Back to work....

Well getting up early and heading to the city for a day of briefing was not as hard as I thought it would be. I actually really enjoyed the day and am really looking forward to the challenge that I have ahead of me. Louise made an awesome Risotto for dinner and I am enjoying the last wine I will get for a few days. And I am not sure when I will write again but we have decided that this will be the last of our regular blog but we will both put some updates on so if you want to keep reading what we are up too you can. Thanks for our loyal followers...even though I don't know exactly who reads this but thanks anyway and I hope you have enjoyed our awesome adventures as much as we have....we love you all.
Alvo & Tanya xoxoxoxox

Sad farewell :(

We got a bit of a sleep in this morning and Tanya made us a beautiful Mexican omelet for breakfast. I finished packing and managed to get my luggage right on 23 kgs....yay me. The time came for me to say goodbye to my little puppies....and yes I did shed a little tear. I have not been away from them for this long before and will miss them heaps. We headed off to the airport and then it was time for a few more tears...and again, we have not been apart for this long before so it is all a bit sad....but the time will fly and I will be back before we know it. I arrived in a very bleak and cold Melbourne and got the air bus to the city where Louise picked me up. We had a few wines and then went to the best Vietnamese in Prahran where we got a bit of entertainment with a Muslim couple and their kids, that went off their nuts about the food.....they were really rude and probably do it to get a free meal. So off home and to bed ready for my first day back at work tomorrow after 5 months....eeek.
Night xo

Scarlet

We had a slow start to the day and Nic cooked us a beautiful brunch. Tanya and I headed down to Scarborough to our favourite cafe for a Chai tea and enjoy the lovely day. We then did a bit of shopping for stuff I need to take to Alice. We went home and got ready to go in to town for dinner and a night out. We met Kim & Nic at the motel they were staying at and we walked to China Town where we met Shannon, Bec, Tarran and Karen at a Thai restaurant and had a great dinner. We all headed up to Scarlet where Mel and Megan met us and had a great night there dancing to Karen's cool DJing. We called it a night just after midnight as we still had to drive back to Scarborough. It was a great night and was so good to catch up with some cool chicks :)
Night xo

A Rainy Day

We woke up to a wet and miserable day which was great to stay in my pj's and sit on the couch all day.....which is exactly what I did. Tanya, Kim and Nic went out and about till after lunch and came home with a few bargains. I did manage to get a few things done so my day was not totally wasted. I also organised all my flights and repacked so am all set to go....yay. I made wedges and Tanya made Nachos for dinner and then Kim had to go to work for a 12 hour shift :( We watched the footy with a few drinks and then hit the hay.
Night xo

Back to Brissy

We were up early again and packed up ready to go by 8.30 as Tamara had to get to work. We stopped down the street and Tanya did a bit of op shopping while I called Danielle and sat with the puppies. She bought a couple of pairs of shorts and then we headed off. We called into Noosaville to say hi to Jude and got to see her son Simon and his son as well. We also called into the tattooist in Brissy that Tanya has been recommended and Tanya had a chat to them again about what she wants done. She will go there next week to get it if they can't fit her in tomorrow or Saturday. We arrived at Kims, unpacked and then went to Woolies to get a few things and post our mini WiFi to Danielle so she can have internet. As dinner was so nice last night, Tanya made the same thing again, and it was just as good. Now I have a bit of exciting news that has been unfolding over the last week.....I have been approached to do some contract work for Job Futures at various sites around the country. On Sunday I will be flying to Melbourne to spend Monday getting the low down on what I will be doing and the added bonus there is I get to spend a couple of nights with our great friend Louise...yay. Then on Tuesday I will be flying to Alice Springs to spend a month there....I am so excited and can't wait to get there. On the down side I will not see my girl or our puppies, for a month. But it is not long and I will be back in Tamworth before I know it. Tanya will be going to Tamworth next week and doing some earth moving work so she will be kept busy too. So anyone that was worried we were never going to work again (and turn into alcoholics) can stop....lol
Night xo

Seonara Bargara.....again :)

We were up early this morning so we could say goodbye to Sandy and Craig. We spent the morning packing and hanging out waiting for our lovely friend Andrea to finish work so we could catch up with her for a coffee. We went to a cafe in Bargara and spent a couple of hours catching up. It was so nice to see Andrea and we will miss her as always. When we left her we went to Woolies to get dinner ingredients to take to Tamara's in Childers tonight as we are cooking.We then went back to the house to pick the puppies up and then call into the storage shed to put our camping gear in there. While we were there Tanya talked me into trying to find the rest of her work gear....so after moving a shit load of boxes she hit the jackpot and found everything except her work boots.....so she was a very happy girl. Now we were running late so a quick detour to Dan Murphy's and we were on our way to Childers. We were greeted by Tamara and her 2 gorgeous dogs but they were not real impressed having strange puppies in their house. There was alot of barking and growling all night but all was good in the end. Tanya made Penang Chicken for dinner which was beautiful and we spent the night chatting and watching State of Origin.....damn those Queenslanders :-(  Before we knew it, it was nearly midnight so we headed to bed.
Night xo

The Storage Shed

We went to the storage shed today with a couple of goals in mind....find my work clothes and boots, find ugg boots and dressing gowns, grab another suitcase and some things for a friend who has some boxes stored in there and find a birthday card from my Dad. We achieved some of those goals but I am bummed that I couldn't find my work clothes and boots.....argh. I think I will try and talk Alvo into going back tomorrow for another attempt. Alvo needed to have her eyebrows waxed and she was lucky enough to get straight in to her favourite place to have it done, while she was off doing that I went to the Post Office to investigate phones as we would like to get her a smart phone which will enable her to use it as a hotspot so that Danielle can take over our pocket wi-fi contract. Alvo suggested that we go to our favourite Italian restaurant, Pappardelles, for lunch and what a great suggestion it was. We got to catch up with Karen, the owner, and had a beautiful lunch special there as usual. Hinkler Central was the next stop as we wanted to shop around for the phone. Allphones is usually the cheapest in town and if you find anything cheaper they match it so that was the winner, we bought her a Samsung Galaxy Duos. We were going to cook silverside for dinner but Sandy and Craig suggested the Metro as they have a Two for Tuesday deal. When we got there the place was packed and we were unable to get a table so Sandy suggested a Thai/Indian restaurant that Alvo and I have been to before. The meal there was just beautiful and I can never pass up the chance to have curry. After heading back to Bargara we just watched a bit of telly and chatted until bedtime.
Tanya

Back to Bargara

We headed back to Bundaberg today, we are staying with our good friends Sandy and Craig for a couple of nights. Driving back in it started raining....of course.....and this place always seems to be windy. The puppies were happy to see the guys when they arrived home from work and after a quick shower we were off to the Bargara Pub to meet up with some friends for a catch up. It was so great to see so many familiar faces there and we had some dinner there before heading home to see Craig who had been to Tai Kwon Do. It almost feels like we never left.
Tanya

Noosa Farmers Market

This morning looked like it might rain and was a bit cool so we rugged up a bit. We all went to the Farmers Markets in Noosa which are really great. Rae doesn’t eat gluten either so we showed her lots of cool stalls there. We spent a couple of hours there and then went to Woolies to get dinner supplies. We headed home and didn’t do too much all arvo. Tanya ran on the treadmill and the girls took all the dogs for a walk. I made Gluten Free Lasagne for dinner which was a bit of a hit. We started watching a movie but didn’t finish it as Downton Abbey was on so we watched that even though Tanya and Mel started snoring pretty soon.

