Golf - Thursday 11th October 2007

Today was the semi final of the knockout. We had a great day in spite of being defeated on the 15th hole. The match was played in a good spirit & we all enjoyed moments of highlights during the match. Robyn & Yvonne combined very well and were worthy winners on the day. I really enjoyed the experience of matchplay which is a part of golf where I have not had a lot of experience. Rosemary & I were happy to have got as far as the semi finals. We played quite well on the back nine squaring all the holes until we got to the 15th. I was pleased with our efforts as Robyn & Yvonne are very experienced matchplayers.

The rest of the day has been preparation for our China trip. We leave tomorrow to stay in Sydney for the night so we can arrive safely on time at the airport at 7.00am to commence our China experience.

Lyn has had a couple of days to settle into the household routine and will do a great job taking care of Mum in my absence.

This blog will be on hold for two weeks while I enjoy my holiday. You will be able to get my reports and photos after I return by visiting my travel blog :
www.janmartinstravelblog.blogspot.com


Images: Rosemary Cohen, Yvonne Bean, myself & Robyn Johnston on the first tee prior to the start of the match.

Wednesday 10th October 2007

Today was a "getting ready for China" day. All the last minute changes in the itinerary have been sorted out so we are ready to go.

Shane & Sam came for dinner tonight and it seemed a good occasion to crack the bottle of "Year of 1957" wine that I bought home from my school reunion.

Image attached: Peter, Sam, Shane, Mum, Richard & Lyn at dinner with the bottle of "reunion" wine.

Tuesday 9th October 2007

Today I did not play golf (shock/horor). I had too much to do with organising our upcoming China trip. The Mark Churcher day at golf went off well, I was on committee duty today and had to go over to work on the cards at presentation & was able to report on my golfers blog that Mary Ellis had a hole in one on the 8th - every golfers dream.

Lyn & Richard arrived today. Richard is coming to China with us and Lyn is staying here at home to look after Mum.

We had a nice dinner & a few wines. Rod & Anne joined us for dinner to wish us a good trip as they are off camping for a week.

Images attached: Peter, Anne, Mum, Rod, Lyn and Richard at dinner.
Lyn & Pete on kitchen duty

Golf - Sunday 7th October 2007

Today was the Mixed Foursomes Championships for 2007 over 27 holes (better known as the "Fearsome Championships"). We played with Paul & Bev Way and Doon Jansen & Bob Knox.(Image attached). It was a very pleasant day & we had our share of highlights along the way. None of us played well enough to win but Peter and I had the best score so far compared to prior years. We all finished still speaking to each other so it was certainly a good day and we only lost two balls.

Dinner - Saturday 6th October 2007

Tonight we had dinner at the Tandori Curry Indian Restaurant at Kincumber as a get together pre-China trip celebration & a pre-knee operation for Joan. We had a good night and enjoyed a smorgasbord of indian food.

Images: Pete; Joan; Don; Des; Robyn; Wally & Yvonne at dinner
The girls
The boys

Images from my garden this morning:
"Alexander" (Brilliant Orange)
"Brandy" (Apricot)
"Centenary of Australia" (Red)
"Perfume Delight" (Pink)

My garden - Friday 5th October 2007

Images from my garden this morning: "Papa Meiland" (Single Red);"Graham Thomas" (buttercup yellow); "Samantha" (Red Floribunda).

Anne's 30th Birthday- Friday 5th October 2007

Anne celebrated her 30th Birthday with 45 of her friends and relations at the Elanora Hotel. It was a very happy party & a great night. The party was still in full swing when we left and everyone was having a good time - especially Anne.
The party theme was black & white. It was the first "cow" pattern birthday cake and "cow" baloons I have seen (images attached). Everyone came dressed in black & white so the birthday theme looked fantastic.

Sam's Birthday - Thursday 4th October 2007

Tonight we celebrated Sam's 29th birthday by having dinner at the "Reef Restaurant" at Terrigal Haven. It was a beautiful meal & very good service.

