[neptune]

When are you flying into Melbourne, Gonz.....

[The Gonz]

Probably not until January sometime. We'll head back to Adelaide first to empty houses and storage for the move.

[Dazzler]

Or Tasmania!  Our wines win a lot of awards too.. they must be good, they are expensive!

[Surferdude]

And the Hunter Valley.
And Griffith
And the Granite Belt in Queensland.

Mmmmmm Wine. 

[Phil №❶]

Adelaide's the best, but we're keeping it a secret

[FatBoy]

From my experience with wines, different regions in Australia produce better quality wines than others, for a particular style of wine.  For example, my favourite is a Shiraz; which I find to be the best coming from the Coonawarra in SA.  However, I have found that the best Pinot Noir are found in Tasmania.  I find that the Barossa Valley is overrated.  I'm not saying that their wines are bad, far from it; but they are overpriced and pretentious.

I am really splitting hairs with this though, as most Australian wines, regardless of the region they come from, are acceptable.  I do like the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and some of the Chilean wines are also quite nice.  However, one of my favourite is from Spain, Rioja.  A nice drop of red that one is!!

[The Gonz]

Were I still a drinker, that could have come from me word for word 

[rustynutz]

Then there's the fact that Melbourne has been voted most liveable city 5 years running! 

Not this year it didn't World's most liveable cities 2016: Vienna, Sydney and Melbourne rank in top 20

Different crowd, Craig....
The Economist's 2016 liveability rankings  are yet to be released...

[FatBoy]

Having lived in every capital city in Australia, I can honestly say that my favourite city is .......

Melbourne!! 

Easily the best city in Australia, IMHO.  Great food, sport, parks, shows, easy to find your way around.

As for the weather?  Well, as Billy Connolly once said, "There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes."

[Shambles]

Were I still a drinker, that could have come from me word for word 

Were you still a drinker that would have come from you blurgh frrr blurghh

[The Gonz]

 

[meehalych]

+ today I made the first step in running exercises), covered 2.8km
+ 75000km service passed today and it cost me 200USD roughly
+/- having visited a dealer, I now think of changing my car to Kia Optima 
- hardly can change a car this year, for I have to set money aside for a future repair works in my new home

[Dazzler]

Tell us about your new home Misha!

[meehalych]

Tell us about your new home Misha!

I think I have done already) It is an appartment in a town-house: two floors, two rooms on the second floor and a room combined with a kitchen area on the first one

[Dazzler]

Tell us about your new home Misha!

I think I have done already) It is an appartment in a town-house: two floors, two rooms on the second floor and a room combined with a kitchen area on the first one

Sorry I must have been fixated on your new girlfriend when you mentioned it. Optima is nice...

[meehalych]

Sorry I must have been fixated on your new girlfriend when you mentioned it. Optima is nice...

Optima is nice, right, but the price is unaffordable for me for the time being, taking all the future expenses into account. But there seems a way out - if my girlfriend sells her car and I give her mine   

[tohis]

Today I took my i30 into its first MOT inspection, and it passed with flying colors.  I only checked that every light bulb was working before going in, gave some hard foot to it at the highway, and checked that the infamous mistimed DPF regen wasn't going on then. They found no problems of any kind, not even minor mentions which would have not caused the test to fail anyway. I paid 49 Euros for the test. Next test will be after two years and then annually after that.

One particularly interesting test they do at here for diesel cars is the smoking test, where the engine is revved to the limit few times to find out possible smoking problem. I heard that *roaaarr* and thought oh my poor little i30, but it's not really dangerous for a modern diesel engine. Typically those smoking problems arise for older cars with traditional distributor pumps, and I have also heard rumors about some old junks breaking down at the smoking test revving.

[sundiz]

I have also heard rumors about some old junks breaking down at the smoking test revving.

One fuel pipe broke down once in an old diesel mercedes. After smoke test it started to leak. I guess the high pressure created by high revs was roo much for old pipes. Luckily it was fairly easy to fix.

[Dazzler]

Sorry I must have been fixated on your new girlfriend when you mentioned it. Optima is nice...

Optima is nice, right, but the price is unaffordable for me for the time being, taking all the future expenses into account. But there seems a way out - if my girlfriend sells her car and I give her mine   

  How does that work? That sounds drastic!

[Dazzler]

One particularly interesting test they do at here for diesel cars is the smoking test, where the engine is revved to the limit few times to find out possible smoking problem. I heard that *roaaarr* and thought oh my poor little i30, but it's not really dangerous for a modern diesel engine.

Glad we don't have tests like that! I would be horrified!

[rustynutz]

 

Have you noticed how mechanics are also fond of revving the crap out of cars after working on them?
You'd think they of all people would have some sympathy for an engine being red-lined straight from cold and not under load! 

[The Gonz]

Maybe not all mechanics but I'd not be fond of those who did that. My son used to do that with his turbo Lasers on start up and also when ending his drive. I think he went through 3 of them last count.

And he's a mechanic!

[FatBoy]

+ Completed my first 5km Fun Run today.
+ I did better than my target time of 30 minutes. (I did it in 28 min 59 sec)
++ Now training for a longer race, maybe the Burnie 10 in October.

[Dazzler]

+ Completed my first 5km Fun Run today.
+ I did better than my target time of 30 minutes. (I did it in 28 min 59 sec)
++ Now training for a longer race, maybe the Burnie 10 in October.

 

Although Fun and Run will never be used in a sentence uttered by me...  (except this one) 

[FatBoy]

+ Completed my first 5km Fun Run today.
+ I did better than my target time of 30 minutes. (I did it in 28 min 59 sec)
++ Now training for a longer race, maybe the Burnie 10 in October.

 

Although Fun and Run will never be used in a sentence uttered by me...  (except this one) 

I used to think that they shouldn't be in the same paragraph, now I am using them next to each other.

[Doggie 1]

+ Completed my first 5km Fun Run today.
+ I did better than my target time of 30 minutes. (I did it in 28 min 59 sec)
++ Now training for a longer race, maybe the Burnie 10 in October.

 

Although Fun and Run will never be used in a sentence uttered by me...  (except this one) 

 
I get tired reading about exercise.

[The Gonz]

+ Prepping for tomorrow's International Night with iconic Aussie music and tourism video clips
+ Food served will be:




- Tomorrow morning I'm going to have to wear this safari suit again 

[Dazzler]

Have fun Gonz! Knowing you, I'm sure you will! Does Elena get an invite?

[Phil №❶]

Mmmm, pies   

[The Gonz]

Have fun Gonz! Knowing you, I'm sure you will! Does Elena get an invite?

Team effort all the way, Dazz.