Authenticity

One of the highlights of our trip to Canberra was a visit to the National Portrait Museum. The building is relatively new and has been set out in such a way that you could just visit one gallery. In fact, that is what I would do if I lived there. There is an amazing amount of history just in the small information plaques beside each portrait.A small bite at a time would be easier to digest.

When we were taught history, almost total emphasis was on the men who helped shape our country. Women were seldom portrayed except as 'the wife of...'  This gallery gives much more balance to our past. I couldn't resist capturing a range of female historical figures, which I believe gives some authenticity to the modern and older history of Australia.

Equally authentic for me was the War Memorial monument in Albury. Not only were the defence forces acknowledged  but also peace keepers and the police were commemorated.

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.

It Ain't Necessarily So

Where would you expect to buy tickets to go on a train? Did you say, 'At a railway station'? That's what I thought. On our first day in Sydney, I allowed plenty of time at the Richmond station to buy tickets or cards or whatever travellers needed. The ticket windows were unattended. This was't a problem because a sign in each window informed me that tickets were not sold from the windows anyhow.  Then I tried the machine and was told that I couldn't buy an Opal card from the machine but could only top one up. With nobody official looking bustling around, I finally asked a maintenance worker who was tending the garden. He told me I had to go to Woolworths or Coles or a newsagent. After a ten minute walk to Woolies, I was able to buy a youth's card for Hudson and an adult one for me. I could have got a concession card instead of an adult one, but I could only do that online and have it posted to me.

Today at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, I really wanted to just have a cable car ride.  Was that possible? No, I had to spend $60 which would take me on all the rides - the cable car, the sky rail and the world's steepest railway. I guess I could have just had an expensive cable car ride but I had an adventurous Hudson eager to do the lot. I was happy to do the cable car and the sky ride on a gondola but a certain grandson called me a wuss - the same grandson who wouldn't pat a little chicken last week.And yes, I survived the railway.

PHOTOS TO COME

MORE TO FOLLOW

Sydney or Bust

Hudson and I are getting along very well. Apart from a melt-down at Annie's one night he is coping well being away from home. He has almost got into the swing of life on the road. I still remind him occasionally that we are travelling companions and he has to do things without reminders. He has got good at putting up the screens at night and taking them down next day. Together we make his bed and fold it up every day (unless we are staying put for the next night). Screen time is the one bone of contention. I have set a time limit but he conveniently forgets how long he has been on his devices.

We have had a relaxed trip so far, with an overnight at Pittsworth with Father Tom, four nights with Annie and Les, and one night in a caravan park because it was miserably cold and wet. The rest has been free or minimal cost camping at Woodenbong, Bellingen, Buttai and now Richmond in Sydney.

Hudson with Father Thomas

We stayed with Annie and Les  but managed to see Tracie and Darryl for a couple of hours

It's hard to believe that Tracie and I were team teaching in 1985 at Humpybong.
She looks as young, slim and lovely as she was then.

Les and Hudson, colour matched koalas

Even the birds feel welcome

Hudson got brave enough to throw the ball for Dean,
For a very old dog, he still loves to play.

Almost dark but you can still appreciate the beautiful grounds and the river

Wow! A catfish caught in a couple of minutes and another two next day

50 metres from home, Les and Hudson fished from the bridge

Buttai was interesting as we had a MSO - a Member Stop Over. Frank has a farm and really wanted to introduce Hudson to country life. He was afraid of the puppy because it was young and yappy and wanted to play and jump. He wasn't game to hold a chicken or even pat it when Frank held it. It was lucky that the little rooster attacked my legs rather than his or that would totally have been the end of him.  Frank keeps bees and generously gave us some honey and lovely fresh eggs. I had a jar of blueberry jam to give him and I forgot in my hurry to leave. I relived my childhood, eating mulberries straight from the tree. When I was in primary school, there was a mulberry tree in the corner of the school grounds were we climbed the fence to get to school.

Frank showing Hudson how to safely touch an electric fence.
You would think Hudson was being led to the electric chair.

Hudson almost patted a chicken

Heading South

I have spent the past couple of months marking time and getting ready to leave. I've been on the medical merry-go-round being flicked from one specialist to another - heart, lungs, respiratory specialists. You name it I have had almost every part of my body scanned and poked and medicated. I finally got the all  clear last week, with reminders about follow-up visits. I will ignore the 3 month recommendations as I really don't expect to return by then.

