Little old wine drinker me, I’m praying for rain in California, So the grapes can grow and they can make more wine, And I’m sitting in a honky in Chicago, With a broken heart and a woman on my mind. ๐ ๐ ๐
Sing it for us Dean. ๐
I certainly enjoy a glass of wine or 3, plus I love living in Thailand. One of the few problems here however is the very high price of wine. In this photo blog I will give you some idea of prices & suggestions of where to drink wine at a (fairly) reasonable price.
I am a regular at this bar, but not as regular as I used to be. Last year they increased the price of a glass of red to B140 or $6.70 AUD, however there is a 10% discount if you have a member card which brings the price down to B126, still overpriced in my opinion. I must say however they do pour me a reasonable size glass for which I’m forever grateful. ๐
I now drink elsewhere Friday, Saturday & Sunday during the English football season, as the TV volume is so high it’s uncomfortable for many customers such as myself.
This is what I mainly drink at home.
Probably because I’m a “Cheap Charlie”, can you believe we pay B1000 or $48 AUD for 3 bloody litres? In 2018 we were buying a 5 litre cask for that amount, then the Thai government jacked up the tax & excise.
In fact taxes on French, Australian and American wines, for instance, are as high as 400% including excise tax, municipal tax, health tax and import tariffs.
Five litre Australian cask
Amazing value at B315 or $15 AUD. So $3 a litre as opposed to $16 a litre in Thailand.
Very good food & a terrific wine selection, always have some great specials.
Australian red wine at Wine connection
Billyโs shadow shiraz is B650 or $31 AUD, & Angus the bull B850 or $40 AUD. Billyโs sells for $7 in Australia & Angus $19. Is it any wonder I lay awake at night weeping? ๐
Pssst! Want to know a secret?
Foodland at Terminal have these Aussie wines for only $20 AUD. Of course you can buy it in Australia for around $8.00.
But wait, there’s more…….
Tops mini supermarket on the ground floor of my condo building at Markland on Beach Road.
Is there a better place to drink wine than here?
A fabulous September sunset from the Holiday Inn at happy hour. Every day between 5 & 7 pm a glass of Australian red or white wine costs B240 ++ for 2 glasses. The ++ is the killer of course, it takes the price up to B283, or $15.50 AUD which is a reasonable $7.75 each given the fabulous location.
Terrazzo Holiday Inn
As you can see it’s a nice place to sit & have a few wines. ๐
The best value Aussie red in Pattaya
Can you believe Mathilda Restaurant on 2nd Rd only charge B420, or $20 AUD for this Aussie red? The price of food is very reasonable also.
Xmas has come early
My great friends Nick & Sharron bought me 8 litres of Aussie red for a cost of $28 AUD, the 3 litre Mont Clair costs me $48 AUD, say no more. Many thanks to Nick & Sharron.
La Vida from Chile
It’s now December 2020 & this 5 litre cask is the best value in Thailand, B979 or $44 AUD, I buy a box of 4 from Best supermarket at Dolphin roundabout. ๐
Shock! horror! It’s now October 2021 & they have put the price up to B1,080, or $44.91 AUD.
That’s all for now folks
Thanks for visiting my Little old wine drinker me photo blog.
Before you leave please listen to Frankie reminiscing. ๐
Tough times Thailand 2019 on two fronts, first we have Thai immigration making it more difficult for expats to live in this wonderful country, secondly the exchange rate for Thai Baht to the Aussie dollar (and other currencies) is hitting rock bottom.
The following 2 charts will highlight the situation.
This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history.
This photo blog covers from July 1st to December 31, for the first 6 months of 2019 please go to THIS LINK.
Australian $ to Thai Baht
In 2012 there was 33 Baht to the dollar, today it’s 21.
Australian term deposit rates
In 2012 they were over 5%, today it’s a miserable 1.5%.
Rising costs for food etc
Five years ago in 2014 this selection cost $72 AUD, today it would be $98 Aud, one of the reasons Thailand has become less attractive for expats.
