Antipodal Adventures
Jolly Jaunts in July: Part 2
Wednesday 23rd July 2014
After putting up with us all of last weekend, it seemed we hadn't outstayed our welcome, as this weekend we went to spend "Christmas in July" with Kym's family in Bendemeer. This is a small town in the countryside of New South Wales, off the New England Highway - a name which might give you some clue as to what the surrounding countryside is like. Rolling hills, lots of lush vegetation - it really is beautiful.
As it's about a six hour drive from Sydney, we set out on the Friday afternoon, and drove up to a small town called Murrurundi (try saying that when you're sober, never mind about drunk! Suffice to say, the locals pronounce it Mur-run-die and leave it at that). We were stopping with a work colleague I had met the week before who, upon learning that we were passing through her town on the way north, very kindly offered us a room for the night. Obviously, had she know us much better, she wouldn't have made such a silly offer, but by the time she realised, it was already much too late, bwahahahahaha....
Jolly jaunts in July: Part 1
Sunday 20th July 2014
Having spent most of our weekends in June at home, we decided to get out on the road again and do some more exploring. First up was a trip to Newcastle No, we didn't sneak back for a cheeky weekend on the Tyne - there's a Newcastle two hours up the coast from Sydney and it's where our friend has just moved. So we took Matilda (the anthropomorphic automobile) off for her first long drive!
We drove to Newcastle on Friday evening and made it in time for a delicious dinner of tapas at a local restaurant. Unfortunately there are no pictures of this - well, look, it was a long drive and I was hungry, ok?! That's why my burgeoning career as a gourmet photographer has never taken off - the food is always gone by the time I remember my camera.
On Saturday we headed up to Nelson Bay, where they run whale watching tours. This is the height of the season for the humpback whales' migration to warmer waters to have their young. The captain of our boat was very confident we would see the whales, and we were all set with the binoculars our friend had lent us, so we were excited.
Snuggling down for winter
Wednesday 9th July 2014
Well, winter is finally setting in here and the days and nights are colder, so we have been putting the finishing touches to the flat to make it as cosy as possible. Also, I promised to update you on the one last thing I hadn't posted a picture of from the last post, so don't scroll down, because I've left that treat til last!
You scrolled didn't you? NAUGHTY.
Back to the flat, and firstly, we needed a small footrest so we could put our feet up while we watched the telly: