Heading Home for a rest!!

Hello to Blogland, I hope that 2014 has been treating you well, my normally quiet lifestyle has been given a real workout since I arrived in Victoria just before Christmas.

A part of the reason for this trip, aside from spending Christmas with some of my family, was to investigate the housing alternatives available so that I won’t put my family through the same chaotic conditions that 2013 brought about should my health again pose a problem.

Christmas Dinner was at favourite daughter Vicki’s lovely new home near Geelong, it was historic in that Vicki and Marcus had both their parents with them for Christmas dinner, first time for about 7 years and only the second time in about 40 years, we also had lengthy phone calls with the boys from Perth, Alan and Bruce to complete what has been a great Christmas.

Two days after Christmas I got a morning call from Alan, oldest son, who asked if I could pick him up from the Geelong Railway Station, I assured him that I certainly could and inquired when?... well I’m here at the moment was the reply, we hastily went and picked him up only to learn that his plan had been to hire a car at the Melbourne airport and come and knock on the door at about 8.00am, there wasn’t a single hire car available at the airport or at Geelong when he arrived there, all this after a 20 minute phone call on Christmas morning when he gave no clue about his plan, which included a 3000 km red-eye flight across the country, had already been booked.

Some fairly extensive house hunting started in the new year, this included several alternatives at a retirement village near Vicki’s house, a more conventional Caravan Park in Geelong, I hastily add for American readers, this bears no resemblance to a “Trailer Park” as I understand them to be, as well as some conventional houses, one of which I submitted an offer on… not accepted but I have established that there is a fairly good supply of homes in a price range where I feel comfortable.

So I’m a man on a mission… to prepare for sale and sell my house in Gympie, get my surgery done and then MOVE interstate… not really looking forward to all that!!!!

My worst fears about moving back to Victoria were well founded during the first 2 weeks I had my mid winter uniform on, Jeans, Shirt and light weight jumper, and this was in mid summer!!!! This last week has been a real heat wave with temps. Of 38 to 45 degrees Celsius, approx. 98 /108 Fahrenheit.  

It was hot enough today to melt some fairly extensive sections of new bitumen on the motorway as I drove to Shepparton to visit again with my sister Merle, she is in the Shepparton Private Hospital waiting on a placement in respite at a nursing home, she has finally conceded that she is unable to look after herself at home so the move into respite will become permanent when a suitable room becomes available.

Merle has succumbed to Dementia over the last few months, its sad to see her repeating the same things over and over and with a fairly serious case of the “Oh Dears” which she prefaces almost everything with, “Oh Dear… I didn’t sleep well last night etc.”  

On a brighter note I stopped of at the pretty little town of Nagambie close to Shepparton, This is where the Champion Mare “Black Caviar” was bred, they are understandably proud of her and have erected a statue with details of her racing career on display, 25 straight victories before being retired to stud where she is now expecting her first foal.

Again, I wish you all the very best for 2014.

Peter.

   

  In her familiar "Racing Mode" she had a huge stride, much longer than normal which wasthe secret of her racing success. There is a lovely lake in the background of this shot which is a summer wonderland for the town and its visitors.

 Loved this vine clad "Water Tower" which supplies the towns water from the "Header Tank"