Busy, busy, busy in Toowoomba

Well I am happy to report we got away well and truly before the nomads beside us.  I don’t even think the lucky things were even awake!  Oh well at least we could get to Collarenebri well and truly before Hamish’s on-air lesson which allowed us to have a cup of tea before commencing.  There wasn’t too much for Kayla and I to do and it was a bit cold so after a while we just sat and waited for the lesson to end.  It was a good thing really as Hamish needed to ask us a few questions as part of his lesson.

Loved the drive with all the pretty flowers.

Another set of traffic lights in the middle of nowhere.

Once it was over we were back on the road and heading to Moree.  Jason filled me in how during the lesson he was moving his hand to point to where Hamish should start writing and Hamish turned his head and moved at the same time so he accidently hit him in the head.  Of course Hamish got upset and apparently Mrs Lockrey saw it and said ‘oh no Dad’.  Jason was mortified as even though he knew it was an accident he could only imagine how it must have looked through the webcam! 

The kids and I checked out the river at Collarenebri.

We rolled into Moree just in time for a late lunch.  I had done some research and found that we could get a power and water site for only $22 a night, but if you stay for a week it is only $110 in total.  So considering we needed somewhere to store the van it is a bargain to be able to stay and then leave it there for only less than $16 a night.  Mind you the people to the left of us don’t exactly seem too thrilled that we parked where we have but what do they expect.  This site had power and water so of course we are going to take it as opposed to others that only had power. 

So it is just a basic setup as we will aim to get early the next day so why setup heaps to just put it all away.  After lunch we started the process of moving things to the car that we want to put into storage in Toowoomba and getting some of the Birthday and Christmas presents we have been given as they will also go into storage.  I also did a school session with Hamish before deciding we should take the kids out for a play on the massive rocket slide.  Of course we had a drama before we headed off.  Hamish dropped his matchbox car into the toilet!  He was so upset about it and wanted us to get it out for him!  As you can imagine there were no volunteers.

The awesome rocket slide in the park.

So we decided to deal with that problem later and still headed out.  Once back Jason took the toilet to the dump point, and no he didn’t fish out the car, instead opting to put it in the bin once it fell onto the dump point.  However on the way home he stopped into the shops and bought Hamish a new white matchbox car!  As parents you really need to think outside the square, and well I personally wasn’t touching it, yet alone washing it in my saucepan!  The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing off school which included making a mask for the lesson the next day.  Then dinner, packing the suitcase and the rest of the car!  So much to take it is not funny.  I think I will have to take a photo to show you the back of the car as proof!

Well I forgot to take that photo, but it is safe to say that the car was loaded.  Mind you I was happy we could still fit the mop into the back of the car.  We have lugged that thing around for the last 10 months and honestly only used it once.  Not because we don’t clean our floors but it is too wide for half the spots in the caravan so it is easier to actually just get down and wipe it all over by hand!  Still Jason wouldn’t just let me donate it to a camp kitchen. 

We were up nice and early and decided that we might as well hit the road because that way when we got to Goondiwindi to stop and do Hamish’s on-air lesson we would have some spare time and potentially get to have a coffee before having to sit down and do the lesson.  I think we had over an hour spare by the time we arrived so we pulled up at the McDonalds so the kids could have a play and we could have our coffee in peace.  It didn’t quite work that way as the playground was a bit wet and it wasn’t until other kids went out there that our two finally ventured out and stayed on it.

Then it was a quick trip to the chemist as Jason found a tick on himself.  I can’t express how much I am over these damn little things making an appearance but funnily enough now that Jason has had one we were straight at the chemist getting something proper to remove them and he re-searched what to look out for!  Kind of like man flu really, it is no big deal if others have got it but the moment he does suddenly it is a big deal.