Life is still very good in Thailand
Just ask my good friend Hamish, he hasn’t a care in the world. ๐
Most afternoons I tear myself away from the computer & enjoy an afternoon coffee.
A small tip for a little lady
I often give this nice lady a B20 tip when I see her of a morning sweeping the road at Terminal 21, it’s just under $1 AUD. She gets so excited you would think it’s 200. ๐ I’m guessing they don’t get paid too much.
Love watching the storms roll in
So exciting when the storms roll in over Pattaya Bay.
There’s nothing like a September sunset.
I was sipping a red wine at the Holiday Inn watching this magnificent sunset.
Doug Burrows, Bill Perry, David Herd, Brian Rawnsley & Shane Andrews. Shane is here for some major dental work which is around 1/3 of the cost in Australia.
Fusillo Italian restaurant
A nice evening with Matt Harkness & is girlfriend Bow.
Spaghetti seafood
Fusillo is in Naklua Rd, what a great looking dish.
From floor 22 in Markland. For more magnificent sunsets follow THIS LINK.
A super cloud
This was 8 am on the morning of October 13, the previous shot was 6.15 pm the same day.
Halloween
Lola, Nina & Lucky playing trick or treat. I anticipated the visit & stocked up on lollies etc.
The boys from Oz
Shane Andrews, Bill Perry & Greg Caldwell were here for some major dental work. According to Greg he paid 55,000 Baht or $2650 AUD for 1 x Implant โ 1 x Root canal โ 2 x removals and a complete clean which took 2 hoursโ in the chair.
Holly’s coffee at Terminal 21.
helping me maintain my 112 kilos.
Tough times Thailand with high levels of pollution in Pattaya
The unhealthy haze from farmers burning their crops in Thailand & neighboring countries.
Thailand is the least miserable country
Australia comes in at 54th. ๐
Let’s talk about convenience, I often wonder what it would be like living in Australia again. I ask my friends on the Gold Coast to imagine if they could walk from their home to Robina Town Centre, Southport Park & Pacific Fair in less than 12 minutes? How convenient would that be?
Well folks, that’s what I can do in Pattaya, add to that the 6 five star hotels also within 12 minutes of where I live. All with terrific restaurants & coffee shops.
Plus I have a 24 hour supermarket, chemist & The Coffee Club on the ground floor of the condo where I live on the 20th floor with a view to die for. I probably should mention the 200+ restaurants & food courts also within 10 minutes walk.
Convenience folks, are you getting the picture? ๐
The burning question is, could I be happy living in Australia again?
Cruise ship visits Pattaya
December 7 & a cruise liner anchors in Pattaya Bay.
Music triggers fabulous memories, I hope you enjoy these selections, all favourite songs that I really love. Everything from Sinatra to Freddie Mercury. Can you imagine a life without music?
Music triggers fabulous memories, how many times has a song come on the radio, & in that instant we are transported back in time to a particular moment or a place so many years ago?
Flow Cafe Holiday Inn Pattaya is my usual venue for afternoon coffee, only a 150 meter walk from my condo at Markland in Beach Rd. The shot above is the hotel reception, turn left to fond the Flow Cafe Holiday Inn.
Terrific cakes & pastries.
Also meat pies, sandwiches & sausage rolls, and excellent coffee of course.
So many choices….
And such little time. ๐
My favourite waitress
This lovely lady with the gorgeous smile is Opor, that’s the shortened version of her name, she always makes me a special coffee. ๐
How sweet is this?
Opor takes great pride in her work. ๐
Luckily I get a 25% discount.
For a small cost you can get a โHi Clubโ Card which gives you the discount on food & beverage except for the specials.
Other hotel specials
Happy hour every day between 5 & 7pm.
Pizza happy hour
In fact they ate my favourite pizzas in Pattaya.
There are specials every day.
Every day is a good day at the Holiday Inn Pattaya.
Flow Cafe Holiday Inn
Thanks for visiting my Flow Cafe Holiday Inn photo blog, you will find me there most days around 3 pm. ๐
Something different
It tasted as good as it looked, very healthy indeed. ๐
New sandwich system
Instead of ready made sandwiches you now order from this list.
Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.
The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.
Sutus Court is a great budget hotel right i the heart of one of Pattayaโs main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.
This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate.
Shuck more oysters please they taste wonderful, and did you know that American and Italian researchers found they are rich in amino acids, which trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Consequently their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone. This photo blog will feature many of the places in this wonderful world where I have indulged my love of this incredible delicacy. The photo above is from the Surf & Turf restaurant in Pattaya Thailandwhere I enjoyed lunch on Friday August 24 2019.
Look at these beauties
I was in Sendai in Japanin June 2018 at Ostra de Ole restaurant & found that the Monday special offered half price oysters, I thought I was in heaven, sitting in a great little oyster bar drinking ice cold beer, listening to Abba singing Dancing Queen, & waiting on my 10 oysters to arrive. And as I said, tonight they were half price, 300 Baht or $12 AUD, priceless.
I’m a very happy guy.
My waiter Ryuichiro Yamamoto a nice young university student who was studying Space Engineering, rolled up with a bonus 3 oysters on the house. Shuck more oysters please Keep them coming buddy, I’ll tell you when to stop. ๐
My old friend Dennis Young from the 70s & I are enjoying Coffin Bay oysters. Coffin Bay is a 700 km drive from Adelaide via Port Augusta or a 50 minute flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln Airport.
Two dozen oysters = two days food poisoning on Copacabana Beach
I was totally out of it for 48 hours after eating these oysters on the beach, this was way back in 2006.
The Evil eye
The look on his face should have warned me about eating his oysters. He even had madman printed on his cap. ๐
Back in Brazil in 2009
And back on a beach in Florianopolis pigging out on oysters au naturel.Oysters are good for your heart. They are high in omega โ 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure.
This is the best seafood shop on the Gold Coast, that’s my old friend Frank who always looks after me.
Shuck more oysters please
I have been eating oysters here for 30 years.
El Mercado in Bangkok
Currently the best value oysters in the northern hemisphere. ๐
Oysters from Cancle in France
A huge selection from the Brittany coast. For prices & information please check out THIS LINK. Renowned for its oyster production, the commune of Cancale is located in Brittany, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Fishing port, it takes place at the western end of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, on the Emerald Coast, about fifteen kilometers from Saint-Malo. Prices at El Mercado From as low as B35 or $170 AUD each.
June 2022
A huge jump in prices.
Do I enjoy the oysters at El Mercado?
You bet your bloody life I do. ๐
Finally we are at Port Macquarie on the west coat of Australia.
People either love them or hate them. If you love them, head to the NSW mid-north coast, where a string of oyster farmers have opened up their doors to oyster lovers who know that fresh from the farm is best.
First trip to Tokyo in 2007
The quality of food in Japan is wonderful.
Dining with Phil & Junko
This was my first trip to Japan & I was very lucky to have my friends show me the ropes.
Life does not get much better than this.
Add a stunning view, excellent decor and very efficient staff to the great food and you have all the ingredients for a perfect lunch in Cape Town.
The Kitchen Pattaya
Oysters from France delivered fresh every Thursday & usually sold out by Friday.
$42 AUD per dozen
They add ++ in Thailand for tax & a service charge, very annoying being forced to tip 10%. Thanks for visiting my Shuck more oysters photo blog. I’m planning to visit Canale in France in 2020 to totally pig out on their wonderful oysters fresh from the sea.
Pattaya seafood market
Thai oysters at B40, or $1.30 USD.
Large Thai oyster
I only tried one & it was better than I expected, even without lemon etc. We will include in our next oyster night.
Oysters at Central Festival Pattaya
These oysters were on special, B360 or $11 USD for 9 & they tossed in one for free. ๐ Certainly the best value I have found in Thailand.
