007 Movie review

So firstly, we get stuck in the storm yesterday afternoon heading to the cinemas. Fortunately I had bought my wet weather pants a couple of weeks earlier so I was completely dry when I got there .... poor Scarlett copped a thrashing by the weather.

Note to pant manufacturers ... when you add an 'x' to the size, it doesn't just mean that the person is getting taller!!!!

So we arrive ... pick up our tickets and head into Gold Class lounge. Greeted by a lovely young lass who gives us a table and the menu.

They had a deal .. 3 course for $40 so it actually worked out cheaper to do that because 2 courses was only just under that by a dollar or so. There was the first mistake ... I was so full at the end of the movie I could barely move. Felt like I'd already eaten christmas lunch!!!

Anyway ... I'm digressing.

Movie starts (mind you we didn't know it was the movie, thought it was a trailer).

Now I'm not going to give anything away other than this:

1. The man is so completely sexy it's ridiculous
2. One major flaw of the movie is that he only takes his shirt off once
3. The writers seem to be moving away from the typical Bond traits (ie. bombs in the wheel arches of the car, a hat that turns into a grenade .. you know, all that sort of stuff).

Personally I didn't think it was as good as Casino Royale, but it was still a good flick. Loads of action and the bad guys seem to be getting uglier and creepier so that's all good.

So in my very humble opinion ... if you love action films, go and see it. If you love the traditional Bond movies, then you may be a little disappointed.

Still .... beats 2 hours of laying pavers. Oh that's right ... we have none to lay.

:-)

Insert drool here .....

Tonight ......

Gold Class .......

James Bond .......

No more to be said. :-)

'Boral' has arrived

Well she's here. John picked up his new love on Friday afternoon and went up to the Dandenongs with my dad to celebrate.

Unfortunately the weather here in Melbourne on Friday night/Saturday was somewhat similar to a Hollywood verison of really bad weather, so he couldn't get back on and ride her until yesterday.

We went out for breakfast, picked up Dad and headed to Marysville, through the Spur and back home again.

John on his baby

The bikes at Marysville


The 3 bikes - Dads (BMW), Scarlett and John's beast

So in keeping with tradition, John decided that he should name the bike.

My suggestion was Boral or Austral Bricks so that it continually reminds him that everyday he rides what should be, my pavers!!!!

Sorry husband ... the public have a right to know

Dear friends, I have been banned from posting this particular post today ... however ... I'm going to do it anyway because it still makes me laugh (some 14 or so hours later).

So J tells me that we need to leave work early on Tuesday so that he can collect his bike. No problems. Discussions about how he would need to drop me off to work in the morning took precedence over the usual discussions such as "what do you want for lunch today", "can you please pick up your shoes" and "oh my god, that stinks .. what the hell have you been eating".

We decided that Scarlett wouldn't be able to hold two tubs of lard such as ourselves, so the only reasonable option was for me to ride the Honda back home again once he'd collected the ZX. Never mind that the poor car sits in the driveway day after day, feeling lonely and left out.

Tuesday arrives and throughout the day numerous emails and phone calls end with 'I'm so excited' and 'T-x hours to go before I collect my bike'.

J arrives at work to collect me ... off we go.

Arrive at the shop (that coincidentally doesn't look anything like a landscaping shop with pavers), sign some pieces of paper, have a chat to Steve (the bike guy) and he says "OK mate, thanks for that ... I'll send the paperwork in tonight".

There is a brief silence ............... awkward ................... and J asks "so .....can I have my bike".

Now at this point ..... J's face replicates the happiness of the face below:

Steve then says "nah mate .. we have to wait until the finance company sends the settlement certificate through. You should have your bike by the weekend though".

Cue face below:

I don't think I've laughed so much in a long time. Nothing like a good belly laugh to finish the day off.

A post for Carolyn

Boy was it hard finding a pic of our bathroom!! Had to go WAAAAAAY back to when the house was first being built. This pic was taken while the house was still being built which is why you can see writing on the glass!!

On another unrelated house point, the paver bike is being collected today. Pics to follow tomorrow no doubt :-)

The BBQ works ... and 2009 has come very early

As J posted last week, we were held the inaugural BBQ for some of our friends on Thursday night. Yes that's right ... the night the storms were due in Melbourne.

We're not too bright really.

I forgot to take some pics just before people arrived - ie. when the cushions were on the chairs, candles lit etc etc. so I've posted the 'pre' photos. You get the idea anyway.

Before it rained, it was very very pleasant being outside. We had whacked down the crushed rock with the machine thing from Bunnings so although the top layer of stones was loose, you didn't sink into the ground or anything. Feels quite solid. Dad reckons it is good for us to walk on it and let it settle for a few weeks anyway to give it a really good base for the pavers.

J did a great job at his very first BBQ, only burning a couple of rissoles (which we decided to use as hockey pucs the next day).

