Yes, that moment long anticipated has arrived!! We arrived at Whistlestop on Thursday 27th of January!! Arriving was every bit as exciting as I had hoped for. Everything looks great, but the grass is way longer than I had imagined, due to all the rain we've had recently. It is definitely going to take longer to get the cottage site mown and tidied up than I had expected. But we're here.
Saturday afternoon is 'traditionaly' my special time for working on trains, and layouts. So, despite the almost overwhelming need to mow, I decided to clean up the garden that I'd made in front of the Trainbarn. The plants have grown well, as have the weeds! So, that was really satisfying, and it's starting to look really good again. I made the comment to my wife that 'There is nowhere I'd rather be, and nothing I'd rather been doing!!'
It's great to be home!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Getting warmer..............
Well, I'm back in Australia!! Yay!! For many, many, years my goal has been to return home to Whistlestop, and to develop it as I've dreamed about, and planned for, over the years. I'm getting very close, but not quite there yet. I pick up my new trailer on Thursday, then we'll load it up and it's truly 'homeward bound'!!
In the last couple of days I've opened quite a stack of parcels that have arrived for me over the last year or so, mostly eBay purchases. That has been a heap of fun, and there was just one item that I completely didn't realise I'd ordered! Seeing the Standard Gauge items, in particular, was tremendous encouragement for building the Trainbarn, if indeed more was needed!
In the sub-title of this blog I mention discussing the twists and turns.................. This also means 'ups and downs', or successes and, well, not so successful!! Amidst the fantastic excitement of finally being back in Australia after so many years away, there was an un-expected problem that arose. I usually try to anticipate problems, and formulate Plan B's and C's if things don't go quite right, but sometimes stupid things just jump out of the blue, and such was the case in the last couple of days. No need to go into detail, but suffice to say it took the wind out of my sails a bit. I mentioned that this came out of nowhere, but really, something like this should have been, and probably was, expected. I've noticed that whenever things are going well, and excitement is at a high, something will occur to spoil the fun. It just happens, but the 'trick' is in how we respond.
An interesting example is my favorite scene from the animated film 'Madagascar'. Briefly the group of Penguins who live in the zoo in the U.S. dream constantly of returning to their home in Antarctica, just as I've dreamt of returning to Whistlestop. When they finally, finally get their chance, the scene is of the Penguin Group standing in the snow amidst a raging blizzard- wind howling, snow blowing, utterly bleak. After a short exposure to this, Joe Penguin declares "well, this sucks"!!! After which they head, I think, to the warmer climes of Madagascar.
I'm aware that lots of things will arise to try to turn me away from my dream, to divert me to an easier, but incorrect, pursuit. While things occasionally might"suck", I hope that after perservering for so long elsewhere to get to this point, that I can hang-in through the various blizzards which will come my way to enjoy the sunny days that also lie ahead.
In the last couple of days I've opened quite a stack of parcels that have arrived for me over the last year or so, mostly eBay purchases. That has been a heap of fun, and there was just one item that I completely didn't realise I'd ordered! Seeing the Standard Gauge items, in particular, was tremendous encouragement for building the Trainbarn, if indeed more was needed!
In the sub-title of this blog I mention discussing the twists and turns.................. This also means 'ups and downs', or successes and, well, not so successful!! Amidst the fantastic excitement of finally being back in Australia after so many years away, there was an un-expected problem that arose. I usually try to anticipate problems, and formulate Plan B's and C's if things don't go quite right, but sometimes stupid things just jump out of the blue, and such was the case in the last couple of days. No need to go into detail, but suffice to say it took the wind out of my sails a bit. I mentioned that this came out of nowhere, but really, something like this should have been, and probably was, expected. I've noticed that whenever things are going well, and excitement is at a high, something will occur to spoil the fun. It just happens, but the 'trick' is in how we respond.
An interesting example is my favorite scene from the animated film 'Madagascar'. Briefly the group of Penguins who live in the zoo in the U.S. dream constantly of returning to their home in Antarctica, just as I've dreamt of returning to Whistlestop. When they finally, finally get their chance, the scene is of the Penguin Group standing in the snow amidst a raging blizzard- wind howling, snow blowing, utterly bleak. After a short exposure to this, Joe Penguin declares "well, this sucks"!!! After which they head, I think, to the warmer climes of Madagascar.
