An energetic start to the day was planned with a walk around the Narrabeen Lake for Keith and me, a run around the lake for Tony and Justine and a run down the hill for the girls to meet us at the start/finish point. The girls were allowed a lie in as it would not take them long to jog down the hill.

We have done the Narrabeen Lake circuit a couple of times in the past and it was interesting to note familiar landmarks. We met Justine and Tony running the other way round at about half way and saw the familiar pelican on the lamppost as we came out into a more urban area.

We met a Mum out with her brood of chicks…….

It is just over 8 kms around the lake. We made it in just under 2 hours but this included stopping for a juice to be made about 2/3rds round. When we arrived back at the lakeside start the girls were in place and breakfast brunch cooking had been started. The tablecloth was in place.

Eating over we took off for a coffee stop and to inspect where they had breached the sandbank at the head of the lake, to enable the sea to top up the water.

It was a jolly family day.

Justine adjourned to work when we got home and we took over responsibility for the pork for supper. The boys caught the highlights of the golf before we adjourned for a very early night. It was a long weekend and a boat trip was planned for the holiday Monday

It was Saturday again and I went with boxing party down to the bottom of the hill for a walk round the headland. Keith decided to have a lie in. It was another beautiful morning in paradise. Tony, Justine and something of a reluctant Mickey, went off to box in the sunshine and I took off for the coastal walk Keith and I did last Saturday.

As before, cricket and golf was already taking place and the dog walking fraternity was well represented. Dog walkers, alone and in twos and threes, came chattering past me. The views to both north and south were tremendous, as I peered over grasses and clifftop to see the rocks below.

I eventually emerged at the point which I think probably gave its name to Long Reef a promontory with look out indicator maps at the top, where people sat to chat or ponder in singular isolation. A man arrived with probably his sons pointing out a whale which he had seen, and which the boys soon tired of trying to see. I think I saw what he saw – in which case I had another whale sighting, but who knows. I certainly could not give a guarantee that U had seen a whale, but it was nice to think that I had added to my whale sighting quota.

I wandered down to the spit of sand and then decided I had tallied too long and that my pugilist chums would be waiting for me. I continued along the path at a bit of a pace, keeping a wary eye on the golfers to my right, an appreciative eye on the coastal scene unfolding on my left and spotting a superior fairy wren on the path in front of me.

I got close to my drop off point when I sighted the car heading my way and then it was all aboard for first the butchers and then a sausage brunch on the balcony. It was then all go to get in a visit to the local second hand dress agency to see if there was anything suitable for party wear before dashing back to make the Wightman Towers contribution to a gathering of neighbours to watch the Aussie Rules football final. Of course we ran out of time and the boys were champing at the bit before we had ‘rested’ our first lot of pastry for our leek and goats cheese tarts….. Fearing that we would not reach my Glyndeborne Picnics recipe’s usual high standard somehow reduced Justine and me to a nearly disastrous attack of the giggles and caused the chaps to give up on us and go on ahead. In the event our tarts tarts, as they were fondly termed, were a great success.

Our ability to understand the game was marginally less successful, but a a close finish had us all on the edge of our seats and it was a really fun afternoon, washed down with a fair share of bubbly.

Back at the ranch it was a ‘GYO’ supper (get your own). The chaps were watching the golf and it was an early night. Long Reef seemed a long time ago!

A travel day. We were leaving Aileen and Mick in Canberra (Aileen and I decided to defer sobbing at our separation as they will join us in Sydney in a couple of weeks for the birthday celebration). It has been such fun. However, I must make a comment on train travel here. The fact is – it is a nonsense! To take a train from Canberra to Sydney, you need to set aside a good five hours of your life!! The train would seem to stop at every station and lamp post!! We were amazed and, given that we had a lunch date in Sydney, were going to be hard pressed to have anything but a Bungle Bungle (ie 4.45am) start to get there. Until we heard about the bus. This takes just 3 hours……

How extraordinary. We could not believe that there was no fast train between the capital of Australia and – arguably its next most important city. Who would have thought it?

