On the road

Monday ----to Coonamble. We like this caravan park. The caretakers live in a bus beside the kiosk. Everything is old but well kept and clean. The toilets have chains to pull!!! The cisterns up high on the wall are painted with undersea motifs.

We were both glad that we had chosen to turn off the Newell Highway and follow the less used roads, first the Kamilaroi Highway then the Castlereagh Highway. There was more to be seen and different vegetation. We stopped briefly at Pilliga and admired the spa pool but the day was hot and the spa was 37C so we gave it a miss.

We had to take a detour on a quiet, old, dirt side road just before Coonamble. A pair of brolgas wandered across the road and stopped to take a look at us. I whipped out the camera, only to find it had flat batteries. Steve hurriedly took the spare batteries out of the case and put them in. They were flat too. Grrrrrr. The brolgas hung around for a while and I wanted to stay and watch in case they danced. Steve felt that we might have had to camp there for the night, so we moved on. I just bet they danced immediately after we left!!!

Taken from the car

Tuesday ----to Gilgandra. Once again we travelled through more native pine trees. They seem to be very thick, taking over the gum trees in parts.
We spent a couple of hours at Gulargambone, a favourite place. Unfortunately, the little town seems to have lost more shops since we were there a few years ago. The butcher shop closed and never opened again. A doctor visits irregularly but the little hospital is still open. A service station is run by volunteers. In a long row of old shops, there's a hairdresser, a sewing shop and a part time library. The other unoccupied shops are neatly kept and the whole row has all the shopfronts painted with Aussie murals. The locals really try. The cafe, 2008, which used to be the hall, is still open from Wed to Sun, serving lunch. Unfortunately, we were a day too early. We had a great lunch there when it first opened. The Post Office is also the Rural Transaction Centre and a nick nack shop. I took the opportunity to check my email there. The ladies in the supermarket told us all about their lovely little caravan park -- gave us the hard sell. I felt guilty that we weren't staying there for the night, but we had travelled only 50 kms that day!

Gulargambone means place of many galahs. The community won a Recycling Arts award for its creation of galahs made from corrugated iron. These are placed on either side of the town, to lead the visitor in and throughout the town.
Taken from the car.

Note the galahs at the foot of the sculpture!

Wednesday ---- to Peak Hill. Lots more pine trees again. I need Richard, Robert or Roger to name these for me but I didn't take any photos, did I?!! Casuarinas --- that's the best I can come up with. (Why do my botanically informed friends have names that start with R???)

We stopped in Narramine for morning tea --- under a nice spreading gum, opposite the cemetery. As soon as we halted, a car pulled up behind us and a tall man leapt out. He rushed out apologies in case we thought he was the police and explained that he had followed us through town, hoping that we would stop somewhere. For the next hour, Steve showed him around the van and he, John, asked a million questions. He plans to build his own 5th wheeler and when he saw ours, he felt that we had exactly what he wanted. He asked Steve to email him the plans. That was a different morning tea!!!

It was only a hop and a step to Peak Hill, where we arrived in time to have a delicious lunch at the RSL Club, where the same people have run a Chinese kitchen for the last 15 years. I said to the Chinese proprietor that she would probably be there for ever but she quickly denied this and said that she and her husband were terribly tired. Two meals every day except Monday, when they have a half day off, is a gruelling schedule. As she said, in a small town, there is no one to take over if you are sick, so you must press on.

Lleyton gave us the same shady spot in his caravan park that we have had for the last few years. As usual, we were given fresh baked scones, jam and cream for afternoon tea. He has a new addition, a small building containing fish fossils. We shall see this in the morning.

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Leaving

It's 9am Monday and after I make this post, Steve will pack away the satellite dish. There will be no more internet for a while.

Everything is organised and in its place, apart from the washing machine. We were going to leave it here but Steve got superstitious at the last minute. He felt that if we left it here, our machine at home would break down as soon as we got back! He has a point. After the last couple of trips away, that machine was most unwilling to start. Apparently it didn't appreciate its holiday.

We have a lovely NE wind, which will gently nudge us homeward and save on diesel. Sunday's wind wasn't too bad but this is better.

Our last swim yesterday was delightful. Most people had gone home to eat and we had one pool to ourselves. As always, we started off in the cool pool. The sun was still on it and it was delicious! It was perfect body temperature and felt neither hot nor cold. When it's like that, I say that it feels like silk on the skin.

Emily and Carissa arrived up here to say goodbye, before I was out of bed. Both complained about the length of their school uniforms. Although they attend the same school, Emily is in the High School section and has a different uniform. Carissa's green checked dress was too short for her liking. She is not far short of 6' tall and had the biggest size available, which didn't quite cover her knees. She is looking forward to High School next year, when she can wear the skirt that annoys Emily. The skirt is mid calf length and looks very elegant. Em said it was too long and showed how she and her friends hitch it up to shorten it. Of course!!!

We watched the Philip Island Moto GP yesterday and cheered Casey Stoner along. I was sure that Valentino Rossi could have pushed harder if he wanted. With Lorenzo falling off in the very early stages, the final result was just perfect! Casey wins his 3rd Philip Island in a row and Valentino gets the points for the championship.

And so, off we go. The only good thing about leaving Moree is that we know we are getting closer and closer to family.

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Packing Up

Our plan was to leave Moree on Friday, tomorrow. Then the big winds started. Gusting at 60kph, they would not make good towing conditions. The weather forecast shows that they are likely to subside on Sunday, so this is now our estimated day of departure.

Steve was doing quite well with packing up his tools from the shed. These include a big saw, a rectangular thing about 3' by 2½'. Whilst lifting up the bed to store things underneath, he groaned as always, because the struts didn't do their job. (Mind you, it's nearly 18 months since they worked properly!) So, out came the saw!!! Nooooooooooo. But he has made the repair and now the bed glides upwards with one hand and stays there. Next time that saw gets packed away, it can stay there, no matter what breaks!

