V thinks she has me pegged for preferred tourist thingies now - scenery and historic looking buildings, a la what was at Penguin, and she may be right. The coast road to Ulverstone was lovely as well, took another couple of piccies and bought a new shirt in a clearance place in Ulverstone - too bad I didn't try it on first thought, I was sure it was an M, not an S... size wise that is...
Did a quick flit through the Ulverstone shops and then had a twenty minute walk on the beach. Apparently V used to camp a lot out that way during summer - as a kid or adult I didn't quite figure out, but I could see the wave of nostalgia hitting her - in a good way.
Was a nice time out in the wather and on the sands... got to shin level only, the water I should say. Headed up to Brannon's Lookout next, above Turners Beach, more lovely panorama, went to the Cherry Farm just outside Latrobe for cherry jam, ice cream, pies and the fruit themselves. Yum. The cherry wine and port would just have been overdoing it LOL. Then a quick scenic photo stop by the side of the road at Sassafras and then home. Well, via LHA's place to drop off some of those cherries.
Next on the agenda was LRO's birthday - seven years old I think. I had been over exerting myself on their trampoline last time I was in Tas, in October, and LRO was happy when hearing I would be down again, as I would get 'hot and sweaty' all over again.
The grandparents, the parents, V and I and assorted others - plus six kids, five of whom were under ten, two of which were toddlers. Had more food, more drink, somehow V and my trip to Liffey Falls the following day was to turn into five kids, another couple of adults, and our dinner with V's workmates on Saturday got another four family members attached.
I did do a quick trampoline with the girls but unlike last time was not going to play tag. And wasn't wearing a jumper and jeans like I did in October, and thus avoided hot and sweatiness. I took one of the toddlers on the swing, and, when she wanted to get on the trampoline, took her back to her parents in my arms - she found my sunglasses and was putting them on - was quite a sweet sequence indeed.
Finished off watching City of Angels that night - hadn't been missing out on much.
And set the alarm for the first time on the holiday, because LRO and her two sisters were going to be dropped around at 9.30 sharpish - they had gotten out of shopping in Launceston with their mother to go walking at Liffey Falls.
They turned up at 10am, and there were only two of them, one of the kids bailing apparently when she discovered it would be out in the countryside, and walking would be involved. LRO brought around a battery operated sleepy bear toy, and both she and MRO pottered around the house for an hour before we went picnic shopping - V did the bakery without the kids in tow, I did the supermarket and basically as soon as the car stopped, both girls volunteered to go into Woolies with me - when we were in the store both girls went in different directions, leaving me to ponder the one who would be best to follow.
We caught up with MDE and SDE, and their two kids, IDE and KDE, who were also coming out to Liffey with us, and we were on the road. They went off for petrol, we waited for them in a side street - somehow, in a town the size of Mount Thomas, we couldn't link up again for ten minutes LOL.
Then out to Liffey Falls themselves, with me and V up the front, and the kids in the back - I got a flashback to all the drives my family did when I was a kid, and realised I was up the front. Was a very warm and fuzzy feeling - I think my uncle training is coming along quite nicely...
Onto a dirt road for the last ten kays to the falls, the first dirt road I have been on in ages. Add in a windy narrow dirty road as we descended into the valley at about 20 kph, and I haven't been on a road like that in ever I think...
Got to the car park picnic area, had a bite to eat, before heading on the 45 min return track down to the Falls. Was a good bushwalk down, and the Falls themselves were magnifique. The kids, apart from the toddler, were in the water basically as soon as V gave permission, and scampered about for a good half hour - each of them fell over, but not seriously. Guess which muggins was mentally preparing himself to wade in if anything serious had happened?
But seeing the kids play was the icing on the cake - it wouldn't have been the same if it were just V and I... and the other adults left me to watch over them, and gauge when playtime should finish - very responsible kind of feeling.
On the walk back up to the cars, V struggled. She said she should start walking around town again after the whole Liffey Falls thing, but maybe in a couple of weeks, at the earliest. Once we got back, we had bread rolls with meat and salad fillings for a late lunch, and it was all very civilised. Apart from the horse flies and lack of mobile coverage.
Afterwards, we headed back into town for ice creams (guess which muggins volunteered to pay again), dropped off the kids, grabbed a DVD and pizza and fell through the door at home. Pizza wasn't Eagle Boys or Dominos, but it was good for a non-chain one.
V soaked in the bath while I watched Tribe on SBS, and we then veged out watching In Good Company on DVD.