Images attached: Shane & Sam, Pete & I, Rod & Anne; Shane & Sam with their seafood platters; Sam with her "birthday" desert.

Golf - Thursday 4th October 2007

Today was another good day at golf. The weather was beautiful and the course in great condition. It was the third round of the knockout and I played with my partner Rosemary Cohen against Leonie Casey.

Leonie's partner Glennis English had a prior committment to help her friend Margaret Andrews secretly celebrate her 60th birthday ....Oh! Ooops! Did I say a secret!.

Leonie had to battle on her own against the two of us and did very well taking us to the 16th hole to defeat her. She put us under a lot of pressure with me having to put in some difficult putts to square some of the holes. Rosemary & I combined well and were very happy with the end result.

Next week we have to play against two very seasoned matchplay golfers to make it through to the final. It is the day before we leave on our holiday to China so I am sure I will have my mind on the job.


Images: Rosemary & I after the match (Winners are grinners)

Rosemary, myself and Leonie on the first tee.

Monday - 1st October 2007

The weekend was over in a flash & it was time to head to the airport to catch my 9.20 am flight to Sydney. Once I was boarded I was joined by a huge man resembling a sumo wrestler. The air hostess could see I was in for an uncomfortable flight so she said there was spare seats at the back and they would like me to move. I ended up with two seats to myself and had a very comfortable trip home. I enjoyed the view as the smaller planes fly so low. I could see the Gosford Golf Course very clearly when we flew over the Central Coast. Flying into Sydney at any time on a clear day is special but it was sensational from the smaller plane.

I co-ordinated with the trains really well, my longest wait being 6 minutes and arrived home about 1.30.

The roses had all burst out with the heat over the weekend. (photos attached).

I arrived at the golf club in time to witness the presentation to get my golfer's blog information.

What a good long weekend.

Images attached: My plane at Moree Airport; view from the plane over the north-west; view from the plane of the Central Coast; my roses - Double delight - pink/white; scentimental- red & white stripe; Queen Elizabeth - pink; Eifel Tower - Tall pink.

Moree - Sunday 30th September 2007

Sunday was a pretty full day. Phil cooked up his traditional sausages and onions on bread bun for breakfast. Kerry & the kids came around to say hello. (photo of Kerry & I attached)

Phil & Lorraine played golf today & departed in their golf buggy from the house, driving it down the back lane to the golf club - A very convenient way of getting to golf. (photo attached)

The school reunion continued with a BBQ at the Moree Services Club at 12 o'clock & we talked our way through until after 4 o'clock. (photos attached). We all agreed that the reunion was a huge success and we should do it again in 5 years.

During the reunion a school friend, Joel Michell, mentioned that we could be distantly related as Mum's surname was the same as his. Kerry delved into her family history records and printed out the Michell family tree from our line. It turns out that Joel's line came from a little place in Cornwall, England just a few kilometres from Redruth - our family base. It seems there is a chance that we were originally from the same blood line going back into the 1600's. Small world.

I then joined Lorraine & her golfing friends at the golf club for a chat. Phil was there with his mates. We stayed on for presentation and watched the grand final of the rugby league.

School reunion - Saturday 29th September 2007

Our school reunion was an outstanding success. For some reason our class has just the best reunions. Conversation flows the whole weekend with everyone having a great time catching up with old school mates.

We started the reunion with a walk through the old high school at 2 o'clock on Saturday afternoon. We started out with a walk past all the honour boards and old sporting photos and achievements and I was excited to see the honour board with Dad's name on it when he was dux of the school in 1927 (photo attached). We then walked past the new paving path on the campus that has all the historical pavers showing details of the ex students of Moree High School. (Photo attached) We are adding pavers for myself, Dad, John, Graham & Phil so that our family is recorded.
We went on to the old sections of the school where our classrooms were. (Photo attached of some of us in the old science lab).

That evening we had a dinner at the Moree Services Club where we caught up with all the ex students, some of their partners and some of the old teachers (photos attached). It was a fabulous evening and we talked on until after midnight.

We all received two bottles of special wine labled for our reunion (photo attached).