Saturday 22 August 2015
As we were to be at
breakfast by 7am we had time for a sleep in but I still woke just
after 5am. A full breakfast was followed by a short devotion time in
the bus then we headed west to Gunnedah
and on to Narrabri for morning tea.
We saw emus on the way
and have seen a smattering all day. I rang Janette whose daughter is
living in Narrabri but was out at work. I'll have to return some time
to meet her. The weather is warming and we are stripping off all the
layers we can possibly lose.
After passing lots of
canola crops (and others) and a callitris plantation our lunch stop
was in the park at Walgett and by now we were all very hot and the
shade of the casuarinas was most welcome.
On to Lightning Ridge
for a quick look at some opals before the shops closed. Barb and I
both bought some for ourselves and I even wore my new earrings to
dinner.
We also bought an ice
block which helped the cooling down process then booked into our room
and sat for a while in the semi-cool of the evening.
Dinner was a pleasant
retreat into food ordinary-ness. Our company tonight was Diana, Ros
(from Narrabri), Derek and Barbara (from Kirrawee and know Aunty Joy
well).
In all the trip today
was long and hot but made more pleasant by our rotation to the second
front seat and more interesting by John's commentary and choice of
Greg North poetry readings. During the afternoon, after noting that I
had achieved lots of steps but had actually been in the bus most of
the day, I realised that all the bumps on the road were clocking up
steps. My total today was over 17000. I think I'll stop caring about
the number and just walk when I can.
In the evening we saw a
group of three kookaburras in a tree near our cabin. They seemed to
be mum and two offspring. We tried to get some photos, Barb with her
long lens and me with my digital marvel. Unfortunately there was
insufficient light but we plan a pre-breakfast take two.
Sunday 23 August 2015
My first activity was
to get onto email and found that David had been looking out of his
window at the Tamworth Conservatorium and saw me outside.
Unfortunately, by the time he had got to the gate we had wandered off
out of sight. What a pity we missed each other.
After breakfast (no
luck with the kookaburras) Barb and I went over to the market in the
tourist information area. Barbara found a stunning ring but didn't
buy it (rather expensive). I found a string of Japanese style beads
(not opals) that I did buy. I think I'll have plenty of opportunity
to wear them.
On our way back we met
our leader John who informed us that we had the wrong time for the
church service in the itinerary and that it had started already. We,
together with lots of others, hot footed it along the street to get
there just a little late.
After morning tea we
all drove to the Public Bore Baths and some of us sampled the 40C
water. It was too hot to stay in very long but was pleasant enough.
Picnic lunch and whip cracking followed in the shade of a sparse tree
outside the baths. Lunch was freshly cooked chicken and tinned
apricots from the IGA and billed as “Apricot Chicken” by our
hosts. It was actually quite delicious. I've never had tinned
apricots on a sandwich before.
Off again, this time to
the 3-mile Black Hand Opal mine and gallery. The mine was interesting
but very like other small-scale mines I've been in. However, the
gallery was an old mine given over to a stone carver who has created
some fantastic carvings. As I wandered around I was humming (as I do)
and found that some of the chambers have fabulous acoustics. I could
have stayed for a bit more singing time.
A short drive then to
an open cut opal mine before returning back to town.
Back to the cabin where
we were able to have some R&R and catch up on downloads and
diaries. r
I had a lovely walk
aound town- up Morilla street then into surburbia Lightning Ridge
style. Some of the houses had dirt floors and timber plank windows
that could be propped open with a stick. One fairly basic house
which did have a concrete slab floor had a bmw convertible in the
front yard. Over all was a huge sky with amazingly weighty clouds.
The light was so bright that I needed sunnies at five thirty. Now
pre dinner business- drinks etc. Don't tell Mum.
On the way to the
dining room we had some success with photographing the kookaburras
and the fabulous light of sunset in the large bank of clouds to the
SE.
After dinner we all
headed out in the bus towards 3-mile to a fairly dark spot for some
star gazing. Apart from a half moon the view was also impaired by the
number of cars coming both ways. However, the experience was
magnificent as we watched lightning in the same huge cumulus clouds
that gave us joy at sunset.
