Munich trip 4th October 2012

I have been back at work now since the 31/5/12. Since then I have reduced my hours down to an average of 23 per week, I am now used to the new routine.

We have just returned from a lovely weeks holiday staying with my cousin Graham and his wife Gabi and daughters, Daniela and Melanie in Munich.

4/10/12

We parked the car at the Jet Parks 3 car park at the airport, that worked out really well. We flew out on the Easy-jet flight which left Manchester at 13.10. We had a good flight and Graham was standing in arrivals waiting for us. Daniela was waiting in the car and she drove us home to Olching. What a lovely welcome we had from the whole family. We were made to feel at home and we had a welcome drink and a very nice meal.

5/10/12

Melanie went off to Passau today, she is at university there. We had a nice breakfast on a lovely sunny day. We then caught the train into town (the S-Bahn 3), with Graham and Gabi. It was fun as we heard Graham's voice being used for the English announcements on the train. We got out of the train in the centre of Munich, Marienplatz, the station is very close to the Rathaus Glockenspiel and at 11.00 we heard the chimes and watched the wonderful show. There was a super atmosphere in the square as visitors gathered to watch and listen. It gave you a very warm feeling. Gabi pointed a lot of things out to us like the old town hall, the Glockenspiel is on the new town hall. She also pointed out the oldest Church (St Peters Church )where the Monks came from, that is how Munich got its name, this church has a large gold alter. We visited this Church and took pictures. We popped into the Ratskella, this is very close to Philips heart. We then had a lovely cup of coffee above the row of butchers, from here you look over a part of the market and also the old hospital. Years ago there used to be a canal in front of the row of butchers, it used to get really smelly so it then became a road. We had a walk around this area and went into the old hospital which is beautiful it is called Church of The Holy Ghost, it dates from 1392 and has a Baroque and Rococo interior. In the old days a knight came along on horseback and fed bread to the poor. There is a painting on the ceiling showing the knight on his white horse.

There are many traditions in Bavaria and one of these is to give the poor bread at the same spot near the old hospital. All the villages and towns have their May Poles where the people celebrate together. There are many Churches and clocks in the city, towns and villages and you can hear the chimes all around you, very comforting.

For the next hour we enjoyed walking around the super market. The stalls are so colourful. The Viktuelienmarkt is divided into sections fruit and veg, cheese, deli, wine,flowers, plants,fish, chocolates, cakes, herbs and spices and more! The standard of these stalls is so high and we have taken lots of photos to try and show how wonderful they are. We even saw truffles and hundreds of wild mushrooms !! We saw the beer garden, they only sell one brewery's beer at a time and rotate the brewery's they use, Munich brewery's only, they keep it fair that way. We then had lunch, yes beer with roast pork, potato dumplings with red cabbage. Other people joined us at our table and we got chatting, we met some South African twins, one lived in London and he was having his stag party in Munich, his brother had just arrived in Munich from South Africa.

After lunch we went passed the Opera House, passed The Residenz, which is closed because of work they are doing, we saw some of the garden, We then saw where the university area is, then went into the Theatine Of St. Cajetan. this is Italian Baroque style. This is very close to Konigsplatz which was used as a Nazi marching ground.
We then got onto the tram and went to the camera shop to get a new battery for our camera. Our next stop was The Fairground which is where the Oktoberfest is held. This was packed with people, we went on the big wheel and got a super view from there, we tried to get into a tent but they were all full, Daniela and Melanie were in one of them!! After a while we gave up and went back into town to go to a beer garden there. That was fun and we sat on benches under the horse chestnut trees taking in the atmosphere with conkers all around us!!! We then went to a food hall and picked up snacks for supper and had a relaxing evening back at home.

