TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Al Ru Farm Lilly Garden. When my partner, Enigma, pitched going on a picnic where you paid for a food hamper to be provided, I thought we were just going to a very nice, well manicured park.  Al Ru Farm (named after the owners Alan and Ruth Irving) is an actual private farm but, at the center, is ten acres of well maintained gardens, a large barn converted into a function/reception room, and three bed and breakfast homes. Located between the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide hills, at Sampson Flat, it provides a relaxing rural/garden experience without having to travel too far from suburbia. Typically the gardens and function rooms have been used as an ideal setting for weddings but the farm holds other events throughout the year, such as their Spring Picnic (held in November - which you have to book in order to receive your food hamper). Overview of the main building and Garden Bar area on the day of the Spring Picnic. More of a picnic box than a hamper but still very nice and more tha

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout, Belmont, Western Australia. On the second day of our trip we had still to plan how the rest of the trip was going to go in terms of dividing our time between seeing the family and having holiday time to ourselves. Our apartment sits right next to the Swan River on the south bank, and south east from the city. Along the bank is a cycle/walking path, through parkland, that I don't doubt you could probably follow almost to Fremantle if you really wanted to.  After breakfast Enigma and I headed out to follow this path, toward the city, for what we thought was going to be a short walk but ended up being more of a five kilometre round trip. Things of Note on Our Walk The Dollhouse The Dollhouse. Not far along the walk is The Dollhouse . Initially it just looks like it might be a public toilet block when viewed at a distance from the path but the tall fence surrounding it suggests otherwise. It's actually a heritage listed mini house that used to be a displa

Bell Tower, Perth Western Australia. The last time I was back in Perth, Western Australia was October 2016 to see my Dad before he passed, and then attend his funeral a few days later. It was never my intention to wait so long before going back. Obviously the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020 caused the initial delay to go even longer than intended.  Then my partner, Enigma, and I had a short, four day trip all booked for the beginning of December 2021 when a COVID 19 scare shut down the border between South Australia and Western Australia and we watched our plans disappear within hours. Given that was almost a year after the world had started to come good again from the pandemic  lockdowns and travel restrictions, I just got very reluctant to book anything. Particularly after getting all my vaccinations done (triple vaxxed!) just to meet the requirements of crossing into WA at the time.  Fortunately we were able to get a travel agent credit for our cancelled airfares with no expiry date (or a

The Australian people voted 'No' to The Voice , a reform to the Australian Constitution that would have recognized our first nation people and would have set up an aboriginal advisory committee that couldn't be disbanded by successive governments without a referendum. The committee would've advised the government of the day on issues affecting first nation people but the government would be under no obligation to act on that advice. Which could, maybe, lead to problematic differences of opinion if a government continually ignored advice, but that eventuality could happen. Our country's government opposition, being the weak minded dead weight that all oppositions seem to be these days (yes, I'm including the current government when they were in opposition in that statement), predictably called for the Prime Minister to resign. As if keeping an election promise was something to be shamed for just because the outcome wasn't favorable. Just once, for at least on

After spending a considerable amount of time catching myself up on the 'Filoni-verse' by watching all of Dave Filoni's, Disney+ animated Star Wars series I was definitely ready for Season Five of Star Wars Rebels ... A.K.A. Ahsoka . First impressions, the animation looks so real... I think they might have actually shot this as a live action show? I'm kidding of course. While I think you could probably jump into Ahsoka just based on the character's previous live action appearances in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett (where she, and a few other supporting characters, name drop Thrawn) you really will get a lot more from the series if you've at least seen all seasons of Star Wars Rebels. I was going to say at least season four of Rebels but I think you will get the most from Ahsoka if you've followed the characters arcs of the main supporting cast from the beginning. You'll get even more out of Ahsoka if you've watched the main character'

After previously being disappointed by Batman: The Darkness That Came to Gotham I was really in two minds about watching Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons . Not least because I was expecting to be disappointed yet again by another DC animated movie but also because this one features Damian Wayne (arguably the most unlikable Robin of all the Robins) and Jonathon Kent, two of the brattiest, most entitled, kid characters in all of DC. In yet another world ending plot, the Justice League is compromised by an alien invader, forcing Damien and Jonathon, to set aside their differences in order to save the planet. I will say this movie is one of the most watchable DC animated movies I've seen in quite some time. Initially both Damien and Jonathon are every bit as unlikable as they're usually depicted, with Damien being even more  unlikable than the last animated movie I bought with him in (which was 2015's Batman Vs Robin ).  But I was at least pleasantly surprised tha