Night xo

Perigian Springs

Kim and Nic had to go early this morning so we packed up and left by 9am. We called into Maroochydore to see Tarran and Karen at the coffee shop but Karen was sick so we only got to see her for a minute as she was heading home. We had a walk down the street and then had a Chai tea with Tarran. We left there and headed to Perigian Springs to Mel, Lisa and Rae’s place. They were not home yet so they left a key for us to get in and hang out. We unpacked and then watched a couple of great movies, Hall Pass and Just Go With It, very funny. Tanya went to see an old family friend that she had not seen for over 20 years and just after she left, Lisa and Rae arrived home. Mel came home from work, Tanya came back and we all enjoyed a great BBQ and salad for dinner. They have 2 big dogs so we had to get them all to socialise and be nice. Lots of chatting and catching up went on and we all headed to bed by 10.30.

Night xo

Friday night footy

Kim has to work today from 7am to 7pm so we are flying solo. We headed down to Redcliffe and walked along the beach road. We stopped to have a cuppa in our favourite cafe there, “Kashmir”, and looked at all the beautiful teapots and nic nacs they have in there. We saw the marriage celebrant that conducted Tarran and Karens commitment ceremony and stopped and talked for a while, she is a really interesting person. After we finished our delicious traditional chai tea we walked back to the car and headed for the supermarket to buy some ingredients for our dinner, we had rice paper rolls.....yummo. When we got back to Kim’s we didn’t really do much at all other than relax and I decided that I needed to complete the first square of my knitting seeing as though mum and gran have done a whole row each (that consists of 8 squares) so I got cracking and finished it and even managed to join a new color. Football was on tonight and we had a chance to watch the team we tipped win for once. Not long after the footy finished it was time yet again for bed.

Tanya

Shed cleaning & dog washing......

It was a bit of a chilly morning so I decided staying in my flannies for half the day was a great idea. Tanya and Kim went off to do some stuff which took them a few hours and I just sorted out photos and lazed on the couch till they got back. We had some left over jungle curry for lunch and then they decided to fix the shed door and then clean out the shed. I thought 3 was a crowd so I left them to it and I finally got dressed and washed the dogs. And even after my very lazy day I still didn't have to cook dinner as they did that too...a great BBQ cook up which was really nice. I am sorry if the blogs are getting a bit boring but some days are really unexciting....lol...but I will tell you something that some of you may say "OMG" to....and that is today was the first day since we left Bundy (127 days ago) that I have not had a drink......eeeek.....and no I did not get withdrawals. It is very hard not to have a drink when you visit so many people and cool places....lol...Tanya on the other hand had a few AFD's when she was in Tamworth without me (& she was a bit sick) so I am thinking I may even make tomorrow day number 2......lol
Night xo

Goodbye Goldie

We had a nice unrushed morning of packing as we didn't want to check out till 10am because we had a booking at Bugzies Seafood Restaurant for lunch , (I had bought a Scoopon for a seafood platter for 2 with a bottle of bubbly), so we had a bit of time to kill which we just did a bit of window shopping. Our lunch was absolutely beautiful and well worth going to. We left there and headed off to Brisbane to Kim's place, where our puppies were very excited to see us. Kim made a great Jungle Curry for dinner and we all had an early night.
Night xo

Dracula's Caberet Restaurant

This morning I decided I would be a little bit energetic and join Tanya in the gym for a go on the treadmill. While she ran I walked fast and I did manage a 4 minute run but after 20 minutes I decided my poor heart had had enough for now. We had decided that we would catch the bus into Surfers Paradise so we headed off into another beautiful day. We found a nice cafe on the waterfront and had a Chai Tea and watched the world go by. We went to the tattoo shop that did my last tattoo and spoke to the guy there about some possibilities for Tanya as she would like to get one as a tribute to her dad. He was really helpful and gave her some good advice. We did a bit of shopping and even managed to buy a few more clothes. Now I haven't mentioned before now that I have had a cough for nearly 4 weeks that just won't go away but it is mainly at night and I have coughing fits in bed which was really starting to annoy me....soooo anyway, Tanya and Lisa were at me to see a Dr all last week so we walked past a Dr's and thought we would just ask about an appointment. Not only did they bulk bill, I saw a Dr within 15 minutes AND he was Australian....we were very impressed. As it it turns out I have Chlamydia Pneumoniae (& yes I can see you all laughing now) which is a bacterial infection. So I have antibiotics and a puffer and am hoping it will get better now. So we got the bus to Pacific Fair where we had some lunch and on my first mouth full had a bloody coughing fit and I could hardly breathe...the couple on the next table thought I was choking to death...lol.  So we got my scripts filled and then walked back to the resort. We relaxed a bit and then got ready to go out. We were a bit early so we called into Jupiters Casino for a drink and then got to Draculas at 7pm. Awesome does not begin to describe what a great night we had there. The food was great and the entertainment was just superb. We highly recommend that anyone coming to the Gold Coast to go there. We didn't leave till 11pm and stopped in again at the Casino for a quick flutter but with no luck. We finished our walk home and hit the hay :)
Night xo

Remembering John

So today is the first anniversary of Tanya's dad's death. Although it is a very sad day it will be a day to remember a great man and for Tanya to take a bike ride in his honor. Lisa bought her bike over and Tanya headed off into the Gold Coast traffic. Lisa and I headed to Pacific Fair so she could do a few things and we had a Chai Tea while we were at it. We headed back to the resort and Tanya returned back as well and she had done a 30 km ride. We said our final goodbyes to Lisa and waved her off. We had an appointment with an Accor Timeshare Rep to get some updated info on our Timeshare so we did that which took about 2 hours. We then headed off for another walk to Pacific Fair to get dinner ingredients and when we returned we had some snacks and a couple of bevies. I spoke to Chloe several times today as she was after some cooking tips as she was baking and making a roast for everyone....nice to see she still needs me. I also spoke to Danielle who did her RSA today which she has passed and is ready to do the RCG tomorrow. Tanya made Fish Laksa for dinner which was beautiful and we watched the voice.
Night xo

As I headed off on my ride I had a goal to do 30km, 40km if I had time. I also wanted to stop at the pub for a cider so that I could sit and have a few quiet moments with my Dad. It took me 30mins to get to Burleigh and after turning around and finding Miami I found a tavern to stop and have a cider. The sun was shining and I could see the ocean so the ride seemed easier than usual, I probably had a bit of help along the way.....there is no way that he would allow me to fail. So many wonderful sights along the way, the ocean, the sand, the beautiful blue sky and so many people out and about. I had many wonderful thoughts about Dad and the times we had together. I am so grateful for so many things that it is hard to be sad, I wanted today to be a day for giving thanks and once again making my Dad proud of me. I rolled back into the driveway of the resort clicking over 30km so I have taken on the challenge and conquered......thanks Dad. I think of you every day, miss you and love you hundreds and thousands.
Tanya

Happy Mothers Day :)

So being Mothers Day there was no running to be done as Lisa had booked to go for breakfast at Nobby's Surf Club. The 6 of us headed there at 8.30 and enjoyed Chai Lattes, Eggs Benedict and Bacon and Eggs. It was very nice and our view of the ocean just beautiful. We then headed for a walk up the beach for about 45 minutes and the kids played frisbee. It was time to head home and for us to pack up and head off to our Accor Timeshare at Broadbeach for a few days. We said our goodbyes to Mark and the kids but will be seeing Lisa again tomorrow. Our room was ready early so we were able to check in. We are on the 8th floor so we have a great view of Surfers and can even see a glimpse of the ocean and our room is really nice. We decided we would walk to Pacific Fair, which is about half an hour, to get something to cook for dinner. A relaxing evening of a few drinks and some awesome crispy skin salmon with potatoes and onions and a bit of tv watching.
Night xo

