Myth Busted......maybe!

G'day folks.


In the interest of science and at the request of my brother in law Dom, I have investigated a phenomenon that has been the debate of many a university bar or pub table over the years.

Which way does water go down a plug hole in which hemisphere?

Is it an urban myth?

Here is the science bit.
"There is an effect called the Coriolis effect which is due to the fact that the earth spins around. On a large scale it can have an effect on weather systems. Hurricanes and tornadoes almost always spin anti-clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere."

So does this translate to water down the plughole?

Opinion seems to point to the fact that sink shape, hole position, how the plug is removed and stillness of the water prior to plug removal all have more to do with the likely direction of vortex flow on such a small scale. If you used the same sink and managed to keep all other variables constant (in which case they would no longer be variables!) and performed the experiment in both hemispheres then you might just get the opposite effects in each. The effect is supposedly stronger the closer to the poles you get.
So that's it for small sinks and plugholes. However on a larger scale the Coriolis effect may be more evident.


So in the interest of science and Dom I have found the biggest plug hole I could find in the Southern hemisphere and had to fly 1000miles to do so. Yes Dom, I shall be seeking a full refund!

Here is the result.

So in essence it should follow that : Northern Hemisphere = anticlockwise
                                                          Southern Hemisphere = clockwise

Please 'Click' on play for the result.

BIG PLUGHOLE

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

As you can see from this video from the centre of Australia the water is going anticlockwise. Doh!

Just before anyone says it. The water is filled by four inlets, equally space and ejecting at 90 degrees to the pool edge so they should not be influencing direction.

However I did not have a spirit level with me to check that the pool and therefore the hole edge wasn't on the tilt  or had any slight deformity which would without doubt affect direction.

So I conclude that it was a wasted trip and in the interest of true science I shall have to return with my spirit level!

There you go Dom. Job done!

Too easy mate! as they say here.

Cheers all.

Quod erat demonstrandum

Monster in the Dark!

Ok so last time we spoke I had just had my Birthday. Well that was over three weeks ago so a little catching up to do me thinks.

Firstly it was goodbye to my Dad and Mum who have had a wonderful time in Oz.
We enjoyed having them and it was especially great for the kids to have their Gogs and Grandpa around.  See you soon Dad and Mum! x

Ice cream in mid winter.

They left on the Tuesday and we were leaving the next day to go to Uluru which is/was Ayers Rock in the red centre so things were a little rushed around the house. The kids were very excited to be going on an airplane again and stupidly we had to fly from Adelaide to Sydney and then from Sydney to Ayers Rock. Let me put this into perspective for you. We flew 724 miles to Sydney (totally opposite direction) and then 1355 miles back the other way to Ayers Rock. A total of 2079 miles. To fly from Adelaide to Ayers Rock it would only be 981 miles. More than TWICE the mileage, not so much 'carbon footprint', more 'carbon Stomp all over the planet' hmmmmmmm!

The kids were excited by the first flight and after a fifteen minute wait and then a short taxi into take off position Tom took of his seatbelt as he thought we had arrived! The second flight flight showed that they were now seasoned flyers as they both got on, put on their seatbelts and plugged their headphones in without promting. I expect that by the end of our Oz trip they will be able to recite the safety briefing verbatim.

Ayers rock was good to see. It is definitely rock and although it sounds obvious it really is quite, quite big emphasised by the flatness of the surrounding landscape. It holds the title of the second biggest rock in the world, the first being in Western Australia which is twice as big as Uluru but having said that I remember some really large pink rock from Sandown on the Isle of Wight when I was a kid so I'm not convinced.

The Ayers Rock resort which is 13 miles from the rock and the only place to stay in the region was ok but filled with miserable staff who clearly spent their time wondering why oh why they had signed up to work somewhere that was 270 miles away from the nearest civilisation. With only tourists and travellers and each other for company, it was clearly beginning to tell. I am being slightly unfair, it was actually only the front of house staff that had faces like bulldogs licking lemon off a thistle, the domestic staff were lovely and always said hello and spoke to the kids but as you probably guessed they were from overseas!

