Travels – Page 5 – Mick and Liesel's Antics

Flowers and bones

In the evening, we returned to Asa’s High School for Seniors Night. The first thing we saw was a large poster depicting the all-American soccer hero Asa.

A few of the other players were similarly celebrated, but we are very proud of our nephew’s achievements on the field.

After ceremoniously walking under the arch of balloons with his family, Asa and Gideon’s team played another game, another 1-0 victory.

The daughter of a friend of a friend was playing cello in a musical recital at a venue not too far away from home so Liesel and I decided to walk there. St Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church is a very pretty building, the sight of which is only spoiled by the power lines in front.

But wait, no, that wasn’t the venue for the concert. That was another building, a former church, now known as The Nave. We passed by a rock band on the way, but not as we normally understand a rock band.

Now you know what to do with your scrap metal, horse shoes and that pile of boulders you’ve been meaning to get rid of.

There are two things always guaranteed to make me smile to myself. The name of a shop being a pun is one, and the other is a well-made, decent, fun mural. Named after the Mexican revolutionary, Pancho’s Villa is, of course, a Mexican restaurant here in Anchorage. On the wall, there is this lovely mural of Jean Jilwan, affectionately known as “John the Flower Guy”.

This is what can happen when a community comes together to commemorate a much loved local personality.

We arrived at The Nave in good time, bumping into Jyoti’s friend Dave on the way in. Later, we were joined by Jyoti herself and by Dave’s wife Ellie. The Spring Chamber Music Concert featured young musicians from the Anchorage Youth Symphony and AYO’s Symphony School ensembles. An afternoon of chamber music, or what we would today just call background music. So lots of tunes by Handel, Bach, Schubert and some lesser known composers. All the participants performed very well, including the cello-player, Lavinia, Dave and Ellie’s daughter. I think I only nodded off once, and I did have to leave on one occasion for a coughing fit, trying hard not to do the English thing of saying ‘sorry’, ‘so sorry’ to each and every other member of the audience.

Later in the afternoon, we met up with Jyoti again, this time way over at Una and Phil’s house, where we were joined by Monica and Gregg, and of course, this was the first time I’d seen them this trip.

Again, no photos of the main characters nor the extras. But it was a fun evening.

In medical news: I finally managed to extract the last bit of the splinter I’d acquired nearly two weeks ago, the lump of paint that burrowed deep inside my finger nail. I’m so relieved I didn’t have to resort to major surgery at a hospital. In other medical news, I didn’t come all this way to Anchorage just to be knocked for six by a niggly, tickley, sore throat, and a cough, with numerous other symptoms over the next few days such as fatigue, various aches and, for a few minutes, a sensation of dizziness and loss of sense of balance. Sadly, plans to go for walks were curtailed or cancelled. No, two Covid tests came back negative, so who knows what the nature of the ailment was?

On the other hand, I did complete the LA Times crossword, printed in the Sunday edition of the Anchorage Daily News.

Asa came by with his girlfriend Alexa: it was nice to meet her, and they both talked about their plans for next year after leaving school. Asa plans to spend time in Peru wrestling caymans or something, and Alexa is off to Colorado for a long, hard and intense nursing course.

After a short walk, we had dinner at Leslie’s with the family: Aaron, Jodi, Asa and Gideon, and again, I took no photos.

Mom had a dental appointment. Liesel dropped her off then went for a quick walk with Jyoti. I was still in bed, feeling a bit sorry for myself. Liesel knows that I would definitely have taken pictures in this neighbourhood if I were here, so she did the honours. For some reason, many of the residents have decorated their homes with skeletons. This may be Halloween paraphernalia that hasn’t been taken in yet, but it’s certainly an unusual way to bring the community together.

The next day, when I’d dragged my own bag of bones out of bed, we went for a walk and I was delighted to see these colourful flowers outside a neighbour’s house.

Then Liesel popped the bubble, ruined the illusion, ruined everything quite frankly, by telling me that they were fake, plastic flowers. Well, plastic, schmastic, as Americans say, they’re still very colourful!

There is plenty of evidence of earthquake damage around the city, but I’m not sure this crack in the pavement counts.

On the other hand, when I first arrived, this blue house was as high as its neighbour, but it seems to be sinking into the ground very slowly. Did you also notice the snowflakes? Yes, I couldn’t believe it either when I looked out and saw that it was snowing. Liesel had assured me that it wouldn’t snow in Anchorage during the merry, merry month of May. Huh.

Any more bad news? No, I think that’ll do for now. My coughing fits are fewer and less violent than a few days ago, so there’s some good news.

Snow and ice

When my neighbour passenger woke up (yes, grrr, he managed several hours sleep), he opened the window shutter and the first thing I saw was a range of snow-capped mountains. Liesel looked sheepish when I reminded her that she’d said that all the snow had gone, melted, thawed, disappeared.

We collected our bags and then Jyoti collected us. It was about 6am, light and cold. A mere 2° here in Anchorage, but I thought it was quite refreshing after being cooped up in a packed jetliner for that sleepless five hours.

Thanks, Jyoti, for driving us home, which is, for us, Leslie’s new apartment that she moved into just on five months ago. We soon got into the swing of things, having a coffee from Kaladi Bros just over the road plus a pastry. The view from our room, of course, features snow. Not pristine, freshly fallen snow, but dirty sludge that’s been festering outside since last October.

Despite my best intentions, I couldn’t stay awake for the rest of the day, and indeed, we all had a nap. Followed by a refreshing shower.

I proudly wore a borrowed Harvard sweatshirt for our quick perambulation down to Westchester Lagoon. I didn’t know how to respond when a stranger just said ‘Harvard!’ as he passed by us. I hope I didn’t miss out on something special by not knowing the secret response/password.

There are still patches of ice on the lake, icebergs even.

In the depths of Winter, the ice is so solid, it is a great venue for ice skaters. They even use a Zamboni every few days to provide a clean, smooth surface. Would I skate here? I like the idea, but from experience, the only way I know to stop in a timely manner is to head for the wall of the ice rink. There is no such barrier here, so I guess I’d just keep going until I hit the mountains.

But it’s not all cold stuff here. We saw some signs of Spring.

Fire Island is a great, rustic bakehouse. We paid our first visit here, bought some bread and enjoyed coffee and pastries.

Back at home, I completed the crossword in the local paper, Anchorage Daily News, messed up the Soduko, but I did complete the New York Times crossword for the first time.

This will take some getting used to, I think: the Sun is setting at 10pm right now, that’s three hours later than it did in Honolulu. Plus, the twilight period is much longer. When it’s so light, so late, it’s quite hard getting to sleep.

Our nephews Asa and Gideon played in a football game at West Anchorage High School.

The backdrop of mountains occasionally detracted from the action on the pitch, but what a great setting. Another distraction was the markings for an American Football pitch, which were much more prominent than the yellow lines for soccer. Spoiler alert: I’m not a big football (soccer) fan, but even though West Anchorage (our team) won the match 1-0, given the run of play, I think they should have won by a much higher score.

Unfortunately, the bleachers are still mostly covered in snow, but we did find a dry spot to sit. For the first time, I wore long trousers and I’m glad I did, because after sitting outside in a slight breeze, even I was beinning to feel a little chilly.

Yay, we went shopping at Carrs. Liesel’s shopping list was as long as your arm, and in the end, the trolley (cart) was groaning under the weight of the purchases.

In the evening, Liesel and I visited Jyoti’s son Suvan and his wife Kayla at their place. Six years ago, we just missed attending their wedding because the bureaucracy pertaining to moving house in the UK is a ridiculously long-winded business. It was good to see them, not to mention Suvan’s musical instruments and other technology with which he is composing music and sound effects for a video game. I look forward to playing some on my radio show one day (hint, hint). Who else was there? Jyoti and other pets, Shanti, 16 years old and Basil, much younger. And a cat.

Is there a photograph of Suvan and Kayla? Of course not, that would require me to remember to take pictures of people, not just of things.

When Liesel and Leslie went out to run errands, my mission, which I chose to accept, was to go to Fire Island to buy a baguette. Liesel wasn’t surprised that I had a coffee there, but she was surprised that I didn’t partake of a delicious sweet treat too. Well, I had only just had breakfast. On the way, I did encounter some wildlife.

Yep, the old captions are the best.

And more small signs of Spring.

It had rained overnight, and it was still trying to precipitate now, very half-heartedly. I didn’t want the newly purchased baguette to get too soggy, so I went straight home. Otherwise, I might have enjoyed a longer walk.

The other thing that’s different here in AK is the atmosphere. It’s so dry compared with Hawaii’s humidity, Liesel and I are both experiencing nosebleeds and chapped lips. I’m sure we’ll adapt in the fullness of time, but it’s a bit of a challenge right now.

Aloha, aloha

Sitting in the departure lounge in any airport wears a bit thin after a while, so we find excuses to go for short excursions. One big head followed our gaze as we walked by.

The Giant Head is a large kinetic installation that allows viewers to experience mysterious emotions through its indecipherable facial expressions which seem to penetrate the essence of the viewer. A two-meter-high robot, the Giant Head was also introduced at the London Super Futures exhibition, blurring the line between retail and art space. The Giant Head is a year-long project conducted by Gentle Monster’s Robotics Lab which attempts to question viewers about the future of the human-robot relationship.

I looked at the electronics and the cables behind the face, where the brain ought to be, and it was suitably impressive/complicated.

I also studied the site of the splinter I received last night. From one of the chopsticks in Saké of all things. There was no lasting mark. Unlike the splinter I got a few days ago at the Pantry. As I picked up my bag, my finger lightly scraped the wall behind and a shard of paint found its way down a finger nail. It was quite painful at the time and when I tried to pull it out, the fleck of paint snapped, leaving a black lump well below the nail. I later asked a pharmacist if he had any cream or something that would help extract it, and he said no, it was so deep behind the nail that it would probably have to be surgically removed. It doesn’t bother me, I’m just waiting for the nail to grow so I can restore it to its usual pristine, beautiful and well-manicured state. Yes, leave it for now and watch out in case it becomes infected.

We boarded our plane, a Boeing 787, and found ourselves seated miles part, Leslie near the front, Liesel and me near the back.

We’re going to miss NSW and its lovely people but it’s time to move on. Jetstar had plenty of delightful destinations to choose from, and we decided to fly to Honolulu. It’s over halfway to Alaska, Leslie’s home town.