Gold Coast Gay Day

We had a bit of a sleep in this morning till 8.30 and Tanya went for a run. We got ready to go out but we were waiting for Kim and Nicolle to come here as we were going to Gay Day in one car. While we were waiting we slipped down to the op shop for a browse and both bought a few things. The girls turned up and we headed off to Parklands. The weather was perfect yet again and we had a really nice day. Tanya won the "how many squats can you do in 1 minute" competition and got some cool gift vouchers. We left there about 3.30 and headed back to Lisa's where we packed up our little puppies and waved them off with Kim and Nicolle as they are going to look after them till Wednesday as we are staying at our Accor timeshare tomorrow for a few days. We had a few drinks and then started on our beautiful gourmet pizza's. The kids had a ham, cheese and pineapple and we had a pepperoni and goats cheese, a chilli seafood and a Pumpkin, Chorizo and Walnut....they were all so nice. We sat outside with the fire on and watched Boogie Nights. A great day and night.
Night xoxo

Friday Night Footy

Yet another glorious day and as Lisa had to take Kasey to the Dr Tanya went running on her own this morning. I stayed home to be the domestic godess and when Tanya got home we gave Lisa's pantry and one of the kitchen draws a makeover....they look super neat now and Lisa was very happy. We had another lovely salad for lunch and then headed to the shopping centre to get stuff for Saturday night's home made pizza's. We had a great Chai tea at The Coffee Club and did a bit of window shopping with Lisa and Tanya drooling over the Lorna Jane shop. We had half an hour to kill before picking the boys up so Tanya suggested we go to an op shop, so Lisa took us to a very close one and we went in for a look. I spotted the cabinet with all the very cool antique dinner wear and we just had to buy half a dozen pieces as they were a bargain. So Tanya didn't even get to look at the clothes but will go back tomorrow. Lisa, Mark and the kids were heading off for the night to her mum and dads for an early Mothers Day get together and sleep over so she packed them all up and they headed off at 4.30. So we just hung out and had a few drinks and dinner and then thought we would watch the footy in the bath as there is a tv in there but we could not get the channel to change no matter what we did. So we had to settle for the couch. Stupid Broncos lost in the last minute and then the Bulldogs couldn't even beat the Titans....not a good start to the tipping for me :(
Night xo

Mount Tamborine

This morning started with yet another run and Alvo and the puppies came with us today which was nice. When we got home it was all systems go as we are heading up to Mount Tamborine (another one of Lisa's suggestions). The little town up there is full of boutique and antique shops. There is also a fudge shop there where the girls tasted and bought. We saw so many beautiful clothes and things there and tasted some really nice wines. We went to the botanical gardens to eat our picnic lunch and walked around the gardens which are just beautiful. There were plenty of photo opportunities and the sun shone yet again for us. Home we went and even managed a quick Nana nap. Lisa cooked delicious crispy skinned salmon with mango salsa for us tonight.....we love that and it would have to be her signature dish, she cooks it so well. Again a night of a few sneaky muscats chatting and telly before bedtime.
Tanya

The Catering Day

This morning Lisa and I ran again and after we got back home it wasn't long before she had to head off to lunch with her friends so Alvo and I just lazed around watching the cooking channel which is great. We did however need to get ourselves into action later in the day as we are all heading over to Mark's Mum's house for dinner and we are catering as they have just returned home from a 5 week overseas holiday. Alvo prepared a huge potato bake and roasted the pork while I prepared the apple crumble (requested by Lisa's son Kasey) and Lisa made a beautiful salad. When Mark and the boys got home from basketball training we headed off with our wrapped up food. The meal was absolutely delicious and it was nice to meet Mark's Mum and Stepdad. On our return home it was bedtime for the boys and I gave Lisa a much needed massage....lets see if she is able to run in the morning.
Tanya

Girls Day Out.

Lisa and I started our morning again with a run and we went up over the hill at Burleigh which is the national park and is absolutely beautiful. I wanted to stop all along the way and admire all the beautiful plants and things but Lisa is a hard task master so I had to just look fleetingly at things going by. We saw the 9 News camera there today because Kelly Slater is here catching the massive surf that is happening here at the moment and there were lots of people with their cameras out and about. Lisa suggested that we catch a movie at Robina so off we went to see The 5 Year Engagement which was great and then she also suggested that we go to Max Brenner's for lunch which for Lisa consisted of waffles with chocolate icecream, melted chocolate, strawberries and banana and for Alvo and I it was a dark chocolate truffle which had chocolate mousse in the middle. I did forgo my dairy for the day to indulge. Lisa and Alvo also shared a white chocolate chai which was really nice too. The whole experience was great and now with our new found energy we were off to do some shopping before heading for home. We were taken out to the Indian Restaurant for dinner by Mark for our hard work assembling the outdoor setting that arrived earlier in the afternoon and it was delicious. Mark and I shared an extra hot Vindaloo which was a little warm but could have been hotter and there was also a couple of other nice curries. We watched the Biggest Loser final before hitting the hay. Go Margie......
Tanya

Ahhh beautiful sunny QLD......

Oh how nice it is to wake up to an absolutely beautiful day. We all got dressed and headed to Burleigh Beach so Tanya and Lisa could go for a run. As today is a public holiday in QLD the kids are home from school so they came with us. Kasey rode his bike with a friend and Cooper walked with me and the puppies. He is quite smitten by the dogs so was very excited to be able to lead Charlie. The girls ran about 5 kms and we met them back where we started. It was so busy and we were dodging people and bikes all over the place. We headed home for an early lunch which was an awesome salad that Lisa made. We then spent the arvo watching tv and we all managed a little Nana nap. When Mark got home from work we all headed next door for the weekly tradition of drinks and a chat and we got to catch up with a few of the girls that were on the Lisa's 40th cruise last year. Tanya made dinner tonight, which was a Filipino steak dish that her dad used to make. It was so nice and even the kids liked it. The kids were busting to play a family challenge Wii game with us all so we spent about an hour doing that with Lisa being the winner....I do think I was handicapped as they created my character and I looked like a really ugly lady boy on steroids and in bad need of a wax....LOL. We watched the Voice and then headed to bed.
Night xo

Off to the Goldie.

This morning Kim decided to take us to the markets at Redcliffe. There were lots of people there and the markets were great. We found a couple that make and sell rubber backed canvas lounges and knew they were just what we would like in our house when we finally have one again. We left straight from the markets to head to Burleigh where our friends Mark and Lisa live (we are staying with them for a week). When we arrived we had delicious tuna and salad for lunch and chatted with Lisa as Mark is off doing his community duty as a lifesaver. Lisa made a lovely Panang Chicken curry for dinner.....mmmm.....curry. Lisa and I have organised our running schedule for the week, I can't wait to get started. When Mark arrived home he'd had a pretty big day and as it is the last weekend for patrolled beaches here there were drinks afterwards so after a bit of a chat about their vow renewals in Vegas that we are hoping to attend he was off to bed. Because the business that Lisa and Mark own is in Tweed Heads there is no public holiday for him tomorrow. We watched some telly with Lisa before retiring ourselves.
Tanya

Back to QLD

Today saw us on a bit of a schedule in order to get to the hairdresser in Brisbane in time. We had packed most of our things last night so that it was easy to finish it off this morning. I said a teary goodbye to Mum and Gran and thanked them for putting up with me and the dogs for the week prior to coming over to the coast. It was such a pleasure to be on holidays with them, I love them to bits. We got everything done and we drove out of the resort at 9am....right on schedule. We drove to the pet resort to pick up our little puppy passengers and they were so excited to see us and very excited to see Danielle after 13 months. Charlie sat on my lap in the front for the duration of the trip as there was very little room in the back seat with Danielle, Izzy and Danielle's luggage. The trip went very well and we dropped Danielle at her friends house right on time. We were in Southbank early but it took us all of our spare time to find a park.....argh. We waltzed into the hairdresser with five minutes to spare after tying the puppies up out the front to wait for us. I loved my hairdresser today, he was an absolute star and I love my haircut. Alvo is still getting used to hers, she wasn't as impressed, I think it looks great. We got home to Kim's place to the smell of a beautiful dinner cooking and it was absolutely delicious. Having a quiet drink and then a cuppa while watching some telly before bed. The adventures continue.....
Tanya