Tuesday oysters special in Pattaya
The Beach Club at the Pullman hotelfrom 3 pm every Tuesday they serve fabulous oysters from France for B30 a piece. Of course being an upmarket hotel the Pullman adds ++ to the price, 7% VAT & 10% service which brings the price to B35 or $1โ60 AUD. About $19 per dozen making it the best value I have found in Thailand.
Great value here…
At L’Auberge in Pattaya fine de claire from France are on special, B570 per dozen, or $23 AUD.
Belon oysters
February 11 2022 & L’Auberge were sold out of fine de claire so I ordered the Belon oysters. Belons are the native oyster of Europe. They are an entirely different genus from the rest of our oysters. They act different, and they taste different. Way different. Love โem or leave โem.
Menton on the French riviera
Many of the oysters I eat here in Thailand come from France. Here are some I actualy ate in France. ๐
Hamish Elton
Hamish eats more oysters than I do simply because he has more money than I do. ๐ Consequently I have christened “The Oyster Man”. Check out Hamish Elton “The Oyster Man”.
Pattaya coffee shop review from my perspective. These are the venues where I choose to spend my time and money. ๐
The photo above is the Coffee Club at Markland on Beach Rd, this in fact was opening day on 31-8-2018. It closed permanently 2 years later.
Coffee Club Eggs Benedict.
Good quality food & coffee but far too expensive. For instance the equivalent of a Starbucks tall latte is B146 or $6.97 AUD, at Starbucks you pay B115 or $5.50 AUD. Even though they have a branch in my condo building I generally walk 200 meters to the Holiday Inn where I only pay B113.
The staff here are very friendly & the food & coffee is excellent. The large coffee is B150 which is what you would expect for a 5 star hotel. However as I’m a member of the Hi Club I get a 25% discount which brings the cost down to B113.
Bon Cafe import coffee machines from many countries around the world for including Italy, Switzerland, Spain, the United States of America, and other countries to satisfy their various types of customers.
Around 5 days a week I am at Central Marina or the Bay in Beach Road. The lovely girls put a candle in my croissant for my birthday. ๐
My Starbucks breakfast of choice
Accompanied by a tall latte of course. Starbucks sell 4 BILLION cups annually. Which (divided by 365 days) means that roughly 10,958,904 cups sold daily between ALL Starbucks locations. So we are talking about 388 cups of espresso and/or coffee drinks daily on average per store globally.
This is Boonthavorn
Surprisingly they have the best value coffee in Pattaya. They are on Sukhumvit Rd,see the map below.
Just inside the front entrance on the left.
Top quality coffee for only B30, or $1.40 AUD.
The Bay center on Beach Road
Good value coffee in a pleasant atmosphere.
Location
Many thanks for visiting my Pattaya coffee shop review photo blog.
This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history, you may describe it as the melancholy musings of an old man. My answer to that is simple, it’s far better to be a “has been” than a “never was”. ๐
Pretty woman stop awhile, Pretty woman talk awhile, Pretty woman give your smile to me, Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah, Pretty woman look my way, Pretty woman say you’ll stay with me, ‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right, Come with me baby, be mine tonight. It seems fitting looking back on a random selection of some of the Pretty women I have been lucky enough to know, that Roy Orbison should help me recall some of those wonderful memories.
That’s Karen Smith in 1985, my 3rd & last fiancee, I have never known a nicer girl.
Carol Aboud in 1978
This was taken on my birthday which fell on 7-7-77, Carol & I were an item (on & off) for around 4 years.
Sing it for me Neil. ๐
Carolyn Clark 1994
I still see Carolyn when I’m on the Gold Coast, in fact in July 2019 we made a little promotional video for her boyfriend Andy Sims.
Next we have Glenn Frey sing a beautiful song, ok I know the song is Caroline as opposed to Carolyn, but you get the picture.
Now this definitely is a pretty woman.
Kelly Davis hailed from Tasmania, we knocked around together for a few months in 1991.