There were nice "surprises" under the bed ---- presents I bought months ago and had forgotten about. The bulk of my Christmas shopping is now done.

I had my last massage yesterday. Tom gave us a nice bottle of Jacobs Creek Cab Sav and we gave him a framed photo of all of us here when they came to visit. We abide by the Chinese custom of not opening the gift until we get home. This feels uncomfortable for me but I follow Tom's lead.

Lindy planned to take us out for lunch yesterday but I had to cry off. I had a horrible kind of indigestion or something, from the night before. Before she left on Tuesday, Stephanie had given me a fish recipe. It was Basa marinated in sweet chili sauce. I don't normally like fish but this was delicious. I think it must have been the sauce that upset me.

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The October Long Weekend

For nearly 2 weeks, the TV and radio announcers have been telling us that the October Long Weekend is coming up. So here we are now ---- the Sunday of the October Long Weekend.

A few years ago, we heard the announcements and wondered what was the reason for this long weekend.
We asked around and no one could tell us. We asked the librarians and they didn't know. We asked various shopkeepers and they were blank.

So, we turned to Google. There were many entries that trumpeted The October Long Weekend but no explanation of what it meant. Clicking on one, I found, "October Long Weekend Travel Restrictions - Load Carrying vehicles and Special Purpose Vehicles
These restrictions only apply to vehicles carrying or towing Oversize loads, and Oversize special purpose vehicles such as cranes, drill rigs, concrete pumps." No, that's no use.

Then I turned to Wikipedia, the brainy, all-knowing one. It said, "You may create the page "October Long Weekend NSW", but consider checking the search results below to see whether it is already covered."

Create the damned thing??? Not on your life! What could I write about it? There was nothing to write! I suppose I could have said, "It's October. We have that Long Weekend Again."

Wikipedia doesn't give up easily, so I followed its advice and checked the results below under Public Holidays.
There I found a table that required close scrutiny. Finally I found it ------

NSW ---- LABOUR DAY 1ST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

Why couldn't it be called Labour Day like it is in the other states? Why don't people know that it's Labour Day? If they knew, would they know what it meant?

Does it matter? Who cares?

As long as there's a Long Weekend.

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The Healing Waters Festival

Saturday September 26. When I woke just before dawn, I could smell dust, so I hurried around to shut all windows. Dawn broke but the butcher birds were silent, as they were on Tuesday during the dust storm. We were enveloped in the orange-brown cloud again but not as thick as last time. I smiled to myself when I thought about all the cars that had been washed during the week! (We had decided not to wash the truck!)

By 2pm, we judged that it was clear enough to go to the street Parade. Emily and Carissa were very pleased about the decision! The four of us went in Nev's and Lindy's car and got a parking spot not far off the main street, which was blocked off. The Parade was reasonably good but not as long as last year, nor as attractive. Still, we applauded the efforts and had a good time. As always, each of the Princesses rode on the float of their sponsor.

Next was the Carnival and the inevitable argument about money. Every year, Lindy gives the girls ample money and we try to get them to spend it sensibly and have some left over. Every year, Steve says, "Give it up Laurie. They aren't your kids!" Old teachers never die!! This year, most of their money was spent on food! We had Maccas for our evening meal. Oddly, it was the most nourishing food we could find!

The Rodeo commenced at dusk and the wide metal bleachers filled up quickly. We all cooled down quickly, so Steve and Emily drove home for warm clothes and blankets. Our butts were freezing!! They returned with an extra child, Jackson, the girls' cousin. He had just arrived from Brisbane.

I'm ambivalent about rodeos. I want to say that I dislike them because they are tormenting, frustrating and cruel to the animals. Yet, the atmosphere and action excites me and I'm caught up in the enthusiasm engendered by the spruikers. They spoke frequently about cruelty to animals and some of the calf roping contestants were disqualified on those grounds. There were all kinds of events ---- bucking bulls, bucking horses, with and without saddles, two different kinds of calf roping and a terrific barrel race. A program explained exactly what was involved in each event, but as it all happened so quickly, it was a bit hard to see. Fortunately, Steve gave me a running commentary.

As the evening wore on, the kids became more and more restless and there were numerous visits to the toilets, trips for food, play fighting with those big plastic bats, general teasing and a lot of texting and exchanging of ring tones and photos! There was no bad blood, even though I delivered a couple of lectures! They were all high on sugar and no longer interested in the rodeo, so we headed for home. We had promised sundaes at McDonalds to finish the day, so that was our last stop before home, around 10pm. How did they fit in more food????

It was difficult to take photos of the rodeo and most of them have the metal bar of the safety fence across the middle. I haven't put any captions on the obvious photos; you'll work them out for yourself.

I have embedded a slideshow here. Click the arrow and it will run automatically.




Another method to view the photos in a larger style is to click on The Healing Waters Festival title at the top and then click on slideshow on the new page.

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Dust 2 Dust

Everyone is cleaning up after the big dust storm on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Steve went outside late on Tuesday night and reported to me that there was a fog. If we had only realised that it was dust, we would have battened down the hatches!
It was unmistakable when we woke on Wednesday ------ a thick layer of dust covered our world, inside and out. I still haven't decided what is the best way to clean the venetians. They look as if they have been commercially sandblasted.

The sad part about this terrible dust storm which blanketed much of NSW, ACT, southern Queensland and northern South Australia is that many farmers have lost their top soil and the growing crops. Broken Hill farmers report that they will have to sell or agist their sheep, as there is no food for them.

The media made a big thing about reporting it in Sydney but ignored it in the rest of NSW. If I see one more photo of the Harbour Bridge or Luna Park shrouded in the golden glow of dust, I'll be sick. That is so typical. The Victorian drought was ignored for the first 5 years until Melbournians began to feel the effects.

Looking towards the Highway

The hidden Airport

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Massage

When I went for my massage at 3pm on Wednesday, Tom greeted me with just about all the English words he knows, "Baby, sleep, Wednesday 3 o'clock". I understood. He has a wall of photos and I've watched as his baby granddaughter grew. His daughter and granddaughter were up from Sydney on a visit and I had suggested that he might bring the little one to the massage room so that I could meet her. It was quite understandable that the baby was napping in the afternoon.