Our last day here :(

A bit of sunshine was happening this morning but it didn't last long. Tanya, Lorraine and Gran went to Sawtell for a few hours and Danielle and I stayed home and started to pack....blah....I hate leaving here. We went around to Val and Steve's for a cuppa and scones at 2pm and had a nice catch up with them. Then we went to Woolies to buy seafood for our last dinner. We are having fresh oysters, cooked prawns, marinated prawns, marinated fish, scallops and calamari.....Yum. Back to the resort for a few drinks and then Danielle went to pick up Dave, Lisa and the kids to come round to share our last night. Our seafood feast was absolutely beautiful and we all had a great night. Had the footy on and I am so glad I didn't back the Eels as they really suck....lol....sorry babe :) Sad to be leaving tomorrow and will miss the Fahey's very much....love you guys xo
Night xo

A Beautiful Cafe.......

Just when we thought the weather might be nice today....we were wrong. We headed off at 9am and went to the Buddha's Bounty Cafe at the Sawtell Nursery for coffee....I had a beautiful Chai Tea and we sat by the little lake surrounded by gardens, plants and pots....it was just lovely. Can't believe we have not been here before, a must to go to from now on. We then had to go to Toormina Shopping Centre as Tanya, Danielle and I were booked in to have our eyes checked. We all passed although I am a bit long sighted and will need glasses for reading in the near future.....but on the upside I could read the bottom line of the chart which the optometrist said very few people can do :) So a bit of browsing in the shops and then back to the resort for some lunch and then we decided that as the sun had finally come out we would go by the pool and play a game or two. We were there for about half an hour and a big black cloud came over and bloody rained on us......and as we were half way through our game, we couldn't really move so we put up the umbrella and finished. Back to the room for some more games and then Gran, Lorraine and Danielle all went to have a Nana nap. At about 5pm Emma and the kids turned up for a visit and then Lisa, her mum and the kids turned up....so we had a pretty full house for a while. When everyone left I made marinated chicken, wedges and corn for dinner (a bit of a favourite it seems...lol) which was really nice. Several drinks were had after before and after dinner, a bit of watching tv and I think it will be bed time soon.
Night xo

Lorraine's Birthday :)

So today is Lorraine's birthday....HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORRAINE....Tanya was going to make her breakfast in bed but was too late as she beat her up....lol. Still no beautiful blue skies but we are getting used to it by now. Tanya, Lorraine and Gran went to Toormina to check out the op shops there but Danielle and I stayed home as we were op shopped out. When they got back we went for a walk down to the water and had a coffee at Boambee Reserve. Then Tanya, Lorraine and I played a game of mini golf....we were all pretty bad so I don't think anyone won. We played Rummikub and then got ready to go out for Lorraine's birthday night. We went to the Sawtell RSL for a drink and had a bit of a flutter but did not come out winners :( We headed to Thai Tales for dinner which was really nice and very much enjoyed by everyone. Home then to watch Australia's Got Talent and then bed.
Night xo

Another Op Shop Marathon

We all got up by 8am and got ready to head into town to have a bit of a shop as Tanya and Lorraine were keen to hit the op shops. The weather was a bit yucky again and it did rain a little bit. We spent the morning in and out of shops and everyone bought a little something....except Danielle who said she has been to enough op shops today to last a life time...lol. We then headed out to Park Beach Plaza and had some lunch and did a few more things there before heading back to the resort. Everyone had a bit of a rest and I started preparing dinner so it would be done before we went to the owners party at 5pm. So Tanya, Danielle and I went to the terrace at 5pm and talked to some really nice people so didn't get back till after 7pm. We had the Chicken Coq Au Vin which was really nice and then Danielle got picked up by a friend to go on a dessert date. She was back by 9pm and we watched The Voice till 11pm and all headed to bed.
Night xo

And then there were 5.....

Another cloudy day but not as cold which is good. Danielle and I went to Toormina to get a few things and then came back to await the arrival of Tanya, Lorraine and Gran. They did a bit of stopping on the way and they also had to take the puppies to the kennel so they didn't arrive till about 2.30pm. They all got settled in and we just hung out chatting for the arvo. We did get a bit of excitement when Tanya and I were coming back into the room and spotted a rather large Python in the garden. So I called reception and the maintenance guy came and then he got a snake man to come and get it and take it away. Dave, Lisa and Mitchell came round for a visit and when they left I made marinated fish with corn and wedges for dinner. We watched the voice and then headed to bed where I spent half the night coughing ...arghhhh.
Night xo

Dougs Birthday Lunch

So yet another bleak day when I woke up so I watched tv under a blanket while waiting for Danielle to grace me with her presence......which in the end I had to call out to her till she finally got up around 10.30am. I then organised with Doug and Emma to meet them at their house and we would go to lunch from there. And it just happens to be Dougs birthday today so it was even more reason to go out. We went to the Deep Sea Fishing Club which is on a hill overlooking the ocean so it was really nice. We had a lovely lunch and did alot of talking and before we knew it, it was 5pm so we headed off. We left straight away when we got back to their house as Lisa was waiting for us to come to the resort for drinks and last nights left overs from their BBQ. We picked her up and then Dave joined us a bit later with the kids. We just hung out watching telly, having drinks and eating. When the rain stopped they made a dash for the car to go home. Danielle and I watched a really good movie called Unknown and then went to bed. Tanya called me and there is a slight change of plans and they will be coming over tomorrow now :)
Night xo

Party at Fahey Castle

We woke up to another bleak rainy day and as we were wanting to go to the curry festival in Woolgoolga it wasn't looking good. We deliberated for a while and decided to go there to have a look and hope it wasn't raining there. But luck was not on our side and after the half hour drive it was raining pretty hard so we decided that we didn't want to get wet even though there were hundreds of people there we didn't think it would be much fun. So we headed back to Coffs and called into Carobana on the way where we bought a few carob treats :) Then we stopped in to Park Beach Plaza cause Danielle was hanging out to have a pie as she has not had one for 13 months. We bought a scarf each, did a bit of browsing and I got a free umbrella for spending over $100 there yesterday....bonus...lol. We headed home with a pit stop at Dan Murphys and Danielle was tired again so she had a nana nap for 2 hours. It was then time to get ready to go to Dave and Lisa's for a BBQ. Lisa came to pick us up at 5.30 so we could have a few drinks and didn't have to worry about driving. They had invited about 12 other friends around so it was nice to meet some new people. We even had a bash on Mitchell's electronic drums which was super cool. We had a great BBQ for dinner and lots of laughs. By 11pm everyone had gone home so we called it a night too and called a cab. It came in super quick time and we were home and in bed before midnight.
Night xo

Farewell Chloe

This morning was not very exciting except getting ready to go out. We went to Toormina and Chloe had her appointment at OPSM to get her eyes checked and nothing has changed since last time so her glasses are still good which is great. We left there and went to the Hoey Moey for their lunch special, Chicken Schnitzel, which is Chloe's favourite but was under protest by Danielle as we had it last night for dinner....but after she ate it she said it was really good. We then headed to Park Beach Plaza for some serious shopping. The girls bought all sorts of stuff and Chloe got some great bargains. I bought a couple of tops and a top/dress sort of thing and finally some boots...well 2 pairs actually, one black & one brown. I was all shopped out and it was time to take Chloe to the bus stop. Lisa and the kids met us there to see her off as well. After lots of hugs, kisses and a few tears Chloe got on the bus and off she went. I don't know when I will see her again as she is going to QLD this week to start her new job :( We headed back to the resort and we had planned to go out tonight but Danielle (aka Nana) was a bit tired and wasn't sure if she wanted to.....so after about an hour of deliberating we finally decided on staying home and Nana was in bed by 8.30pm so I watched the footy and then called it a night.
Night xo