Kelly was a huge fan of Van Morrison so here is another one of my favourites.
One of the sexiest of all the girls I knew.
There is something about those Kiwi girls, hot, hot, hot. Karen Greenwood & I had an on & off relationship for over a year in 1991. She stuck around mainly because I lent her a car. ๐ ๐ ๐
Now here we have a real wild child.
Allison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. ๐ If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. ๐
As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. ๐
Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. ๐
Great company sober, but give her a couple of drinks too many & she would turn into a nightmare. This was 1989 on the Gold Coast.
Time to feature a triple treat.
Meet Kitty, Di Parko & Helen Burke, before you ask the answer is yes. ๐
They don’t come any hotter than Donna Turner.
This was 1996 & she still looks fabulous today in 2019.
Marlene Cuthbert
Around 1983 Marlene worked for Ansett Airlines, she had a very sexy voice on a microphone, that’s why Ansett used her to make all the announcements at mascot airport. ๐
Looking back I sometimes regret I chose Karen Smith to be my 3rd fiancee instead of Marlene. Don’t get me wrong, Karen was one of the nicest person I ever knew, our personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Lee Gregory was my 2nd fiancee.
Lee was from Adelaide where met, then we reconnected again in Melbourne in 1974. We had a fairly hectic dramatic short time together, travelled to Singapore & Bali & saw Frank Sinatra in concert in Melbourne on my birthday 7-7-74.
This is one of my all time Sinatra favourites, I can think of no better song to play when I think of Lee.
And they did…..
Teresa Hamilton-Smith & Helen Burke, we had a lot of fun together in 1982 & 1983.
Barbara Manneli aka the Gypsy.
The classic island romance, we celebrated the millennium on Koh Samui, 3 months later I flew to Italy to re-kindle the affair. Guess what? I didn’t make 1st base. ๐
This one’s for you Gypsy.
Tall & tanned & young & lovely
This is Mel, we me on Copacabana beach, she had green eyes & was 6′ tall, say no more. ๐
Bebel Gilberto will sing the song for us.
Someones knocking at the door.
Do me a favour open the door & let em in.
This is Emily at the Sheraton Mirage.
Was a Gold Coast meter maid.
Then there was Jill….
Cool, sexy & a lot of fun. Last time I saw her was in Sydney in 2102.
Back to the 60s
Veronica Crocker was my 2nd serious girlfriend, we dated for a couple of years when I was a teenager until the wanderlust took hold of me & at the ripe old age of 20 I sailed to England.
Dion DiMucci was a huge artist in the 60s, here are two of his songs. Both bring back great memories of my time with Veronica.
Teenager in Love
Take good care of my Baby
My first serious girlfriend
What incredible memories I have of this gorgeous girl Elizabeth Wiggington, better known as Beth. She lived on the corner of Wellington Rd & Antwerp St & I would ride my bike 3.3 Km from my home at 58 Kihilla Rd. It was much easier when I got my drivers licence & bought my little Morris Minor, except for the night I was driving home from her house & collided with a horse on Cumberland Rd. ๐
Now here is one of the reasons I love Facebook, it was 1960 when we were together for 1 to 1.5 years, then I never really saw her again. It’s now September 2019, 59 years later & we have re-connected on Facebook, in fact Beth sent me quite a few photos, because way back then for some stupid teenage reason I had torn up all the ones I owned. ๐
Johnny Burnette can remind us how it was back then.
The old shipboard romance.
I needed to get over my long romance with Veronica & Leanne Scott on the ship to England seemed like the perfect solution. ๐
Sing it for me Bobby……
Wendy Winspear, tall & gorgeous.
A lovely Dutch girl on the Gold Coast, sadly she passed away far too young around 2017, RIP.
My first fiancee, Melbourne 1970.
Paula Wills was an Adelaide girl living in Melbourne & working as a an hostess for Ansett. After 3 months living together I think we just ran out of things to say.
