For a couple of days I was suffering from a “crick” in my neck / shoulder. I have no idea how these things occur but I do get them from time to time. Possibly caused by laying in an odd position when I sleep or, perhaps, caused by laying in a draught. Air-con ??
Anyway, having taken some pain killers and trying a hot shower focused on the painful area I was offered the use of a “wheat-bag”
The bag was heated for just two minutes in the microwave and on removal was quite warm to the touch. Not hot.
I placed the back on my shoulder such that the bag was also partly heating the side of my neck. After 10 minutes or so I could feel that the “crick” was easing so the bag appeared to be doing the trick. Possibly the heat combined with the pain killer taken earlier.
After treatment I went out for the day and, with time, the movement in my neck became much easier and the pain had virtually disappeared.
Later that evening I was changing my shirt and noticed a red mark on my shoulder. A more detailed inspection via mirror showed what looked like bite mark, almost like I had been bitten by a human. No indentations, just two large red horseshoe shaped marks . At the center of these two marks were three large blisters, each one approximately half a centimeter across. Subsequently these have joined to become one large blister.
I should point out that the wheat bag was not placed directly on my skin as I was wearing a heavy cotton polo shirt at the time. Also, at no time did the heat being emitted by the bag feel extreme or cause any discomfort. And I have not felt any pain since. Some may suggest that perhaps my pain threshold has some bearing but I don’t think so. I have, over many years, experienced burns caused by hot metal during metalwork at school and in later years and hot water splashes. They all hurt like hell at the time and stung for some period of time afterwards. I can only think that the time elapsed had some bearing on the creation of my blisters.
Both my wife and I have used wheat bags before with no negative effects and I can think of no other contributing factors. After several days I still have the blisters but there has been no soreness. Strange.
I was amazed by this and want to share with you. I have traced it back to LiveLeak’s Facebook video but have no other details … Are you amazed what the hell happened here?
Son-in-law Steve loves his garden and in particular he specialises in Frangipanis, Hibiscus and Desert Roses. I love them all but my favourites are the Frangipanis which are not only beautiful to look at but all have the most gorgeous and varied scents.
I’m sorry but it seems like my posts of late seem to be food based. Actually I’m not really that sorry as I like food, a lot. And, Australia is just full of fabulous food. Down here in WA there is an abundance of fabulous seafood, tender steaks and plenty of new “craft” beers to wash it all down. It helps that many of the fine eateries are located in nice, picturesque, touristy areas.
Today we headed down to the Ravenswood Hotel situated on the banks of the Murray River. We have been here on previous visits to Oz and it is nice to sit out by the river watching the boats and water birds. Since my last visit the outside eating area has been upgraded from grass to a more formal block paved terrace and they have put deterrents up overhead to try and keep the gulls away from the tables. Its a shame, but just as we arrived the weather became overcast and there was a bit of a breeze which at least kept the flies away.
On arrival the car park had seemed really full and we expected the hotel to be really busy. However, there were plenty of tables available both inside and out. We elected to sit outside so that we could enjoy the view.
Ravenswood Hotel – View From The Terrace
A rare event for us is that we all selected the same items from the menu. We all elected to go for the Scotch Fillet, two well done, one medium and I as always chose to go rare. In addition, we all requested the optional extra of Garlic Prawns.
Our meals were ready really quickly and proved to be well cooked. The chef(s) had prepared the steaks just right with only one minor gripe. The chips came ready salted which seems to be the norm everywhere we have been during the last week or so. One of our group is trying hard to cut down on their salt intake and this inclusion by default doesn’t help. It also seems an odd thing to do in these health-conscious days.
Ravenswood Hotel – Murray River Shoreline
Our meals were washed down with Orchard Crush Cider for the girls and One Fifty Lashes for the blokes. The draft version of One Fifty Lashes is very good but, unusual for me, I preferred the bottled version as it seems to be just a little bit more bitter and has a sharper edge. The girls went back later for some Matso’s Ginger Beer which came highly recommended by the barmaid. The drivers had “muggaccinos”, cappuccino served in mugs, although they still came on saucers. These second rounds were required to help wash down two large slices of Lemon Meringue pie and a large slice of Pecan Pie.
