Last day

It has been a very full holiday for a six year old girl.

She played another round of mini golf with Himself this afternoon (these photos are from our first outing)

This morning we had doughnuts for breakfast.

Once Himself was back home we took the dogs for a bush walk

When they came home from mini golf they told me that they had decided that we were going to the pub for dinner. 

Sally was most impressed at eating at a proper restaurant and wanted to know if they had butlers.

 

The nuggets and chips were DEEEEELICIOUS (as were the flatty tails we had)

I think the highlight was ordering her own dessert. I love how everyone here reacts with kids. So different from the big smoke.

Tomorrow we will be up early to get doughnuts for breakfast and a box to take home for mummy and daddy, pop into Kmart to see if her picture is on display, return the library books, try to find all her clothes scattered every way til Sunday and then head off. I need to stop in Bairnsdale to get my windscreen looked at prior to it being replaced and I hope to be able to drop in to see Angela with some quilting books I have for her. 

I will then return the child, spend the evening with Three et al and then head off early on Friday morning. I need to get home for Himself - he has unstable angina and is shitting bricks.

I will say now that I won't post tomorrow. Hopefully I will on Friday.

Phew

Himself left at about 10 this morning to drive to Melbourne to see the cardiologist about some chest discomfort he has been having.

He goes back up to Melbourne on Sunday so he can be dropped off at the hospital at midday on Monday for another angiogram +/- stent. He will then either be picked up on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning depending on the +/- and will be home late on Tuesday. It's a lot of faffing around and we are very grateful that Amy and Three can help out with transport and a bed. Whatever the outcome is, I am hoping that it will put Himself's mind at rest and he can stop worrying about things and enjoy being here. 

Sally and I took the dogs for a walk. Just a short one because a) it was drizzling and b) Murphy is a right royal pain the rear when it comes to walking on the lead.

We then went to Kmart and Sally dropped off her colouring competition. I should have taken a photo first. Bad Granny. It is in recognition of NAIDOC week. She wrote a lovely bit beside the picture about honouring first nation elders and love and caring. I'll see if they have it pinned up and see if I can take a sneaky pic. I then went to the chemist for my second lot of eye drops and to register us there with our safety net information so we are all set for when we need to fill our regular scripts. Of course, Sally got a toy.

Then we went to play mini golf. It was just her second time but she has improved a lot. I just have to remind her it's golf, not cricket!

We walked to a book shop with the intention of buying her, well, a book. It appears to be a second hand book shop with grossly overpriced books so we left empty handed. To get back to the car we had to pass Maccas. I had refused to eat that crap here but when a six year old looks at you that way and tells you are the best Granny in the world, what do you do? I excused it as an opportunity to compare it with the one we used to go to in Langy. Lakes wins. Just. If any food from Maccas could be considered a win. I would have preferred a cafe but to be fair to Sally I am not sure that she would find anything she likes on the menu. 

After "lunch" we went to the library where I joined up. The woman who helped us was just lovely. I also got the paperwork to transfer the animals registration. 

After choosing some books we checked them out and Sally was telling the lovely lady that her mummy and daddy say she is like Matilda because she loves reading and libraries. The lovely lady started calling Sally Matilda so Sally called her Mrs Phelps - she was delighted. I think I need to properly read the book or watch the movie. It's one of those classics that I am very aware of but can't remember actually reading.

Home to read some books, play on the computer (yes, she does spend a lot of time on my computer but she plays games that encourage her reading and spelling and always asks before she hops on and before she changes games - and it's not like she lives here).

Tomorrow the doughnut shop will be open so there will be a breakfast run before Grumpy gets home (he is staying with Three tonight). 

Now she and I need to update her diary that she is keeping about her holiday and then I think I will have dinner and a relatively early night. 

Six year olds are delightful but exhausting!

And I must say also that I am still reading all my favourite blogs just not commenting as much cos of time restraints and stuff. Don't think I don't love you ....

A big day

This is the park at the Buchan Caves Reserve.

We had a picnic lunch (after cleaning possum poo off the picnic tables - you know you're in Australia when ...)

We had half an hour or so to wait and Sally took advantage of the playground

We then walked to the entrance of the Royal Cave. I got Sally to sit at the exact same spot her Dad and uncles did back in 1997.

In typical Sally fashion she made friends with another girl and they ran around the hills while we waited for the tour to start.

As we walked into the caves I remembered that I suffer from claustrophobia. The initial tunnel is narrow and shallow and as you walk in the atmosphere becomes, well, cave like. A constant 17*C temperature and very high humidity. There were a lot of twisty narrow passages (Himself commented that he wouldn't want to be calorie challenged) but we had an excellent guide and the group was friendly.

This formation looks like water. It is huge. (click on the pics to really get a sense of how amazing the place is)

The caves are over 40 million years old. 

We came home and Himself got onto the phone to our insurance company to arrange to get my windscreen replaced thanks to a truck flicking up a rock which created a 20cm long crack. Meh ... that's what insurance is for.

Sally has been hankering to go to the beach.

So we drove into town and bought a bucket and spade.

She wanted to go in the water but it was way too rough so we went back to the lake.

We came home and she had a bath to warm up. "Thank you Granny, I've had the best day". 

Meanwhile back in Melbourne her baby sister is making her feelings known...

 

Where as the time gone?

The days are blurring one into the other.

Three came down yesterday with the two girls. Amy stayed home to finish unpacking.

We took them up to the lookout and to see the block. We then went down to the Lakes Entrance winter lights festival. The place was packed and buzzing. There was live music and Sally had a ball dancing in front of the stage. Quite a few people seemed to enjoy her performance! Alice was a bit of a handful as she wanted to join in and kept taking off in all directions. There was a welcome to country done by local indigenous elders and a smoking ceremony. The parade of lights was fantastic and very well organised. We were able to go across the footbridge and look at the amazing displays of lights with wandering street performers. It really was a fantastic experience. We came home and had pizza for dinner then the kids went to bed and we sat up chatting and drinking wine.

This morning we went into Lakes as we had promised Sally a doughnut for breakfast. She had TWO! A bit of a wander around and then Three had to get back to pack up and head off home. 

We took Sally to play her first game of mini-golf. She loved it so we will be going back while she is down here.

The house is feeling like home. Still lots to unpack or at least mark as not wanted til the final move. Or, better still, be further culled!

Tonight Himself is cooking spag bol for dinner. Our first home cooked meal - I don't really count avocado and chicken on toasted rolls as cooking!

Tomorrow we are taking Sally to the Buchan Caves. They are about an hour's drive away and the tour takes about an hour. There are two caves - we are doing the easier one and if she likes it we can do the other one another time.

On Tuesday Himself has to drive to Melbourne to see his cardiologist. I am hoping he will just reassure him but I fear he might want to conduct more tests which could be a logistical challenge. This means that Sally and I will be on our own for most of Tuesday and Wednesday but I am sure we can find things to do. Mini golf! Doughnuts for breakfast! A bush walk that a fellow dog owner told us about. She wants to go to the library to read for a bit. 

I will drive her back home on Thursday and stay the night with Three et al. I am hoping to be able to catch up with J for a coffee before I head back home. 

And on Saturday I have booked an inkle weaving class. I am a bit excited about this. I have two inkle looms and have not really managed to get the hang of them.

So that is me caught up for now. 

And we still keep saying this is the best move we have ever made.