postaday2011 – Page 4

My favourite road trip

July 20, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This prompt, Describe the longest road trip you’ve taken, is provided by Plinky. I’ve also been inspired by The Daily Post prompt, Planes, trains or automobiles? What is your favorite way to travel 500 miles?

My favourite road trip is to the Southern City of Albany. Albany is a wonderful town that my family have gone to a number of times. We love it down there for a number of reasons.

Firstly, my parents – my Dad particularly – are attracted because it was where Dad lived for a few years. His dad was the minister at the Albany Church of Christ, and he completed his High School there. So he knows the place really well, and there is part of that memory that draws them back.

Secondly, there are wineries around, and my parents love their wine. In earlier years, when I was still an alcohol drinker, we would take a day to go and visit all the different wineries that we liked. We especially liked wineries where we got to meet the wine maker, and form a relationship with them. For a while, my parents had a rule that they would only drink wine from wineries where they knew who made the wine. It’s not a bad rule, I think.

Albany is also a great place for relaxing. We enjoy finding a house that looks out over Princess Harbour, or even better Middleton Beach, as we’ll just sit where there’s a nice view, and read, sew, write, or whatever. It’s a wonderful place to do that, and even better when there’s a view.

Then there’s our usual haunts. We’ll go shopping up and down Duke St. We’ll visit St John’s Anglican where we’re tourist members (got a name badge and everything), and the Middleton Beach Cafe (which was disappointing the last time I was there, but I’ll throw that down to being a bad day). We’ll go visit the Valley of the Giants and walk around Denmark. If we’re feeling adventurous we might even walk from the bottom of Duke Street around the board walk to Middleton Beach. And we’ll probably visit the Whaling Station (for coffee only, don’t look around anymore) and definitely visit the Wind Farm.

So that’s my favourite road trip – the five-hour car ride to Albany. What’s your favourite road trip, and why?

The Wonders of Gas

July 18, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This topic suggestion, Weekly Photo Challenge: Hot, is from The Daily Post as part of the Post-a-day writing challenge.

I’ve just moved house, and I’m completely in love with it. We had in our last house an electric stove top and electric oven. We had both come from houses with Gas stove tops and ovens, so it took us a while to get used to how long electric took to heat up.

In our new place, we’ve got a gas stove top (but still an electric oven) which makes cooking so much easier.

Having gas means we’ve also got a funky Gas Heater. This is so much better and easier than our old wood fired heater, which while it was romantic took quite a while to heat up the room. Now that we’ve got this Gas Heater, we can quickly heat the room and feel the effects almost immediately. It’s brilliant.

Not a very in-depth post, but I am rather excited about this (perhaps too excited about this)

Postaday2011 links

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hot (thisismylawn.wordpress.com)
A Groovy kind of love (picturesqueworld.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: (hot) (versereverse.wordpress.com)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Hot (2) (berkshirereviews.wordpress.com)

When being busy breeds lazyness

July 16, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This topic suggestion, Are you too lazy, or too busy?, is from The Daily Post as part of the Post-a-day writing challenge.

I like to be busy. I like to fill my day up with lots of stuff. I like to have a number of projects on the go – which is why I probably like working three different jobs as opposed to only one. If I’m only working on one thing, I get itchy, and need to find something new to work on as well.

However, being busy has its drawbacks. I often find that I can fill my day with so much that I don’t have any time to do the things I enjoy. Or don’t have any time to just relax. Or even to do the things that make a home run. When I’m too busy, the unimportant things tend to fall off my radar, and I just forget to do them. This often results in a kitchen full of dirty dishes, and I’m eating my breakfast out of a salad bowl with a serving spoon. I kid – I generally will wash a dish and spoon when it gets to that stage.

Finding the balance of being busy enough to keep me working at my best, but still finding time to do the things that I enjoy, or the little things that need to get done is often a very fine line.

Our Dora

July 14, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This prompt, Do you have any pets, is provided by Plinky.

For the past 6 months or so, our house has been graced by the presence of Dora. Dora actually belongs to a lady who lives at Liesl’s work, and as they are not allowed pets there, she had to find somewhere else to look after her. Not being able to find anyone, she was to be put down. When Liesl asked how old she was, and found out she was only two and a half years old, Liesl couldn’t dream of her being put down. Continue reading “Our Dora” →

My run in with the police

July 13, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

Old Vancouver Police Car during the 2009 Chine... — I wish I had ridden in a car like this! (Image by sillygwailo via Flickr)

This prompt, What did you do to land yourself in the back of a police car?!, is provided by Plinky.

Most people would be surprised to know that I’ve driven in the back of a police car. I’m normally quite a good person, and would never break the law. But one New Year’s eve, I did in fact find myself travelling in the back of a police car.

I was delivering pizzas that night. Great way to spend a New Year’s night, but I needed the money. Parents were away down in Albany, and I didn’t really have much else to do that night. I was driving a 1980 Corolla at the time.

I’d just delivered a pizza, and my car died. I couldn’t get it started at all. Knocked on the place I delivered the pizza to and asked if they could give me a push. Thankfully, I was at the top of a hill. Got the car rolling, and the engine started, but it wouldn’t stay running. Every time I put the clutch in, the car died. No big problem I thought, so long as I can keep moving, I’ll be fine. I had run out of credit on my phone, so couldn’t call for help. I thought if I could make it back to the pizza shop, I could at least get some help to try to figure out what was wrong, or call for help if needed.

