Yep, that's the situation. Blogstipation has set in. I think it's a combination of a number of things. Going on holiday, experiencing so many things in a short amount of time, waiting for photos to be developed, I feel like I'm in a kind of post-holiday limbo. I have so many things to write about that I don't know where to start. It's very frustrating I must say. I have to start somewhere but there are so many things to say - I don't really know how to convey the feeling of sitting on the balcony of the Top Pub in Apollo Bay, looking at the foreshore, listening to the waves and watching a spectacular lightning show play above the mountains. I don't know how to explain the stress evaporation that happens to me every time I am near the ocean breathing air that comes fresh from the mountains and the forest. I can't fully convey the feeling of freedom I felt while driving a car for the first time in a year. I want to show you the other-worldly "hobbit-like" sleepy hollow called Gellibrand. The land that time forgot. Weeping willows, dappled sunlight, an old hotel and a picturesque valley. Blossoms, ferns, majestic hills and valleys that exceed imagination.

Well, now that the creative metamucil seems to be working, I will leave you with a photo of the hotel where we stayed for 4 nights and the road that led to such a beautiful sense of freedom.

Technorati Tags: Apollo Bay Gellibrand Holiday

I apologise for the lack of posts - I have been on holiday. Actually I'm not sorry I was on holiday so forget that last sentence.

The itinerary:

Thurs 22 March 2007:
- Train to Southern Cross, V-Line train to Geelong
- Pick up car at Budget Rent-A-Car
- Drive to Apollo Bay
- Check in at Great Ocean Hotel (a.k.a. "Top Pub")

Fri 23 March 2007:
- Golf at Apollo Bay Golf Course (18 holes)
- Check out pub, decide it's not worth hanging around, sit on balcony with a few beers

Sat 24 March 2007
- Golf at Apollo Bay Golf Course (18 holes)
- Dinner with Grandma and Dad at Middle Pub
- Drop in at Grandma's house
- Back to hotel, check out the 2 pubs in town (yikes!), sit on balcony with a few beers

Sun 25 March 2007
- Golf at Apollo Bay Golf Course (18 holes)
- Visit Grandma & Dad

Mon 26 March 2007
- Check out 10am - Ocean Road Hotel
- Coffee!!!!
- Drop in at Grandma's to say goodbye
- Drive down Ocean Road, through Lavers Hill, Gellibrand, Colac and to Geelong
- Spend ages trying to find a service station to fill up in Geelong
- Drop off car at Budget Rent-A-Car
- Get to V-Line depot 5 minutes before train departs for Melbourne
- Southern Cross Station - Melbourne

And that was the Apollo Bay holiday!

I have so much to write about so this is the first of many posts. I will be reviewing many things, including the Top Pub, Budget Rent-A-Car, V-Line, and the Apollo Bay Golf Course. I need to develop the photos to give a better sense of what I am talking about. Yes, I am using a film camera, not digital. This is not for any particular reason other than I had no camera and I bought one of those disposable Kodak cameras with flash ($24.00). When the photos are developed I will be reviewing the camera as well!

My first review is the luggage from Strandbags:

The Skyway Montlake - $72.00 (on special!)



















If you are thinking of travelling anywhere, get a piece of luggage that has a handle, wheels and is lightweight. It makes a huge amount of difference when you are navigating Southern Cross station to not have to put your shoulder out. Especially when it's a hot day and you are sweating like anything and can't find a place to buy a bottle of water. That's when a wheelie suitcase comes in handy. I had 2 other bags and they were a nightmare to carry on my shoulder. Trust me. Get wheels and a handle. This was the best piece of luggage I have ever owned. Brilliant! Lots of compartments, made from micro-ballistic nylon material and with a zero-gravity frame. Okay, the description they give it makes it sound like I'm taking it on the next space mission. And micro-ballistic (do they shoot it with a little gun?) sounds like something you would see on MythBusters. But it is a good suitcase and I recommend the crap out of it.

P.S. This is not the sort of thing I would recommend buying on Ebay. I got this at Strandbags because the people know what they are talking about and because you can actually check out the compartments and see for yourself. The photos on Ebay don't give the best idea of quality and size. Also, a suitcase is not the sort of thing you would want to compromise on...

Until next time....more photos and reviews to come.....

Technorati Tags: Apollo Bay Montlake Suitcase Strandbags

Welcome to A Gonzo World Carnival!

It has been wonderful reading everyone's posts - I marvelled at the diversity of the locations, writing style and interpretation of the theme "share your world". Some funny, some heart- wrenching, some joyful and some downright frightening.

On our journey, we skip back and forth from Australia to the UK to the USA, to Austria to the Philippines and to South Africa. Along the way we meet many amazing people who open their doors and invite us in to their world.

