New Hampshire and the host of Jen's postdoc job.

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Some rickety old garden furniture was dispensed with as well and reduced the amount of things that we'd have to shift later.

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Next time, I will show you how Jenny and I, in a fairly rapid manner, set about emptying the Fox. Having been so comfortably settled there for over eight years, one accumulates quite a lot of gear but we get there in the end, so hang in there. And imagine how after so long I can be so nostalgic about my rough'n'ready little sharehouse in Lyneham. Once we're done there, I'll show you a little of the trip Jen and I made to the beautiful Sapphire Coast.