With lunch complete we headed off to Rockingham for a stroll along the prom and an ice cream. However the ice cream didn’t happen as the girls were feeling both a little full and a little chilly. The winds were blowing hard, a condition that the many kite surfers were taking full advantage of. We still managed the promenade which has many plaques set in the paving. Each plaque records the names of prominent people and the part that they played in the early history of Rockingham back in the 1890’s.
Rockingham Foreshore – Ships on the horizon, waiting to enter Fremantle
This pelican was just sailing along sedately …..
Aluminium Can – Pelican
….. while further along the shore this power boat was fairly buzzing ….
Power Boat – Rockingham, WAPower Boat Viewed From Rockingham – In The Background Road Bridge To Garden Island and HMAS Stirling (Naval Base)
Moored just off the beach at Rockingham is this vessel, Lissa Solklint.
Power Boat Passing “Lissa, Solklint”
From the web this 1950’s built ship is variously listed as a cargo vessel and as a luxury “super yacht” ???
Rockingham Foreshore – Looking South-West…ish
Note: For those of you who have looked at the above photo, and questioned the direction of the shot, please look HERE for an answer to Jims question which echoed my own. For me, the position of the sun and the shadows was all wrong.
Looking Towards Fremantle
The beaches were relatively empty. However I am reliably informed that, come the weekend, and later this month when the schools close for their summer break, Rockingham will be heaving.
Tugs Assist A Cargo Ship Into The Quayside
So, a pleasant day with good food, followed by genteel exercise all tempered with a fresh sea breeze. Shame we didn’t get that ice cream but we have plenty of time yet.
We have, over the years, visited Mundaring Weir on many occasions. We have not, however, eaten at the Mundaring Weir Hotel which is just a few minutes away from the weir. So we decided to give them a try for lunch.
Mundaring Weir Hotel
Apparently, there has been an establishment on this site since the turn of the century and was originally built to service the workers and visitors to the weir. In 1898 a single storey building called the Reservoir Hotel was built. Then in 1906, a two-storey building was added and the hotel was renamed Goldfields Weir Hotel. Not sure when it was renamed again but whatever name it is sporting the building still retains much of the decor and character of the original.
Food is only served during the day and it is what they term “counter food”. Back home in the UK I guess we would just refer to bar meals.
I had the Steak Sandwich which is described as “Graziers porterhouse steak with onion jam, cheddar cheese, beetroot & rocket with BBQ and ranch dressings. Served with chips”.
Gerry and Denise both had the Snapper Burger “with lemon & dill aoili, lettuce, chopped salad and beer battered chips”
All agreed that the food was very good although we would have preferred the food to have been served on plates rather than the wooden board which allowed the food to slide of onto the table. The star of these meals was the beer battered chips which were crisp on the outside and full and fluffy on the inside.
The girls each had a “midi” of refreshing Orchard Crush apple cider while I had a midi of an amber ale called Nine Tales . Both brews are from the James Squire Brewery. One thing I can vouch for is that Australian craft beers are seriously good and a long way removed from the horrendous lagers, such as Fosters, which they insist on exporting to us.
Mundaring is about an hours drive out from Perth and the road out to the hotel takes you though picturesque woodlands interspersed with open farmlands.
Farmland near Piesse Brook, Kalamunda
On a previous trip out to this area we had encountered kangaroos crossing the road. On this occasion we spotted a much more diminutive creature, a Bobtail Lizard.
Apparently these fellows are quite often kept as pets but come with a government health warning “CAUTION: These lizards can deliver a painful and bloody bite”. See this video.
Around the hotel grounds I came across these guys ….