We obviously wanted to go the extra distance and actually go right up to Uluru having come this far so we booked to go on the only transport available other than camel train (I'm not joking). It costs $160 dollars for the seats on a minibus and a further $50 for tickets to enter the National Park making it a total of $210 to go 13 miles which at today's exchange rate is £135. A staggering £10.40 a mile in the Queens own coin, now that must be a record of some sorts or a total stitch up.


The rock is actually quite dramatic up close with the deep red of the rock contrasting beautifully with the vivid blue of the cloudless sky. There are great beautiful ancient rock paintings juxtaposed along side 'Taz and Dawn Tour of 82' and some incredible rock formations displaying an interesting patina that I hope Rachel's mum (resident geography/geology expert) may explain to us.
The whole area is considered sacred by the Aboriginal people and they ask that you not take photo's of some sections and that you stay outside of roped off areas and don't climb up the rock. Needless to say there were lots of people climbing up it and it was very steep looking indeed. We obviously have more respect and didn't. We did however take a walk around a portion of it, as far a little legs would allow and it is at this point that I feel I must make a confession. A short while into our walk I hear a little voice.....' Daddy, need a poo'. Oh.....my......god! No there are no toilets anywhere around so I grab my precious daughter and run off into the bush to allow nature to take it's course. I have no option but to leave the deposit where it fell and return to Rachel and Tom with Lucy beaming and saying 'Mummy. I did a poo'. We decide to move on and politely ignore the issue when some ten minutes later I hear Tom sing out. 'I need a poo too'. Mortified I run him into the bush and repeat the process. Whilst we had the respect to not climb Uluru I am ashamed to say that both my children have defaecated within a stones throw of a most treasured spiritual site. I can only hope that the Spirits have had children and can see the funny side and forgive us! I herby promise that I shall not allow this story to be recounted at either of their weddings.

From Ayers Rock we left for Brisbane and the Sunshine coast. We arrived at Brisbane airport at about ten pm and by the time we had collected the hire car and driven to the house we had rented the kids were on their knees and crashed out as soon as we got there. The house was lovely and had large stainless steel fans on the ceilings which the kids thought were really cool and immediately named the house 'The Helicopter House'.
One evening we all watched 'Monsters Inc' and both our kids cried at how sad it was. I'm sure it was not designed to elicit this response from a  4 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old.










We went to the Australia Zoo which is the 'Steve Irwin' (crocodile hunter) zoo. It was superb in every respect. There was crocodile feeding, thankfully by the Rangers, great enclosures, plenty of hands on animal contact and lovely staff. A definite 'Must see' for anyone who goes to Queensland.


We also visited the Underwater World which the kids loved especially the shark tunnels which housed some spectacular specimens.

Craig, Brenda, Me, Michelle with Matilda and you know the rest!

On the Thursday we caught up with Craig and Michelle and their daughter Matilda. They are on Rachel's side of the family and the connection is that Rachel's Grandma and their Grandfather were cousins. Rachel stayed with them 12 years ago whes she was backpacking around Oz and they made her feel part of the family. They now live in a beautiful area just outside Brisbane up in the hills in a great house and gardens. Their hospitality was faultless as with all Aussies we have visited and the kids were great together. We hope to catch up with them again if we can.

Left to right - Rachel, Karen holding Lucy, Me, Troy with Abigail,
Cousin Rachel with Billy and Cousin Martin with Tom.

On the Friday we left the gold coast to go and visit my cousin Rachel and her husband Troy and their kids Abigail and Billy. They live about an hour west of Brisbane on a large farm where they produce some 30 or 40 million kilos of veg per year for the Australian domestic market. Their farm got wiped out by the recent floods and they were airlifted out but at least they were safe. They are back up and running again although output has suffered but as they say 'You can't keep a good (wo)man down'. The kids again had a great time running around and driving on forklifts and tractors and got on famously with Abigail and Billy. As a bonus Martin (my cousin and Rachel's sister (not my Rachel!!)) and Karen also came to stay so we had another chance to catch up with them. We bought some muffins and cookies which seemed to disappear from the kitchen worktop. We spent ages looking for them wondering if the kids had snuck away with them or perhaps the dog. We eventually found them in the wheelie bin outside. Martin had decided to be helpful and take the rubbish out but just grabbed everything in sight and dumped it. Doh!!

We had a great holiday and met lovely people. Brilliant.

Other things....



