Friday...29 April 2011

So today Kate and Wills tied the knot. Nice frock, big crowd.

Back to me! I am sitting in the area known as the fruit salad bowl. Pretty much self explanatary. There are lots of orchards with most types of fruit growing. Was mostly peaches, pears, apricots. Now includes nearly every thing. Saw Persimon trees today, know there are apples growing here too. As well as all the fruit the area  also produces tomatoes and wine.
There is also irrigation and another main industry, dairy cows. In fact they are so fond of their cows here they have lots and lots of them decorating the main streets of the towns.

Thursday...28 April 2011

Well......what a day.
Up ultra early, for us anyway, to say our fond farewells to Himselfs sister before she went to work.  This was followed by waving to her husband as he too left the property for the day. They are wonderful people and we have had a grand time staying at their place. Then we fiddled around, washed and vacuumed the car, packed the caravan and finally hooked up to leave just before lunchtime. Our hosts have a lovely huge block but sadly for us the space was not where we needed it to be, so...... much wriggling and a few hundred forward and back movements until eventually we lined up for the gateway. Many unwelcome noises led me to believe things were not quite right and yep, inspection  showed scratched paint and broken window in the door of the caravan!! A tree that towers over the drive allowed us in but did not want us to leave. Bit of a shame, but as Himself said, worse things could happen. The scratches he believes will polish out and he can go into Shepparton tomorrow with the door and get new glass put in it....hopefully.
The drive down the road from Bendigo to Undera was without incident.
Made camp, then called BB and he and his wife came around and had a cuppa with us. After that things got busy as my sister came home from work. Dinner was great fun.
Only staying a few days as we want to move north into the warmer weather.

Tuesday...26 April 2011

What an awesome day!
Went out early to have my newly aquired aycrlic nails refilled so that I stay modern and pretty. Had them painted a very becoming red. And I added 'diamonds' to each nail.
After that I came home to find we had visitors and it was lovely to see Himselfs old mate and partner.
They had helped put new spring hangers on the caravan. Now all we need is new wheel studs for the caravan wheels!!
When they left we went out to Axedale to finally catch up with our friends from Paraburdoo. Magic. Awesome. Love the location and what they have done with it. Loved seeing them again. Sort of like touching base.
After we left there we went into town to have dinner with Keiths brother and sister in law at a hotel in their area that has just reopened after renovations. Very nice food and good bar service.
Home again now and ready for bed, was a big day.

Monday...25 April 2011

Anzac Day.........Lest We Forget

Went to Benalla yesterday. Had a nice long visit with the old folk. They had other visitors so was a noisy day but we managed a bit of chatting.
While I was doing that Himself went 5kms out the road to the Winton Racetrack to see the Easter Nats. Aparently it was not very well organised and was difficult to see the cars doing drags and burnouts as there was very high barriers in place leaving the spectators with only a view of roofs of cars etc, and there was only two food outlets with queues 100mt long.
We were very tired puppies when we got back to base in Bendigo. Two very big days out in a row for us.
Today I was invited to a BBQ lunch at my friend Janes place here in the Bendigo area but had to cancel as I got up this morning with not much of a voice and breathing was on the optional list as well. My brother said I sounded like I should be put down. Jane and I worked together in Paraburdoo and she is on her shift break. Hoping to be well enough to see her tomorrow before they return to the west on Wednesday to go back to work at the mines.
My brother dropped in for a coffee and farewell chat.
We are planning to move again after the Easter/Anzac break.
Himself has been out and about all day doing stuff to prepare for the move.

Sunday...24 April 2011

Easter Sunday.
I have searched the gardens high and low but nowhere can I see bunnies or eggs! Well I suppose I can live without chocolate for one day.......maybe the Easter Bunny is running late.
Yesterday we took a drive up the road a bit (150km) to a quaint little place called Quambatook. Now most of the year this little wheat country town is one of those places that when two cars park at the same pub it constitutes a peak hour traffic jam!
However........ every year on Easter Saturday it is an extremely popular place. Yes folks, it is the annual Quambatook Tractor Pull. Another one of those life experiences every one should see. Thousands of people come to this event, the car park alone is a paddock nearly the size of a little town I used to live in, way out west! Plenty of people, plenty of food and drink stalls, the kind that sell a huge steak sandwich for $5, lots of loud country music, happy kids having a fun day out, mums and dads meeting and greeting old friends for their annual catchup chat, and the smell of burning rubber and high octane fuels!.

