Queensland floods

[Duff]

[quote author=Duff link=topic=186236.msg311709#msg311709 date=1294971344][quote author=Duff link=topic=186236.msg311709#msg311709 date=1294971344]
Entry is $10.00 with all gate takings going to the releif fund.

My band \"Tom Stone & the soldiers of fortune\" is playing on the Thursday night, if anyone wants to come down & tell me off in person for being such a wa**er. As long as you pay your way in, it's cool.

A couple of spell issues missed by Fro.  Relief, not releif.  And presumably it should be Tom Stoned if we're talking about Duff?
[/quote]

Harsh Mata. I have to put one in now and again to prove I'm not depending on spell check.

As for the other point you raise, you have the wrong guy.

 

[Fluffy]

Forget punctuation, what about all the idiots who can't even use a simple quote function?

 

[fLIP]

I went to see my mother today who lives on one of moreton bay's islands about 30km south of the brisbane river mouth.

It really gives you a good indication of the destruction when you pass numerous floating window frames and furniture, childrens toys and trees.

The water is dirtier than ive ever seen it at probably 10cm visibility max.

 

[Dan]

The mouth of the Mary has only started to clear up.

My office looks across Sandy Straight to Fraser Island and the water has been brown here since XMAS.

Just been more blue over the past day or so. So it is starting to flush out

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I was fine guys, high on a hill...surrounded by the dirty stuff but no drama's....just lost power for a few days.

 

[The Gronk]

I was fine guys, high on a hill...surrounded by the dirty stuff but no drama's....just lost power for a few days.

Granges OK Mark?

PS which one are you bringing down for us in round one ?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

You wish Gronk!!

The Granges are fine, as are the Hill of Graces, the Lakes Folly's and some wonderful Coonwarra's from the 80's thta I treasure as well.

During the start of the flood it was pissing down rain, and as such cool, so having the wine fridge go out for a day or so was not the end of the world.

They survived!!

As an aside one of the top notch restaurants down at Riverside lost 4000 bottles of wine, conservative value was around $250,000 (as reported).

Bugger!

 

[Matabele]

As an aside one of the top notch restaurants down at Riverside lost 4000 bottles of wine, conservative value was around $250,000 (as reported).

Bugger!

  Moral of the story is, don't pass up a cleanskin from Sandgate.  It might be very, very good.

 

[The Gronk]

You wish Gronk!!

The Granges are fine, as are the Hill of Graces, the Lakes Folly's and some wonderful Coonwarra's from the 80's thta I treasure as well.

During the start of the flood it was pissing down rain, and as such cool, so having the wine fridge go out for a day or so was not the end of the world.

They survived!!

As an aside one of the top notch restaurants down at Riverside lost 4000 bottles of wine, conservative value was around $250,000 (as reported).

Bugger!

I'm about to get a wine fridge.  Any recommendations?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I have a Vintec

It takes 240 bottles so it's a pretty big bastard

They make much smaller ones of course

Mine is about 6 years old and cost $2500

I have maybe 180 bottles in there. Probably 80 of them are my collectors wines, the rest range from better stuff that I'd like to keep for a while and see if they improve (buy a dozen at a time), right down to my everyday wine which I just chuck in there anyway.

I must say you haven't tasted a Red Wine until it comes out of the Fridge (having been laid down for a bit), and at the absolute perfect temperature.

 

[The Gronk]

Yeah I figured there is no point buying good stuff unless I store it properly.  I was looking at a slightly smaller version though!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Yes they have them right down to 20 of so bottles, and quite reasonably priced as well.

I probably went over the top a bit, and as a result have a lot more wine than the average person might store.

But in this Queensland heat and humidity it's bloody good to know you bottles are being stored at a contact 15 degree's, day in day out.

And seriously,even if you only buy a few $20 bottles, buy them, then let the wine sit for a few weeks at that temperature, and then take them out (gently) and drink them...makes a world of difference.

Naturally any of the older stuff I decant first.

I was in the Coonawarra a few years ago, went to a cellar door and bugger me if they weren't getting rid of some old wine at bargain rates.

So I picked up a range of mid 80's to mid 90's for around $30 a bottle (probably a third of their value)...I have had a few, some of the corks were gone (and as such ruined) but most of them have been superb.

As you can see I am a red wine fanatic....almost rates up there with Manly (almost)

 

[Fro]

Bit easier sourcing them in Brisvegas than it would have been in Moree Mark?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Oh yes mate MUCH easier....when I was there it was pretty much buy a dozen at a time and hope for the best.There's a few bottles shops I troll around now picking up the odd great drop....there's a good place over at West End...I just hope it's didn't go under in the floods!!

And there's another interesting place at South Bank (again another fooded areas). You need to go to the independants rather than the Vintage Cellars / Dan Murphy's etc...although to be honest they do have the better stuff there as well.

 

[Matabele]

Moree did a great line of casks and flaggons I'd imagine.

 

[Fro]

Classy Matas

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I didn't respond to that one Fro...Moree is my home town and for 50 years it was a fabulous country town to live in. Just a couple of times the media stuck their noses in and made it sound a hell of a lot worse that it really is. It's a great business town (one of the richest in NSW), great place to bring up kids (heaps of sporting activities) and we had many many wonderful years there.I came to Brisbane in 2005 when I was offered a huge job for Rugby World Cup in 2007, it was a tough decision to sell the business and move away but it also suited our future retirement plans as well. You will NEVER hear me say a bad word about the place.....BUT...he is right, the red wine choices there were limited to whatever Liquorland or Woolworth Liquor had in stock...and as such just basic stuff. But I can tell you there would be a LOT worse places to live than there....I still have a daughter, son in law and 2 grandkids down there (in fact heading off shortly to drive down and see them)...and about the only thing the place really lacks is a top quality high school..there's quite a good Catholic one there but only to year 10...so many kids have to go to boarding school for the last two years...otherwise....great spot!!

 

[Fro]

We both know he wasn't doing a critique on the failings of Woolies and liquorlands ordering procedures.

One of the guys I play cricket with came down from up there a few years back to work as a drug and alcohol counsellor at the jail and he loved the place, and also still has a lot of relatives up there.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Oh yes aware of that....which was why I didn't respond....what's his name??...I know most families from the town even though I haven't lived there now for 6 years......if they moved in on or after 2005 then I wouldn't know them.

I played cricket there for many years...game up at age 31 when my eyes failed me...started to not be able to see the balls coming, and wasn't interested in wearing glasses...and contacts were relatively new technology 25 years ago, so just gave up and did a couple of years of umpiring instead.

 

[Nthn NSW]

Great stuff to the Manly u'20 players that assisted an older couple move furniture high and dry at Ulmarra(near Grafton,Nthn NSW).

Was great to read a letter to the editor in the local paper up here from an elderly couple who needed help to move possessions.They went to the Ulmarra Pub and asked for 2 young stong fellas and they were overwhelmed when 7 young blokes turned up,most of them Manly Sea Eagles U'20 players(don't ask me what they were doing up here).These young blokes refused payment.

If any of the U'20's read this,i'd like to say well done and with community spirit like that you are doing all Manly fans proud.