Dianne Parkinson in 1975
To say Parko bought some dramas into my life is a gross understatement. Read about some of it on THIS LINK.
The sweetest Diane of them all.
Adelaide 1973 Diane Butson was one of my neighbours in a condo block on Anzac Highway. She was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray dance studio. A great girl & absolutely gorgeous. Follow THIS LINK for more old photos.
Great song from the Bachelors in 1964.
The Bachelors ~ Diane ~ 1964
Another beautiful Adelaide girl.
Jan Seagers was another neighbour, we had some terrific times together. We caught up again in 2015, I had not seen her for 40 years. Check out THIS LINK.
Pretty woman stop awhile
Helen Burke from Melbourne, we really had some fun, played backgammon all through Hawaii & the California coast in 1982.
Linda Ronstadt will tell you about the coast.
Well by now you are bored silly by the memories & musings of an old man. But make no mistake, Glenn Frey will describe exactly how I feel today.
Boys must have toys, it’s ingrained in our DNA. I have searched through my photos to find nearly all of the cars & boats I have had the pleasure of owning throughout my life.
They don’t come much prettier than my yellow canary shown above, I owned this beautiful Mercedes 350SL for 17 years from 1990 till 2007.
Here’s what you do with a beautiful carYou fill it up with pretty girls of course. ๐
When you own a beautiful Mercedes….
Naturally you need a Porsche to keep it company. ๐
When you drove a Porsche on the Gold Coast……..
Good things seemed to happen.
My first Mercedes 350 SL
I purchased this classic in 1980, it was the ultimate chick magnet. ๐
When you have a Mercedes & a Porsche…..
Naturally you need a boat. ๐ This is a 22′ Fraser with a 200 HP Yamaha.
Next you need a crash test dummy
This keeps the birds away when the covers are off. ๐
My previous boat.
19 foot long with a 150 HP Suzuki.
Life is hard, then you die.
Joking of course, life is wonderful, when you die you can take a rest. ๐
A little runabout to get me around Pittwater & Scotland Island. Do you like the name?
Here is my Bertram 25
A terrific flybridge cruiser with twin 165 HP Mercury inboards. It was moored outside my Drummoyne apartment in the early 80s & spent most of the time visiting Doyles at Watsons Bay.
When you own a boat…..
Good things seem to happen. ๐ ๐ ๐
Loading the team on board
Off to Doyles again.
Gluttony at it’s very best. ๐
So many memories of long lazy lunches at Doyles.
A typical Sunday at Doyles
Huge crowd at Doyles & the Watson’s Bay hotel next door.
Back to the cars
Early 80s I drove a Ford Marquis for a while.
You gotta love a Benz. ๐
This was my Mercedes 280 E in 1989.
My beautiful Jaguar XJ 6.
It came with 2 petrol tanks & 2 gorgeous girls.
My first car
Sorry about the photo quality most of my photos were damaged when my home in Melbourne was firebombed in September 1977. But that’s another story, it & others are on THIS LINK.
Next car was an iconic FJ Holden.
My girlfriend Beth washing my FJ Holden outside my home at 58 Kihilla Rd Auburn.
I was lucky to survive some of the things I did in this car. Looking back, I was a typical teenager in the 60s who knew no fear.
Then came the Volkswagen
I can remember floating it on the flooded highway at Ballina in the floods. I just pushed it 50 metres to the dry road.
When you owned a VW in the 60s……
Good things happened, for example “Veronica Crocker”.
EH Holden station wagon.
This was my next car after arriving home in 1965 after 18 months in England & Europe, including a 4 month stint as an officer on the La Maria.
A 1970 MGB, my first new car.
It set me back just under $3000, worth every cent. Purchased in Melbourne, relocated to Sydney for 2 years then moved to Adelaide in 1972.
A 1971 E Type Jaguar
Forget the photo quality the car was magnificent. I remember driving from Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of the night in 5 hours 45 minutes.
When you drove an E type good things happened.