I'm aware that lots of things will arise to try to turn me away from my dream, to divert me to an easier, but incorrect, pursuit. While things occasionally might"suck", I hope that after perservering for so long elsewhere to get to this point, that I can hang-in through the various blizzards which will come my way to enjoy the sunny days that also lie ahead.
Friday, January 21, 2011
The first of several Big Days!!
Well, the Big Day has finally come, as I fly away from our Island home of ten years and head for Whistlestop, Australia!! Mixed emotions for sure, but mostly a great sense of excitement at what is to come. The last couple of years here have been extremely difficult for me, and there were times that I thought the big day would never come, but it did!!
I know that the first few days, particularly, at Whistlestop, will be a bit overwhelming. We haven't been there for more than nine months, although others have, but I know with the recent heavy rain and now warm sunshine that the grass will be insane!! I must just take things as they come, and not try to do everything in the first week!!
Watch this space for some real progress at Whistlestop, with, hopefully, some dreams and hopes finally becoming reality. Yes, it truly is a Big Day!!
I know that the first few days, particularly, at Whistlestop, will be a bit overwhelming. We haven't been there for more than nine months, although others have, but I know with the recent heavy rain and now warm sunshine that the grass will be insane!! I must just take things as they come, and not try to do everything in the first week!!
Watch this space for some real progress at Whistlestop, with, hopefully, some dreams and hopes finally becoming reality. Yes, it truly is a Big Day!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Floods
The last few days have seen massive flooding in Southeast Queensland, the dynamic region where Whistlestop is located. The worst is far from over, as I write this. They are expected to peak tomorrow morning, and thousands of homes and businesses are expected to be flooded, as many already are.
Our town did not escape unscathed, with a massive flash flood sweeping through the creek area around which our town is built, with quite a few homes flooded. It was so bad, and so sudden, that rumours quickly spread that our main water supply dam had burst, but fortunately that wasn't true.
I doubt that Whistlestop has been adversely affected, although I might be in for a surprise!! We're very fortunate to be in a nicely undulating area, and we didn't receive the massive sudden downfalls that other areas experienced. I think that it is a bit ironic that when I was laying the decomposed granite surface for the Trainbarn carpark in April 2010, it was the extreme dryness that made it very difficult! We haven't had really good rainfall for quite a few years, now we're really making up for it!!
I was reading a guide to building miniature railways such as I'll be constructing at Whistlestop, and just as Location, Location, Location is important to a successful business, the guide advised that Drainage, Drainage, Drainage were the important considerations for a miniature railway!! It would be tempting, with such minimal rainfall for so many years, to skimp on good drainage, but I'll do my best to heed the advice.
In any case my heart and prayers go out to the many people who are still living this flood nightmare, and who will be suffering the consequences for many months to come. One trait of Aussies that I really appreciate is the way we pull together as communities in trying situations, and this has been abundantly demonstrated during this crisis too. May that spirit long continue.
Our town did not escape unscathed, with a massive flash flood sweeping through the creek area around which our town is built, with quite a few homes flooded. It was so bad, and so sudden, that rumours quickly spread that our main water supply dam had burst, but fortunately that wasn't true.
I doubt that Whistlestop has been adversely affected, although I might be in for a surprise!! We're very fortunate to be in a nicely undulating area, and we didn't receive the massive sudden downfalls that other areas experienced. I think that it is a bit ironic that when I was laying the decomposed granite surface for the Trainbarn carpark in April 2010, it was the extreme dryness that made it very difficult! We haven't had really good rainfall for quite a few years, now we're really making up for it!!
I was reading a guide to building miniature railways such as I'll be constructing at Whistlestop, and just as Location, Location, Location is important to a successful business, the guide advised that Drainage, Drainage, Drainage were the important considerations for a miniature railway!! It would be tempting, with such minimal rainfall for so many years, to skimp on good drainage, but I'll do my best to heed the advice.
In any case my heart and prayers go out to the many people who are still living this flood nightmare, and who will be suffering the consequences for many months to come. One trait of Aussies that I really appreciate is the way we pull together as communities in trying situations, and this has been abundantly demonstrated during this crisis too. May that spirit long continue.
Moving along...........
After months of planning, and years of hoping and dreaming, progress is being made towards the creation of Whistlestop!! The removalists have just left our apartment with most of the things that we are shipping back to Australia, including my daughter's fully restored 1967 Vespa motor scooter. It was a huge effort to get everything sorted and packed, and I must say I'm glad to see it actually go. It will be much more fun un-packing, at Whistlestop!! I'm sure more sorting and discarding will happen then, too.
