The bear gets splinters in his fur!!

Oh Yeah!! 

This bear likes his timber - and especially to work with it!! As a youth I wanted to be a furniture maker (with a 3 year apprenticeship) by trade, and promptly failed in spatial mathematics!! Who knew you needed to add up 2 inches squared by 3 corners and flatten that out into a board?!?!?!  Not me - so promptly changed tack with my second passion and trained as a pastry chef!!

Years later - the passion for timber and stuff still burns brightly - so when our youngest son got seriously ill - I made myself a rock-solid 2 tonne heavy-do-not-move-an-inch work-bench/table!!! So yeah - no more kneeling on the ground and cutting with a loose hand!! 

All that means that several wood working projects later - I still get splinters in my hand and I still hate sanding - with a passion!!!!

I do however buy older slightly damaged goods / furniture (mostly coffee tables)  and then restore them with a view of on-selling them for a small profit - with a bit of luck!! 

Anyhow

Bought this beauty of Trade-me - for a princely sum of NZ $23!! 

Clearly it needs a some loving restoration!  There are traces of white paint and also the front and ONE side only, is covered in some form of Lacquer!! Hmmm  -- do I strip that back or leave it?????

Love the dove-tails - always a good sign

Yeah - nah - 

that is (or better WERE) the bottom legs!! They came off, first thing!! uuuuh - I better had made some for it later - or - hmmmm yeah I could just get some felt/glider legs stuck on

Obviously it was a custom fit-out in its previous home

The naked back - this will need a small covering

I removed the 60's style handles - so that required research on which replacements to make!! These looked nice - and require a bit of router-ring

Fancy stuff - in the end I went with some 15degree cuts along the long edges and sides

OK - my major bug-bear - folks always only oil/varnish ONE side - and leave the rest blank (untreated timber) - so the timber moves with the seasons - UN-evenly - which results - wait of for it - --- in splits.

Here is one being fixed - carefully so as not to change the inner dimensions and make the drawers stuck . . . .

Of course - Purple heart had to be used somewhere in the project;   Hoping that mamabear is  happier with her new bedside table!!

Finished them - oiled and all

Fitting them to the drawers - Would you belief it - even with pre-drilled holes - ONE screw decided to open up a pre-existing fault line in the Purple heart!! Nothing a bit of PVA will not fix - it's just, I could have done without that hassle . . . .

Oh yeah - the beginning of a table-top!! This will need a trim etc - but the sizes would work out just perfect!! Especially if I add in a 3cm wide Purple heart strip . . . . .

WATCH this space . . . . . 

Have fun

When round numbers are not quite so round after all

 

 

 

Sometimes - just a few moments after you wake up - your mind is not properly connected to the realm of your universe!  So the other day I woke up and did some numbers in my sleepy head -- and got to 40!!!  Yay!!!

 

40 years since I packed a suitcase and made some tentative steps towards a railway that would take me to an underground train and that would take me towards Frankfurt airport - where a nice shiny new 747 was airlifting me half way around the world - for what was supposed to be a years worth of sabbatical living and contemplation!! A year living and working as a volunteer in a strange country with  limited (2 years of "school") English.  A year to decide what future 'job' I wanted to pursue back in Austria!

Instead - - -  I met and married my wife!!

Well - as they say - the rest is history!! 

So I am groggily trying to do the math again and realized I am a year ahead of schedule!!!   NEXT year - in 2024 - It will have been 40 years since I left 'home'! woohoo

Much of course has changed since then . . . much indeed

Take two weeks of the 40 years and that's how long I have known / dated/ married mamabear!!!   

Happy anniversary Mamabear!!! 





Have fun!

