Well, it's a week now since Gilly left and returned to the UK and we miss her ... a lot. It's been a very long time, seven years in fact since we turned up in this place with our grand plans and hopes, a lot has happened since then, and aside from the visits from Molly and Josh, Gill was the first person to make it over here. I should say with gusto and conviction at this point, that I fully understand that other people have lives too...and that Australia is a long way from the UK, and that it's expensive to fly here. I genuinely get that....I'm just saying, it's a while since we've hung out with any UK family as a group, and we loved it.
I've got a lot of pictures to post, and I'm going to post quite a few. It might be a bit of a trawl for you if you don't know us, but go for your life! The pics are from the phones of Gill, Daile and I.
We just took it easy the first couple of days or so, whilst Gill got used to being upside down...:-)
Our bit of land....
This is the quarry in Daisy Hill forest that we walk to...
...and swim in.
Sooty the rat (sadly she had to be put down this week...with two large tumors). She was quite old for a rat, at three and a half. We all loved her and she'll be missed.
Tild finds another critter, this time it's a Mantis.
..they'll attack anything, even themselves...
Gill's new dog ... Ned
...got to sleep on her bed and everything! He's been in correctional since and has now relearned to sleep on his own bed on the floor. (Yeah thanks for that petal :-)
We went to Melbourne first weekend that Gill was here, and caught up with Don, Helen and family, and Elaine and David. It was a hoot, and we were very well looked after. Helen, Don and Molly Joan came down to meet us at the airport and drive us the one and a half hours back to Castlemaine where they all live in three different houses quite close to each other (walking distance...it's really nice that!).
This is Don's little cottage...
..and here's me sitting under an oak at Elaine and David's house. I've brought a few acorns back, not sure if they'll thrive here in QLD as they tend to do better in a more temperate climate such as SA, but going to give it a shot.
Helen and Molly Joan...
Our first morning, Simon turned up to take us to the local market...in this! It's a Series 2 short wheelbase Land Rover....and it's 50 years old!
Check out the seat belts!
Helen, Mally and Heath at the market.
Simon and I...
...and Don
We went to see the house that Simon and Helen are making, and were inspired...
It has steel cladding that's designed to develop surface rust and then stop...
Simon, Mally and I went there in THE car! We went over the mountain....awesome view at the top...
Next day we went down to Melbourne on the train...
Elaine drove us down to the station to see us off....
....and an hour and a half later we met up with Leo and Vicky...for a day of culture and things....(obviously I was out of my depth with that, but Don and Gill were soaking it up!)
It was lovely to see them, we had a really lovely time. What a great family!
Whilst we were away, Tild found a green tree frog... which found it's way into the house. Apparently this is lucky!
I had closed the school for that week so we did a bit of stuff. Here's Tild and I tempering a blade she'd made...
...and we went down to the beach at the Gold Coast with Gill, who kindly bought us a meal...(one of many..you spoilt us Gilly!)
Gilly took it upon herself to teach Phoebe to knit after she'd been admiring a scarf (that little grey thing) that Gill had brought from the UK.
On the Thursday of the Second week we went off to North Stradbroke. If you're familiar with this blog you'll have seen pics of the place several times in the past....but it's always a joy to go there, the kids are absolutely in their elements, and so was Gill.
Before we set off though, we had to get a new tyre down at the tyre shop...where we had a good time trying to look like we knew about stuff...like tyres...
I think I look like I know more about them.... and the bloke in the shop must have too cos he didn't rip me off or nuffin'....so we set off without Daile (who was at work) but with 5 good tyres!
Here we are on the boat, and I'm trying to look like I know something about boats...
...whilst Tild tries to look like she knows nothing about me :-)
This is what the site we chose looked like before we unloaded anything... after that it looked like a s**t hole but i'll spare you that. Here's a few pics without my nonsense...
Tild gets her first driving lesson...
Coming along the beach to Point Lookout....
Daile pitched up about mid day on Friday, and all was good. (Just needed Josh and Molly...:-( and we'd have been sorted. You guys were talked about a lot...and missed by all of us)
At the cafe...
Tild waking up... (tee hee)
Sunset....
Ah, bless her....
This is Daile and Gill sitting in a pool of water that is created as the tide goes out near where we camped. Busy eh!
Just an occasional fisherman and us...
...maybe a leaf...
...but pretty much just us...
I know she's my big sister, but she's still smaller...see
This mark on Phoebe's face is from a tree! How? Well...you see officer, she was sitting on top of the rack whilst we were driving through the trees! Can you guess how impressed the other half of Daile's face looked about it?
... mind you, even Tild looks OK under those circumstances.
And then, as quickly as it all began, it was time to take Gilly back to the airport and see goodbye.
Ah, we miss you petal... :( Come again soon eh?