Lazy Resort Day

Not much planned today so we went for a walk along the headlands, which is just beautiful, so I felt like I have at least had some exercise. The girls had a spa and I just layed by the pool. Lisa came round for a visit for a couple of hours and when she left we all had a bit of a nana nap....well Danielle's lasted nearly 3 hours....she tells me that she is an extreme nana napper...lol. Chloe made dinner tonight, potato slices on the BBQ and chicken schnitzel which was very nice. Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit more exciting :)
Night xo

Anzac Day

Let me start today by thanking every man and woman who has ever fought for our beautiful country and has allowed us to have the freedom that we have today....Lest We Forget.
So we made our way down to Sawtell this morning to meet the Fahey's and Val and Steve so we could watch the Anzac Day Parade. We had a coffee first and then watched the very short parade and took pictures of Mitchell and Sarah marching very proudly. We then went for a walk down to the beach and waited for the RSL to re-open. We had some drinks there for a while and then we all went back to the resort and spent a great afternoon having a BBQ and chatting while the kids swam. Everyone left as it got cool and dark and as we ate late we didn't really need dinner. So we just hung out and watched tv. But the exciting news of the night is that Chloe got a job as a Jillaroo on a station up in QLD starting asap....she is very excited about it and we are very proud of her.
Night xo

Rainy Day

We awoke to a pretty yucky rainy day that was not much good to do anything. But Danielle had a Dr's appointment so we got ready and headed to Toormina shopping centre. We went to see Dave at OPSM and I booked us all in to get our eyes checked and then we went to have a chai latte. Danielle went to the Dr's and Chloe & I went to Woolies to get a few things and then went to meet Danielle but of course she still hadn't been in & after an hour of waiting she finally got called. We went back to the resort & Danielle got picked up by one of her Tamworth school friends to go to lunch and Chloe & I just hung out in the room all arvo. The girls came back for apple pie and then I cooked dinner. By 9pm Chloe was coughing so much I rang Dave & asked could we come get some cough medicine, which we did and dosed her up. At midnight she had a huge coughing fit which turned into vomiting which was not very nice for her but she was ok then and didn't cough again.
Night xo

Owners Party

I actually slept in till 20 to 8 this morning so I was pretty happy about that. We had breaky and then went for a walk down to the estuary and around to the beach which was beautiful and the weather was perfect. When we got back we went to the pool and I ran into friends of ours, Nellie and Gary from Tamworth who are also the same couple we ran into when we were in Thailand last year....such a small world....lol. We went back to the room for lunch and a bit of a rest and then the lovely Lisa Fahey and kidlets turned up for a visit and a swim so we hung out by the pool for a while then back to the room for a snack. The Fahey's headed off and we all got ready to go to the owners party up at the Terrace. It's just an hour long get together with a few drinks to meet other time share owners. We chatted with a nice couple from.....you guessed it....Tamworth and another couple that we met last night at the BBQ's. When it was time to go we had to make a mad dash in the pouring rain to the room and as we had a few nibblies there the girls were not really hungry so my Chicken Al A King will be had tomorrow night. I was a bit hungry still so I cooked up some lamb ribs and Danielle helped me eat them. Ready now to watch Australia's Got Talent and then The Voice :)
Night xo

Sunday Sesh.....

I awoke before 7 this morning which is not much of a sleep in for a Sunday. Chloe and I got up and had a cuppa and then we all had bacon and eggs for breaky which was nice. We went to Coles and bought a few more groceries then went home to have some lunch. Dave came around at 3pm and picked Danielle and I up to go for a small pub crawl for a few hours. We went to The Coffs Surf Life Saving Club first, then the Hoey Moey (which have cider on tap....nice) and we finished at The Barrel Bar in Sawtell. A great afternoon was had by us all and we may even do it again next weekend :) We cooked a bbq and wedges for dinner and then poor Danielle passed out on the lounge before 8pm as I think her jet lag has caught up with her. Chloe has gone to bed too so I think I am going to have a shower and do the same thing.
Night xo

The wait is over.....Danielle is finally home :)

I was awoken by a phone call at 6.15 am from Danielle telling me that her plane could not land in Sydney due to the fog so she was sitting on the tarmac in Brisbane waiting to fly to Sydney. So I did not rush to leave Tamworth but I still got going by 9am. I said my goodbye's and off I headed. I stopped in Uralla at the driver reviver and the ladies there were so friendly that I didn't want to leave....but I had to so i did. When I drove into Armidale I was thinking to myself..."I wonder if the apple pie stand out the front of that house is still there"....and low and behold there was the sign....and 1 apple pie left...so I pulled in and bought it from the lovely lady....Danielle will remember us buying them years ago and will be very excited (Chloe won't care cause she hates apple pie...lol). Danielle text me and said she would not be at Coffs till about 5.30pm which I was a bit bummed about so when I got to Coffs I went straight to some of my most favourite people in the world's house, Dave and Lisa, for a visit and filled in a bit of time. I then went to the resort to check in and my room was ready so I went and unpacked everything and then headed to Woolies to do some shopping. Back to the resort to unpack that and then sat down with a drink to wait. Then I get another call from Danielle to say they would not be here till about 7.30pm....OMG....I was going a bit stir crazy by now but not much I could do about it so I just waited a bit longer. I started preparing dinner and then I finally got what I was waiting for.......In came my beautiful daughter followed by my other beautiful daughter....what more could a mother want. I was soooooo happy to have them both here safe and sound. As you can imagine alot of talking took place and we had a great night. Chloe will be staying here with us till Friday and Danielle and I will be here for two weeks.....YAY.....Tanya and her mum and Gran will be joining us on Tuesday week also which will be great. Till tomorrow :)
Night

99 Days of Traveling

So today is our 99th day of traveling.....how time flies when you are having fun. And I was going to wait till tomorrow to say 100 days but Danielle coming home is going to be way more important than that so she will get the title....lol. We went into town this morning and Tanya dropped me off at Joblink Plus while she went around to Club Synergy to give Kay a massage and I do believe a lecture on slowing down and listening to her body which is screaming it out also....lol. I caught up with lots of old workmates which is always great and we arranged to have lunch at 12pm. Chloe arrived in Tamworth today also and she came to see me to give me a couple of things that we had left in Coona. She is going to Sydney in the morning with Craig to pick Danielle up from the airport as a surprise....and I will not post this until I know Danielle has arrived so I don't ruin the surprise in case she reads this. It has been very hard to keep this a secret for so long but I have done it (well sort of). Anyway back to today....so Tanya came back to get me and we went to The Vault (which is not the vault anymore but I can't remember the new name) and met Bec, Dale, Mausy and Libby and we had a lovely lunch and a couple of ciders while catching up on all the goings on. When the girls went back to work we did a bit of browsing in Kmart and then headed home. Tanya ran her 5kms on the treadmill and then we had some yummy nibblies and a drink. Tanya made Nachos for dinner and we watched the footy....Go Aussies :)

Night xo

Boot Shopping.

