J9 Blog

Break in Travel Transmission: Overdue Ode to Peter’s specially shaped pieces of wood.

There are important photos from my Family Affair (of which/whom? Peter is the Skipper) sailing sojourn that have not yet been blog-shared.  Peter as inventor of the Langsford SheepCrush ( and accompanying hat range) is known to be the creative/fix it type. One of his specialties is the specially shaped piece of wood. If you can shape a piece of wood to fit flush into its needed place it can achieve much.  For example, said shaped piece of wood could hold very fine muslin cloth in place of the main doors of a boats’cabin to create an elaborate and elegant insect screen, ….or it could allow the ultimate on-board solar shower experience.

The concept of the solar-heated shower while boating is not new.  The power of the Australian sun very quickly heats up a bag of several litres of fresh water.  BUT If the bag (with shower head attachment) is then hung in the right place, AND a specially placed piece of wood holds open the boats main bathroom/heads hatch and holds the shower nozzle in perfect position then it is possible from below deck to turn your hot shower on…..then a real shower of 1-2 minutes can be taken in privacy. The Specially Shaped piece of Wood- I commend  it to you

Good taste photos attached of the shower experience…they show me turning the shower on- with my characteristic arm/hand poses (Grant! The ghost of COCO!!)

 

Trucker style hat goes to another international iconic shopping centre

Last year it was the trip to the MALL OF AMERICA with Grant and Sarah....this year its off to Greater Manchester's Trafford Centre with Janine and Claire.

You know that a shopping centre (mall in America) is seriously big, when they have a 'plan your journey' section on their website! Oh and I have just discovered I COULD download a year planner on 2006's activities at the TC....think I might not.

Lets compare some facts:

Trafford Centre- 280 stores, 38 restaurants, 20 screen UCI cinema and fantastis leisure facilities all under one stunning roof!

Mall of America-525 stores- all in one undercover mall (the largest in USA), 40 eating places, and a 15-screen cinema complex, bowling alley, underwater world, and contains an amusement park (Camp Snoopy) at its centre

Oh- Fancy that! the one in the USA is bigger (and scarier!).  The Trafford Centre in its main dome area where the light (even if it is grey outside) filters in, is really quite elegant.

Other thing these photos show: that one year on I still look shocking wearing the cap and Claire continues to look much better in the Langsford SheepCrush Hat than I.

First day in Paris photos

Really quickly lets see if I can get some photos up!

Here is the first important picture, Claire and I in front of the Eiffel Tower in the famous and world travelled Langsford SheepCrush Hat....

NUP sorry this hotel computer will (quite reasonably ) not allow me to upload....so this whole blog entry has been a teaser to increase interest.....

Exciting Times for the J9 Blog

Greetings.

I am posting from Lancashire, England! I have 3 weeks here (including 5 of those days in Paris!) and then I go for 10 days or so to my FAVOURITE international place (will Paris or UK challenge?....) Singapore.

Yes I am a lucky fish.

If you read the top of the header of the blog, it states the j9blog reason for being. The pusuit of good tea, good food, good friends and one UNIQUE hat (that would be the Langsford SheepCrush hat- famous amongst a select few...).  Well I am in England- home of the tradition of the  type of tea of Love- English style tea !...I am with Claire (good friend)...we have two Langsford SheepCrush hats between us...and we are absolutely going to be eating good food.

The good food and good tea has started.  Is there anything better than a really good cup of tea when you are jet-lagged .Photos to support coming soon.

I am living in luxury at Claires family home. Being spoilt rotten. AND I have finally met Sally, the much talked about (by Claire admittedly) labradour.  Sally in 1 day has convinced me she is the dog version of THE cat. I will explain why later.

I am having a quiet day today- but will soon walk in (in some showers!  it is grey and 16/17C ish...) to the local village (Leyland). Hang out in the local supermarket (SO exciting for a dietitian to go to overseas supermarkets, my brother gets BIG POINTS for working this out on recent US trips!).  And then spend time in the local library (as one does..finishing some work that travelled with me!).

On Wednesday I am going for day trip to London. VERY VERY exciting.  Christmas present suggestions will be taken by keen blog readers (who have an awareness of how AUD converts to the GBP!....). 

Where am I?  I flew into Manchester (a great idea! versus going through Heathrow) and I am in Leyland at the moment....look for under Preston.

and to put that into context...maybe you can find this North West Area of England on this map below

 

Ok back soon with more news...time for a cup of tea

Langsford SheepCrush Hat goes sub-zero

One of the themes of this blog is to follow the exploits and international travel of the Langsford (That is ....as in Peter Langsford) SheepCrush Cap....click on the relevant subject index on the LEFTfor a summary of recent travels. 

Claire has submitted the following photo.  Claire is one of the STARS of this blog...after Zak, THE cat and maybe the figs....a priveleged position!

The Langsford Sheep......Dogs!

The bad trucker hat is out and about again. It has returned to its roots and here is pictured at the Langsford farm where the ORIGINAL Langsford SheepCrush resides......

If you look REALLY HARD it is perched on Mum's head next to Peter Langsford and his three Sheep Dogs! The Dogs names are Joe (the largest and most senior of the dogs next to Peter), Mocha (behind Mum) and the youngest Arthur (squashed in front of Joe).

It worries me a bit that this blog of recent times has been showcasing CUTE DOGS.....

Where is Zakarama?

THE CAT?

.

Is it a cap or a beret?

One of the aims of this blog is to track the exploits of one VERY BAD trucker style cap....that cap IS the Langsford SheepCrush Hat. If you want to revisit some of what the cap has been up to from mid-2005 onwards then scroll over to the categories on the left hand side-bar or  click on this  link.

These are the wonderful recent submissions via Claire...I believe Ray and Marie in then photos MAY be her parents (who else but family makes the real sacrifices in life....like bravely wearing the cap like this in the CAPITAL OF FASHION). For the cultural philistines amongst us...first photo is in fron of the Lourve- second photo I think you will work out.....

This years entry in The Melbourne Cup Hat parade

I am pictured at the School of Public Health, Curtin University, Melbourne Cup Lunch....in front of the TV about to see the race. I didn't win the hat competition! :-(   they don't know how FAMOUS the amazing Langsford SheepCrush Hat is......

In 2 days time I will be on a boat somewhere off the Queensland coast.....

Why?

Because my Mum (Christine) and her partner (Peter) have started a sailing life and have for the last 7 weeks been sailing on their catamaran 'Family Affair' from Brisbane north.....So I am going to visit them!

In a bit of a  mad dash between my teaching committment I will have 5 days on the boat and we will mainly be in the Hervey Bay/Fraser Island region of QLD. If you want more detail to make you jealous (you should see the photos!) then visit their sailing blog .  Recently they have been visiting exotic resorts (Kingfischer Bay here I come!) and whale spotting!

I have plans for good tea made for me by my Mum (and Peter!) served on the back deck......some time for easy knitting (I am prone to motion sickness......)....reading.....swimming....walking ....listening to the cricket (that world series thingy is on)...NOT coughing etc. To make my mum happy, and to not scare the whales, I am considering applying fake tan.........

Oh and a infamous trucker hat is accompanying me for the trip to add the photo gallery of the adventures of the Langsford SheepCrush Cap....

Any suggestions of classic Queensland shots the Cap can get involved in?(we are still getting over the BLOW that Claire DID NOT take the cap to Venice recently.....)

Stay posted for blog reports from the boat!

Which bad trucker hat?

We have had good tea, good food and good friends and for some too much of THE cat on the J9blog....but what about that trucker hat.

Well for those who are not familiar...this is the style (?!)

More on this in the weeks to come..........