We had a couple of family events to see me on my way. It was my baby sister Karen's 50th birthday last month and her trip to Brisbane coincided with brother Tony's birthday. In typical O'Rourke fashion, a mob of us met at Tony and Lyndall's place and sent out for seafood and chips to be eaten on the verandah - lovely! Lyndall had two birthday cakes prepared and, as she has now got used to our family's penchant for sweet and creamy food, followed this with pavlovas (plural!) Tony took on his usual barista role and made dozens of cappuccinos and lattes to finish the evening.

The following day we had our annual family get-together in the park. This tradition began after Mum's death when we no longer had our huge Christmas gathering at Mum and Dad's. As most of us have kids and grandkids, we tend to spend Christmas with them. By meeting on the long weekend in October, we make the effort to stay in touch. I suppose we had about 50 there this year. (PHOTOS) I don't think that we would lose touch as we are constantly connecting with each other, either in small or large groups.

Finally I was able to hit the road. I have eight-year old Hudson with me for a few weeks. Cory travelled with me last year so Hudson felt it was his turn. His parents thought it might be more sensible to send him for the last term of the year rather than the beginning of next year when it is important to settle into a new class with new friends. I did wonder for a couple of days how it was going to work out but he has settled in and realises that we are travelling companions and he has to do his share of the work. He is gradually getting some jobs under control.

Although we were heading south, our first stop was west of Brisbane. We spent the night at Pittsworth visiting Father Thomas Areekuzhy whom I had got to know well when he first arrived in Australia and was working in the Toowoomba area. We spent a fair bit of time talking although, as Parish Priest, he had constant visitors and phone calls.

Our next major stop was with friends Annie and Les in Maclean. The highlight for Hudson was going fishing with Les. He caught a catfish within minutes of tossing his line in and another couple the next day. (Check out his blog through the link on mine or at hudss100.blogspot.com. He loves to get comments - as I do!) It is always hard to leave Annie and Les as they make us so welcome. Their place is peaceful and their pace of life is relaxed. (Well, Annie may not see it quite that way as she is working, finishing a law degree, running an airbnb and tending to her garden. However, it looks like a lovely life. With a large property, Les is always busy with maintenance but always has time to talk. He and Umar would get on well as they are both passionate about life and current events.) Tea and biscuits feature prominently in my visits.

Tonight we are free camping at Bellingen, nice spot with about 10 neighbours but rather close to the road so it may be a rather noisy night.

Motor Mouse

I have just won a battle! It should have been a quick victory but it grew to an event of almost biblical proportions. It wasn't really a David and Goliath battle because Goliath turned the story around.

When I arrived home I discovered I had unwittingly picked up a migrating mouse. Whether he decided to leave home when I was in Goombungee (where he had plenty of friends) or he found the railway repairs in Ipswich too noisy when I overnighted there or whether he hopped on board when I parked in the cul de sac up the road because our driveway was full, I couldn't decide. However it happened, I had a mouse.

Because I was planning for a couple of months close to home, I had emptied the van of clothes and food. My first indication of a stowaway was finding a couple of coffee sachets on the floor. Great! I had a rodent hyped up on coffee and bound up on foil packaging - but no other clues.

My first step was to put a block of Ratsak in the middle of the van floor. His first response was to have a very determined meal from the bait. Day 2, I was better prepared and he was obviously muscled up from rat bait and coffee. I replaced the Ratsak out in the middle and dusted liberally around it with talcum powder to track his movements. He was blatantly prepared to outwit me. He ignored the talc except to flick it around with his tail. He pushed or pulled the block of bait through the powder and stashed it behind the Porta Pottie (toilet). During the day, he moved it up and over a couple of small chocks of timber that wedged the toilet firmly to the wall. Somehow he then managed to drop it from the floor underneath to the step cavity. Nowhere to go from there! Two mouse traps and a smear of crunchy peanut butter later, I was the victor. But he was a very small mouse to have achieved so much. The traps stayed out a few more days but he was obviously a Solo traveller like me. Mighty Mouse!

You should see the van now. During the battle, I removed everything from the van - solar panels, chairs, cooking equipment, fishing gear, knitting projects, etc. My dear daughter threatened death and destruction if I dared bring anything into the house that might contain a mouse. I set up my portable shower tent in the driveway and filled it. After washing, cleaning, wiping out drawers and generally spring cleaning, I put it all back. It looks too neat to live in but I guess a few days on the road will take care of that.