6/10/12

We got up early to catch the train to Passau. It was another warm sunny day. We had to change trains in Munich. The fares are so reasonable within Bavaria, it cost us 38 euros and that was 4 of us !!! You can actually buy a group ticket and then wait in the station to find other people to join you, as long as you sit near them it is allowed. It is a 2 hour train ride and it goes through some interesting countryside seeing The Bavarian Forest in the distance. Once in Passau we walked to Melanie's flat which is a riverside house beside the River Inn, they live on the top floor. We met Daniel there. We had a beer and white sausage for lunch which was nice. It is a beautiful city and the Rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz meet, sometimes the rivers flood and there are marks on many walls!! It has a great atmosphere. We walked along the Inn to The Danube and saw some large boats moored there. We had to stop off at a cafe/ chocolate shop of course to sample some local food !!! It was very nice. We went to the Cathedral which has the largest organ in the world. As we left the Cathedral the large bells were peeling. Passau is only 2 miles from the Austrian border and there are several long distance cycle paths that pass through the town, we noticed 1 to Salzburg. It was now time to catch the train again and Melanie and Daniel came back to Munich with us. Once home Gabi and the girls cooked another lovely meal which included bread dumplings.

7/10/12

It was a wet start to the day. We had a lazy start. We all had lunch at the house and then the girls went off to the Oktoberfest in their traditional costumes. We caught the train later and managed to meet up with them in a beer tent. Gabi was also in her traditional costume, we all joined in with the fun standing on the benches with the girls and their friends. There were about 10,000 people in each tent and yet you feel quite safe. We caught the train back at about 10.30 to beat the crowd, the girls were a bit later.


8/10/12

After breakfast we went off with Gabi and Graham to Gabi's Parents home. The girls were going later as Gabi then had to go into work. It was Gabi's Mother's birthday. We just popped in to say hello, they don't speak any English, it was so nice to meet them.

Graham then took us to the BMW works which was interesting, we had a cup of coffee there and had a good look around. It is a must do when in Munich. There were 2 beautiful Rolls Royces there, they are still made in the Uk !! Gabi had been to the bakers early in the morning and bought some bacon and cheese rolls, we enjoyed eating these whilst sitting on a bench by the lake at the Olympic Park. We then went up the Olympic Tower and had some super views in all directions right across to the mountains in the far distance whilst looking south. The fast lift takes you up through the centre of the building and it is very well organise. We took lots of pictures.

We then went back to the car and Graham took us to Lake Starnberg, a lovely area, King Ludwig 2 drowned in a shallow area of this lake. Graham took us to a small hotel with a cafe right beside the lake. It was very nice just sitting outside, eating a piece of Plum Datchi with a cup of tea !! We then drove through Tutzing to a viewpoint which had good views of the mountains and also of some friendly cows, with bells on. We then drove home.
Because Gabi had been working, the girls prepared a very nice Thai curry for us all and a good evening was had by all.

9/10/12

Melanie wasn't well, Gabi went to work. We drove into town with Graham, Daniela and Melanie. Daniela took Melanie to the doctors and we parked the car where we could. Graham showed us other parts of the city including the very beautiful Asam Church. We also went to the Apple Store. We later met up with Daniela and Lucas at an Italian restaurant for lunch which was very tasty. Daniela had moved the car to outside the restaurant, we then all drove to Nymphenburg Palace. It was pouring with rain by this stage. We met Gabi here, she had brought the little car and many umbrellas !!! We looked in the shop and then went to the pottery. Beautiful and very expensive, a lady was buying a porcelain skull when we were there which cost her about 4,800 euros, she was taking it back to Brazil !!!
We then then moved the car back to near the Maxamillion restaurant where we had had lunch, got on the underground back into town. We had tea and fresh doughnuts at Schmalz Nudel, they were lovely, it is a place for the locals. We then we went back to the market to buy olives and treats for supper. We then went to Pfalzer Residenz Weinstube for a glass of wine. Lovely atmosphere, the locals go there to enjoy each others company and they sell food there also.
We then went back on the underground to go back to the car and then home.

We had nice evening enjoying the delights we had bought from the market.