Tom kept repeating, "Thursday, 11 o'clock." Ah, he wants me to come in on Thursday and he'll have the baby there at 11am, I thought. He handed me a piece of paper and a pen and asked me to write ........ what? So I wrote my mobile phone number. Although I couldn't see why he would want that!! At that point, Steve left, believing that he understood all that was happening!

Tom made it clear that the phone number wasn't what he wanted.
Eventually, after much pantomiming and the repetition of, "Thursday, 11am", I got it! Or I presumed that I did. So, I wrote down the address of the caravan park and our site number.

Right on the dot of 11, their car pulled up. What a nice surprise! I had hopefully set up tables and chairs outside in the dappled sun but I wasn't totally certain that I had understood the arrangements correctly!!

Tom's wife Annie and her daughter, whose name we never discovered, hurried across, carrying little Belinda, pointing at me and repeating the Chinese word for Grandmother, which sounds very much like Nana. (Pronounced Nanay.) Eventually, the little one, about 18 months, was calling me by that name! I felt quite honoured!

Annie speaks a little English and Tom speaks very little. We thought that their daughter, being young, would be very fluent. Wrong! Inexplicably, after 15 years here, she speaks none. Bang went my plans for asking some of the questions I hadn't been able to get through to Tom or Annie.

Despite the language difficulties, we had a lovely hour or so together. They were thrilled to look through the caravan, darting here and there with sudden expressions of delight, like excited kids. Maybe they had never been inside a caravan before.

I had got some Textas and paper to entertain Belinda and was a bit worried about her getting the colors on her skin and clothes. I stopped worrying when Annie drew a watch on Belinda's arm!! She is a really lovely, relaxed Grandmother.

It's hard for me to imagine being forced to have just one child, with the possibility of having only one Grandchild.

Tom had handed Steve a bag on his way in. After they left, I investigated the contents. It was 2 packets of Chinese cigarettes, named Eighth Happiness!!!!!! Oh my!

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Mr. Olemayt

Finally, after years of hearing about him, I became acquainted
with Mr. Olemayt.

The locals here are always talking about him. He's an incredibly colorful character, who appears to have had many jobs and lived in a variety of places. His life experiences astonish me. He seems to have tried everything, both good and bad. I have often thought that I wouldn't like him but then I will be told something about him that is most compassionate and appealing.

Last night, he sped out of the caravan park, with a police car immediately behind him and turned right without blinking, then tried to outrun the police. Neville told us this when he was unblocking sewerage pipes next door to us.

We came inside and I asked Steve if he had ever met Mr. Olemayt. Steve looked very nonplussed and stuck for an answer. Then kindly and carefully, as if talking to a dimwitted child, he explained.

As with most places, Moree has particular speech patterns and habits. Obviously, I don't know all of these variations. The accepted way of referring to a man whose name you don't know is to call him, "old mate" ------ or as it is pronounced, "Olemayt".

Damn!

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Moree Healing Waters Festival

For years now, we have gone to the Moree Golden Grain and Cotton Festival, taking Emily and Carissa with us to the street parade and carnival afterwards.

This year, the Council has put together a number of celebrations and has made the Healing Waters Festival, running from September 19th to October 4th.

The timing is good for us. The old festival was held in November and we would have missed it this year as we are going home earlier than usual.
Andre Rieu on November 1st in Melbourne, courtesy of Rachel and Tom!!!!


Click on the Title Moree Healing Waters Festival to read more about Moree, the great Artesian Basin and the events being celebrated.

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McDonalds Lunch

Wednesday. To celebrate the addition of the new cool pool, the owners of the park, the McDonalds, put on a BBQ lunch.
Marion (who runs the kiosk) and her daughters Lindy and Tracey and Angela McDonald were the cooks.
Countless sausages and onions and delicious rolls filled the air with that mouth watering BBQ smell.
It was held on a balmy, 20C day, at the old BBQ area at the front of the pool complex.



From left, Marion, Angela and Tracey.

Lindy and her famous, happy laugh.

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BABY MATILDA

Being a Grandmother is the most spectacular feeling. Immortality springs to mind.
When my friends become Grandparents, I live that wonderful feeling all over again.

When Trent was born, I joked that I would be "the paternal Grandmother". For years, he called me Nana Laurie. I made a speech on behalf of the Grandparents at his 21st birthday. Logically, I am now the paternal Great-Grandmother.

Congratulations to Trent and Janelle on the birth of sweet Matilda.
Didee, I wish you many, many years of great joy.
Verna will be watching over the little one.



Trent and Matilda



Tilly with Didee, GG Harry and Mummy Janelle.

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Market

Sunday was Market day. We had forgotten that this month there was a large display of veteran cars, and the crowd was enormous.

We drove a block further on, intending to walk and gopher back, but ................ The parking spot was right in front of the old second hand shop that has been closed for most of the year and it was open!
I went in, telling Steve that I would ride up to the market to meet him later. Famous last words!
2 hours, 2 large boxes and $23 later, I phoned Steve to ask him to come down and open the truck. By the time he had looked around the shop a bit, the market was packing up and I never got there.

There were goodies of all sorts, including lots of Christmas decorations. A Breville blender was one of the treasures and we've had some good use out of it already.

Another "treasure" shows up my eccentricity in the worst way! For the grand sum of $3, I bought a skirt and matching top. They are purple with bright pink trimming. The skirt has a nice shape to it. The top has the most garish piece of mostly orange flowery material inserted on the diagonal. I took a photo for Madeleine, who thinks it looks lovely. When I protested, she said that she was looking at it with a fresh eye! I'm putting in a tiny picture of it, just enough for you to see but not enough to make you vomit. (At least, I hope it's not enough!) I'll never wear it outside the house, so why buy it??? The only answer is eccentricity!!!!!