The 'tractors' range from genuine vintage working farm models to high tech 'tractors' that look and sound more like drag cars. Each tractor must pull a loaded sled as far as they can along a 100mt track.  Some serious GRUNT on display. The things a farmer will do to be able to say my tractor pulls harder than yours!!!

And the on course commentator was the most politically incorrect bloke on the planet, nothing was safe from his wit....bless him, most refreshing to hear the old country banter.

Today we are off to the Easter Nats at Winton racetrack...now is that a cold I have or am I becoming a ethanol junkie?????

Friday...22 April 2011

Good Friday! Someone I know forgot and had a sausage at the local markets.....
So yesterday I finally got to see the famous Bendigo Pottery. Its been there for like forever and my mate Janie bought me home a Bendigo Pottery coffee mug once as a souvenier, (which btw I still have safely tucked away in a packing box), but now I have seen it  for myself! Very surprised at the various patterns they produce. Blues, greens, browns, scenic. There was also an artist gallery attached and I was most taken with the work of a lass who dabbles mostly in Clydesdale horses and other things like plants and birds. She had some portraits displayed but I feel her horse paintings are her best work. Her horses had movement her people were a bit stilted. And she has the same first name as my sister. Did not buy anything, Perhaps one day when I have somewhere to put things again.
Today we went into the BIT (Bendigo Institute of Technology, now called the local TAFE!), to see a display of woodworking by the locals. Some lovely stuff but I did expect more somehow. Btw, the display was in the same hall Himself watched the moon landing in way back in 1969, and also received his awards as Apprentice of the Year each and every year of his four year apprenticeship!!! Kinda freaked me out imaginging him climbing the steps to the stage knowing his parents were sitting in the audience. Ghosts people, but exceedingly nice ones.
This whole Bendigo thing has been one long trip down memory lane for him and I am learning much more than I already knew about this man I am married to.
After that we wandered over the road to a market and wandering through there led us into the the Bendigo Chinese Museum. I got to see Loong who is the oldest Imperial (five clawed) dragon in the world! He made his first appearance in Bendigo in 1892 and continued to walk through the streets of Bendigo until  his retirement in 1970. He is probably the dragon I saw as a child and I remember still the terror I felt seeing this thing in the street with all the associated noise.  He has since been replaced by Sun Loong. Sun Loong is the longest Imperial Dragon in the world being over 100 meters long. 

It takes 115 people to bring Sun Loong to life!

There are five other dragons of various lengths who accompany Sun Loong when he goes for his annual Easter stroll around the streets of Bendigo every Easter Sunday. A truely impressive and noisey occasion.
We also went into the Chinese Gardens and the Chinese Temple which is dedicated to Guan Yin the Goddess of Mercy.  Traditionally the statue is made of wood or clay but the Bendigo one is made of hand carved marble, which is very special. Her and her mate Budda are very interesting to see. I found the strong scent of the incense very overpowering. Still the artwork is incredible.
A huge day out. So much to see and digest.

