AI cars better be smart.

 

Arnie has seen the future of AI cars.

After an interesting and unexpected expedition through the Werakata National Park in the Hunter Valley recently I have lost all faith in our car’s navigation system. For a premium car the navigation and entertainment operating system has always been substandard, as though it was a last-minute thought, knocked up in a hurry by some work experience kid at TAFE. Lucky then that the technicians at Subaru have engineered a superb car that can go anywhere a Toyota Land Cruiser can. Because when the computer decided to take us down a fire trail we really needed that 4WD capability.   

Home invasion.

Can you believe we’ve been here 12 months already? I had planned to write an insightful piece for the anniversary but was overtaken by a terrifying home invasion which only serves to highlight the pitfalls of living in the country. It was night and still 30˚C outside so I felt the chill on entering the air conditioned living room dressed only in a pair of shorts. Before long I was sitting on the couch wrapped up to my chin in a bunny rug when I suddenly felt a crawling sensation on the back of my neck.

Behind enemy lines.

Someone has been playing in canola.

‘Leave no man behind.’ This simple statement conjures up images of US warriors giving their all to retrieve fallen comrades Black Hawk Down style. At a recent ballooning weekend in Canowindra one retrieve crew went to similar heroic lengths when a balloon landed deep behind locked gates and nothing was spared to recover it. The balloon that it is. Pilots are a dime a dozen but the kit is well worth the effort of getting back.

Gourmet in Gundy

So close to celebrity chef Alastair McLeod.

Community events are good for breaking up the monotony of small town living. Some are better than others but if you are civic minded and go to enough you’ll eventually stumble on a real gem. It should have been so for Moree on a Plate, but at the last minute I got stung with being the weekend duty officer and missed it. When I heard about Gourmet in Gundy I made sure to duck and weave at work so I didn’t miss out a second time.

Dissapointment in Armidale

Port and a fire, how civilised.

I feel for the employees of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) who are facing the prospect of relocating to Armidale.  After a year of living on the edge of nowhere I thought it would be hard not to be impressed by any town that boasts half a dozen shops and a café. Instead it speaks volumes for Moree that there’s more to a town than what is in its main street.

Bana-drama

All that for two bananas!

How many bananas does it take to trash a kitchen? My father will tell you only one, but that’s another story. I say two because that’s how many Gretta needs to make a banana cake.

Taking the road less traveled.

This was the good bit of road.

My boss likes me to be out on the road. Preferably a back road. If there’s a roundabout dirt track to get from A to B he’ll send me on it. It’s all part of my area familiarisation plan. Our ‘patch’ covers 42,000 square kilometres (roughly the size of the Netherlands) so there’s no shortage of obscure back roads for me to investigate. I also suspect he’s setting me up to get lost as a practical joke; just itching for me to call for help.

Who’s the turkey now?

Just got bitten by this turkey!

I received a text message from Gretta today which said simply ‘Just got bitten by this turkey!’ Attached was a picture of said bush turkey. Based on this limited information I will surmise what happened.

Getting Atura fit.

DISCIPLINE, is doing what needs to be done, even if you don’t want to do it.

You may not have heard of the ATURA Hotel. In my job however, it’s infamous.  It’s where we go for training and as such, a stint there is not to be taken lightly. In preparation for a week where time is measured by the consumption of food, I’ve gone hard on some personal training.