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Who Listens??

• Remember how I had trouble getting rid of a cold?

• Remember how the doc wouldn't even look in my throat and wouldn't give me anything for a viciously sore throat?

• Remember how I was getting new dentures?

Let me put both things together ... and demonstrate how people don't listen.

I picked up my new dentures on Friday, Aug. 28th. As the dentist was about to put his ungloved fingers into my mouth, I said, "I have a terrible sore throat; mind my germs." (To tell the truth, my main reason for saying this was that I never saw the man wash his hands. To be fair to him, he did have 2 rooms, so he may have washed in the other.) But his answer didn't console me at all. He said, "Oh don't worry; you should have seen some of the foul mouths I've put my hands in." YEEEEEK. That's exactly what I was worried about!!!!!

By the following Thursday, one side of my throat felt a little better but the other side was still puffed and very sore, so I went to the doc again -- a different one. I explained the whole story of a 3 week long sore throat and felt obliged to add that I also had the difficulty of a new denture that was rubbing and making my gum sore.
This doc "kindly" looked in my throat. The first thing he remarked on was that a big ulcer had formed where my denture was rubbing. "Oh yes, but that came recently; the sore throat is much older than that and it's in a different place." Then he spent 5 minutes explaining why my throat could feel sore from the denture -- referred pain, and other explanations that went over my head. My throat was getting sorer from explaining! He prescribed antibiotics, so I gave up explaining!

The very next day, I went to the dentist to get him to adjust the denture. He was quite doubtful that the denture had caused the ulcer. "Oh yes, it has only come since I got the denture; I had a sore throat for much longer but it's in a different place." Then he spent 5 minutes explaining why my gum could develop an ulcer because of the sore throat. My throat was getting sorer from explaining! He went away to rub the offending spot on the denture, so I gave up explaining!

WHO LISTENS????

Would it have helped if I had told doc #2 that doc #1 had seen me because of the sore throat, well before I had the new denture?
Would it have helped if I had reminded the dentist that he knew about my sore throat before the denture began rubbing?

By the way, both throat and denture ulcer are getting better!

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Sam, the Mad Hatter

I had a good talk to Sam on Monday night. He told me that the three performances of Alice in Wonderland went really well and he had a lot of fun.
With the aplomb of a professional, he explained how a tape was played too early, over the top of the people speaking --- but that it was neither here nor there and didn't spoil the play.

I love how both Sam and Madeleine talk about their enjoyment of the performances, not about their own abilities.

Break a leg for the last 2 performances next weekend, Sam!!

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Out of the past

Jeanie McMillan arrived today and we have spent the evening talking ---- trying to catch up on nearly 30 years.
It's amazing how we meet so many old time friends up here in Moree, thousands of kilometres from our homes.

I first met Jeanie in Wonthaggi in 1967. Barely out of her teens and with her own newborn baby boy, she became nanny to 4 little girls who had lost their Mother. That was the beginning of my great admiration for her courage and fortitude. As I said to her tonight, I have always wanted to write her biography. That really surprised her. Modesty is one of her virtues.

Today she has 15 grandchildren and 4 great-grand children. Driving a Toyota Troop Carrier, towing a camper trailer, she is returning from the very tip of Australia, Cape York. A grandchild has printed a sticker for the back of the truck --- Nan's Tonka Truck. I'm sure that they must all be very proud of her.

Men see her backing into a camp site and ask where hubby is. (Sexist pigs!!) I would love to be there to tell them exactly what this amazing woman has achieved on her own, over the years. I'm in awe!

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Grandkids on the move

CONGRATULATIONS to Maddy, who received a Judges' Award at the Talent Quest. Keep singing and composing, Madeleine.

CONGRATULATIONS to Tatey, who passed her driver's licence yesterday. Keep driving safely, Tatum.

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I WANT TO SPIT

EXCUSE ME...... I am Laurie Jenkinson, who gets a cold about once every 3 years. This is my second cold in 4 months. THAT'S NOT ON. If I didn't feel so sick, I would feel totally offended. For all these years, I have prided myself on not catching colds. As a kid, I had a lot of colds, so many that Dad used to ask, "Is this next week's cold or this week's cold?"
My throat has been viciously sore for 10 days. At the diabetic nurse's suggestion, I went to the doctor. I've never taken a cold to a doctor before and told him so. He applauded me for this ....... and the applause was all I got. He didn't even look in my throat! So here I sit, coughing up my toenails and waiting, waiting,waiting for nature to take its course.
Maddy has suggested that I go to the beach. That would be about a 10 hour drive, otherwise I would. Dad used to take us on a little red bus to South Melbourne Beach. He stood on the sand and called to us, "Keep swimming. Kick those legs. Don't stand up." When we got out, he rubbed us dry with Mum's roughest towels. Then he bought us hot chips, which we ate on the way home, before getting into bed. I want to be a kid again!!

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Painting

A very beautiful surprise arrived in the mail this week. It was a gorgeous painting done by my dear friend Carla, in The Netherlands. She painted it expressly for me, in my favourite colours. Steve was very quick to hang it up. I took a photo from the chair where I sit at my computer, so that I could show her how it was always within my view. You can see my computer monitor at the bottom.

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Opening of the New Pool

On the day we arrived here, the concrete was poured for the new, 25 metre cool pool. It had to all be done at once, so a veritable army of men worked all day until 11pm.
We watched its progression for the next 3 months. The tilers worked for weeks and it was fascinating to watch "Gywdir Carapark " being spelled out down the centre of the pool.

It was hoped that it would be finished by Aug 1st but there was a hold up with the filters. A shed was built to hold these filters, which look like miniature diving bells. Last night, Neville told us that, all being well, the pool would be opened at 10am today.
I texted him to ask if it was open and he answered that he was having trouble getting the right chlorine level. After a bit of back and forth, he wrote that he would text when it was all ready. Half an hour later, in came another text. "Great", I thought, "It's ready". I opened the text which read, "No, it's not ready yet."