Tom could barely speak when he saw this Road Train at the Ayers Rock Resort. He was like a grin on a stick for hours after and couldn't understand why I couldn't take him for a ride in it!





Tom was asked to write a story at Kindy (kindergarten) and I have included a photo of the page. enough said!!!

Mummy is the monster in the night!

An interesting fact - The Ayers Rock Post Office receives half a ton of rock pieces from Uluru every year that are returned by people who have broken a bit off as a souvenir. These people are convinced that they have had bad luck / Karma whatever since they took it and that by returning it they are hoping that their luck will change.
I can picture this post office having a really lovely red gravel drive courtesy of all these daft people.



Tom was asked at Kindy if he would like to talk to the other kids about Ayers Rock as most of the kids had never been. We had brought some sand and some stones back for him to show so we put it together and the result is below. This was his practice run the night before  (I didn't make him do it at Kindy in his pyjamas!). He was sooooooo excited he could barely get to sleep that night. We are so proud of our little man and this will be the first of many presentations he will have to give. Next step - Power Point Aarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!





I hope that fills in some of the blanks of the last three weeks.

Love to you all and we miss you!

A special 'Hello' to Janet back in the UK. We're thinking of you and wish you a speedy recouperation! Dr Rachel prescribes a daily dose of Tea, cake and an episode of Countdown (feel free to substitute the program choice to suit!) xx

Night night xx

Ad vitam paramus

21 with 19 years of practice.

Last weekend Rachel surprised me with a weekend in Sydney for my 40th birthday. the kids stayed at home with Gogs and Grandpa to be spoiled and had a weekend planned of picnics, crazy golf, train rides and other lovely things. We departed at 7pm and arrived at our hotel in Sydney at about ten. After a night that wasn't interrupted by Tom snoring or Lucy shouting 'I need a wee!' or a phone call from the hospital saying 'I know you're not actually on call but ....' we felt rested and after a huge breakfast were ready to explore Sydney.

 We took in a tour of the Opera House which, given my interest in building methods and design was fantastic. It really is an incredible structure and way ahead of its time in design and build having been designed almost sixty years ago and took over twenty years to complete due to construction, funding and political problems. As with all government funded projects the world over it took five time longer than planned and at $102,000,000 it came in at 14 times the original budget. I guess every country has a 'Milennium Dome' but if ever one building put a entire country on the map then this is.

We also walked the beautiful botanical gardens which is home to huge fruit bats (22000 in the summer months) hanging ominously high up above you while the majority of people are oblivious to their existance.

We also ate nice food, took a ferry to Manley and watched the surfers whilst drinking a beer. As much as we love them it was lovely to be kid free for a bit. On Sunday we met my Cousin Marty and his better half Karen for lunch before taking a helicopter flight over the city and beaches which was amazing. I want to be a helicopter pilot when I grow up.

Very very cool.

1500 feet up.

The following weekend was my actual birthday so we had two very excited children who were bursting to tell me what presents they had bought me. Tom had told Rachel what sort of birthday cake he thought I would like and she duly obliged. If she ever wants out of Medicine she can always open a cake shop.

I was given a treasure map in order to find my presents but really all I had to do was to follow Tom and Lucy as they ran around 'not' showing me where they were hidden! Tom had chosen to buy me a toy crane which is excellent.


In the evening we went out to eat in a ship which is a restaurant and an 'exact' replica of HMS Buffalo which brought the first settlers to South Australia in 1836. The only difference is the head height which has been increased to prevent mass head injuries. The kids loved it and insisted on wearing pirate eyepatches. The food was lovely and we all had a great time.

Dad and I decided to go to the golf driving range to whack some balls which was great fun. Now I'm no Golfist but we were having fun and as we were taking our shots a gentleman (aka Aussie bloke) came and began to play from the spot next to mine. I managed to hit the next few balls really well totally by luck than by any semblance of skill but the next thing I know the guy has asked me for advice regarding his stance and left foot position ??????? Now, not wanting to let Queen and Country down, I 'studied' him (stared at him) carefully for a couple of shots whilst employing some chin rubbing  and suggested a few 'tweaks' for him which he gladly accepted and put into practise. I then proceeded to hit the next thirty or so balls really, really badly which I think may have given the game away but I kept a stiff upper lip. I think he must have felt a bit daft having asked probably the only person there that knows absolutely nothing about golf and has only ever played one round on a proper course and a few rounds of crazy golf at the seafront!!!!! But hey-ho, Dad and I enjoyed the iron-y!