Yesterday, Saturday, was Launnie Day. And pick up everything for everybody day, DHA's prescription, KRO's singing Santa power pack and dancing gnomes, if we could swing it. No to the gnomes, unfortunately.
Went up to the lookout from Monday overlooking Cataract Gorge - hope the pictures come out well - and then stopped into RLY's to have a coffee and a chat. Then down into town for shopping - put my camera films in for developing - one of the few times I have got pics before the applicable diary entry - got some boiled lollies at Gourlays, yum, very old fashioned with the big jars and scales, YUM.
And then had a very nice lunch, at T2, a cafe. Chicken and avocado toasted sandwich, wedges and expensive 250mL Coke - well, I guess you are paying for the glass bottle LOL. I got snapped by V for maybe smiling a bit too widely, bing too personable in my conversation with the pretty waitress, and then was on to more shopping. Went into Colorado and bought a very nice shirt, browsed, and picked up the piccies,
Went over to City Park to see the monkeys, saw the monkeys, Japanese macaques, and is just a very nice park anyways.
Then the highlight of my trip from V's point of view happened - I jest, somewhat. I pumped petrol for her in one of those cheapie self serve places, saving 11c from the cost of petrol in the village. She hates doing her own petrol, because the petrol cap is too hard to get off. All that bowser pumping in Canada came back to me in a flash LOL.
Almost as soon as we got home, changed and freshened up we were out again, back to Launnie, for tea at the Canton, Chinese. We did try for the Mee Wah, but they were booked out. Rode in with KRO and TRO, and arrived about right on 6.30, the booking time, with everyone else already there. Everybody being LHA, DHA, MMA, AMA, SKA and JKA, the last one being the only one I haven't met before.
The food was reasonable, the service could have been better, but all in all it was OK. The Mee Wah has a better reputation apparently. I had dim sums and spring rolls, sweet and sour pork and chicken with almonds, and brandy snaps. Conversation, as it always seems with that group, was half shop, half light hearted banter, but then dessert left and people talked perhaps an hour too long - without our own wheels though, it would have been rude to bail. Got home last night about quarter past eleven.
This morning lazed around the house, went out to Westbury pub for lunch, and then went around to LHA and DHA's place for a final cuppa this time around. Showed them both my photos from the week, V says I have a knack for photography and should go into a course - she says that about my writing as well - and LHA said there were some very good ones.
Then packing, driving to the airport, a quick drink and the usual teary farewells. Good, uneventful flights, and about half an hour out of landing in Bris now...
Did a quick flit through the Ulverstone shops and then had a twenty minute walk on the beach. Apparently V used to camp a lot out that way during summer - as a kid or adult I didn't quite figure out, but I could see the wave of nostalgia hitting her - in a good way.
Was a nice time out in the wather and on the sands... got to shin level only, the water I should say. Headed up to Brannon's Lookout next, above Turners Beach, more lovely panorama, went to the Cherry Farm just outside Latrobe for cherry jam, ice cream, pies and the fruit themselves. Yum. The cherry wine and port would just have been overdoing it LOL. Then a quick scenic photo stop by the side of the road at Sassafras and then home. Well, via LHA's place to drop off some of those cherries.
Next on the agenda was LRO's birthday - seven years old I think. I had been over exerting myself on their trampoline last time I was in Tas, in October, and LRO was happy when hearing I would be down again, as I would get 'hot and sweaty' all over again.
The grandparents, the parents, V and I and assorted others - plus six kids, five of whom were under ten, two of which were toddlers. Had more food, more drink, somehow V and my trip to Liffey Falls the following day was to turn into five kids, another couple of adults, and our dinner with V's workmates on Saturday got another four family members attached.
I did do a quick trampoline with the girls but unlike last time was not going to play tag. And wasn't wearing a jumper and jeans like I did in October, and thus avoided hot and sweatiness. I took one of the toddlers on the swing, and, when she wanted to get on the trampoline, took her back to her parents in my arms - she found my sunglasses and was putting them on - was quite a sweet sequence indeed.
Finished off watching City of Angels that night - hadn't been missing out on much.
And set the alarm for the first time on the holiday, because LRO and her two sisters were going to be dropped around at 9.30 sharpish - they had gotten out of shopping in Launceston with their mother to go walking at Liffey Falls.
They turned up at 10am, and there were only two of them, one of the kids bailing apparently when she discovered it would be out in the countryside, and walking would be involved. LRO brought around a battery operated sleepy bear toy, and both she and MRO pottered around the house for an hour before we went picnic shopping - V did the bakery without the kids in tow, I did the supermarket and basically as soon as the car stopped, both girls volunteered to go into Woolies with me - when we were in the store both girls went in different directions, leaving me to ponder the one who would be best to follow.
