Jauuary, February, March 2013

Shortly after we arrived back on the coast we did a house sit for Ben, Angie and children while they went to Queensland for their annual holiday. We fed and watered three chickens, two guinea pigs, one rabbit, two goldfish and Tiger the cat. All went well except that Tiger spent every night curled up at our feet on the end of the bed. We knew he had to be locked in the house at night but missed the bit about it being in the laundry! We enjoyed the experience but were happy to hand back the menagerie when their young owners returned.

The weather has been so incredibly wet with flooding rains and high winds and many people evacuated from homes ... again! Sadly, as a result, our annual Dragons Abreast club camping weekend didn't eventuate. The ground was saturated and far too boggy for those in tents and the constant rain would have doused our fire. Instead we all had a great day indoors at Sandra and Greg's house, eating the snags leftover from our Bunnings fundraiser bar-b-q with lots of laughter, a few drinks and coffees from barrista extra-ordinaire Greg. Thank you both.

It's been a period of notable birthdays with Glenn's mother Laurel celebrating 90 years on January 30th. The girls in the family took her to High Tea in Newcastle and we took her out to lunch on the day. Unfortunately Angie couldn't be there as she was in Queensland on their family holiday. Laurel is extremely well and looking after herself in her own home with some support for gardening, shopping and cleaning. She thoroughly enjoyed her first high tea and the beautifully presented food on delicate china. She has been using my iPad a lot so we bought her one of her own. She loves playing solitaire and memory games and is learning more about it as she goes.

We have spent quite a lot of time with her which has been lovely for us all. We have stowed a lot of excess gear from the van in her garage too, which is great as our place is still rented.

 

 

Opening gifts.

 

Moeana with flowers for her great grandmother Laurel... G'ma Lolly.

On the same day as Laurel turned 90, longtime friends Terry and twin sister Diane (in London) turned 70. We had a delicious birthday lunch with close friends overlooking Terrigal Beach, and toasted Terry on the spot, and Diane, his 'womb mate', from a distance. Kylie and Adam brought along baby Tyler to meet us all and we had a great time catching up.

Next on the birthday list was baby sister Nanette, who turned 60 last week. We had a gathering of three generations to celebrate at Riverstone, not too far from where Nan and Ken live in Wilberforce. Her close friend Tina arrived loaded with flowering shrubs and the cake was delicious.

Then there was Glenn hitting the number 65, along with so many of our 'baby boomer' friends, all delighted to be getting a little gift from the government under the heading of 'older Australians'. Life is just grand!

We met with four of our six fellow travellers to Europe at the Davistown RSL to finalize plans for our trip to Paris. We will be coming from different points to spend a week celebrating Carol's very special 70th birthday, and then going our separate ways for the rest of the time.

We have also spent time with Cush and our little granddaughters Moeana and Mathilda. They climb into bed with us in the mornings and wriggle us awake not long after sunrise. Glenn has been replacing screens on doors and windows and doing odd jobs while I made new curtains for Moe's bedroom. Can't believe how quickly the children are growing.

After the time with Cush we set off in the van for a few days. I have to say it's great to be back in our little home with everything at our fingertips. Yesterday we went to Dungog to visit friends Pamela and Chris who have recently moved there from Sydney. They love it and have settled in to the slower pace and but enjoy a busy social life. After meeting them for coffee, the four of us went to see Dorothy and Barry, friends from Terrigal who have built a beautiful home with magnificent views of the hills just out of town. They are very happy there too and think Dungog is a great country town.

Yesterday we drove to Telegherry in the Barrington tops where we have camped before in a beautiful forest park. Unfortunately it was closed after the heavy rains so we camped at the day use area which we shared with three guys who were heading off today on their mountain bikes through the fire trails. It was muddy and misty but a fine night. This morning we went for a walk and saw a Lyrebird. We paddled across the flooded causeway and filled our lungs with fresh mountain air.