We changed into bathers and went down to sit with them at the kiosk. Lindy suggested that she, Marion (her Mother) and I should be the first ones into the pool. Finally, Neville gave the word and as luck would have it, Lindy was unfortunately busily occupied with a bunch of caravans booking in.
So, Marion and I were the first to break the water! It was around 28C and as the day was warm, 25C, it felt beautiful. Within minutes, we were followed by about 15 people, some doing laps, which hadn't previously been possible. I was happy to alternate between the 39C pool and the new cool pool.


Click on the arrow to start the sequence of photos.

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Tatey's Birthday

Our eldest grandchild, Tatum turned 19 on Friday. How the years fly!!!!
She had a family celebration on Friday and there's a friends' gathering tonight, Saturday.

Josh was at the family dinner but Talitha and Maddy attended the school's Talent Quest, where Maddy won an Encouragement Award for her singing.

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The Mad Hatter

Sam, 11, is the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland on Friday and Saturday, Aug 28 and 29 and Friday Sept 4. This is at Echuca's Paramount Theatre starting at 7.30pm. With his talent, I know he'll be a star! It's just a shame that we can't be there to see him.

What is the answer to the dilemma of us not being around for the birthdays and productions and events at school etc????? We enjoy going away and I don't think that we can continue doing it for a lot longer. Yet we would love to be part of what the grandkids are doing. Listening to the talk in the pools, we hear that we aren't the only people with this problem.

Friends

We waved goodbye to Marion and Yvonne on Thursday morning. Sadly. We all agreed that their time here had flown. We've been here for 3 months and it feels like one month!
They gave us their "leftovers", which we loaded into fridge and pantry. There was so much that I am sure that Marion deliberately went out and bought stuff just to give us!

Marc and Rosa have arrived. We met them first, four years ago, when they were making their first trip in their brand new van. They were having difficulty backing in beside us so Steve did it for them. When we saw them again a year later, Marc was having no problems at all. They have their bocce set with them as usual, so we plan to play with them one day soon.

The weather has been glorious lately --- spring is around the corner. The temps have been between 21 and 25C and the forecasts are for even warmer days coming.
Podiatrist visit yesterday. It was a relief to have part of the dead nail removed. I dropped a lounge chair on it at Easter. She gave me some good advice regarding tendonitis in my feet ie. buy some really good sandals for summer. I asked her to put that in a note to Steve!

Today I had the first fitting for my teeth. We decided to have lunch in town and to try out a cafe that we hadn't visited before. We went in, looked and walked out. Way too expensive. $7 for a sandwich is stupid!

We ended up in the Balo Mall where we enjoyed much cheaper sandwiches and the company of friends as they passed by. We haven't seen much of Tracy and Scott since their wedding in May, so it was lovely to have them stroll by and give us the news that they expect a baby in late February. Tracy isn't thrilled at the prospect of being heavily pregnant in the heat of summer because hot weather worsens her MS symptoms. Offsetting this is the fact that the symptoms often disappear or relent somewhat, during pregnancy.

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Birthday Boy

Indy, our youngest grandchild (so far????), turned 5 on Monday.
He had a riotous party in a park on Sunday, with family and friends.

It's kind of sad to think of him going to school next year. With a bit of luck, he will retain his imagination, thirst for knowledge, care for others and innocence for some time to come.
When I was a Prep teacher, I tried to foster these qualities. That was a long time ago. I am afraid that children these days might be blinded (or blind-sided) by modern science and technology.
Jemma goes to school next year too. I keep my fingers crossed that these two will get good, kind teachers, who believe in developing the whole child. I wish for old fashioned teachers who will give them a good solid grounding in the basics; teachers who accept that the child has a huge amount to teach them!!

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Cranky Rock With Marion and Yvonne

Last Friday the four of us went out to our favourite place, Cranky Rock.

As always, our first stop was at the toilets, on the way into town. Next, as usual, was Vinnies. Steve pointed out a silly, plastic beaker type object, with a penguin shaped head.

We had a wander around Warialda, ending up with a lovely lunch at the local Bakery. It intrigued us that salad rolls and sandwiches included boiled egg. This didn't thrill Steve!
We had first gone into the pub for lunch. The lady owner saw us and remarked, "Some lovely people coming in for lunch." After looking at the uninteresting and expensive menu, we walked out again. I would love to know what the owner said then!!!

As we drove around the small town, admiring its many interesting features, we came across a very large second hand shop, on the edge of town. This was the shop that we thought had closed down, when we saw that the previous buildings had been vacated. The new site is 10 times the size with a much larger range. Great!! It also had a penguin-head beaker! We have never seen one of these before, so two in one day was fascinating!!!!

The weather was perfect ---- 25C (77F), with a little breeze. We were very pleased that Marion and Yvonne enjoyed the bush, boulders and birds out there as much as we do.
We spent quite a while on the observation platform, listening, smelling, admiring and imagining. We spotted some striped clouds, which none of us had ever seen before. Yvonne thought that she had heard something about them on the radio. I've searched the internet but so far haven't found a name for them or seen any pictures.
A shout interrupted the stillness and it took quite a few seconds for us to locate a body for the voice. It was a farmer, standing on a little sandy beach at the bottom of the gorge. With some echoing yelling back and forth, we understood that he had a farm on the other side of the river and was looking for his cattle. All that we could see of cattle was their footprints on the sand.

Yvonne and I walked in amongst the undergrowth to have a closer look at a plant growing in a few places on a dead tree branch. The leaves were distinctive and a vivid green. They resembled the leaves of orchids, we thought. We took a few steps back onto open ground and found ourselves covered in lots of little brown seeds. These clung to our clothes and because they have a little hook on the end, they couldn't be brushed off. Everyone pitched in and the picking and the plucking commenced, taking quite some time to rid us of these pesky little buggers. Yvonne was able to identify them as her daughter has a patch in her back yard. She called them Cobblers Pegs. What a fabulous name!!!! I checked the Internet and found they were also known as Farmers Friend, Pitchforks and Sticky Beak. (Farmers Friend because they clung so closely.) They were referred to as a herb and there were claims for many medicinal uses.

