My 29th Birthday Present - Are you TUFF enough?

So for my 29th birthday last December Deb, Ros, Mak, Ann & Rob all joined forces to get me a Tuff 4x4 Ragged Edge experience including lunch out before hand.

So on Saturday we headed off to Shadowfax Winery in Werribee.
We had never heard of it before but it turned out to be a little treasure, nestled in just behind Werribee Mansion and Werribee Zoo and right next door to quite a Polo event that was going on.

Shadowfax Winery - Lunch

Shadowfax was a buzz of activity, a little 2 piece band playing a way and plenty of wine being poured. Of course with my big 4x4 adventure ahead I settled for one glass of the Shadowfax 2009 Riesling, but the rest of the gang made up for me :).

We enjoyed a tasting plate of meats and a platter of cheese. OH MY GOD both were equally fantastic, just to whet your appetite here's a snap of each before we made good work of them.




We than moved on to some Wood Fire pizzas for lunch, which were equally as fantastic. The setup for the Pizza was sensational, everyones dream to have one in their backyard!




After a nice relaxing lunch it was time to head on down the highway to the Ragged Edge 4x4 just near Avalon Speedway.




These machines were absolute BEAST'S just about go anywhere machines.
After signing the usual indemnity forms and throwing on some sexy hair nets before some safety helmets it was time to jump in for a quick run down on how these machines work.
Pretty simple, auto with front and rear independent steering accelerate and brake. Rob had nominated to be the victim for the days events so he was passenger and I was pumped to get behind the wheel and give it a go.



Next up we head off for some practice with the front and rear steering by doing some figure eights, feels wrong but makes turning so easy with the rear wheels.

After a few figure eights we hit the first course climbing are way up, banking our way around and tilting left, right, forward and back these machines were in their element and so were we!
The first course was a perfect balance of easy and challenging parts a great introduction and a chance to get a feel and some confidence before moving on.
Next up the instructor took me on a hot lap of the extreme course, and now the vehicles really did get pushed to the limit, riding as passenger the instructor talked through step by step each approach, angle and wheel turn as we crawled our way up a concrete wall and than across the face off it before landing the front tyre on a ledge and using it to pull the vehicle up and over, the final part of the hot lap involved tilting the Beast beyond anything that seemed normal, riding the right side high up on some tyres and than dropping the left into a ditch sent this thing on a slow roll/slide with the front left rising and rising and rising.

Ragged Edge 4x4

Now it was my turn to tackle the more advance course. Aptly named 'Chuckie' which Rob noted was correctly named upon completing (although we didn't get any chucking).
Had a blast driving through 'Chuckie' some very sharp banked corners a nice drop and roll through a narrow gap between two trees, with only one visible until the very last moment was fantastic.
We got stuck early on in 'Chuckie' lifting the front left and rear right off the ground at the same time, we had this beast dancing but alas we eventually required reverse to get out of this situation.

The finale of 'Chuckie' was a skyward view as we rose up and over a steep climb with a very large rock laid exactly where you didn't want it as the beast pulls towards the rock that you must avoid. It was a AWESOME experience that I absolutely loved and hopefully the spectating crew enjoyed as well.

Find below several videos from our Ragged Edge 4x4 experience.

Sixers Sack Head Coach Scott Ninnis

The Adelaide 36ers finished their 2010 NBL campaign dead last with 10 wins and 18 losses to record the clubs first ever wooden spoon.



It was a disappointing second half of the season which saw the Sixers close out on a seven game losing streak and not really looking like doing much damage in any of these games. Sure some were close and even the last game of the season went into overtime, but the lack of composure and smart ball was terrible in the close situations.

The Season was full of promise with new owners coming in to Save Our Sixers (SOS) as they were on the brink of extinction. Plenty of changes took place both on and off the court in a bid to return the club back to it's former powerhouse glory, a return to the red home strip, the push to sign plenty of local talent and of course the re-signing of Sixers club legend Scott Ninnis as head coach.

Unfortunately due to the poor on court performances heads must roll, changes must be made and whilst many players have been marked and rightly so, ultimately the biggest and most public chop has been with the sacking of Ninnis.



Ninnis played ten great season's with the Sixers and will always be remembered for his flat top hair of the 80's & 90's and his lightning quick pace in the open court.

Of course he will also be remembered for his couple of season's as head coach that didn't work out, but hopefully that takes nothing away from his playing memories.

