a break in broadcasting

Posted on 24 June 2022 by snail

I went to VALA and stopped blogging. VALA was good. Also exhausting. Even getting there was exhausting. A downside of moving to the Highlands is suddenly airports are no longer easy to get to…especially on a public holiday. VALA was moved from February to mid June which meant I spent the public holiday Monday travelling to Melbourne.

I left home at 10.30 Monday morning and 8 hours later, made it to my hotel in Melbourne. That’s a long commute. Part of it is the 2 hour train ride to get to the airport on a line where trains run every hour or so and because it was a public holiday, they were two hours apart at the crucial time. Qantas was encouraging folk to get to the airport 2 hours prior for domestic flights. Due to vagaries of train timetabling, I arrived around 2 hours 40 prior and was airside with 10 minutes. All their queueing problems of a couple days earlier had been resolved. Then the plane was half an hour late as they had to change a tyre…at least it wasn’t cancelled which seems to be an increasingly common occurrence.

I normally fly home from VALA on the Thursday night but that would have meant touching down at Sydney airport around 9-9.30pm and a 2 hour+ commute home. Work instead recommended I stay Thursday night in Melbourne and fly back in the morning. That worked well and I went from the airport to the office.

Next time I do this I might look at other airports. I did explore other options but stuck with Mascot this time round but did note for a 4 day trip:

Shellharbour Airport: 1 hour 15 min drive – free parking
Mascot Airport: 1 hour 20 min drive or 2 hours on train – $100-250 parking
Canberra Airport: 1 hour 50 drive – $108 parking

There’s a few variations on this eg I could drive to Stanmore in Sydney’s Inner West and park near a friend’s place then get a train to Mascot, reducing the reliance on the vagaries of the Highlands train line. The Shellharbour option is interesting as there’s a smaller company that does flights twice a day to/from Essendon. The flight home was too early for a VALA departure but would have worked for a Friday morning flight. I’m a little surprised that Canberra is a viable option. The only question is how comfortable I am leaving a car at the airport for a few days.

travelling soon…

Posted on 3 June 2022 by snail

In a couple of weeks I fly to Melbourne for VALA, a conference in person. The 2020 conference was my last major face-to-face conference prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with lockdowns declared a few weeks later. I did manage to make it to Shellharbour a few weeks ago for GLAMawarra and that was my first in-person conference thang since the last VALA. In fact VALA 2022 was supposed to be first but it was postponed from February to June amid concerns of further COVID breakouts.

This will be my first time out of the state in nearly two and a half years and my first time in a plane since then. This will be the most time I’ll spend with folk other than my family. A few days and evenings of people from Melbourne and other parts of the country…not sure where my comfort zone is these days. I know I’m looking forward to it and VALA has always been something of a professional touchstone for me. At the same time. I know I will need to manage my contact time carefully so I’m not too overwhelmed.

Attendance numbers are unclear though well down on past years…not unsurprisingly. This conference will be a hybrid of in-person and online. The delegate list isn’t clear as to who will be attending physically or just virtually. I’m starting to wonder if vendors will outnumber delegates though it’s good to see the commercial support. There are plenty of speakers who will be there but there’s also a bunch of presentations that will be online only. I haven’t got it in my head yet how to be in both spaces. I guess I may well be able to catch some of the online presentations later. I’m keen too, not to conference online, but focus on the physical presentations, and hanging with colleagues.

I am hoping this will be a practice run for more travelling. I have been cautious of booking things and I had a trip to Tassie booked last August that I had to cancel due to another lockdown. I registered for VALA last year but work didn’t book flights or accommodation initially. Turned out that was a good plan so those could be booked fresh a few weeks ago.

saturday

Posted on 5 June 2021 by snail

Quiet. Uneventful. Of no fixed mood. Minimal creativity.

I am however sipping a rather nice beer, Zoooom choc-pecan mudcake stout from Sauce. First released last year early on in lockdown and I wasn’t able to grab any. Walked into the local bottle shop a couple of weeks ago and they had some. Wow! Way tasty, a hint of nuts and a silky smooth texture. This might be a new favourite. Strong at 9% or 2.7 standard drinks per can.

