Tag: Lifestyle

Coffee Catch-Up # 29

inspiringmax

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my coffee last Sunday. I was so surprised to see it presented in such a beautiful way. I couldn’t keep my hands off the smooth exquisite timber. The only thing missing to make it perfect was a small handmade cookie or piece of shortbread.

If we were having coffee I would ask if you picked the winner of the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s I had a knack of picking the winner every year. As I’ve gotten older, I quickly look at the form guide, decide it’s too hard and hope my sweeps win. Rarely. This year there weren’t even any sweeps at my work place. But on the bright side my daughter won and bought us pizza.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I saw my first Santa last weekend and you’ll never guess where. Some enterprising person has started a business called Sandy Claus. You guessed it, Santa photos at the beach. He had a crowd around him 8 weeks out from Christmas.

Go Sandy Claus. Only in Australia.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how exciting it was to hear that Australia has had 2 days of 0 local coronavirus transmissions this week. This is the first time since the start of the virus and a good sign that life is slowly returning to normal.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about the surprise I found buying fruit and vegetables this week. The world’s smallest tomatoes. They are so cute. And they taste like a flavour bubble bursting in your mouth.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

X – XXXX Island # A – Z Challenge

inspiringmax

XXXX Island—once known as Pumpkin Island—in 2012 was the 6th most expensive island in the world.  This was the time XXXX beer took out a lease to use the island for beer promotion. Described as the blokiest place in Australia—XXXX Island is open to men and women. You cannot buy a holiday here however, the only way to spend time on the island is to win a place. The key is to enter a competition and write in 25 words or less why you want to spend 4 days there. XXXX Island on Keppel Bay is natural, rustic and not luxurious but definitely full of fun. There appears to be something for everyone as long as you are happy to cook your own food and drink XXXX Gold.  The island accommodates 24 guests and 4 staff.  As there are  no power points on the island to recharge anything or to straighten or blow dry one’s hair you are guaranteed to slow down from the rat race. I’m good with either so bring it on—better start practising my writing skills and enter. You never know. Let me know what you think.

#A-Z Blogging Challenge

L – Lithgow Small Arms Factory

inspiringmax

IMG_5975

Opened in 1912 the Lithgow Small Arms Factory was Australia’s first precision mass production factory. The Small Arms Factory was commissioned out of a need to make sure Australia was safe from invasion. Little did they know that world war would break out in two years creating a major demand for their product—Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifles for the Australian military.

Building the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow changed the lives of the town and many people as it brought employment and housing to the area. I was excited to visit this factory as my father had only recently told me that my grandfather had found employment there when he was a boy. Despite the family connection, it was not until I spent a morning in their fascinating museum that I realised the true important of Lithgow’s Small Arms Factory on Australia’s history. The museum built on the site of the original factory is manned by very knowledgeable volunteers—many of whom had previously worked in the factory and had many interesting  stories to tell. We got lucky because it was a quiet morning the volunteers were happy to chat for half an hour and I was grateful to get some insight into my grandfathers life.

Between the wars the Lithgow Small Arms Factory produced an incredible array of commercial products and in their spare time worked on inventing new technologies and devices.