We took the kids on a Port Adelaide boat ride which was great. The Captain was so good with the kids and totally looked the part complete with big white beard. There was lots to see and Tom particualrly likes the container port section because of the giant cranes. Lucy preferred the dolphins that came and swam alongside the bow of the boat. The video clip goes on a bit...sorry!

Cute video to check out.

So we are up to date I think.

Thank you all very much for all your birthday cards, presents and kind wishes. You are very kind.

Sleep well - good night to you all xxx

I am now 40. Doh!

Build it and they will come!

G'day

Since we last 'spoke' our friends, James, Jess and their kids Bella and Livvy have jetted off back home to the UK and they will be greatly missed. We hope we will catch up with them again when we get back to the UK ourselves.

Lara (a founder member of the lady wot lunches) and Marcus had everyone over on the Saturday to say Bon Voyage to Jess et al. All the kids were there and played really nicely together and then they sat down to a meal of home made' fishcakes a la Marcus' which were wolfed down in no time. The kids had decided to decorate the table I think prompted by Leila and Bella, so they collected all the fallen blossoms and the result can be seen below.

Lara then treated us with a wonderful 'cooked from scratch' Thai Green Curry which was excellent.

James, Jess, Bella (right) and Livvy

Using her newly acquired knowledge from her cake decorating course, Rachel made and decorated a farewell cake which was enjoyed by all.

A fitting send off for some great people.





On the baking theme, Rachel was baking another cake (she likes baking cakes!!) with the kids and when she used a rubber spatula to scrape out the bowl Tom exclaimed at the top of his voice "Hey, that's not fair!!!" which made us laugh a lot. I had previously explained to Rachel that when I was growing up, this type of spatula was known by my brother, sisters and I as an 'Unfair to Kids' as it prevented you getting your rightful share of the cake mixture for licking and there was Tom now resurrecting the name for another generation! Nice.

An 'Unfair to Kids'

We went in hunt of Whales with Paddy and Val (my Dad and Mum or Grandpa and Gogs to the kids. Gogs was named by Emma, their first grandchild and the name stuck and has been around for some 25 years!) to Victor Harbour for a few days but although there had been sightings we were not lucky enough to catch a glimpse. I know whales are pretty big but it is still very much 'needle in a haystack' considering that from Victor Harbor (deliberate spelling of Harbor)  you are looking straight out across 'The Great Australian Bight' and the next land is Antarctica some 3800 km (2380 miles) away! We still had a lovely time and Mum was especially relieved that the Camel Rides were not running as the kids had insisted that Gogs and Grandpa ride the camels with them. Next time mum!


In Victor Harbor I also spotted a Car Wash with an adjoining automatic Dog wash! Now maybe they have these everywhere and I just haven't seen them before. I mentioned it to my neighbour who said they were great and it's much better with those now as it saves you strapping the mutt to the roof rack. I think he was joking but I'm not altogether sure.

I have to make a comment on the absolutely dire construction of most Australian houses. Previously I have mentioned about the idiot comments from the estate agent regarding the electrics well I thought I'd tell you a little more. The other morning it was ONE degree C and there was actually ice on the car windscreen. Outrageous. (Having said that by noon it was 14C sunny and beautiful and still mid winter here). But the house was soooooooooo cold in the morning, absolutely freezing.
There appears to no Australian regulations on insulation, efficiency, thermal properties etc so they seem to build in cardboard, spit, off-cuts of wood and glass that wouldn't be legal in most of the developed world. We have friends who live in newly built houses that have a one inch gap under the front door. This in a country with things that can kill you are only half an inch high. Clever.
The glass in our house is so thin you can flex it just by pushing gently in the centre. It's the sort of glass where you dread the kids getting near it for fear they will go through it. They just don't do double glazing. They heat their houses with expensive electric warm air blowers because they lose so much heat through thin glass and gaps everywhere. It is no surprise that Australia comes in at number eight in the highest carbon foot print per capita behind only the USA and a bunch of Arab states where wealth, opulence and excess are the norm. (UK is No 25!) They need to get a grip and sort it, they already live too close to the biggest hole in the ozone layer.
They also have this bizarre habit of putting tumble dryers up on the walls, upside down! I thought that it might just be the house we live in but I have seen quite a few now. Totally crazy. Let's not put the tumble dryer next to the washing machine and then maybe put a worktop over them, no, no, no, lets select a totally random point on the wall to screw it to. This will ensure that you drop your clean washing all over the floor whilst trying to heave it up in to the dryer. Then as you bend down to pick up said washing, you can then stand up and smash your head into the tumble dryer just to add blood to the already dirty clean washing! Oh yes, and they don't vent their dryers so the utility room drips with water after use. Mental.

