Thursday. Oh what a day. We decided that since we were going to Kemp anyway it would be shorter to go to Coffs and turn in the computer than a coffs trip alone. It would be a pretty long drive there and back and all the errands so we booked a mote with a spa bath – a bit of luxury. Since it has been raining for long enough that we have gathered a lot of laundry and will probably not have a dry enough day in the near future for it to dry we decided to take the laundry with us and go to a laundromat. We have been doing a bit of spring cleaning and found the bag of travel money. Most of it is used up or given away but we still had Turkish lira so we would try some banks with that. Kempsey is too small we thought. So on the list was: library, post office w check to dr. Alford, dr. appt to Emma, recycling at the cans, bottle and pet bottle centre in Kemp. Drive to Coffs and have lunch at a Chinese restaurant, turn in computer and ask how to arrange for post office to send it back and then go to post office and buy the stuff, try the banks for the lira, laundry, find motel in Urunga, go for evening meal at a fish restaurant in Urunga, use the spa bath at the motel and have microwave popcorn! Second day the list was: leave Urunga and return to Kemp, shop at Bunnings, shop at Woolies, shop at BWS, diesel for cannister for tractor coming next week and for Atlas and then pick up package from IKEA at Cetnaj. Should be a cinch – right! So off we go. The creek is high after the rains so we took the mountain road. Wet, muddy but passable. We had cleared it from trees, vines and branches the day before. Arrived a bit early so we took a morning tea at Tumblegum only they lost our order so we had to take the tea to go and have it after the doc. visit. Dr Emma had moved on and Jen got a new one. They were new and had to work in different places for a couple of years before settling down. Jen thought Emma was going to stay longer but .. oh well. This little lady wanted to do a thorough check up and breast cancer, bowel and cervical but Jen said another day. Should probably do it next year. It’s been a while now. Like 4 to 8 years depending on what. After the GP visit we had our tea and sent the letter at the post office, did the recycling and took off for Coffs. In Coffs we found the Chinese resttaurant and the food was probably the best Chinese so far since we moved up here but still not super. After lunch we found our Apple store and had a chat with the guy who took a look at Pebbles and also said they would take care of sending it back for a small fee. 25 A$! Perfect. Peb will get a new reflective screen. Now for the Turkish lira. ANZ turned us down, the post office sent us packing, Combank said sorry but ….. so we realised they all use the same bank who sends the money but never buys it back. We gave up and thought we might remember to take it next time we go to an airport. Now time for laundry so off the laundromat. Lots of laundry, all the thick winter stuff. Very nice to get it cleaned up allthough it never gets really really clean if it has spots since it never soakes at laundromats. Anyway it’s mostly working clohes so who cares! Now for Urunga and the motel. This was out on a field but the bridge there was being mended so it was closed off. We had to drive a way bit around but we got there. They had two rooms, one was a suit but our had the spa. Perfect. After a beer we took of to find the seafood restaurant, which we did after a bit but it was closed, nobody was ther though it said open 8-21. So we ended up in another place with very good food and super nice service! Back to the motel for a last beer and soak in the spa bath. Haha it was leaking so after 15 min there was barely water to cover our stomachs and there was no more warm water either. What a letdown. The little kitchen had a toaster but no plates or utensils or dishwashing stuffs. Otherwise the room was beautiful and big. The bed was great! So a bit of tweaking was needed for it to get full points.
Friday. We had brought our own breakfast of cereal and lucky for us in plastic container so we could eat out of them since there were no plates. They did have tea and a water heater but no microwave so no popcorn! After hanging in the room and having tea we packed up and left. Back to Kemp. All went smooth until picking up the package at Cetnaj. no parcel. We called the co and she called around. We said we were at Cetnaj. After lot of waiting in the hot sun she let us know the driver had left the package at Natrad. Ok so pick up at Natrad instead and off home. Phew! Better take Postmans and not count on the creek to allready recede. Almost home it started raining and when we stopped outside the gate it came down in buckets and hail! What to do? Wait it out in the car and have a beer. Haha. Rivers and lakes all around. After 40 min or so it stopped so we could unpack . All wet cardboard boxes and some wet bags. The weather had been so sunny and nice we had packed a lot of stuff on the tray! Anyway all was well and all chores done!
All posts by aussiebarons
Sewing
Finally.
.. and the kid grows…
Det gäller att ha stor ficka. A big pocket is a necessity.
