Saturday

Going home day! 

It wasn't a bad drive back up the Coast although I was a little surprised when I woke up this morning - a couple of minutes before the alarm - and realised that I had set the alarm - actually all three of them - for the wrong time.  Instead of setting them for just before 5 so we would be ready for a 6am start, I had set them for just before 6!  S was fantastic and together we were ready to leave, all showered, packed and the guest room tidied, before 6:30.  

As a reward, we stopped for breakfast at Maccas at Heatherbrae with a crowd of other people - and while we were there we thought of the other trips we have made on this road and the friends we have shared breakfast with here.  

I don't know what it is but some days I feel fine driving and other days the old joke I make "if I get tired, I'll just have a sleep in the car" (S doesn't drive) could easily come true.  This happens even if I've had brilliant sleep In the days before and if S takes responsibility for getting us up and moving on the morning of travel (so she's the one who wakes up frequently lest the alarm be slept through - and she does!).  Today was one of those days and we were stopping frequently for breaks as soon as I started to feel fatigued-affected - until, just about Kempsey, I felt fine - and continued to feel fine - if a little sick of actually driving - for the last five or so hours of the trip. 

Emma was out of the room with M when we arrived - and she seems to have survived our absence with flying colours.  She does seem to have missed us though because as soon as I went inside she followed me and when I laid down on the bed, she bounced up to sit on my chest.  

"One of them [the furries] is a murderer!" M told us when we were settled with a cuppa. Before the afternoon was out we knew it was Mr Beazley, with no special instrument except those nature provided him with, on the front lawn!  M said she should have known that this was the location of "the killing fields" because all the cats, including Emma when she was out of the room, had been drawn to it to have a sniff and an investigate.  

It is great to be back at Latimers - watching the evening close in, listening to birdlife in the near distance, and seeing the cows in the paddock next door.  B roared past in the ute but stopped long enough to say he was off to do another Bern-Off down the back and watching it with a glass of champers in hand might be a great way to ring in the ... Happy New Year!  

Friday

We were up in good time to be able to do a lesiurely pack to make sure we had everything, and then to check out of the hotel (5-star is a fairly accurate rating) before taking Lars over the Anzac Bridge (complete with statue of New Zealand soldier with Lemon-Squeezer hat) to meet Liz and Elaine at Bar Italia for breakfast. Bar Italia doesn't really change.  I think it has had a lick of paint (okay, a whole new colour scheme - although the original paint job could hardly have been called "a scheme") once in the more-than-twenty years we've been going there.  You can have NO soy, NO skim and NO lite milk, although they have relaxed the rules at some point because now you CAN have decaffinated!  

Then, back on the road again - with first stop being S's mother's place to pick up the freezer bag we had left there.  We have done, I think, a marvellous job in organizing our packing this trip - not taking too much - something we are usually both guilty of - and having the right configurations for the different legs of the trip. 

Mind you, picking up the freezer bag was not just about retrieving the muffins C had made for our trip to the Central Coast at the start of the holidays - it was about the freezer bag - which works both as a hot bag and a cold bag - although not at the same time. We took the opportunity while we were there to do a group call to nephew P for his 17th birthday!  

Brother W and his family have been waiting since the start of the holiday brak to get weather decent enough to allow them to get out of the house (and new spa) and on to their boat and the lake - and today was the day!  Luckily we know their habits and rather than miss seeing them again, we suggested we meet up with them at The Entrance and have lunch with them - which we did. It was wonderfully relaxing to chug across the channel to North Entrance and chat while the kids (now both on the other side of 20) tried out new fishing lines and lures.   It was too nice to rush and in the end we pushed out our leaving time - making us only a little late for the next stop on what is now the Great Trek North - K at Weston.  

K has been out of Sydney for some years now and would never go back (although, as we all know, never is a very strong word) and she has painstakingly and lovingly renovated the little cottage she bought there - and - Ta da - it is now all done and looks (and feels) fantastic.  Her two cats, Lu-Lu and Fi-Fi, are still,as cute and cuddly as ever.  We had offered to take K out to dinner and rather than drive into the haunted she suggested the local hotel where the dining room is under new management and offering a choice of 10 meals for $10 - or you could pick from the a la carte menu. We didn't - and the steaks we chose were good!

Thursday

Sydney is certainly a busy place and people who visit here seem to be busy as well - if you take S and I as an example. 