I went to a brewery twice last year, once to meet a couple of friends as things opened up a little, later for a friend’s 50th. I’m still not going out much; I s’pose while covid continues to be ever present and the risk of another outbreak in Sydney remains, I continue to be cautious.

Weekends usually involve the newspaper in a cafe and time with family. Definitely not keen to go to bars and people-y places much. We have cautiously booked flights for a week in Tassie in August, fingers crossed we’re still good then.

Had my first shot of the AstroZeneca vaccine on Monday, with no side effects. Second injection is scheduled for a few days after I get back from Tassie. Fingers crossed.

I miss travel. A lot.

I’ve even investigated train trips across the country…actually it’d be nice to visit Perth again too, perhaps head north to Broome. My partner mentioned a trip to the Kimberley and that’d be fab, always wanted to go there. I am fortunate in that I have managed to visit every state and capital city at least twice and driven across great swathes of the country. Yet there is still so much to see.

I’d love to return to Uluru though I wouldn’t climb it even if it were allowed. I will confess I did so as a teenager in the 80s. It’s an odd parallel as in the 70s dad used to take me on land rights’ rallies for first australians yet in the 80s I still wanted to climb the rock. My past sins. We also did a tour round the base and my sister and mum flew over it in a small aircraft which did not agree with my sister.

no moving, no travel

Posted on 2 June 2020 by snail

I commented in February on my joy in reading the travel section of the weekend papers, finding new places to visit, a chance to travel in my mind, without moving. I joked later that the Italian lockdown would be a fab time to visit Venice as there would be but locals, no tourists, piazzas empty. Naive I was, oblivious, lacking awareness of what was to come. I watched in shock as Italy increased their shutdowns and quarantine and the spread of COVID-19 rose while the death toll climbed horribly.

Now is not the time to travel.

I am in lockdown too. This is week 11 of working from home. I am thankful that I am a public servant with a fulltime job and no mortgage. We moved house a few months ago, downsizing from a 2-story 4-bedder to a 1-story 3-bedder. I’m enjoying the new house but with four adults stuck at home all the time, I miss the space of the old place a little.

On the weekends, I continue to maintain my ritual of going to my usual cafe for brekky with newspaper. For the last two and a half months that has meant takeaway food and piccolos, consumed in my car nearby, with people walking by. Initially I tried eggs on toast but the knife/fork thang felt awkward so I’ve gone with a bacon and egg roll since.

The weekend travel section is no longer published in print.

While I have been able to continue with my ritual, it is missing a key part, travel. The SMH continues to publish some travel material online but it’s not the same. The idea of travel and being able to travel has become problematic. I renewed my passport and had plans for a big trip this year, saving my leave, preparing for a 6-8 week trip in Europe across August. No more. Those plans are cancelled, my partner’s Churchill project postponed. Maybe next year.

I want a holiday and I want to go away. Not yet. I remain hopeful that New Zealand may open as destination later in the year. I have been many times and would love to go many times more. Perhaps there is a little hope.

travelling without moving

Posted on 7 February 2020 by snail

Every weekend, usually Sunday, I like to read the travel section in the weekend SMH, usually in a cafe over a lazy breakfast. It’s become such a routine that it at times feels almost meditative.

I stop, I read, I imagine, I dream.

Every so often an article will whisk my mind away into other places and I contemplate what sort of trip I need to get there. Sometimes they remind of trips friends have made, Portugal and Japan have both been popping up of late. Last weekend another reminder of Iceland…and come to think of it, I think there was a national geographic photo display for Iceland in my facebook feed recently.

Portugal has a couple of interesting things: tarts and port, especially aged port. I read an article years ago, probably in the SMH, about drinking 50 year old ports in Portugal and this not being an unusual thing.

I noted in my last bucket post that I had managed to make it to all capitals in Oz. Since then, I have been to Tassie twice more and can now state that I have been to all capitals twice. I really need to see more of Tassie beyond Hobart and south of Hobart. I’d like to visit Fremantle again, and Margaret River, perhaps north of Perth for a change too.

i am not a number

Posted on 21 November 2019 by snail

Many years ago, prior even to my own existence, there was a British TV show starring Patrick McGoohan titled The Prisoner. Actually, McGoohan not only starred in it, he also created, wrote, produced, and directed it; clearly a passion project which contrasted individual needs with those of the group. It was rather surreal and ideas driven, with a certain eccentricity and a key logo being a penny farthing.