The flight was nowhere near full, so Liesel and I moved forward. I managed to grab three seats, but despite being able to lie down, I managed only one hour of sleep during the 9-hour flight. I did read a lot though, and listened to some podcasts, so the time passed quickly.

The flight path took us over Fiji and over the point where the equator and the International Dateline cross. There’s a fact for the nerds. And another: because we crossed the International Dateline, this day was 44 hours long.

Honolulu Airport: Immigation and customs posed no problems, despite having several bottles of wine, the only item we needed to declare. It was raining. Yes, we’ve come to Hawaii and it’s raining. But actually, when we disembarked, it just felt really hot and humid, despite being about 5.30am.

We hired a car. Oh good, it’s a convertible. Then we looked more closely. There was no way all our luggage was going to fit in that tiny boot. So we swapped it for a different ‘compact’ which is still twice as big as our little Mazda at home.

We soon noticed that, compared with the Northern Beaches, everything here is bigger. The cars are bigger, the roads are wider, the people are larger, the surfboards are bigger, but that’s because the waves are bigger. And of course, eating out in the USA, the meals are bigger, and when you settle the bill, the tips are bigger.

After finding our accommodation, we had a nap and ate the scones that we’d imported all the way from Mrs Jones the Baker.

Behind our house is the fabulous sight of Diamond Head. But we can’t see it from our place because there are no windows on that side of the building!

We went for a walk towards Waikiki, enjoying the tropical plants.

No, we didn’t visit the zoo, but we walked past the entrance and took a quick hike through Queen Kapi’olani Garden. So far, so quiet. Then we hit the main road by the beach. The road was closed while people were setting up their stalls for the annual Waikiki Spam Jam, a cultural tradition in Hawaii, rated as one of the best food festivals on the islands. A traffic-free road was much more pleasant to walk along, but there were so many people!

Kauai is famous for its feral chickens, not so much Oahu. But today, we saw chickens, hens and roosters and their chicks all over the place. And yes, some of them did cross the road but we don’t know why.

The beach was very popular too. We know from previous visits how calm the sea is here compared with other places around the islands, as there’s a breakwater a short distance away from the shore.

It still felt humid and we even felt about six or seven drops of rain: a very half-hearted attempt at soaking us. Some lei-festooned statues remind us of the sometimes sad history of Hawaii.

From Wikipedia: Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become a representative in the Territory of Hawaii as delegate to the United States Congress, and as such is the only royal-born member of Congress.

A busker was playing a Hawaiian lap steel guitar, but I think he might have been a beginner. The tune he was playing sounded familiar, but he was playing it so slowly, one plodding note after another, I couldn’t bring its name to mind. Still, good on him for having a go. Waikiki Christmas Store was open, but no, we didn’t visit. Nor did we visit Penny’s Malasadas. We left that sweet treat for another time.

After enough fresh air, we found ourselves in the shopping plaza where we didn’t do much shopping (none) but we did have a coffee and a toasted caprese sandwich which really hit the spot, as they say. Thank you, Kai Coffee.

The tide was now in, which means that the beach was only about six feet wide, just about wide enough for someone to lie down between the road and the sea.

While I had the phone camera out, I was watching someone gracefully navigating the many swimmers and bathers on her paddle board. Sorry to admit this, but yes, I was waiting for her to fall in. But she was too good.

Some trees had blue bands around their trunks at about head height. I had to investigate. “Nesting White Terns, Trim With Caution”. Brilliant.

In the evening, we met our old friends Trudi and John for dinner at Panya Bistro on Ala Moana Boulevard. Ala Moana, said more like the French ‘à la’, but our Google (or was it Apple?) Maps announcer pronounced it ‘Ayla Moana’, which elicited a superior chuckle from us polyglots. I can’t believe it’s nine years since I last met Trudi and John. A lot of catching up to do, and somehow, we spent over four hours in the restaurant. John is about the same age as me, and he still swims out to sea a mile or more every morning and surfs back to shore.

I’d like to show you a picture of us all together, but, you know… Here is an awful picture showing the leis that Trudi and John kindly welcomed us to the island with.

My He’e Berry & Tī Leaf Twist Lei was delightfully aromatic. He’e is so-called as that is the Hawaiian word for octopus, and it does resemble an octopus tentacle, but I am grateful it doesn’t smell of octopus.

Leslie’s and Liesel’s Tuberose leis were equally aromatic, definitely a smell that if we encounter it again will bring us right back to Hawaii.

It was a late night for us and we slept well.

Moké’s Bread and Breakfast provided a fabulous, late and very large breakfast. Embarrassingly, I knocked over my glass of water, and the server cleared up my mess very quickly. I felt sorry for him, though, having to pick up ice cubes from the floor, by hand.

According to the thermometer in the car, it was 83°F today, that’s over 28°C. In order to see more of the island, we drove rather than walked. Yes, that’s why we didn’t step out today, no other reason such as fatigue and lethargy at all, honest.

We’ve had a few trips to Kailua over the years, in fact, that’s where we went to celebrate my 60th birthday. So we thought we’d pay a quick visit today, maybe spend some time on the beach.

Other very attractive beaches were glimpsed from the car as we sped by at 35, 45mph. Yes, in places, the speed limits are quite low, which is a good thing.

When we gained some altitude, we could look down at the sea, and it really was a patchwork, so many different shades of blue and green and everything in between. And very clear sometimes too. The sea did look inviting, well, maybe apart from where the waves were bigger than houses.

It was sad to see such a large homeless encampment near Waimanalo Beach. One homeless person is too many, of course, but seeing so many here is this gorgeous, or any, location, was quite distressing. Given the number of Kanaka Maoli Hawaiian flags we saw, I supect most of these homeless folk are native Hawaiians, priced out of the city by rich white Americans.

Kailua is very popular. We drove in, we drove out, there was obviously nowhere to park up, so we didn’t. Instead, we returned to Honolulu via the main highway and stopped off at The Valley of the Temples. This is more than just an oversized cemetery. It’s a beautifully laid out memorial park and we spent some time here, absorbing the peace.

We rang the peace bell for our lost loved ones, in particular for Liesel’s Dad, and for my Mum and Dad and Sarah. And later in the temple, we lit incense sticks for them too.

Liesel and Leslie ringing the Bon Sho (Sacred Bell)

This bell is a replica of one in Japan that is 900 years old and probably made in India.

Before entering the Temple, we had to take our shoes off. I had a quick look at what was on offer, and decided that I’d prefer to leave with the sandals I’d arrived in.

Amida Buddha sitting on a gold lotus leaf, inside the Temple

Amongst the wildlife here, we saw koi; black swans; spotted doves, some more keen on mating than others; turtles and, er, several domestic cats, which we thought a bit odd.

The Temple is a replica of the 11th-century Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-In Buddhist temple complex in Uji, Japan. It is very photogenic, especially with the mountains, shrouded in mist, in the background.

For a moment, we coud have actually been in Japan, where we’d enjoyed visiting many temples.

Dinner this evening was with Leslie and Liesel’s friend Joye, whom they’ve known for decades. They talked about other family members, some familar to me, many not. It was lovely to meet her for the first time. And I remembered to take a picture, hooray.

What a salubrious background. Good night!

Liesel dropped Leslie and me off to watch a hula show, while she went gallivanting off with Trudi, spending just a short time shopping.

We had the pleasure of seeing a couple of (to me) exotic birds. The egret was practising silly walks and the red-crested cardinal flew in, landed, sang a few notes, and flew away again.

We never go and see a show that starts at 9.30 in the morning, yet here I am, and not with my wife but with my mother-in-law. As that great philosopher Phil Collins once said, ‘Funny ol’ world, innit?’

The Kilohana Hula Show show was very enjoyable: the commentator / announcer provided a very entertaining and informative narration. Overall, the dances and songs told stories about events in Hawaii’s history, but mostly, I just enjoyed listening to the music and watching the intricate choreography. Sadly, the amphitheatre was only about a quarter full, but that didn’t seem to affect the performance.

Towards the end of the show, we members of the audience were invited down to learn the moves. I would have had a go, but, well, I have two left feet when it comes to dancing. Plus, I had to look after Leslie. Those are my excuses, and I’m sure I can invent plenty more, if necessary.

But the folks who did join in all had a good time, and most of them were smiling at the end.

Liesel came by and collected us after show, and we retired to our Airbnb. Leslie had a rest while Liesel and I went out for breakfast, before Liesel worked on the PC for a couple of hours. During which time, I too took a well-deserved (?!) rest.

East-West Center Japanese Garden is small and we passed a good half hour here, slowly walking around.

The Garden Stream represents a river as it flows from the mountains to the lowland cities and sea. The stream’s course reflects the Japenese character for “heart”, symbolizing the greetings sent from the people of Japan to the people of Hawaii.

Sadly, the old teahouse wasn’t open for refreshments. And I was surprised to see a young lady enjoying a book in the shelter of the Thai Pavilion.

Just along the road, all within the campus of the University of Hawaii, is the stunning Korean Studies Building. It’s architects and most of the builders were Korean, and it is a very attractive building.

As well as being functional, it is decorated with Korean tiles, and the level of details takes the breath away.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is a tobacco-free campus: no smoking, no vaping, no chewing tobacco. I don’t know what the sanctions are for anyone who breaks the rule, but what a great innovation. While Liesel and Leslie sat on a bench in the shade outside, I went into Hamilton Library, where it was much cooler. And what a big library, there must have been over a hundred students working here.

And that’s just one room: I didn’t go upstairs at all. The staff give their all, working their fingers and more to the bone:

And I came across another great idea. They’ve put the waste bins outside the restrooms so, when you’ve washed your hands, you can use the paper towel to open the door and dispose of the towel outside. No need to worry about touching a virus-laden door handle with your clean fingers. It wouldn’t work with those hot air hand dryers, I know, but since Covid, I’ve stuffed many a used paper towel in my pocket having opened a bathroom door without touching it, especially in a restaurant, when I’m about to eat.

There is a long display telling us about The Himeyuri Schools and the Battle of Okinawa, something of which I was completely unaware.

Back in Waikiki, we returned to Ala Moana Center Shopping Mall. What a big Mall. We visited a few shops, American icons such as Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, plus Maui Divers Jewelry. Remember I said everything’s bigger in America? Well, look at the size of these trousers!