Before we knew it we headed to the library to set up for Hamish’s on-air lesson.  He didn’t do very well at all to start with and I received a text message from Jason asking me to come back.  Needless to say neither of us was happy as I was enjoying my time with Kayla and getting out and Jason wasn’t happy Hamish was playing up and the way I came in and made him feel.  So I took over, sent Jason and Kayla out and Hamish actually did a brilliant lesson and recognised his sounds, matched up the words nicely and did some wonderful writing.  I was very proud of him.  Needless to say though that the continuation of the car trip to Toowoomba was a relatively quiet one as neither Jason nor I were happy with each other and how we had individually handled it.

Still once in Toowoomba we stopped for a late spot of lunch and grabbed some fruit that we needed for Hamish’s school lesson.  Then we popped in to visit my friend Naomi and had some afternoon tea.  Hamish eagerly made his fruit sticks and offered them to everyone.  When I say offered them he was pretty much shoving them in your face so you had better eat them, but he was very proud of them.  It was great catching up with Naomi and she had made and decorated the most delicious red velvet cupcakes for us. 

Before long we had to head off and get over to Jason’s Mum’s place as that is where we are staying for the next five nights.  Of course the kids were excited to see their Grandparents again and we spent the evening catching up.  Hamish crashed in bed easily after Margie read him a few stories, and well Kayla was up and ready to be the last one awake due to her sleeping most of the way from Goondiwindi to Toowoomba.  I retreated to bed so I could read but was fast asleep when Jason came in and broke the news that the Broncos had lost. 

My sleep was broken at 2am when the kids woke up scared, being in a new place and at the other end of the unit from us, so I went and collected them and took them back to our room.  I guess they are used to us all being close in the caravan.  The only problem though was that there was now no longer any room for me, so I moved out to their bed but couldn’t sleep so I was up at 3am typing a blog. 

Well sometimes you are glad when you see the sunrise.  I mean if you aren’t getting any sleep anyway you might as well get up.  Coffee was certainly my friend that day.  Still the one advantage of getting up early is that you get to start school earlier, however that kind of backfired really as Hamish was enjoying checking out Grandmas’ place and happen to find a set of kids dvds so wanted to watch all of them.  I thought I would let him watch one and then we could do some school but really school should have been finished first.

I think it is hard when you have finally gotten back into a good rhythm and then you have to adapt to a new environment and distractions are our worst enemy.  Still we did eventually manage to get there and then we headed out to try and knock over our large list of shopping that we had to do.  First and foremost was a good cup of coffee.  I mean I didn’t want to face shopping without having my fuel for the day!  Then it was onto tackling Kayla’s birthday present and then some maternity jeans for me as my ever expanding belly was outgrowing everything and trackies really aren’t appropriate wear for going out.

Thankfully the shopping was really easy and whilst Hamish and I did the shopping for Kayla’s present, Jason took Kayla and they went to put my phone into the same day repair place.  I don’t know how we did it back in the days when we didn’t have mobile phones.  I had told Jason where I would meet him as it isn’t like he could just call me when he got back to the shopping centre.  We did manage to find each other easily and just at the perfect time really.  Jason then took the kids to the car whilst I went and bought some jeans that fitted.  They feel so much better and now I can at least go out to Father’s Day breakfast looking respectable. 

We then popped back to Margie and Peter’s place for some lunch and to offload some of the purchases.  I really felt sorry for Peter as he went to have a nap and well my two weren’t exactly quiet.  They weren’t screaming the place down but when you aren’t use to having the noise in the unit it must be harder to get your naps or sleep in as my kids and I are up with the sun.  After a while we decided to duck out and grab the last of the things we needed for Kayla’s cake, her present and to pick up my phone.  Well the shop I went to didn’t have the cake supplies I wanted!  Brilliant I will have to be inventive.  Then my phone wasn’t ready.  Umm, what part of same day didn’t they quite get?  At least Jason was able to get the tennis racket and balls that he wanted to get Kayla as part of her present.

Feeding the Kookaburras at Margie and Peter's.