I had initially thought it was all filmed on a specially created set, but discovered later that the village where it was set was real. Portmeirion is a town in North Wales, on the River Dwyryd that was built during the mid 20th century. There is an extensive quote from Lewis Mumford in the wikipedia article noting:

an artful and playful little modern village, designed as a whole and all of a piece … a fantastic collection of architectural relics and impish modern fantasies

In the series and in the descriptions it looks deliciously quirky and eccentric. I don’t often visit places from TV or cinema but this one particularly appeals both as a reference to The Prisoner and interesting destination of its own.

It looks like I may get to travel to Europe in 2020 as my partner will be undertaking a study trip supported by The Churchill Trust. Consequently I am putting together my own self-funded trip that will occasionally intersect with her’s as she’ll be working. The challenge is find places to visit that I’m happy to visit by myself, and the village of The Prisoner might just fit.

Location-wise, it’s not far from Dublin, possibly a few hours by bus and ferry, which is significant as it is the host city for IFLA in 2020 and I’m hoping to make the first few days of it. The last time I went to an IFLA conference was in Milan in 2009 and I think that was just after the IFLA Australia conference had been cancelled. I have good memories of the Milan conference, aside from the heat, and good friends and connections and would love to go again, hopefully Dublin will be a little cooler.

The challenge of visiting a town in Wales is to avoid another Welsh town, namely Hay-On-Wye, rumoured to have more bookshops per capita than anywhere else. I was last there in 2008, visiting many bookshops and bought more than a few books. Afterall, it’s the one place where buying books is its own form of souveniring :-)

the humble spittoon

Posted on 4 June 2019 by snail

For the recent Hunter trip, I volunteered to be the designated driver. In part because I wanted everyone else to relax but also because I wanted to be able to taste everything and appreciate the taste. While getting tipsy can be nice as you continue to imbibe throughout the day, it can cloud your judgment and inhibit your sense of taste. Consequently, the wines tasted at the end of the day always seem amazing and we must buy lots! :-)

small spittoon This meant that at each winery we went to, I kept out an eye for the nearest spittoon. Curiously, the wikipedia article focuses on the use of spittoons for chewing tobacco, however in Oz at least, they’re usually used for spitting wine into, also called a spit-bucket.

Spittoons come in various shapes and sizes though the large ones felt awkward to use, especially while sitting down. Of course, it was challenging to spit cleanly every time. There was a lot to be said for a small, handheld version with an inward slope for preventing embarrassment.

large spittoon I was mostly successful in taking a sip of wine, chewing it over in my mouth for a while, then spitting it into the handy receptacle. Once I had a couple of sips, I usually tipped the remainder of the tasting glass into the spittoon as well.

Sometimes I’d swallow as some wines change as part of the process eg Chardonnay may taste ok swirling in the mouth but frequently, too frequently, has an icky aftertaste when swallowed. Also, when drinking a really nice wine, it seemed a waste to tip it.

We still bought a lot of wine but I think I’m a little more confident this time of the choices made. Maybe :-)

a trip to the hunter

Posted on 3 June 2019 by snail

I recently had a weekend away in the Hunter Valley and was shocked to realise it was my first trip in five years. I used to visit annually and so much has changed: new roundabouts, new buildings going up, feels like there’s more restaurants, some wineries I hadn’t heard of, plus a few wineries under new names.

We did a couple of tastings on Friday, a couple of long member tastings on Saturday as between us we had memberships for a few wineries. Finished off on Sunday with a couple more regular tastings. This trip for me, like most trips, was a mix of old and new and enjoyed wine tastings at Ernest Hill, Tinkler Family, Tulloch, Briar Ridge, Usher Tinkler, and Tamburlaine.

signs summarising annual wine vintages

sign detailing the 2014 wine vintage in the Hunter Valley. A nice feature at Briar Ridge was a wall full of wooden signs which, on closer inspection turned out to be a summary of each year’s vintage. They provided a breakdown of number of litres per wine type (gallons on the early ones), as well as a summary of the vintage, conditions and weather. A few of the wineries talked about 2014 being a great year for Hunter wines and this reflected in the summary too.