Parrot B-B-Q
After a BBQ lunch what do you need, why a nice cold beer of course….
I Just Dropped In For A Swifty
These guys are obviously quite used to humans around the hotel grounds. They let me get quite close before taking off to the nearby trees.
Who you looking at ?
All in all a pleasant afternoon.
Well pleasant except for the flies which were very much in evidence whenever we stepped out of our car.
As I posted on Friday, we were heading up to Wooroloo on Saturday for a tribute act extravaganza. We trundled up to El Caballo Resort suitably equipped with concert seats and bug spray, this being an outside event.
Arriving about 15:30 we picked up our tickets and were duly supplied with coloured bands to identify us as fully paid up for both the show and a buffet meal.
The venue is ideally suited for this type of event with a grass amphitheatre and a covered stage built at the central focal point. Not long after we had arrived, and set up our seats, the show got off to a fairly prompt start.
After an introduction by the MC we were treated to a rendition of Imagine by “John Lennon” as a mark of respect to those who had suffered losses due to the recent atrocities.
NOTE: Apologies for the photos. I didn’t have my camera and my phone is not very good over distance or in the dark. I include them only to give an idea of the venue and break up the sea of text.
And so the show got underway ….
First up was the Roy Orbison Show. This band were really quite good and soon had the audience singing along with them. The “Big O” vocalist gave a pretty good impression. I had seen Roy Orbison, many years ago, in Portsmouth and still remember his fairly stiff performance. Stepping up to the mic to sing, then stepping back prior to the next number. Obviously this show was more a tribute to an earlier, younger man. All in all though, an enjoyable performance.
The Roy Orbison Tribute Show
Next up was the Johnny Cash & June Carter Show and this was where the standards slipped. There were issues with the radio mics throughout the performance which didn’t help but that wasn’t the real problem. The act opened with a solo “Johnny Cash” strolling down among the audience. We lost track of him for most of his performance as he was on in his knees “interacting” with the female audience members. I have seen many TV and video performances of Johnny Cash and don’t remember any where he wandered amongst the audience acting like he was gods gift to women. Throughout the performance his favourite phrase was “you’re on fire” but sadly he didn’t actually do much singing. Given the “Man in Blacks” vast catalogue of songs it’s a shame this guy didn’t concentrate more on the singing as his voice was quite good. At some point he introduced “June Carter”, his “lovely wife”. Apparently she was the writer of many of his “favourite” songs. We were treated to a couple of songs regularly peppered with entreaties to “put your hands in the air” and more “your on fire”. Even with his “beautiful wife” out there he was still off playing to individuals in the audience. A perfectly good stage was totally unused and for most of the act we couldn’t actually see where he was. For me, a long time fan of Cash and his songs, the inclusion of this act was pretty much a waste of time. Not much of a show unless you were sat six feet away from him.
After a short break it was time for the The Beatles Show. Thankfully these guys repaired the damage done by the previous act. The sound quality was good, the playing and singing were good too. So much so that we were able to forgive the overly heavy “puddlian” accent.
Opening their set dressed for and playing songs from the Sgt. Peppers era they soon had the audience singing along. After a couple of songs they stripped off the colourful coats and reverted to the earlier Beatles style dressed in black shirts and trousers. They delivered a slick performance of the early hits interspersed with anecdotes to identify where the songs belonged in the Beatles historical timeline.
With the conclusion of a very good set we took ourselves of to explore the delights of the buffet meal. Much to our surprise this turned out to be a full-blown sit down meal. We had been expecting to collect our food and go back outside to our concert chairs to eat. El Caballo had put on quite a good spread with choices of chick pea or green salad, a very yummy red cabbage coleslaw, mushroom risotto, sliced pork, beef stew, a fish dish and roast vegetables. There were also choices of sweet which included two different flavoured mousses and a fruit salad. This was only let down, a little, by the lack of organisation with regard to tables and seating. Most folks appeared to be coming in to the dining room in groups of two, four and occasionally six. But the tables were laid out for eight which meant by the time we entered all of the spare seats were scattered around the room. We were lucky to find a table that had four seats available together, but others behind us were not so lucky.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, we missed the Marylyn Monroe performance while we were eating. I’m not sure what kind of performance this would have been. Personally I can only name two songs she’s associated with, Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend and Happy Birthday Mr President. We will never know if we should be disappointed.