Tuesday...19 April 2011

Went out yesterday for a quick hello and cuppa with one of Himselfs friends, just after lunch, and ended up coming home 10.00pm! In the meantime we had chatted and coffeed and then I went with the lady of the house out into the bush behind their house to walk their three labrador dogs. Annie is golden, Milo is chocolate and Vader is black. Lovely beasts, beautiful manners, a little bit strong on the lead but most obedient when called to come back while out in the open bush. Lots and lots of Orb spiders out in that bush! One walks with a stick held out front to prevent walking into their enormous webs. By the time we got back from the walk the boys had decided we were staying for dinner! For a bang up meal it was delicious. Rissoles and veg with gravy, whats not to like about that? And they followed that up with golden syrup dumplings and cream..Wonderful people.
Today Himself has returned to help his friend fit a new exhaust system to his 4x4.
Tonight we are going out to dinner with Himself's family. Seems there is a nice new restuarant that needs to be tried!
We have now decided to stay in Bendigo until after Easter and do a couple of day trips during the Easter break. The Tractor Pull at Quambatook is high on the list of possibilites on the Saturday and maybe the Easter Nats at Winton Raceway on the Sunday. There is also a woodworking display on Good Friday.
So much to see and do, so little time left to see it all.
I am on a promise to maybe perhaps go to the famous Bendigo Pottery tomorrow. I have been passing it day in and day out now for a couple of months but my hints and longing glances have not been noticed, so today I outright asked!!
My  husband grew up passing this pottery everyday on his way to school and work and he just does not 'see' it anymore. To him it is just part of the scenry.
Note to all of you out there who read this blog, you may think your local district is ho hum but remember that your visitors might think it is fascinating. Maybe it is time you walked around your town with a more open attitude.
Thank God for Visitor Centres and the people who staff them. Without fail these folk love their town or district and are very  happy to chat about it and the people who live there or the events that have helped shape their town.

Sunday...17 April 2011

Ok so Friday I got up feeling not too bad, just a trick, by the end of the day I was knackered. Never mind we still went out for Friday night footy at the brothers place. AND I got the genuine roaring log fire!! Beautiful. Was warm as toast. Shame the game was so bad.
Yesterday we were up really early and drove to Shepparton to visit with my sister and brother. Spoke to the sister earlier in the week, yeah sure she had nothing on, would be home all day Saturday. So why was it that when we got there at the appointed time on the agreed day she was not home? Tracked her down and it seemed she thought we were coming next Tuesday, sorry sis, got other things to do next Tuesday....lol. BB WAS home and a sight for sore eyes. He is looking so well and managing so nicely it is a joy to watch. He can move around and up and down the doorsteps into and out of the house on his own but uses his stick outside for safety. He does still occassionally bump into things on his left side as his sight is still a bit weak but that requires time to heal. Having a brain bleed has not diminished his thought proccess, he was merrily cracking jokes and remembering the punch lines. Wtg BB I am very impressed with your progress. Anytime you want to slack off on the exercises or any of your therapy, remember, that around the next corner a nursing home is lurking, just waiting for a likely candidate!! (Think BogeyMan)
Quick lunch with the sister who was still trying to find what day it was, no sorry sis, cannot stay, have to rush off, heavy schedule, people waiting etc. Then off to Benalla to meet with the brother back from WA.  Rang him the day before to say we were coming over and sure he had nothing planned for the day, would be home all day. As we were leaving Shepparton I called to get directions only to be told that, wait for it, he was out! Not only out, but out visiting a mate in Shepparton!!! Did I miss something in that phone call???
So right we would go on to Benalla and visit with the old folk and he would call when he got home and we would catch up. Got to town, went around to the old folks place, oh oh, one car with the bonnet up and the second car not home. Knocked but of course, they were out! Not their fault. I had not called them to say I was coming. After all to quote one of my children when speaking to someone about us, 'they are ALWAYS home'!!  After that I played phone a friend and went to see Elly, who WAS home! While we were sitting in her backyard in the very pleasant sunshine having a cuppa and a chat, the brother rang to say he was back from Shepparton, so eventually, we drove out to visit with him on his brothers farm just out of St James. Was very easy to find, just drive down the road and turn the corner at the paddock on fire! The locals are preparing for this years planting and have started burning off old stubble. An impressive sight, and even though it was very well controlled and managed, still a bit scary to see how fast it travels and how noisy it was. Fairly smoky too!
We got back to Bendigo around 10.00pm. A few hundred kilometres on the clock and quite a bit of rattling of the brain and body. Maybe it will be easier when we move into their area..........