10/10/12

We got up early and had breakfast. It was a dull day but non the less we set off towards Garmisch to spend a day in the mountains. We went to Linderhof Castle and enjoyed a tour there, it was splendid. That was 1 of King Ludwig 2 castles. By the time we came out it was pouring with rain and we could not see many mountains at all. It was a great shame as it is a stunning area. We saw Castle Neuschwanstein in the haze, that had scaffolding on one side of it. We could see the lovely alpine villages and they were very pretty with flowers still out. We had lunch at Casthof Schweigner. Had a look around the lovely Church, all the Churches had harvest displays near the alter which were quite splendid. We then started our homeward journey which took 2 hours.

We had a quick turnaround as we had a meal booked at the Ratskella in town for 7.00. After a quick change, we all caught the train into town. We really had a wonderful meal all together and all had different dishes. It was great fun.


11/10/12

Did our packing and then went into Olching with Graham. Had a good look around this little town and looked in at the nice chocolate shop, things were very tempting. We thought that the standard of the food in all the shops we saw was so high the displays were lovely. Even a little town like Olching has 3 super small bakers shops which all sell a whole array of beautiful breads. Went home, had a glass of sherry and then lunch.

It was soon time to go to the airport. We said our goodbyes to Gabi and Daniela. We had such a lovely holiday and sampled a lot of Bavarian dishes many of which were made by Gabi, and some by the Girls, thank you. We also had lots of opportunities to see Munich and other parts of Bavaria, thank you Graham for all the driving and you all for all the planning, our personal tour guides !!!

Melanie drove us to the airport with Graham and we had a good flight home arriving at about 19.30

My last 10 days of leave

On Friday 18th May we set off again in the car for another trip down South. Our first visit was to see Philip, we stayed near Harpenden until the 22nd.

We had a lovely day on the Saturday 19th at Tim and Kim's, Kathy came for the day as it was her birthday and it was a happy family day.

Sunday the 20th Doreen and David and Adrienne and Michael came over to Phil's and we had a lovely day together and had plenty of opportunity to chat. Monday and Tuesday morning we did jobs for Philip and spent time with him.

On Tuesday afternoon we set off for Liz and Pete's. It was super to see them again and they made us very welcome as always. Because the weather was superb we spent a lot of time on their new patio which was great.

Pete's special birthday was on the 23rd so we were able to celebrate with them. Liz and I went to Marlborough in the morning to see the Olympic Torch pass through. There was a lovely atmosphere and the parking was free!! It was a very hot sunny day.
In the evening celebrated Pete's birthday with Liz's sisters and spouse and we all tucked into a delicious curry and had it with champagne, it was all great fun.

On the 24th we went off to Newbury and had a good look around the new John Lewis at Home and had lunch in town. We then went on to see Gill and Johnnie for tea. It was super seeing them again and we had a good look round their beautiful garden and then chatted over a cup of tea and scones!!

When we got back to Liz and Pete's Sandy and Val had just arrived for the evening. We had a lovely meal outside with lots of chatting and laughter and it was great fun.

We set off for the Isle of Wight in the morning and we managed to catch the 11am ferry which was great. We made our way to Norton Grange and checked into our room at 2.00. The other all arrived later and we all met up for drinks on the terrace before dinner.

We had a super time on the I.O.W. and the weather was perfect. We did our own thing during the day and all met up in the evenings and for breakfast. It was good to meet Marion and Trish and of course spend more time with Liz and Pete and Ann.

During the days we went into Yarmouth to see the Old Gaffers and soak up the atmosphere, we went by bus to the Old and New Batteries at The Needles. We found them very interesting and the views were amazing.

In Yarmouth there was lots going on and we came across a classic car show which we enjoyed very much.

On the way back to Cowes for the ferry on the 28th we took the road around the Island and then went to the National Trust Windmill near Bembridge.

We also went to Osbourne House which we enjoyed very much.

We caught the 4.30 ferry and saw the Oriana on it's way out of Southampton and the sun was still shining!!

