Friday 28th January 2010

We have been very fortunate to have had lovely weather at Byron Bay since we arrived.

Wednesday 27th January 2010 was a very hot day in the high 30's so we all decided to take a drive around the country areas of the district among all the macadamia nut farms and beautiful properties. We had lunch at The Channon Tavern at Channon. There were 18 of us in total so the tavern chef was very busy catering for us & all the other visitors on the day. It would have been too hot on the beach so the adventure filled the day in nicely.

Thursday 28th January 2010 was our nominated golf day at the Byron Bay Golf Club.

Glennis & I played with the boys & unfortunately lost the keno ticket as Peter had a really good game & beat us hands down. We had a good day and we all enjoyed the course. My highlight was not losing a ball, having no wipes on the last 9 holes and having a couple of good pars.

John & Vicki visited friends. Tosca, Margaret & Carolyn (our non golfers) spent the day at Lennox Heads lunching and shopping. Evelyn, Brian & their grandchildren filled in the day driving to various nearby places that they hadn't seen before. We had a late storm with thunder & lightning and a lot of rain overnight. A group of us sat out on the verandah with a few wines watching the lightning out over the sea which was spectacular at times.

Australia Day at Byron Bay - Monday 26th January 2010

On Australia Day at Byron Bay we had the most perfect weather and we celebrated in a most patriotic way.

For breakfast we had weetbix, orange juice and tea after an early morning walk.

The games began on Byron Bay beach at 10.00 am.

The games kit included a rubber thong and a gum boot for throwing competitions between the boys and girls. The girls won the throwing of the rubber thong on a handicap basis and the boys won the throwing of the gum boot. We had a rope in kitty for a tug-a-war but it seemed a bit like too much work when the time came,

The boys had a cricket match on the beach while the girls soaked up the sun & cheered them on.

We gathered at the cabins for lunch which consisted of prawns, meat pies (with tomato sauce of course), lamingtons and icecream.

After a restful afternoon dinner was lamb chops, mashed potatoes, salad and mini pavlovas.

We had a top day and celebrated in style.

Monday 25th January 2010

We have been lucky enough to have two perfect days of beautiful sunshine. We have been spending our days at the beach surfing, fishing, working on our suntans.

The boys have not been too lucky with the fishing so far getting a collection of sting rays and dart fish. They still remain optimistic and are checking out all the good fishing holes.

Sunday 24th January 2010 we all went to the Bangalow Markets early in the morning to beat the heat and then checked out the beach for some R & R. I managed to get some nice fresh mangos (that I love) at the markets and shared a banana waffle with George that was really special.

Sunday night we went to the Byron bay RSL for dinner with George, Tosca, Evelyn & Brian and their grandchildren. The boys did some night fishing with no luck.

Monday 25th January 2010 we had another R & R day and had a BBQ dinner at our cabin.

We had a good day in the sun the previous day so mainly just rested up & watched the cricket & tennis. A very stress free day. Still no luck with the fishing but we remain hopeful.

I have been doing regular morning walks along the beachfront which has been lovely.

Saturday 23rd January 2010

After leaving Ron & Gwen's property on Saturday morning we headed for Byron Bay via Ballina where we stopped to do some grocery shopping to stock our cabin. From there we travelled via Lennox Heads where we stopped to get some photos of the beach from the lookout where we found a group of wind surfers who were doing tandem rides etc from the lookout area.

We had a look around the beach area and restaurants in case we wanted to make a day visit during out stay at Byron Bay.

We arrived at the Sunrise caravan Park where we are staying & caught up with George & Tosca who had already been there for two weeks in their caravan. We moved into our cabin & then waited for the rest of our group to arrive at various intervals. Arriving that day we had Glennis & Bob, Vicki & John, Trevor & Margaret and Brian & Evelyn (& their grandchildren). Carolyn & Garry are arriving a little later on.

The weather has been beautiful & being on the beachfront there is always a lovely breeze to keep the temperature at a good level.

That night we all gathered at our cabin for a community dinner to kick off the holiday.

Friday 22nd January 2010

We left home about 9.15 am and had a good run up the coast road on our way to Byron Bay via Maclean where we visited Ron & Gwen Parsons and spent the night at their beautiful acreage near Maclean. We stopped at Kempsey for a lunch break but other than that it was smooth travelling with not an overload of traffic on the road.

