House Hunting, Weddings and Yabbying

My brother Tony and his wife Yudian at canal home

Pineapples, Rainbow Lorikeets and Mango tree (click on the photo to appreciate)
Wedding Marquee with Brisbane skyline

It is only two weeks since my last entry, and we have made a few trips up to the Gold Coast and Brisbane. I was about to say the weather is stunning, but then remembered we have had several days of rain which have been much appreciated. In fact Tamworth (Country & Western Capital) is flooded at the moment – the farmers there must be pulling their hair out – they have poor crops for several years due to drought and this year they had bumper grain crops ready for harvest, but now most crops are lost.

One of the trips to the Gold Coast was a visit with my brother and he took us to look at properties along the river. Some very nice properties indeed. We were invited to join his friends at their property on a canal. They have their own white sand beach, and lovely rainbow lorikeets fed in their garden. Tropical fruits such as pineapple and mangoes grow in their garden. Check out the photos.

The son of one of my girlfriend’s got married in Brisbane last weekend. The wedding reception was held in a large marquee complete with crystal chandeliers and overlooking Brisbane skyline. Very picturesque. We danced all night and had a fabulous time.

Yesterday Murray got an early Christmas present when I bought him a yabbie pump. He checked it was low tide, then packed up his fishing tackle including his shiny new pump, and walked down to the river to try out his new toy. I wandered down a while later and put into practice the skills my father taught me, and in no time at all I had two wriggling yabbies to offer him for bait. Sadly, no fish were interested, so we ended up having pork chops instead of fresh fish with our salad!!

Ending with a good news story: Qantas had a 2 for 1 sale last week and we were able to book our return tickets to the US for half price. We arrive back in Los Angeles and Kansas City on Sunday 29th March for another 6 month trip. I daresay many companies will be offering discounts in the months to come – airlines, cruise lines, department stores, as they try to stay afloat in these troubled financial times. Now we just have to hope the aussie dollar picks up a bit so we don’t loose too much in the conversion to greenbacks.

Driving Trip Ballina Canberra Sydney Ballina

Route from Ballina to Canberra to Sydney and home to Ballina

Jacarandas in bloom throughout trip

Country Friends

Murray & Benn (my son) at Coogee Beach, Sydney
Benn with his mum at Coogee Beach, Sydney
Aussie Country Road

On Tuesday last week, Murray & I drove my sister’s car to Canberra (750 miles), as she needed to swap it with her newer car left in Canberra. It was lovely driving along the country roads and seeing the countryside in the spring when it is still nice and green. I daresay the green will have turned to yellow or brown come the end of a hot summer.

While we were in Canberra we caught up with family and friends which is always enjoyable. Another couple we met up with are heading to Canada for 18 months, and are talking of buying an RV trailer and traveling the USA. We hope to visit them on our next US RV trip.

We stayed in Canberra for 4 nights before driving 3 hours East to Sydney where my eldest son Benn lives. We arrived on his 30th birthday and celebrated with a lovely lunch for the three of us, then a dinner with 8 of his friends. Both venues were overlooking the scenic Coogee Beach. His girlfriend joined us for breakfast the next morning before we drove out of Sydney and headed 450 miles north to Ballina. Only 2 hrs north of Sydney we stopped in to visit the daughter of a dear American friend of ours, and had lunch overlooking the water. The East Coast of Australia has some very pretty beaches with surf rolling into light, sandy beaches. The famous Bondi Beach a lot of you ask about is the second beach to the north of Coogee Beach.

The only downside of our trip was that it coincided with the US election, and we were aware that we were missing all the media highlights. I know many of you are very happy with the outcome of Obama’s election, but I’m just as conscious that there are some of you who would have preferred McCain. Hopefully Obama and his team will provide the US with sound steering in the turbulent times ahead.

End of First Month Home

We live at the end of this streetPandanus Plant with Fruit

On my river walk looking out to the sea

A layout of the area (oops - this one won't optimise with a mouse click!)

It is now November, so we have been home in Aus for a full month. You would think that would have been plenty of time for us to get settled, but we are still a bit discombobulated. Don't you love that word - I first heard the word when a dear American friend of mine used it. I find it is perfect to describe how I feel at times...a bit dislocated or disorganised I guess.

While we are in the USA, we have everything we need for the RV lifestyle we live there, but over here, we are trying to live a normal lifestyle without our own place and without our usual things. If we could only decide where we wanted to buy a place everything would fall into place...until then, we will simply give thanks for our health, family & friends and be grateful for the opportunities that we have.

When I went for a walk along the river a few days ago, I took some photos for you. It really is such a beautiful location, the photos just don't do it justice. The Pandanus tree photo was taken of one growing along the river path I walked along. Wildlife including birds take advantage of the spiny leaves by living in the tree for protection and they also eat the fruit. Aboriginals use the fibre of the leaves to make string for dillybags, baskets, mats and shelters. The leaves can also be mashed and tied around the head to cure headaches. Some tribes use the plant to make fish traps. The large, pineapple-like fruit turns red when ripe. The fruit's seeds can be extracted and ground into flour.

Love hearing from you all, so keep the emails coming.