Mini Holiday

Yes, it was mini. I stayed two nights at Sister's but it felt longer. Ray and I stayed there while Sister and family were away in January, and in nearby Queenscliff at Christmas just gone. This time Sister, Bone Doctor and Jo were in Central Australia, doing what you do there. I thought their wee holiday was for Bone Doctor's grandmother's 100th in Queensland. Keep up Andrew.

It felt a bit strange without Ray there. I cranked up the heating to levels that would be horrific to the homeowners and didn't turn them off until I was leaving. Really, only the living area is heated, but the warmth did flow through a bit to the kitchen at least. 

I arrived at about 1pm on Friday. I had coffee and cake for afternoon tea at the local village while I watched some very impressive wave action.

While I've seen it before, it was a while ago, so I drove a couple of minutes to the lighthouse. 

The Russians were coming in 1917.

The sea was a bit riled up.

Loud and Proud, the gay march through Queenscliff...no sorry, my mistake. 

Through a window into an outbuilding. I don't think this is operating equipment but kept for volunteer tours. 

Here be the foghorn. 

This was piece of metal buried into the roadway. 

Your and my best guesses won't come close.

The motor car drive from Queenscliff wharf to Point Lonsdale takes under 15 minutes.  It is hard to image why it would take an hour or more by a horse pulled coach. 

I returned to Sister's and ignored the cats who were about to pass out from hunger. They were quite wary of us both in January, but they seemed to remember me as a source of food. Lol, that sounds like they might actually eat me. I'm sure they thought about it. They hung around all late afternoon. I went out to buy a pizza for dinner, which I kept warm in the oven while I had a pre dinner glass or wine...ok, two. They greeted me again upon my return with their starvation antics. Ok, ok, at 6.30 I thought I would feed them their wet food but they had disappeared. I called them outside and Oreo turned up. This is awkward. They eat together from twin bowls. How to feed them separately? I fed him and later when Athena turned up, I fed her in the bathroom with the door closed against Oreo. 

At 9pm, I rattled their dry food container and they came and I fed them in the garage and locked them in for the night. No possums or hooded plovers were destroyed by them that night. 

I let them out the next morning after I arose and fed them some more dry food. 

After mucking around for a a few hours, and eating my own cereal I had brought along, I wanted proper food and so drove to Queenscliff to the fabulous beach food caravan. I think there is a staff of four and none are under 60. Just brilliant. I wasn't that hungry and it was raining, so I bought raisin toast and coffee and sat in the car looking at the sea. 

Back to Sister's to face, in their eyes, skin and bone cats for a while. I then set off for Barwon Heads, a very busy seaside town with little parking and much traffic. Sister paid for Mother's and Step Father's accommodation  for Mother's 70th birthday, in the cabin used in the tv show SeaChange at Barwon Heads. It is a popular place for good reasons. 

 A few years ago we stayed at Barwon Heads in a cabin. Ex Sis in Law and her husband were staying in same park in their caravan, along with Hippie Niece and her twin daughters. It was a disaster. The twins had a terrible meltdown. Hippie Niece had a meltdown. Ex Sis in Law looked after the twins and Hippie Niece slept on the floor of our cabin.

We were staying another night and motel accommodation was found for Hippie Niece and her daughters. Only later did I learn Ray paid and he never asked me for half. The motel was on the Barwon River on the Ocean Grove side. I want to revisit the place. I have no real memory of it. 

I didn't find it as I suddenly no longer cared but I was on the river bank, and it was most interesting. 

Old boat ramp.

Mangroves growing in the waters.

The new pier and boat ramp.

I am just amazed by my phone camera. This pelican was so far away.

When in Barwon Heads, I had thoughts of visiting Nephew and his family, twenty minutes away, but I didn't feel comfortable bothering them with a visit by the old aunty. They are busy with their children and life. I had posted something on FaceBook and the next day Nephew messaged me, saying they would be at the play park in Ocean Grove at about 1pm. Sadly, I was home by then. I think I really should have let them know I was nearby and let them work out a catch up, rather than me trying to control things. Ray! Stop looking over my shoulder. 

Back at Sister's, I took an afternoon walk to the beach. The sea had calmed compared to yesterday. How many times did I, Ray, Sister, Bone Doctor, Jo and dog Fuzzy Cocoa walk to the beach together? It will never happen again and I felt the sads.  Fuzzy is on her last legs and won't last the year. But overall, while I was glad to come back home, it was a nice break for a couple of days. Sister's bed is very comfortable.

Oreo.

Athena.

How many bicycles does a family of three need? Six? That's two each. 

But wait, here's another two.

Aww, one person will only have two bikes. This one on its own makes it a nice even three bikes  each.

I have no knowledge of what this device does but it looks electro dangerous.

Nothing exceeds like excess, and by golly, do Sister and Bone Doctor do that so well.

High tide at the beach on Saturday, with gentle waves.

The wind was coming from the north on the Friday yet this sea was pushing hard against the northerly wind. 

People were walking along the path, but with a careful eye on what the seas was doing.