We also heard that our amended plans for the cottage that we're building at Whistlestop have been approved, and so it's full steam ahead for construction to start in February. That was really good news too.
I am hoping that some of the boxes that we're using for the move will survive in good enough condition so that I can use them for sorting out my toy and model train collection when I get home. For many years I've been buying various trains, track and accessories for the layouts that I want to display in the Trainbarn, but so far these have mainly just been packed away in assorted odd boxes. It is my plan to create a storage box (or two or three) for each brand or group of trains, and then I'll finally be able to see what I've got, and what I still need to search for. I'm very much looking forward to doing that! In some ways it will be like Christmas for me, opening up long forgotten boxes or parcels to see what's inside. I'm sure there'll be things that I've forgotten I even had- not many, but some.
It's really great to finally be moving in this long-hoped-for direction! Exciting times!!
We also heard that our amended plans for the cottage that we're building at Whistlestop have been approved, and so it's full steam ahead for construction to start in February. That was really good news too.
I am hoping that some of the boxes that we're using for the move will survive in good enough condition so that I can use them for sorting out my toy and model train collection when I get home. For many years I've been buying various trains, track and accessories for the layouts that I want to display in the Trainbarn, but so far these have mainly just been packed away in assorted odd boxes. It is my plan to create a storage box (or two or three) for each brand or group of trains, and then I'll finally be able to see what I've got, and what I still need to search for. I'm very much looking forward to doing that! In some ways it will be like Christmas for me, opening up long forgotten boxes or parcels to see what's inside. I'm sure there'll be things that I've forgotten I even had- not many, but some.
It's really great to finally be moving in this long-hoped-for direction! Exciting times!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A time for Dreaming, and a time for...........................
It's been quite a while since I last wrote on this blog. The reason? Packing!! The 'P' word. Anyone who has ever 'packed', and that would be most of us, will know that packing up a household of things is not the easiest or most pleasant experience in life. Despite an honest effort to live relatively simply whilst resident on this island, after ten years of life here we have inevitably gathered a few things which we want to keep. And so we pack. And when we're not packing, we think about packing. Oh yes, and still working in a rather demanding job.
With just one week of work to go here, and less than two weeks before I fly home to Australia, it is simultaneously an exciting and stressful time. Inevitably there are the doubts- am I really doing the right thing- and the fatigue of having a large task to complete before a deadline. And I would be the first to admit that in all that busy-ness it is very easy to lose sight of the 'big picture'. I have spent a lot of time dreaming, thinking and planning what I hope to achieve with Whistlestop over the years, but if you asked me now about that, I will simply answer that I'm way too busy packing to even give those plans a thought! And so there is a time for dreaming, and a time for, well, just sheer hard work.
Christmas here was a very special time, with our three daughters managing to make it to the island despite atrocious weather in Europe disrupting flights. Next Christmas our whole clan will be gathering at Whistlestop for an Aussie Bush Christmas, under some large gumtrees. We did that in 2000, and it was a really great time. Will we be living in the cottage then- I most certainly hope so! Will the Trainbarn building be erected- most probably. Will we be relaxed in our new lifestyle- I hope so. I'm sure it will be a most interesting year......................... once the packing is finished!
With just one week of work to go here, and less than two weeks before I fly home to Australia, it is simultaneously an exciting and stressful time. Inevitably there are the doubts- am I really doing the right thing- and the fatigue of having a large task to complete before a deadline. And I would be the first to admit that in all that busy-ness it is very easy to lose sight of the 'big picture'. I have spent a lot of time dreaming, thinking and planning what I hope to achieve with Whistlestop over the years, but if you asked me now about that, I will simply answer that I'm way too busy packing to even give those plans a thought! And so there is a time for dreaming, and a time for, well, just sheer hard work.
Christmas here was a very special time, with our three daughters managing to make it to the island despite atrocious weather in Europe disrupting flights. Next Christmas our whole clan will be gathering at Whistlestop for an Aussie Bush Christmas, under some large gumtrees. We did that in 2000, and it was a really great time. Will we be living in the cottage then- I most certainly hope so! Will the Trainbarn building be erected- most probably. Will we be relaxed in our new lifestyle- I hope so. I'm sure it will be a most interesting year......................... once the packing is finished!
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