A big thank you to all who submitted posts for the carnival. The Gonzo Blog Carnival Series is sponsored by For Your Success. Special thanks to Fear and Loathing - The Gonzo Papers.

Without further ado, let's get started....grab a coffee....or a beer...and prepare for the road ahead...

Remember when leaving comments to let people know you are visiting from the carnival ... Happy reading!!













"...I am 90% Average American. Being an Australian, I think that's quite an achievement..."
LJP (Yours truly) from SAVESAVESAVE discussing cultural misconceptions of Australia in I Can Talk Good.









"...I was in college in 1979, at Park College in Pittsburgh, when the genie of nuclear disaster first ecaped the bottle..."
Kilroy_60 from Kilroy's The Gonzo Papers has a frightening wake up call in What Happens When Warning Sirens Sound At the Nuclear Plant Near You?



"...Where Route 30 meets 41, a few miles down
the road, collide into where I am from..."
Indiana, USA - Sara from Aspiring Romance Writer takes us with her on a journey to her town in the poem Hometown Girl.












"...I love the fried green tomatoes, cotton fields, football on fall Saturdays..."
In Montgomery, Alabama, Sheila Noblitt from Alabama Kitchen Sink shares her homecoming experience in Home is Where the Heart Is.













"...This is a commuter rail station in my home town of Elgin, Illinois..."
James Jordan from Points of Light introduces us to the Night Station.













"...I’d pushed away everyone in my community including his father and found myself alone and terrified..."
From Byron Bay, NSW, Australia: Joanne Hay from The Nourisher shows great courage in taking us into her world and her journey in About.












"...a true constant in all its flowing colors..."
From Vienna, Austria - Shakir Hasnain from The Crimsonflaw Lived To Tell The Tale takes us into another realm in the poem My World.



"...like the ugg boot, they have never gone out of fashion here ..."
Fellow Australian MillyMoo from Blurb from the Burbs made me laugh and cry with her Wince Inducing Words.



"...I have no mother. I have decided to write her off..."
From Cape Town, South Africa - Acidice, in her blog acidice reveals her difficult choices with My Ex Mother.













"...The two cats on the sides and the two snowmen are hand me downs from my sister..."
From the Philippines, Friday's Child in her blog Friday's Child displays her home and her festive spirit in My Home is My World.













"...the middle of last week we had about a foot of snow. Not much compared to what they got in other places..."
In Northeast Ohio, we find Anthony from The Lives and Times who explains to us why he will Remember the Winter of 2006-2007.












"...Like our brothers in Bagdad, we're under-deployed here..."
Mark Brown in NJ from My-Poem-A-Day explores war and politics in his poem Springtime.













"...It's always nice to get back after a trip and sit down with a cup of English tea..."
Naomi, in her blog Diary from England reminds us that no matter where you travel in the world, There's No Place Like Home.


I couldn't think of a better way to round off the carnival - with a nice cup of English tea. And the feet up on the desk. Perhaps a little snooze....
It's been a long journey.

Maps courtesy of Google Maps Australia.

Technorati Tags:
A+Gonzo+World+Carnival, Blog+Carnival

The time is nearly upon us but you still have time to submit your post. It can be a new post, or perhaps one from the archives. This original post explains the rules.

Thanks again to Fear and Loathing - The Gonzo Papers and For Your Success.

Please note that the last date for submissions is 11:59pm on 16th March 2007. Happy blogging!!

Technorati Tags:
A+Gonzo+World+Carnival, Blog, Submissions

Just when I was starting to get worried, my denim jacket arrived yesterday. I am sometimes apprehensive about ordering things from Canberra. For some reason, I don't think Australia Post likes addresses with "DC" in them. But here it is.

I bought this Jacket on Ebay for $5
I wouldn't have necessarily bought it if I had looked more closely at the postage. It was $15. Still, a denim jacket for $20 isn't prohibitive, it's just a tad steep. It arrived in an express post envelope that would most likely have cost $7. I don't like artificially inflated postage costs and Ebayers who practice this should be sent to Abu Dhabi by unregistered post.

So, here it is. I actually quite like it.


















VERDICT - SUCCESS!
It's a good addition to my new wardrobe. This is probably the first time I have bought a whole bunch of new clothes for about 10 years. Speaking of which, my Doc Martens are getting a bit scrappy. I must say my last pair lasted for a lot longer - 12 years or so. I bought these ones about 4 or 5 years ago and they started to fall apart straight away. I think I got a lemon.















So I might just go scouring Ebay for Doc Martens. Or I could buy a new pair for $180.00 Gee, let me think now....