Meet Jan Seagars & my Doberman Ziggy, this was Lexton Grove Windsor in 1974. Three thoroughbreds together.
My two sports cars
One was a little faster than the other, but I loved them both. Madison was guarding the fleet.
The work horse
My Commodore station wagon initially was my 2nd car, in 2003 I took 3 Japanese students on a road trip which started in Surfers Paradise & went through Broken Hill NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia. The next leg took us to Uluru aka Ayers Rock.
Boys must have toys
You may think this Lexus is a little out of character, I owned it for 3 years prior to moving to Thailand in 2011. Without a doubt it was the best value out of all the vehicles I ever owned. Paid $7,500 in 2008 & sold it for $7,000, it was as smooth as silk.
Well, that’s all folks.
Many thanks for visiting my Boys must have toys photo blog & indulging me in truck loads of nostalgia.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia which is officially known as Flagstaff Beach, is the northernmost beach in New South Wales. It’s at the mouth of the Tweed River and the rocky headland Point Danger, which also marks the Queensland-New South Wales border.
Sand transport system
The Project is a sand transport system that collects sand from the southern side of the Tweed River entrance at Letitia Spit, and pumps it under the river to outlets on the northern side. From there the sand is transported by waves and currents to nourish the southern Gold Coast beaches.
Great view of the beach
We are standing on a cliff in QLD looking across Flagstaff Beach to NSW.
Surfers waiting for a wave.
There seems to be many personal and indescribable experiences in their lives that keeps them paddling out again & again. Plus the willingness to wait for them often defines a surfer more than his or her individual ability.
Bring it on.
The waiting is really worth it.
Everyone loves the beach
Not just surfers, kids with their mums & dogs as well. ๐
My friends from England
Joan Baptist & Bill Austin from Wiltshire visited Australia in 2010 & naturally I took them sightseeing along the coast. The following week we drove down to Sydney.
They actually got married in England yesterday August 3 2019 after being together for over 20 years.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
It’s not just the board-riders who love to surf. Kite-boarding is an action sport combining aspects of wake-boarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding and sailing into one extreme sport. A kite-boarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water, land, or snow. Wikipedia
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
I’m guessing he is heading for a cold beer.
OK, I’ll meet you at the pub. ๐
This is what the Beach Boys call a “surfer girl”.
Thanks for visiting my Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia photo blog.
Fabulous Australian Seafood is probably the thing I miss the most living overseas. Good avocados are a close second. Writing this article is bringing back so many wonderful seafood feasts in the land down under. ๐
The photo above & in the header was Xmas lunch 2003, I was happy to spend Xmas day alone with my best friend Ziggy (my Doberman) enjoying my beautiful home that I built in 1990. I ate magnificent seafood and washed it down with my favourite white wine from Margaret River in W.A. a Salitage unwooded Chardonay, life could not get much better than this. ๐
Avocado & fresh prawns
A perfect combination, add some fresh white bread loaded with Gluten. ๐ This feast was at Edgewater restaurant on the Isle of Capri in Surfers Paradise Australia.
The famous Australian mudcrab
Absolutely delicious & ideal for a long leisurely lunch with a very cold NZ Sauvignon Blanc.
I have caught & eaten hundreds of them.
For 10 years from 1990 I caught a huge numbers from my jetty at 106 Upton St Bundall until they replaced a bridge in Crombie Avenue destroying their breeding grounds.
Mudcrab prices have gone through the roof.
Especially if you buy them at the seafood shop in the Brickworks centre on Ferry Road. $73 a kilo is way above my budget.
Charis seafood at Labrador.
Much cheaper than the brickworks, but don’t be fooled by the price shown here, it was 2010. ๐
Fresh seafood from Woolworths
My friend Phil Thomson & I enjoyed this great selection from Woolworth’s at Southport Park shopping mall.
Eagles concert Brisbane 1995
My friend Ross Kennedy & I have a seafood feast in the carpark before the concert.
Fabulous Port Macquarie seafood.