Those big jeans are on a par with the 230 Big Things in Australia that we were talking about just a few days ago.

Another surprise was seeing one of Yayoi Kusama’s bronze polka dotted pumpkins out in the wild.

We were drawn into Two Palms looking for a dress for Leslie and, somehow, we ended up buying a shirt for me too. Plus some other odds and sods.

It was much quicker to pack on this occasion since we hadn’t fully unpacked for such a short visit.

I don’t do Trip Advisor, mainly because many of the reviews are fake or paid for. But if I were to write a review about one place, it might verge on the extremely negative.

Where to go for dinner tonight, our last one in Honolulu? We found a venue that looked appealing, drove up a ramp and realised that only valet parking was available. For the price of $5 plus gratuity. So we handed over the keys and walked down to the restaurant. ‘Sit down where you like and we’ll bring over the menu.’ We sat down and Liesel went to the bathroom. A server approached Leslie and me to apologise. ‘The kitchen is closed because we’re expecting a large party later of 250.’ Hmmm, I wish you’d told us before we had our car valet-parked at great expense. Oh, I’m ever so sorry. She signed the ticket, there was no way we were going to pay for a service we didn’t want in the first place, especially since now, we weren’t going to eat here. All they needed to do was have a sign at the bottom of the drive warning potential customers that the kitchen was closed. Annoying, yes. And very un-American, their customer service is usually very good. So, onto a different place. Where we had American sized sandwiches, full of salad and sprouts and, oh well, nasty American cheese. It was alright, though. So thank you, Liliha Bakery.

We returned the car to the airport, checked in and waited a couple of hours for our next flight. Honolulu Airport is a bit old and maybe could do with a spot of refurbishment, but there is one feature I like. Hidden in plain sight, as the website says, are the Cultural Gardens. Hawaiian, Japanese and Chinese Gardens are underneath the departure gates and surprisingly peaceful, despite the roar of jet engines not too far away. It was dark when I visited, and there were very few other people wandering around.

Again, because the bookings had been made at different times, Leslie was sitting a few rows away from Liesel and myself. Another smooth take-off and pretty much on time. The flight was full, so I couldn’t lie down this time, hence I had zero sleep for the whole of the overnight flight. I did finish two books today, though, so that’s a result. I can recommend Joanne Harris’s Blueeyedboy. And I finally reached the end of Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, which I’ve been reading in fits and starts for several months. Fascinating but some of the concepts are hard to follow. Time for something lighter: back to Jeeves and Wooster.

Bye-bye Brookie

And lo, as our visit to Australia draws to a close, we are preparing to pack and to leave. We arrived with a case full of Hula Hoops and chocolate for Helen and friends, and we’re leaving with several bottles of wine. No less bulky, but much, much heavier.

In Manly, they were setting up for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service. We’d missed out on the event in Darwin five years ago, but wouldn’t it be great to show our support here, now? Yes, it would. But then we found out the truth.

4.25am? Sorry, I know getting up that early, just once, is nothing like the sacrifice thousands of people have made over so many years of conflict, but it was never going to happen.

Today, though, for the last time, the three of us had Manly massages. Helena was slightly more gentle today, as she didn’t want us to be in pain on our upcoming flight!

The library in Manly was very comfortable, and after writing for a while, I managed not to fall asleep. I had a quick coffee then set off for Warringah Mall. Meanwhile, Liesel had renewed the hire car for a couple more days. I think she likes the Toyota Corolla hybrid a wee bit too much. The Mazda at home better be looking over its shoulder…

The library in the Mall was very comfortable, and after writing for a while, I migrated to an armchair where I did nod off for a short while.

We received news from one of our secret sources. A client of Helen’s had said that four pelicans had been seen at North Harbour Reserve, so with a quick handbrake turn, we headed off in that direction. It’s a nice little reserve, a little park off the road that we’d passed by many times, but this was our first actual visit.

There were plenty of folks taking their dogs or their babies for a walk, but disappointingly, the pelicans were not to be seen.

In general, the weather here has been superb, so it’s hard to keep in mind that actually, it’s Autumn. But when you have to shuffle through this many fallen leaves, you remember what time of year it is.

The first thing I heard on ANZAC day wasn’t the bagpipes and the drums from a procession somewhere close by, it was Liesel asking whether I could hear the bagpipes and drums. Well, no, I couldn’t and please, let me get back to sleep.

Packing is a frustrating occupation, there are so many things that can’t be put in a case until the last minute. So we gave up for a bit, and went for a walk instead. Narrabeen Lagoon seemed like a good place to return to. Obviously, we didn’t completely circumnavigate the lagoon today, but along with a million other walkers, cyclists, joggers and more serious runners, scooterers and skaters, we enjoyed a short tramp along the path.

I was surprised there weren’t more boats out on the water: we saw a few kayaks and later on, one very loud motor boat which ruined the ambiance for everyone else. The black swans were well away from shore, and the closest bird we saw with wet feet was a lapwing. There were some diving birds too.

You wouldn’t believe me if I said that we saw a moose here today. So here is the proof:

Well, a bent coat-hanger in the shape of a moose isn’t really a moose, I suppose, but it made us laugh. Way up on the hill on this ANZAC day, it was good to see a house proudly displaying a huge Aussie flag.

Many people were having picnics and some were very well-equipped for the occasion. Some had placed table cloths on the picnic tables. A few were sitting on large blankets on the ground. And a couple had even erected tents for the occasion, which we thought was a bit OTT.

Back at home, Helen was preparing food, Liesel continued preparing food, I stayed out of the way. Jacqui arrived with cheese and crackers, and shortly afterwards, Brent joined us fresh from the gym.

Even though the creeping figs might be edible, they’re quite difficult to reach from Helen’s back yard. I suspect that, like the quinces we had in Chessington, this fruit will go un-eaten.

Cheese and crackers and a glass or six of wine, that’s a great way to pass the afternoon. And when that was all taken care of, a barbecue. The carnivores had sausages and ribs, while Helen and I had veggie burgers and we all shared a variety of delicious salads. Jacqui also brought caramel hedgehog slice as a dessert which, despite its name, was suitable for vegetarians.

I think we all enjoyed our time outside. Jacqui brought everything, including a game, Cornhole, which involved throwing beanbags into a hole from a distance of about 6 metres. Modesty prevents me from saying who was the champion today.

Several hours were passed imbibing wine, chatting and laughing. And I kept the phone in my pocket, so no pictures of us with Jacqui. Mick, you’re rubbish.

After Helen, Brent and Jacqui left, the rest of us went straight to bed and straight to sleep. Until I woke up, feeling refreshed and ready to go, but it was only 1am. It took a while to drift off again.

Our penultimate morning in Brookvale started with an unusual breakfast, as we have been using up the various cereals etc. Some more packing also took place.

After a break of several days, Liesel received a couple of work projects. We had a date in Manly, so we set off for the library there. There were many people working on laptops, so thank goodness there was a secret upper floor with additional workspace.

On the way to the library, I chortled at this juxtaposition of the word ‘chickens’.

One on the back of a mother-in-law and one on the back of a van. And as I walked by the driver, he asked why I was taking pictures of his van.

Maggie was a member of our baby-sitting circle in Chessington some decades ago, before moving to Australia. She now lives in the western suburbs of Sydney and today, she came all the way back to Manly, the town of her youth, to see us. I met her from the ferry and we had a coffee at Three Beans.

After joining Liesel and Leslie by Manly Beach, we went for a short walk before lunching back at Alice Dumpling: this was the place where we’d first met Brent, seven weeks ago, but it feels much more recent.

Sorry again, there is no photo of Maggie with or without us. Slapped wrist, Mick, you incompetent so-and-so.

As I accompanied Maggie back to the wharf, Liesel and Leslie indulged in a gelato. I succumbed to temptation, too, then stayed in Manly while they went off to Warringah Mall Library. After work, Helen joined me for a quick cuppa and a lovely chat.

Back at home, more serious packing took place, to the point that we were now weighing the packed bags. In the process, I discovered that I, too, have put on a few pounds weight since I’ve been here in Aus. Secretly, I’m hoping the scales are lying. It must be all the sunshine, can’t be anything to do with drinking more wine than I’ve ever drunk in my life before, or eating out far more often than we do at home.

While packing, our background music was provided by the band down the road at Brookvale Oval rehearsing the national anthems for the rugby game tonight. Liesel and I both tried to buy tickets for this game but failed for ridiculous reasons that come down to bad website design.

But why were they playing the UK national anthem as well as the Australian one? It’s a local game between Manly Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels.

We picked Helen up and drove back to Manly. Saké is Helen’s and Brent’s favourite restaurant so we had another very nice, very tasty meal here tonight.

Sorry, but we realised later, that we didn’t get photos of the family, Helen, Brent, Mick, Liesel and Leslie, all together. Crikey Mick, you are such a loser.

But of course, I did take a few pictures of Manly in the dark.

When we returned home, of course we had to watch the rugby match on TV. We could hear the crowd from the Oval just down the road, and we realised that if we looked up at the TV as soon as we heard the roar of the crowd, we’d see the try being scored that they were cheering for. Hooray for 2- or 3-second delays in the broadcast!

The Eels were leading at half-time but the Sea Eagles won the match 32-18 after a tremendous second half comeback.

And so, one final breakfast with Helen at Big Cliff’s, no that’s not right… We returned to Little Collins for breakfast with Helen. I ate well last night at Saké so I had a relatively small meal. The Sun was out, waiting to wish us goodbye. All chores today, returning the car, and the final phase of packing, weighing, re-packing, a wonderful game of 3D Tetris.

Helen was kind enough to drive us to the airport and she is now spending the afternoon in the city with some friends. We checked in and passed through security with ease.

Somehow, this faffing about at an airport always seems so anticlimactic after such a wonderful, exciting, busy holiday. And welcoming a new young man into the family is a bonus, of course. Congratulations again, Helen and Brent, and thank you very much for letting us crash in what will very soon be your shared pad.

So here we are sitting in an airport departure lounge waiting to board our flight. But where are we going? What is our next destination? Tune in soon for the next exciting episode. I’m not sure what our internet connection will be like for the next few days, so appy polly loggies if there’s a delay. I have no idea why that phrase from A Clockwork Orange just popped into my head.