We then headed back to Margie’s and said a quick hello to her as she was now home from work before heading out again to catch up with the Steve, Carolyn and Dahlia who have just moved to Toowoomba from Canada.  Little Dahlia is nearly one and this is the first time that we have met her and she is just so adorable and handled my kids coming in and being quite full on with her toys so well.  She wasn’t the least bit phased by then.  It was so great catching up with Steve and Carolyn and we take our hats off to them for taking the big step to pack up with a little bubs and move out to Australia (well Steve was coming home to Toowoomba). 

By now it was starting to get late and as we were hopping in the car I admired the beautiful sunset that Toowoomba was putting on for us.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the camera in the car and well my phone was still in the repair shop so I didn’t get a photo.  Thank you Steve and Carolyn for your hospitality and allowing our kids to make themselves at home.  Back at Margie’s we were treated to a delicious meal.  It is great when we come home after a big day out doing things and have a delicious home cooked meal prepared for you.  The kids of course loved their extra big bowls of jelly and ice-cream that they got for dessert.

Now it was just a matter for waiting for Kayla to go to sleep…. and waiting… and waiting.  Yes as you can tell she had managed to fit in an afternoon nap so was ready to stay up and see in her birthday.  I however had other plans and needed her to go to sleep so I could decorate the room a little bit for her and put out her presents.  Not to mention I was shattered from the lack of sleep the night before.  Eventually we did succeed but it was in our bed which did make sense as the kids were sleeping out in the lounge room so it was too busy out there.  So I quickly put everything out and then went to get some sleep too.  Of course I didn’t want to move them back out to their bed in fear of waking them so we slept in their bed.

All set up and ready for the birthday girl.

Though during the night the kids woke up scared so I ended up sleeping at the end of the bed they were in for the night.  Yep it was cold and not much sleep.  I think we might need to put up the air mattress in the office which is the room across the hall as then it isn’t far to walk between beds, but more to the point they can hear me call out and tell them to go back to sleep, which seems to work just fine in the caravan!  Still we did manage to get some sleep before biting the bullet and accepting the fact it was time to get up. 

So Hamish and I got up and did his reading eggs and study ladder sessions whilst Kayla slept, and slept and slept.  Hamish even offered to go and wake her up but that idea was shut down straight away as we all know what she is like if she is woken up when she is not ready to be awake.  Eventually though she did get up and we started opening a few of the presents.  We only got through the ones from Hamish and Margie and Peter before she was too distracted to open any more.  

Kayla starting to open the presents.

Of course she had the ever so helpful brother right there.

Getting to open the present Dad picked.

So I deemed it the opportune time to have some breakfast and get a few other things done before attempting to open a few more.  We were all mindful of the time as Nanna’s party started at 11am and we needed to duck down to the shops to grab a few things for Kayla’s little do in the park afterwards so wanted to head out around 10am.  Getting Hamish to do school was again hard and in the end we had to take him into the study as he was just getting way too distracted out in the main area and we needed to take him somewhere quiet and away from everything. 

Yep she knew exactly what to do.

Who needs presents when you have a card that plays music.

Or balloons to run around with.

I can understand his frustrations though, I mean why should he be the only one sitting down and doing school when Kayla gets to play with toys and the adults are watching TV.  Normally in the caravan one of us is sitting with him doing school whilst the other one takes Kayla away and entertains her or she sits up and draws beside us.  I am thinking that whilst we are here we may have to retreat to the study and shut the door. 

Still we got there and even managed to get in our exercise routine which was part of another lesson.  Then it was time to get all the family dressed, clean up our mess of presents and head out.  We ducked into the shops quickly and then made our way down to the restaurant to meet everyone for lunch.  We were the first ones there but that allowed us to pick a nice corner to set up the kids with their few toys we had brought along.  It was great catching up with as many people as I managed to chat to but to be honest I didn’t get around much and in the end I took the kids across the road to the park so Jason could chat and not worry about the kids for a bit.  I think Nanna really enjoyed her party and I am glad we made the effort to be there for it as 80 is no mean feat.  Yet alone to be so agile and independent is fantastic, I really hope that we can make it to that age and be like that. 