After we came down from amongst the rocks, everyone had enough energy to go down the track to the river. There were big heaps of evidence of cattle! I love it down there. It reminds me of being a kid and playing by the Buffalo River. Wattles are coming out everywhere. The red calistemons that were blooming brightly when we were there last, have faded. It's so clever of Mother Nature to follow one bloom with another, especially in different colours.

We were on our way to the kiosk where I planned to ask about the many parrots that used to be there, when the lady locked it up and went to do some work around the area. The peacocks came out of her backyard and wandered around but unfortunately didn't display their tails.

I have put up a bunch of photos which can be viewed as a slideshow. Click on the link beneath the photo. (Cranky Rock with Marion and
Yvonne.) You can see the striped clouds, the farmer and sandy beach, plants growing on rocks and dead tree limbs, and more ........

Cranky Rock with Marion and Yvonne

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This and That

Marion (Cohuna) and Yvonne (Leitchville) are happily ensconced in a cute cabin, with a queen and a single bed and all conveniences. They are half way between us and the pool. They arrived one day early and their cabin wasn't available but this new one is even nicer.

The new 25 metre pool is full of water but they are waiting on the filters to come. This pool is going to be about 28C and the weather is not quite warm enough for a cool pool yet. I will use it as soon as it's ready and go back and forth from it to the hottest pool. I love the buzz I get when I plunge into the cold water!!
We're still having cold, cold nights and mornings, but lovely sunny days, ranging from 20 to 24C. It's beginning to feel like spring is in the air!

We went to the monthly market in the park last Sunday. There were two stalls selling rocks, fossils and old coins, so I bought a few for Christmas presents for the grandkids. Last year we gave six of them echinoids (sea urchins), about 10 million years old. Tatum received a beautiful fossilised leaf, about 40 million years, I think.

We now have a regular Monday appointment with the Diabetic Educator. She is knowledgeable and helpful but I think that she is getting impatient with me!! I don't eat and swim at the times she thinks I should. She was horrified when she discovered that I take an hour to eat most meals. That threw out her plans for post-meal blood testing. She made the statement that seeing that I take so long to eat my food, I must be eating all day long. Grrrr. I've always been a very slow eater; I'm famous for it. My family will serve up my food first and tell me to start; even then, I'm last to finish. She keeps increasing the insulin, which isn't going to go down well with my own doc, I fear. Who do I believe??!!
I've discovered one important thing ----- I can bring down a high blood sugar level with only a little exercise. If I eat all of my meals on my feet and do the housework at the same time, maybe then the woman will be satisfied!!!!

Vanity

Yesterday, I got the urge to fix up my previously pierced ear that was botched a year ago. When the lady looked at the situation, she said that the new earring was looking too shiny and sparkly beside the other 5 earrings. So, for the grand sum of $35, I got one piercing and 6 new earrings. A good deal, I think. Also, I was able to choose one purple set!!!!

The new earrings are standing out very well because I had my hair cut and the hairdresser cut it much shorter than usual. Marion will have a fit when she arrives on Monday ---- she likes my hair much longer. Oh well, it will grow.

Seeing as my hair is so short and the earrings so sparkly, I thought the hair needed to be made more obvious, so I coloured it. It's champagne blonde.

Let's see, what else can I do? Fingernails? Make-up? New clothes? Tattoos?? :-)

Speaking very softly because Steve is asleep!

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EPC Program via Medicare

When I saw the dental technician, he told me about a Medicare program that I had never heard of before. The rest of you Aussies might be interested in this information.
It's called the Enhanced Primary Care Program. Click on the Title of this blog to get more information.
From the web page:- Medicare dental items (Medicare items 85011-87777) are available for people with chronic conditions and complex care needs, on referral from a GP. Eligible patients can access up to $4,250 in Medicare benefits for dental services over two consecutive calendar years.
Wow! That amount would cover a lot of dental work!

After the dentist filled me in on this program, I went to the surgery and handed them the piece of paper with the name of the program on it. Yes, they knew all about it. They booked me in for a one hour appointment with the doctor and the nurse.

Last night, I was thinking that I had done the wrong thing and should have waited until I got home again, where all of my records could have been accessed. WRONG. When I went for the visit today, I found that having diabetes was sufficient to establish eligibility for the program.

The nurse weighed, measured, took BP and filled in a few gaps on the computer. The doctor then checked me over, asked a few questions and wrote me a referral to the dentist. And that's it. How simple could it be?! Medicare has kept this secret very well.

If you plan on taking up this opportunity for dental work of any sort, don't wait too long. This information comes from the Government page :-

"In line with its election commitment, the Government planned to close the Medicare chronic disease dental scheme to all patients by 1 July 2008, and to re-direct the savings to its new dental programs (Commonwealth Dental Health Program and Medicare Teen Dental Plan). However, on 19 June 2008, the Senate blocked the scheme’s closure. On 16 September 2008, the Senate blocked the Government’s second attempt to close the scheme ...........
It remains the Government's intention to close the scheme in order to make funding available for its new dental programs, and the Government will continue to negotiate with the Senate in an effort to achieve this."

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Fairly Boring

Not much happening lately but it's good to call lazing in the sun and the warm pools, "boring".

One front top tooth fell out and I tried to learn to whistle through the gap! Eventually, I saw a dental technician who visits from Inverell one day a week. After he had finished the job, he said that I would soon need new dentures and asked me if I knew about a Medicare scheme for free dental treatment. I had never heard of it and looked it up on the internet. Sure enough, it exists, by the skin of its teeth, if you'll pardon the pun. Rudd tried to stop it twice in 2008 but it was blocked by senate. I'll look into that scheme before it no longer exists.

The scabs on Steve's knees are beginning to come off. Goodness, they seem to have been there for a long long time!