Next up for us was the Creedence Clearwater Revival Show and once again we were treated to a very good performance. These guys turned out to be, for us, the act of the night.
During a set that lasted for about an hour, they played all of the major Creedence hits, finishing up with Proud Mary which, by the way, is the name of the band. Once again the audience was well into the music as well as many folks making use of the dance floor. They are very competent musicians / singers and, if you ever have an opportunity to see them, you will not be disappointed. Given the issues surrounding the real Creedence band members it is unlikely that any of us will see them live on stage anytime soon. Proud Mary make for a great substitute.
A surprise set was Aurora Mackrill who just appeared on stage, with no introduction, in a long shimmering silver dress. Her set was very short, comprising just three Shirley Bassey songs. Looking at her website it would seem that she probably did the Marylyn Monroe stint that we missed earlier. We all thought she was very good and would have been happy for her to continue.
Next on the menu was the Elvis Presley Show. “The King” bounded onto the stage dressed in white suit and cape. We soon recognised that this was in fact our “Johnny Cash” performer from earlier. So “The Man in Black” had transformed into “The Man in White” and although the songs had changed the act had not. He couldn’t resist coming down off stage and mixing with the crowd. Once again we were “on fire” and he reverted to the one on one performance that had plagued his “Johnny Cash” act. The gremlins that plagued his earlier show also returned and without warning his music stopped and the sound engineers put on a recording. In response to the opening bars “Elvis”, not knowing that his act had been curtailed, said “What’s this one then ?” The evening continued with recorded music for a short while and then “The King” was back to fairly audible groans from some of the audience. Thankfully, our suffering wasn’t prolonged. His performances as Cash and Presley may have been tolerable had he actually spent more time singing to the whole audience. In my opinion he was a waste of space. More time could have been given over to the other acts. Also, bizarrely, some women were either passing their underwear or telephone numbers to him. Did they not know that he wasn’t the real thing?
Last up for the evening was the Tina Turner Show featuring Rebecca O ‘Connor. This act got off to a promising start with a huge intro. The dancers came onto the stage followed by Ms O’Connor who struck a pose, arms outstretched, as in Tah Dah, here I am. Unfortunately, she was in darkness and we couldn’t see her. The lighting at the front of the stage left much to be desired. In addition the camera which was feeding the two inflatable screens either side of the stage was almost permanently set to provide an image about the same size as the stage appeared with normal eyesight.
So, no close up of “Tina”. The sound quality of the vocals was not very good and after the first number Ms O’Connor was berating her sound crew to make adjustments to add some warmth. Her vocals needed something. Tina Turners voice switches between rough like bootleg whisky thru to smooth like blended bourbon and honey. Ms O’Connors voice was permanently switched to bootleg and began to grate. Like listening to a bandsaw. Maybe she shouldn’t try to do too many consecutive performances, having appeared in Perth the night before. Apparently, the band was lacking decent sound levels via their monitors a point which Ms O’Connor made to the sound crew while moving mic stands around on stage. I understand that the point of a tribute act is to provide the audience with the look and sound of the original artist, but I felt that Rebecca O’Connor with her exaggerated posturing and gestures had created a caricature of Tina Turner. And, with the unpleasant roughness of her vocals we decided to call it a night. We weren’t the only ones and having packed up our things we joined a line of other folks heading for the exits.
Overall we had a great day and, perhaps, on another occasion we would have enjoyed “The Big O”, “The King” and “Tina”.
The show was, despite my reservations and criticisms, well worth the money.
WrAnTz 