Koalafications

West Head has been on our list of places to visit for a while. And we found the drive there very interesting, even if the road was long and winding. Again, I was amused by seeing another Blackbutts Road, fnarr, fnarr, but of more interest was seeing some bridges across the road, hung from tree to tree, so that animals can safely cross the highway. Sadly, we still saw a couple of corpses by the side of the road.

As I said to Liesel, I’m always fascinated to see two bodies of water come into contact with each other. Sometimes, there’s a marked difference in colour, one more green than the other, for instance. Here, though, there was a very distinctive line between, I think, the Hawkesbury River and Pittwater.

From West Head, you can see Palm Beach in all its glory. We’d not walked up the path to the lighthouse on this visit, so it was great, from our vantage point on the other side of the water to see Barrenjoey Head standing proud. It was once an island, joined to the mainland via what we now know as Palm Beach, after the last ice age.

There are a number of walking tracks off the road leading to West Head, but we discounted some because they were described as ‘hard’. Some of the others were closed for reasons of safety: ‘Unstable edge’. Another one we couldn’t do because we couldn’t see where to park the car safely. Yet another would have meant negotiating a large puddle that straddled the path, and who knows how deep it was? And what monsters lurked beneath the surface? But we did have a nice wander up and down a couple of challenging paths.

As we ate our picnic lunch overlooking Pittwater and Palm Beach, we enjoyed watching the three young ladies next to us as they took out their equipment and began painting the scene. I don’t think I’ve ever seen paint in so many shades of blue, but by the time we left, they had pretty much captured the sea and the sky perfectly. Me, I just point the phone and click, job done. I often wish I had the patience, and the talent, to paint scenes like this, especially when photographs don’t really show the scale of a landscape.

No need to say that, yes, of course, we encountered a couple of massive spiders on their huge webs. A brush turkey came sniffing around for food, unsuccessfully. Well, shh, Leslie threw a small crust of bread, eliciting a roar of disapproval from Liesel and me.

The Red Hands Track was a challenge, but worthwhile, once we found the Aboriginal hand prints on the rock. These weren’t as easy to spot as those we saw a few days ago. The sign was almost apologetic, saying that although Australia had been inhabited by people for tens of thousands of years, these prints were only 2000 years old.

Always on the lookout for exciting wildlife, we jumped for joy when we crossed paths with this specimen.

We drove away via a different route, though the road was just as winding, passing by Akuna Bay. We expected a nice, peaceful bay, with maybe young children fishing, the water gently lapping on a beach. Instead, the bay was full of boats, Yachts of all shapes and sizes, scores of them, possibly hundreds. How they navigate in and out is a mystery to me.

I think Liesel and I were both slightly envious of the many cyclists enjoying the ups and downs of these virtually empty, quiet roads.

We stopped for coffee in Glenrose. Or was it Belrose? Shop names were evenly divided between the two names. As Google Maps would have it, we had coffee at Three Beans Glenrose Villiage (sic). It reminded us of the indistinct boundary between Chessington and Hook.

If we weren’t very lucky spotting kangaroos and koalas in the wild, we were much more fortunate seeing this beastie.

Tossed away in a shopping trolley like an old sock. Someone will be very disappointed when they get home. Funnily enough, we’d seen another wild avocado on the pavement, down the road from Helen’s, just a few days ago. Maybe they’re planning a takeover.

We set the controls for Long Reef one more time, specifically the pie shop. The server apologised because the only pies left were vegetarian. Oh well, that’ll do, but I was cheering inside. A pie plus leftover salads from yesterday’s barbecue, lovely. Accompanied by one of our favourite Disney films on TV, Brave. And then we started watching Haunting in Venice, the new Hercule Poirot film with Kenneth Branagh, but one of our party didn’t enjoy it. I won’t name the culprit, but she’s even older than me.

Koala Park Sanctuary is about a seven hour walk from Helen’s apartment, so it’s a good we had a vehicle and were able to drive there. We had a great time walking around, visiting the mainly Australian animals. Liesel said she preferred this place to Taronga Zoo: yes, it’s a bit more shabby, but it was much quieter, less frenetic.

I know with 100% certainty that this is a blue-tongued skink because that’s what the sign said. On the other hand, later on, we saw a rat in the enclosure with a wombat, and that might confuse someone if they read the sign, ‘Wombat’, looked up and saw nothing but a pesky rodent. The wombat itself was hiding in his house. Another wombat around the corner was indoors too. Too cold for them?

And this, according to the sign, is definitely a diamond python.

We saw a lace monitor trying to escape. But he’d come in very handy for someone who maybe couldn’t reach down to retie their shoes. Just call on the services of a lace monitor.

It was nice to see the kookaburras again. Last time we were here, five years ago, I’d recorded one of them laughing. I played back the recording today to see whether the bird recognised himself. Not a twitch of recognition nor interest.

Some of the other birds were singing quite nicely, but the mesh on the cages was annoyingly prominent for this photographer. Losing half of an otherwise decent picture because my finger was in the way, well, I can’t blame anyone else for that.

A couple of muzzled dingoes were taken for a walk. Despite the muzzle though, one of them managed to pick up some inappropriate food from the ground.

The long-billed corella came over to make friends. I didn’t have any food for him, but I did try to teach him some rude words. He wasn’t responding.

Lorikeets, emus, goats, sheep and, of course, kangaroos and wallabies were here to be spoken to and fed but only with the feed purchased at reception. As before, the kangaroos weren’t that interested in the same boring old food. They didn’t mind being petted a bit, though.

The cassowary was behind heavy wire too. And blimey, again, we were surprised to see how big their feet are, compared to an emu’s, say. Wouldn’t want one of them stomping on your feet at a disco.

But I think the highlight for all of us was seeing a couple of koalas up close. On our last visit, we were able to touch them but now, quite rightly, we can’t because they find the experience too stressful. The guide took us through all the koala facts he knew in a brisk ten minutes, then we members of the public were allowed into the koalas’ enclosure a few at a time.

What was funny was that as soon as the guide stopped talking, one of the koalas climbed to the top of one of the bare trees, almost as if he knew what was coming, and he didn’t want anything to do with us visitors.

Later on, in a different place, we found a pregnant koala. Since the joey is born not much bigger in size than the tip of your finger, she’s looking pretty big, I reckon.

We had a quick look in the gift shop and we had a coffee. Something possessed me to try it with macadamia milk. Nope, not for me. As with almond milk, which I tried once, I can’t see the point. I’ll continue to stick with old-fashioned cow juice in my coffee, thank you very much.

We had a date for a late lunch in Manly, returning to the Pantry. We parked at the far end of North Steyne, so we had a reasonable walk to the venue. The beach was very busy, and many people were in the water.

We three were first to arrive, followed by Helen and Brent soon after. Bambi was late, and it would be rude if I were to mention that she’d forgotten the date. So I won’t. But she and Gypsy were a little… delayed.

We had a lovely lunch, after which we bade farewell to Bambi and Gypsy for the final time on this trip.

The rest of us ambled along the road to Manly Pacific for cocktails. Well, I had a cocktail, a Dusky Rose Whaler, so did Brent, an espresso Martini. Liesel and Mom had coffee and Helen had a glass of rosé. Just so you know what to order when you take us next time, gentle reader.

And now it’s time. I want a drumroll on the table in front of you. Call up a nearby band and get them to play a fanfare. Nothing too ostentatious, just a little something to mark the occasion. I have an announcement.

I am pleased to announce that my daughter Helen is now engaged to be married to Brent.

Helen was flashing the ring a few days ago, and did I notice? With a little prompting, yes.

So, love and congratulations to Helen and Brent from Dad, Liesel and Leslie: we’re so happy that we were here to share this moment with you. And love from Pauline and Andrew too who were amongst the first to hear the news, and from all your friends!

Spiders and birds

It’s a long walk up to North Head, so on this occasion, the three of us took the bus. Four years ago, this beauty spot was devastated by bush fires, and there are still signs of the destruction.

But the new growth is flourishing, although we were disappointed to not see big spiders’ webs like we did on our previous visit. Disappointed? Well, I was, but I think Liesel and Leslie were relieved.

The Pacific Ocean lay before us like the biggest blue table cloth you could imagine. There were a couple of boats, but other than that, its size just messed with your senses, and reminded me of John Wayne. While making a film, as a Roman soldier, he had to look up at the crucified body of Jesus and say, ‘Truly, this was the son of God’. The director said, ‘Give it some awe, John’. So he said, ‘Aw, truly this was the son of God’. I don’t know if that’s a true story or not, but the ocean, seen from our lookout, really did fill us with awe.

We took the shuttle bus down to Q Station, the old quarantine station, and had a look around the museum. It’s all fascinating stuff, but it must have been pretty grim having to wait here for several weeks with, or in case you caught, one of several nasty infectious diseases. A few people were having a good time on the beach. Four young teeny-weeny-bikini-clad girls, unencumbered with any kind of bag, came into the café, purchased, and walked away with soft drinks. Liesel posed the question: just where did they keep the credit card?

We’d thought about taking the ferry back, but the jetty is dangerous and out of bounds. Unless you’re a cormorant and you want to dry your wings out at the far end.

Back in Manly, we met Bambi and Gypsy for a coffee. But the coffee shops were closed and we ended up at the Steyne Hotel for a cocktail instead. Well, it’s five o’clock somewhere.

In the evening, Liesel and I joined Helen and Brent back at the Harbord Hotel for another night of Trivia. Just us four in the team, we did alright, but walked away without a prize. And tired Mom managed alright at home on her own for a couple of hours.

It was time for some self-care. Liesel and Leslie had pedicures. And the following day, we all had a massage. Graçias Helena, I don’t know how you do it, but to find the area of my back that occasionally causes discomfort, even when as today, it’s feeling pretty good, well that’s the sign of a great masseuse.

We walked through Manly and along to Shelly Beach. Many people were having a great time on the beach and in the water.

It was a crowded path today, and we arrived to be greeted by a large number of brush turkeys on Shelly Beach. Lunch time and we found a table inside. I watched a couple of turkeys have a chat outside. ‘Should we go in?’ ‘I was thinking about it.’ And a few seconds later, one of the turkeys did join us inside the Boathouse. And a few seconds after that, we heard and felt the first clap of thunder. After which, it started raining. Harder and harder. There was a magnificent flash of forked lightning in the clouds, after which, I spent ages trying to capture a lightning flash with the camera. The storm was right overhead, and we were glad to be inside. And of course, the place became more and more crowded as more and more damp people joined us. Not many more birds, though. In fact, there were more babies inside than the number of brush turkeys we’d seen outside.