We stayed that night in The Premier in Highcliffe which was nice and had a meal in the Pub there.

On the Tuesday we visited Milford-on -Sea and went to the Church and had a look around the village. We then went onto Brockenhurst and had a look round there and then went onto Awbridge to visit Helen.

It was lovely seeing her again and to see her home, she gave us a glass of Pimms and a delicious lunch, I loved the ice cream.

From Helens we went onto see Catherine and little Sam in North Baddesley. We had a super time here also and Sam is a lovely baby, good to see them after so long.

We left Catherine at 6.45 and got diesel and arrived home at 10.10, so a pretty good journey.

Today has been spent getting organised again, all the washing is done and most of the other jobs.

I go back to work in the morning and have to leave home early to avoid the road closures for the Olympic Torch.

David and Angela arrive in the evening.

We are enjoying a drink, again

Sunday 13th May

We have just returned home from meeting up with Peter and Val and Cousins for lunch.
We got a phone call at 9.30 from Sutton Hall to say they had not got any electricity or gas today so could not serve any hot meals and the place was lit with candles.
We then had to think of other options and came up with The Old Kings Head down the road in Gurnett.
We all met up at Sutton Hall and had a look around, in the dark. We then all went down to our Pub for lunch and had a lovely meal in a relaxed atmosphere and we could make a noise and stay as long as we wanted.
We had a super time and we felt very much part of the family and it was lovely to see Peter and Val again and to meet Pauline and Steve and Jon and Sue, who we are going to see again.
Thank you for everything Peter and Val and enjoy the rest of your trip.

19th April to 12th May

This has been a quiet period of time for us. I have enjoyed my weekly walks with the U3A. Week 1 of this period was from Ilam and it was a 6 mile moderate walk. it was a bIt wet and steep in places.
Ilam is a nice village with National Trust and part of that is a youth hostel. There were school groups visiting the village that day it is a popular spot, near Dovedale.
The walk for week 2 was right over near Nantwich near a place called Sound. It was a 7 mile walk and classed as easy. It was a dull day and the walk was very flat and muddy, it took in many stiles and part of the Shropshire Union Canal.
Week 3 walk was 6 miles and moderate. It was from Froghall Wharf which is close to the Churnet Valley. It is a pretty area and was quite wooded with bluebells, a lot of trees had come down recently as we had had some high winds.
Week 4s walk was 8 miles and moderate and started from near Upperhulme. It was a lovely walk as we climbed up to The Roaches and walked along the ridge and then down to Luds Church. The views were very good from the top in spite of it being a dull day with showers. We were all very weary when we got back to the cars, the heavy rain start at that moment!!!
I have met some very nice people at U3A and with my new hours at work I will be able to continue with this group from September.
Stuart and I have managed to catch up with Auntie Gwen and cousin Graham and Gabi. We all had lunch together at Afonwen Antique and Craft Centre which is our half way meeting point. It is always nice there and great to meet up.
On the way home we went to Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village and I bought a new outdoor jacket and Stuart bought 2 jumpers.
We have caught up with friends on the phone and have been organising the time we are having in the South next week.
This is all for now, I am out tonight for a meal with work colleagues and tomorrow we are meeting up with Peter and Val from Australia and Val's cousins. We have got a busy 2 weeks and then it is back to work!!!

From the 16th March to 18th April

We went across to Northern Ireland on Mothering Sunday,the 18th April to visit Ian and Kathy and the Children. We took the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. We had a 30 mile detour on the journey as the road was closed near Conwy, we were also caught in road works, luckily we made the ferry with only 20 minutes to spare. We had a calm crossing and then a very good drive to Omagh taking just over 2 hours.

