Retiring takes some adjusting to. At first it seemed like a weekend, then a holiday then a long holiday and then a series of weekends. It's great to have time to do things - less rush and time to actually read a book or find out how something on the computer works. Still I miss the social aspects of work but try to keep in touch.
Some of the things that have happened during the year:
Things happen: I was in Toowoomba visiting daughter Simone and grand daughter Seraphina at the time of the Toowoomba flash floods and the subsequent tragedy in the Lockyer Valley downstream - sometimes you're just lucky or unlucky. Simone's house flooded a bit and I saw two ladies being washed away - (I late found out that they survived). I posted a short video on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/barnesrg?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/IBfPyEIP6c4 . A later drive through the Lockyer Valley was numbing - the place where many died looks so peaceful and rural.
People die: - I lost two dear friends - Dave Suppel my old boss, and Larry Scott during the year - and my aunties and uncles have also been slowly thinning out over the years - their loss makes you ever more grateful for being alive.
Travel: Lou and I travelled to New Caledonia (a gift for our birthdays from our gorgeous daughters) and have been exploring the local world. I enjoy train travel and we have been to Sydney many times on the train - it's a long trip of several hours but scenic and comfortable. The peak experience was going to the Australian Mining History Association conference in Hahndorf in South Australia - a week of adventure with a great group of dedicated people - fantastic series of short excursions to old mine sites and towns in the Adelaide Hills. And there were the visits to the Blue Mountains, Lithgow to see Diana and Toowoomba to visit Simone, Jerry and Seraphina.
Getting involved: It takes a while to figure out what you want to do with the new time you have. I have joined the Australian Mining History Association http://www.mininghistory.asn.au/, Royal Australian Historical Society been on excursions with the Amateur Geological Society of the Hunter Valley http://www.agshv.com/ and Hunter Earth Sciences Discussion Group.
Hobbies: I have been a keen photographer since university and now have the time to get more active again. I lashed out and bought a new and very advanced Nikon D7000 digital single lens reflex camera with zoom lenses. What an awesome piece of machinery/technology http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m37rC4f_ezM- it will take years to learn to get the most from it - but photography is not about the camera - its about being out and about and "seeing" the world around you.
When we lived at Broken Hill I took thousands of black and white photographs which I processed to negatives. Most of these were never printed so I bought a negative scanner and am now seeing for the first time some of the shots I took 35 years ago. It's an on-going project - still 2000 to go - and there are some beaut shots in there and its a real nostalga trip.
Concerts and shows: The Jersey Boys http://www.jerseyboysaustralia.com.au/ was a great show / musical. Lizottes in Newcastle is terrific as a dinner concert venue http://www.newcastle.lizottes.com.au/live/ - Ross Wilson, Robert Johnson blues tribute and every now and then a big one comes along - Cold Chisel December and Hall and Oates in February (2012). Exhibitions at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery http://mrag.org.au/ have been great as is their new cafe. In Sydney the Mad Square exhibition http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/mad-square/ was an eye opener and in Melbourne Vienna: Art and Design http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/exhibitions/vienna,-art-and-design was gorgeous. And Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi is always a winner. http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/exhibitions/bondi.aspx and the Outpost Art from the Streets exhibition on Cockatoo Island http://www.theprogram.com.au/Event/04-11-2011/outpost-art-from-the-streets allowed for a photo shoot day with John and Mike and a lovely ferry ride to boot.
Garden: Here most of the credit goes to Lou for her bold plans. We now have a fabulous herb garden and herbs planted all over the place along with a very productive vegie patch - the lemons were amazing - and in December we could have lived on zucchini. The roses and other flowers were spectacular this year because of the extra rain.
Building a business: I have built a small geological consultancy called Goldvine Exploration Services to keep me involved. I have been working for a small exploration company seeking cobalt at Broken Hill. As a result I have travelled to Broken Hill for a conference and to Sydney for meetings including the AGM. My pic ended up in a Quarterly report! http://www.bhpl.biz/about-us/our-team/management/
Setting up a small business has been quite good fun and I learned lots from Lou who runs her own very busy tutoring business. I have been loving getting back into actual exploration geology and re-learning GIS and putting other skills to good use.
Getting connected: Time has given me a chance to learn new skills with the internet - such as this blog - and making more on-line connections. I'm on Facebook and now love Twitter @RobBarnes112 https://twitter.com/#!/RobBarnes112 for its opportunities to get new information about the things that interest you. We also have WiFi and ADSL2+ which means we can stream shows from the internet - learning to love ABC iview and SBS shows and docos we missed.
Books and music: Especially worth a mention - Keith Richards (Rollings Stones) autobiography "Life" is an amazing if drug-laden ride through the life of a rebel rock and roller. Paul Kelly's book "How to make gravy" is a journey through his extensive songbook and the places and people that inspired his songs. "How to make gravy" is one of my favourite songs and although it is not very well known. It is Australia poetry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRc_ntHjMM . Lou found a show we both love and fully recommend - look for the Smokey Robinson show in the archives - its great http://www.livefromdarylshouse.com/welcome.html
Christmas cheer: All the best everyone. I hope you have a lovely time over the holidays and have the time to reflect and enjoy the things that really matter to you.