     

A few links on Ninnis' sacking.
Adelaide Advertiser - Scott Ninnis sacked by the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide Advertiser - Boti Nagy on why Scott Ninnis was sacked by the Adelaide 36ers
NBL Official Site - Sixers look for new coach

So now awaits an interesting off-season with plenty of player movements and the big question of who will be signed as the new head coach of a club that demands success, some big shoes to be filled!

Sebastian's First Wedding - Put on that Tie.

Saturday night we headed out to Langwarrin for Leah and Adam's wedding at McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park. This was Sebastian's first wedding and for some of our friends the first time they have seen him since visiting him just after birth.

Of course Sebastian was the best dressed man (besides perhaps the Groom ;) with his stunning little outfit made by Jane & Hanna's Mum (Thank you!!!).
Here's a pic of Seb preparing for a big night.



The ceremony was a lovely outdoor casual experience overlooking a lake and many sculptures, none more outstanding than the naked muscle man just to the left of proceedings.

Leah and Adam's Wedding

Sebastian enjoyed one of his biggest nights to date, enjoying plenty of hugs with friendly faces and being a real hit with the ladies. Unfortunately he didn't get to bust any moves late in the night as the poor little guys was tiring, all in all he put up a sensational effort and enjoyed a nice long sleep on the hour trip home afterwards, snoozing in the back with Uncle Mak whilst a very 'happy' Auntie Ros chatted away.



Of course a wedding was a perfect excuse for a dressed up family shot and this is one of our best shots yet, we hardly ever get pictures together as one of us is nearly always behind the camera so it was good to get some shots of us with Seb and of course plenty of shots of Seb with others, below is the continuation of Sebastian's February snaps.

Sebastian - Feb 2010

Sebastian & Oliver - Chill Out Time

Sebastian had his first play time friend Oliver over for some couch chilling, floor rolling little boy fun.



Whilst the staying power for both of the little guys was far from there, they both were very cute with their interaction with each other, both seemingly chatting away in some lingo no one will ever understand but seemed to bring smiles to both of the boys faces. Plenty of whacking and kicking the air, an errant arm or leg occasionally clipping the other resulting in an almost immediate reaction back.



Oliver is just nineteen days older than Sebastian, but due to Sebastian being premature you can really notice the size differences between these guys. The skin colour difference is also incredible, considering we thought Sebastian was a little white boy, Oliver takes it to an entire new level.



Both boys enjoyed a feed of milk while the grown-ups enjoyed some of the famous Newman's Meat-sagne - what a feast it was :)
Of course the night was very early with these sleepy boys needing their rest and growing time.

I'm sure there will be plenty more of growing up for the little guys to do together.

Back online :)

We're back online after the recent computer drama's.
The new beast is a Dell studio, went with the 15" option after previously having a powerful beast with a full 17" screen the weight close on 6kg was really a pain to lug around. The new baby comes in at around 2.5kg which is a very comfortable weight to throw about.



Still packs a punch under the hood achieving all the things I require at my fingertips and of course the beauty of Windows 7 and a few new programs as well.

The inbuilt webcam and mic is a welcome addition that I didn't have before, using an external plug in and unplug which was a bit of a pain.



So look out for plenty more posts on this very blog, the usual update of photos on the Picasa Album and some videos from time to time. All links can be found at the bottom of this blog.

A trip to South Melbourne Markets

With beautiful weather today we headed out with Sebastian to the South Melbourne Markets.

On the hunt for some freshly ground coffee as our supplies had dwindled mid week and heaven forbid we had a few days on the instant eekkk.

No trip to South Melbourne is complete without a stop for the famous Dim Sims mmmmm YUM!!













With Seb riding in his new Baby Bjorn up front eating two steamed dim sims covered in soy sauce was no easy feat, but well worth the effort.

We had a quiet wander around but besides the delicious fresh coffee didn't get anything else.

Another Seb first, South Melbourne Markets and Baby Bjorn outing. I'm sure there will be plenty more trips to South Melbourne Markets and of course when Seb's old enough the sharing of a South Melbourne Dim Sim.

The death of a PC

Dear beloved laptop,

Thankyou for your services, you consistently pushed yourself to the limit, above and beyond the call of duty. You were by my side whenever I needed, more than just a tool, a workhorse, a connection to others.

You will be sorely missed and whilst yes you will be replaced you will not be forgotten.

For those sitting there confused my laptop has retired, so communication, updates, webcam etc will be restricted to the iPhone and the trusty old desktop beast (which cant handle much) whilst I shop around for a new one.