We had a lovely welcome and a delicious chilli waiting for us and I had a beautiful bunch of flowers given to me for Mothers Day. Ian worked on the Monday but Kathy and the Children were off. We all walked into town in the afternoon. On the Tuesday and Wednesday Ian was off but Kathy and the children were at school. We went to Enneskillen with Ian. It was a lovely drive and we had a good look round the town and had an Indian buffet meal for lunch. We also found a nice craft plus centre to look round. On the way home we went to the viewpoint beside Lower Lough Earne and then onto Belleek and home. Wednesday it was curry prep day and lawn mowing and other chores. We all enjoyed the curry in the evening. On Thursday we went the Folk Park which we found really good. On Friday we went to a National Trust house called Springhill at . It was most enjoyable. The children went to youth club in the evening. Saturday the children went to drama and Kathy and I went for a walk. Ian and Kathy went out for a meal in the evening. Sunday we all went to a glen for a picnic and a good walk. We returned home on the Monday, another very calm crossing on Jonathan Swift this time. A great time was had by all.

I went for a U3A walk which was super, it was from Bosley reservoir and climbed the hill with the radio mast on, it was a warm sunny day.

Denise was in Congleton for a week at the end of March. We met up for lunch on the Friday and went to the Horseshoe Inn. It was lovely to see Denise again and there was lots of news to catch up with.

Doreen and Jean came round for tea one day. On the 4th I went the U3A AGM and then I went into work to have my chat about my hours. It was lovely to see everyone again.

We had a good Easter with Kathy here. The weather was wet for the whole weekend. We went down to Philips on the 12th, it was good to see him again. On the Friday Wendy and Dave stayed stayed the night at The Premier so we had the evening with them and breakfast on Saturday, it was great to see them again.

We came home on Monday and visited Auntie Ruth in Bloxham on the way home, it was so nice to see her again.

I went to my card class on the 17th and we decorated a box.

It is now the 18th and we had the chap come to book the fitting of our water meter.

At sea again

We are on our way to Dublin by ferry and it reminds us of our wonderful cruise last year!
We are on our way to spend a week in Northern Ireland with the family.
As it is term time all the kids will be at school and both Ian & Kathy will be working, but we will have the car and be free to be tourists.
The ship was held up because of an hour long diversion we were held up in. The A55 was closed and the diversion and TomTom took us through the mountains of North Wales onto the A5. Mind you there was another hold up for about three quarters of an hour where they were digging the road up!! We did not think we were going to make the ferry, we only had 20 minutes to spare!!!
It would seem that a lot of passengers did not make it judging by the shortage of people on board.
The ferry set off 20 minutes late to allow some to get on board but we are sure many people missed the boat.
So we are seated in a mostly empty food area with no queues.

What we have done up until the 16th March

We decided to go to the Trafford Centre one day, we had to get Penelope's birthday present. We also wanted to go to the cinema so it was a good opportunity. We saw the film The Exotic Marigold Hotel, it was really good with a very good cast. We went for a light lunch before went to watch the film.
Another evening we went out for a meal with John and Ilona, this time we went to The Greyhound at Warslow. It was a good evening and a very nice meal.
I have been enjoying a good walk once a week with the U3A. My second walk with them was from Knypersley Reservoir, it was such a beautiful sunny day and warm. My third walk was from Coombes RSPB Nature Reserve off the Leek to Ashbourne Road. On that walk we saw some new born lambs. This weeks walk was from The Knot Inn at Rushton Spencer to Wincle.
We went down south on the 2nd March and managed to catch up with Adrianne and Michael and Vivian as well as Philip. On the Saturday we went toTim and Kim's and Kathy and Margaret came for the day also. It was good to celebrate Penelope's birthday with them all.
I have met up with Wendy,Kath and Janet from work, we met at Woodford garden centre. It was good to see then all again.
We have just celebrated Stuart's 65th birthday. We spent 2 days in Buxton. We booked into room 10 at The Westminster Hotel on Broadwalk. We had views from our room across the lake in the Pavilion Gardens. The sun came out as soon as we arrived there and we explored the town on the first day and had a late lunch in town. Stuart's birthday was on the Tuesday. We woke up to a lovely greeting from our friends from Melbourne via Heytell. While we were enjoying talking to them we saw a heron sitting on top of a tree right outside window! This was at 7am. After a good breakfast we walked to Pooles Cavern and went on the tour which was interesting. After a cup of coffee we climbed up to Solomon's Temple, there were wonderful views from the top over the town and the hills and the sun was shinning. We went the Opera House in the evening to see Yes Prime Minister with Graham Seed as PM. It was very good and is a super theatre, we bumped into Julia, from work with David. We had an Indian meal later and got to bed about midnight! We came home the next day, it was foggy on the hills.
It is Friday today and we have just had a nice lunch with Liz and Harry, we met them at Pecks Restaurant which was very nice.
This is all for now!!