Nanna with her cake.

A picture with the great grandchildren in the park.

The kids loved the park and just kept running from one place to another, burning up their energy.  It was also a lovely spring day in Toowoomba so a light cardie was sufficient to keep me warm and I didn’t have to worry about Hamish in a t-shirt as with all the running and playing he was doing I was pretty confident he was keeping himself warm.  We then had the family photos and a little cake for Kayla before chatting to everyone a little bit more.   If I was wise I would have put fluoro jackets on them, but no of course they were in respective pink and blue tops, the most popular coloured clothing!  Still I was grateful they never went far.

Nanna and Pop with their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Nanna and Pop with their five girls.

Kayla blowing out the candles on her cake.

By now it was starting to cool down and it was getting late so we headed back to Margie and Peter’s unit and settled in for the night.  None of us bothered to cook any dinner and the kids were fed a fruit platter and then chips when they said they were hungry.   That is sort of like a balanced diet right?  We all stayed up and watched a kid’s movie before putting them to bed.  I ended up sleeping with them out on their bed as I fell asleep there putting them to sleep and well with two kids snuggled right up close to you I wouldn’t dare move them.  Mind you they were like two hot water bottles against me.  I guess I was also giving Jason part of his Father’s Day present early with a good night sleep.

All tired after a big day.

So the kids and I were up and I managed to get them to write on their Father’s day cards and sort out their presents in time before Jason woke up and came out.  There was no need to rush around and cook up a breakfast as we were going out to the Café Valetto again for breakfast so had to be down there by 8am.  The kids were a little disappointed I didn’t bring the toys I had the day before but I must admit I just didn’t think of it and of course they got bored pretty fast.  So in the end I took Kayla outside and we looked at all the flowers, plants and colours in the garden until Hamish came out and told me that breakfast was ready.  Again they served up another delicious meal and I was so full by the end of it.  Then I took the kids across the road to the park so that Jason could chat more with his family. 

Happy Fathers day Dad.

Enjoying a swing in the park.

Kayla even let me put in a hairclip.

The kids had a blast running around and I felt so exhausted by the end of it.  I think all the lack of sleep is really starting to catch up with me.  It also felt so odd seeing all these other kids playing with their Dad’s on the playground and it felt like people were looking at us with sympathy that the kids Dad wasn’t there.  So after a while I took the kids back to the café which was perfect timing as everyone was ready to head off.  We were moving onto the other side of Queens Park to check out the beautiful flower gardens.  I think this is where the day really started to go downhill.  The kids were already over it all and ready to head home.  I tried to get out a big ball for them to kick around but they just fought over it.

My big boy.

Hamish took this nice photo of the flowers.

I loved the garden beds.

So I sat down to rest and let Jason play with the kids but it wasn’t long until I had Hamish coming back to me in tears as he had hurt his hand.  I then had Kayla all upset by the flowers so I had to go and get her.  There went my rest.  The kids just wanted to go home and were bored.  It didn’t help that Hamish had either been bitten by something as he had bite marks on his knee and back so he was itchy and whingy.  I sent Hamish to get Jason so we could head off and asked him if he had heard about my phone.  The response was no so I got him to call them.  I mean same day repair and now we are up to the 3^rd day and we still hadn’t heard anything.  I was kind of getting over it.

All in all it was just a combination of tiredness, boredom for the kids and frustration, but I ended up taking the kids home as I was exhausted and needed a rest but had to deal with the kids and they were tired too.  So back home we just chilled on the couch and suddenly everyone was happy again.  Mind you I got a call from Jason about my phone.  I just wanted it sorted and told Jason to deal with it.