Unfortunately, some traffic lights on the way back to the pizza place had other ideas. They changed on me, and I had to stop. While I was pushing my car off the side, and preparing myself for the longish walk back to the shop, A police car pulled up and asked if I wanted some help pushing my car off the road. I graciously accepted, and when he saw that I was working for the pizza shop, offered me a lift back to the shop.

You should have seen the look on my manager’s face when I jumped out the back of the police car. Classic.

Anyway, called up RAC roadside assist, and had to join up to get them to come out. The joining fee came to exactly what I had earned so far in deliveries and tips that night. Got the second driver to drop me off at my car and waited. Ended up being a dead alternator. Was able to get the car going again, but wasn’t able to do the rest of my shift, it was too unreliable. Replaced the alternator the next day and the car kept going right up until I needed to get rid of it.

Have you ever ridden in the back of a police car? What for (if you don’t mind me asking)?

Money and Happiness

July 12, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This prompt, Do you think money can buy happiness?, is provided by Plinky.

My wife and I have been listening to a Casting Crowns album recently while we’ve been driving in the car. One song that’s got me thinking just recently is this song, American Dream.

It could just as well be titled “Australian Dream” as the things that are mentioned in here are more and more becoming things that Australians long for. A large house with a big back yard, the biggest TV, all the latest gadgets, the boat, the holidays.

My church is located in a fairly affluent area. We often are challenged on how we respond to the call to look after “the lost, the last and the least” in our community, when it seemingly looks like on the outside of all these massive houses with gates protecting expensive cars that none of the people in our community have any issues.

However, we are reminded that so many people in order to get to that “ideal” situation have worked multiple jobs, or worked late into the night and lost time with their family. There are stories in yesterdays newspaper of how families on a $90,000+ income will struggle with a $400/year increase thanks to Australia’s new Carbon Tax. These families live so close to the edge that anything unexpected – such as Reserve Bank interest rises that mean increased mortgage payments, or a new tax such as the carbon tax – puts them from surviving to struggling.

We often tell ourselves that we need the largest and the newest of everything. However, when you can learn to live on what you have, and not outspend your income, you are less stressed, and can fully enjoy what you do have.

Window or aisle, I’m breezy

July 11, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, faith

I'm concerned the plane for my flight tomorrow... — A9, D10, I might pass on F12 though. (Image by Leia via Flickr)

This topic suggestion, Do you prefer the aisle or window when travelling? Why?, is from The Daily Post as part of the Post-a-day writing challenge.

I apologise for the bad pun in the title, but I couldn’t resist.

I can’t say I’ve travelled much in a plane, however, my experience has told me that I don’t really mind where I sit, aisle or window. However it does depend on the flight.

There’s something nice about being able to look out the window as you’re flying into somewhere new. Being able to look out and view this city that you’re going to spend the next little while exploring. Likewise, looking out over your home city as you return, seeing the suburbs, the landmarks that make you love the place where you live and call it your home.

However, if the flight is a long one – such as 5 hours or more – I might be willing to pass that up for the possibility of walking around. 5 hours is a long time, and if the person next to me falls asleep, and I need to get out, I don’t want to wake them or climb over them – hence the aisle is better for the longer flights.

Overall though, I don’t mind too much. You can see through a window for landing where ever you sit, and the rest of the time I generally spend reading or playing on my laptop, so I’m not fussed over where I sit.

Postaday2011 links

What war is worth fighting for? (thebloggingpath.com)
Accept, not fight or control (flickrcomments.wordpress.com)
This means war (purplelocket.wordpress.com)
Reflections: Know yourself and Bloom where you are (eof737.wordpress.com)

My favourite way to start my day

July 10, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

This prompt, What’s your favourite way to start your day, is provided by Plinky.

I’m an early riser, getting up at 6am each morning. Part of this is because I’ve always been an early riser, part because I like to have time in the morning to properly wake up. I describe myself as an early riser, late starter.

In the morning, I like to have my breakfast and coffee. Breakfast consists of two crushed wheet-bix, with muesli. The coffee I have at the moment is a Harris Columbia blend that’s UTZ certified. It’s a bit stronger than the coffee my parents generally buy, but I like it strong.
I’ll generally watch tv while I’m having breakfast, usually Sunrise so I can stay in the loop of the main news stories, or sometimes a show that I’ve recorded, such as media watch.
After breakfast, if there’s time, I’ll check Facebook or my blogs, then iron my shirt have a shower then head to work. On the way to work (I catch public transport), I write a blog post of some kind, nothing fancy, as I’ll use my lunch break to clean it up and look good. When I get to work, the first thing I do is turn the computer on, then make myself a hot drink to start the day with.

That’s how I start my day, how do you start yours?

Divine intervention and free will

July 9, 2011December 22, 2012 by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, faith

This topic suggestion, They say “everything happens for a reason” – do you think this is true?, is from The Daily Post as part of the Post-a-day writing challenge.

I was asked by a friend on Facebook recently what my thoughts were on whether everything was planned or whether there was the possibility of coincidence.
I believe that God is omnipotent, knowing everything that has happened, is happening and will happen. He has a plan for our lives: “for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.” However, God also have us Free will. He gave us the ability to choose for ourselves. My picture then is of God watching a sporting match. While he knows the result, he’s there, surrounded by all his angels cheering us on, rejoicing when we choose the right path, and consoling us when we make a mistake.
Does that leave any room for coincidences? I think so. I’ve heard the phrase “god-incidence” used to describe those situations where it could only have been influenced by God. I truly believe these happen.

So does everything happen for a reason? For has a plan for our lives – it’s up to us whether we follow that plan.

Postaday2011 links