Thursday...14 April 2011

Nothing to report today. Not even worth the effort to blog.
Am still achy breaky so spent the day in bed with a gorgeous male. He is most affectionate, considerate, tender and loving. He also purrs lots and keeps licking my face, to see if I am still alive! Whelan (Wheelie for short) is a 10yo Burmese who belongs to the house we are visiting. He insists on a daily "chat" and allows us to offer him all manner of yummy treats, most of which have found favour with him. In return he sits with us outside while we brush him and tell him how handsome he is. He has a much older female companion who is 17yo but they literally fight like cats and are kept seperated with the older one now being kept shut in the bedroom end of the house and my mate Wheelie has the run of the property including the kitchen end of the house. When they occasionally meet they spit and snarl at each other. When he came to visit today Wheelie must have noticed I was missing because he agitated until Keith let him in and promptly jumped onto the bed with me and snuggled into my neck. Actually very calming to lie there listening to his purring.

Behind the scene Himself got on with finishing some of the jobs we wanted to get done before we move on from  here. He got the glue to fix the cracked bench, he got replacement strings for our day/night blinds which have started shredding and that prevents the blinds from being able to go up and down. Bit of time and patience will have them working normally again. He has had his glasses fixed again. Bought new frames and had the old lenses put into the new frames. The other frames broke so we paid a small fortune to have them welded only to have them break yet again in the same place only days later. To be fair the place offered to send them back at no cost to be fixed again however we no longer have confidence in those particular frames.
Current plan is a day trip on Saturday to see BB in the morning, followed in the afternoon with a quick trip to Benalla to check on the rest of the family, then back to Bendigo Saturday night. Then we should be moving again sometime next week.

Wednesday...13 April 2011

Well I woke up this morning so I guess I did not die overnight and therefore am not that sick after all. Those that were hoping for a different outcome should have a nice stiff drink and wait a bit longer! When I was younger and had kids to look after, like all mothers, I continued on regardless of how I felt, usually muttering (and often not very quietly!) about how kids and husbands were ungrateful, unfeeling etc. These days I have noticed that my pain threshold is much lower than it used to be, even broken fingers make me say ouch now!......Maybe that is because now I can afford the luxury of not always having to think of others first.
Another chilly day here in Victoria, really is time we started making plans to move towards the nice warm sunny places. Still lots to be done before we go so I guess we should get used to being penguins. We have to put on so many layers of clothes we look like penguins when we try to walk.
On a more positive note, with all the talk about heating bills getting higher, living in a caravan makes heating much easier, we turn the heater on then turn it off again within half an hour as it is then too hot. Very easy to heat a small space, versus a whole house. Yes I know some of you have lovely wood burning fires or central heating but I bet my power bill is not as high as yours.

Tuesday...12 April 2011

The flight back from Darwin was way better than the one going up. The nice lass at the Virgin counter in Darwin upgraded us to Premium Economy. And we had all three seats to ourselves, so not only heaps of leg room and nice leather seats but room to stretch as well.  The negative was arriving in Melbourne at 11.45pm. AND it was very very cold. It was down to 7C but after coming out of the warmth in Darwin it felt like -7C.
After we got our baggage we were collected by the nice folk at the undercover car park who took us and others back to our car in a mini bus. Once we collected the car and took only one wrong turn and got back onto the Bendigo road we had a rocking chair ride all the way home. We even got green lights from one side of Bendigo to the other. Mind you this is probably because it was 2.30am!! By the time we got "home" had a cuppa and unpacked enough to be able to  manage, we went to bed around 3.30am.
Yesterday the others returned at lunchtime. Good timing, their new grandson was born at 5.00pm. Tara & Ben have called the new arrival Alex Joseph, he was 7lb 6oz and 20inches long. Two weeks early but everyone is well. Our congratulations to them all.
Today the cats came home from their holiday resort. Lucky things were being housed in an American barn style shed with inside and outside runs, AND a lovely warm pot belly stove all of their own. Spoilt. We freeze and they live in the lap of luxury.  Still they were happy to be home again.
I am hoping that I am just worn out from all the partying and travelling, because if I am not then I am not a well puppy myself. Keiths sisters husband has not been very well this last couple of weeks and we are all thinking he has Ross River but he has yet to have blood tests and go to the doctor to find out what is wrong with him. Today I got up with a splitting head, all thick like an orange that is about to burst, sore throat and I am aching from head to toe and I am exhausted. I have slept most of the day. I think I have spent maybe two hours awake the rest of the time I have been in bed asleep. In a first for me I am not hungry. I havent eaten all day, just drinking a bit of juice and some tea then back to bed. Oh and chuck in the usual shivers and shakes, running hot and cold. But no cough or runny nose.
Anyway I cannot afford to be sick I have too much to do.
My BB has been discharged from the hospital and is now home and leaving cryptic comments on his facebook page about the last words spoken on The Wizard of Oz. This is fantastic news and when I can I will take a trip to Shepparton to visit him. Also got a call last night to say my brother from Benalla is coming back from his job in WA for a couple of weeks, so will need to go to Benalla as well. Am thinking I can maybe kill two birds with one stone and do Shepparton and Benalla in one day. I just need to find out what my BB schedule is for his various therapies and will then work it all out. Oh and get myself feeling better so that I can be sure I am not carrying anything deadly with me when I go visiting.