We arrived at Ron & Gwen's about 4.00pm which gave us some good time to look around their lovely home before going to the local Bowling Club for a Chinese meal. We went out to the stables with Ron while he fed & looked after his horses for the night. I would love to come back as one of Ron's horses. He looks after them like babies & they have only the best of care.

Sitting out on their verandah looking over the tranquil gardens and across the dam to where Ron excercises his horses had me in full relaxation mode in no time.

The next morning we watched Ron excercising his horses and then had breakfast on the verandah & watched the birdlife in the garden. It was the most peaceful place to wile away the hours and the gardens & lawns were immaculate and a pleasure to look at.

Ron & Gwen were great hosts and it was good to have time to catch up.

Thursday 21st January 2010

Thursday 21st January 2010 was one busy day with a lot to be done during the day. I started the day early and had Shane over for breakfast & a chat. When I went to get my medications ready to udate for the holiday I realized that I did not have a repeat prescription. The Doctors Office was very co-operative & I was able to dash over & pick up another prescription in about 10 minutes flat - what a bonus. Sometimes that can take hours if the Doctors are busy.

I had arranged to meet Martin Gallagher at the Golf Club today to plant out some new Mandevilla vines & water the Wedding garden as the weather was so hot.

After that it was a dash out to the chemist and picking up some last minute things for the holiday and some food for tonight's BBQ as Shane, Rod, Anne & Joel were coming over for dinner.

I spent the afternoon sorting out packing etc & Martin came over to discuss what needed to be done at the Golf Club while we are away.

Anne messaged me with a photo of Joel - ready for his first day at day care. He was well behaved & coped quite well. Anne suffered from a bit of anxiouty as I did as we were quite sure he would not cope without us.

Joel was tired by the time they all arrived for dinner. He played quite well until after his bath but would not sleep in the porta cot so they had to go home early to settle him.

I did get some packing done and am now looking forward to the sea change.

Wednesday 20th January 2010

This last week has been totally dedicated to golf and gardening. It was a good time straight after a lot of rain to clear the gardens of weeds and get some mulch down. The golf gardens are starting to look under control but I have a bit more work to do here at home.

Tuesday 12th January 2010 I played golf with Judy Mulheron & Mary Ellis. We had a lovely day even though our scores were not wonderful we brought Mary in as one of the winners so that was a highlight. I accidently deleted our photo from the camera before I did my photo downloads which was careless of me.

Wednesday 13th January 2010 I spent the whole day working on weeding & deadheading the back gardens at home. It was a hot day & I got sun burnt on parts where I had missed with the sunscreen.

Thursday 14th January 2010 was a full day starting at the golf club at 7.00am raking up a couple of the tees that were getting very untidy. At 8.30am we went over to Shane's house to help him finish off cleaning up his back gardens. Shane has done a great job with his gardens & had them all weeded and mulched bar one. We picked up another load of mulch & some new hardy plants to finish off his "tropical" garden & got all the work done by early afternoon.

That evening I went to the Laycock Theatre with Des & Yvonne Wilson to see "Joseph and his coat of many colours" which was performed extremely well by the Gosford Musical Society Juniors. I was very impressed with their talent.

Friday 15th January 2010 I had another big day at the Golf Club gardens working on the removal of weeds as we want to put down some mulch at next Monday's F-Troop day.

Saturday 16th January 2010 was spent on catch up jobs, shopping etc. In the afternoon I cut the hedge and trimmed back the Ivy and Bouganvillea that is growing across the front of the Verandah. We have a security light attached at the top of the verandah & I carefully cut the Ivy around the light. When I got to the end of the verandah where the electrical connection starts I was trimming the last of the ivy & managed to partly cut through the electric cord to the security light. There was a big blue flash & a bang followed by smoke & mercifully I was still standing there (wearing no shoes) unharmed. The household electricity was blown & we had to reset it but other than that I was intact. The cord now has a heavy plastic protector over it so that I cannot do that again. I have done that once before at the backyard pond & got away with it. I better not chance a third time!