I expect another month at home doing the school drop off and pick up. That's usually a Mum or Dad job but both have longer hours for a few weeks so I volunteered to do it during my recuperation time since my surgery last month. Then I will head north for another round of Nana duty in the next school holiday, having a bit of sightseeing on the way.

My itineraries have a habit of going adrift so I won't tempt fate by looking further ahead. But, just quietly, I have Boorowa (NSW), Canberra (ACT), Campbell Town and Pontville (Tas) firmly in my sights for the next twelve months.

Home and Away

St Patrick's Day. Time has really flown. I have been back and forth all year. I agreed to look after Cory and Hudson for the second part of the Christmas holidays. They still seemed tired and unready for school so we had a very low-key few weeks - trips to the library, swimming at the beach at Scarborough or Clontarf. Cooper joined us sometimes He and Hudson still have a battle of wills after a couple of hours together.

Mia turned 3 in February - a very grown up and determined little miss! She is very articulate and knows exactly what she wants. And, of course, she is getting more gorgeous every day.

I dashed off for a few days and spent most of that time with Annie and Les at Maclean. They have a lovely big property on a bend of the mighty Clarence River. They run an airbnb business as they have plenty of room - and they are very hospitable. I plugged in to their back yard and made myself comfortable. This time I didn't stay with Tracie but she visited me while I was with Annie, but an afternoon of talking is not enough.

Then up to Mackay I went to look after Tim and Oscar. School was back by then so it was a matter of getting them off to school in the morning and collecting them in the afternoon. Most of the rest of the day I spent in the pool trying to recover from 95+ humidity. I hardly caught up with any friends as it was far too hot. I did spend a couple of hours at the school with Oscar's Prep class several times and I will do the same when I go back in June.

Cory 10

Hudson 8

Cooper 7

Oscar 4

Tim 13

Mia 3

I had a quick trip then from Brisbane to Forbes NSW for the Solos' motorhome rally. I drove further each day than I usually do when I'm on the road and covered 1200km in 4 days. I should have kept driving as I arrived in Forbes to dreadful heat with no airconditioning allowed at the rally site. With about 350 motorhomes, we would drain the town's energy supply in no time flat.

There have been ups and downs. The heat has really knocked people around. I don't know if everyone was as bad as me but I have been very irritable and tired. It was so hard to sleep the first few days but fortunately things have improved. I woke this morning to a drenched van. I had left both side doors open for coolness. The wind obviously blew from both sides during the night and the floor and anything left lying untidily around was wet. A couple of times I have had to remove the awning before the whole van took off.

We had quite an experience with the movies that had been organised with a huge inflatable screen that couldn't deal with the wind. We watched The Dressmaker on Tuesday night - with inbuilt censorship. It seemed as though any time we got to a slightly saucy scene, the screen folded up on itself. I had taken a box of tissues ready for the emotional scenes and I was feeling a bit sorry for  myself and planned on a private little pity party. Instead, like everyone else, I had a wonderful night of almost hysterical laughter. The screen was more reliable the next night and we didn't need people standing there with mops to push the screen up again. I was suddenly feeling the results of several nights with very little sleep and went to bed while I was still tired.

Because I came in early as a volunteer, I've had an extra few days. Some of the organisers have been here for weeks but I arrived last Thursday. The First Timers (about 70 of them) arrived on Saturday and the bulk of the group came on Monday. We will finish on Monday. Saturday is to be an Open Day when members of the community can come in and look around the vans. On Sunday there is a sports day (though I have no idea what sports there are and I am not likely to find out) and in the evening there will be a farewell function which will include a concert. I have been working with the First Timers on a skit and a couple of songs. I had put something together for our group from last
year but handed it over to someone else as the First Timers items are taking longer than I expected.

We have been well catered for. I'm probably like most of the group and have taken advantage of what is available - a welcome lunch for the newbies and the volunteers, a welcome dinner at the RSL,  a final dinner at the Golf Club - all of which have been provided by the Solos Network or the community. Food vans have been on site for lunch and dinner. An ice-cream and coffee van seems to have done good business. I bought breakfast one day when there was a poets' breakfast - where I read a couple of my poems. And a bus does a round trip through town about every half hour so there is plenty of access to coffee shops, the clubs and grocery stores.

When I leave on Monday, I shall just meander home and be there by the week after Easter.
Stay tuned for photos.