WEDNESDAY 12 AUGUST     FORREST BEACH

It was a sunny and hot day.

We drove into Ingham – getting to know that road really well. It was always interesting checking out what was going on at the Victoria Mill, as we passed – or sat waiting for a cane train to trundle over the crossings.

Our cards had finally arrived at the bank.

At Retra Vision, I bought a sandwich press toaster. I hadn’t forgotten! Didn’t know where I was going to store it in the van. Maybe in the little-used oven? We were going to have some experimental – hopefully great – toasted wraps for lunches, now.

John got his watch battery replaced at a jeweller. Ingham is quite well endowed with shops. There was even a Country Target, where I found some cheap, lightweight, loose T shirts – ideal for this weather.

I bought some frozen mackerel at the quite good fish shop, to be Friday’s tea. Did a brief supermarket foray as I had to buy the makings for toasted wraps!

Back in Allingham, collected our forwarded mail from the PO. Friend M’s epistle on her Canning trip was in the bag of mail, so I spent ages reading that – wonderful.

I got out the Road Atlas and worked out that we could stay here until Friday week and still have time for a fairly comfortable trip home – bearing in mind that, once we set off that way, John would go into “hurry home” mode, probably leading to ultra-long travel days. But, I could plan for sanity, and hope it might prevail.

So, off up to the bottle shop again, to extend our stay yet once more. We came here, originally, for three days, which now would turn into a month.

Tea was pork stir fry and udon noodles.

Today was the 70th birthday of one of my closest friends, in Melbourne. We would be missing his very lavish celebration at one of the city’s top establishments, this coming weekend. Sometimes, can’t do it all.

I had an email from daughter, requesting grandma duty for some of the September school holidays.