August 2013– Just lollygagging around!

Toowoon Bay

After leaving Norah Head we had a very long drive, all of 15km, to Toowoon Bay.  Another Central Coast Council run park which is quite well done.  You may ask why we didn’t just stay at Norah Head – we were getting bored – OK??  We’re going to be in the same place (Dooralong) for 5 weeks, so moving from Norah Head to Toowoon Bay made perfect sense to us!!!

It’s a nice park and well kept.  There are a quite a lot of permanent and semi permanent sites, but plenty of tourist sites also.  All the usual family items such as playground, pool and jumping pillow.  YES, JUMPING PILLOW!!!  We made a serious mistake when choosing / being allocated our site.  Apparently, the noise made by children and adults when bouncing around on a jumping pillow ECHOES!!!  We were there for 8 days, and if I never see another, I will be quite happy.

Rick now has a flash new pair of glasses and he made his first visit to a Hearing Audiologist in Gosford.  The Audiologist was very good and very thorough and has upgraded Rick to newer technology hearing aids.  These will be available for fitting and pick-up next week on 21 August, the day after our house-sitting client leaves for Europe.

Dooralong

We arrived at our new house-sit on 16 August and made a really good job of manoeuvring our way into the back garden through the gate quite well.  No hiccups whatsoever.  Rob & Robyn had family commitments that day so we pottered about and set-up as per normal.  They are not leaving until AM on 20 September, so we had plenty of time to acclimatise ourselves and get to know our new home for the next five weeks.  It was also a bonus in getting to know Rob & Robyn  (R&R) better.  They were also kind enough to arrange an afternoon tea with a couple of the neighbours, which was lovely of them.  It really helps when staying on a rural property if you know who is driving up and down the road, or walking past the house.
One of the features of the property is the orange grove and the other assorted citrus trees.  The oranges are delightful, juicy and really sweet.  They also grow grapefruit, limes, lemons and cumquats.
Rick made his four-monthly trip to the dermatologist a couple of weeks ago.  We both came away really pleased that he'd escaped with nothing more serious that some blisters where some sun-spots were frozen off.
There is only one major downside to this particular property.  The local council upgraded the road recently (actually finished just before we arrived), and in their wisdom decided to stop the new asphalt about 200 metres before the house.  This means that vehicles coming off the bridge (asphalt) onto the continuing road (dusty dirt) throw up huge clouds of dust.  And the prevailing wind, lucky for us and R&R, blows directly across the road into the back of the house.  It creeps into every little nook and cranny!!  Just this last week, council trucks have been running up and down the road, loaded with road gravel to try and fix pot-holes further up the road.  There has been a lot of fist-waving and swearing going on, particularly just after I hang out the washing.
My little whinge having now taken place, the property is just lovely, with plenty of bird-life and beautiful gardens.  R&R can be justifiably proud of what they have created here.  We will be in residence here until 24 September when we return to Norah Head for a few days before heading south to Sydney for the International Fleet Review 2013 and the 50th anniversary Reunion of Rick’s intake into the Royal Australian Navy in 1963.  We are both really looking forward to those events.

ANT INFESTATION just this morning!!

The kitchen got invaded by little black ants.  We had some yesterday in the drawer under the stove (yes, that's the stove that died on Friday), which we cleaned out and laid an ant-bait in.  Then this morning, there was a trail leading over the pantry door in both directions, to the cupboard contain the exhaust vent.  Rick found some ant-rid (ironically in that exact cupboard) and laid a few drops around.  Then I went upstairs to do teeth, face, clean up etc.  Only to hear a yell, come and look at this!  When I got downstairs, the view was incredible.  Every ant within miles had come to the party, and the cupboard and stove were covered in living, dying and dead ants.  The inside of the cupboard was also awash, so that cupboard also got emptied, sprayed, cleaned and all the contents washed.  There is a lovely tea-set and a multitude of medications and first-aid supplies.  Well, that was fun!!!