And even though it would be sensible to have fairly early nights - once we do get back to the hotel room - that is impossible for me - what is it about me and wanting to watch television when I'm in a hotel room?  Could that be a throwback to my using the television for company on the trips I made for work without S? Or that we don't have a television in the bedroom so it is something of a novelty?  But at least I was up on time to be able to get ready for the start of what was a busy day.  We only had three appointments slotted in but since they were in various parts of Sydney, it was going to be a challenge - but at least we had Lars and the GPS to help get us around.  I shudder to think how much time we would have had to spend getting between places on public transport - and how much less time we would have been able to spend with folk along the way.  Even though Sydney's rail and public transport system is quite good, it does work on a hub system - so if you are out at one extreme you have to go into the middle to come back out again in another direction.  But luckily, we didn't have to rely on that. 

We met my brother G for breakfast across the road from the hotel and spent a very pleasant two hours with him going through family news, seeing photos from his recent trip to Mexico and Florida with his youngest daughter as she played in tennis tournaments, and pics of the house he and the family have recently moved into.  It was great to have a proper catch-up, but I was still sad that we weren't seeing the rest of the family as well. 

Then, we were in the car (thank you Valet Parking) and off to Wentworthville to see some mates out that way.   

They should have been away on holidays themselves but a recent hospitalisation of their oldest, and his  need for continuing treatment, meant they were at home for the duration.  But as they say "it's an ill wind ..." so at least we were able to spend some time with them and catch up with their news and goings-on - and have BBQ #1 of the day.  L, their youngest, probably the world's most voracious reader - to the point where she has been known to walk into poles while reading - was off visiting someone so we didn't get to see her and because we were due at our next appointment, we also didn't get to see the new Christmas puppy someone was about to bring over. 

Dinner with D and P (BBQ #2) was wonderful, as was catching up with them, seeing their renovations, and having a play with Ruby their blue cattledog whose favourite activity seems to be putting something for you to throw to her on your lap, and if you don't, she nudges it and you and does a drool (thank goodness both S and I were wearing long pants) until you finally give in - whatever it is ... a piece of grass, a small stick, a half-chewed lemon - and throw to  her.  She loves it.  D and P have done a great job on their renovations and except for the kitchen splashback, painting and the back deck - they are all but done, except for a lick of paint for the rest-of-house. 

We finally dragged ourselves from them at after 11 and made it back to the hotel and upstairs by midnight - where I settled in for another bit of television - hoping I would be able to rouse myself (and S) for another early start - checking out of the hotel (which has been fabulous) and going off to breakfast at an old stamping ground, Bar Italia in Leichhardt. 

Wednesday

It was on to Sydney today - the last stop on the Great Trek South.  We had thought we would take the train from the Central Coast into Sydney but in the end we decided first to drive in to Croyden and leave the car at a friend's place, and then, to take the car into the CBD and park it at the hotel.  It was very strange driving right into the city, something I avoided when we used to live here and would have avoided now except that it will be much easier to visit people in far-flung locations if we have Lars rather than having to rely on public transport.  

Sydney hasn't really changed - but I think the way we see it has.  It's like it used to be when we returned from holidays up north, including at Latimers, and while it was good to be home we always noticed that Sydney was just that bit more polluted, and crowded, and less nice than  "not Sydney".  

But there are parts of it that are excellent - like Sydney Harbour and ChinaTown - and, of course, the opportunity to catch up with friends and family.

We met T and T at the MCA and walked from there around to the Harbourview a hotel where we had a leisurely lunch and catch-up and saw photos of their recent trip to Hawaii.  They are doing what they can to maintain the holiday spirit - and greeted us in their Hawaiin shirts and straw hats.  T would have brought her bobble-head (as in the bobble-head is her head in miniature) but it hasn't yet arrived from the States where it is being made.  

After lunch, I went downstairs from our hotel in search of a newspaper and some fruit - and bumped into my brother who works in the area.  We had a coffee and chat and caught up with some of the family news - and will have breakfast in the morning to cover other territory.

Dinner was at our favourite Minh Hai in Chinatown and we were pleased to be remembered by the staff there - and to have our very familiar pineapple drinks - still as yummy.  We had hoped to ate it a truly memorable evening by checking out the David Jones Christmas windows on the way there - but they had been covered over by signs:  DAVID JONES CLEARANCE.  WAS. IS. ALWAYS. Except for their window displays for Christmas.  It was a shame we missed them - they were, according to various people we know who had seen them, pretty good! 

