February 2008

Hmmm... long time since last post. Have done a bit more sightseeing in WA since last post, been home for Christmas and just come back from the Nannup Music Festival (Labour Day long weekend).
Christmas was all of us together at home again (not likely to happen again the future though I can imagine). It rained for 8 days straight which made us all very sick of each other. We played table tennis, went ten pin bowling, argued, shouted and (some of us - not me) sang along to the Songstar X-box game! :)
Nannup Music Festival was full of people with a totally different outlook on life to me - is interesting to see people who live in their cars and sell little hand-made trinkets and imported clothing from India for a living. Not sure how they survive with fuel and food prices the way they are. Lots of great musicians too (many of them poor and struggling no doubt). Favourite was a visiting group from Quebec called Genticorum who played Quebecois-style music - a mixture of folk music (including Irish reel style music). They played guitar (including bass), fiddle, feet, wooden flute and jaw harp and they were absolutely fantastic. They have a whole heap of new Australian fans I expect. Way too many smokers around though and spent all day Sunday with a roaring headache :(.
Spent the Australia Day long weekend down in the Stirling Range National Park. Very beautiful place. We camped at the Stirling Range Retreat and the picture attached is of the view from my tent door! We climbed Bluff Knoll which is the highest point in the Range. The geology of the range is very interesting and going along with two geologists meant we have a myriad of books and texts about the place (which we lugged to the top for some light reading with the beautiful view in the background). Took us about 2 and a half hours to walk the 3.2km to the top (like walking up a huge long set of very varied stairs).
Went offshore for work at the beginning of December. Was really fun - spent two days on a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility about 15 minutes by helicopter from Barrow Island. The facility is essentially an oil tanker with the things usually on an offshore platform all attached to the deck.
That's all for the moment folks. See photos in next blog.