Solo Again

For a solo traveller, I have had plenty of company the past few weeks. Hudson and I stayed with friends in Queanbeyan for a week. He revelled in the company and got very friendly with Cecilia who is also eight years old. Although I hadn't seen Michelle for years ( apart from a couple of fleeting visits to Brisbane) and I had never met her husband and most of her kids, I felt very welcome. Michelle and Peter have three adult children still at home and four primary school kids. It took me back years (decades!) to growing up in a big family. I got Michelle and her girls hooked on knitting using a frame - like super-sized French knitting that we did on cotton reels as kids.. She was going great guns on scarves when I left. My specialty is beanies for newborn and premmie babies. PHOTO

Our next major stop was Melbourne where we based ourselves with Suzy and Rowena. Hudson was fascinated with their cats and the fact that they use the humans' toilet and have their own toilet seat which their human slaves put in place for them. They haven't learned to flush, though. (I must admit that I was equally intrigued by the sight of big white fluffy cats perched on the toilet.)

When we went to Phillip Island, I was just expecting to see the Little Penguins at the evening Penguin Parade. About 2500 waddled up the beach the night we were there.   I hadn't realised how much else there was to do. We stayed at a caravan park for three nights. A highlight was a visit to Churchill Island farm which is set up mainly as a tourist attraction. It seems odd to go from a small island to an even smaller island, via a simple bridge. Hudson enjoyed the experience and had the opportunity was attempt to milk a cow and handle a fleece after the sheep shearing demonstration. We roamed around Gippsland for a few days and I will definitely return there very soon. PHOTOS

On Friday night I put Hudson on a plane for home. I returned more boy that I had started out with. I really don't think I over-fed him but he was certainly under- exercised. Apart from the few days he went Pokemon hunting, he really didn't stir himself much. When we went to playgrounds, he was more likely to sit on a swing than climb or run! His blog is now finished (hudss100.blogspot.com) and I will copy it into a hard covered book.