After leaving Telegherry we headed to Wingham, my childhood home town, hoping to camp on the banks of the Manning River in the Wingham Brush, famous for the flying fox colony there. Again we were disappointed to find the road closed due to flood damage. We toured around the town, visited the old home and had a good dose of nostalgia. (Glenn is a very patient man). We consulted our Camps 6, and decided to try for another forest park just NW of Moorland where we are now. There are about 7 other vans/tents here, a few camp fires on the large grassed area with toilets and water. The night sky is brilliant with stars. How we love this life!

One low point. Glenn beat me at cards again tonight!

Sunday. 17.3.13

We spent the morning sitting in the sun working through our bank statements for the last 12 months to see where we spent so much money. It's an interesting breakdown and so far fuel, food and alcohol figure largely. Eventually we suspended that activity and packed up and moved on.

We drove to SW Rocks to the Crispies house and picked up the conversation where we left off last time we saw them. Good friends are a treasure. Jim has been trekking in Nepal to a school in the village of Gudal, which has financial support from a School in Singapore where he and Joan worked. Joan is jet lagged after returning from the states yesterday. Gadabouts! The men played golf of course and Joan and I went out for some retail therapy before whiling away a few hours playing scrabble.

We headed back to Newcastle to Cush and sky-diving the next day, March 20th. It was an early getup to be at the airport at Peats Ridge by 8am where we had a briefing on the safety aspects of the jump and donned our special harness and pretty red pants which were designed to protect clothing on landing. Glenn was in charge of the grandkids, Moeana and Mathilda during the jump.

Signing the paperwork.

Gearing up.

We each had an experienced jumper with us for our tandem jumps and during the flight we were hitched together. Matt was the first and he looked a bit apprehensive as he and the instructor edged towards the open door of the helicopter and dangled their legs in space. As they tipped forward and rolled out of the helicopter, all I could see was his open, screaming mouth as he disappeared below.

Next was Cush. The sound of the rotors above was deafening and the air was cold as it rushed into the helicopter cabin. Cush was nervous and several expletives escaped her lips as she tumbled forward and out of sight.

Next was me and instructor Phil and together we did a crab crawl from the space behind the pilot to the open doorway. All the while the pilot was deeply concentrating on holding the helicopter steady as each couple jumped. A few deep breaths and over the edge we went, doing a complete somersault and looking up at the underbelly of the chopper before free-falling. The sensation was indescribable as I settled, arms outstretched, and surveyed the earth below. The rush of air past my ears was deafening and everything flapped.... I didn't realize just how much until later when I looked at the video and saw my face wobbling!

Then the parachute opened and jerked hard on my harness, jolting me upright and leaving some memorable bruises. Everything was quiet then as we floated down to earth. There was time to look around at farms and highways, trees and water, and to have a go at steering the chute in one direction or another by pulling on the controls.

I watched Matt and Cush land without misshap below us and we came in for a soft landing too, the instructor doing all the work while I held my legs up out of the way.

After gathering in the parachutes, the six of us walked back to the 'office' where we climbed out of our gear and celebrated our brave adventure!! What a great time we had.

 

 

To make the day an absolute standout, later we celebrated the birth of Eden Summer Munday, sixth child of Ben and Angie and sister to Alex, Milli, Jacob, Addison and Isabelle. We are now very proud and thankful grandparents of eight treasured grandchildren.

Six days later we caught the train to the airport and were on our way to Paris.

 

Christmas 2012

The drive to Peter and Carla's home in Cowra was interrupted by stops we made to photograph some of the many creative and amusing Santas at farm gates. Here are just a few.

The first two photos are part of one statement. We thought it was very clever!

'end of the line'.... Rudolf on a spit!

Christmas Day and Boxing Day were family days filled with the sights and sounds of excited children. The pool was a hit with everyone and we all enjoyed a delicious lunch and dinner. Pete and Carla have the ideal spacious home for a large crowd. Kids slept on the floor and the garden was dotted with three caravans and a tent. We were especially happy to see our children and grandchildren after eight months travelling and to catch up on family happenings.

Sparkes siblings and families.

G'ma and G'pa, Matilda and Milli

w

Isabel, Addison, Moeana.