I've been seeing the Diabetic Educator at the Community Health service up here. I was having a hypo every day after swimming but since she altered my medication slightly , they have stopped. Thank heavens! I was beginning to get paranoid about going to the pool. She also suggested some carbs before I went. With some experimentation, we found that it was the vigorous exercise that I do in the pool that was bringing the blood sugar drastically down.

The pools have been full of kids for the last few weeks, because of school holidays. They are staggered throughout the states but finish this week. Emily and Carissa have another week because they go to a private school. As I was getting into the pool one day, I heard a Mother with 3 children say, "Now calm down your play and no more splashing." I hastened to assure her that kids, water, play and splashing all belonged together and there was no need to change anything on my behalf. She was grateful and the kids were happy to continue their games. I really dislike the grumpy bums with the beehive hair do and make up, who complain about the kids. If they don't like their hair getting wet, they should keep away from water.

For those who know Jim Baxter --- He is in hospital in Bendigo, recovering from a massive infection. Dom, Rachel and Talitha all went up to see him and said that he was most unwell. His wife Jenny is keeping me up to date with his condition.

The weather forecast for this week is a little cooler than usual. Monday is meant to be only 18C but the end of the week should be back to 21C.

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View

This is the view from the kitchen window, the beginning of the hibiscus. The banksia rose has a couple of flowers but nothing else has emerged yet. Summer and autumn were very dry and I think that this has delayed the bulbs.
I took the photo through the glass ---- look closely and you will see where I haven't cleaned!!!

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Gumshoe

Madeleine (12) is performing in Gumshoe, a spy musical comedy with Eltham Little Theatre, Melbourne. It was on last Friday,Saturday and Sunday and there will be another 3 performances this coming weekend. The kids all take a few parts. Maddy, as a bag lady, opens the show. Tarl says that she was great. (That's a Mother's unbiased view!!)
If you want to read about the show, click on the Gumshoe link in the title and scroll down until you reach Gumshoe. I found a review on the internet. It reads --------
Reviewer Date Review
Bec 16-July-2009 10:25 Its a fantastic show - great sets, wonderful costumes and the young cast are very good - a fun, quality show for all the family!

I'm so glad and grateful that at least 2 of my grandkids are into acting and singing. They were my greatest loves. Sam, (11) was Mowgli in Jungle Book last year and this August, his group, Mel-O-Drama will be performing again. My famous memory has forgotten the production but I remember thinking that the quick witted, fast talking part was perfect for Sam.

It's a great pity that we are in Moree and not able to see the kids in their plays. Maybe I'll make the big effort to see them both on Broadway in 10 years time!!!!!

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Waiting for Marion

Waiting For Godot. I attempted to read it many years ago. I couldn't make head nor tail of it. I saw it on stage and still couldn't appreciate it. I don't think I'll try again.

Anyway, Waiting for Marion is a different kettle of fish. She and Yvonne will be here on Aug 3rd, for 7-10 days. This will be lovely!!

Taswegians Leave

Friday ------ we waved goodbye to Sue and Richard this morning. It doesn't seem like 3 weeks since they arrived. We have had a lovely time and will miss them very much.

They are going to spend tonight at Boomi before meeting up with Sue's brother who is en route from Darwin to his home in Adelaide. I was sorely tempted to go with them, especially as they will visit their old home of Charleville, which we never visited. I threw out lots of hints to Steve during the last week. A few hours after they left, I said, "I wish we could have gone with them". His reply was, "Well, we could leave now." Considering how long it would take for us to dismantle the annexe and pack up, they would be two days ahead of us!

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Cranky Rock

On Monday, Steve, Sue, Richard and I took a trip to Cranky Rock, in their nice car. If we had arrived there and turned around and come back immediately, it would still have been a good trip --- their car is ultra smooth, especially by comparison with our clunking truck!!

We stopped in Warialda first, where we made "expensive" purchases at the St. Vinnies shop. I'm so pleased with my goodies. I think I'll make a separate post about them when I have some photos.
Sue and Richard appreciated the quaint aspects of the town that we like so much.

I went into the IGA supermarket, in the faint hope that I might find a can of Cream of Celery soup that I couldn't find in Moree. Heaps of them! Now I'm very suspicious that the 2 big stores, Coles and Woolworths no longer sell Campbell's soups, for some reason. I guess I had better try to find out why. It is so infuriating that these supermarkets can substitute their own labels for the familiar old brands.

Cranky Rock is 8 kms out of Warialda, on the road to Inverell and Armidale. The rough road in is surrounded by increasing amounts of rock until you arrive at a natural amphitheatre, completely surrounded by boulders perched on, tumbling over, crowded in, with more boulders.

After a delicious picnic lunch of sandwiches and sausage rolls kept warm in the Dreampot, we crossed the suspension bridge (a favourite of mine) and headed up the hill to the Cranky Rock (which was still in place and hadn't tumbled off since last year!)

The view from the lookout at the top of the hill always thrills me. Markings on the boulders show that the water was once many, many metres higher than it is at present.






















This time we saw feral goats eating on the bank of the river.


Richard was able to satisfy his passion for birds and we all admired a beautiful yellow robin. Some other tiny birds, also with a touch of yellow, flittered around way too fast for the camera to catch them.

A little rest on the way down. If I had known that Steve was taking a photo, I would have sat more elegantly, like Sue did!!

Before we reached the bridge again, we turned off and went down to the river (where Josh first learnt to "skip" stones.) In this area, I could easily pretend to be a child again!

Rocks and Trips

Steve tripped over the rope in the Barrow's annexe. He teetered, tottered and finally toppled onto the rocky road. What a mess he made of his knee! Richard gave first aid and did a great job of getting rid of small pieces of gravel. Steve says that it wasn't very sore until the scabs formed. They cover most of his knee.
This raises the question ------ at what age do we stop "falling over" and start "having a fall"? Steve fell over!!

I tripped over a rock. I didn't fall anywhere but the rock looked interesting. On closer inspection, it appears to contain amethyst. Lovely, lovely color.