Sunday...10 April 2011

Last entry from Darwin for this trip, time for us to return to Bendigo. Darwin is 31C and Bendigo is around 18C and dropping down to 7C overnight and we are arriving back at 11.30pm. Will be a bit chilly.
We had a good time at the birthday party. Bit of a hiccup early in the night. A tropical storm took out the power, the hotel had back up so no worries there. BUT it wasn't enough to run the lifts! And our little group were on the top floor....that would be floor 20! Yep, we had to descend to the party on the first floor via the fire escape stairs. We genuinely needed that first drink on arrival at the function, no air conditioning in the stairwell and dear old Darwin was very steamy after the storm.
The party was an enjoyable event, very attentive staff, lovely food, good wine, the birthday girl was looking younger than ever, the music was varied and there was just the right number and mix of people to create a lively buzz all night.

We got the usual pic of the six siblings, a fine looking bunch.
Yesterday we went out to Maureens place for a BBQ tea with all the other out of state visitors. Another large gathering. The three brothers stripped down to their jocks and jumped into the pool complete with tinnies in hand. It was a lovely evening chatting and watching the lightning light up the lovely tropical gardens. It did rain, but we were all under the cover of the house in the downstairs entertaining area. Their very large long haired German Shepard sat under the table near my feet for pats and cuddles every time it thundered. I think he thought I
would also be a soft touch come left overs time but unfortunately for him, he has allergies and is not allowed to eat red meat.
Today Keith has gone into town to try to get a look at the old WW2 oil tunnels, then it will be pack up time, quick trip to say goodbye to the sister then off to the airport and back to Victoria.

Thursday...7 April 2011

Another great day in sunny Darwin. We went to Casurina for lunch then we wandered around the shops while the others went to the airport to pick up Keiths baby brother. For dinner tonight we all went to the Trailer Boat Club and watched the famous Darwin sunset. After that we went to see Keiths sister but she was not home, she had gone out to dinner with more of the birthday party guests.
Never mind, the boys have two well stocked fridges and are doing their best to blend into the
Territory....Why do I get the feeling tonight will be a late one!
Tomorrow is Keiths sisters 60th birthday and we are all off to her party being held at one of the bigger and nicer hotels in the city, so we have all taken the precaution of booking into the same hotel for the night, no drinking and driving for these merry gentlemen. No doubt it will be an enjoyable night. Somehow it always is when his family gather for these occasions.
While I think to mention it, apart from the blank faced security guards at the front gate, who check our ID's each and every time we enter the base, I have yet to see any groups of defence personnel....no mass displays of  uniforms, no bright young things bursting with testosterone and pimples..oh well maybe I am just not getting up early enough.

