My European Trip

Roberts, Scotty and I flew to Brussels in mid-July. We visited Jubilee Park in Brussels and the Triumphal Arch is shown here.

I travelled to Ghent for the Belgian Organic Synthesis Symposium. Here, I have climbed the belfry and was viewing St Baafskathedraal.


I presented a poster at the conference that encapsulated the research that I have conducted in the first part of my PhD.


While at the conference I made met a bunch of friendly people from the Uni of York.


Our bus tour started from Berlin. Some sections of the infamous wall have been preserved. Our tour passed through the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and finished in Poland.


Elene and Saara greeted us in Helsinki. One of our most memorable activities was the trip out to Johannes' island for saunas and a barbecue on the Baltic.

Our party spent four days in Estonia. Here, Roberts defeated me in an archery competition and has vowed to take up the sport in Australia.


Via Sweden, we travelled to the UK where Kevo kindly played host for me.


I'm lacking photos to illustrate our loop around the UK where we made stop-0vers in Oxford and York. I visited Germany again and enjoyed staying in Katherine's charming university town, Münster. The lads and I flew out from Brussels and took two days in Hong Kong on the way to Sydney.

Ghent, Belgium

The lads and I dropped into Brussels on Friday and we stayed at the Hotel Continental.

This week, I've been an attendee at the Boss XI chemistry conference in Ghent, Belgium.

Owls clash with Jamison

The oversized Jamison team came back to bite the Owls after we took the early lead.


Jen snapped me in action on the sting. A subsequent chip-kick failed to yield a difference on the score-board.


Ambulances were a popular choice for transport home in our thirds' game. I trust that the stricken players are on the road to recovery by now. I'm glad that next week is a bye for everyone.

Up to speed

Angie had her birthday party at the start of June and Singstar made an appearance, by special request.


Jenny, Phil and I enjoyed Emma's Saturday-night fireworks display on Mount Stromlo on the Queen's Birthday long weekend.


The Owls treated Royals to a win on our turf on 14 June. That's my head poking out from the bottom of the ruck.


That evening, Mixy's ANU team played a late, cold game of hockey against Uni of Canberra. Jen and I rode down from Bruce to catch the game after the barbecue at Eardley Street.


The Monc' hosted, on Friday 20 June, arguably their best party yet: Where's Wally. Marko had just finished his mid-year exams and spiced up the party. Too bad about that home-ground advantage!


When Jen and I returned from our excursion to O'Neil's this week, Puss presented us with kind gift.

Brew 73

On Sunday, last weekend, I started my 73rd brew. I intend to make this brew the second batch that I keg up in my new sytem.

The recipe for brew 73 is based around an imitation of Blue Label Chimay:¹

• Light malt extract, 3kg ("Black Rock")
• Brown sugar, ~400g
• Blended honey, ~200g
• Bittering hops, Hallertau pellets, ~40g
• Bittering hops, Goldings pellets, ~20g
• Cracked "Joe White" roasted barley, ~40g (1200-1400 EBC)
• Yeast: Safbrew WB-06

I periodically noted the density and temperature of the brew over the week in which it was brewed. External heating was applied three times over the course of fermentation to regain a reasonable rate of alcohol generation. This data is shown graphically.

1. Rodgers-Wilson, M., "Brewing Crafts", 2004, Chimay Blue Label, 180.

Hodgo is 25 today!

Happy Birthday, Egg. Enjoy the cake!

Dr. Stephen Martin's Kawasaki Service

Click to Play

Dr. Stephen Martin's Kawasaki Service in O'Connor, Canberra, received a plug on the FM radio station "Mix 106.3" as part of a promotion entitled "Best of Canberra 2008".  This recording was made at 1.30pm on Tuesday, 2 July 2008.

Bugged out

In winter, Puss really likes to stay inside on a bed. (A hot-water bottle is underneath the doona).


Some of us made a (finally successful) last-minute effort to visit Lauren's "Yen for Thirty" exhibition at the Canberra School of Art.