Must be seen to be believed.

Today we went to a place called Gumeracha where they have they worlds biggest Rocking Horse. It is  16 meters high and you can actually climb up inside it right to the top of the head where there is a viewing platform. Nice.
You have gotta wonder how it came about.
"Shelia......Shelia.....SHELIAAAAAAAAAAAAA....bring me another beer, I've had a bonza of an idea!"
"Ahhhh Crap Bruce not again"
" Nahh Luv, really, I'm gonna build something really big!"
"Ahhhh Crap"
"A really big ....no wait, a really, really, really big beer bottle, no wait.....a really, really, really big Didgeridoo, no...no...no....I got it, a massive rocking horse, that's it Sheil, that's it, I'll start right now. People will come from everywhere to see it, we'll be rich Sheils, bloody RICH!
And Bruce did, and they came in their thousands, and he was rich and Sheila was happy, Ripper!

Build it and they will come!

Generations.

Good night and love to you all x

Ubi amici, ibi opes

Cabin crew, Seats for landing please!

So following the Chilean debacle the skies were declared all clear and Adelaide Airport was fully functional in time for Dad and Mums arrival.

So we put the kids to bed early on Wed for an early rise on the Thursday. Tom woke twice in the night to ask if it was morning yet. We got to the airport with about ten minutes to spare and the kids stood clutching their homemade sign, complete with Volcano detail (Tom's idea)!

We got back home and had some breakfast before resuming business as usual as Dad and Mum needed a little sleep catch-up as their flight (and most other passengers) was disturbed by a drunk deaf man for much of the flight. I have always been an advocate of a 'brig' on planes where such people can be confined but sadly as yet the idea hasn't caught on.

Friday morning was the first session for Tom's new swim class so it was another early start.
I managed to get the kids to the pool with ten minutes to spare only to see the cover still on the Kids pool and a few people gathered round looking slightly perturbed. I asked if there was a problem.

' There might be no swimming today. They forgot to put chlorine in the kids pool' She said 'tutting' in an indignant manner - I assume she was referring to the Chlorine Elves that visit all pools at night to dispense chemicals.
So I said 'Can we not have the lesson in the big pool (that is not used until after 10am)
'No, it's five degrees colder that the kids pool'
I assured her the kids wouldn't mind as long as they got to swim.
'Oh it's not them' she said 'the teachers don't like it'
'Oh I'm sorry' I said 'Do forgive me, I forgot for a minute who was paying for the lessons'

Anyway to cut a long story short, another test sample was taken only to show a perfect pH of 7.4 so the Elves are off the hook and lessons resumed only three minutes late.

Following swimming we were to rush to playgroup, not passing GO! and not collecting £200 but Tom decided he wanted to go home instead to see Gogs and Grandpa (Mum and Dad) so we did and went to a the beach and park for a quick play before leaving Dad and Mum to walk to Henley Beach whilst I took the kids to a birthday party. After that we went to meet Dad and Mum at Henley and watched a Sea lion lolling around in the sea under the Jetty which was cool! Rachel then called and said she was coming home so we all left to meet her.

We have bought Lucy a new bike as the little one she had was really a push along rather than a ride on and she loves it. Sadly she has been a naughty monkey recently so it has been fully assembled but in the cupboard for a week until she started behaving herself....which she has...at least for a while!!

Dad and Mum brought some meccano for Tom which he has already jumped straight into and is mastering the art of nuts and bolts with spanners and screwdrivers.....just like dad!!!

Speak again soon xx