Shark-hunting bear becomes confused in the big city

 Waking up at 6 am to sunrise and various bird screeches. One bird in particular having a very peculiar screech that sounded like “auh”  which sounded like the german word for 'outch'.  Time for nice hot shower!  Breakfast – van tidy (Fonzie doing a good job there!!) – then went and caught  a bus into town – all before 9am!!  It helped when we knew where to go and cue!  We decided to get off at queen street and visited a couple of shops (badges!!). From there we strolled past the Info centre and on to the botanical gardens. Again impressive reflections in the glass towers!!  Botanical Gardens full of plants and trees – but lacked colour / flowers.  Saw an impressive fig tree!! Gardens was large enough and nice wide walkways.  City runs a hire a bike scheme so lots of folks cycle everywhere.  Walked full length around outside path with a few photo stops.  Also Mamabear needs her daily fix of connectivity.  Eventually made it back into town CBD– again lots of reflections on glass towers  so took some photos! We decided to have a  semi early lunch in the "Myer Centre" - a mall spanning 5 levels!!!! Mall feeling very cool and air-conditioned.  The heat / mugginess hits you as soon as you walk out the door.  Sighs-  back out into heat, visited  more shops, then walked across the river in full sun (Outch - that was hot!! ) to the waterfront!  This is a strip developed around river frontage and main building on sight – performing arts centre etc. with lots of green spaces and attractions to peruse and hang around including a small ferris wheel. Not to badly priced. So we took a ride in ferris wheel and saw Brisbane form a different angel.  Saw the secret underground NZ spy base . . . . .        from there we  walked  to “the beach”!  They have re-created a beach scene complete with imported white sand so that the locals can “swimm” on the "beach" shark free.  Really more like a sandy super large paddling pool.  So naturally the question goes begging - how is this bear meant to catch a decent white pointer???  Local beach is a long away away out of town.  We both paddled for a bit, as do many of the locals.  Very nice - with the water a nice pleasant warm temperature.  I have to add - we saw far to many beach babes/boys  in less then skimpy outfits, in the short time we are here then compared to back home! 

Must be the warm dry weather!!!  From there we were strolling back to bus stop via Info centre and other shops / ice cream.  Booked tickets to the Koala sanctuary so that ”Fonzie” the newly christened stow-away bear could catchup with his 'cousins twice removed'.  Eventually with heat still beating down we took the bus home, stopping at a  bottle store to get vital supplies for later and from there is was waiting for dinner time (shop owner knew we were tourists but thought we were ozzies from accent!! outch!).  Having been all day on our feet we decided to treat our selves for a local meal out – found a nice pub-bar (Newmarket Hotel) and Pam had Skippy for dinner (Kangaroo meat) while my chicken in pyjama was a manufactured breast.  Roo meat turned out to be quit nice.  Also had Garlic bread – very nice and have to fill out the blog for that later.  Not sure if Mamabear will get in trouble for eating Skippy?!?!  Back to the mobile house and sat down  for an evening of white/red wine and relaxing.   It gets dark by 6pm.  Lights are on by 6.30pm. Once the sun sets the heat of the day dissipates and it is  bearably nice.  We sat outside the van in darkness (torch light)  and had a glass or two and just chilled out and decided how to tackle the next day.  Then fell tiredly into bed – slept better the second night round after re-adjusting how we make the bed.

 Mamabear enjoying the window cleaners and wonders if office workers are being told when these folks come down and clean  in order to avoid hmmm embarrassing revelations?!  I liked the reflections - clear as a bell

 You would think that one dish was enough to get the BBC on radio????  No wait - is that NASA listening on my mundane conversations on HOW to make tea perfect????  Take Note - you stir 4 x ANTI clock wise first, then .. . .

 A selfie - reflections in the glass of us in the Ferris wheel!

 I guess a picture tells a thousand words??  No further comment is required here!!
I have to say - the folks over here (remember - our "Western" Island?!) are full of helpful signs - this is just one example of it

 

A Bear goes shark-hunting

 It has been a few crazy weeks.  At work we got a new server and all the fun that came with that.  Being the nominated geek in the outfit I had to help with the install.  All good.

Eventually we got most stuff done - just as well because the shark hunting trip loomed large on the horizon.

We keep hearing fantastic - and almost unbelievable stories about our Western Island.  Yes folks in case you did not know this,  New​ Zealand consists of three Main Islands (the South and North are of course best known). Our 'Western Island' however is our best kept secret.  Folks living there actually believe that they are an independent state - but you know *winks* - who are we to argue with them.  This 'Western Island' is so special you find animals there you would not find anywhere else on this round globe of ours.  Thus many of us Kiwis flock over there.  In fact - soon there will be more of us living over there then back on home here, on our two main islands - remember - north and south?!!!

We even have a very distant cousin once or twice removed living on our Western Island.  Mr Koala as he is known, likes to climb the trees and generally is slow moving.  Seems in the heat that is all you can do - eat and seek shade - oh and have an occasional sip from some prescribed red medicinal drink.  Gotta keep your fluids up! So when he invited us for a family re-union of sorts - how could say no???

just about log off and shut down the PC!!

Thus we are running round like well - like wild bees and do everything that one needs to do before going away - you know - locking up the secret honey supply and advising the beehive-factory to go easy on the honey-production for a while. 
No point in keep on producing the nectar if we are not here to - urm digest it, right!?  In any case - I better log off work - there is still a million things to do - not to mention pack . . . . . .    before we catch the big bird.     I must remember to bring some essential gear - after all - the opportunity to go shark hunting comes along only once in your life-time!  *grins*
Any advice on clothing??  I think I am over dressed for the occasion, however you never know with our neighbours what they expect.
Those sharks better watch out - we bears are renowned for our fish-hunting skills.  One of our beary good Alaska friends once landed a giant Salmon who was about 4 meters long or so; hmmm maybe a teeny weeny bit shorter - maybe by a foot or so  - anyhow  . . . . . .   

