Monday, February 29, 2016

test

Monday 29th February 2016......Surferkid!!!!!!






Why Do We Have Leap Year?


leap
Even though the standard calendar year is 365 days, the Earth actually takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. (This is called a solar year.) In order to keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is (usually) added every four years as February 29th.
The Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE) introduced the Egyptian solar calendar to the Roman world, standardized the 365-day year, and created the predecessor to our current leap year. February 29th was not reflected on the Julian calendar, rather February 23 was repeated every four years.
You may be asking, “The solar year is not a full 365 days and 6 hours, so what about those extra 11 minutes and 14 seconds?” An additional calendar reformation in the 1500s added a special rule to adjust for this discrepancy. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII created a slightly modified calendar to better account for leap days. Called the Gregorian calendar, this new system said that no century year (like 1900) would be a leap year except for centuries divisible by 400 (like 2000). In order to correct the calendar, the Pope eliminated October 5 through October 14, 1582. The calendar moved directly from the fourth to the fifteenth to align the dates with the seasons again. It feels almost like science fiction to think that ten full days were removed from the calendar in the year 1582.
But where does the phrase leap year come from?
In 365-day years, known as common years, fixed dates advance one day in the week per year. For example, Christmas fell on a Thursday in 2014 and on a Friday in 2015. With the insertion of a leap day, dates (following February) advance two days instead of one. In 2016, Christmas will leap over Saturday to fall on a Sunday



2016 is a Leap Year - that means women can ask men to marry them

Traditionally, February 29 was the day on which a woman could ask a man to marry her.
Ireland's folklore is full of wonderful, funny, strange, but sometimes out-dated traditions and in this year of 366 days, we are greeted with one of the most well-known. 
Yes, it is a leap year, and although you may have thought it was a myth, according to the old Irish tradition, this is the perfect chance for a woman to take matters into her own hands and get down on one knee on February 29. 

We must remember, of course, that it is 2016, and as we may be on the verge of the first female President of the United States of America, women are definitely capable of asking a man for his hand in marriage on any day of the year that she so wishes.
Traditionally in Ireland, however, this right was reserved specifically for the leap year and February 29. 
In 2010, we saw the Amy Adams movie "Leap Year" – a movie Irish people love to hate – based on this premise, as a young woman travels to Ireland and then apparently the whole way across the island, in order to get to her fiancee in time to propose on this one special day. (Although, she takes a very strange route around the country while she's at it.

But where does this tradition come from and is there any truth to the movie's premise?
Looking back through ancient Irish history, it is said that the tradition began in 5th century Ireland when St. Brigid of Kildare bitterly complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait far too long for men to propose.
The legend says that St. Patrick decreed the women could propose on this one day in February during the leap year. I'm sure the women were thrilled.
The tradition was then taken to Scotland by Irish monks.
Back in 1288, the Scots passed a law that allowed a woman to propose marriage to the man of their dreams in a Leap Year with the law also stating that any man who declined the proposal on this day would have to pay a fine.
The law was allegedly passed by an unmarried Queen Margaret (although records show she may only have been five years old at the time) and she put in place a rule that all those women proposing must wear a red petticoat while doing so.
The fine to be paid if a man declined could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.
This tradition comes from another tale about St. Patrick and St. Brigid in which she drops straight to her knee at Patrick's decree, instantly proposing to him. Patrick declined her offer – he was probably too busy saving Ireland from snakes – but he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a silk gown to soften the blow. 
This, too, is dubious. Although many people believe that St. Patrick and St. Brigid met, and that she offered her vows to him, Brigid would historically have been only nine or ten years old when Patrick died in 461 AD. If you believe he died later, however, in 493 AD, it may have been possible, although it's still not altogether likely.  
In some upper-class European societies, the custom of denial involved buying 12 pairs of gloves for the woman you were rejecting. To hide her shame at not having a ring to wear, of course!
In some places, February 29 has been renamed Bachelors' Day because of the tradition.

Well I do not know how to tell you this but i received zero, nada, none, not a one proposal I am sure it is only because where most of the lovely women are it is still the 28th...so I sit by my computer all day tomorrow!!!!!

