Another year older, but certainly no wiser..

Last Saturday was the big 35. Half way to 70.

I'd sort of planned to visit the Wood,Wine and Roses festival at Heywood.... until I looked at the programme at the local paper, and realised it would be an expensive, yet boring day. So then I suggested that maybe we could drive down to Cape Bridgewater and Nelson, as I hadn't been down there yet. But they had bushfires down there so that didn't seem like a goer either.

Had to work Friday night, but it was dinner as usual at the pub. I placed my order with Michael before I left work and drove home to get changed before going back to the pub.

Imagine my surprise when I walked in to find Mum there! It was the best birthday present as I'd been missing her a lot.

So, on Saturday, we toured the highlights of Hamilton (that took 20 mins) and then went out to Tarrington for lunch. Service was abominably slow, and my hamburger was tepid. Mum's vegetable lasagne looked really good though. Then we drove home, via Penshurst, Dunkeld, Cavendish, through Coleraine, out to Merino, Sandford and then the back road that ends up near our property. Just a little drive!

Sunday, we went over to the Mount and did tourist things. We looked at the Blue Lake,


and the Cave Gardens,



watched some lunatic teenage boys dice with death (or at least with paraplegia) as they ran around the inside of the fence at Cave Gardens. Mim decided to pick us one of the many roses in the garden beds at the Gardens and got a bit upset when I told her that the flowers weren't for picking.


We dined at Macs Hotel and then drove home via Nelson, Dartmoor and Digby. At Nelson, we wandered down to the ocean beach and took a few shots of the southern ocean. Looked rather cool for swimming.

On Monday, Caitlin was given the day off school, so we took Mum for a drive over to Casterton, then back to Coleraine.
view from the Muntham

The girls really enjoyed her visit, as did I. Poor Nana didn't get to sleep on her own once, Mim was her personal hot water bottle. Hopefully next time you come down, Mum, it might be a bit greener (it'll definitely be cooler).


trying to prevent Nana from leaving

really really unattractive uniform!