Anyway. There it was. We were up to go out to breakfast at 7.45. We ate at Silo’s, apparently a famous early morning eatery. We did well to get there before 8.00. At 8.00, almost on the dot, the world and his wife arrived. City suits rubbed up against yummy mummies, expensively casual tots and young chaps in school uniform in the queue for skinny lattes and expresso coffees. Breakfast meetings and girlie gossip took place all round us while we had a great breakfast served on excellent sourdough bread. A great start to our perambulations.

Breakfast over it was ‘hunt the parking spot’ near the bus station to enable us to be deposited on the bus bound for Sydney. It was all very civilised. It was also a very full bus – no surprise there. I think the train company could learn a thing or two from the bus company – first stop Sydney airport!

I dozed away the journey and we crossed Sydney to meet Tom (from our Overland trip) at the Lord Nelson, said to be the oldest pub in Sydney. In fact when we got there, there was no sign of Tom but the lovely Yael and her big smile was awaiting us. A great surprise. We had a merry old chat over a pint (or two) while waiting for Tom. It was good to meet up. Tom did eventually materialise – in fairness Keith had set a bit of a task to find the place – and we whiled away a happy hour getting up to date with news of other Overland chums. Tom leaves for England on Monday and Yael continues her world backpacking adventure by heading off to Asia midweek, so there may be the opportunity for another sighting before she goes……

For us it was time to head back to Wightman towers and the Collaroy Club for meat raffle night. Here we joined other to-be birthday party guests, David and Lesley for a couple of drinks prior to the ‘draw’. Having failed to win any meat, we trundled back up the eyrie for supper. Here Tony demonstrated the skills of a misspent youth by shredding a chicken in the fastest time possible……

There was no time for beach walking this morning. Given the usual Australian distance issue, although Narrawallee is considered relatively ‘close’ to Canberra, it is two and a half hours away!

We set off at around 8.00 am. It was a beautiful day. Our route initially took us along the coast and then at Batemans Bay we turned right to go inland. We were soon in the rain forest area. The road twisted and turned and there was dappled sunlight through the trees. When a long view appeared again, there were mountains in the distance. We travelled through the Misty Mountain National Park. We were on the Kings Highway. There were roadsigns reminding drivers to beware of wildlife. Our route took us upward and over the Clyde Mountain Range where things levelled off. Eventually the Bush ended and we were into pastureland again. There were large outcrops of stones.

The first real town we came across was called Braidwood. This was a pioneer town first settled by Europeans in the 1820. Gold was discovered in the area in the 1850’s, but its major claim to fame is that it was the location for the Ned Kelly film. It has its own racecourse which we passed by.

We stopped at Bungendore for a coffee. We were about 38 Km from Canberra. It had an excellent wood turning shop. A possibly little known fact about Bungendore is that un January 2017 at the annual show, the town took the record for the most number of Dachshunds outside of a Dog Show, with 154 of the dogs in attendance. Fancy!

We soon arrived in Canberra. First impressions were of a city of clean lines and modern buildings, with a lot of water and grass and no skyscrapers. It had the manicured look of being carefully devised and planned – a marked contrast to London as a capital, which just ‘evolved’. Everything was so spacious and pristine.

Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery. This was excellent. We were treated to rich pickings of portraiture from the indigenous people, to the first and then second wave of settlers, the war years, the personalities of the later part of the 20th century and finally, contemporary portraits. Both the artists and the subjects were described in detail. It was really interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed it. After a good couple of hours it was time to move on and we went to find our accommodation for the night and have lunch, prior to launching ourselves on our ‘main event, the Floriade.

Floriade is described as Australia’s biggest celebration of Spring and runs for a month from the 14th September. We were to have two visits. One in the daylight, which was free and then in the evening when we had tickets to see the whole thing lit up for what was described as the Nightfest, when music, food and alcoholism was added to the mix.

There were tulips of all colours – Mick feared that Amsterdam might be totally denuded!

Just by contrast there were some crocheted poppies……..

………and then there was the Gnomes Knoll

And my particular favourites – the homeless gnomes

We had to adjourn to a hostelry between sessions and when we returned, it was dark and the whole thing was lit up!

We stayed to see two of the programme’s singers, but then decided we had probably had enough excitement for the day and adjourned to our room for a nightcap which turned into something of a riotous assembly.

It is back to Sydney tomorrow…..