Jacob

Chevorne and Moeana

Angie, Moe and Addison

Glenn and Alex

Moe and Addison

Isabel and Grandpa

Matilda and new friend.

Milli and Jacob

Ken and Leon ... Dishwashers extraordinaire!!

27.12.12 Lachlan River. Cowra.

The day after Boxing day were had a great day on the Lachlan River in an assortment of kayaks and canoes. Armed with hats, sunscreen, water and food we put the kayaks in upstream and paddled down to the town bridge for roughly two hours. Allan and Donna (niece) and three kids had arrived by then so the paddlers were Allan, Alex and James, Peter, Elliot, Morgan and Chevorne, Nan and Ken and me. We had fun with everyone splashing anyone within range. Memorable times for us all and a big thank you to our support crew!

A few days after the crowd thinned, Peter Carla and Chevorne left for a well-earned ten day holiday in Sydney. We stayed on, as arranged, to look after Ruby the dog and water the garden. We have had a wonderfully relaxed time, reading, watching cricket and tennis and sliding in and out of the pool through this heat wave. Although the temperatures have been in the high thirties, the heat is dry and much more comfortable than the humidity of the coast.

We haven't been totally indolent though. We have walked the dog on those days when we have risen while the day is still cool and we have emptied car and van and both have had a thorough clean. Everything has been washed except the once white van curtains which disintergrated and 50% of our clothing. Those items have been binned!

Pete and Carla and Chevorne will be home tomorrow and we will depart the next morning.

 

12.12.12 Ceduna -Kimba - Pt Augusta - Mildura - Gol Gol.

Over the last two days we have been listening to the cricket on the radio as we moved quickly across South Australia towards Peter's place in Cowra.

A number of people said we shouldn't miss Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsular so we detoured to have a look at it. We had lunch and wandered along the beach which was pretty but totally lacking any wave action. It is a small village, very quiet with a caravan park right on the beach

 

We stayed overnight near Kimba which is geographically halfway across Australia and the eastern gateway to the Gawler Ranges. It is also the home of the Big Galah and one of Sth. Australia's major grain belts.

The sunset was stunning.

 

 

We really loved Burra in the Clare valley with its wonderful stone buildings and antique shops full of treasures. It was like a trip down memory lane scratching through familiar childhood furniture, china, books and household gadgets.

Last night we met Shane who was relocating from Sydney to Perth and was hauling all the Christmas gifts for kids and relatives while his wife, two kids and the dog flew! He had a coffee with us. The night before we fed three young Frenchmen from Lyon on vegetables which we couldn't take though the quarantine inspection point. They said it was a nice change from noodles, rice and tuna. They played Boules for ages before dark. The overnight stops generally open up into the bush behind the lay-by where there is room for quite a number of vans well spaced. We have met all kinds of interesting people in the overnight roadside stops!

We drove into Mildura and it felt very familiar. It was the meeting place with Nanette, Ken, Paul and Kerry at the beginning of our trip and we spent a few days there then. After a fuel, fodder and liquid refreshment stop we continued on to Gol Gol and found the Conservation Camp area on the banks of the Murray River which is listed in the Camps 6 book. We are overlooking the water and can see tents on the opposite bank.

Glenn has put in a yabby trap and is sitting, feet up, listening to the cricket on the radio, with recently purchased liquid refreshment in hand. Blue sky, cool breeze and river full and flowing. A good day for the Aussies cleaning up the Sri Lankans in the cricket, and, having the young Damiel Popovic win the PGA golf!

Sunrise over the Murray River

We stayed another two days here on the riverside relaxing, reading, swimming and winning the first test against Sri Lanka. A very warm day with a pleasant breeze. French and German campers for company.

Glenn drove a lot the next day, across the Hay Plain which actually has only a few more trees than the Nullabor and smaller bushes. Just short of West Wyalong we stopped for the night and sat in the shade with temperatures dropping from 40 - 35.c by 7.30pm. The view over the wheat fields was golden.

 

Next day we drove to Cowra to celebrate Christmas with family.