Our aim today is to find a pair of boots for Alvo so off to town we went. After looking in a few shops we were unsuccessful in our mission but not beaten, Alvo is off to Coffs on Saturday so will have a look over there. We stopped for a coffee at our friends cafe, Yum-To-Go, and chatted with her for a while. It was great to catch up with her. We arrived home just after lunch so indulged in rice crackers, smoked mussels, homus, tomato and onion. Pop was sleeping in the lounge room so I held off with my run until he woke up at about 3.45pm. It was hotter than yesterday in the garage but I still made the 5km and feel great. Legs are a little sore but I will push through. Mum and the crew head into the club tonight so we decided to catch up with a friend at the Services Club. We also made a small donation to the club through the pokies but we had a fun night. Alvo and Mum had already prepared and cooked dinner earlier in the day so when we got home Mum was cooking the rice and everyone loved the chicken stir-fry. A Touch of Frost on telly and then off to bed.
Tanya

Shopping Day - Wednesday.

Today is Mum's shopping day and I love going with her so Alvo and I are going to tag along. First stop is the health food shop so that I can get some tissue salts for my congestion then to shoppingworld. We started off in Big W to look for a mouse and an SD card reader for Mum, then back to the supermarket. We got everything on the list and a little bit more including a carton of the new sour apple cider from 5 seeds and a couple of sneaky bottles of port. Mum took Gran back into town for an appointment in the afternoon and Alvo and I stayed home, we were having a nanna nap. I did however boil potatoes in readiness for our finger food dinner tonight and jumped on the treadmill for day number one of getting back into exercise. I just did 5km and the treadmill only goes up to 10km/hr so I had to just not push myself and ease back into it.....it has been a while.We all contributed to the cooking of dinner which included potato rosti with smoked salmon and horseradish cream, salt and pepper squid, marinated prawns and cider battered fish bits. The whole meal was a hit and we were all too full to have rum bananas for desert so that will have to wait till tomorrow night. A few sneaky ports and then off to bed.
Tanya

Farewell Coonabarabran

We said our goodbyes to Dad this morning at 8am as he had to go to town early. As we were not in a hurry, we leisurely packed everything up, watched The Voice, (which is bloody awesome), washed the car and then stopped in to pa's to say goodbye on our way to Serena's. We had a cuppa there and left just after 12pm. We got to Tamworth greeted by the rain. I got the tour of Lorraine's new house which is very nice and the puppies were excited to be back with their buddy Pepsi. We didn't do much for the arvo, had dinner, watched tv and headed to bed.
Night xo

Pilliga & Beyond

I had to put the alarm on for this morning as we needed to be at Serena's by 8.30am for our day in the Pilliga. We headed off to Pilliga Pottery and got there at about 9.30am. We had a look through the amazing collection of pottery and Johannes who is the master potter gave us a demonstration which was very neat. We sat out in the beautiful courtyard in the sun and had a coffee and then bought a few little cool items. It is such a beautiful place and well worth a visit to. We left there at about 11am and headed out to the Sculptures In The Scrub about 60-70 kms away in the middle of nowhere. We did the 2.5 km walk which takes you past the 4 sculptures and through some spectacular bushland and also well worth the trip. As we were leaving a car pulled up and it was a couple of local guys that Serena and I knew but had not seen for 20 plus years. Funny the places you run into people. We left there and Luke and Tanya decided that it looked quicker on the map to go another way to get to Baradine so we went that way only to get about 15 kms down the dirt road to be faced with a creek we could not cross....sooooo back the way we came and after what seemed like forever on the dirt we hit Baradine. It was past 2pm by this stage and we were looking forward to going to Freckles for lunch which is owned by 2 very old friends of mine only to be faced with locked gates as they are not open on Monday's. So we went to the Discovery Centre and Jillian called Narelle and she told us to come around to her place for coffee. So we got some hot chips from the cafe and went to her house. I have not seen Narelle for about 12 years so it was really nice to catch up. She took us down to the shop for a look which was really great of her and it is so cool so we will definitely be going back there for a better look and lunch when we are back next. We said goodbye at the shop and then went back to have a look at the Discovery Centre and also to catch up with Jillian who I had not seen for years (except briefly on Friday night at the pub). 5pm came very quickly and it was time to let Jill go home and we headed back to Coona. When we got back to Dad's he was busy cooking his famous Chilli Con Carne. Kris arrived home late as she is doing overtime and then we enjoyed Dad's dinner with a bottle of Argentinian wine. What a great day to end our time in Coonabarabran. Off to Tamworth tomorrow.
Night xo

Sunday again......

Well we have had yet another day of not doing much at all. We were all a bit tired so not doing anything was a good thing. I went over and saw Pa for a while and we washed the puppies but that was about it. Tanya slept for about 3 hours but I only managed to nod off for about half an hour. Kris made German sausages, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner which was beautiful. An early night I think as tomorrow we are actually going out to do some cool stuff.
Night xo

Dinner party at Dad's :)

We spent the morning not doing too much at all. I did manage to vacuum our car and also Kristen's car so I can say I did something constructive. We started preparing dinner as Kris has invited Richard, Claudia & Mati out for dinner. They arrived at 4pm and lots of talking, nibbling and sipping went on. I finished making the  Panang Chicken with the help of Tanya and it was enjoyed by us all. Lots of port was tasted and Dad cracked the Jagermiester which went down rather well. We all had an awesome night and finished up at about 12.30.
Night xo

A Night Out

I spent the day doing a couple of massages for people who are truly grateful and then bid farewell to Mum and Gran just before 5pm as I was off to pick David up and head back to Coonabarabran. I got back to David and Serena's at about 8pm and tasted the delicious lamb curry she had cooked before heading off to Norm's to drop the puppies off as I was meeting Alvo in town at the pub where she has organised for a few friends to get together. The Imperial Hotel was pretty busy and there were some great friends there to catch up with. Some that I haven't seen for quite some time. We all chatted, danced and shared each others company until almost midnight and then decided it was time to call it a night. Norm and Kris were in bed when we got home so off to bed it is.
Tanya

So my day was spend doing pretty much nothing again but I am happy to do that so all is good :) My lovely niece Chelsea drove me into town and I bid Serena farewell. I met Nicole at her place and we walked to the Golden Sea Dragon where we had a couple of drinks with some beautiful Peking Duck and Fried Rice and caught up on the goings on in our lives. Then Lisa turned up and we were waiting for Jillian but by the time she got there we had to go to The Imperial to meet some others. Sue and Jamie turned up along with Sarah and Clinton and Louie. We had a great night catching up and having a bit of a dance. Sue and I thought we might try our luck on the pokies but unfortunately didn't come out winners. All in all it was a great night and I was so glad to catch up with everyone. We must do it again soon.
Night xoxo

Into town

Serena had an appointment in town today so I thought I should venture in so as not to do nothing again all day. We went to the Boronia Cafe and had coffee first and when Serena went, I walked around to check out the op shops but didn't find anything to buy. I ran into a couple of friends I went to school with who I have not seen for years and also saw Sue with her nieces and little Sarah. I then went to Woolies to start Serena's shopping where I also ran into a few people I knew so I was there for quite a long time which was a good thing because Serena was longer than expected. When we got home dad was there and I helped him work out his frequent flier stuff. I made Lasagne for dinner and we watched tv. Not a very exciting day again sorry :(
Night xo

Extremely lazy day

I am sorry to say but today's blog will consist of absolutely nothing as that is what I did all day. Serena suffered from extreme hay fever all day and was in bed by 8pm. Luke & Ben made Bruchetta for lunch and Luke made a trifle as well. Chelsea & I made fish, wedges & salad for dinner. And that is it....there is no more :)
Night xo

Lunch with the girls

I don't know what is going on with this weather but man has it turned cold....had to sleep in my flannies last night. Kris was back at work today so I did the housework for her before packing a few things to go to Serena's till Friday. I went to town and met up with Sue and Jo at the Imperial and as usual we had a very funny time over a drink and a nice meal. We finished off with putting a few dollars in the pokies but with no luck. We said our goodbyes with our plan for Friday night made and I headed to Serena's and just hung out for the arvo. Serena made yummy Sate Chicken for dinner, the fire was put on which was just lovely and we watched tv. That is all :)
Night xo