When he came home with Margie and Peter he wanted to pack up the kids and take them there but I told him they were bored in the park, so taking them to the mobile repair centre wasn’t exactly going to go well.  So Jason headed off on his own.  When he called I was not happy as he said I had two options, pay the $50 deposit and they will investigate further my broken phone (which still might not be fixed by Monday afternoon) or take back my phone.  So naturally I said take back my phone, but then he said it was in parts and I went nuts.  Apparently they have thrown out the screen and so my phone would be coming back in pieces and not workable at all!  How am I expected to be happy about that?  I can’t believe this repair place.  So needless to say I was quite pissed off and Jason was on the receiving end of that phone call.

I don’t miss my phone for the internet nor Facebook, but it is the calendar I live for.  It holds everything for me in regards to what needs to be done when and I divide out what school to do what days so we don’t fall behind. So yes my mood for the day had dramatically taken a turn for the worst as I was frustrated and annoyed.  Jason then tried to do school with Hamish but that made the day worse as it ended up with them having a big fight, because now Jason wasn’t in a good mood and Hamish picked up on it and wasn’t co-operating.  So yes it was a lovely Father’s Day.

In the end I made the call that we need to get out and savour the rest of the day.  We went and got some lunch and took it to a local park so the kids could run around and have fun.  Finally we all started to relax and enjoy the day.  We then decided that we should be explorers and try and find the waterfall that use to be in that area.  Hamish thought this was a wonderful idea and we went in search of it and thankfully for me it was just up the hill a little bit. 

Off we go exploring.

Oh we found the waterfall.

Somehow I don't think these are real.

We checked it out for a bit before heading off to catch up with one of Jason’s friends who is also called Jason and his wife Deanna and son Diego  It was so nice catching up with them again and our kids certainly made themselves at home with all of Diego’s toys.  Soon though it was starting to get dark and we needed to get back home for dinner.

Not that any of us adults felt like dinner. Margie just gave the kids some cheerios and tin spaghetti for dinner and then it was really whatever you felt like for the adults.  I was so full I opted out of any food and just had a hot milo.  Jason finished off the last school lesson, which we have now decided to do in another room when everyone is home so then he isn’t distracted by everyone else.  That worked a lot better and there were no arguments.  I let Jason put the kids to bed as I had been up with them the last three nights, I think it is time I got a good night sleep.

Well I managed to get a really good night sleep and I think we all did and it really showed as we were so much happier.  Jason slept with the kids and I slept on my own.  School was a breeze and then we got the call that my phone was all fixed, but I couldn’t get there to pick it up straight away as I had my doctor’s appointment.  So I thought I would go to that, pick up my phone and then still get to my friend Amanda’s place in time.  Well without a phone I had no idea what the time was and I didn’t finish at the doctors until 10:55am and I was due at Amanda’s at 10:30am.  I couldn’t believe it, and felt horrible but the worst thing was that I had no phone or way of contacting Amanda.  So I dashed back to Margie’s and used Jason’s phone to explain everything.

So we organised to meet up later that afternoon and that way I could complete Hamish’s reading lesson and then do a session of school before heading out to do some of the jobs we needed to get done.  First was picking up my phone!  I was still not a happy customer and really their service was not good but I just wanted my phone.  The main thing was it was fixed.  Then we grabbed a few other things before heading back to Margie’s place so they could show us the way to our storage unit here in Toowoomba.  There we managed to fit in the things we had to store and it was quite scary seeing all our stuff in one little shed.  Even scarier seeing the removalist had put the box marked bowls and glasses at the bottom and the box was looking very squashed.  Obviously they weren’t the brightest of people; I just hope that the antique chest of drawers and Jason’s family piano which we couldn’t see are in better condition.