20181001 Monday, trek to the creek
Swedish mixed in.
Packade ryggan för en tur till Postmansbäcken. Ska vi köpa en gräsklippare eller traktor? Packed a backpack with lunch and water and brought secateurs and the machete. Off up and down to Postman’s Creek to see what we could use a tractor for down there. Maybe useful for making paths or small roads… or maybe not. Do we only need a slasher or will we want a tractor later on and will regret just buying the slasher/mower?
Our very own white ant mound! Egen termitstack.
Lunchmacka. We looked about and decided to try out the other side of the creek. After some hacking about to make a path we had our lunch sanwiches.
Ojoj fina epifyter! While sitting there we saw a whole lot of beautiful Staghorn Ferns and Birds Nest Ferns. Our very own Dannywood! We had not seen so many before. Maybe we just had not had time to look for them. After lunch we went on hacking a path and all the time descussing if a tractor could do it or not. Probably not. A lot of handiwork is needed before one can use a tractor. Jen want a digger and Mick want a shovel. Well we at least decided it might not work along the creek side with all the lianas, vines and fallen trees.
Strypfikon som växer runt ett träd och dödar det vad det lider. We saw a Strangler Fig at work. It will be interresting to follow this one over the years!
Vet inte vad detta är. We also saw a plant that we cannot identify. Here it is.
Ett nytt träd! Rusty plum. Man ska kunna äta det men vi vet inte än. Tog hem kärnan och påtade ner i jorden. After a while we ended up at the place where Anton showed us the Rusty Plum. We now found several Rusty Plums and we took a plum seed with us home an put in a pot.
efter allt hackandet kom vi bara 30m meter in i bushen och nu trötta i armarna tog vi oss hem igen lagom att fika! By now we were quite tired in our arms from all the nipping and hacking so we decided to turn back home. Just in time for some tea.
Checked on the internet and read that Rusty Plum trees or Plum Boxwood are an endagered species. Interresting! Allegedly edible too.
Burn off or …
20181002 Tuesday. Seemed like the day began calm but it did not end calm. We did a big laundry. Mick then emptied the toilet and had some plans for next hour then P-man came over with two of his kids or a grandkid.
He let us know that he had talked to Chunk and the fire department who had said they could not come over today but it would be ok to burn off since the wind was in the right direction toward the earlier burn off. He asked if we wanted him to burn off our lot a bit to but we declined this time.
So the burn off started. The whole valley was full of smoke but all went quite calm we thought. Then the big gum tree on his side of the fence started burning big time or debris on the branches started burning and underneath and all the dry bushes. Some cinders came over to us and began burning underneath one of our gumtrees but we put it out. Then Jones moved on and went on burning along Postmans on the council side and his side. Another little fire had started under our Apple Box so we put that out. We sat down with a cuppa’ and the other gumtree (debris) on his lot started burning but it’s further away so we were calm now.
Then Donna came walking, very upset. P-man had left the fire on his lot and just watched the fire along our border since our house is just there, and forgot that there is a telephone line and little pole on his lot which now had gone up in flames and with that the Pitmans telephone line.
So we calmed Donna and Mick went with her up to Jones and let her have her say. Then he took her down to us again. After a bit she started home and Jen went with and her. She pointed out this and that that would be gone but it was not. A natural well would now be gone due to fire, but it was not. We went in a bit on Jones lot but there was not much there to see more that a bit of grassfire working it’s way upward the hillside. Donna got very upset when she (thought) she scared a wallaby so it jumped up along the burned part into the bush. “I have to tell Greg I scared it into the burnt part”. Jen calmed her that there would be nothing to the animal, the land was already cooling off. It’s just a grassfire! (for heaven’s sake).
Donna and Jen parted. But later back at the house we decided that Jen would go over and calm Donna so she would not get another heart attack and Mick just keep watering but we took each a mobile phone to keep contact and if we needed to call the helicopter. When Jen was wading through the creek Greg came driving home so she called him to stop. Then told the story and said for him to be very calm. We went into their garden and Donna came along so Jen told her to breathe deep and then we looked at her garden. A big sound came and Donna was sure it was a big “ancient” gum tree that she loved that had fallen. Jen said it was a branch. We had a look and the gum tree was still there. After some talking Greg came along and we all returned to the house.