A message for our Australian friends

It is snowing here!

Mind you it's not settling.

What we have done in the last 2 weeks up until the 21st February

Our bedroom is now finished,the blinds were fitted today and we think they look very smart, the room looks bigger as the blinds go into the window space.
Last Thursday I went on a 6mile walk with the U3A, we were in the Teggs Nose area and it was very nice. The group are friendly and I will go most Thursdays while I am on long leave.

We cooked a 3 course meal at home on valentines day which was very tasty it was Delia Smiths Piedmont roasted peppers and focaccia, roast duck with the trimmings and then a tart with a soft macaroon filling topped with a few strawberries, it is a River Island recipe and we enjoyed a glass of wine or 2!! Other days we are trying out some new dishes, a new recipe for vegetable crumble was a big success, we will certainly have that again. Another day we made butternut squash soup and we have also made carrot, parsnip and coriander. We are certainly eating lots of veg, although we usually do. It is so nice to have the time to do extra cooking.

I am also taking the opportunity to make contact with some friends to organise meeting up.

This is all for now

Our Bedroom is Decorated (at last)

Having such a long period of leisure has finally resulted In our ticking off some of those tasks on our 'to do' list.
We spent the last week stripping out the bedroom cleaning it all up and painting it in fancy new colours.
We have now decided not to keep the tired old curtains and not to replace them with nice new ones.
The result is that an old sheet is serving us keeping our modesty intact.
We have, however, just ordered some attractive modern Venetian blinds so in 2 weeks time our modesty will be more easily protected.

And now going up t' North

We have had a busy few days with Stuart's brother Philip and seeing 3 of our grandchildren (and their parents).
When we come to see Philip we always stay at the Premier Inn at Junction 9 of the M1. Having stayed there over a dozen times we are always recognised and get greeted as friends.
This sounds a bit like we are being sponsored (extra nights free would be appreciated).
We are discussing our next task for my sabbatical - redecorating our bedroom. Stuart is suggesting a bright pea green ceiling, but he might not be being serious actually!

Driving Down M6

We are on our way to visit Stuart's brother and over the weekend we shall visit Tim, Kim and family.
Right now I am driving so to save my thumbs Stuart is doing this.
Compared to Australian roads this seems frantic, everybody trying to get there before every one else I guess (wherever there may be).
Fuel had gone up 2p per litre and there were queues because of the refinery going into receivership.
It is 5 degrees, windy and very wet at times.

Sunday in the Rain

We have now been back in the UK for 5 days now and I still have 4 months of my sabbatical to enjoy.
Our car is in the garage being repaired after the heater had stopped working. After a day of working on it the garage decided it was going to be a big job, so they have to keep it for 3 days. Fortunately they have provided us with a loan car and the work will be done under the warranty.
Despite having the loan car we travelled by bus into Macclesfield using our bus passes on Saturday. Sadly the this was not as pleasant as travelling on public transport in Perth had been.
We came home to a huge pile of post and a number of messages and that has taken a while to get through.
Stuart is happily reunited with his computer and is huddled over his keyboard keeping warm.