Enjoyment of our lunch wasn’t affected, and we hung out longer that we would have normally, waiting for the rain to abate. I ordered a coffee which was very welcome. Then a second coffee was delivered to our table. That was unexpectedly welcome: I hope nobody missed out and that the staff just duplicated our order by mistake.

We walked back to Manly and witnessed another thunderstorm. Again, we found shelter just in time, under the canopies outside the shops. From this particular vantage point, we could see the rain bounce off the road seemingly right back up where it came from. Again, we saw a couple of lightning bolts, but not when my camera was pointing in the right direction.

As we walked to the bus stop, we had to cross a road which was totally inundated. I wanted to take a picture of the puddle. And when I raised my phone, I noticed the cars splashing through the water slowed down a bit. Maybe the drivers thought I was taking a picture of their slightly antisocial behaviour.

Back at Helen’s, Liesel prepared a meal from an EveryPlate kit. Helen joined us after work and even though the meal kit was supposed to serve four people, we had leftovers. Of course we did! We opened a bottle of wine to have with our meal. This is unusual for us, but we don’t really want to lug 13 bottles of wine around with us.

We’ve been pretty busy so we thought we’d have a more relaxed day. Liesel took Mom on an errand so I took myself off to the library where I joined quite a few other people, ancient and modern, studying, writing or just reading the newspaper.

When it was time for a coffee, I wandered around the Mall for a bit. I’m used to shops at home not selling what their names would suggest, but I thought that was just a British phenomenon. You can’t buy footwear in Boots, for instance. The Body Shop never sold corpses. And, to my embarrassment, White Stuff doesn’t deal in cocaine.

So here I was in Warringah Mall and I remembered seeing school boys over the last few days taking their fishing equipment on buses. I thought maybe I should have a go at this angling malarkey, but I needed to buy some gear. I found just the shop.

Nope. There were no fishing rods here and the assistant was quite offended when I suggested I might take up shooting instead. No guns here either. Well, if I can’t hunt wildlife, maybe I can buy some.

That’s the place for me. Turns out they don’t sell playpuses nor any other kind of wild Australian animal. This was getting a bit frustrating. A stiff drink is in order, I said to myself. And just over the way, the ideal bar.

Again, disappointment greeted me inside. Yet another shop out to confuse shoppers. Not a drop of whisky to be seen here, although I suspect the manager has a secret stash in their filing cabinet. Not wanting to walk home nor catch the bus, I decided to purchase a vehicle.

You’re ahead of me, aren’t you? I couldn’t buy any kind of motorised transport here. Instead, they tried to palm me off with a pair of shoes. I’d already decided not to walk home, and I was happy with my current footwear, thank you very much.

The weather took a turn for the worse. After the thunderstorms, the weather had cleared up. Again reader, it rained. We walked over to the car rental place to collect our final car this trip. We stayed dry, but once the heavens opened, it didn’t really stop for the rest of the day. We drove over to Forestville to do some shopping. It made a pleasant change shopping at a branch of Coles other than in Warringah Mall. No, not really, they’re all pretty much the same.,

We found a great little Greek café for a coffee. I translated most the Greek signs, but had to resort to Google Translate in the end. The waiter was totally unimpressed by my ‘Ευχαριστώ πολύ!’ Well, I tried. Oh, and it was very nice coffee here at Forest Brunch Bar, if you’re in the area.

We do like visitors, but imagine our surprise when we saw this one first thing in the morning.

It’s a bit bigger than the spiders we see at home. Leslie’s face told a horror story when she was introduced to it.

And, as if this specimen wasn’t enough, we found another one on its web, with one strong thread attached to the barbecue cover. That might cause a problem later in the day.

The rain had reluctantly eased off overnight, and Freshwater Beach called us over for a quick walk.

Freshwater Beach with North Head in the background

It was hilly. We walked round in a big loop, stopping for a coffee and buying bread at Mrs Jones the Baker.

I think Hawaii might have something to say about that final claim

Freshwater View Reserve sounds appealing. It’s up the hill, and would offer specatcular views of the ocean, right? Well, it’s a very small park. There are benches, but if you sit down, your view is obscured by big bushes. It might be someone’s idea of a joke: maybe a local councillor designed this place on his final day in office.

We admired the local flora. Here is the lovely Liesel, wearing blue, modelling someone’s overgrown cactus.

We felt the need to walk a little further, so we paid a return visit to Long Reef, the venue for one of our first wanders when we arrived, all those weeks ago.

At the bottom of the boat ramp, there was a flock of seagulls, not to be confused with the 1980s new wave band of that name. And in amongst these pesky chip-stealing birds, we spotted the pelican trying to look inconspicuous.

On the golf course, Liesel noticed someone’s golf cart running away with itself. Somehow, it knew where to stop. The player caught up, selected a club, and hit the ball again. Then sent the cart off on its own to the next rendezvous. I thought half the fun of playing golf was pulling your own cart around.

We walked up to the lookout point, looked out, oohed and ahhed, and walked back down the slope.

On the road home, we passed by several cars and vans, parked up and all for sale. I don’t know which kind of vehicle was on sale for $44.50, but I’m sure it was a bargain. Or a pricing error.

We arrived home a little later than planned, Helen was in already, and Leslie, whom we’d left behind (her choice, we didn’t just forget her like David Cameron did his daughter in the pub that time) was happy to have us all back.

Helen removed the barbecue cover without upsetting the spider, so that’s a relief. We were joined by Helen and Dan with their children Asher and Fern. I’d met them before, briefly, at Nat and Rob’s.

Young children are great, but not so good at remembering not to double-dip their food in the hummus! We enjoyed some bubbles and we opened another bottle of wine from one of the vineyards we’d visited in the Hunter Valley.

Helen, Dan holding Fern, Asher and our Helen

It was a most enjoyable afternoon, eating too much and drinking too much and yakking and playing with the very entertaining children. I think only three glasses of wine were spilled, but I may have lost count. Good job we were sitting outside. Again, we all commented on how quickly it gets dark when the Sun sets at about 6pm.

Cassowaries and cake

It’s very nearly a week since her birthday, but Martha is still stuffing her face with cake. Well, it’s not every day you turn 8 years of age.

At the bus stop, I was surprised to see that once again, I am being used in an advertising campaign. The nice people have slightly adjusted my age in the right direction, but I think I look pretty good, here.

On the ferry, I tried to get a nice photo of Liesel’s Mom with the Opera House in the background. I was hampered by the presence of other pesky passengers also looking for that perfect photo opportunity.

It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day for a walk towards the Opera House and then into the Royal Botanic Gardens. There were plenty of people here, just lying on the grass, either soaking up the rays or staying safe in the shade of the trees.

This sculpture was constructed over many years by visitors to the Gardens. They were invited to bring along a white pebble and place it on top. A few rogues brought darker stones, hence the pattern. Then one day, the Governor of New South Wales said, ‘that’ll do’, and visitors weren’t allowed to add any more rocks. Well, in lieu of a plaque telling us the true story behind this object, and despite several ~~hours~~ minutes research not being able to pin down the true story, that will indeed have to do.

But hooray for this sundial, which was telling the correct time, using the equation of time provided. If I had a wrist watch, I could safely have reset its time.

Acorns drew our attention to this tree. The leaves are definitely not oak leaves as we know them, but this is an oak tree. Quercus ilex. Holm Oak or Holly Oak from Southwestern Europe. One of the hardiest evergreen oaks, it thrives in all types of well drained soil and is particularly valuable for coastal plantings. As well as tolerating shade, it responds well to clipping and is suitable for hedging. The variety rotundifola has edible acorns. A bit chewy and nutty, and bits do get stuck between your teeth, but ideal for a spontaneous picnic in, for example, botanic gardens.

This tree is from north-east Queensland, restricted to the tops of the higher mountains from Thornton Peak and the Windsor Tableland south to Mt Bartle Frere at 1000-1500 m. This species can be grown as a ‘normal’ tree but it frequently occurs growing on other trees or on granite boulders. Planted in October 1988. I’m so glad I memorised all that.

Here’s another, rather stunning, sculpture that, at first, you don’t realise is in two parts. Very well done.

We didn’t think there’d be any chance of seeing a cassowary out in the wild, in this part of the country, but we spotted this chap in the bushes.

Somehow, Liesel identified this as some kind of banana tree, but then most people are better botanists than I am. And she was correct, it’s a hairy banana or pink banana, but currently bearing no fruit.

We walked as far as Mrs Macquaries Point where we enjoyed a refreshing gelato. Other than a big spider and what I hope was a bandicoot but might have been a rat, running across the path, plus a few birds, we didn’t encounter any wildlife.

Opera House eclipsing the Harbour Bridge

Did I mention birds? Here is photographic evidence of why bin chickens are so called.

A peaceful ferry ride back to Manly was interrupted by a very loud alarm going off for a very long time. When it stopped, a crew member reminded us that we’re not allowed to smoke or vape anywhere on the vessel. I think someone was caught puffing away and the alarm was left to run for so long to hide the perpetrator’s screams as they were keel-hauled.

And another thing: why do many vapers pursue their addiction so surreptitiously? They always seem to be looking around, as if to gauge how many people are watching them, whether in admiration or in disgust and dismay.

Liesel and I and Helen met up with Rob and Nat and their children at 7th Day Brewery, where we ate and drank and chatted. I even remembered to take pictures of people, some of whom were more cooperative than others, right, Sebby?!

At the brewery, I was surprised to see that I am being recognised and celebrated by having a brand of rosé named after me. How cool is that? I had a glass, and it’s very nice, very tasty.

Get your skates on! That was the message delivered to Martha on her birthday. So she did.

More protective gear than an American Football Player’s stunt double. Don’t look here for grazed knees and broken elbows!

We were a bit wary of visiting Taronga Zoo on a day during the school holidays. But it wasn’t too crowded, and we had a great day. We bumped into Nat and Hamish before we went in, expecting to see them later on, but they successfully managed to avoid us 😉 We were definitely meeting up with Helen and Brent, but they were slightly delayed. So Liesel and Leslie went in while I waited outside to meet them. Then Helen sent a message telling us to go in, so I went in too.

