Philip Island Trip

  

The Crew

There is nothing like a trip to Philip Island. A great way to take time out with Family and friends. Aways something for everyone to do. Take our lot for example last weekend Matt decided to organise a trip, so he, Arch, David and Simon took out the kids, Martyn, Isaac, Reuben, Heidi, James, Hannah, Holly, Ethan and Lucian. Nine Letl Salan!!!



rock pool swimming



 

They had a ball, Exploring up the top and sliding in the sand,  Jumping in the "stool", swimming in the rock pools.



one crab



Crab hunting, Fishen, en gwen f hihi es always guudun.

Fishen orf a rocks







Playing cards roun a table, eaten a sweet wetls, sour milk bread that Gramps made was the first to go, then the 10 packet of tim tam en a chocolate he buy. "Car beat et".

The Deck



Relaxing "parken up" on the new deck dem reckon was unreal. Wal done to everybody who tek part een getting dar done. Looks great, what a fantastic idea and improvement to the Philip Island hut.

Car wait f go out gen!!!!

 





Restoration of Merval Hoare's old piano

Eliza Elaine

The finished product

 Late last year we purchased Merval Hoare's old honky tonk piano. Dad (Archie) got busy and stripped it down to next to nothing, freed up all the keys, hingeing mechanisms ect. We had some new timber mouldings made @ JCB cabinets and fitted to the front of the piano. Dad restained it and then french polished it with shilac. It all came back together at the same time that Tony Lette the piano tuner was here on Norfolk. He tuned it up and was really impressed with the restoration.  Our beautiful Honky tonk piano was then ready to move into the house. As you can see it was a musical process stopping along the ways to have a play here and there.

The tune"Take Me back to Norfolk Island" played by "Gramps" Archie Bigg.

Sweet Tatie (Sweet Potato, Kumera)

Well it hasn't been readily available lately as the recent lack of rain fall made it very difficult to get the runners going. It is the first time that we have had to water sweet tatie to get them to produce and basically keep them alive!! But luckily we did as not to far around the corner we will have them available commercially again, which will make the Norfolk Islanders very happy come Bounty Day. They are flying along now with the rain that we are getting and a little nudge with my concoction of biological foliar feed!

To day as you can see in the photos my youngest son James 10yrs and I dug a few for dinner ( they don't have to be massive to be sweet) and it was Raining !! So we will probably roast them or boil them and mash them with some fresh kale mixed through as well. YUM!


When we dig sweet tatie it is dug by hand with a small drag fork. We drag the vines off the top roll them up, put them on the back of the truck, drive and look for our cattle that graze on the sides of the roads, generally in the Ball Bay area. When the cattle spot the truck they instantly come running toward us and start to eat off the truck before we can get the vines off. So not only is Sweet Tatie enjoyed by us, it is as equally enjoyed by our animals!