Mystery Run 2016 – Day Two

 

Much cooler today, and what a beautiful day it is!

Our first stop was Black Head, which is north of Tuncurry off the lakes way. Very pretty spot.

We had morning tea at Tuncurry. Then drove around to visit some of the beaches.

No Whales.

But isn’t the sea a magnificent colour.

 

Then lunch at Smiths Lake.

We spent Christmas here in 2009. One of my very first blog posts!

The house is still there and looks the same.

(Which is more than I can say for US in the 2009 Christmas Day pic below. My boys have lost lots of weight since this photo, and broken up with both those partners. And Seth dog is long dead)

anyway – back to the Mystery Run….

The afternoon was spent with some free time.

There are 19 cars and 37 people on the trip this time. We ended up at the pub instead of the club tonight as they were happier to provide a courtesy bus.

Mystery Run 2016–Day One

 

Its time for the Car Club Mystery Run for 2016.

As in previous years we only find out on the first day in which direction we are heading. Although we did have an inkling that this year we wouldn't be going too far, and that we were only going to stay in 2 places.

At least that saves with the packing up every day!

So the news on the first day is that we are heading to Taree.

Turning at Nowendoc and heading down the 90km of dirt road to Wingham.

Not been this way before.

What I always like about this trip is that we go places we normally wouldn’t be bothered with!

Its very dusty, and its jolly hot too.

33 degrees, and the only air con we have is to wind down the windows.

Everything in the boot was caked with dust.

The boys will be all out washing their vehicles this afternoon.

I think I had mild heat stroke by the time we got to Taree, not helped by the hay fever tablets giving me a raging thirst.

 

Anyway, lots of water an a cool shower and I was okay.

Spring!

 

Its spring, and with all the rain the garden is looking lush.

The front has matured and is bursting with flowers.

We have started the back but are really time poor to do to much.

The back garden is also so waterlogged that it is difficult to get the few plants we have put in established.

But Graham has got the birdfeeder up.

I don’t know what its ‘passenger limit’ is, but I have seen it take 10 sulphur crested cockatoos, if 3 stand on the roof.

Lizzie has grown up ( and grown round).

She is nearly perfect with her toileting now and has stopped eating things as much – such as the railings on the back deck, all the dog coats are gone, she rips them off Georgie's back, dog beds are eaten too.

She loves her Georgie,

and loves snuggles!

Water, Water Everywhere (Copeton Dam)

 

A weekend at Copeton Dam with the car club. Stopped at Gwydir River outside Bundara for morning tea. Don’t think I want to fall in that river, its flowing very fast today.

There has been so much rain that the dam is filling by a metre and a half a day.

Don’t camp too close to the river or you may float away! Lots of people are also getting bogged.

A metre and a half may not seem like a lot, but spread that over a body of water the size of Sydney Harbour. You can almost see the water rising up the bank.

They think it may get to 100% full.

So much water on the roads, lots of flooded causeways on the trip. Creeks have turned to rivers and rivers have burst their banks.

And everything is very green and lush.

We spent overnight in one of the cabins and had dinner and breakfast at the camp kitchen

The new slipway, and visitors centre has been finished since we were last here.

And there is an explosion in the roo population. Lots of joeys.

 

On our way home we stopped at New England wood turning.

He makes amazing didgeridoos and I bought a nice cheese board.

 

Melbourne Matlida & Me- Part 4

 

 

 

When I grow up. I will be brave enough to fight the creatures that you have to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown-up.
(When I grow up)

Just because you find that life's not fair, it doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it.
If you always take it on the chin and wear it nothing will change!

When I grow up

Just because I find myself in this story,
It doesn't mean that everything is written for me.
If I think the ending is fixed already,
I might as well be saying
I think that it's OK!

And that's not right!
And if its not right!

 

 

Yes loved Matilda! Best thing we’ve seen for a long time.

The kids in the cast are fantastic and Tim Minchin’s music is fantastic ,,,, (no I didn’t take these photos)

 

But I did take the ones below!

Then for our final day we took a ride to St Kilda on the Tram. Then returned to the city to visit the Degas exhibition at the Art Gallery of Victoria.

 

His ballerina works are lovely, but some of the others left me wondering if he wasn’t a bit of a dirty old man…..

Anyway, after all that theatre and culture its time to head home!