After visiting this rather attractive endangered frog, I went around the corner to see the koalas. Liesel and I had the following WhatsApp chat:

Liesel: On our way to Australia section
(Corroboree frog and koalas are here, so I, quite reasonably, thought this was the Aussie section)
Mick: Koalas?
Liesel: Yup, just finishing koalas
Do you want us to wait
Mick: l’m just behind then!
(and then when I couldn’t see them anywhere)
Or maybe not
What’s your grid reference?
Liesel: I don’t have a map. I’m between the
kangaroos and dingoes

Then I realised. No kangaroos nor dingoes here. We were looking at a different group of koalas. I deduced that after passing through the entrance, Liesel and Mom had turned left, whereas I’d turned right. And it was pure coincidence that we were looking at koalas at the same time. And all very cute, of course.

I walked towards the official Australia section, passing by a family of ring-tailed lemurs have a bit of argy-bargy.

We soon met up with Helen and Brent by the floral clock and close by, we attempted to see the cassowary. A real one this time. He was there, hiding in the bushes. On the other hand, the capybara didn’t mind posing for a picture.

We enjoyed two shows. During one, we were introduced to some well-trained seals. Liesel in particular was glad we were sitting at the back, because the front row did get splashed a couple of times when the seals jumped about in the water.

At the bird show, an owl flew very low over us in the audience, we could feel the draught.

No idea what was going on with the tigers, but one was in the naughty room pacing up and down. Another was sleeping on top of a jeep in which children were pretending to drive through the jungle.

The lions were entertaining, well, once the male woke up and decided to go for a wander with his fou⁰r lionesses.

After lunch, Helen and Brent left. I forget that some people have to go to work, now that every day’s a holiday for me. I couldn’t think of anything I needed from the hairdressers’ wholesaler that was Helen’s next port of call.

The rhinoceroses were great. And I could see where South Africa got the idea for its current flag from.

Other highlights include:

From which all modern day chickens are descended. Not this particular one, but in general.

The baby fell rather than jumped into the water, to be with Mum.

We’d seen the sealion earlier at the Seal Show, so he was now having a well-deserved rest. He wasn’t about to move anywhere. But he did twitch his eyebrows as we walked by. Sorry mate, no fish in my pockets today.

Let me know if you would like to see one of the 101 photos I have of the penguins with their heads missing. Especially if you like seeing the rings on their feet.

We were tired from the walking and the Sun so we were glad to arrive home after two ferries and a taxi from Manly.

Red, white and Blue

Our final morning at the eco resort, and we were invited to help feed the emus again. And again, we counted them, each of us arriving at different totals, but Mark was happy that they were all present and correct.

The fox bait had been taken, so out there somewhere, there’s a fox with tummy ache who’ll probably vomit the poisoned liver up, and his mate will eat it. Not very nice, but we don’t want foxes attacking the emus, and of course, they shouldn’t be here in Australia in the first place.

Helen and Brent departed first, having a lunch date back in the Hunter Valley. The rest of us took a little longer eating breakfast, packing, and loading the car. Wendy and Mark came by to say farewell. We look forward to seeing them at this Dark Sky Eco Resort again.

We had deliberated for a long time, and in the end, we decided to give the Blue Mountains another chance. We always pass by a few dead animals on the side of the road, but today, Liesel saw an echidna walk by on the verge.

We stopped in Coolah for a coffee, in a very old fashioned coffee shop, probably not decorated since the 1950s. I walked over to the local library to use their facilities, and it was staffed by a lovely volunteer. I could easily have spent an hour or more browsing the shelves.

Google Maps sometimes likes to take us the non-obvious way, because it thinks we’re saving 6 inches distance or 5 seconds travel time. And today was no exception. We turned off the paved road onto a gravel track. This is exciting enough but when a herd of sheep crossed the road in front of us, we cheered heartily.

Then we turned a corner onto a proper red dirt road, mostly straight, and quite narrow, we’re glad we didn’t encounter any vehicles driving towards us.

When we parked up, we were amazed at how filthy dirty the car was. Oops.

We were here at Hands on the Rock, off Ulan Road near Turill, to see some really old Aboriginal rock paintings. The path started off gently, and, as we made progress, it became steeper and steeper, and eventually, we had to clambour up some rocks and steps. It was a challenge for all of us.

It took a while for any of us to see the hands and the drawings, but once our vision had tuned in properly, we could see dozens of hand prints, some small enough to have been a child’s, plus depictions of animals. I bet when they chewed on their ochre and gum and water to spray over their hands, they never thought people, white people even, would be admiring their art thousamds of years later.

I remember at school using this technique to make handprints, only we just chewed on charcoal and water. Very nice, very tasty.

As well as the old artwork, we enjoyed studying the geology of the place for a while.

Back on the road, we passed lots of cattle and a few more sheep. We saw a 1950s car for sale: $8000. Bargain. As long as it doesn’t fall apart as soon as you look at it.

Mount Piper power station is coal-powered, destined to close in 2040, but the infrastucture in place to move coal from the collieries to the power station is amazing: long conveyor belts all over the countryside.

We stopped for a toilet break and Liesel and I both enjoyed the bird singing inside. Only it wasn’t real. It was a recording of the critically endangered regent honeyeater, of which there are only about 300 in the wild.

We saw some amazing views on the way too: the last time we passed this way, it had been precipitating quite a lot.

On previous visits to Australia, when a vehicle like this has approached us, we’ve waved at the other driver. Not an exuberant shaking of the arm, but a more subtle wave, the Aussie wave. This entails keeping hold of the steering wheel and lifting the index finger of the right hand. And it’s always delightful when the other driver reciprocates with the same gesture. But for some reason, we’ve forgotten to wave this time, and they must think we’re very rude.

Another thing I miss is the corrugated roads that Sarah and I encountered on our first visit in 1986. We were then advised to find the optimum, most comfortable, speed in the campervan, and stick to it. As I remember, our van only took flight once, but nothing was broken on landing.

After a long drive, we arrived at our home for one night only in Leura. No more dirt tracks for us today. We discussed going through a car wash, but it never happened.

Liesel and Leslie shared room 109 while I styed in room 108. It was nice being in room 108 again. That was my room number in Queen Mary Hall of Residence when I was a student all those years ago. This room 108 was probably tidier and less stinky than the original one, shared with another teenage boy.

We ate at a Thai place in Leura, not being able to remember where we’d eaten the last time we stayed in this small town.

After breakfast and checking out, we headed straight for the Three Sisters. Rain wasn’t forecast at all, but you never know. In passing, we had a chance to see more of Katoomba too, including a visit to a fabulous bakery, recommended by everyone. I apologise to the youg lady serving: I may have stared at her prodigious face piercings and tattoos a little too long. So glad I didn’t have a neodymium magnet in my pocket, she might have come at me face first.

We walked down the path towards the Three Sisters. Which meant we had to walk back up again. Still, it was good too see the rocks in full colour, not through too much cloud like last time.

The kind lady at our new favourite coffee emporium, Roasters with Altitude, seemed pleased to see us on our return visit. And yes, we enjoyed her coffee again. And we chatted with another customer for a while before driving further along the road to Evans Lookout for another short walk. On another occasion, we might have attempted the Grand Canyon Walk, but we really didn’t have enough time (nor oomph) today. But at least two people had just returned, and they were glowing with excitement and with perspiration.

We’ve been to Govett’s Leap before but the lookout seemed a lot more developed than last time. Still a spectacular view, of course.

You were wondering about Autumn colours. Blackheath was looking pretty again.

Navigating through Sydney was hard: long tunnels and of course Google Maps lost its GPS signal, so when we emerged into the real world, we weren’t where Google thought we were. So let’s just say we followed a more touristy route through the city than planned.

On the way back to Helen’s, we stopped off at Manly where I met Bambi with the croissants specially baked for her in Katoomba. Then another slight detour via Brent’s place, where we gave Helen the two loaves of bread specially baked for her in Katoomba. Then another slight detour via the Mall where I picked up my newly repaired shorts and enjoyed walking around Aldi while Liesel did some shopping.

We only had the white hire car for a few more hours, so a day trip north to Palm Beach seemed like a good idea. Well, it was Saturday, during school holidays, and what was a good idea for us was also a good idea for everyone else. Having been on empty roads for so long lately, it was a nasty shock to be driving slowly, in lots of traffic. Such a difference.

After a walk along the beach, we sat down for a rest. Leslie decided to take up pipe smoking.

A jetfoiler is a watercraft equipped with hydrofoils that uses an electric motor or motors for propulsion. We saw a couple in action off Palm Beach. Yes, I’d like to have a go. But what happens when I fall off, and the vessel disappears into the distance?

Some small planes flew over, but this time, we didn’t witness any landing in the water. I’d like to have a go at that too. Well, I say that, but today, we didn’t even have the courage (nor the oomph) to walk up the path to the lighthouse, there were so many other, let’s say younger and fitter, people almost running up that hill.

Liesel and I had walked to Whale Beach before, but this time we drove. And I was surprised to see how steep some of the hills were that we’d previously tramped up. The surf was really up here, so the beach was closed. I think the sign meant, don’t go in the water rather than onto the beach itself. Liesel and I walked along, enjoying the sensation of sand on our feet again and exfoliating my heels.

Sometimes the sea is tempting, but even without the warning signs, not today. And indeed, I think we only saw three people in the water altogether.

In Avalon, we had lunch at a nice, small café before setting off to return our car, hoping the petrol gauge didn’t dip below F for Full.

On the road up to and back from Palm Beach, we’d been entertained by the many hand-made signs passing on greetings to friends and family. ‘Klay and Mady: Happy Wedding Day’, ‘Happy Birthday, Norm’ and many more.

Over the road from the car rental place, is Stony Range Regional Botanic Gardens. We’d been before with Pauline and Andew, and today we returned with Leslie. It was quieter today, being Saturday, no construction work next door. On the other hand, the birds were much quieter too, and the dominant sound was that of the traffic on the main road. Still, it was nice and cool in here, under the canopy.

And, in really exciting news, we saw a couple of koalas out in the wild. As you can imagine, Leslie in particular was delighted.

Emus and a Horsehead

After breakfast, Mark and Wendy came by in a golf buggy to give us a tour of the emu farm and their wider property. Helen and I drove golf buggies too, for the first time ever, so that was an adventure.

