Personal
Quick Links
House Renovation
We are rebuilding our house. The plan is to create spaces in
which 3 generations of Hursts may live, giving both "seniors"
and "juniors" separate living areas, with shared family space.
Or, if you have
Sweet Home 3D,
here is a source file you can explore under that software:
RebuildPlans
There is also a
Google Docs
spreadsheet defining the logistics surrounding the rebuild plans.
General Stuff
Travel Stuff
When travelling, I try to keep track (literally!) of where I
have been, using the MotionX-GPS application running on my
iPhone. Check the
MotionX-GPS FAQ
here, and the
reference manual
here.
- 2016
-
Nov: New Zealand
Our Third Saturday Walking Group went abroad again
this year, this time to the Coromandel Peninsula in New
Zealand for a week of day trips around the peninsula. The
Hursts and Morgans kicked on for an additional week in the Bay
of Islands.
-
Jul: Voyage of the Vikings:
The Atlantic both ways: after a stint in Seattle and a visit
to Glacier National Park, we had a few days in Boston, then
cruised from Boston to Rotterdam (on board the MV
Rotterdam!), and back again, spending a week in Vancouver as a
stopover on the return flight.
- 2015
-
Nov: Norfolk Island:
This month saw us travel to Norfolk Island, where we enjoyed the
Norfolk Island Food Festival, and explored the idyllic South
Pacific island life.
-
Jan-Mar: South America:
We circumnavigated South America in the MV
Prinsendam. This was a 10-week cruise, the longest we have
undertaken, and it hit several of the items on our bucket
list: Traversing the Panama Canal; Visiting Macchu Pichu;
Experiencing Antarctica (65 degrees south); Travelling up the
Amazon, all the way to Manaus to visit the Opera House there.
- 2014
-
European River Cruise:
We travelled from Amsterdam to Prague, on the MV
Amadante, followed up by stays in Vienna, Salzburg,
Lucerne and Paris.
- 2013
-
Round-World and Round-Australia
In late 2013 we went round-the worlding again, focussing
upon the Cinque Terre and Amalfi coasts in Italy, then Jersey,
then Seattle, before returning to Australia to undertake the
circumnavigation cruise around Australia on board the MV
Volendam.
- 2012
-
Round-the-World:
In 2012 we did another round-the-world trip, but less
hectic than in 2006. Only three major stops: (2 days in
Singapore), 2 weeks in France-Alsace, 2 weeks in Seattle, 2
and a bit weeks in Tahiti, cruising on the MV Aranui.
- 2011
-
Artic and Baltic Seas:
In 2011 we took a cruise on the MV Prinsendam around the
North, Arctic and Baltic Seas. We got as far north as 81
degrees (latitude, not temperature!)
Some of our friends, like us, are in the "grey nomad" set,
and also like us, maintain various blogs. Here's a selection:
Railway Stuff
Meccano Stuff
-
Meccano: as a
boy, I had a 9++ Meccano set, which I think is a fantastic toy
for encouraging creativity in an engineering context. David
Williams has an equally fantastic Meccano Home
Page. While I still have the set (in a pair of wonderful
cabinets my father made), I don't play with it much
nowadays. Sadly, neither did my sons, who much preferred
Lego. Sit transit gloria mundi!
Postscript: In
Marysville, Victoria (Oz), there is an excellent Meccano
Museum with many working models. It's called "Maniacal
Mechanicals", in Murchison St (the main street). Worth a
visit if you are in the area.
Postpostscript: Alas!
"Maniacal Mechanicals" was destroyed in the disastrous
Black Saturday bushfires (7 Feb 2009). See this
collection of photographs of the place as a
tribute.
Other Pastimes
Choral Singing
I have been a member of the following groups
And I like to sing:
Walking
The Dropbox files in what follows are uploaded by the
Track Sharing via Dropbox
mechanism on
MyGPSFiles
Television
Church Stuff
- Church stuff has been moved to a new Parish page.
Environmental Stuff
This has now been moved to a separate
environment page.