A Lazy Monday

I was up at 7.30 this morning & headed to Serena's to say goodbye to Sam, Brydon, Chloe, Jess, Julian & the kiddies. I had a cuppa with them and when they left I went back to Dad's where we helped with some pruning and then did absolutely nothing except have a nanna nap on the lounge till 2.30. I took Tanya down to Serena's as she is getting a lift over to Tamworth with David to see her mum for a few days while he is there working. I had another cuppa and then went back to Dad's for a shower & we sat on the verandah for a drink. The weather has turned very cold today so we didn't stay outside too long. We enjoyed some lovely leftovers for dinner and while Dad is snoring on the couch Kris & I chatted over a wine. I spoke to Danielle today and she had just been on a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon on her Contiki tour. She said it was awesome & is having the best time. 12 more days till she gets home...YAY. It's only just after 9 but I think it is bed time very soon.
Night xo

Easter Sunday Get Together

This morning was spent getting ready for everyone to come to Dad & Kristens for another gathering at 12 o'clock. I made a sticky date pudding and we helped Kris prepare stuff for a mega BBQ. The afternoon was spent with the usual eating, drinking and lots of talking. The BBQ was awesome and no one went hungry. Jess & Sam made up nibblies for dinner and everyone left quite early around 8pm. Sorry for the very short blog but there really is nothing else to say.
Night xo

The Bunny Bazaar

We were up at 20 to 8 this morning and had some eggs for breaky before I headed to town for the annual Bunny Bazaar. Tanya stayed home to do some relaxing and also she is is not real fussed on coming along as she knows how much I stop and talk to people she doesn't know and gets a bit bored. I met Chloe in town and we did a lap of the main street which took a few hours as yes I did stop and talk to alot of people and it was great to catch up with some that I hadn't seen since last Easter. By the time I dragged Chloe around Woolies she was well and truly ready to head home. I dropped Chloe to Serena's and stopped for a bit of a chat and then went back to Dad's just in time to make some nibblies and have a glass of bubbly. I had a lay down on the banana lounge for a rest and Dad, Kris and Tanya went for a walk around the garden. I made Massaman Curry for dinner which got the thumbs up from Dad who is a bit fussy with curries so I was happy about that. Tanya forgot to mention in yesterdays blog that my beautiful niece Jessica and her boyfriend Julian announced their engagement last night. He was so cute when he got down on one knee and asked her. Of course she said yes and we are all so happy for them and can't wait for the wedding in October. Another big get together tomorrow so it will be bed time soon I think.
Night xoxo

Bluff Mountain

There was no need for the alarm this morning as I was awake before it went off, I must be excited about heading off to the Warrambungles. I was up and ready when Phil arrived and we headed off, Alvo was up and at em too taking the puppies for a walk around the farm and then head to her sisters house to prepare the feast for tonight. Phil and I chatted about this and that all the way to the National Park. He took me to Whitegum lookout first to get an idea of the orientation of the place which will make it easier to know where we are once we are in the park. There were a few cars in the carpark when we got there which is good to see and with our water bottles and an apple or two we set off into the wilderness. Initially we had plans of conquering Mt Exmouth which is the tallest peak in the park but Phil suggested heading up a different route as the views are much nicer, he is the boss so I wasn't about to argue. Phil has walked every track here many times so I would be wise to listen to him. There was water running in the creek which made the start to the walk just beautiful and I knew I was in for something special. We walked and chatted for quite a way until we started a bit of a climb where things were a little more challenging and the 250ish steps we climbed didn't warrant any chatting either. We spotted the main spires and landmarks in the park along the way and got an idea of how large they are as when we get to the top of Bluff Mountain we will be looking down on them. The butterflies led us alot of the way and are just beautiful. The sound of the trees and the birds is something that I just get totally absorbed in. It took us about 3 hours to get to the top and was worth every minute, on the way there were groves of black boy plants which were amazing and on arriving at the top we felt like we were on top of the world. The view is spectacular and as Phil predicted there was an eagle soaring above us. I am grateful that Phil took me today as this was really my first walk of this kind and I could quite easily get hooked. The walk was about 16km in total and took us around 5 hours to complete and then it was back to the farm to get ready to meet the whole clan down at Alvo's sisters house which is only about 7km away. Seeing everyone there was great and we all got chatting and drinking and eating of course and the food consisted of Chicken Madras, Chilli Prawn and Avocado Salad, Warm Pumpkin and Feta Salad and a Leg of butterflied lamb done on the bbq and was absolutely delicious, all this eaten while sitting around the usual fire that we always have at Serena and Daves place but strangely enough didn't turn out to be such a late nite with us finishing up at about 10.30pm so home we went and headed straight to bed, I think I will sleep well tonight.
Tanya

Easter Trip

This morning we woke early as we are heading straight to Coonabarabran for Easter. We headed off waving madly to Kim and Nic as we always miss that place when we leave. Our silly GPS had no idea where we were going so took us through the tolls which we can go online and pay. It was a usual trip of fruit for breakfast and Thai for lunch in Moree which was just beautiful. The puppies were as well behaved as ever and I took over the driving just after lunchtime. No detours for us today and once I put on my music I could drive for hours. We arrived in Coona just after 4pm and Norm was lazing on the verandah after his shower. We unpacked the car and waited for Kristin to arrive home who when she did was buggered from a hard week at work so had a little snooze before Ros and Phil came over for dinner. It was so great to catch up with those guys again, we have missed them. Norm made Chilli Con Carne for dinner which was great and Phil and I arranged to meet for a walk in the Warrambungles tomorrow morning. Off to bed now after a few cheeky ports as I need to set an alarm for the morning.
Tanya.

The Op Shop Marathon

Up early again this morning to have a cuppa with Kim before she heads off to work. We are going to have a look at the shops at Redcliffe and then hang out with the crew after lunch. We found a couple of great Op shops and made a contribution in return for a few awesome items. We also looked in one of the most beautiful shops I have seen after it was recommended by the lady at the Coeliac Shack. It had beautiful jewellery and lovely tea cup and saucer sets and everything they make in there is 100% gluten free. Before heading home we called into the RSL for a flutter on the pokies and made a donation yet again.....oh well, we had fun doing it and enjoyed a cold cider while doing it. After a bite to eat at Kim's house I was off on the great Op shop marathon while Alvo stayed at home for a rest. Kim took me to the most awesome shops bigger than any other Op shop I have ever seen. I did manage to find some great bargains and we even called into the camping store for a gander. I also found a bargain in there....ahhh success. We had a baked chook for dinner tonight and Kim and Nic got busy cooking it when we arrived home. A friend of Nic's called around and we just lazed around until dinner was ready. A bottle of bubbly was consumed while all this was happening which was nice. Kimbo has the day off tomorrow but we can't spend it with her as we are leaving in the morning and heading for Coona. Big drive so off to bed.
Tanya

Camping Store Marathon

Our aim today was to look at as many tent designs as possible so that we could get an idea of the type of tent we will upgrade to....Alvo was sooooo excited about it (not). She did however do very well in the tolerance department as I dragged her to every store in sight. We also visited the home brew shop, pet barn and had lunch at an Indian restaurant. By the afternoon we were buggered so headed for home and were almost there when out of the corner of my eye I spotted Amart All Sports and was cheeky enough to ask Alvo to pull in. She went to WOW while I looked around in the sports store for about an hour. I tried on bathers left right and centre and decided on a few pairs that ended up to be an absolute bargain. I got $225 worth of stuff for $55.....love it. Alvo phoned me while I was in there and asked me to go and meet her at WOW because she had found things to buy. She had her hands on a mini tripod with a cleaning brush, camera case and SD card reader for $10 and a new camera case for our bigger camera for $15....all of which would normally cost $70 so bargains were being had all round. Now it is really time for home, a rest and a cold glass of bubbly. Kim wasn't going to be home from work until after 8pm so we are all waiting for her. I cooked fish Laksa and everyone was starving by the time eating it came around. We had an early night which ended with a bit of reading.
Tanya

Making our way back.