Greg gave Jen a lift home and gave her a bag of bananas (home grown!). Donna had calmed down and Greg took some water to put out a bit of fire that was to close for comfort to their house.
Jen and Mick took in their stuff and after a bit P-man came past and parked the tractor had a chat with Mick and went home with the kids and ute to eat or so. He would return later.
Woah, what a day so far!
P-man came back and took the tractor and water up towards where the fires are and then Greg came along and was all fired up about trees that were hollow and were possums lived. He tried to put out the fire on a hollow standing tree. He left to go on with that. We sat down and had some wine before bedtime.
Loquat harvest
Loquats
2015 nothing
2016 this much
2017 one bird got inside the net and ate all
This year 2018, yum!
Majs
Lilla majsfältet, fniss. 3 olika sorters majs är sådda här.
Little cornfield, giggle. 3 different corn types are sowen here.
Vaca 2018
Så vad hände under semestern i Sverige och England. Inte mycket och jättemycket.
Det finns så många att träffa men inte tid till alla. Vi kan ju inte stanna i S i flera månader och träffas i lugn och ro utan allting måste planeras in minutiöst. Men vi börjar väl bli till åren så vår minutiöshet blev lite av en katastrof mot slutet.
Listan av oträffade människor är lika lång som de vi träffade. Så det får bli nästa gång.
Vi hade så’n tur att vi fick bo hos storebror men vi fick också erbjudande att bo hos flera av Er så jättemånga tack för det! Det kan också bli nästa gång.
Resan började med besök hos vänner i Sydney som fick del av vår skörd eftersom vi inte skulle äta den själva. Sen åt vi piller och drack ordentligt och tog på oss strumpor, enligt alla regler.
En kort promis i Singapore medan de städade planet och sen byta plan i London och landa i Stockholm där vi blev mötta av släkt och fick skjuts. Hela resan från oss till Stockholm tar i runda slängar 35 timmar.
Sverige hade fortfarande värmebölja och Baggensfjärden var varm och skön så det blev dopp med en gång. Sen många dopp till.
Dagen därpå blev det besök hos passpolisen och tjafs förstås. Det var vi förberedda på och hade tagit med oss storebror som fick gå i god för oss. Inga av våra utländska id eller utgångna pass gällde. Trist va. Id-klimatet har blivit hårt i Sverige nu. Sen blev det bankbesök där allt vi hade också hade blivit för gammalt eller gått sönder helt enkelt. Där fick vi också kalla handen och brorsan fick dricka kaffe. Han gällde inte den här gången. Men förbarmandet kom och vi blev lovade att allt skulle vara ordnat om vi bara kom med giltiga pass. Så bara att vänta då. Sen skulle vi skaffa telefon och det var lika illa där. I stället för att gå till en telefonnisse skulle vi ha gått till Clas Ohlsson om vi hade haft huvudet påskruvat rätt. Brorsan fick fixa telefon som han sa upp direkt eftersom det var en månads uppsägning på den. Håhåjaja. Sen handla lite och hem och dopp i Baggens.
Dagen efter e-postade polisen oss och ville veta om vi kunde bevisa att vi inte varit medborgare i A före 2001! Vi stod som frågetecken. Vi hittade diversefoton och brevväxling med myndigheter och bad polisen att ringa oss och förklara vad de ville. Sen åkte vi ut en sväng för att andas lite och titta på omgivningarna. Då ringer polisen mitt i bilkörningen och allt såg ut att vara bra. (Fast vi missade att lyckas svara på mobilen och ringa upp gick inte för de har ingen telefon så meddelande skulle lämnas personligen av den som svarade till någon som satt bredvid osv osv. Sådant gör en rätt så slak men så var det närapå hela tiden.)
Efter det följde en rad släkt och vän- besök ända tills vi hyrde bil och åkte ner till Malmö. Ja på resan blev det 2 besök hos släkt också plus ett stopp i Gränna.
Malmö fortsatte med besök och lite inköp av grejor från en lista vi hade med oss. Träskor, kruskavel, lösgodis, våffeljärn, och lite till. En del skulle vi ha med oss hem och en del ville vi bara äta helt enkelt. Vi hade en lista med svensk mat som vi betade av så gott det gick.
Sen bar det av uppåt Stockholm igen och besök på vägen dit och när vi kom fram.
