Gliding Club Day 27 November 2010

Below is the write up from my Gliding Club's blog. I flew in my glider - WUN.

Club Day

An early morning briefing by Ross Hall and Mike Ridge, then great cross country gliding, a sausage sizzle by Keiren and Michelle, and a de-briefing to end the day and everyone went home very happy, even the instructors.

Four more pilots had discovered the excitement of going cross country.

The task was set by Mike Ridge and we all headed off about 1130 into a sky full of low but numerous cumulus.

First objective was, find a good thermal and take it to the top then head off in the task direction to the first turn point, the square dam outside Beaudesert. Once over the hills and into the Beaudesert valley there are plenty of long flat fields to think about while searching for a thermal.

David in WUN and John and Ken in NTT had raced ahead and were well onto the next stage. Ross and Denis in GUE and Richard in WVK flying together made it easily to the square dam but then struggled for a while until discovering lift from the moist air directly over the dam. Adam and Steve in GKX and Mike and Kieren in BGE had not yet managed to get out of the Boonah area.

The next turn point was Rathdowney, up the Beaudesert valley with its long flat paddocks and always in glide of Kooralbyn strip. This is a comfortable leg of the task.

WUN and NTT well ahead, GUE found a big thermal over the hills and was quickly over Rathdowney, WVK could not get anywhere so headed for the safety of Kooralbyn. GKX was now over Beaudesert and on their way to setting the fastest time of the day. BGE failed to get out of Boonah area and was struggling to get back to the strip.

The next turn point was Maroon dam wall and then back to Boonah. The out-landing options from Rathdowney to Maroon do not look very inviting but once past the dam wall there are once again plenty of options all the way back to Boonah.

WUN and NTT finished early, GUE had an easy glide back from the dam wall at 100kts arriving at over 2000ft. WVK managed to find some lift over Kooralbyn and used this to head straight for home. GKX arrived home in just over an hour with an average speed of around 90 km/hr.

The next club day is planned for 18 December. It is great fun, don’t miss it.

Gone Green

Its been a while since blogging so now an update. We have officially gone green by installing a solar hot water system and solar panels on the roof. We thought if we live in the sunshine state then we should make use of the free energy. Our roof is ideally situated to take full advantage of the sun as it faces north. It was really great once the solar power system was installed to see our meter going backwards(!). In a few weeks time we will have a smart meter installed so we can export our excess energy to the grid and earn some money back

Visit to Winery & Lavendar Farm for a lunchtime meal

On Sunday we went out for a lunchtime treat. A meal at a winery near Boonah. The day was a bit overcast but we had a nice meal, glass of wine and a chat with the owner who told us of how he built the winery going $1 million overbudget ($3 million total!). It was his wife's dream to have a winery and restaraunt but she is ill and now he is left to run it.

Centenary Rocks!

On Saturday Inge and I went to the local festival in the park, lots of alternative stuff including solar power, electric bicycles, yoga demos, food and bands playing.
We had a great time.

Poco and Droelie getting on fine

So after a week Droelie has accepted Poco. Its nice to see them together. Here's a few photos of them and us. Its been quite cold the last week with night temps down to 8C so we've had our wood burning fire on every night.

New Kitten - Poco

He is 9 weeks old. We got him two days ago. A saimese cross. He is quite vocal, likes cuddles and attention and is quite bold. Droelie is gradually warming to him, at first hissing and growling but it will get better we are sure..

Ron Mueck Sculpture Exhibition

Today we visited the Gallery of Modern Art in the city to see the scultures of Ron Meuck. See below. Pretty lifelike even though some of the statutes are 4m tall. It was really interesting to see the video of how the artist makes them, so labour intensive!
check out the video here :
http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/ron_mueck/video

The write up on the exhibition is below..







This exhibition surveys a group of major works by Australian-born, London-based sculptor Ron Mueck. Mueck’s sculptures are some of the most widely acclaimed and identifiable works in the international contemporary art arena. Often naked and suspended in states of self-consciousness, introspection or deep contemplation, his figures present both emotional and physical states of exposure. Astounding in their realism, Mueck’s works have earned him a singular place as the creator of some of the most evocative sculptures of our time. Featuring celebrated works from Australian and international collections, in addition to new sculptures, it will be one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of Mueck’s work ever presented.