Had a lovely sleep and then breakfast outside by the pool..had a bit of a lazy morning after the hectic day yesterday also took some time to plan the next two weeks when I am heading down the coast back to Sydney where I have a house sit position that starts on the 13th March...funnily enough my hostess here Karin said to me this morning she was at the dog park this morning and one of her friends wants a house sitter starting on the 9th pity I cannot do that!!!
Around noon I packed up and drove about 10 minutes north to Surfers beach, the mecca for the surfers.....I stayed about 5 minutes this is not my scene!!!


Because of the devastating cyclone that hit Fiji last week and with the remnants coming onto this coast line many of the beaches were closed over the weekend because of the high swells but today most of them were open.
This area reminds me of some places in Florida and I prefer much quieter locals....sound I drove about 15 minutes south from where I am staying and found this lovely beach

A great zoom on my camera....
First I took a long beach walk and enjoyed the time and the solitude and the smell and sounds of the ocean..
 I am going to walk to the end
 Almost there
made it...i then found my way up to thee top of the head land for these photos...


It was a great walk and it made me peckish so when I got back to the car I got my lunch and drinks and found a bench overlooking the ocean and enjoyed a good snack and a good job because it gave me the energy to be surfer boy......Karin's daughter Finn, is a fabulous young 13 year old lady(reminds me of Paola and Daniela)lent me her boogie board and i talked to the life guard on duty and i explained my slight hesitance being a first timer to the beach and not having much experience and not wanting to be shark bait...he was funny and told me it was safe in between the flags and that whilst i was in the water he would stop texting his girl friend!!!
What fun I spent about 45 minutes frolicking (is it OK for a guy to frolic??) in the waves it took me a while to catch a good ride but when I did is what a wonderful feeling...I think I drank about 2 gallons of salt water and think I need more experience before i go to Hawaii and hang the big five!!!!
Did a short walk on the way back and saw this bird which is I know now because Finn told me is an Ibis
What a great time it was and I was home by 5pm made a cuppa tea and went outside on the patio and read my Kobo, another Lee Child book thanks to Croft!!!
I took my camera because outside the door is this tree

It is a palm tree but those yellow things hanging are seeds..nothing in this tree right???

WRONG!!!!
I think they are called Rainbow Lorikeet...I put my Kobo down and watched them for over 15 minutes I hope you enjoy these as much as I did taking them!!!


I really like that one above!!!  What a treat!!!
Tonight was really a repeat of last night, shower, dinner and movie!!!!
OK ladies get on the computer I am waiting!!!
Yashi Kochi!!!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Sunday 28th February 2016...a New State!!!

Ladies you know that I am almost a day ahead of most of you but tomorrow here is the 29th of February so I shall be awaiting by my computer all day in the hopes that one of you wants to ask me that question????

This morning Indigo and her Mum had breakfast ready for me and they wanted to see me off...they have both been so kind to me and then Indigo once she knew I was returning back to Sydney at the end of March offered to have me leave anything I did not need at her casa...so I took her up and took a few things out of my suitcase and I told Indigo that I already had an airbnb booked for the night i return but that I would cancel that and book her instead and later in the day i did exactly that!!

So I was out of the house just before 8am and it was a 10 minute drive to return Silver Streak to the agency, she has been a faithful servant and so glad I had no problems.....just drove up and left the car and jumped in their shuttle and i was at the terminal a few minutes later I went to check in with this airline where I had booked a couple of months ago
that is when I was informed the flight had to be cancelled because of some engineering mix up, good thing to find out before we took off, anyway they had transferred me to a Qantas flight leaving just 15 minutes later than my scheduled flight and all I had to do was to go to a different terminal, all really easy.
I was lucky to get a window seat
I really think some of these cloud formations are quite lovely and it is unusual I think to get such good shots through the window!!!



First time I have flown Qantas and I was very impressed with their service, the seats and even free cookies and juice!!!
The flight was only 80 minutes and the landing much better than the last time I was in a plane in NZ!!!!
If you wonder sometimes why your suitcases get damaged I can tell you why after watching this hard working man....
After I picked up my suitcase which survived it's maiden flight I used the courtesy phone to call the car rental agency for a shuttle ride to their office a wait of about 10 minutes...
The car was waiting for me and after the paper work was done off i went with my new GPS telling me where to go in Silver Streak TOO!!!!
So I am now in the State of Queensland and home of the Gold coast which is where I am heading..it is also in a different time zone ..one hour behind Sydney!!
I had a drive of just over one hour to the airbnb apartment I have booked for three nights....one of things I liked about the location is that the street address is Bermuda Street!!!
My lovely hostess Karin was waiting for me and I thanked her for taking me on such short notice....check the place out what you don't see is the fresh bread, fruit, milk, juice and cereal....




