Apple muncher's number crunching

apple_muncher

Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow! There's a 100% gluten free cafe down the road from us and (although expensive) it does absolutely fantastic food. For the first time, I could have anything on the menu. I was so excited!

Pip went off on his own after brunch with the girls (dsd2, dsdil and dgd) and it was hilarious to observe just how twitchy dh got 🤣🤣🤣. Pip went to the Dangerfield shop, the NGV, the ACMI film exhibition and also had a general wander round the shops, thoroughly enjoying himself. The Dangerfield shop is stupidly expensive, but it turns out that the skirt Pip bought in the Op Shop yesterday is their brand! We probably paid about 5% of the new price. Result.

I've been trying to keep up with le Tour, much to dh's disgust 🤣, and also found some PBR: pro bull riding which is an utterly mad sport.

Tomorrow we leave Melbourne (but we're coming back for several days before heading home, and we'll be staying with the girls.

We go to Sydney for 4 nights and are staying a fair distance out of the tourist bits, so we need to ration what we do and focus on the key bits: Opera House, bridge, the Rocks, ferry to Manly and Glebe market on the day we leave.

apple_muncher

Aaannnddd, I've some down with a stinker of a cold. I've been so bunged up that when I swallowed, it was like using a plunger on a plug hole! My joints all ache and I have a bit of a temperature. Poor DH is desperate to get out and about  - we 'should' he says. Nope. Don't care. He can go alone!

Watty1

Oh no. I do hope it is just a 24 hour fly by cold and you will be feeling better tomorrow.

teapot2

Hope you feel better soon and can get back into holiday mode x

apple_muncher

Thank you. I improved as the day went on and was fit for a slow walk in the park opposite in the afternoon and dinner out with an old college friend of dh's from yonks ago. He and his wife were lovely company and Pip even joined in the conversation. Even better, they paid AND picked us up and drove us home 😎.

Last night I had the first stretch of sleep of more than 2 hours since leaving the UK. In conversation with dh's friend's wife, I discovered that there are underground car parks off Flinders Lane, along the little lanes, one of which ran past our windows, and the opening and closing of the shutter doors is what was constantly waking me up. The mystery is solved!

beanielou

Glad you had a nice evening. 

apple_muncher

Dh and I went to visit the Rocks, and it was, frankly, even more disappointing than 20+ years ago! Plus, it's a monument to the invasion of the land, so really not a good thing. However, we had an enjoyable walk around the quayside, got to see the Opera House, the Bridge.

We tried a couple of Op Shops in the late afternoon, with Pip. Bought nowt as rather flippin' expensive. But we discovered a 3 storey used book store and will be going back there tomorrow morning.

I continue to improve but have had really bunged up ears today and have struggled to hear dh. He's got quite annoyed by it, but it's not like I'm doing it on purpose 🤣.

apple_muncher

We returned to the bookshop yesterday and found that all the cafe cakes were gluten free. Result. So I sat with a coffee and muffin and dh and Pip browsed.

After lunch, pip rested and dh and I legged it into Sydney to get a ferry to Manly. The beach there is beautiful.

And once home, I took Pip to a bouldering place. It wasn't great, but was worth a try.

All in all it was a very busy day for me, so I was glad to continue to improve.

Today we were up by 7 as we had to pack and be out for 10. We got an Uber to a bag drop place, then the bus back to very near to where we'd been staying to go to the Saturday market. It was okay, but had a few too many stalls selling 'vintage' clothing at high prices. We then had another visit to the gluten free cafe before heading back to town to collect the bags and catch the train north.

It was a double decker train with the old style tram seats that you can reverse. But absolutely no space for any luggage whatsoever. That didn't deter DH, who heaved the bags to the top deck and we simply took up a lot of seats! But lo and behold! the journey took 4 hours instead of 2h20. The freight train ahead of us somehow got a branch entangled in one of the trucks, and it took a while to sort. We eventually were able to reverse and switch tracks to go past it (couldn't see any branch tho!), but the train then became a stopping train, making us even later.

However, dss and the whole family came to meet us off the train and took us back to theirs to feed us before dropping us off at the Airbnb.

This place is the most disappointing so far, it's clearly unloved and uncared for. It has rather an air of neglect. And feels a bit chilly and damp, so the gas fire is on full throttle in an attempt to warm at least some of the place up.

apple_muncher

This place in Newcastle has definitely grown on us all. It could do with some soft furnishings to take the edge off the starkness, but we've enjoyed it here.

On Sunday, we went to see some wildlife: koala, wombat, wallaroo, cockatoo, peacock, frog...

On Monday, Pip rode a camel and then dss drove us back along the beach where DH, me and Pip all had a go at driving his big beastie of a car. It was such fun! Then dss did some driving over the dunes - dh and I had had enough well before dss and Pip!

Tues was a quiet day. Pip had bad cramps and needed someone around, so DH and I went on walks separately. I did about 5 miles - it was one of those walks where you suddenly realise it's a long way back and there are no short cuts 🤣.

And today, Weds, we went whale watching and saw a fair few, which was exciting! Dss and the family all came over for pizza this evening and it was a chance to say goodbyes. Dss is taking us to the airport tomorrow morning, but we'll not see the boys or his wife.

f0xh0les

Blimey that went quickly!