Hello! How are you? The Happy Writing Book said to write drivel so here I am! It's been a while. Here's a potted history of what I've been up to.
December 2022
We set off on one of our infamous road trips to the most fascinating of places. So fascinating in fact, that I have forgotten exactly which country town it was. Something beginning with B? That narrows it down I'm sure. The motel we stayed at was not exactly five star. Unlike all the other luxury motels we stay in. Snort. At least there was a lovely park nearby.
Side note: turns out it was Armidale. Oops. Sorry Armidale. You are very nice with lots of pretty churches. See below.
On Christmas Day we drove and drove past tiny towns. Emmaville. Deepwater. Through shop lined desolate streets. Past an old post office, court house, Chinese restaurants and a bakery all brandishing CLOSED signs. Then we stopped at the Mother Of Ducks Lagoon.
The ducks must have been over the hill and faraway. We only saw butterflies. Plus some raucous youths reveling in their backyard. They were definitely in the Christmas spirit. Did I mention it was Christmas day?
We drove to a park, pulled up under some trees and ate slapped together roast chook sandwiches. Christmas lunch sorted! A four wheel drive pulled up nearby. A man alighted with a dog. He unhooked his bike from the back and whizzed around the park, the dog bounding behind him. The breeze caressed us. We drank sour lukewarm wine from plastic cups and didn't care.
Mickey Blue Eyes meandered down to the river, returning with a grim expression.
"I can only say one thing about the dude with the dog - he's an asshole," he said.
Apparently the dude had been swearing at the dog and yanked him by the neck back into the vehicle. It was at this point that I wondered if you could arrested for kidnapping a dog. But they were gone before I could save him, and I really hope Timmy is OK. I mean, I don't know if that's his real name, he just reminded me of Timmy from The Famous Five so I shall think of him as such. This also allows me to believe he escaped from Mr Asshole and is safely back with George and the gang.
We checked in to our (pleasant this time) motel in Tenterfield. The WiFi wasn't great however, so we watched movies old school style on the TV attached to the wall. Mrs Doubtfire, Shrek and Beethoven. It was kinda nice and wholesome for a change. Like reverting back to ye olde days of childhood. You know?
The next day Mr 14 had a mission. A slushee*. Or is it slurpee?
We set off on another expedition. Winding roads, old houses, shops still screaming SHUT. I had a snooze** and when I woke up we had crossed the border into Queensland. Once again there were no op shops but I did stroll around a few 'junk' shops. Kitsch and surplus Christmas decorations 50% off! No thanks. I didn't even bother putting my tree up because we were going away.
Driving again. We pass a town called Ballandean and find a servo that has a bakery attached. Coffee and cakies sound inviting. A slushee remains elusive. Surely Queensland in summer is the prime market for such an item?
There was an elderly couple at the next table, the husband buried behind an expansive Sydney Morning Herald. Not for the first time I puzzled over how people managed to read those things back in the day on trains and tiny Cafe tables. But they did!
The lady had a tote bag with the slogan:
It's not hoarding if it's books.
I suspected we had a lot in common because I have a tote bag that says:
My workout is reading in bed until my arms hurt.
But I am not someone who can insert themselves into a conversation so I smiled and said nothing.
(Honestly, how do people do it? I legit want tips!)
Our next stop was Girraween National Park. It was warm but not unbearable. We had a bit of a bush walk and took some photos. See below.
On the way back we had milkshakes at a lovely chocolate place I've forgotten the name of.
Side note: It was Heavenly Chocolates.
From Tenterfield we made our way to Inverell. There were no op shops open which was extremely sad and tragic. Serendipity smiled upon me in the form of a second hand book and record store. Blissful browsing ensued and I emerged with three books. A dismal effort indeed for this bibliophile. The fact that as of this writing I have only read one out of three is utterly inconsequential. Three is an unacceptable uneven number and in future book shopping endeavours I will be rounding it up to a solid dozen. So yeah, 20 books are now on their way...
Back to Inverell.
The next day Mickey Blue Eyes dropped me off in town and I had a marvellous time browsing in the Legacy Op Shop and a few other dollar shops. Then a quick dash to the bakery because country town bakeries are the best! There were a few pub and club meals along the way and before you know it we were homeward bound. The dogs were delighted to greet us. They were well looked after by Mr 21 and 19 but missed their regular car trips to the park!
January was also my birthday month. In the tradition of class and elegance you would expect from us we celebrated with a meal at the RSL.
Ella Trixie Bella had her birthday in February. She has been a part of the family for over a year now. We caught up with some mates at the Ettamogah Pub. It was frightfully expensive and the food was terrible but it was lovely to catch up with everyone. We discovered that our friends were planning a trip to Japan. The closest Mickey Blue Eyes and I will get to Japan is visiting the Japanese gardens at Nurragingy Reserve. Practically the same thing if you think about it. Sniff.
Well, at least I have learnt a new skill even if that skill is gaslighting myself. Winning!
March
March meant birthday wishes for Mr now 19 and more of Mickey Blue Eyes' Sunday drives to the Blue Mountains and the beach. Gotta mix it up a bit.
April
In April I went to Wagga Wagga and Tumut with my mum. Highlights were op shops (duh) and pub lunches practically every day!
May
May was a mundane uneventful month. I did receive a parcel from my beautiful friend Posski and, oh my stars! She sent me some Bewitched leggings! I love them but the nose twitching doesn't seem to be working. Probably a good thing. I reckon if I were a witch I'd be more of an aunt Clara or Esmarelda type than Samantha or Endora. Though I do plan on being called Grandmama should the situation ever occur.
June
Whoah. Mid year already! Mind. Blown.
I am busy with work, working a few extra days here and there. Mr 21 and 19 are now gainfully employed. Mr 14 is in year 9. Chandler and Ella are adorable. Mickey Blue Eyes made me lunch AND dinner the other day so I reckon I'll keep him.
Sunday before last weekend I met up with Denyse from Denyse Whelan blogs for cakies and coffee for the first time! It was lovely to meet a bloggy friend in person.
July and August will mean more birthdays. And of course, cake!
Hopefully another offbeat adventure will be on the horizon at the end of the year. That's about it for now. So as Mickey Blue Eyes likes to say: Take it easy and I'll catch up with you later!
Until next time,
Ness
PS
*He got a slushee! Slurpee? Still don't know, but he got one eventually!
**Mickey Blue was driving obviously!
