Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 30 April 2017

YEAY!!! Welcome Home OG. You’ll surely recover faster in your own spaces. Perhaps not yet swinging from the chandeliers!

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Back later with nanny duty report.

Evening all

OG: Yay!  Great to see you. We've missed you Big Time!  :-)

Heather:  What a lovely day in Copenhagen you had.  I just checked out Stroget (not recognized on Google Earth; had to Google it on Chrome) and saw they have a Disney Store, a Foot Locker and The Dubliner pub/restaurant plus all the usual swish designer stores.  Did not see a TJMaxx or Target though!  :-)

Lindybird: So, did the raven quote Edgar Allen Poe?  Thanks for all the pix.  

AQ: From Copenhagen to Oz and there you are!  Just checked out that Tarangulla church - a mining town with Polish origins.  The whole town looks closed up.  Seems like a lot of different trees (from your usual day trips) in St. Arnaud and that area (now I'm reading about the rainfall; maybe that's part of the reason).   $5 for browsing?!  Eeeek.  Never heard of being charged to look.  That was some huge waterwheel!  Checked out Malmsbury sites. v I was looking at the Pink Cliffs on GE, but the only access seems to be via dirt roads and I didn't see any big signs pointing the way.  Here in the US Southwest, a typically dry creek is called an arroyo.  So they restored the Maryborough Railway Station; nice that trains started running again.  Re your comments:  We have many similar lovely old buildings in the US, built during a town's boomtimes.  California's Gold Country is full of formerly busy mining towns in the Sierra Foothills along Highway 49 - a really gorgeous drive that I've done several times.  Well, no wonder Daylesford is busy - a spa town and a day trip from Melbourne so you've got all those city types busy relaxing! It does look lovely.  Anyway, glad I finally caught up with you. Your trips are providing a nice alternative to the usual travel stuff (think the Sydney Opera House, etc) - a view we don't often see.  Thanks!!

Was busy this morning cleaning the kitchen, which included sorting out the fridge (how do fridges get so dirty!) and getting rid of all those smudgy finger prints and spots on cabinet doors (more noticeable with the sun now sneaking higher).  Tomorrow it's the living room, but oh dear, our carpet really does need replacing, but Lightning is still having accidents.  :-(  She's going to get tests next week to see what her kidneys are up to...

Have a good Thursday everyone and again, a special Welcome Home to OG!  :-))

Good Morning.  Another sunny start, here. Can't remember another spring when we've had such lovely weather.

Hope that OG had a good night in her own bed at last. :-)

Must get about and do lots today, so that I can relax a bit at the weekend.

Here's today's pic:

"Just take me home...."

Annette – Heathcote Pink Cliffs can only be reached by walking track. Did you see YouTube video via drone? Are you ready for another excursion? I have a day bus trip this Sunday to Beetaloo & Bundaleer Reservoirs with lunch in Laura. I think we also visit Georgetown. Google “Beetaloo Valley reservoir” or “Beetaloo Valley history” or “Bundaleer Reservoir” if you are desperate for info!

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Yesterday’s nanny duty was a short 3 hours. Folding washing, hanging next load, chopping veg for soup, playing ball with twins. They fetched their “oola oops”, I wish I had a video, hilarious. The only negative was when they emptied drink bottle (water) on floor & selves – twice. No one had a nap (not even Yours Truly), I hope twins slept well last night. There was time to hear Miss5’s daily dose of words – “th” words, they, then, with – before she went to Guides. What a busy life Little People have. My plans this arvo to clear a drawer were interrupted by friend phoning for a long chat and now I’m not in a Discard Mood. Plus it’s time for Other Plan - pea n ham n veg soup.

LOL AQ!  - sounds fun, except for the fact that no one napped at all!

I've just wiped out the first kitchen cupboad - plan is to clean out one or two a day until all are pristine. Then I really must set to and wipe down the outsides. I'm going out later on errands, but am waiting in just now for the Milk Lady to call with her bill for the last three weeks - I hate it when I'm not up to date. We have milk, eggs, the local paper, and bird food from the milkman and the bill seems steep if you don't pay it every week.

Will resume description of our day trip on hols:  Here is the last pic I took, of the view from the viewpoint last mentioned:  The sea is often on the horizon. You can just make out one of the towns we're going to pass through when we get down to sea level.

We then left the viewpoint and the mountains behind, as we slid down into the next valley.  There they grow tomatoes and there are goats (I love goats!) 

As you pass from one area to another, there are these attractive archways proudly describing the name by the side of the road. It looks to me as if these used to once be actual archways to pass through, but nowadays with wider roads rather than tracks,  they are limited to just putting an ornamental version at the side.

This is a view of that viewpoint and archway, from below as we descend.

One of the mountains in this remote area.

Right, I've paid the milk bill and before I go out, here are some more of our trip:

We passed through a small bustling town inland, and then headed for the coast, where we often stop for a tasty lunch.  The town here, reachable only by one road both in and out and on a wild part of the coastline, is called "Ajuy"  It's famous for some caves and its rolling surf.  We've seen the caves in the past, and usually like to sit on the dark sand for a bit, but on this day it was so hot that the black sand was too warm to even sit on!

I've taken lots of pictures in the past of this dramatic part of the coast. Surfers were braving the wild waves, but were falling off their boards very often!

There is a small dot of a surfer, without his board, in the middle of this pic.  It was fast becoming one of the hottest days we'd had.  Unusual for that time of year.  We walked back to the inviting cool of the local bars and restaurants, and went into our favourite.  They had "Pulled Pork" on the menu which sounded good so although it was a big meal for lunch, decided to have it.  When it came, it was just two pork chops, not very good (imported) with veg and local potatoes.  Disappointing but at least we had time to cool down before driving back.

We watched with envy as a coach party arrived and sat down to a pre arranged lunch of local fish, with fried potatoes and generous helpings of wine! They were very noisy and of several nationalities.  

Lindy: No!!! Pulled pork is not a pork chop! That would be an abomination in Indiana. Pulled pork is a specialty here, and many restaurants feature it. It's pork shoulder that is dry rubbed with a spice and brown sugar mixture, roasted very slowly until tender, and then pulled into strips or pieces. People sometimes mix in onions in the roasting pan. The meat is then topped with a high quality barbecue sauce (sometimes mixed with the drippings). You should come to Indiana for dinner... LOL! Sample Recipe with video showing preparation.

Your photos were lovely. That's a nice location.

Hello to everyone. I haven't forgotten that I need to make replies. I have a few more pages of editing for this afternoon, and then I will. Welcome home, OG!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, Diane, I should have elaborated.  We have pulled pork here and it's gaining popularity. We thought that that was what we were getting, LOL! But the translations on Spanish menus are often rather strange......