We all passed on the morning walk as it was raining. However, by the time we had eaten breakfast the day had brightened, so we set out for walk on the peninsula in Ulladulla. There are in fact two walks that are part of a project called ‘One Track for All’ which has been designed and created by the Budawang Landcare Group and tells the history of the Milton Ulladulla from an Aboriginal perspective. All along the route there are carved wooden story boards telling the tale of the land, its animals, its original inhabitants and the arrival of the white man.

The entrance had a large carving.

A sample of the boards – as always it did not go well for the Aboriginals.

The wooden panels were slightly faded but told a poignant story of indigenous people of the area completely overtaken by the incomers.

We lunched at the Mollymook Beach Cafe, determined to eat Mick’s curry for supper. Keith and I both had a fish burger – the fish in these parts is excellent!

We returned home after lunch, but late afternoon we were out again to see the view from the enormous Golf Club in the fading light. It was certainly a cracking view and looked over the point where we walking earlier in the day. I was a little concerned at the number of people there – why weren’t they at work?!? (Once an HR person, always an HR Person!}

It was then home to an excellent paella. Tomorrow we are all off to Canberra for a flying visit to see the famous Floriade, a famous celebration of Spring Flowers.

Mick has a walk each morning along Narrawallee beach with his friend Graham. We were up and ready to join them – it was a beautiful morning! Unfortunately Graham did not materialise and we were pleased that, upon enquiry, it was established that we had not frightened him off.

The beach was beautiful. There were few people there, the majority (if you can have a majority of five people) dog walkers. From right to left the beach was just over a kilometre long.

We walked to the wonderfully coloured cliff at the end and back again.

There was some interesting seaweed on the beach. Little balloon shaped items. Fascinating.

When we got back to our start point there was a gentleman doing some amazing Tai Chi with remarkably balanced stances. It was literally poetry in motion! We were introduced to him and chatted for a bit and then he went back to his moves. What an amazing spot to do Tai Chi!

Aileen had booked us in to a local vineyard that happened to have a brewery attached and, as we found out, served amazing food. We had a great lunch with incredible views over the surrounding countryside.

Keith had his now familiar beer tasting paddle.

And a good time was had by all! Outside was all go – with a visiting bottling plant busy at work…..

And a chap pruning the vines……..

Back at Darragh towers, Keith made friends with a local Kookaburra.

Sadly we had all eaten too much at lunch time to eat Mick’s planned dinner, which was postponed for a day and a jolly evening was spent with music and chat.

With all the birthday excitements over, it was time for us to depart for the next stage of our holiday. We were off to see friends in a Narrawallee.

We took advantage of Justine taking the girls into the office (they are on holiday from school) to cadge a lift down the hill to the fast bus to the City with our bags. We were off to Narrawallee (please consult your maps!), somewhat south of the Sydney, to see our friends Aileen and Mick Darragh, who we met on the big train journey last year.

Our route to them was quite circuitous. It was a slow train both literally and metaphorically. Initially our route took us through the suburbs of Sydney, then we passed through a lot of small settlements, stopping at most. Some names, like Otford, were familiar. The landscape eventually became wooded and then we were running parallel with the sea. Our route took us through the hewn rock of cuttings and I was once again reminded of these pioneers who literally carved their way through the country.

We got the train to Kiama and where our chums picked us up. To get further than this was even more complicated……. In the event we had lunch there. The fears that we all later admitted to in terms of meeting up were immediately dispelled – we had only met for a few days on the train, would we still get on? We need not have worried. We started chatting immediately and did not stop in waking hours until we left them on the following Friday.

After lunch it took another two and a half hours until we reached the Narrawallee environs. The local government area is called Shoalhaven and covers a small area on the south coast of New South Wales. It is a wonderful beach location with the added bonus of Rick Stein meeting a lady of the area (I think they are married now and he has a house there) and opening a restaurant in a local hotel. Bannisters in Mollymook has apparently brought a number of people to the area.

After a bit of touring to orientate us we arrived at Durragh towers, a delightful bungalow not far from the beach. It was by now late afternoon.

