Bellingen revisited

We decided to do a little road trip in northern New South Wales and we are staying here for four nights.

But first, here is an interesting breakfast. When we travel, we enjoy having cappuccinos and some form of food we wouldn't bother creating at home. I rejoice when I see waffles on the menu and order them without really considering what is part of the total package. This arrived and you will be pleased to know I didn't eat much of the brown stuff. I ate the strawberries. Yes, that was a syringe of Nutella.

Bellingen is a small trendy village about half-way between Brisbane and Sydney. We stayed in a guest-house in a room next to the verandah.

This was the view and I think you would have to agree it's not too shabby.

We spent a lot of time just relaxing on a sofa just outside our room, or napping on the bed. Anybody would think we must lead a frenetic exciting life in Hervey Bay by comparison.

A Bunya Pine towering over the village.

Downtown in Bellingen. It's full of cafes.

My rosti and smoked salmon brekkie.

Antique shop.

Many of the old buildings survived.

A lovely door.

Robin will be pleased to see there is a lolly shop.

Can you buy crocodile meat where you live?

There is so much rain that everything is really green and lush.

Marianne becomes an Aussie

Marianne never suspected when she arrived in Sitges in Spain back in 1974 that it would eventually lead to her becoming an Aussie citizen.

The event was held on Australia Day (January 26) in the Brolga Theatre in Maryborough. The event started at 9 am and lasted two hours.

The usher in the blue jacket is a volunteer at the local hospital where I receive my infusions so I know her very well. She's quite a character, over 80, and two years ago went dog sledding in Lapland. We tease each other a lot, but she made sure I got a seat where I did not have to climb stairs. She pretended to growl at me which puzzled my neighbour until I explained about being friends.

Robin and I sat right behind the section where the new citizens were seated. There were over 140 so they filled the lower section. The boy just in front received a 'Citizen of the Year' award for his volunteer work with the local ZBus which is a converted bus that provides a safe sleeping place for some of the homeless in the area.

New citizens.

The theatre was filled with relatives and friends.

The Fraser Coast is lucky to have a wonderful Mayor, George Seymour. His blog posts entries about events in our area. In Australia, the Citizenship Ceremony is a local affair run by the local council, not by a Federal Department. 

Local politicians need to be seen. The lady in the green dress is of indigenous descent and read a welcome to country.

A group called Man Song sang some well-known Aussie songs such as Waltzing Matilda and 'I still call Australia home'.

When I was living in the USA, I used to fly to Oz every year. Occasionally, I would fly across the Pacific on Qantas. As the plane descended into Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, they would play this song by Peter Allen and all the Aussies would get teary-eyed.

There were too many peope to fit on the stage all at once, so this was an early group reciting the Pledge.

Marianne was in the last group.

Walking on stage. 

You can see her little grey head between the ladies in red and blue.

Reciting the pledge.

After the Citizenship Ceremony, presentations of certificates were made to various volunteers from the Fraser Coast. It was wonderful to see them receive their awards in front of such a large audience. The occasion was a happy, uplifting experience.

The new citizen. She received a native plant which we will plant out at Teddington. Robin came up here by train and will return to Sydney by plane tomorrow.

We returned home and had a meat pie for lunch!

The sixteenth anniversary of my retirement

When I was growing up in nearby Maryborough, I always really enjoyed rainy days, particularly in Summer which is usually hot and humid. A cooler day is very welcome.

The view from our balcony.

The radar map. There is a small cyclone further north which will result in more rain later in the week.

We received a bit over an inch of rain.

Our big news is that Marianne will receive her citizenship on January 26 (Australia Day) which she seems to be excited about. No doubt it is because she will have to vote in Australian elections and eat a democracy sausage as her reward. In addition, she can get an Aussie passport and we can take a trip to New Zealand later this year. By the way, Robin is going to take the train to Brisbane and another train to Maryborough on the way up. I am so proud.

Otherwise, things are much the same as usual. My doctor tells me that I am trundling along fine based on my numbers. Of course, at 78 I have slowed down. But on Saturday, we will fly to Melbourne for five days to see my nephew Ned. You might remember that Robin visited him a couple of years ago in Japan.

We watch what is happening in the US with ever increasing disgust. Neither of us will ever go there again. We hopefully will just remember the wonderful time we enjoyed all those years.

Leura - Everglades House and Gardens

 It's always a pleasure to go to Leura in the Blue Mountains (in the mountains west of Sydney) and we spent four nights over Xmas in an Airbnb. The day after Xmas was cold, dank and miserable but the following day was gorgeous so we visited a special art deco house built in the 30's along with its gardens.

It's the Everglades House and is positioned at the edge of a steep cliff overlooking a deep valley. This image from Google Earth will give you an idea of its location.

We paid our entrance fee and were warned about a red belly black snake which was lurking in one part of the gardens. They then told us that closing time was 4 pm and I remarked that they should inform visitors that they would unleash the snake at that time. If you check out the link, you will see that it is not a particularly venomous snake by Aussie standards, but it does sound dangerous.

The house and garden belonged to Henri Van de Velde, who owned a carpet underlay business. The gardens were designed by Paul Sorenson who also designed several other gardens in the Leura area. It's worth taking the time to check out both links about these men.

Yes, the tall tree is a sequoia. It's the only one on the property.

The garden features numerous terraces.

The fences are all dry-stone laid.

We descended the steps that lead from one terrace to the next.

A studio.

The owners used this area to stage plays.

The valleys of the Blue Mountains.

The patterns are repeated in other areas of the house and grounds.

Inside the house.

I hadn't seen one of these in a while.

I think this would have been a bit of a shock to the eyes each time you had a shower.

The view is magnificent, but these mountains are very prone to bush fires. Any fire in the valley would quickly race up the mountainside.

You could swim in that tub.

The prosaic side of the theatre.

It was a lovely afternoon, but my legs were complaining so it was a pleasure to sit in a chair in the shade and relax.

Hydrangeas thrive in this area.

Because Marianne and I were tired, Robin continued down the mountain and took these photos. 

No snake was encountered.