Sunday 17th January 2010 Shane, Rod, Anne & Joel came for breakfast which is now becoming our family get together for the week. We get a chance to spend time with Joel who is growing up so fast. The kids get to watch Foxtel in airconditioned comfort on the new leather lounge & have breakfast cooked for them - how good can it get!

The day was forecast to be a hot day with late thunderstorms. We arrived at golf prepared for hot weather. Our playing partners were Ross & Chris Drakeford and we had some fun during the day as the thunder storm came early. As we were about to play the 4th hole the lightning made it's presence felt so we all had to walk off the course for safety sake. We spent an hour waiting for the weather to clear and then went out and finished our game. We were wet from the odd showers that came through & found it a bit hard to concentrate with all the disruptions. Ross & Chris stayed and had dinner with us at the club so overall it was a good day and pity about the golf.

Monday 18th January 2010 was a huge F-Troop day starting at 7.00 am and we got home about 2.30 pm after carting fertilizer & mulch out to many of the gardens, planted 22 camelias & nineteen grass plants. Luckily we had some good hard working helpers there on the day and we managed to get through an enormous workload.

Tuesday 19th January 2010 was the most beautiful day. Blue sky and sunshine & a nice little breeze that kept the temperature perfect for golf. My playing partners were Fay Bailey & Rosalie Dyer & we had a lovely day. I played a reasonable game for the first half & then lost the plot for the second half. We did have some good highlights through the day with all of us getting three pointers at some stage.

Wednesday 20th January 2010 (today) I have spent getting my house in order in preparation of some R & R leave to Byron Bay. I am looking forward to a seachange for a short while & have stocked up on a couple of books to read while soaking up the sun.

Monday 11th January 2010

Another busy week has flown by. We have had mainly fine weather so I have had a chance to catch up with outdoor matters such as golf and gardening.

Tuesday 5th January 2010 I played golf with Jan Walker and Doris Morris. We played early which was good as the day got very hot and wearying. Jan & Doris were great company although our golf was a bit ordinary it was a nice day.

Wednesday 5th January 2010 I filled the day in with a big gardening job at the 2nd tee gardens which had got a bit out of hand with the recent wet weather.

Thursday 6th January 2010 was a catch up day at home just doing bits and pieces. I made a bit of progress with my jigsaw puzzle.

Friday 7th January 2010 I had another big day in the gardens at the club getting some more weeding done at the 2nd and the 6th gardens. Friday night Peter was on duty for the raffle draw so we had dinner at the club. Shane joined us for a few drinks at the club & ended up staying the night as we sat out on the front verandah for some hours after we got home as it was such a balmy night.

Saturday 8th January 2010 I had an early start in the gardens getting all the front gardens weeded before the boys were awake. We drove to Summerland Point to have lunch with Len & Helen & Len's children Corey and Nadine. We really enjoyed the day & had a lovely lunch followed by a walk to the waterfront to see Len's yacht which is his pride and joy. I had never been to Summerland Point before & found it to be a lovely peaceful and beautiful little place. It was a blistering hot day so it was lovely to be able to walk along the waterfront where there was a nice breeze.

Sunday 9th January 2010 I was up early again as Shane, Rod, Anne & Joel were coming for breakfast. Bacon & Eggs, Crossants and Orange juice were on the menu. Joel is sitting up by himself for longer periods now & is feeling very pleased with himself (photo attached). Graham & Anne were spending the weekend at Copacabana & decided to have a game of golf at Gosford.

Our golfing partners were Ian & Lynda Hartley & we had a good fun day even though our scores did not justify our efforts. Graham & Anne played at the same time with friends of ours Garry & Doreen Trigg. They had a very enjoyable day - especially Anne who hit a good drive over the dam at the 3rd and won a nearest the pin at the 8th with a great drive 97cms from the hole to score 2/5. We stayed for dinner with Ian and Lynda who have done a lot of world travel so it was interesting to hear about their trips.

Monday 11th January 2010 (today) was F-Troop day & fortunately we had some cloud cover to make the day more bearable. We got huge amount of work done & I was happy to get all the gardens at the 6th tee done as well as many other smaller jobs. The course is starting to look very well maintained which is a credit to F-Troop.