Easter 2014 at Tom Groggin Farm

Tom Groggin is a working farm on the Murray River in the Australian Alps about an hours drive from Threadbo. John and Scott wanted to do some mountain cycling so booked the farm stay for Easter Weekend and along with respective young families invited Jeff, Jill and Gaye and myself along for the experience. My time on the bike has been a bit down lately so I decided to take the touring bike and encouraged Vic top bring her mountain bike so we could do some trails together.

Some of the highlights of the long weekend included;

Mia getting bitten by a horse when feeding it a carrot,

Maddie wanting to take her new cubby/clubhouse home with her.

A great easter egg hunt.

After dinner drinks by the open log fire in the Slab Hut

Fishing for trout with Forde and Maddie

Riding the National Trail.

The turn off to Tom Groggin is off the Snowy Mountain Way

Vic enjoying part of the National Trail . It runs from Victoria to Cairns.

On the National Trail

Maddie and Mia enjoying the oen country

'Slab Hut' on the Station. Great for a red wine around the open fire

A spot of fly fishing for giant trout.

Maddie's first fishing experience

The Murray River

A farmers idea of what a suspension bridge should look like

Farm house at Tom Groffin

Gaye with Kangaroos in the background

Fields of roos

Mia recons she could get used to this farm life, f only the horse would stop biting her finger.

Here horsey..

John and Geoff reckon they too could get used to this life

Gaye and Jill taking a well earned rest after a hike to see where Jack Riley - the Man from Snowy River used to live

John and Scot enjoying a beer after 80 k of hill climbing

Can we take him home?

Maddie wants to take her new cubby home.

While John rides his bike Vic and I go horse riding

Just returned from riding up Charlotts Pass. Didn't drop under 60kph on the way back down

Update for Ray

Hey Ray, just to prove I have not been spending my time idly collecting tools and smelling the roses. (Which I have been doing a lot of,,,) Here are some recent turnings. Not brag worthy buy necessary practice pieces.
The timbers include red gum, lemon centred gum, some unknown stump destined for the fire and silky oak. I must say I very much enjoy the way the wood comes off the chisel with the green wood in monster streamers. It's also nice experimenting with form and shape. Amazing how some shapes really work whilst others are quite un appealing.
On the lathe; it's a Woodfast with a bed length of 3'6". An oldie, but a goodie.

A Quick Visit from the Sydney Siders

Vic and John had a wedding in Macedon to go to so we..luckily get to look after Maddie and Mia for a couple of days.

So here we are playing the doting grandparents. Lots of play parks, slippery-dips, and just a hint of donut treats and holiday ice-cream.

Next stop holiday Ice Cream... yerrrr...

Thats a long way down Gran.

Thats a long way up Mia.

Holiday Ice Cream... Yerrrrrr.

Wosers Gran that was fun.

Around and around and pop. out the bottom.

Come On Mia, I'll show you the way.

Hurry Up Mia. I have found the play park. Its this way.

Yahoo. rid em cowgirls

Ok donuts are not a replacement for icecream merely a stop gap.

Yummy.

Bacchus Marsh sheep.

More from the mouths of babes:
We have travelled to Bacchus Marsh with Maddie (4yo) and Mia (2) to swap cars with Vic and John and as a treat take the girls to Maddingly Park to play in the playground.
Now, Maddingly Park is a large park and we entered at the far end from the playground. Half way there having traversed the rose gardens and football field we stop for a rest in a rotunda and whilst enjoying the warming sun ask Maddie did she like this park. her disappointed reply, having not yet found the playground was; "well is a nice park Gran, but not much fun."
With fading hope, we continue. Gaye says she can see the playground. Maddie by this time figures she is spinning her a line and replies, in a very serious voice: " Gran, I've had my eyes tested at kinda', and I cant see any playground."

A Couple More Planes for the Collection

They include:
Sharmanco rebate plane,
Record 0120 block plane,
Record 75 Bull Nose Plane,
Sargent V.B.M no 81Side Rebate Plane,
Hobbies No 8 Block Plane,
And a Stanley Level.

Excellent buying. I didn't have any of these planes in my collection - until now.

Not much info on the Hobbies out there, but did find this useful link.
http://workingbyhand.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/hobbies-block-planes-study/

Some info on the Sargent 81 here:
http://www.sargent-planes.com/sargent-81-side-rabbet-plane/