Strange Days

Strange days indeed, and today was one of the stranger of it's type.  

We arrived safe and sound in the big smoke of course, to find that good progress had been made on the construction of our forthcoming granddaughter, which is more than can be said for progress on her intended place of abode.  After five weeks of rain, the inevitable cost and time overruns have taken their toll, so it looks like there'll be lots of family quality time involving building materials over the next few months.

Then of course there's the other new grandbaby, the one we hadn't taken into account in our planning, and while the construction progress may be well advanced too now, it's at a great cost to the actual constructor.  Sadly, Jen has spent more time in hospital than out of it of late, and after four days at home we trotted her off again for rehydration and in search of any comfort that can be provided.   And we thought she did it the hard way last time!

Of course in the back of our minds as ever, progress on the the negotiations grand has once again slowed, with promises by their people of the contract mid next week.  At least they haven't promised tomorrow again.

At home now, it seems as though we've been gone for months, and a lengthy catchup with neighbours has confirmed a complete lack of progress on all fronts, except that the minister has written to announce that she's going to make an announcement at the end of next month!

It seems that Christmas and Easter have once again failed to produce a deadline that could be achieved, so we are waiting once more for Christmas.  One wonders how things ever actually get done in countries where the birth and death of Jesus are not celebrated!

Who cares?  We actually feel retired at the moment, I wonder if that will last beyond tomorrow.

Snacks

It's got to be some sort of reflection of the quality of conversation in Port Macquarie that for the first time this year I failed to take a photograph somewhere around where we had actually slept.  I could of course have fudged it, but it seemed simpler to bend the rules!

With a monster breakfast barely settled, we none the less felt compelled to stop a few hundred k's after leaving Joan and Trevor's for a small energy boost.   The fritters at the big banana were sensational, something approaching those that were once available at the big pineapple we thought.   There was just enough sugar in this little lot to keep us kicking till Ballina as well.

Within cooee of home tonight; their people say the documents are still in preparation, our people have requested them tomorrow.   

Newcastle

Another top day, but lack of sleep is starting to sting my eyes.   I think we're missing the tent too, but staying old friends has its compensations.   We hadn't paid any attention to Newcastle for a lot of years, and apart from all the good bits, don't quite get why the old wrecked bits are still old and wrecked.

Newcastle is, after all, where the term Solistalgia was invented, but I suspect rather than change in the community it's a reluctance to change that's holding things back.

While speaking of reluctance, tomorrow we phone our people again for a report on lack of progress.  Tomorrow we also drive all day until we come to our journey's end.

Tonight we sleep in Port Macquarie.

Burnbrae - Beyond Thunderdome

This morning dawned allf mountain misty.  Burnbrae didn't want us to leave, and for that matter we were happy to comply. We put up a good fight though and managed to tear ourselves from its spell by late morning.

It's a special place for us, full of memories of good times and great friendship but when we are there we experience a sort of timelessness.  

I want to was lyrical about it all, about being enveloped by it's warmth, hugged by its corridors, and likening it to an old and friendly security blanket, but I can't find words that don't make it all sound so corny and shallow.

We are heading north, back along the coast.  Newcastle tonight, and more old friends.

Reminiscence (It's my blog and I'll change a post if I want to!!)

There is a room in Burnbrae, I cannot walk past without defferentially averting my gaze, tip toeing as silently past as my clumsy frame will allow.

When I was very young, I lived with my Grandparents for a time. That was the time when little children were seen and not heard, when beds were very tall and rooms dark and mysterious.

Last night it dawned on me that my strange behaviour was something embedded deep in my subconscious.  I daren't peek within, lest my grandmother, at her most ferocious would catch me and wreak here vengeance.  It's extraordinary but very real and it's taken me years to work out why I creep past that doorway, barely ajar, even though I'm fully aware that it has no occupant, and she has been gone for four decades.

I managed to get as far as the doorway today, even opening it a little, but I am yet to set a foot in the room, not because of fear or superstition I hasten to add.   Just because.  

From that doorway I can clearly detect the smell of a large chamber pot in need of emptying and the clop of the milkman's horse up Norman Avenue, a thousand kilometres and half a century away.

Enough of that nonesense though. We've somehow thus far managed to forgo our ramble round the yard, but I'm sure we'll manage that in the morning.   Another drive in the country, egg and bacon pie (or is that quiche?), chocolate cake with butter icing, mountain air, a couple of lakes, evening haze.... sigh.

Tired but happy again!

Big Day Out

Downhill to the bigsmoke today, lunches, coffees, galleries, artshops, old friends, new friends, and glad we weren't on the bike for the long climb home.

We didn't see Burnbrae in the daylight, and even though Ian insisted that ours were sentiments reserved for after a day at the beach not a city, it is fair to say we arrived home tired, but happy.   

Very happy.

Happy birthday happy.

and a good lie down....

Driving through the mountains today to the tune of the mobile phone ringing, if "ringing" is actually what mobile phones do these days.   "To the tune of an electronically synthesised glockenspiel alarm" just doesn't sound right, even if it is probably much more accurate.

First our people with the news that their people are still working on it and will be back to us next week.  NEXT WEEK!  That's another seven days away!

Then someone in our street with the news that no one is working on it, then someone else with the news that they are.  We can only live in hope.

It's time to take a couple of powders and have a good lie down.

For a week!