Wednesday...6 April 2011

Well now that was certainly an experience. We got to Melbourne at 8.00pm, way too early but one surely cannot be too early to catch an airplane. Well yes you can if you are flying with Virgin. They won't even take your bags until two hours before the flight, so there we were loaded trolley in tow wandering around Melbourne airport looking for something to do for five hours! Couldn't go to some areas due to the luggage trolley. Eventually found a bar which allowed us to bring our trolley in, remembering that even if we wanted to, it is now illegal to leave any luggage unattended in an airport. Couple of drinks and wow that must have taken care of a couple of hours, nope, only one hour, guess we were really thirsty!!
We strolled around and watched a couple of international flights departing and that used up another half hour. Honestly, how many of you have had to kill off a few hours in an airport whilst still loaded down with luggage and not even have access to the QC...and add in the very late hour of the day and fatigue adding to the stress levels.
Spent a lot of time watching other people as they went about their business; security, catering staff, flight crews, passengers, cleaners, maintenance dept, quite a mixed mob. All equally important to themselves or us as passengers depending what they do.
Eventually we were allowed to deposit our bags and enjoy the freedom of having nothing to do in a place where everything is closing down for the night!! By the time we could access the shops for gifts or souvenirs they were closed.
Now it appears that school holidays have started this week in the NT. So of course the plane was full and there were plenty of excited kids who by departure at 1.45am were very tired and teary, and plenty of harrassed parents wishing the blessed thing would get up and go so that their kids would fall asleep. Credit to the flight staff, we were barely off the ground when they hit the dimmer switch and the plane was plunged into near darkness, ten minutes later silence was all you could hear, well in between the snores of the adult population on board. Yeah I know, that made it easier work for the hosties but I reckon those parents would not be complaining.
Himself snoozed off and on most of the way as did the stranger on my other side in our set of three seats. I tried to sleep but alas it was just not happening for me. My body insists on being horizontal before it will go to the land of nod. Was extremely bleary eyed on arrival in Darwin this morning at 5.30am. Was lovely to get through the various check in procedures for the hire car and accommodation and have a cuppa and go to bed for a couple of hours to improve our attitudes.
We are staying at the Defence Establishment Berrimah (DEB) because of a connection to Keiths sisters son-in-law who is in the navy. We have a three bedroom donga type cabin with split systems in every room. Nothing flash but plenty of space and it has everything we need. And it is reasonably priced. Keiths youngest brother will be sharing this with us when he arrives tomorrow.
Once we had had some sleep we all went into town and had fresh fish and chips at the Darwin Wharf. Still the best fish in Darwin and it is wonderful to eat with the view of the harbour and a breeze blowing in off the Arafrua Sea. After lunch we went into the CBD and  located the hotel the birthday party is at on Friday night and then finished our afternoon off with a quiet drink at the Darwin Trailer Boat Club watching the afternoon tropical rain water all the plants and palm trees. With luck we will be able to return to this club for dinner one night to watch the famous Darwin sunset, where the sun is a red ball on the water one moment and gone in the blink of an eye. Amazing to watch.
Now we are about to go to the birthday girls place for a BBQ tea. Love Darwin, so much to see and do. Only shame is that the famous markets at Mindl Beach do not re-open until the official end of the wet season on May 1, so that is one less thing we need to find time to do.

Monday...4 April 2011

Well I did not get the roaring log fire, but we did have the split system heater cranked right up! Either way it was a really good night chatting together and watching the footy on the big big screen. A glass of wine, a cheese platter....perfect.
Sunday we took new flowers to the cemetary for Keiths parents.
Today has been spent washing and ironing and packing our case for a trip to Darwin tomorrow. We are going for five days to celebrate his sisters birthday. We are flying Virgin and it is his first flight with them. Gonna be a real eye opener for himself. Will not be quite as flash as the Platinum Qantas Club!!!!  No BC at the QC this trip. He is taking his Qantas Frequent Flyers briefcase to give him some thing familiar! (and to carry the laptop).
In Darwin we are staying at the naval base, should be good. All that eye candy, don't you just love a guy in uniform.......hmmmmmmm?????
Mindl beach here I come.