Have fun

The old bear finds some magic numbers to play with

I have always loved numbers.  Not that I can retain any of them. Nor am I particularly brilliant when it comes to adding or dividing.  I married a certain female bear for that skill - she is way ahead of me when it comes to numbers.  She can recall birthdays and equations / special dates and numerical oddities with consummate ease - which is why she is the Accountant in the family and I happily leave her to balance the books. Don't get me wrong - I can and could balance my cheque book if I had to.  Nor could I keep up with my boys once they got into algebra and numbers at school - they talked a foreign language at that point.  Nevertheless I do love numbers, and in particular statistical numbers.



There are certain numbers that just appeal - for example a 86-60-86 sequence would be great and very pleasing to look at!!



I belong to a group called ARHS - Association of Rugby Historians and Statistician and we operate a website and Facebook page.  I keep records of other certain things - like our monthly power usage and certain medal winners by state or athlete in certain sports.
For a while I kept track of every earthquake we felt in Christchurch but since the Feb shake of 3 years back gave that up.  the latest current thing is keeping track of the daily high temperatures for Christchurch / Dunedin/ Whitianga and Waiuru.  (we are comparing notes between where we live - and Pam's sister lives (Dunedin) where we would like retiring too (Whitianga) and where the boys thought they could learn how to be a soldier (Waiuru) ).   I drive my boys nuts with the insane need to get the numbers correct - and in right order.
Of course part of the fun is to draw nice graphs and such things . . . . 

So guess what - last week it dawned on me that today - yes  T O D A Y  - the 27 Feb 2014 is the exact 30 year anniversary since I touched down in New Zealand - and touchdown it was - no air-bridge in those days - you just walked down the stairs and in-between 2 yellow lines across the tarmac to the terminal!! 

30 years!!   :) 

Time to reflect. For within these 30 years a few things that have happened,  that are little anniversaries in itself.

• I have been involved as a scout-leader exactly half of my time since I been in New Zealand - some 15 years and still counting.

• I have had the same employer now for 10 years - one third of my time here

• I have been married for 96% of that time - ok ok - I can never got to 100% on that - still it is pretty good going (and next year we will celebrate 30 years of marriage)

• I have had the privilege of walking alongside my son for 25 years = thats 85% of my time here

• I have been a full time dad raising my boys for 12 years of my time here - = thats urm - adds one - looks at calculator and comes up with 40% of my time here.

•  the Millennium celebration - are sitting exactly half way between arriving and now - and who can forget all those fireworks and the y2k bug???

• I had my first jamboree in 2002 - and had 3 more since then

•  I gained 33%  (some whopping 22kg) of my original weight - yes I was a skinny rag - due to all the cycling I used to do.  Since I stopped that and stayed at home my middle has gone more sideways then I care to admit. Actually that is not a statistic I am proud to admit. Lets scrap that from the internal memory bank :)

• I have lived her 30% longer then I have in my entire life in Salzburg.

•  on average we have been back to Europe for a visit every 7.5 years

• This year will be my 10th mid winter camping trip with some scouts - to our lovely west-coast

• As a Family (counting the wife as a secretary and the boys starting keas) we are involved with scouting in various roles for the last 20 years

• We have had 14 times where someone crossed the Equator (either we made a trip or received visitor's from Europe).  It works out on average every 2.05 years .  Wohoooo who is next????

• We have had (hmm ok still have ONE) three cats - on average one every ten years.

Wohooooo - I rings Mamabear and ask her to be home early and we get a bottle of bubbles out - hmmm make that two and CELEBRATE

have fun

Upstairs downstairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

I distinctly remember a British TV program called "Upstairs, downstairs" - it was a tv series that run for several seasons.  Guess the modern version is
<----------

Downton Abbey

The Original TV series "upstairs, downstairs' is set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War, Belgravia in London, and the series depicts the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters - the family "upstairs".  The series stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. In short all about how the rich and famous live and how their lives interact with the other rich and famous and also with their servants.  Cut a long story short - we sort of had our own up and down.

After a very long time and several earthquakes we decided that we would finish the upstairs bedroom / living-room / walking wardrobe and bathroom with a preferred choice of flooring.  That necessitated that everything had to be cleared - and I do mean everything.  The marital bed got shifted to the lounge downstairs and - and, oh yeah, I have this 180 liter fish-tank that needed shifting - no small feat.