Tuesday

It's nice to have a sleep-in and even though I thought I was going to rise at 7:30 - that's when the alarm was supposed to go off - I didn't actually stir until 9 when S poked her head into the bedroom and said it was time - especially as we were almost due at our next stop!  

Considering this was the third different bed in as many nights, our backs aren't too bad although I don't think either of us is looking forward to sleeping on that fold-up queen-size bed (currently travelling in Lars' boot) this evening.  It's not a bad bed - but we think it prefers one person use it, rather than two.  

My brother and his tribe are well - and absolutely enjoying their latest addition - a spa. W has rigged it so the water is either solar-heated or wood-stove heated (metres of copper pipe wound inside the chimney which had it at 39 degrees last night when it was very cold out! The big dilemma - to sit chatting around the fire or lounge around the spa. It ended up being a bit of both.

M was in contact to let us know that all is well at Latimers - including the furries.   

Monday

... on the road again ... or would that be still.  After a lovely Christmas Day spent between Latimers and Kyogle, we are now off to the Central Coast to deliver S's Mum home.  It was a brilliant day for travelling - not too hot, not too cold, not raining, not too sunny - and most of the traffic coming the other way and there was lots of it.  We set out just after 7 this morning - we couldn't make too early a start because the kangaroos are still on the move and likely to be on the roads if you set out too early. And they certainly were about - there was only one we found road-side - just sitting there waiting for us to pass - we hoped.  S spotted it first and warned me to watch out for it.  The others we passed were safely behind fences and far enough away that we weren't at all concerned that they would be in danger of colliding with the car.  

I had forgotten what it was like to be out on the wide open road with hours of driving in front of you.  The good thing about travelling at this time of year is that there are "Driver Reviver" spots - where you can call in for a free cup of tea or coffee, maybe a biscuit or two, and sometimes even some "Fisherman's Friend".  It is a wonderful service provided by local volunteers and the stops are always friendly, clean and at the right spots along the highway.

We were lucky enough not to strike any accidents along the way although we found out that there had been a major one at Coffs Harbour at some point after we came through which had closed the highway for a couple of hours.  We weren't able to find out if anyone had been hurt, and hopefully they weren't because everyone should be able to go home after the holidays.  

The road has improved so much since last we came this way - although admittedly at that stage we were going the other way - when I drove the car up when we moved to Latimers (S and Emma flew because we didn't want Emma to spend hours in the car).  There is now dual-carriage way for more than half the way - in fact, probably even more than that.  And so good is the new road that there are huge portions that have a posted speed limit of 110 kph.  

We were stopped by the police only once along the way - for a alcohol breath test at Grafton - before 9 in the morning - and, not surprisingly, we passed with flying colors.

Lars pulled into S's Mum's driveway just after 5 in the afternoon - so the trip down (including shopping for dinner on the way home - because I wasn't sure I'd feel like driving again today) took about 10 hours.  Not bad.

Sunday

He's been!  He's been!  

If M and S hadn't said how long wrapping was taking, I would have crept out (after he'd been, of course!) to unwrap all the gifts. This would have been a re-enactment of when a (very, very) young S had done just that - running out early on Christmas morning and opening all the gifts under the tree and not just hers.  It would have been fun to do it - and see whether she was automatically suspected because of prior "offenses".  But because there wouldn't be time to re-wrap - even with all three of us doing it - I decided to shelve the idea (for at least another year).

There were some light sprinkles of rain as I started packing the car for our week away but not enough for us to have to wait.  The boot on Lars is amazingly deceptive about the amount it can take - and even after the portable queen-sized bed was packed, there was still room for the clothes bag, the empty (hat) bag, the electronics bag and a few other things.   

M saw us off - keeping to the old custom of throwing water after the travellers to wish them a safe journey (or something like that). It was a good drive to Kyogle with not too much traffic and a very cool and overcast day. We arrived just in time for a Christmas Champers before a cold lunch which had the table groaning and us salivating.  From the pic M sent us, it looked the same at Mouse's where she was hosting Christmas lunch for the usual crowd.

Happy Festivus to one and all!