From there we headed straight out to Amanda’s place to catch up with her, Emma and William.  The kids had a great time playing outside together and the time passed so quickly that before we knew it we needed to get going and go and catch up with our other friends Geoff and Kylie.  So we pulled up there a little late but still it was great to catch up and the kids played so well together it was like we hadn’t been away for a year.  That is one thing we are really blessed with here in Toowoomba.  We have such a wonderful bunch of friends here and you don’t have to see or talk to them for a year and yet when you do catch up it is like you have never been apart. 

Kayla having some dinner with Grandma.

It was dark before we headed off back to Margie and Peter’s place but we were greeted at the door by the wonderful smell of dinner all ready for us.  Both of the kids were exhausted but so hungry, so downed their dinner, had baths and then pretty much crashed.  We normally do a few things each night for revision with Hamish but we could tell he was so tired we gave him the night off.  I think we are all so exhausted from a very busy five days here in Toowoomba.  Thank you Margie and Peter for your hospitality and feeding us.  Thank you also to all our friends who made time for us to visit, especially as most of it was so late in the day.

Family photo with Grandma McCulloch and Grandpa Peter.

 







No luck with opals in Lightning Ridge

Oh my gosh it was freezing this morning in St George so it made it hard to get up out of bed.  Waking up was easy as of course the kids woke up cold and joined us in our bed.  Kayla was quite congested so it looks like she is coming down with a head cold.  I think we might be secretly wishing we had gone north instead of south.  Still we needed to get on the road and get down to Dirranbandi before Hamish’s on-air lesson so we got dressed and joined Nanna and Pop in the house for breakfast.  Then it was the last putting away of things ready for travel, a few family snaps and we were away. 

This was again a road I had never been on before, unless of course I was too young to remember it.  The drive down to Dirranbandi was uneventful but at the same time really nice as the land looked a lot greener thanks to the wheat and cotton crops and the bit of rain they have had.  For once we seemed to have arrived with plenty of time to spare which was a nice feeling until I realised that Jason hadn’t prepared everything for the lesson.  I had warned him when I printed it that it looked like there was a lot of cutting out.  Then he cut out a few things and said he was ready, so I double checked as I had thought there was a lot more and yes there were another two sheets to go of detailed fiddly things.  What is it with men and reading the instructions!  So we managed to just finish cutting them out in the nick of time.

Location of the classroom for the morning.

Kayla and I entertaining ourselves.

Kayla and I then ventured out and around whilst Jason did the lesson.  We decided since it was so cold that the best place to hang out was the local bakery.  There we treated ourselves to a yummy treat and I had a nice hot coffee to get me through the day.  After that we stopped in at the van to change Kayla’s nappy.  I hate going in half way through the lesson as I feel it distracts Hamish but it needed doing and the nappies were in the van.  At least when we went back out the library was open and we could hang there until the end of the lesson.  Then it was a quick pack up and straight back on the road.

We wanted to get to Hebel by Hamish’s reading lesson.  I had everything out and ready so just needed phone reception to do the lesson, oh and of course Hamish’s co-operation.  We arrived with 5 minutes spare so plenty of time, however my stupid phone that is playing up of course wouldn’t let me dial the number as there is a small section of the screen that doesn’t work and of course that is a row of numbers on the phone!  So thankfully Jason could give me his but then I couldn’t work it (oh I am already falling behind in technology).  So it was my turn to be disorganised and harassed, but again we managed to get there in the nick of time. 

This was an interesting lesson as the questions asked seemed to make me question their use of wording so later that day I did email Hamish’s teacher as I need to have the right understanding so I can teach him appropriately but also at the same time want to know the expectations of how long a child should remember exactly the details of a book.  Once the lesson was finished we all jumped back in the car and headed about 400m down the road to have lunch at the Hebel pub.  On our arrival we realised it was closed so decided instead to go to the café across the road.  Of course once we were inside we noticed the pub was now open, but we decided the café was so nice and warm we were happy to stay.

Hebel pub.

Love the country signs.