Mark told us about the volcanic activity that has taken place here, over millions of years, and about the indigenous peoples’ use of the land. He took photos and videos of our tour, but that didn’t stop me sneaking a few pictures too, when I could.

The altitude and the ironstone makes this an ideal location for lightning strikes, and this tree’s been hit a few times over the years.

Liesel, Mick and Leslie modelling the golf buggy

At one point, we had a go at water divining. Yes, we detected water 30 metres below the surface, and I have no idea why two bent lengths of old fence wire would twitch in that way. I was surprised it worked for me, I’m usually sceptical about these things. Spooky.

This eco resort is carbon neutral and it was interesting to see the power supply. Solar panels, batteries and a generator. Mark and Wendy have plans in place in case of a bush fire, including release of the animals and a secure room in which Mark can stay for a couple of days.

One thing I wasn’t too keen on was the swarm of wasps hanging around near the dunny.

As we were about to feed the emus, Brent got down on one knee. I don’t think he’d lost a contact lens, but we had been warned to leave all our jewellery behind, because the emus quite like shiny things. So off came my wedding ring and out came the nipple piercings.

And just a few metres away, Liesel was making friends with one of the birds.

A few of the emus have names, but not all: 70+ monikers would be hard to come up with, never mind remember. But they are delightful creatures, very friendly, like most Aussies really, and feeding them was great fun. You hold out a tub of grain and four or five gather round and have a jolly good feed. Thanks for the photo, Mark.

During the course of our tour, I think we learned enough about feeding emus, looking after them, incubating and hatching the eggs, that we could probably start our own emu farm. Each emu has a microchip embedded in their neck within a couple of days of hatching, for identification.

There had been a lot less rain here than further south, and I noticed that most of the creeks we passed on the drive to Coona were bone dry. One creek was populated by a cow standing in one of its two puddles. Here in the emu hive, what is sometimes a nice big pond, I imagine, was just a mud pool today. That didn’t stop some of the birds from having a wallow.

After this, of course, we had to be careful who we cuddled. The muddiest emu decided to have a shake right next to our buggy. Having muddy seats on a golf buggy was not on our bingo card for this trip, but there’s a first time for everything.

Liesel and I would love to see a wombat in the wild but here, they’re not so welcome.

Other wildlife that has a taste for emus includes foxes and black panthers. Yes, there are panthers. And I don’t mean the rugby league football team with that name. Nor the American black power organisation from the 1970s. Mark showed us what was left of an emu that had been consumed in one go by a panther, just the leg bone, really. We also saw photographic evidence of big cat paw prints in the sand nearby.

A short distance away, we drove to and walked down into a dry creek. We later saw photos of fast running water in this location, powerful enough to carry away a bench that Mark had carved out from a fallen log.

After the really enjoyable, entertaining, informative and educational tour of the property, we decided to drive back to Coonabarabran for lunch. 2 x fish and chips and 2 x pizza. One of the pizzas was shared. But I was delighted to see this very futuristic post office, constructed in the year 2357.

The town is on a main highway, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the peace was somewhat spoiled by the number and size of road trains passing through. Good job the road’s straight, it must be quite a skill learning how to turn corners in those things.

Liesel took Leslie back to the lodge while Helen, Brent and I went for a very short walk in town. This delightful creature landed in front of us on the pavement, and stayed still long enough for a picture.

On returning to the lodge, we had a bit of a nap. In the evening, we drove over to Mark and Wendy’s observatory where we observed some objects in the very dark sky: Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Betelgeuse, and some nebulae. The five of us took it in turns to look through the telescope, walking round and round inside the dome. All we needed was some music, really, so we knew when to stop. Half-heartedly, I tried to take a photo through the ‘scope with my phone, but there wasn’t enough time. In fact, the only decent picture I took this evening was:

Helen, Brent, Liesel and I spent some time in the hot tub back at the lodge. H & B were drinking wine, whereas L & I enoyed miniature bottles of Scotch. A great way to relax at the end of a busy and fascinating day.

I’d mentioned to Mark that at university, I’d studied Maths and Astronomy. During the course of the last couple of days, he’d promoted me to the position of Professional Astronomer. I didn’t immediately disabuse him 😉

Mark gave us a memory stick with all the pictures and videos he’d taken today, plus videos of more general interest about the solar system, the Aboriginal concept of time and much, much more. We sat on the sofas while Mark took us through the universe, and he played our videos too.

In the morning, I got up before 6am in the hope of seeing Saturn and Venus before sunrise. But I was already too late, the sky was too bright. That’s disappointing, but no big deal. What is a big deal is that Liesel got up with me and she didn’t appreciate the early morning (mis)adventure!

I can’t praise this place enough, nor the hosts, so click here to visit the resort’s own website.

When we got up the second time today, Helen had cooked us breakfast: the recipe was Liesel’s grandmother’s chilli egg frittata dish. It was delicious.

Mark came by to take us out to feed the emus, not by hand this time, but their main feed of the day. And boy, were those emus excited, running up and down the paddock pretty much as soon as they heard the golf buggy. When they’re running, especially in a group, they do remind us of the velociraptors in Jurassic Park. They really are living dinosaurs. The effect is enhanced when they’re running alongside the buggies. Magic!

Running with the emus

On returning to the lodge, Helen immediately jumped in the trough, no, not the trough, into the hot tub. Liesel and Leslie sat on the sofas outside, pretending not to fall asleep.

After a lunch of snacks, we set off for Siding Spring Observatory, about a 20-minute drive away, up in the mountains. From the top, you can apparently see 200 km in each direction.

We joined a larger than expected party for a tour of the site. One of the first things the guide pointed out was a large web built by a golden orb spider. Nothing special, I thought, as I looked at the small spider in the corner. Then, a lady moved out of my line of view to reveal the much larger, female, golden orb. The smaller one in the corner was just a male, living dangerously.

More interesting, to me, at least, was the large telescope, the 1.2 metre Schmidt.

For scale, here’s our guide who provided a good commentary, nothing too technical. You’ll notice he’s carrying a snake venom first aid kit. We saw signs telling us to look out for snakes. Well, I looked out but didn’t see any. I came up with a totally original idea for a movie, though: Snakes at an Observatory.

While walking around Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, we learned that the 2-metre Ritchey Chretien telescope, used for research, can be controlled from anywhere in the world. I thought, I might have a go at that when I get home!

Many of the telescopes on the site are owned or operated by overseas research teams, from Japan, Korea, Hungary, UK, even Russia. Since a bush fire threatened in 2013, the social aspect of the place has been greatly reduced, with many more astronomers working remotely. Which is a shame, really.

The dome containing the 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian telescope is quite impressive. Inside the building, a lift took us up to the 4th floor from where we gazed in awe at the instrument. Well, I did, anyway.

Just think: if things had worked out differently, and I really had become a Professional Astronomer, I might well have been working here at some point. This is still one of the best optical telescopes in the world.

That’s not a bad picture, is it? Taken with my own phone camera. Of course, it’s a photo of a photo taken with the AAT.

I was still feeling a little embarrassed for being told off earlier, when I lovingly placed my hand on a telescope.

Quite rightly, the guide didn’t want us bashing the delicate instrument, but I’m sure my gentle caress wouldn’t cause any damage.

Liesel took Leslie home, and I was given a lift by Brent and Helen, tyvm. We took coffee with us, made in a very leisurely manner by the man in the shop, who could well have been our guide’s aged father.

We detoured via Mark and Wendy’s observatory where we’d been last night.

And to think, we climbed through that little door a couple of times last night, in the dark, and I did so without injuring my back. It pays to move slowly while contorting in such places. I’ve learned my lesson.

Back at home, Liesel made a pasta dish that was well received by everyone, thank you very much, after which we sat around chatting for a while, drinking wine or whisky or water. I don’t think any deep family secrets were shared, but I was worried when Liesel drank so much: she has been known to tell stories…

Orange to Coonabarabran

We woke up and, given the recent weather conditions, we actually paid attention to the local news. There are over a hundred flood warnings in the Sydney suburbs and beyond. Of particular interest to us was the news that people living in the low-lying areas around Narrabeen Lagoon have been told to evacuate.

We had a most enjoyable walk around the lagoon just over a week ago. One of the flats in Helen’s block flooded too, but we don’t know whether rain came in through an open window or water entered in some other way. Luckily, Helen had been home and closed all her own windows. Annoyingly, the new cover for her garden furniture wasn’t totally waterproof: at least one of the cushions is totally saturated. Plus, Helen had to drive through inches of flood water to drive away from Brent’s place in the morning. I know we’ve complained a lot about all that rain, but at least we haven’t been directly affected by flooding.

Here in Orange, the rain stopped overnight and we drove to Mount Canobolas for the view. Well, high up, we were again basically in a big cloud. We didn’t see much. But we did read a very sad folk tale which I committed to memory. The phone’s memory, that is.

So back down the mountain we went, to Lake Canobolas. Which is dammed at one end and leaking slightly. I think that’s the technical term.

We started to walk around the lake, and after checking that the path did indeed go all the way round, we enjoyed completing the circuit. Not the most exciting specimen, I know, but it was interesting to see grubs nearly as big as our feet. I wonder what they will eventually metamorphose into? In any case, we decided this would not be dinner.

The Molong Creek feeds the lake, and it was one of the places at risk of flooding higher up towards its source, and that might have affected our route choice in the next couple of days. In the end, there was no such issue for us. Just as there was no problem crossing the bridge here.

There was some birdlife on the lake, a few coots and ducks, plus a pair of herons way over there on an island. There must have been fish too, we passed a small group of anglers.

From the café, we bought coffee to take away with us. And I noticed again that some places, on Sundays and bank holidays, add a 10 or 15% surcharge to their prices. I always think, that’s alright as long as the actual workers reap the benefit. And it seems they do: at one place last week, the staff member said she was working for double pay that day, so, fair enough.

Helen had taken us to Heifer Station Wines a few years ago and, having had our wine-tasting appetites whetted last week, we thought we’d pay a return visit taking Leslie too. We arrived and were seated at a high bar table and over the next hour, we sampled six wines accompanied by a cheese platter. And yes, we did buy a couple of bottles to take away.

