Infrequent
The trip up to Queensland was wonderful. The rain was lovely and warm.
Well, we had superb weather of the first week, mostly on the Gold Coast, and not so fine for the second week, moistly in Rockhampton.
Kerri and her siblings went through her father's stuff. A few pieces were retained - we wedged a bookshelf and a small table into the Golf on the way back, plus some books and other odds - but there was a lot went to the dump.
We collected Barry's ashes on Thursday, checked out spots along the Broadwater, and on Saturday at about twelve-thirty Kerri's brother sprinkled him into the water at one of his favourite fishing spots. It was a lovely fine day, just a little wind, we gave him back to the wind and the water he loved so much.
My enduring image of Barry is a pair of twinkling eyes under some old unbleached hat, a tinnie full of rods and bait and maybe a couple of stubbies, one hand on the tiller, the other pointing out some good fishing spot to one of the grandchildren. He was a happy man, and we miss him very much.
We also got in a trip to Gatton, where we looked at the old family house there, walked up and down the main street, had lunch by Apex Lake that Barry helped design, and took a photo under the sign for the street named after him. Went home via the Brisbane Botanic Gardens and did a little shopping in Sunnybank, which seems to be an outer suburb of Beijing nowadays.
Sunday we drove up to Yeppoon, where we found a little B&B just off the beach. Very comfy it was too. My parents are being well looked after in their retirement home, which is a spacious, open, garden sort of a place, with a lagoon and wildlife nearby. We took Mum out to the Rocky Botanic Gardens, where we travelled the paths in a borrowed wheelchair and just had a wonderful day out, lunching with lorikeets stealing the sugar under some huge old fig trees.
Home to Canberra in three jumps, stopping at Southport and Port Macquarie. All in all, we got to see most of our relatives this trip, spend some warm time away from winter and mostly escape the internet.
Been back a week, and it doesn't get much above ten, and below zero in the mornings. But it's fine.
Well, we had superb weather of the first week, mostly on the Gold Coast, and not so fine for the second week, moistly in Rockhampton.
Kerri and her siblings went through her father's stuff. A few pieces were retained - we wedged a bookshelf and a small table into the Golf on the way back, plus some books and other odds - but there was a lot went to the dump.
We collected Barry's ashes on Thursday, checked out spots along the Broadwater, and on Saturday at about twelve-thirty Kerri's brother sprinkled him into the water at one of his favourite fishing spots. It was a lovely fine day, just a little wind, we gave him back to the wind and the water he loved so much.
My enduring image of Barry is a pair of twinkling eyes under some old unbleached hat, a tinnie full of rods and bait and maybe a couple of stubbies, one hand on the tiller, the other pointing out some good fishing spot to one of the grandchildren. He was a happy man, and we miss him very much.
We also got in a trip to Gatton, where we looked at the old family house there, walked up and down the main street, had lunch by Apex Lake that Barry helped design, and took a photo under the sign for the street named after him. Went home via the Brisbane Botanic Gardens and did a little shopping in Sunnybank, which seems to be an outer suburb of Beijing nowadays.
Sunday we drove up to Yeppoon, where we found a little B&B just off the beach. Very comfy it was too. My parents are being well looked after in their retirement home, which is a spacious, open, garden sort of a place, with a lagoon and wildlife nearby. We took Mum out to the Rocky Botanic Gardens, where we travelled the paths in a borrowed wheelchair and just had a wonderful day out, lunching with lorikeets stealing the sugar under some huge old fig trees.
Home to Canberra in three jumps, stopping at Southport and Port Macquarie. All in all, we got to see most of our relatives this trip, spend some warm time away from winter and mostly escape the internet.
Been back a week, and it doesn't get much above ten, and below zero in the mornings. But it's fine.