Back home

We arrived back home at 9.00am today on the 17th in the cold weather!
We left David and Angela's house at midday on Monday the 16th in the hot weather.
The flight was very good. We had 90 minutes at Singapore which is a fantastic airport.
Both flights were full. We went into darkness 3 hours into the journey and saw the start of the sunrise coming into into Manchester.
It is cold here and there has been a frost on the lawn all day, but at least it is clear and bright.
We feel at sixes and sevens today, have opened all the post and done some unpacking.
We had a wonderful holiday and have made some great new good friends and have met new members of my family and have got lots of happy memories.

Our last full day in Australia

We have had a busy day today. We were out by 9.30 this morning and we met Alex and Katherine and Katherine's Parents at the wedding venue. The wedding is taking place on 10/11/12.
It was very nice for us to see the venue. It is in the Swan Valley and it will be perfect for the occasion.
After a good look around and a discussion with a lady there we all went on to have a light lunch at a quirky cafe come gallery near by.
Stuart and I then had to say our goodbyes to Alex and Katherine and Katherine's Parents.
We then went to see a hotel nearby where some of the wedding guests are going to be staying.
Later we went round to have a cup of coffee with Pat and Philip and Kate, it was good to catch up with them again before our departure tomorrow.
We have now done most of our packing and David will take us to the airport about midday tomorrow.
We arrive back in Manchester at 7.30 am on the 17th, what a long journey!

We have had a wonderful time and it has been so nice to spend some time with family and friends and enjoy their company, thank you to you all.

Saturday

Another hot day about 35 degrees.
We went round to Shari's with David. David and Rhys cycled to the beach and Stu and I walked.
David and Rhys had a swim, but the waves were too large for a young child and there was quite an undertow so they were not in the water for long.
But we managed to have a good paddle in the Indian Ocean.
The beach is beautiful and is 5 minutes walk from James and Shari's house.
When we got back to Shari's we all had a lovely snack and a play with the children.
We then had to say our goodbyes to Shari and the children.

In the evening we went to Kathy and Vic's for a lovely dinner party.
We met their son Matthew, his wife Tammy and their baby James.
It was a fun evening and a delicious meal, thank you Kathy and Vic.
We saw the sun set from the balcony looking across the Mindarie Keys. It was still very hot at 10.30 at night, 26 degrees with a clear sky full of stars, could see the southern cross.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday was spent recovering from the long drive on Wednesday.
Went for a walk to the beach early evening as the temperature was getting cooler.
Angela cooked us another very nice meal in the evening.

Friday, Angela worked and David played golf with his friends.
We went to Perth by bus and train and had a very nice day in the city, spent time looking around the shopping area.
It is all very busy, with business people as well as many tourists.
There are many opportunities, in Western Australia particularly as there is a real skills shortage. But if people are prepared to work away from home there are masses of jobs available in the mining and related industries.
We caught the train back and at the moment we are enjoying a nice evening.
We will have to start getting ourselves organised for our departure very soon as we leave here Monday lunch time and there are still a few social events organised for the weekend.

Our days out in Denmark area

Day one.
We set off to see Greens Pool and Elephant Rock. Greens Pool is a very large sandy pool with large flat rocks all around to shield it from the surf of the Southern Ocean. It is a natural formation and is a popular spot.
We then went on to Elephant Rocks which is another natural rock formation with huge rocks which look just like elephants. The beaches here are wonderful, very sandy, almost deserted and with a huge surf, the sea is so blue as the waves break.
After that we visited a winery come cheese shop and had cheese and wine for lunch.
We also visited the Old Butter Factory in Denmark and saw the alpaca goods that they stock.
In the evening we went for a meal at The Tavern.

Day Two
We went off the Albany for the day, It was about an hours drive.
Our first visit was to The Gap and then The Bridge. These are natural rock formations and the Southern Ocean rollers make them spectacular. We have many photos of them, it is a special area.
We also went to Cable Bay, a fantastic beach.
After a bit of a look around Albany we went onto Emu Point around Princess Royal Bay. We were most impressed with Albany and the surrounding area is wonderful.

Day Three
We went down to Wilson Inlet near Denmark and had a walk around there enjoying views of Ocean Beach.
After that we went to two wineries and did some tasting, having lunch at one of them. There are so many wineries to visit in this area, and so little time!

