Joy and Les: May 2013

Well it has been a while since our last blog but we have been a bit busy over the last 7 months or so.

At the end of September Les strained his back (carrying the laundry basket) and had a quick trip to hospital (refer last blog) and took about 2 months to fully get over the problem. It also means that he has a series of stretching exercises he has to do each morning to stretch and build up his back muscles.

In November we celebrated Joy’s birthday with a few days at Mooney Mooney on the Hawkesbury River. Lunch at the club and then the next day we did the Riverboat Postman cruise from Brooklyn. Great trip which included morning tea and lunch.

Brooklyn

The following week Les had a lump cut off his leg and everything is fine. Had stitches in for 2 weeks.

We managed to sell Joy’s house in Sydney without going through a Real Estate Agent (well sort of! We live next door to a Real Estate Agent and sold it to his sister in law) so no commission or advertising or open houses. We had started to pack stuff up so we could de-clutter but we did not have to worry about that. Also all the things you normally do to sell ie repaint some rooms, clean the deck, etc did not have to be done. We were hoping to exchange before Christmas but then things changed and we had to wait for the purchaser to sell her house so we eventually exchanged in March 2013 with settlement mid May 2013.

In December we were invited to Taronga Zoo for their supporter’s Christmas party and took the opportunity to attend as it was the last year we would be in Sydney but could travel in from the country.

View from Supporter's Christmas party at Taronga Zoo

Christmas was a family affair with Joy’s family on Boxing Day in Wollongong so it was just Joy and Les for Christmas Dinner at home with Les doing the traditional Turkey and Baked Vegies lunch.

Christmas Lunch

January saw us celebrate a 21^st birthday (Joy’s brother’s wife’s son) with the dinner at the top of Australia Square in Sydney. Les made sure he stayed well away from the edge!!! It takes approx 45 minutes for the restaurant to do the full revolution and we were looking towards Darling Harbour as the 9:00 fireworks went off.

We went to Pokolbin in January to celebrate the 12^th anniversary of our first date. Visited the Christmas Lights in the Hunter Valley Gardens. They go until the end of January.

February saw us :

do a walk from Coogee to Bondi and back

a train trip from Strathfield to Bathurst, lunch and then train back to Strathfield. Well train from Strathfield to Lithgow then bus to Bathurst, 2 hours for lunch, bus back to Lithgow and train to Strathfield. We just wanted to see what the public transport from Bathurst to Sydney was like.

We also had a stay at Rydges Cronulla to celebrate Valentines Day. As we are over 50 and members of National Australian Seniors we got special rates and free breakfast. Took the ferry to Bundeena and had lunch at the Bundeena RSL. They even put rose petals and chocolates on the table. Very nice ferry trip and lunch.

We were also busy packing the house up as we were on the move soon. We were starting to get sick of all the boxes in the hall, bedroom, etc but there was light at the end of the tunnel (or should that be the hall?)

March saw us do a walk at Bobbin Head (very steep first section and a fair bit out in the open so we were very hot when we got ½ way and had a break. Much more sheltered on the way back via the creek.

We also did 3 trips to Bathurst to take stuff up, pick the apples and also to mow the lawn, etc

We also went to Royal Easter Show at Homebush, Sydney. As the show was on when school holidays were not on it was very quiet which suits us “oldies”. Spent the morning walking around, and the afternoon/night in the Main Arena. We got to see the Grand parade for the first time. Also some spectacular motorcycle tricks.

April was flat strap doing the final packing, etc and the removalists arrived on the 18^th April at 8:00 and they were on their way at about 1:30 pm. We were lucky as there was a downfall of rain at about 2:00 pm for 10 minutes. Good thing it was not a few hours earlier as we had lots of boxes on the driveway.

We left at about 2:30 pm and arrived at Bathurst at about 5:00 pm. Maggie was very good as she only had a little whinge when we first started and then when Les put the window down. We had takeaway (Red Rooster) for tea and slept on a blow up air mattress that night. Not very comfortable!!!!. Maggie was very shy and hid behind the curtain for most of the night.

Red Rooster for tea!!!

Worst Night Sleep in ages

Yes I can still reach my food and hide behind the curtain!!

The removalist arrived the next day at about 10:00 and finished unpacking by about 1:00 with most of the boxes being put in the garage. Takeaway again tonight with Joy having hamburger and Les having seafood sticks and chips. Proper bed tonight!!!

Do we really have that much stuff? No the truck was only 1/2 full.

But the Double Garage was full!!

When the wine glasses have not been unpacked!!!!!!!

So since then we have been unpacking, shopping (groceries and new things for the house). We have unpacked about 100 boxes and still have about 30 to 40 to go. Maggie has also settled in well and has found the cows in the back paddock (she growled at them when she first saw them – now they are just a minor entertainment for her), the toilets (for drinking) and the beautiful sunny spots in the house. We give Maggie exercise by throwing some of her breakfast along the floor and she chases it but has problems getting grip on the tiled floor.

The weather has been warm and sunny nearly every day since we arrived (unseasonably warm) and we have had some great sunsets which we can view from the back of the house and the outdoor entertainment area.

The back paddock currently has cows but we have been told by the neighbours that it will sometimes have wheat and sometimes canola. So we are looking forward to the changes. We have seen kangaroos, kites, hawks, wrens, willy wag tails, crows (lots), starlings, galahs and finches as well as the cows.

Kangaroos

Black Shouldered Kite

Willy Wag Tail

Wrens

Spectacular Sunsets

Cows (what more can I say?)

As well as unpacking Joy has been busy cooking making apple things to use some of the apples from the tree in the back yard (apple muffins, apple slice, apple and macadamia muffins – all very yummy) and weeding the garden.