Då började vi bli lite vimmelkantiga och dagen efter var hela Jen prickig av utslag och Mick tyckte att han gick lite snett så brorsan och hans fruga och vi tog ledigt och sa upp resten av besöken utom ett sista hos mamma. Plus förstås besök igen hos polisen och banken. Sistnämna var vi tvugna att hälsa på två gånger.
Ja, man kan ju bli galen för mindre faktiskt.
Sen var det bara att bli skjutsade till flyget och resa till England.
Väl på Heathrow hämtade vi hyrbil och körde iväg mitt i natten till Wales och dottern m familj. … och alla rondeller!
Rondellernas paradis säger vi bara. En del rondeller hade trafikljus! Trodde att hela idén med rondeller var att undvika trafikljusen.
Vi bodde på en liten lantgård på gångavstånd från dotterns.
Första dagen blev barbarnet nafsat av deras hund som var blind på ena ögat. Skit också!
Sen var vi alla 5 igång hela tiden. Om man någonsin har gjort ett gympass så är utflykter med en 9-åring mycket hårdare. Vi var helt slut varje kväll! Vi besökte fd gruvor, strand, bio, utemuseum, tivoli och flera lekparker, den ena värre än den andra. Vi lekte också med lillan hemma. Ian lagade mat nästan varje kväll och ibland lunch. Vi hade kräftfest en dag också – mums! Fina fina kräftor. Dottern tog ledigt några dagar och hängde med ut.
Vi blev förkylda den sista dagen och följande vecka.
Sen fara iväg till London och Heathrow och flyga hem. Singapore och Sydney och nu skulle vi hälsa på andra vänner i ett par dagar men Jen säckade ihop på kvällen och under natten och Mick nästa morgon så vi bestämde oss för att åka hem istället. Inte kul att vara sjuk hos vänner och det var dessutom Fars Dag och deras barn och barnbarn skulle komma och hälsa på. Plus att Sydney’s måndagstrafik inte är att leka med. Nä det fick bli hemresa.
Ja, se det var en rejäl semester en som man behövde semester ifrån när man kom hem. Vi var förkylda i en vecka efter hemkomsten men frisk luft som det är här så fixade det sig och sen besök till doktorn för att kolla blodpropparna. Det var fina värden och inget ärftligt så slutet gott allting gott.
So what happened during the holidays in Sweden and England. Not much and lots.
There are so many to meet but not time for everyone. We cannot stay in S for several months and meet people in peace so everything has to be meticulously planned. But we’re starting to get old I guess so our meticulousness became a bit of a disaster at the end.
The list of people we did not meet is as long as the list of people we met.
We were lucky to able to live with big brother but we also got an offer to live with several of you guys so much thanks for that! It may happen next time.
The trip began with visits to friends in Sydney to whom we gave our harvest since we would not eat it ourselves.
Then we ate pills and drank properly and put on stockings, according to all rules.
A short walk in Singapore while the plane was cleaned and then changing planes in London and landing in Stockholm where we met with relatives and got driven to brothers place.
Sweden still had a heat wave and Baggensfjärden was warm and cool so we took a dip and had many more over the weeks we visited.
The next day there was a visit to the Passport Police and some arguing of course. We were prepared for it and had brought with us big brother who could assure we were we. None of our foreign ID:s or expired passports were valid. Sad, huh? The Id climate has become hard in Sweden now.
Then there was a visit to the bank where everything we had also had become too old or simply broken. We got the cold shoulder and brother got some coffee while waiting. But a bit of deliverance and we were promised that everything would be done and we would have it if we only showed up with valid passports. So just wait.
Then we needed a phone and it was just as bad there. Instead of going to a phone store we should have gone to Clas Ohlsson if we had our head screwed right. Bro had to get the phone which he immediately gave notice because it was a month’s notice. Oh dear!
Then shop a little and home and dip in Baggens.
The next day the police e-mailed and wanted to know if we could prove that we were not citizens of A before 2001! We stood as a question marks. We found some photos and correspondence with authorities, sent them and asked the police to call us and explain what they wanted. Then we took a drive in the surroundings to breathe a bit.
Then the police call in the middle of the drive and we missed the call. Calling back was very stressful since this group of police does not have telephones but you have to leave messages and they will call back. Anyway this time we were prepared to answer and they said everything seemed good.
After that, a series of visiting family and friends followed until we rented a car and went down to Malmö. Yes, on the trip there we made 2 visits with relatives plus a stop in Gränna.
