FRIDAY 29 JANUARY     EVANS HEAD

We woke up to some blue sky and balmy breezes. There are still some clouds, but it may be fine for much of the day.

After breakfast, we went for a short walk along the beach. To get to it, we just have to walk down the road past our site, then past the Surf Lifesaving Club and we are on the beach. There is an excellent expanse of non-stop sand, stretching away for kms into the distance to the north. 4WD vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach, north of the town’s edge – so the sand is fairly firm.

In the other direction, the beach only goes for a short way, before it ends against a breakwall that is one of two at the entrance to the Evans River. I presume they are there to stop sand washing in and blocking the river mouth. They don’t go out all that far – maybe fifty metres? It is all very pleasant.

As we walked back to the van, noticed that there is a sort of dish drain that runs through the park and sort of cuts it in half. We crossed it on a little bridge yesterday, but it didn’t really register then. It is a scooped out hollow – grass covered now – that I guess could carry quite a bit of water in heavy rain.

After lunch, John went to bowls. He is actually able to walk there!

I went exploring around the shops to see what is there. Answer – not many, but the basics are covered. Then I did a proper long walk along the beach, for a couple of hours. There were enough people around, at different points, for me to feel quite secure doing this.

John was happy enough with his bowling, even though he played in a losing team. It is a big club.

Tea was soup – from a tin. John had reheated steak and kidney. I had some veggies and salad.

Phoned K to let him know all was well. John phoned daughter R. She is waiting to hear if she got into the course at Melbourne Uni that she wants to do. There is much demand for it, and time is running out.

TUESDAY 26 JANUARY      STANTHORPE

Today, it is a year since John’s official resignation from the Education Department. He slept till about 10am. So good not to have to get up early, and to alarms!

After a late breakfast, we went to practice bowls. This dragged on much longer than I wanted, until 2pm, by which time it was too late for a proper lunch, or to do anything much with the rest of the day. My plan had been to go back to Girraween or Bald Rock, for a walk!

John watched cricket on TV.

I went for a walk around the streets.

Tea was soup, omelette with ham, cheese and onion.

SUNDAY 24 JANUARY      STANTHORPE

We got a fairly early start and went, briefly, to the markets next door – in the Showgrounds, before going to bowls. The markets were pretty tatty – more like a poor garage sale. We just looked and didn’t buy anything. There was not the fresh produce I’d hoped to find there.

Bowls was alright. The people were friendly. We played triples. John was skip, with another lady and me. We won quite well. John played an excellent game. I was a bit happier with my game than I’d been in Toowoomba.

The game was followed by several rounds of drinks, so we were a bit sleepy in the afternoon!

I began drying some pears I’d bought at a stall. They went brown – I need lots of lemon, or a syrup bath, which is too complex to do here. So, at this stage, that is a failed experiment.

John watched cricket on TV.

There was quite a cloud build up through the afternoon, then some heavy rain for a while.

Tea was soup, ham, potato and salad.

SATURDAY 23 JANUARY      STANTHORPE

After breakfast, we went for a drive around the Pozieres/Amiens Roads areas, calling in at some farms with big packing sheds and signs of life, to see if there was work. There wasn’t. Some already have their full complement of workers; most say they are not starting for another couple of weeks.

Back at camp, chatted with the new people behind us. They do quite a bit of gemstone fossicking, and have been to Rubyvale and O’Briens Creek. The man gave us a handful of garnets someone had given him, that came from up Cloncurry way. There may even be the odd cutter amongst them. They are nice people.

After lunch, John went to bowls.

I read the Saturday papers. Did some knitting, finishing off three of the little jumpers and jackets that had needed sewing up and bands done. Quite often, I like to knit as we are driving distances – it helps me stay awake! There is no point in making things for John and me – we have ample clothing. So I decided that baby and young children’s items were manageable, not needing too much wool – and can be stored away for if there are grandchildren, further down the track. I now have four such items completed.

John returned happy with his bowling. He wants us to play in the morning!

Tea was soup, the leftover ham and cheese bake, which was alright cold. The fresh nectarines are wonderful.

We have decided to extend our stay here for a few extra days, to see if any work eventuates, and also because there are still places we want to see – well, I want to see.

FRIDAY 22 JANUARY       STANTHORPE

After breakfast, we went to the shops for a paper, to the chemist for my script, the bank to get some cash, Woolworths for some groceries.

After lunch, we went and practiced bowls for nearly three hours, which made John happy.

Friends of the people behind us have arrived, and set up their camper trailer directly behind us. Our neighbour is going to give us a list of fruit people to go and see about work. I am still not keen on the idea!

Tea was a ham and cheese bake, followed by fresh nectarines.

WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY     STANTHORPE

When I got up, there was some early morning cloud. As the day heated, it was burnt off and it turned into a pleasant day.

I discovered that my HRT script is out of date, so had to locate a doctor in the phone book and make an appointment – for tomorrow morning – to get a renewal. Must watch that date thing in the future, with scripts.

I finished the small blue tablecloth I’d been making, and later in the day spent some time pondering over how to lay out the prototype I will make, for a set of place mats for S. She has said she would be interested in having such a set and would pay for the materials. That is a nice, long, time consuming project. I plan to design and make a possible one and send it off to her for approval, before making the set.

I went briefly to the shops for a paper and some food items.

John went to bowls in the afternoon. He enjoyed it and won. I cleaned the van, read the paper, and sewed. I made some barley and vegetable soup.

I had quite a chat with the lady in the van behind us. She and husband have lived in their van for seven years. They follow a harvest circuit they have devised. They will pick for a full season of a product, or sometimes just for a month, then have 4-6 weeks off. They do the fruit here, then strawberries at Palmwoods, veggies in the Bowen area, then apples at Batlow. Finding out about the travelling lifestyles of others is really interesting.

Tea was some of the soup, ham, potato and coleslaw.

During the afternoon, there looked to be storm clouds looming up, but they did not develop into anything, at the time.