Judy took us for a burn around the retirement village in her little electric buggy this morning, the place is quite big and the gardens are lovely then we said goodbye to the Sunshine Coast after catching up with Marian and Gary on the way out who are caravaning at Cotton Tree. We arrived at Kimbo's shack not long after lunch and her and Nicole are over picking Nic's son up from the train station so we, as usual, let ourselves in and make ourselves at home. The puppies remember the place and are as relaxed as ever. Kimbo and the crew arrived home with supplies for the BBQ she has planned for dinner. I however am going to scour the pantry and whip up a curry as I really need a curry fix. Kimbo has all the ingredients for an awesome curry and I was successful in making what I call a "Johnny Cash". I chopped and prepared potatoes, onions and salad for the BBQ and Kim did most of the cooking. We didn't have a late one tonight but may just find a couple of bottles sparkling wine tomorrow.....
Tanya

Being in Nature

Our day started with a visit to the Noosa Farmers Market which is overflowing with great food, lots of gluten free goodies and fresh produce. We met up with Gina there but she left early due to it being way too busy to navigate the mountain pram around. We bought some delicious young goats cheese which is kind of in between a ricotta and a fetta.....yum, some spicy salami and some jalapeno and lime hommus. Alvo found some gluten free friands which we bought to share with our coffee. Judy has lived in Noosa for some time but has never been to the Farmers Market, she loved it and am sure she will be visiting there again. We sauntered off at about 11am and after dropping Judy home headed off to meet up with the girls from the wedding for lunch and a bevvie at the holiday house in Noosa Waters. There were some very sore heads there so I cooked a BBQ for them and we chatted about the goings on from the night before....great bunch of people. The family arrived so we decided to leave them to it for another round of BBQ and Alvo dropped me off at Gina's place who is going to take me to the Botanical Gardens. Gina and I packed Ruben's (her almost 3yr old) bike into the car and off we went. We always seem to go and spend time in nature which grounds me and makes me feel great. We wandered around the beautiful garden taking photos of various flowers and plants, it is beautiful there. Ruben was content to be pushed around on his bike until we got to the lakes where the turtles needed to be fed and frogs needed to be searched for. He is such a little character, I love spending time with him. We ended our visit with a play on the slide and the swings and then it was back to Judy's place for me. Silverside is on the menu tonight along with some prawns that Judy bought from the markets which were huge and delicious. I then headed to Dan Murphy's as a visit to Gina's place is not complete unless we share a Bundy but unfortunately it was closed when I got there so a Gin had to do. We sat and chatted about our travels and looked at photos which is always easier when Ruben is asleep. It got late and Gina was yawning so I decided to head off hoping to catch up with her again in May. Everyone was in bed when I got home so I followed suit.
Tanya

The Wedding

We had a bit of a lazy morning but we did walk to the little shopping centre next door and looked in the op shop. We got ready and Kim and Karen came here and picked us up and off we went to The Boathouse. We were a bit early so we had a drink while waiting and then just before 1pm we were put on to a little ferry and took a 40 minute ride up the river. It was a very nice ride and nibblies and drinks were in abundance. When we stopped we had a short walk to where the ceremony was to be held, just off the beach under the trees. It was so pretty and Tarran and Karen looked absolutely gorgeous. The Celebrant was so cool and her name was Gaye Lemon....lol....and that was really her birth name....she said her mother must have had a sense of humour and said no wonder she is gay. The weather was also perfect although it was really hot in the sun and one of the guests collapsed which was not good. After the ceremony it was back to the ferry for an hour ride  back to The Boathouse and more drinks were had. The reception was on the top level of the building which goes out over the water and the view was beautiful. It was very casual with lots of lovely finger foods and lots of great company. It was also great to catch up with some friends we haven't seen for a while. A few speeches were done which were really nice and I think there were a few tears shed around the room. We left about 10.30pm and got a cab home. I have to say it was one of the nicest ceremonies I have been to and we were really glad we were able to make it.
Night xo

Back to where we started

Well as great as our camp site was last night it was certainly not the quietest place to stay. It was up there with Balranald in the "really bloody noisy trucks going past ALL night" stakes. So needless to say I had a really awful sleep but Tanya as usual can sleep through a bomb going off, so had a normal sleep. We woke up before 6am and was hoping the nice truckie was going to leave soon so we could use his toilet....and as we got up to go in search of a toilet he came out & was leaving so we got to use his room for toilet, teeth and hair :) We packed up the tent very wet as there was a really heavy dew overnight, and off we went by 7.30am. As we were not in a hurry we thought we had better call in to the Ginger Factory in Yandina as we have driven past it soooo many times and said "we really should go there", so this time we did. We spent about an hour there just looking at the shops and stuff and then headed off again. We got to Jude's at 11.30, unpacked, chatted to Brendan & Jude on her lunch break and then Tanya and I went to Woolies to get dinner supplies (well I went to Woolies while Tanya went to visit her friend Gina.) Tanya dropped me back at Jude's and went back to Gina's, I hung out with Brendan and Jude's son Simon, who I haven't seen for 20 odd years. Simon (Jude's eldest son) came around and Tanya made Seafood Thai Red Curry for dinner which was just beautiful and we spent the night chatting in between watching the AFL & NRL. Time for bed reasonably early to be ready for the wedding at lunch time tomorrow.
Night xo

Heading for the Sunny Coast

We were up at 7.15am and packed up yet again, had breaky with dad and then said our goodbyes till next week. We headed off around 9am not really knowing where we were stopping for the night. We googled a few places that were close to Brissy and we finally settled on Aratula. Although when we were driving into the very small town it was spitting rain and there were a few black clouds around. So we decided that we would call into the Aratula Hotel to have a cider and make our decision as to whether we would camp or not. We checked the radar on line and spoke to a couple of locals and we decided that it wasn't going to rain so we would go to the caravan park for the night. But as we were leaving the pub the bar lady said we could camp at the pub if we liked....could use their showers and it was free. So we took her up on her offer and went & found a nice little grassy spot to put the tent up. We had a shower and then had a couple more bevvies while playing some pool with a nice truckie who was very friendly. We shared pork chops, salad and chips for dinner....watched a bit of tv and now we are ready for bed. There are also a few rooms here right next to where we are camped and another truckie came over to us and said that we were welcome to use his room when he leaves at 6.30 in the morning and would leave the door unlocked for us....what a nice man....there still are some nice people out there. What a great little place :)
Night xo

Back to the farm

We were up nice and early this morning as Kylie starts work at 7am so we wanted to have a cuppa with her before she left. So needless to say we were packed up and ready to go by 7.30am. So we said our good byes to Neil and the kids and off we went to Coona. We arrived at dad's just before 10am and he was heading into town so that gave us a chance to do some stuff. We unpacked the whole car and went through everything and decided what we needed for the rest of the trip. We have condensed it all down to fitting in the boot so we have taken the basket off the roof racks and put all our stuff in it and have left it over at Pa's house till we need it. Then came the task of washing the car as we have been very slack and not done it since we left Bundy....and omg it was filthy...but now it looks all sparkling again and ready to trip off again tomorrow. We didn't do much for the next couple of hours and then Serena & Luke came up for a catch up and bought there new little puppy Lottie....she is very cute and our puppies were very happy to meet her. When they left dinner was made which was Chicken and Cashews with rice and was delicious. A few wines have been consumed and it will be bed time for all very soon.
Night xo