Dan Schaumann

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The Ruined Castle

I love the Blue Mountains!

On a previous visit quite some time ago, I noticed a sign not far from the bottom of the world’s steepest railway that pointed toward a mysterious location known as the “Ruined Castle.”

I decided that I had to return one day to visit this seemingly dilapidated fortress. After some investigation, I found that it was not a castle as such, but a rock formation at the top of a hill which, if climbed, offers stunning 360° views from the cliffs of Katoomba all the way to Mt Solitary.

After a failed attempt two weeks ago due to poor weather, I headed back once again last weekend and successfully embarked upon the nearly-7km trek to the Ruined Castle summit. It was, quite frankly, a freakin’ incredible hike. I tried by best to capture some of this Blue Mountains beauty on camera:

 

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The Oldest Bridge In Australia

I went for a drive up to the Blue Mountains today and on the way home I noticed a signpost near the small town of Glenbrook pointing to an historical attraction called Lennox Bridge. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a detour and see what it was all about.

Turns out it was the first stone bridge ever built in Australia, and the oldest bridge on the mainland still in existence today!

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The Mushroom Milkshake

Those who know me will know that I absolutely despise mushrooms. I have felt nothing but repugnance for them ever since I can remember.

Some have tried to convert me in the past, but I’ve always refused to see the light.

If I get fed something containing mushrooms, then admittedly I’ll put on the happiest face possible and just eat the dreaded meal, but my soul feels dirty and used for days, sometimes weeks, afterwards.

This happened only a month or so ago whilst visiting my grandmother, bless her. She wasn’t aware of my contempt for said ingredient and proceeded to make a mushroom risotto for dinner. My heart sank to my toes when she told me of this. It contained about 10% rice and 90% mushroom, but I somehow managed to get through the entire dish thanks to its saltiness taking my mind off the fungi. By the time I reached the end though, I came to the realisation that I really need to grow some balls and get over this pathetic resentment of mine.

Cut forward to today – this morning I was on the phone to my mum and she suggested that I cook something. I put two and two together and decided to take her up on that suggestion.

So now, ladies and gentleman, I present to you… the Mushroom Milkshake!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N55UXNvVNg

Firecrackers

In the distance I hear firecrackers.

Ever so faintly. Above the low-frequency hum of the nighttime metropolis. Above the fresh winter breeze forced to filter through two buildings. Above the occasional friction of rubber over road or air over aluminium. Above the gentle murmur emanating from a block or two away; the happy neighbourhood couple just about ready to exchange their daily ritual for a few short hours of rest.

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Cockatoos

Earlier this afternoon I went to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney specifically to take photos of the sulphur-crested cockatoos that hang out in the trees and on the lawns. They were so damn adorable and surprisingly tame. Here are my favourites of the snaps I took:

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Belgium, I Love You

I travelled to Brussels, the Belgian capital, on the first weekend of January in 2009. I was living in London at the time and was fairly down in the dumps and heartbroken after a bad end to 2008, so I thought that a trip on the Eurostar across to the continent would be a great way to bring in the new year with a fresh start. I sure wasn’t left disappointed

My first impression of Brussels, after checking into my hotel, was one of grandeur and majesty. After a short stroll through some inner-city residential rue’s (excuse my terrible French), my first destination was the very impressive Grand Place in the centre of town. The architecture was second-to-none, and I was especially blown away by the nearly 100 metre tall spire of the nearly 600 year old Town Hall on the south-western end of the square.

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Egypt, I Love You

Well, here I am in Cairo. Months of anticipation have finally culminated with me stepping foot off British soil, onto a plane, and then onto the grounds of Africa five hours later, making this the third continent I have now visited. The plane ride was straightforward and not too long. I sat next to a girl from Lismore who was also on a two week tour of Egypt, but with a different travel company. I watched a very interesting documentary thanks to the in-flight entertainment about Britain as seen from the air. I read through my Egyptian guidebook and made note of some interesting places I wouldn’t mind visiting, and for our meal we had a beef sausage breakfast with egg, tomato and potato, fruit salad, blueberry flapjack, a loaf of bread, and pineapple juice. I specifically shared the details of my meal because it seems people often have a strange fascination with airplane food.

I was sitting in the middle seats of the plane, so I didn’t have much of a view of the outside, but the plane turned sharply about 10 minutes before we landed and I caught a glimpse of the landscape. Barren, plain, dusty, hazy desert was all I could see. I commented to my Lismore friend about how foreign it looked, which she completely agreed with, and we marvelled at the scenery until the plane levelled out again and continued with its descent.

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Sydney Harbour Ferry Race, 2011

Just a couple of snaps I took early today of the 2011 Sydney Harbour Ferry Race, as seen from Bradfield Park in Milsons Point

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Paradise (The Earth Is On Our Side)

It’s just another day inside this paradise
A side of everything you’d hoped for
The invitation is an open card
Extend it to your friends and come inside

Oh the light inside it fills those fragile minds
It shimmers on the vital edge of all that dies
And if it edges up to you
No need to think about it

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There’s a little bit of the Devil in (almost) everything you buy

Before I get into the significance behind the title of this post, firstly I must explain an encounter I had with a customer at work about 18 months ago.

One of the joys of working in a customer contact environment is that you get to talk to some interesting, bizarre, and often downright crazy people. It’s a true eye-opener into how different people can be; one call might be from a pleasant old lady who tells you her life story, and the next caller might be a complete madman who yells and swears at you.

Probably the most perplexing, and to be quite honest, frightening, of all customers I’ve ever dealt with was a middle-aged woman I spoke to when I worked in London. She didn’t speak English very well, and she called with a complaint about an order that she’d just received. Our conversation went something like this:

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