Are you sitting comfortably, then I'll begin!!!

 

You are in for a long stint of Blog reading as Ken and I have been away for six days. We started at Frecinet and then went on up the East Coast to Binnalong Bay and the Bay of Fires. What a great time we had, and my camera has been running hot for most of the time. We had fabulous weather, good food (took most of it with us, only stopping to buy fresh fruit or vegetables on the road) and met some nice people.
Now if I was a really modern Mrs I would have been able to Blog every day from my laptop or my iphone, don't have either of those so, sorry that you had to wait.

I just hope it was worth waiting for!

Day One of a great little holiday!

 

 

 

 

Heidi took us to the airport, where we picked up our home on wheels for the next six days. I was a bit nervous about driving this big vehicle so Ken took over and off we went. By the time we got to Orford I was a nervous wreck, never realised what an awful passenger I can be, I know the road is particularly bendy and hilly but my heart was in my mouth the whole time. There was nothing for it, at Raspins Beach, with that beautiful view of Maria Island in the background I had my first lesson and from then on it was a piece of cake!!!! You are up nice and high, it was automatic transmission and the mirrors were excellent, so off we went, Hazel much happier now, Ken has always said I was a 'control freak' maybe he is right.

However the first real test came when I had to reverse onto 'our little allocated spot' It seemed incredibly small for such a large vehicle, and the ground was very sandy, so after a few wheel spins and a lot of effort (with the bloke from next door looking on!) I finally made it, not too straight but at least I was on!

This awful bit of manoevering did have its compensations, as our neighbour came round with some lovely freshly caught flathead and gave us our first evening meal, wasn't that nice? I said to Ken "See, if I had just driven up and on we would have been having vegie stew instead of the lovely meal you see in photo No. 3!!

After dinner we had a walk down to the beach, met some more nice people and had a short lesson in night photography from a kindly Canadian, hence the last photo.

And so to bed!

The second day, leaving Coles Bay

 

 

 

 

The next morning we got up quite early, the site was quite crowded, we were looking forward to having a bit more space around us up at Wendy's block further up the coast and then up at the Bay of Fires, which is World Heritage Listed.

As you look back at the Hazards it is just such an incredible view, these huge granite hills, one after the other, I think there are five in all. We drove on down the road then stopped at Moulting Lagoon for one last look back, and there we found a little family of black swans and a cormorant. You never know what you will find round the corner.

Day 2 - Seymour

 

 

 

 

We finally arrived at friend Wendy's 'block' after turning off the highway and not really knowing where we were going. Luckily she had said they would have the Flag flying, they did, and we found them. They have an acre of land about ten minutes walk from one beach and about 20 minutes from another. In the afternoon we went for a long walk, up steep sand dunes overlooking the ocean on one side and a lagoon on the other. We were joined by Wendy's sister and her husband and their dog.
Then we went back to prepare the festive evening meal, there were eight of us, some had chicken and we had lamb, with all the trimmings. This is camping in fine style, they had hot and cold running water from a solar panel and a shower with no ceiling, you gaze up at the sky!! Then they have this contraption that the men are standing round, which is an old water cylinder with a tank on top containing water, there are thin pipes wrapped round the cylinder, in which they light a huge fire! The water in the pipes gets heated up and somehow returns to the tank at the top - ingenious?? It was bubbling away all the time we were sitting at the table eating our beautiful meal. After dinner we played Pictionary and it was confirmed, something I have always known, I can't draw!!! (but I can cheat so Sten and I didn't lose by too much)

Bicheno Market- Day 3

 

 

 

 

Wendy and I got up early and set off for the market but not before I had played the dutiful wife and made Ken's breakfast! The men didn't want to come. Wendy is an excellent and very talented textile artist. Besides making wonderful handbags and vests out of sometimes recycled clothing she makes lovely jewellery (I even bought a necklace - me who does not usually wear any jewellery!!) and hand dyes wool in beautiful colours. She sometimes goes to the market when she is at the 'block' but she had already decided as they had visitors (us) she would not bother. Anyway she was glad she did, as she had a good day and took in excess of $450.

Day 3 - The market at Bicheno still

 

 

I bought Ken a present, I knew it would appeal to him, it is the Oz equivalent to our Whooppee Cushion! This is its Inventor, a man called Drac. For $2.50 you can buy a small semi circle piece of wire, a length of elastic and a washer!!! The elastic is double and spans the semi circle of wire, the washer is in the middle of the elastic, you wind it up, pop it under your bottom and gently raise yourself up off said bottom, whereon it emits a loud noice, something like a fart!! I'll get you one if you like,next time I go to Bicheno Market, only $2.50!!

I zoomed in on Drac and his unsuspecting customer, he thought it was funny anyway!!

Day 4 - Leaving Wendy's.

 

 

 

 

Had a walk down to the beach before we set off. The flag on their block was still flying high! The walk down to the beach takes about ten minutes, through the little grotto of trees with twisted trunks, down to the rocks and the most amazing coloured seaweed. The sea was quite choppy and I did see a white bellied sea eagle but boo hoo I wasn't quick enough! So no photo this time.

Time for a few birds! Day 4 still

 

 

 

 

On the way from Wendys to Bay of Fires we stopped off at Scamander and found a couple of friendly pelicans, some black swans and a cormorant.

Something went wrong - with the next Blog!

 

 

First of all, my kookaburras didn't come out, then I chose the wrong one of the tree, Ken always frowns when I cut off heads and feet, so you have to have a whole tree, not a cropped one!!

Day Five - Cosy Corner South - Bay of Fires

 

 

 

 

We went for a walk on the beach, Ken had a yarn to a fisherman while I ventured up into the woods behind the beach. There I found an adult and young Kookaburra and there was another in another tree, probably the whole family had come out to have their photos taken. Everywhere you look there are things to photograph, I wonder how long my battery will last, I am being very careful not to keep checking what I have done, I have a 4 gig card and I will wait till I get home, it would be catastrophic to run out of battery up here!!!

Dora Point

 

 

 

 

When we got to Dora Point we went for a walk, it was a bit windy, we have had a lovely day, and got some greatphotos. The men in the third photo are collecting pippies for their entre tonight! You need a lot of pippies to make one mouthful!!

Day 5 - All Bay of Fires - Wow!!

 

 

 

We got to Dora Point, just out of Binnalong Bay, and found a nice little place all for us!! We liked having boulders in our living room and it was great to look out of the window and see our own little loungeroom. Ken enjoyed breakfast in bed on more than one occasion, it is easier to manage in such a small space if one of us stays out of the way, so it was usually me who got up and prepared the Weetbix, fruit and yogurt which is breakfast these days. We had a bit of excitement last night, the old boy over the way (2 years younger than Ken) got taken off in an ambulance. You never know what is going to happen next in this life, so get on with it while you can!!