I was curious that Usher Tinkler had opened his own winery as I was visiting the Tinkler family vineyard around the time he won Young Winemaker of the Year in 2007. I particularly liked his work at the time with Poole Rock and now with his own winery he seems to be experimenting with various blends, some of which worked rather well.

We managed to buy some wine at all the wineries we visited and I like being able to buy wine directly from the people making it. Interestingly the weather was significantly different outside the Sydney basin; cold enough to wear a jumper and enjoy a wood fire. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to return next year.

out the back a ways…

Posted on 3 June 2018 by snail

Just back from a relaxing weekend in Orange. I even made it into Orange itself this time. Once or twice a year, we head out to my partner’s dad’s family who live on a few acres about half an hour out the back of Orange. Connectivity is interesting…it is possible to get a signal in some spots and it usually involves balancing the phone on a window sill pointing in the right direction. Using this method I was able to download the weekend SMH…though it took about 20 minutes as it kept dropping out.

It’s a peaceful place with little else to see, just dry Australian landscape. The photo above shows the view that I looked out on every day. My partner’s dad has a few rows of grapes and produces a nice, drinkable red each year. I gather it may not have been quite so drinkable but every vintage I’ve been lucky enough to try has been tasty. I even helped pick the grapes last year. I failed to help pick the year before as I slept in and they were all done by the time I woke up. Oops.

Normally we don’t get out much and it’s time to chill and read and chat with family. This time we popped up the road yesterday to Mortimer’s Wines for a tasting, having driven past many times. We were the only ones there and it seems the busy period finished the week before. A comfy, generous tasting with a good chat with the chap there talking about the wine. Somewhat unexpectedly, I later realised there was something of a connection with my childhood, growing up in Bankstown…and a sportzing reference at that! The winery was started by and belongs to, one of the Mortimer brothers, who were well known rugby league players with the Canterbury Bulldogs in the 80s. 3 of the brothers played in 4 grand finals together. Peter Mortimer went from footy to wine and I gotta say the wines were rather tasty and we bought several: a decent pinot noir, some tasty shiraz and wonder of wonders, a delicious Chardonnay.

All in all a happy, relaxing weekend.

…a different pace

Posted on 1 June 2018 by snail

Trying new things. A different pace. Otherness. But not in the usual sort of way. Nor the usual sort of conversation. Stepping out of my comfort zone. A new thing.

Cruise. Ship.

Eep! That’s a whole other direction for travel. I may be turning 50 this year but I thought cruising and coach tours were still 20 years away. Does a backpack work on a cruise ship? Do I take more stuff…or less stuff…actually I don’t think I can take less stuff as I travel fairly lightly when backpacking. Still. I have realised that I should not stay in hostel dormitories. I personally, am comfy in a dorm: 4 beds, 6 beds, 10, or 12 or so. However I am a world class snorer and have slowly realised that others are less happy about my presence in dorms. Now I book rooms. When tramping, I’m the poor schmuck that needs to sleep in the kitchen at trail huts lest I disturb the bunkhouses.

Anyway, back to cruising. On a boat. I’ve been on a cruise. Once. Many years ago. 2003 or thereabouts. In China. Down the Yangtze River. 2 days. Only 2 days. I think that was pre-flickr or pre-my-digital-photo-stuff…I really must digitise those photos one day. Perhaps when I’m old and bored and decrepit. By the way, I strongly recommend going to China.The food. Oh gawd, the food! Fantastic! Variety and flavour and texture and taste. Oh my. I went with friends on an Intrepid trip and it was fab. A guided tour yes but lots of public transport, not coaches, and hanging locally. For organised stuff, Intrepid has worked well. I later went to Borneo with Intrepid and those photos are online.

Cruising. It has been suggested that a cruise in Europe might be nice. It might be. For some things I like to think I’m young and sort of hip but even saying “young and hip” suggests a certain age. Others use different phrases. Others. Yet, I’m coming around…Viking has been suggested and I have read bits about Viking and they sound sort of what I’d like. No night clubs but a late bar just in case. Decent food. They handle my usual breakfast. A more intellectual approach…maybe not, it was sounding good until that point :) It is unclear what whiskies they have on board, or craft beers for that matter…I figure I can probably pick up a nice whisky or three duty free. I dunno yet whether Intrepid do cruising but that’s a google away.

Hmmm…a different direction indeed.