Because the first sign wasn't enough.

The kids with their new beanies in front of the café.

Jason and I both ordered the steak burger and they were so fresh and delicious.  Jason couldn’t make the call as to if he thought it was better than the Augathella one, so decided they were both as awesome as each other.  Whilst there we even splashed out and bought the kids some beanies to help keep them warm the more we head south and for our trip over to Toowoomba.  By now we were so full and it was time to finish off the last sixty or so kilometres to Lightning Ridge.  We even crossed over the border to NSW, our last state (other than our return to QLD) that we will be doing this trip.  Funnily enough there was no big pull in area to have your photo in front of the NSW sign, obviously with their State Of Origin record a lot of people don’t want their photo with the sign!

Crossing over into NSW.

Nowhere to stop but he is the welcome sign.

Followed closely by their common second welcome sign!

Check in to the caravan park was a breeze.  There looked to be a free camp at the turn off but with the cold I don’t know if we will be doing another free camp this trip.  A gas heater for the van is on the wish list.  We then washed and did the only school lesson I had flagged for the day whilst also reading up on all the brochures of what there was to do here.  There seems so much so we were a bit worried that two nights wasn’t enough but that is all we have due to family commitments in Toowoomba.  So we then headed out to knock some over that afternoon.

I wish I was that thin.

Of course Hamish didn't want to miss out.

They have these cool coloured car door drives which help direct you where to go.  The first one we did didn’t take long as two things we wanted to stop and see were closed.  Then on the green door drive it was just straight out to a lookout where I wasn’t keen to let the kids out due to all the old mine shafts around that were not appropriately secured off.  We also stopped in town to make the big purchase of a fan heater which will hopefully work better than the air-conditioner on heat.  That night we cooked inside for some strange reason (ha ha).  It was great having meat from my parents place and fresh vegetables from Jason’s Nanna and Pop. 

The direction signs for the tourist drives.

Apparently the first ever mine dug.  Who knows if it is true!

Nowhere for the kayak here.

The new fan heater then got a good work out and I must say it worked like a treat and kept the van nice and toasty all night.  Unfortunately it didn’t mean we got a good night sleep as poor Kayla was so congested she joined us in bed quite early and then all I could hear was her trying to breathe.  Then Hamish was up at the crack of dawn so I called it quits on trying to sleep and decided to catch up on this blog.  After a while Jason got up and joined me, making the much desired coffee I needed and getting us all breakfast.  He had moved to Kayla’s bed during the night in the hope of getting some sleep, I don’t know if he got much more really.

The big emu outside town.

So the day started off awesome.  We got into school extra early and managed to get the first of two lessons done well and truly before Hamish’s on-air lesson.  We tried for a second but honestly that was pushing it as I was trying to do the blog and Jason was trying to organise catching up with friends in Toowoomba so neither of us were focused so I don’t know how we expected Hamish to do it.  So we decided to just leave it until later in the day.  While Jason did the on-air lesson with Hamish, Kayla and I went for a walk around the caravan park and managed to find the fossicking area.  That kept us entertained for the whole time and we even managed to find six or so small opals, obviously not worth anything.

As soon as the lesson was over we headed straight out to do one of the underground opal mines.  I am going to be honest and I don’t think it was really worth the $40 to do it as we just got given a mud map and no guide to show us around and explain everything.  Then it felt so unsafe and like it was about to cave in (we were 115 steps underground) so I couldn’t wait to get out of there.  Even just getting the guy to tell us stuff seemed like it was a huge effort.  So I went outside to do Hamish’s reading lesson with his teacher.  It went quite well and afterwards we had a good chat about the questions I had emailed through the day before. 

A long way underground.

Making our way around the mine.

Hamish looking how far up it was to the main shop area.

