Cows and Olive Picking and Tablelands

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Well here I am again...its not so easy getting to an internet point... especially when I am having a good time sight seeing etc.
jenny and I had a few days around Forster- weather wasn't too good but there are some beautiful places around there and some lovely beaches. So we were invited to a friend's farm in the Hunter Valley where the vineyards are and so i did a bit of being a farm girl.... sort of helped herding a few cows into a pasture where Allan was putting stuff on the cows to stop them getting ticks and one calf had to be gelded...well I am sure you boys out there don't want to know about that. Got lots of fotos of nice cows!!! Next day we picked olives - it's fun when you are doing that for a few hours but I am not so sure I would be so keen to do it if my life depended on it. Got to ride on the back of the tractor trailer down to the fields so there's always a first time for things coming up....a bit bumpy - no suspension and I was trying to stop both myself and the boxes of olives falling off.
Nice drives around the Hunter Valley to some of the vineyards and lovely restaurants where we always managed to stop for tea and dessert....lots of photos of cakes too. We stopped at a place where there were gardens and a fountain which had a water programme to the Blue Danube...so I stood in the Rose Garden , watched the fountain, listened to the Strauss and thought of how much Michael would have loved it all here- a few tears.
Jenny is a lovely travel companion and we have always lots to talk about and everything is easy going. We are now journeying up through New South Wales inland on the New England Highway. There are big skies and amazing 360 deg views at lookouts showing the Big Country...tableland plateaus 1000m high, eucalyptus/ gum tree forests , cows grazing then sheep as we got into colder country....and through one place Scone where there are lots of horse stables etc what should we see but Emirates Stud!!! I feel like I should be riding a horse here. So last night we stopped in Uralla in a little motel in an old building ( old for Australia is 1860s sort of)- and it was chilly enough to have the fire burning in the restaurant. This was 'Thunderbolt' country - he was a bit of a crook - a bushranger but could ride well and seems to be a bit like Dick Turpin -- so if you've got no-one else famous round the area boost the tourism with a baddie!!
And so on to today - we did a scenic drive - not too far and are in the Heart of New England,Aus - a town called Armidale...big university here and lots of private schools and a lot of 'old' buildings --and some gorgeous trees all atumn colours here --its a topsy turvey world cos you folk in UK have got spring time. We have found a motel and done a town walkabout and now I am in the library. We are making our way north and towards to Coast at Byron Bay which is supposed to be lovely- and up into Queensland and Brisbane so that I can get my plane to New Zealand on Monday.
So hope to get another blog to you before I leave Oz.
Love to all - thanks for the messages.
Lynne

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Comments

[Marilyn & Terry]

Off on our hols
Dear Farm Girl, Great to hear all your news it's nearly like being with you! as we are off to Tenerife 4th we will be out of computer contact for two weeks but look forward to catching up when we get back. Still have the phone will text messages with you from there. Bet picking olives was easier than spud picking in Kirkoswald! hope to be eating plenty of olives soon and drinking the grape juice!! Tel really looking forward to the rest. Take care love from us both.xxx

[Tim]

Lynne, you do not know me but having read your blog's i just wanted to commend the fact that you have been brave enough to do the things you want to do despite your tragedy. I really hope you thoroughly enjoy the rest of your holiday and that you have a great life. Tim...