Jen, Phil and I commune with strange insects at lunchtime. Identification of the wingless soldier fly was tough. This time, we may need to call in some big guns. I have never, in my twenty-six years, seen a bug like this! (This photo is for real and the bug has not been tampered with). I tried to hold the insect but it can jump as well as a grasshopper. In the end, I lost it on the soil because it camouflages so well.

Hiking and Camping in the Grose Valley

Last weekend, Emma organised for our contingent to spend most of the long weekend in the Blue Mountains. Phil, our expert navigator, points the way.


Emma carries a pack of sensible size and Wolfgang hefts a ton.


This photograph was taken on Saturday, along Lockley's walking track, as we approached the climb down in to the valley.


Wolfgang and I surveyed the valley from our rocky precipice.


I pitched my hootchie at the Acacia Flat campground. I hadn't learnt how to tie many useful knots when I was a child. I had to learn a few before we set out, to make the hootchie so successful. I learnt the Siberian hitch, the taut-line hitch, the clove hitch and Penberthy Prusik knot.


Jenny poses in front of a waterfall on the Grose river before we carelessly quench our thirsts in preparation for the very steep ascent.


Phil, Wolfgang and I clambered up the rocks to shower underneath a waterfall. After climbing down, I was thrown into a brief panic as a small leech had latched onto my exposed ankle.


We look west, here, over the Grose Valley as we make our ascent of about 300 metres via Govett's Leap (near Blackheath).


Here is a short panoramic video that Jenny filmed.

Spruce wedding

Last week, Angela Walsh married Antony Spruce at St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Cowra. I didn't burn up upon entering the building.


This is the front of the church.


The reception at the Cowra Golf Club was good fun.


The Roberts' kindly permitted the lads and I to undertake our recovery in their hot-tub on Sunday.


Out at the vineyard, Jenny and I surveyed the mature, and very large, pumpkins. In the background a passenger steam engine chugs by.

Camping at Mount Clear

Mount Clear campground is located at the southern end of Namadgi National Park, in a snow hollow. Being in such a cool location, I considered it a useful opportunity to test out my down sleeping bag in concert with my hoochie.


This is a great campground, adjacent to a cool stream - great for chilling a few homebrews down. As well there is a huge supply of cut firewood. Jenny and I set up a fire but still used the ethanol burner to heat our dinner.

Typically, this is a very quiet campground. A little after dark, however, the campground was inundated by the arrival of several vehicles and an entire scout troupe. Thankfully, its a big ground and we "regular people" were given a considerate berth.


It was cool overnight, so cool that I shook ice from my hoochie in the morning, but my accommodation passed its first test. Jen brought along her tent as our insurance policy.


Sunday was beautiful and clear, so Jenny and I hiked up Shanahan's mountain. The view here is facing to the east from close to the summit.


Here, Jen is trekking through a particularly lichen-encrusted grove.


I almost forgot this: at near to the end of our trip, I crossed path with this little fellow. Rimsy, do you think that you could identify this insect?

Hodgo's soccer carnival

Jen joins her ANU soccer team mates at UC for a trial game.


Here, Jen strides in defense.


Jen was awarded a penalty for this incident. (Not a trophy).


It is lunchtime here and a hungry dog and a snotty baby watch on.

Getting to know Bruce

Bruce Campbell is Ash. And now Ash is in Bruce.

Phil, Jen and I gave Kearto' a hand moving some of his loot in to the new pad that he is sharing with Mixy and Louis.

The boys are going to furnish the apartment like a hotel and brew their own beer. I really hope that some of these awesome developments will appear on Ash's blog too.

Mikey's Mocktobertfest

Phil, Jen and I backed up again for pints at the German club in Narrabundah, in order to farewell Mikey.


The band gave renditions of German and English favourites.


Adventurous blokes danced in this strange way together.

Uni Pub

On Friday, I travelled with some friends to the upper-most floor of the Uni-Pub. I pose here with Elene and Kate.


Phil and Freddie are great guys.


We can't get enough of Big-L now that he's back in the country. Thankyou, as an aside, Louis and Han for the postcard from Poland - we received the surprise in the mail on Monday!

Chemistry of Beer

Mixy joined the chemists for an evening of beer sampling at the Wig and Pen. Of course, our little party was the last to leave as we worked our way through the range of beers, schooner by schooner.