Back in Ottawa

Haven't written my blog for a while. Jonathan and I travelled from Sydney to Vancouver (where we spent a day with Bill and family) before arriving in Ottawa (on Christmas day).

It's cold and snowy. So far, we've been flying, skiing, snow-shoeing, playing music, walking around museums and have met a whole heap of people.

The photos (which always seem to come out in a strange order) include 1) me trying to ski in the Gatineau park, 2) mum and Jonathan snow-shoeing, 3) getting covered in snow and 4) refuelling the aircraft.

For the end of the year we are planning to go to Maniwaki and then drive across towards Montreal.

My plan for sometime next year is to get to Churchill or Moosonee by train!

Fellini

I've just watched Fellini's "Satyricon". An amazing film and I didn't understand a word of it!

In Canberra

The PULSE@Parkes project was officially opened today in Canberra by the new science minister!

We have a press release here.

Very exciting!

An amazing evening

What a wonderful evening! I'm going to be enthusiastic and say that this was an evening that I won't forget in a while - basically because Nicole, Kate and I played a Boccherini string trio in a proper chamber concert. About 10 people were watching in Marueen's house. It was a perfect chamber music evening! Nicole and Kate both played superbly! There were also many other performances including us playing the Beethoven piano quartet, some Mozart piano duets, Alex performed the E minor Brahms cello sonata and I finished the programme with the Squire Tarantella! But the Boccherini was so wonderful to play.

I'm excited.

News report:

Bondi shark attack report

A swimmer has been bitten by a shark at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach, leaving him with deep gouges to his arm. .. "That's a shark," the lifeguard said.

"Not a big one, because he wouldn't have had his arm left."

A swim

I went to the pulsar group beach picnic today. I was snorkelling at Shelly Beach, but left the water rather fast when a large fin was spotted just around the corner.

Now I know

According to facebook, my friends are doing the following:

1. Simon is finally starting to become less zombified.
2. Vernon is in St Brieuc, France for handball world championships
3. Jo is back in Nagoya.
4. Ilana is wondering how she is going to get through the next 20 nights of observing.
5. Bryan is not jet lagged.
6. Alison is helping her husband with his wing covers in the COLD.
7. Robert is listening to the rain...
8. is thrilled that we achieved some goals against Brazil... now it's time to bring on Russia! GO AUSTRALIA!
9. Naomi is now thoroughly educated on Strategic Innovation Management and wishing English were used more frequently in the corporate world.
10. Tara is dedicating a week to Centaurus A.
11. Ray is observing...rain, mainly.
12. Nanda is cat-sitting!
13. Rhiannon is in a place near you.
14. Elen is still a headbanger!
15. Faith is hoping it might be so.
16. Emma is feeling better as is Alexander on his birthday!

...

I know some strange people.

Students controlling the telescope!

The first PULSE@Parkes observation run was successful. This is a project run by Rob and myself to get secondary school students to observe using the Parkes telescope. The students undertake the observations remotely from Sydney! The day seemed to go extremely well although it was, apparently, rather hectic down in Sydney. We intend to put a press release out about this project in the next day or so!

I return to Sydney tomorrow (actually today, but I haven't slept yet). We're leaving a little early to try and get back before midnight. I then have to give my talk as the "astrofest" early Thursday morning.