When the rain hit everybody did a great job at picking everything up and bringing it inside in record time. Only wish I had the camera handy when J was outside in the rain, in his sailing jacket cooking the meat while we were inside enjoying lots of laughs and wine, champers and beer. Was a very funny sight.

Now you may be wondering what the title of my post means .. '2009 has come very early'. It's come very early for the man of the house ....... see below. Delivery is hopefully on Friday.

Zen, high finance and the art of BBQ assembly

Howdi Folks, J here,
I don't know what came over me last weekend but in a fit of marital bliss I went and signed away my soul to G.E. money for a BBQ. It is apparently 'interest free' for 12 months, but I will be paying it out well before then thus avoiding the opportunity for them to charge me 1 years interest on day 365 + 1 at the highway robbery rate of 29.45% !!

The really good bit is that I got 'pre approved' for a limit of $10,000 and am expecting a card in the mail any day now that will allow me to pull that limit out of an ATM machine (again at 29.45% + a 3% withdrawal fee!!)

Pigs arse !! I got bitten by this sort of thing once before as a lad and came to within a hair breadth of bankruptcy..... so thanks for the offer Mr G.E. money but no thank you.

Anywhooo, having gotten that rave out of the way A and I consulted the astrological and biorhythm charts, called a meeting and decided that we would put the BBQ together on Sunday arvo after a good shag, going out for breakfast and a quick ride through the dandenongs on Sunday morning to make sure we were both feeling happy with each other, thus minimising the chance of any arguments during the assembly process.

Such was my commitment to the cause that I even let her ride my bike for part of the ride!!

As a result of this preparation and my masters degree in Ikea furniture assembly from the university of Stockholm (Cranbourne campus) the assembly of the BBQ went well (as did the turf laying once I mastered the concept of 'brown side down, green side up'), with the exception of one 'I told you so' moment from A and a slight hole misalgnment problem, the sort you would expect to get from a chinese guy who is getting paid 50c a day to build BBQ's for some capitalist.

As it turns out Getting A to 'help' me put the BBQ together was a good Idea because we had a heap of nuts and bolts left over and if she hadnt supervised the job and if I hadnt put together the BBQ as per the instructions of A, I would have been accused of doing a shonky job of it.

As for pictures, well there are none, but it looks like every other trolley BBQ in the world apart from the cross threaded screw at the bottom of the left hand side but that only adds charm. So look out for a picture of it when we get our pavers down.

The BBQ christening is set for thursday night when we have people over for dinner and yes of course, rain is forcast ..........

Cheers

J

Bike porn and a new lawn

Our extra long weekend started on Friday afernoon when we headed to the Motorcycle Expo at Jeff's Shed. J calls it 'bike porn' as we drool over the things we can't have!!!!

His mission was to find his Kawasaki ZX14 which he wants to move on to ... ha ha, did I laugh when I saw that it was in the very back corner therefore it would be one of the last stands we looked at!!!

My goal was to check out my upgrade ... the Honda VFR800.

So here they are ....

John on his new 2009 baby

Andy's upgrade (hopefully)

So, on to all things 'house'.

Saturday morning saw us up at 6:00am to move the last cubic metre of dirt into the backyard before the grass arrived ... which was due at 7:15am. Dad was then to arrive at around 8:00am to help us level the dirt and lay the turf.

Well the turf arrived at 7:00am ... loads of noise just for the neighbours!! How they must love us. Then when the guy left again at about 7:20am, J decided to shout "it's OK neighbours .. you can go back to sleep now". oh the shame ... the shame!!! :-)) (Cathy from across the road did have a giggle about it on Sunday when she told me that she heard him). It's a good thing I love him hey!!

I have also decided that the TV shows like Backyard Blitz, that have 20 minutes to spare and no turf laid .. and then all of a sudden it is done in time ... is more bullsh*t than I first realised. There is absolutely no way in the world they can lay turf as quickly as they reckon they do. Not properly anyway.

We finished just after lunch .. and our lawn area is really quite small!!!

Anyway ... the first hour or so was preparing the soil. Dad bought his contraption down that levelled the soil really well ... we then put the 'starter fertilizer' they give you (I think it's a mixture of fertilizer and water crystals) and then it was time for the turf.

Progress pics below. The first pic is to remind you what it was a month ago.....

The lawn area 1 month ago

Soil levelled and fertilized ... first rolls of turf ready to go

Brickwork pattern working well

Da daaaa ....... all in. J making sure the lawn gets a good drink

Another shot ....

and a close up shot

We were completely knackered on Saturday night ... those rolls of turf are dam heavy, but we both agree that the work was worth the effort.

Can't wait for some plants to go in the garden bed and the path to be done!!!

Next time on the 'Adventures of J & A in the backyard', hear how J puts together his new BBQ with a screwdriver, a Bundy and lots of nagging from A.