Mick is a real music buff. Keith’s subject. Aileen and I talk like Buddhist prayer wheels, spinning from one subject to the next, hardly drawing breath between topics. We talked through pre dinner drinks, dinner and post dinner. What fun,

The girls could be heard chatting before 7.00. We did not get up for the breakfast waffles or the run around to work off the sugar rush, but joined the family for breakfast when everyone had gone. Justine, perfection as always, had organised, successfully devised and implemented an exemplary birthday party and had not turned a hair. I am in constant awe!

We had a fairly lazy day which included a blowy visit to the secret beach, further along the northern beaches. This was a lovely cove of pristine sand that can only be reached on foot.

An interesting occurrence on our way back was the sound and eventually the sighting of three young bagpipers playing while standing on the edge of the cliff! Who would have thought it!

Keith cooked more fish for supper – his version of fish fingers – and the time came for the final birthday activities. We went to the cinema. Not any old cinema but the Gold Class cinema experience. This, much to our amazement, comprised the opportunity to buy cocktails to be delivered at a time of your choosing to your plush reclining double seat while watching the film! It was hilarious, not least because we were watching ‘Johnny English Strikes Again’. What a hoot!!

We were up with the lark to go off down the hill. Tony, Justine and Mickey were off to a boxing session, while Keith and I perambulated around the headland, Long Reef. It was a lovely walk in the morning light, with cricket and golf already well advanced – it was 8.00 am.! Birds, views an views….

We had a busy morning ahead, but first there was the visit to Devitts, the popular barbecue butcher to buy sausages for brunch. These were consumed with eggs on the balcony while we planned the modus operandi for the day.

Suitably fed and watered, it was time to get on.

The boys were charged with cake getting – an ice cream affair from Ben and Jerry’s. The female operatives, Justine, Mickey, Coco and me (later joined by a friend of Mickey’s who had been commissioned to join the entertainment team), put sparkles in balloons, prepared pizza dough and toppings, baked cupcakes (for later decoration by party participants), laid the table. It all took time, debate and consideration. By 4.30 all was ready and Justine and I had poured our first glass of fizz against the rigours of the day, when tight on time our young ladies arrived.

What struck me most was what a collection of sizes they were! There is obviously not a uniform height for age 12! It was a hectic few hours! The chaps (K and T), left as soon as their role as pizza bakers on the balcony oven had finished, to down a few beers. We, on the other hand, experienced the noise levels rise as the various stages of the activities progressed. The highlight for the ‘tweens’ was the manicure provided by a lovely lady from the local beauty salon. I was so glad she turned up – I am not sure my manicure skills would have been up to the task, had they been required!

Eventually it was time to cut the wonderful cake, which had caused Justine and me not a little angst in terms of when to take it from the freezer. Luckily the instructions were found before there was a total disaster.

By 7.30, all but 4 (the sleep overs) had gone. There had been no tears and only four telephone ‘amnesties’, when the mobile ‘phone activity had reached fever pitch and Justine could tolerate it no longer. The boys returned. We sat down to supper, while present opening took place and the chosen four were entertained royally by their young hostess.

There was still considerable noise taking place from Coco’s dormitory room when I went to bed and it apparently took stern words from Tony before it abated. I was long since asleep

Thursday

We decided on a quiet day to enable me to catch up with my memoirs. As it was a grey wet day this proved to be a good decision and, apart from a stroll around the block, we were pretty inactive.

Friday

We had decided to pop into the City again and Keith was cooking a fish curry for supper, so supplies had to be purchased. The fish was the result of a family fishing expedition to Darwin some weeks before and the freezer was full. Upon enquiry it transpired that the fish had been frozen and packed up in a case before they left Darwin. The bag then formed part of their luggage to Sydney 😳. I found myself wondering how Ryanair might have reacted had they been fishing in Europe and it was required to be flown home….

Anyway to get back to our day, we did a little more retail therapy and then went to the Rocks where we knew there was great street food on Fridays.

A successful forage found us with a Turkish gozleme and juice, listening to a very tuneful singer. On the return journey we dropped off at the Mall to make our supper purchases and it was not long before joined at home by Justine and the girls.

A very good Thai fish curry later and it was time for bed, it was another celebration day on the morrow. Coco had 11 chums coming for a birthday tea. I had a feeling it was going to be important to be ‘fresh’.