We caught up with MDE and SDE, and their two kids, IDE and KDE, who were also coming out to Liffey with us, and we were on the road. They went off for petrol, we waited for them in a side street - somehow, in a town the size of Mount Thomas, we couldn't link up again for ten minutes LOL.
Then out to Liffey Falls themselves, with me and V up the front, and the kids in the back - I got a flashback to all the drives my family did when I was a kid, and realised I was up the front. Was a very warm and fuzzy feeling - I think my uncle training is coming along quite nicely...
Onto a dirt road for the last ten kays to the falls, the first dirt road I have been on in ages. Add in a windy narrow dirty road as we descended into the valley at about 20 kph, and I haven't been on a road like that in ever I think...
Got to the car park picnic area, had a bite to eat, before heading on the 45 min return track down to the Falls. Was a good bushwalk down, and the Falls themselves were magnifique. The kids, apart from the toddler, were in the water basically as soon as V gave permission, and scampered about for a good half hour - each of them fell over, but not seriously. Guess which muggins was mentally preparing himself to wade in if anything serious had happened?
But seeing the kids play was the icing on the cake - it wouldn't have been the same if it were just V and I... and the other adults left me to watch over them, and gauge when playtime should finish - very responsible kind of feeling.
On the walk back up to the cars, V struggled. She said she should start walking around town again after the whole Liffey Falls thing, but maybe in a couple of weeks, at the earliest. Once we got back, we had bread rolls with meat and salad fillings for a late lunch, and it was all very civilised. Apart from the horse flies and lack of mobile coverage.
Afterwards, we headed back into town for ice creams (guess which muggins volunteered to pay again), dropped off the kids, grabbed a DVD and pizza and fell through the door at home. Pizza wasn't Eagle Boys or Dominos, but it was good for a non-chain one.
V soaked in the bath while I watched Tribe on SBS, and we then veged out watching In Good Company on DVD.
Yesterday, Saturday, was Launnie Day. And pick up everything for everybody day, DHA's prescription, KRO's singing Santa power pack and dancing gnomes, if we could swing it. No to the gnomes, unfortunately.
Went up to the lookout from Monday overlooking Cataract Gorge - hope the pictures come out well - and then stopped into RLY's to have a coffee and a chat. Then down into town for shopping - put my camera films in for developing - one of the few times I have got pics before the applicable diary entry - got some boiled lollies at Gourlays, yum, very old fashioned with the big jars and scales, YUM.
And then had a very nice lunch, at T2, a cafe. Chicken and avocado toasted sandwich, wedges and expensive 250mL Coke - well, I guess you are paying for the glass bottle LOL. I got snapped by V for maybe smiling a bit too widely, bing too personable in my conversation with the pretty waitress, and then was on to more shopping. Went into Colorado and bought a very nice shirt, browsed, and picked up the piccies,
Went over to City Park to see the monkeys, saw the monkeys, Japanese macaques, and is just a very nice park anyways.
Then the highlight of my trip from V's point of view happened - I jest, somewhat. I pumped petrol for her in one of those cheapie self serve places, saving 11c from the cost of petrol in the village. She hates doing her own petrol, because the petrol cap is too hard to get off. All that bowser pumping in Canada came back to me in a flash LOL.
Almost as soon as we got home, changed and freshened up we were out again, back to Launnie, for tea at the Canton, Chinese. We did try for the Mee Wah, but they were booked out. Rode in with KRO and TRO, and arrived about right on 6.30, the booking time, with everyone else already there. Everybody being LHA, DHA, MMA, AMA, SKA and JKA, the last one being the only one I haven't met before.
The food was reasonable, the service could have been better, but all in all it was OK. The Mee Wah has a better reputation apparently. I had dim sums and spring rolls, sweet and sour pork and chicken with almonds, and brandy snaps. Conversation, as it always seems with that group, was half shop, half light hearted banter, but then dessert left and people talked perhaps an hour too long - without our own wheels though, it would have been rude to bail. Got home last night about quarter past eleven.
This morning lazed around the house, went out to Westbury pub for lunch, and then went around to LHA and DHA's place for a final cuppa this time around. Showed them both my photos from the week, V says I have a knack for photography and should go into a course - she says that about my writing as well - and LHA said there were some very good ones.
Then packing, driving to the airport, a quick drink and the usual teary farewells. Good, uneventful flights, and about half an hour out of landing in Bris now...
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