Floriade 2008

The wisteria on our doorstep was a prelude to our visit to the Floriade display in Canberra.

Like many visitors to Floriade this year, Jenny took some popcorn to go with the movie-themed day.

Jenny and I enjoy looking at bonsais.

I will continue to model my own flower bed on this ideal.

Rimsy, Jess, Miffy and their new house

Jenny and Miffy were instantly good friends.

Jess and Rimsy are living the Australian dream here in their own lovely house.

Ball sports, week three

Tennis with Hodgo on Sunday:
6-4P, 6-2P, 6-3P
Squash with Mix on Tuesday:
11-9, 11-5, 11-1, 11-1, 11-5, 11-0, 11-5, 11-1, 11-2, 11-1, 11-6
Avg: 2.7
Squash with Torsten on Thursday:
11-6, 2-11, 0-11, 2-11, 3-11, 6-11, 4-11, 1-11, 9-11, 4-11
Wins: 1/10
Squash with Ash on Friday:
2-11, 11-5, 6-11, 7-11, 7-11
Wins: 1/5
Squash with Mikey on Friday:
7-11, 6-11, 6-11
Avg: 6.3

Lauren's 21st birthday party

Happy birthday, Lauren.  You had a really fun party!  Here are several photos of us from last night.

Ball sports, week two

Tennis with Hodgo on Saturday:
6-3P, 6-0P, 2-2
Squash with Mix on Tuesday:
11-0, 11-0, 11-1, 11-4, 11-2, 11-1, 11-1, 11-1, 11-5, 11-1
Avg: 1.6
Squash with Torsten on Thursday:
8-11, 4-11, 7-11, 7-11, 6-11, 6-11, 5-11
Avg: 6.1
Squash with Mike on Friday:

7-11, 8-11, 4-11

Avg: 6.3

Squash with Ash on Friday:
11-9, 4-11, 2-11, 9-11

Wins: 1/4

Third, fourth and fifth squash games in one week

Mixy worked hard on Tuesday arvo:
9-0, 9-1, 9-2, 9-0, 9-3, 9-1, 9-4, 9-1, 9-0, 9-4, 9-2, 9-2, 9-3
Mix avg: 1.8

Ash played strongly on Wednesday arvo:
6-11A, 2-11A, 1-11A, 11-7P, 7-11A, 8-11A
My wins: 1/6

Torsten also played a strong game this morning:
7-11T, 5-11T, 9-11T, 11-9P, 8-11T, 11-7P
My wins: 2/6

European Trip *Bonus*

St. Lambert's church, Münster.


St. Paul's cathedral, Münster.

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.


Frustratingly dry Ocean Park, Hong Kong.

$1 squash at Cowra Services Club

Marko served first:
14-11, 14-6, 14-5, 14-9, 10-14, 14-10, 14-5 ,14-11, 14-13
Wins: 8/9

Squash scores

I won the toss, against Ash:
4-11, 2-11, 4-11, 5-11, 8-11, 0-11
Avg: 3.8

Much work needed!

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.