It is Azalea time

Spring is azalea time. These images were taken in my garden today.

1st day of spring - Saturday 1st September 2007

What a magic day! Blue sky, sunshine, gentle breeze - perfect for the first day of spring.

Images taken from my garden today: Roses are - Whisky Mac (apricot) Mount Shasta (white)

Climbing brandy (apricot) Climbing Lorraine Lee (salmon pink)

Golf - Thursday 30th August 2007

It was a beautiful day for golf today. The course is in great condition although still playing 'heavy' after all the rain. We managed to make hard work out of it today and did not score anything wonderful, however we did have some highlights along the way.

My playing partners today were Rita Gilmour, Margaret Nash and Cheryl Davison (picured).

Rita played really well for the first nine scoring 20 points, Margaret scored 5/3 on the 15th and 5/3 on the 16th, Cheryl scored a nice 6/3 on the 2nd. My highlight was scoring 5/2 on the 4th after chipping out of the trees.

After morning golf I had another 12 holes with Shane in the afternoon & he played some really nice shots today. I had some good sand iron practice shots and got in some extra putting practice.

Fishing - Northern Territory

These are the long awaited photos from the Northern Territory Fishing trip based at Maningrida in July 2007. George & Kyle Brand with Pete & Shane; crocodile on the river edge; various fish; crabs; crocodile caught by Pete; Litchfield Park at Darwin.

Eclipse of the moon-Tuesday 28th August 2007

These were the best images I could get with my digital camera of the eclipse of the moon tonight.

The next eclipse is going to be in December 2011. This is one of life's little experiences that should not be missed.

Golf - Tuesday 28th August 2007

Today was a lovely day for golf. It was a bit wet underfoot but much better than Sunday.

It was a stableford event with Veterans in conjunction. We also had a 'back to Gosford' day for past members who joined us for lunch & the presentation.

My playing partners today were Yvonne Bean, Paula Drew & Bev Adams (pictured at the 1st tee). We had some good highlights through the day. One being the 5th hole where we all scored 3/3. Another was the 14th hole where Paula had a great shot to the green, scored 2/4 & won the nearest the pin (photo attached) and I chipped in off the green for a 3/3.

We had a good day overall & although our scores were not wonderful I was pleased with some of the holes I played with my new handicap.

The honeymooner's return - Monday 27th August 2007

The honeymooner's have returned from Thailand after spending some wonderful time in Phuket and a stopover or a few days at Bangkok on the way home. A bit of wet weather at Phuket saved them from severe sun damage & gave them lots of shopping time. They returned home yesterday laden with gifts. Shane & Sam came over for dinner tonight so we had a good chance to catch up.

Images : Shane & Sam at home tonight; Sam's Nails - Phuket style; ( we unfortunately missed the braids - they came out yesterday) ; Peter with his new Taylor Made Hat and Callaway shirt - all the way from Thailand.

New Seedlings - Monday 27th August 2007

Today was a beautiful summer like day and it inspired Pete to set up his latest "find" at Bunnings - an igloo hothouse where he can grow seedlings for my garden. Looks great!

Golf - Sunday 26th August 2007

Today was the second round of the mixed team series. Our Playing partners today were Pauline & Michael Norman (Pictured). It was a beautiful sunny warm day but very wet underfoot from all the rain we had on Friday & Saturday (picure above) which made it very hard to score as there was very little run on the course. We had a good day which was not indicated by the scores. Our team partners Iris Talbot & Ian Mitchell had very average scores as well so our team has slipped out of contention unless we do something brilliant for the third round. These days are always good to participate in with some good prizes on the offering. We will have to try harder for the final round.

Golf - Thursday 23rd August 2007

The golf today was a par event - just what I needed after losing six strokes off my handicap.
My playing partners today were Jan Fitzgerald, Bev Walker & Bev Adams. We had some fun out there - playing with mixed fortunes & some good highlights and laughs.

We had reasonable weather until we got to the 16th when we were caught in a downpour.

The first 9 holes of mine were very average however I did have -1 on the back nine holes which pleased me.

A highlight of the day was spotting a baby tortoise in a water-filled bunker on the 14th. Bev Adams reported it to the greenstaff to ensure it's safety.

I left home in a hurry this morning and forgot to take my camera so I have no photos from today unfortunately.

Pro-Am and Dinner - Saturday 18th August 2007

Today was the first day of the Pro-Am two day event. We played with Trevor Andrews and a young professional named Brad McIntosh. Brad's ambition is to play on the American circuit.

We had a marathon six hour match finishing in the dark because the afternoon play was fully booked with two groups hitting off each tee. It was enjoyable (even though I did not play good golf) it was a good experience. We finished at 6.15pm feeling very exhausted and it was a rush to get back to the club in time for dinner.

The dinner was very good with Peter Senior & Malcolm (Miracle) Johnson entertaining us with some wild tales.

Once again, it was not a bad way to spend a day.

Images: Our Club President Ron Puiatti with Malcolm Johnson & Peter Senior; myself with Trevor & Margaret Andrews at the dinner.