It does not get better than this. These oysters were $15 a dozen & the prawns cost $10, both were as good as anywhere in the world.
Hastings River Port Macquarie
All along the NSW coast there are seafood shops just like this.
I have eaten oysters all over the world, please check out THIS LINK.
Mambo Number 5
A little bit of Monica in my life, A little bit of Erica by my side, A little bit of Rita is all I need, A little bit of Tina is what I see……. This was a fabulous night at the Freeway Hotel in Artarmon in Sydney, wonderful seafood & an abundance of eye candy. ๐
I usually prefer raw oysters but sometimes I’ll live dangerously. TripAdvisor rate Pony #168 of 3,868 Restaurants in Brisbane. Personally I think they are way too generous.
Baby Barramundi at the Lazy Lobster in Labrador, July 2019.
Certainly one of the Gold Coast’s best restaurants.
Fabulous Australian Seafood
We shot this video at Omeros July 2019.
Best prawns I have ever eaten.
Just buy them fresh from the trawlers on the Spit at the Broadwater.
Here are the trawlers
The medium prawns are about $25 a kilo. just call Curly on 0417 668 591, heโs one of the boat owners, he will let you know what they have in stock.
I have saved the best for last.
Chevron Island Seafoodis the best value on the Coast, I have been a customer for 30 years. See more of Chevron Island on THIS LINK, it’s where I plan to live when I return to Australia around 2022.
Sometimes I just have prawns & scallops
Cooked to perfection.
Sometimes oysters natural
That’s my friend Frank lurking in the background. ๐
Other times I have my special dish
A mixture to die for, thanks Warren.
My photos are being seen
I will have to remind Frank & Warren about the free publicity I am getting for them, surely I deserve a few dozen free oysters? ๐ ๐ ๐
Half price lobsters in December 2020
China, aka “The Bully Boys”, have placed restrictions on many Australian imports, such as barley, coal, wine & seafood. Consequently lobsters are on offer at half price. Due to Covid-19 flight restrictions I can’t enter the country without 2 weeks isolation, sadly I’ll miss out on these great bargains. ๐
Thanks folks for visiting my Fabulous Australian Seafood photo blog.
As well as terrific food they serve a very generous glass of wine for B100 or $4.80 AUD.
I am a regular at this bar, but not as regular as I used to be. Last year they increased the price of a glass of red to B140 or $6.70 AUD, however there is a 10% discount if you have a member card which brings the price down to B126, still overpriced in my opinion. I must say however they do pour me a reasonable size glass for which I’m forever grateful. ๐
Probably because I’m a “Cheap Charlie”, can you believe we pay B1000 or $48 AUD for 3 bloody litres? In 2018 we were buying a 5 litre cask for that amount, then the Thai government jacked up the tax & excise. 
You gotta love red wine. ๐
Very good food & a terrific wine selection, always have some great specials.
Foodland at Terminal have these Aussie wines for only $20 AUD. Of course you can buy it in Australia for around $8.00.
Tops mini supermarket on the ground floor of my condo building at Markland on Beach Road.
A fabulous September sunset from the Holiday Inn at happy hour. Every day between 5 & 7 pm a glass of Australian red or white wine costs B240 ++ for 2 glasses. The ++ is the killer of course, it takes the price up to B283, or $15.50 AUD which is a reasonable $7.75 each given the fabulous location.
As you can see it’s a nice place to sit & have a few wines. ๐
Can you believe Mathilda Restaurant on 2nd Rd only charge B420, or $20 AUD for this Aussie red? The price of food is very reasonable also.
My great friends Nick & Sharron bought me 8 litres of Aussie red for a cost of $28 AUD, the 3 litre Mont Clair costs me $48 AUD, say no more. Many thanks to Nick & Sharron.
It’s now December 2020 & this 5 litre cask is the best value in Thailand, B979 or $44 AUD, I buy a box of 4 from Best supermarket at Dolphin roundabout. ๐
Thanks for visiting my Little old wine drinker me photo blog. 