Day Four
We Packed up and left the house at 8.45.
We went to visit the famous tall trees and did the wonderful Treetop Walk amongst the canopies of the tingle trees.
The walk reaches 40 metres in height and sways in the breeze above the trees.
We then started our journey back to Perth via Warpole, lunch in Bridgetown and then onto Donnybrook which is where the Pink Lady Apples were developed. This is a big fruit growing area.
We picked up the Highway and reached Mindarie at 7.00 pm. A long day.
A lovely long weekend away.

In a Land Without the Internet

It has been hard on Stuart. He has been getting IWS (Internet Withdrawal Syndrome).

To Denmark

We left Mindarie Keys at 10am to begin our long journey down to Denmark.
We were on the road for a total of 5 hours. It is over 400 kms from Perth
We had a stop for lunch in The Woolshed in Williams. Good homemade food with arts and craft shops in the same building.
Soon after leaving there we realised that we had Alex and Katherine in front of us.
We then all stopped in Mount Barker for a cup of tea, it was good to see them, they were on their way down to Albany for the weekend.
After a cup of tea we headed on to Denmark. We picked up the keys to the house in the town, did a little shopping and then found the house.
It is on stilts on a hill and looks out across a valley to the inlet and the Southern Ocean beyond.
We went out for a meal at a super little restaurant.
We are now having an early night so that we can make the most of tomorrow. There are so many things to see down here including the vineyards, treetop walks amongst the huge tinsel trees and the natural rock formations along the coastal areas.
Goodnight for now!

Friday

We had a fairly quiet day. Caught the bus and train to Joondulup and had a really good look around the large shopping centre.
Apparently the centre is going to be extended greatly in the next two years. Joondulup has been built as a new city over the last 25 years and is getting bigger and bigger.
In the evening we all went to James and Shari's for delicious dinner. It was a lovely evening and Rhys helped entertain us. Ethan was in bed!
Stuart and I will not get another opportunity to see James this visit so we had to say goodbye to him.
We saw the sunset from their balcony.
Thank you James and Shari for a great evening.
We are off down to the Southwest this morning, Saturday. A 5 hour drive, and we come back here I think on Wednesday
Bye for now.

A Perth City Tour

Stuart and I caught the train from Clarkson Station into Perth Esplanade Station. We caught the Tram for a tour of Perth City.
It was very good and it took us to Burswood and to the east and west of the city.
We then took the second tour which took us to Kings Park for a good tour of that. Our next stop was to the Barrack Street base.
We then visited the Bell Tower, which has the bells from St Martins In The Field -- we climbed up to the viewing floor on the 6th floor.
It was a fun day, we are now going out for a meal!!

A Rude Awakening!

Yesterday afternoon we went for a drive up the coast to Yanchep. Masses of new homes are being built and even a new town is planned with a harbour.
It is interesting for us to see the development that is going on. Eventually the railway will go that far north, so much land is available and homes are needed. The land was all sand and bush.
We had a look around the lagoon at Yanchep and Two Rocks which is where the Dolphinarium once stood.
We came back home via one of the public golf courses where we had a cup of iced tea.
During the early hours this morning we were suddenly woken up by thunder and lightening and very heavy rain. It was all very close.
The rain was very heavy and sounded worse as a lot of the houses here have metal roofs, to make them cooler inside.
Today we have had a quiet day so far, just been to the shops and then this afternoon had a walk down to The Waterfront here in Mindarie where we had an iced coffee and sat and watched the boats coming and going.
It is hot, you just cannot be in the full sun for long and we always take our bottles of water with us.
It is all very lovely

Kayaking & Smiling

This morning I watched my brother David set off on his kayak for an hour or so's exercise.
Over the festivities of the past week or so I have managed to damage a tooth. I was able to book myself into the local dentist this morning and have already received excellent treatment though
I will not be eating steak for lunch.