To me, it’s either white or red wine, with or without bubbles. But when you can compare similar wines, you can see they’re a very slightly different colour. And both very gentle on the palate. “Not just a shiraz, but a sexy one. This wine displays a real elegance of how shiraz thrives in a cool climate. Abundant pepper fills the nose A complex amalgum of plum, blackberry and graphite spice fill the palate. Some leafy herb & black olive underpin the black currant and blackberry fruit characters. A soft texture and a plentiful palate, make this a Heifer Station favourite.” I told our host that I just can’t smell all the different components listed in the blurb. He said he can’t either, but then he’d broken his nose three times playing rugby. I don’t have that excuse, mainly because I’m too much of a wimp to play rugby. Actually, it was never an option at my school, so we’ll never really know.

I had a quick wander outside, to see the various animals on the property: bulls, Berkshire pigs, a tiny pony, a Boer goat and some things labelled Highland cattle, but they really weren’t.

The vines are a bit sparse because the grapes were harvested a bit earlier than usual this year, thanks ultimately to climate change.

As we were leaving, we noticed a rainbow and that seemed a suitable end to the proceedings. But what else could we do today? Well, it’s cleared up a lot, so let’s go back to Mount Canobolas, we might see some kangaroos. We didn’t, but it was much more interesting at the top, we could see clearly, now the rain had gone.

Let’s go back to Lake Canobolas, we might see some kangaroos. No, of course we didn’t. But I did enjoy watching a lapwing at the now closed café rifling through some flyers in a box on the counter, as if he was looking for something. Maybe in his real world, he finds insects or something between layers of bark.

We got an Indian takeaway from a place recommended by Helen but of course we bought too much food. It was good though.

After a meh night’s sleep, Liesel and Mom went shopping while I ate breakfast, finished packing, tidied up a bit and put the rubbish out. It was time to move on: destination Dubbo Zoo. I also checked one more time that no flood warnings would affect us.

Driving towards Dubbo took us through a weird portal in time.

Not only did we pass this 1950s Hillman Minx, we also encountered a 1950s Ford Mainline ute. And later on, along the road, several more really old cars. Some weren’t going anywhere, being now largely comprised of rust, but there must be a lot of fans of ancient automobiles in this area, in and around Molong.

We saw plenty of cattle, sheep, horses and even llamas in fields by the road, but despite our best efforts, not a single kangaroo nor wallaby. Leslie is beginning to think these creatures are fictional, like fairies and decent politicians.

We passed through Wellington without feeling the need to stop. Not as exciting as New Zealand’s capital city, of course. But we did stop in Geurie and I am grateful that at no time did I have to pronounce this placename.

Leslie opted for a can of Coke while Liesel and I chose a coffee milkshake. The coffee shop was also the town’s supermarket and post office. We were both amazed at the size of the milkshakes, they were huge. And, as a special treat today, they gave us plastic straws: take that, eco-warriors.

I wasn’t quick enough to take a picture of the blue tree that stood alone in the middle of a field. Somewhere north of Geurie and west of the A32, if you want to seek it out.

We arrived at Dubbo Zoo, also known as Taronga Western Plains Zoo, at about 12.30. And what a pleasant day for a walk. For a while, we were just ahead of the truck transporting keepers and food, so that as we approached the various compounds, the animals walked towards us. As I said to Leslie, this was great, I’ve already got many photos of animals’ backsides.

Some animals were hiding of course, we didn’t see the cheetahs nor the lions. But we did go back in time again, witnessing three World War 2 planes flying over us in formation.

We sat and watched this elephant for quite a long time, waiting for him to either fall or dive into the water. He came close, but stayed dry.

I had a mediocre sandwich for lunch. It was so bad, that it fell out of its packet onto the floor. The staff tried not to laugh as they replaced it. Liesel had a so-so cheese and ham croissant.

Soon after setting off for the second half of our walk, Leslie spotted a kangaroo. Hooray! A real one, just munching on grass, minding its own beeswax. And, it wasn’t a guest of the zoo, but a wild one chancing its arm.

Leslie was in some discomfort, so we took several shortcuts back to the car. We decided we can catch up with the rest of the inmates tomorrow. Yes, a second day at the zoo, because we are staying here for one night, in one of the Savannah Cabins.

From our cabin, you can see giraffes and rhinos in the distance, and we kicked ourselves for not bringing binoculars. After a cup of tea, I went for a walk to see if I could get significantly closer. No. But I did see some mushrooms growing. Yes, mushrooms. And I did see a few ant hills. Well, to be honest, I’m a prat and I was wearing sandals so I felt the ants first, before seeing them. About a hundred million billion all running around passing on news about Mick’s foot being very tasty.

One small section of a huge ant community

There are signs warning us of the presence of snakes too. Needless to say, I stayed on the path and stomped to let them know I was coming. Maybe I stomped in the wrong place, and that’s what upset the ants.

On the way in to Savannah Gardens, we’d seen signs telling us to watch out for kangaroos. Did we see any here? No. But I did see evidence in the form of foot prints on the path. The Sun set very quickly, so plans to eat outside were abandoned. Dinner was leftovers from last night’s Indian takeaway. Thank goodness our cabin had a microwave.

Leslie washed the dishes and then joined Liesel and me in the sitting area. Suddenly, “What’s that? Is it a cockroach?” yelled Leslie. There was indeed a large bug running across the floorboards. But not a cockroach. I was torn between trying to take its picture for later identification and just getting rid of it. I opted for the latter. So I opened the screen door, you know, the mesh one that lets fresh air in but keeps mosquitoes out. As soon as the door opened, a gigantic moth flew in. I don’t think I screamed, but the other two did. Now, I had two beasties to deal with. The long but fast thing on the floor stopped moving for a moment, so I picked it up as gently as I could with a sheet of kitchen paper and chucked the whole package outside. Reader: it wriggled in my fingers. Looking it up later, I think it was a Lord Howe Island stick insect or something like that. Now, just the giant moth to deal with. I noticed Liesel was sitting on the back of the sofa with her feet well off the ground. The moth settled, I took its picture, then encouraged it to walk onto a piece of card which made releasing it into the outside world easy. It kept coming back though, knocking at the mesh.

I know we’re staying at the zoo for the night, but having the wildlife move in with us wasn’t part of the deal. As the evening wore on, the noise from outside became louder as insects, frogs, birds and others all started talking to each other: clicks, chirrups, stridulation and crepitation. And, at some point in the middle of the night, I heard a cuckoo. Or something mimicking a cuckoo.

In the morning, I realised we’d been under supervision all night.

On the second day at the zoo, we decided to drive round, and just walk the shorter distances to see some animals that we’d missed yesterday. But they weren’t all cooperating. The hippos stayed well back and they definitely weren’t pooping and rotating their propellor-like tails, something that Liesel particularly wanted to show her Mom, for some reason.

There was supposed to be a keeper giving a talk about the hippos, but that didn’t happen either. The elephant continued to walk around and play near the pool, but he didn’t bother going for a dip. And the cheetahs too were visible, yes, but right at the back of their compound, pacing up and down rather than running at 70 mph as advertised.

It’s probably not fair to have favourites, but I did feel a bit sorry for the one-horned rhino. Maybe he just doesn’t like people, but his enclodure was totally surrounded by grass matting, with small windows for us to peep through.

I told Liesel his name was Neil: Rhino Neil.

Along the path a bit, it was really the otters we’d come to see, specifically, small-clawed otters. By luck, we arrived at feeding time, and the three otters knew it. As the hour approached, they became more and more active. Moreso when the keeper arrived. And really excited when she tossed bits of fish over the glass into their pond.

One came up really close, and I told Lesel his name was Small-Clawed van Damme.

We all wanted to visit the Australia section today since we’d missed out yesterday. We saw koalas way up in the trees, very hard to spot them, so we’re grateful to the bloke who pointed them out.

Underneath us, we enjoyed seeing a pair of quokkas eating.

We could tick wallabies off the list, but not the echidna. In Lion Pride Lands, we saw a cub with his mother, soaking up the Sun.

As a snack, Liesel and I consumed a whole bag of crisps leading up to lunchtime. But, since there was nothing appealing at the café, we just had an ice cream. Crisps and ice cream, a fully balanced diet. Fellow diners included numerous ibises plus this very attractive, colourful bananabird.

After the zoo, it was time once again to set off for a long two-hour drive. Destination: Coonabarabran, the astronomical capital of Australia. It was fascinating to see how densely the trees grew in some areas, and then empty fields here and there. It was a long, straight road, with very few inhabitants. It might have been bin day as we passed a wheelie bin every few kilometres.

We saw very little traffic so of course whenever two cars passed close together in the opposite direction, we compared it with Piccadilly Circus.

Just before Coona, as the locals call it, we passed a big model of Saturn by the side of the road. And then, having passed through the town on the road to our final destination, we passed by a big Jupiter. Not as big as the real one, obviously.

Mark and Wendy met us at the gates of Dark Sky Eco Resort. We were staying here in one of two lodges and by the time we arrived, Helen and Brent had already settled in.

This is a 100% off grid facility with all sustainable practices. Modern facility amenities and Starlink internet connectivity. There are emus and with a bit of luck, really clear skies.

After dinner, we spent some time outside acquainting ourselves with the dark sky. Some things were easy to identify, including the milky way and the Large Magellanic Cloud, Orion and Sirius and the Southern Cross. Other stars were hard to identify because there were so many of them. The first picture I took with my phone was a dud. The second one really surprised me.

Other photos are ok, but the phone was sitting on a chair, on a wooden boardwalk, on which we were all walking. The field of view is identifiable, but there was just a bit too much camera shake.

Plus, and I didn’t realise this at the time, the noises emanating from the emus, the grunts and deep, thumping booming notes also cause vibrations in the ground. I tried recording their sounds, but I don’t think my phone’s microphone is good with such low frequencies.

And with all the lights out in the lodge at the end of the day, I think this is one of the darkest places I’ve ever been, away from the depths of an old coalmine when they turned the lights off that day. And even though we heard emus and other noctural animals on and off, I think we had a good night’s sleep.

Over in America, Martha was celebrating her 8th birthday in style, sight-seeing in New York, consuming at least two birthday cakes, waffles for breakfast and pizza, and you know what American portion sizes are like in restaurants: huge.

It was the day of the Solar Eclipse too, which Martha and William and their parents viewed from somewhere near Niagara Falls.

Unfortunately, it was cloudy so the full glory of the eclipse was lost, but this is Liam’s best picture.

There’s only one thing for it: find out when and where the next total eclipse is, and go!