Malmö continued with a visit and a some purchases of items from a list we had with us. Clogs, rolling pin for crisp bread, loose candy, waffle iron, and a little more. Some we have were to take home and some we just wanted to simply eat. We had a list of Swedish food to tick off as well.
Then it was up to Stockholm again and visit friends on road.
Back in S visits went on. Then we started to get a little bit tired and the day after, all of Jen was spotty, and Mick thought the world was a bit lopsided. Bro and his wife and we took time off and cancelled the rest of our visits except one last to mom. But of course we still had to revisit the police and the bank again. The bank even twice.
Yes, you can be crazy for less actually.
Then on to England and Wales.
At Heathrow we picked up a rental car and drove off to Wales in the middle of the night and my daughter’s family … and all roundabouts / traffic circles! Paradise of the roundabouts. Some roundabouts even had traffic lights! Thought the whole point with the roundabouts was to eliminate the traffic lights.
We stayed at a little farmhouse within walking distance of the kid’s house.
On the first day, our granddaughter was nipped by their dog who was blind on one eye. Shit!
After this we all 5 were active all the time. If you have ever done a work out, excursions with a 9-year-old are much harder. We were completely out every night! We visited former mines, beach, cinema, outdoor museum, amusement park and several playgrounds, some with more things than the other. We also played with our granddaughter at home.
Ian cooked foodmost nights and sometimes lunch. We had a crayfish party one day too – yum! Nice nice crayfish! The daughter took leave for a few days and hung out with us.
On our last day we caught a cold.
Then head off to London and Heathrow and fly home. Singapore and Sydney, and now we were staying with friends yet again for a couple of days but Jen’s cold got worse and Mick’s the next morning so we decided to drive home instead. Not fun to be sick with friends and it was Father’s Day and their children and grandchildren would come and greet. Plus, Sydney’s Monday traffic is not to play with.
Well it was a good holiday one that you needed vacation from when you get home.
We were sick for a week after returning home but our fresh air took care of that and a visit to the doctor to check the blood clots.
All tests were good and nothing hereditary so all is good that ends well.
Spring is here again 2018!
En sväng runt trädgården då:
Snowbells (Leucojum) blommar på sista versen,
Loquat’en bär frukt,
trädgården behöver verkligen krattas – vinterlöven har fallit. Mullbären är först med nya blad bland de vinterfällande träden. Det är verkligen vår i luften.
Mick har hittat en sötpotatis som han står och sköljer.
Grönsakslanden är fulla med ogräs och inte många grönsaker har överlevt vintern. All kål, alla olika lökar och Mangold/chard ser fina ut. Sockerärtorna har växt enormt. Broccolin har rusat iväg och blommar med sina gula stänglar. Potatisen börjar komma igen, likaså jordgubbarna.
Avocadosarna som vi fiffat med i flera år är vissna och kommer nog inte att hämta sig.
Den inhemska grevillean vi planterade och som verkade så lovande ser ut såhär. Frågan är om den hämtar sig.
Pomelon däremot har klarat sig men bär ingen frukt iår.
Citroner, apelsiner och kumquat finns kvar. Vi har inte varit nere vid bäcken och kollat in Lillypilly’sarna som vi planterade före resan än. Men det mesta ser fint ut.
Vi har placerat en ny kompost nere vid grönsakssängarna nu så att vi kan slänga ogräs där direkt sen har vi planerat om bredden på raderna så att yttersta raden får mer plats. Där rinner ofta jorden ner i gången såpass att de stackars växterna inte har mycket plats kvar.
Vi har storhandlat i veckan trots förkylning och idag blev de storbak. Imorgon dags för stortvätt. Svalorna flyger runt och har tittat in i huset också. Två stycken hittade inte ut så vi fick hjälpa dem lite. Nu är det lördag och vi har tagit ledigt. Man får inte sätta igång för hårt så att man går på pumpen efter en lång semester där mest munnen haft träning – hahaha.
Experimentet med att förvara lime’n fungerade inte. Både bordsduken, handduken och bordet blev mögliga. Också en gammal gardin möglade ihop med några sötpotatisar vi svept om dem. Suck. Måste fixa en stuka till nästa vinter!
Vi skriver om semester en annan gång.
Friday
First part done: drive to Sydney. Staying with friends. Finally a bit of lazy time after all the hectic preps.