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Brushmen of the Bush

If you click on the title of this post, you will be taken to a page which gives some background on the artists who comprise the Brushmen of the Bush.
In this photo, the 5 founders of the Brushmen are seen around the campfire. Only 2 of them remain but exhibitions of their work continue to be very popular.
The men came from diverse backgrounds. Pro Hart had been a miner; Hugh Schulz, a miner prospector; Eric Minchin, an accountant; Jack Absalom, a kangaroo shooter; and John Pickup ran an ABC radio station.

We went to the Moree Art Gallery today, with Sue and Richard and saw this exhibition.
I'm an ignoramus when it comes to art but I know what I like!
They were all beautiful paintings but it was Jack Absalom's work that really appealed to me and I hope to win one of his paintings in a raffle!! It's a little similar to the one below.





I heard of naive painting for the first time and was intrigued with the paintings by Hugh Schultz. His paintings looked 3 dimensional because of the little clumps of stones or flowers.

The Art Gallery is situated in an old bank building, which I have always admired. Although a certain amount of structural alteration has been made, much of the building was as it was. We wandered around, trying to imagine where the various rooms and chimneys would have been.

A grand day! But we returned home to a horrible cold wind!

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A Musical Afternoon

Yesterday was Carissa's 12th birthday and we had spag bol and chocolate birthday cake with her and the family. All of her gifts were money -- in notes. She changed the notes into coins and put them in her money box. That money box was carted around and we all had to feel the weight. She used a small ruler in the slot to measure how full it was. Excitement plus!

Both girls were stalling off bedtime, as kids do. One innovative excuse was to perform a song that they had learnt at school. In amongst the excited chatter, I heard something but I had to replay to retrieve anything. It was the name, The Chambermaids, that had set bells ringing. That and the mention of some musical instruments. All I could get from the girls was a time to be at their school today for a performance.

Sue, Richard and I went; Steve didn't like the vague idea of it all ----- but he was quite disappointed when we came home and reported! It turned out that it was a quintet from Musica Viva, who do school tours. The 5 young women were very experienced and professional, as well as a lot of fun. The school had done a lot of pre-performance work and the kids joined in with great enthusiasm.

Quite a lot of work was done on examining how each of the 5 instruments worked --- the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and English Horn. The kids (little ones and we big ones) were delighted when a "hosaphone" was played ----- it was just a piece of hose, with a funnel on the end, but a tune came from it!

Many, many musical concepts were covered in the same fun way, which we all appreciated. It was a wonderful way of teaching. As the school is both Primary and Secondary, the quintet catered for all ages. One of the teachers did a brilliant job of "composing", using only her hands and the people playing the instruments. A young boy did a similar thing using drawings on a whiteboard. Great afternoon!!!

Our plans are laid for Friday and more for Monday. Having Sue and Richard here is motivating!!

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The Circus Part 2

There were a number of different kinds of juggling, with hands and feet, rings and balls, from the ground and high in the air. My favourite was the juggling with brightly coloured scarves, to the tune of Bolero. These very lightweight scarves drifted and twisted gracefully and had to be deftly snatched by the performer as the music became faster and faster.

Acrobats performed nimbly on the high wire and the slack wire, sometimes with ropes and ribbons and often combined with juggling.
One young woman had a terrific act with hula hoops. Her grande finale was when fellow performers threw more and more hoops to her, sometimes 10 at a time. These went over her head and down, until most of her body was thickly covered in hoops, all twirling merrily.

The tightrope walker provided great entertainment. Pretending to be unsteady on his feet must surely have been harder than just walking across the high wire! Beneath him were two clowns holding a very small light blanket, pretending to be very concerned. A chair was tossed up to him and he balanced this in the centre. Balancing the long pole, he sat on the chair, climbed up on it and generally fooled around --- far steadier than I am on a chair at ground level!! Finishing his act with the chair, he dropped it and it was caught in the little blanket! He abandoned the pole and fussed around a little on the platform. Then he walked confidently to the centre, where he faced the audience and promptly fell forwards off the wire, accompanied by huge gasps of panic. While we were all still in mid gasp, he swung 360 degrees ---- and we realised that he was attached to the wire by something on his shoes. PHEW!

The clowns played out many little diversionary scenes between acts, then one commenced an act of his own. He walked around the audience, with a spotlight hovering over faces until he chose someone. A young man and woman were taken into the ring and given a skipping rope, which they swung while the clown jumped. Communicating with them via whistles, he got the man to jump. Then he put a blindfold over the man's eyes and whispered in his ear. We guessed that he told him to jump every time he heard the whistle. The man was poised ready but the rope swung and there was no whistle, so his feet caught the rope. Quietly, the clown took the rope from the woman. He slapped it on the ground and blew his whistle. The man jumped obediently. This was repeated over and over, with the whistles coming faster and faster and the audience clapping and laughing. We spoke to the man on our way out and asked him if the clown had said to jump when he whistled. "Yes", was his reply,"but my wife has only just this minute told me that there was no rope to jump. I was congratulating myself on jumping so well."

Then, to my great glee, the spotlight played over Steve's face. I held my breath, hoping like mad that he would be chosen!!! My dear, shy husband, who embarrasses so easily! What a naughty wife he has!! And chosen he was. He was made to sit on a tiny stool beside a young woman from the audience. They faced a large, plastic, old fashioned type camera. The clown demonstrated, move by move, how he wanted them to pose. They ended up cuddled close together while he ducked under the cover pretending to take their photo. "The photo" turned out to be of two monkeys! Lastly, he got them to jive around in time to the music, insisting on wiggling hips. I thought I was going to burst! This is the man who wouldn't dream of wiggling his hips on a dark dance floor with only the two of us present :-) I had to try hard not to laugh in case it made me cough; I was doubled up, rocking back and forth, with tears streaming down my face.
As we left, the clown, who had changed clothes by this time and was helping to pack up, came up and thanked Steve for his cooperation. I felt like kissing him!!

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