It made me feel good as it helped me clarify things and understand where I need to be going with him, but at the same time I was told I raised a valid point and they will word the questions in a more appropriate way.  She also said that she had seen a huge improvement with Hamish since we were in Longreach so it is nice to know that they are recognising my hard work with the extra reading and practise.  Not to mention the time I have been spending on his sight words and getting him to write them out which also has been improving.

From there we went to go to The Black Hand underground carvings but it wasn’t open until 3pm so we decided to head back to the caravan for some lunch.  Kayla fell asleep on the way home and stayed pretty much asleep until we went to go again.  This at least allowed us to make and eat lunch and then finish school and rest for a bit.  Unfortunately due to the bad sleeping conditions the night before my back was very sore, even the bad dirt roads were hurting it, so thankfully Jason got out his massage ball and rolled that over my back.  It hurt so much but I knew it was doing me good. 

Back at The Black Hand we joined in on the 3pm tour and yes it cost $70 for us to do the tour (kids were free) but it was so worth it.  This one also has lift access for those who can’t do all the steps up and down but we needed the exercise so walked all the steps down and then back up.  First we paid for the tour and then we were led down into the mine area which was even further down.  There the guide who use to be an opal miner gave us a history lesson and pointed out different types of opal.  The best bits were his stories of people who have struck it rich and then wasted it all.  Also how you can be so close to a massive opal deposit and not know it, but worse still was the day he shattered a large opal with the jackhammer. 

Just amazing what he has done.

This one was of course Hamish's favourite.

I bet every minor wishes he found a stone that big.

It was a fantastic tour and we learnt so much about the life of an opal miner and how things work in the area.  Then it was back up a level to the main showcase which is what the miner had done with his time since he couldn’t find any opals.  He has spent a lot of time doing the carvings and even painting some of them.  You can’t deny that the guy has talent and I wonder if he now makes more from his tours and the opal sales then from actually finding opals himself.  Jason even let me buy myself an opal ring but not before reminding me what happened to the last opal he bought me.  It just happened to be for our first wedding anniversary, he bought me a beautiful pair of opal earnings from the Barossa Valley and well somewhere along the lines just after Hamish was born and on our way to St George I managed to lose one.  So that is why this time I opted for a ring! 

From there we headed back into town and checked out the John Murray Art Gallery before making our way back to the castle to see if it was open.  This time we were in luck and paid the $10 to walk around the area.  The kids were playing up a bit so I opted to wait for Jason with them in the car.  Then it was a quick stop for a few items from the local IGA and some fuel and it was back to the caravan to start preparing dinner and packing everything away.  We even noticed that our neighbours beside us were packing everything away and we did joke that we will get away before them tomorrow.

Not too bad.

I love the entrance way.

Welcome signs.

Guessing it doesn't come too often.

Something I thought we had in the bag when we hitched on after showers, but half an hour later we heard them hitching on and packing up more of the van so I think they will probably get away before us.  It is funny the little personal jokes we have between us, trying to beat nomads out of caravan parks, seriously is this what we find entertaining!  Oh dear we are tragic but realistically it keeps us sane and we do need to be on the road by no later than 7:45am in order to make it to the next town with mobile reception for Hamish’s on-air lesson.  I also started to get out everything we will need to take to Toowoomba for school.  I am thinking it might be easier to tow the caravan (ha ha).  It is really more just things that we aren’t so sure about so it is better to have them than not and also I do need to post some books back.

Wildlife in the outback.

One of the tourist drives.

I really wish we did have an extra day to spend here so we could finish the last tourist drive and check out a few more things, but that would mean a massive day of driving to get to Toowoomba in time and well that isn’t realistic at all.  At least this way we can get to Moree where we will store the van and then only have to drive from there to Toowoomba the next day.  It gives us Friday to get a few jobs done like shopping for Kayla’s birthday present and preparing her cake so we can still make her day special just like she is.  It would have also been nice to swim in the thermal pools, but with us already being a bit under the weather we opted out of that as going from cold to hot and then cold again wouldn’t do us much good.