Kinda weird having the bed back down here - and hehehe would not be the first time.  All in all I think we slept here 4 x since we had shifted in to our House.  It makes for an interesting evening of watching TV.  Actually - I ALMOST wanted to keep this bed there- watching TV in Bed and just being a couple of steps away from the kitchen - what more could a bloke want??!!

The bed frame - yes it is a slate-bed.  It is supposed to be the best way of sleeping.  Eagle eyed folks will notice the running repairs on one of the slats.  This was the only thing I could not shift out - it being to big to store anywhere and way to big to go down the narrow and  a hair raising 90 degrees left turn down the staircase.  Ah well - no harm done.

Urm - well - yes  - one does collect quite a bit of stuff.  Luckily for us when the additions where done, we ended up with this bonus store room - very convenient for storing stuff - either temporary and/or permanently!!  Only problem was - erm - see - it was so full you needed a mountaineering expertise to get to any stuff - either that or wait until it see's the daylight again.
There is a whole lot of other stuff that made it into Micky's room - with him being away on a 4 month Army training course.  Very convenient - only to be told he's coming home n sick-leave - having busted his knee.  This means that  HE will have to sleep in the garage for a week or two - again not a first for our family.

Meanwhile the flooring guy worked away and here you can see the beginning of something beautiful.  We so love the look of timber and these 7mm Vinyl planks are almost the next best thing, easy to wear and care and almost as warm on the feat. They certainly look the part and you could be forgiven for mistaking this as timber.  

Progress in the bedroom.  All in all it took him 3 days to lay the planks.  Come to think of it - they still not finished - with the bull nose on the staircase yet to be nailed in - but yeah - I soon can shift the bed back upstairs - and claim my lounge back.  Oh and yeah - we do not need to worry about making any erm - hehehe  inappropriate noises that could carry to the other people living here ^^

The en suite - all finished!!  It does look great and Mamabear is impressed!! - I am glad I paid someone to do this - firstly I could not have done a better job (in fact probably a more lousy job) and secondly It would have taken me more then 2 weeks to complete the job!!  This morning we started shifting stuff back upstairs - the bed and other bits and pieces.  Had fun shifting the aquarium - all 180 liters (ok I emptied it as much as I could but even so), and busted my lower back (I am having a 'loose disk' that sometimes goes out of alignment and causes referred pain).  But yeah - no servants to help. Although son numero uno was of great help - he's got youth and more muscles to his credit!

So now we can live upstairs again in our hideaway. Let the upstairs, downstairs lives re-start and begin.
Hmmm I see they are making a revival with Jean Marsh reprising her role as Rose alongside a new cast in the same Eaton Place household, with the first series aired on 26 December 2010.  Wonder if Mamabear knows . . . . . 

How to get my cute chick on her own Harley

hmmm - that is the question of course
Currently we are saving to renovate our geriatric kitchen. Once that is done
the Harley will be the next priority. However I have gained one concession - we can buy one by the time I turn 50!

Which IS NOT that far away -- really ---- when I think about it!!!! Wohooooo

Of course if I ever get a full time job it will all be sooner then later.

Cute chick has a Sat drive on a Harley Davidson

ok - so I was a good lad and gave my mamabear a birthday present - a voucher for a 1 hour chauffeur drive. Yep -- Today was the day that the hot chick had her lazy Saturday drive on a Harley Davidson! I get her to write on the how and why and where . . . .

So here comes Mamabear . . . .

Well I must admit I was more than a bit nervous before the ride - never having ridden on a motor bike before. However Brett my chauffeur was very cool; and told me everything I needed to know and it wasn't long before I was kitted up and on our way. We had a lovely drive up through Cashmere past the Sign of the Takahe down to Governors Bay, along through Lyttleton, back over the Port Hills, through Sumner and back into town. It was a lovely sunny day with not much wind so there were lots of stunning views and not cold at all on the bike. The ride itself was interesting - we were on a 15th anniversay Fat Boy of which there is apparently only 5 in the country. The seat definitely wasn't made for touring but I didn't feel like I was going to fall off!! You could feel every bump in the road but the driver was smooth so after I got used to the idea of being on the bike and began to relax I enjoyed it a bit more. When Papabear gets his bike it will have to have a comfortable passenger seat!!! The guys at Rolling Thunder were really good too - lending me all the gear and being really friendly before and after the trip.

WHEN???? uhu - better save my pennies
urm - there is this bike you see - yummmmeeeeeeeeeeeeee :)
papabear drools

49000 odd km on the road and available for around 16 grand NZ.


A N D it has got Mamabears fav colours

sigh - where is the lotto ticket . . . . .