Friday 16th January 2009

This week went very quickly with much to do.

Sunday 11th we played golf with Bob & Vicky Morris which was an extra good day because Bob won the day with 44 points so we had something to celebrate.

Monday 12th was F-Troop Day. The Club was donated a heap of Mondo grass which had to be planted quickly so with the help of a couple of the Troopers we managed to get most of it in. I also planted a "Little Gem" Magnolia Tree in the front garden which should look lovely when it matures. It was a very hot day so we did well to get that much work done. The Club has suffered a setback with the water in the dams being backfilled with salt water from the creek.

The local Council have come to the rescue with some bore water supply which will help through the crisis until we get enough natural rain to re-fill the dams as all the salt water had to be pumped out.

Tuesday 13th January I played golf with the girls - my partner that day being Judy Verlander.

We did not have great scores but the company was good. Again it was a hot day & it was good to get inside the clubhouse to the air conditioning. After golf I had our tax work to complete with Margaret so that took the rest of the afternoon. Rod & Anne came to dinner & also to show us the latest "Baby" DVD of Anne's scan. All is well & the reports are good. We do not know the sex so we all refer to the baby as "Peanut" & I think that name is going to stick (Boy or Girl). Anne is keeping very well herself & May will be here before we know it. Then you will see plenty of photos.

Wednesday we were programmed to play golf at Kooindah Waters and needed to be there by 8.00am. It was up early & a scramble to get everything packed & be ready to leave by 7.30 am as we were then going on to the Crown Plaza Hunter Valley for two nights with our golfing friends Mark & Anne, Bruce & Gwen, Bob & Vicky. We booked two units on the golf estate each with two bedrooms, two bathrooms. They were beautifully appointed with all the mod cons. & the cost of the two days there was very reasonable. The Golf courses were all beautiful.

Kooindah Waters at Wyong is a lovely course with a lot of water hazards. After only about 4 hours sleep I had myself worn out & stressed & had a bit of a low day - opting out of golf part way and taking a rest. The group had a great day there - Bob scored 39 points & was especially happy with his day.

We went on to Crown Plaza Hunter Valley in the afternoon & set our unit up to play cards & have a BBQ dinner at the unit. It was a lovely relaxing evening.

The next day the boys played Cypress Lakes, the girls went to Cessnock to do some shopping. I opted for a rest/recovery day in the airconditioning as it was a 40 degree day. Peter & I had a swim in the pool after he got back from golf. We played cards in the afternoon & then opted for another BBQ dinner at the unit as we were booked for early golf in the morning.

Fortunately the weather had cooled down & it turned out to be a good decision to play early while it was still cool. The course at Crown Plaza Hunter Valley is really lovely. Much more friendly than Kooindah Waters with the hazards. It is still a challenging course & our best score on the day was 34 points by Mark. After golf we had a nice lunch at the resort dining area & made our way back home. It was just starting to heat up so a good time to be off the course.

The rest of the day has been catching up with business here at home. My Christmas gift from the children was a 'pampering package' which includes massage & facial among other things. I am booked in for that at 9.00am tomorrow morning so I am trying to have a good nights sleep tonight so that the pampering can be beneficial.

Images attached: With Vicky & Bob Morris at Sunday golf; the new 'little gem' magnolia; John & Di my two F-Trooper helpers at Monday F-Troop; with Judy Verlander at Tuesday's golf; Peter outside Kooindah Waters Golf Club, Wyong; with our group at Crown Plaza Hunter Valley this morning; first tee at Crown Plaza Hunter Valley; various photos of the group at our unit at the Crown Plaza; the swimming pool at the Crown Plaza Hunter Valley.