The view from my front window
and from the kitchen window

Lots of canals around here.
 I got settled in and asked if I could use the washing machine and Karin kindly did my wash and then I hung my clothes on the line.....
I had stopped off at the store before I arrived so I cooked a nice dinner and then after this going to put my feet up on the couch with this lovely lamp
and watch a movie....
News flash Karin just came to my door with a wonderful meringue type dessert(Yes Linda I know about Lent)!!!!!
Yashi Kochi!!!

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Saturday 27th February 2016...well it had to happen sooner or later!!!!

Another restful sleep and a cuppa tea whilst checking my e mails in bed this morning!!!
Joanne had made me another fruit and yogurt breakfast and I had asked Brian about waterfalls and he had made up a map for me to go on a little detour to Sydney.
This was another lovely stay with such great people who go so much out of their way to make sure that I am comfortable and happy.
I was on the road by 9am and for the first 20 minutes it was on Freeway but then i got onto country roads in the mountains with the clouds quite low
I just liked the colours on this cute thing!!!
I was soon at my destination
and the hike to
I have not had the opportunity to visit too many rain forest but this one was just wonderful and about a 3km hike through the forest to the falls.....the smells were awesome, the noises of the birds like a choir in the trees and the track was well maintained and some of those trees out of this world...





Isn't that tree so cool??
So the reward for the uphill  hike was these wonderful falls!!!
 I love to do this little trick!!

I did enjoy all aspects of this visit...it was then back in the car and what would a rain forest be if it did not rain..
About a 25 minute drive found me here
A short hike to a wonderful water fall unfortunately the photos to not do it full justice as this falls cascaded over the rocks but then fell into a slot canyon and through to a gorge...quite special!!!





It was again a special time for me.
Back on to the highway on my way to Sydney and i crossed this fabulous feat of construction..



The only other interesting stop was to watch these men trying to be birds!!!

 UP!!!

UP UP!!!!
and UP UP AND AWAY!!!!
So you have got this far and I bet you are thinking what is the meaning of the heading....
well I am going to tell you!!!
Since I left my home in San Miguel the middle of May I have traveled many countries,,,,done hours of research and made a lot of bookings all without one single problem and I knew soon or later it would have to end and today it did in two ways!!!
If you have been a regular reader you will know that tomorrow I am flying out of Sydney to Brisbane where I have been offered a house and pet sit position for ten days...I have been in regular contact with my hosts and all was arranged for me to arrive tomorrow so it was a big shock when I opened an e mail this afternoon to be informed that the hosts had to cancel their trip!!!
They did very kindly offer for me to still stay at their home with them and I very politely turned this down...I am disappointed on many levels....I had made special plans and spent money and also was looking forward to be grounded for two weeks but as they always say here :no worries".
I immediately got on the air bnb website and have found a nice small apartment and booked it for tomorrow night for 4 days this will give me chance to sort out what I am going to do as I still have to be in Sydney on the 13th March for another house sit position.....so still going ahead with tomorrows flight and car hire.
The other problem I had and i knew this was going to happen I had that gut feeling which turned out right...the airbnb hostess where i was staying had not answered my e mails and airbnb also e mail her to let her know i am arriving..so when i got to the house around 6pm there was no one there i called her on her cell and got the answering machine and left a message......there was a pub close by and I went and got some dinner and then called her again and the same message i had to decide what to do and i told her that because she was unavailable I would have to make alternative arrangements.
So here I am 7pm close to the airport and no where to stay...back to airbnb searched the site and found a place close by and e mailed the hostess...my luck runs true she answered right back saying she would love to have me stay the night...so within 10 minutes i was there with Indigo and her lovely 85 year young Mum, Kimball.....the room is great

but much nicer than the room are these two great ladies they are spoiling me rotten(I deserve it) and the best part is Indigo is married to a Mexican man and she has visited San Miguel.
So my suitcase is packed and I had a lovely bath and tea and two cookies with the girls and now ready for bed!!!

I have to be at the car rental at 8am in the morning and my flight is only 90 minutes and leaves at 9.50pm...life continues to be good!!
Yashi Kochi!!

Thursday 5 th January 2023…it was a great run!!!

 This was my first ever blog post back in November of 2006!!! With just a couple of days off I have written a blog every day since and I hav...