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Published: November 9th 2011
Days to Citizenship application 17
About a week ago, we had a happy e-mail from our friends Jan and Ted in Sydney, the last time we saw them was the day we picked up our new cruiser in Parramatta and they kindly let us stay at their house. Well they told us that they are coming to Canberra on “Official Table Tennis business” and they wanted to catch up with us.
When we got back from our Winching course in the Brindabella’s we finally managed to catch up with Jan and Ted on the mobile and arranged to meet them on Tuesday at the Eastlake club, which is just around the corner from where they were staying and just around the corner from where we both work. We were really excited about seeing them as they have played a big part in our new Australian life.
Our Sunday was as busy as ever, I was up early as I wanted to take the truck down to the Jet wash as it was covered in filth from our trip in the last couple of days, I always like to give it a jet wash before I wash
Jan & Graham
A.K.A The Pootling Possumsit by hand, if I can be bothered. Sunday night came round and we were just sat watching TV with intervals of getting things ready for work and Caroline ‘s interest suddenly sparked when she told me that she had just received a message from the Pootling Possums, they were also coming to town!
Caroline quickly sent them a text message to let them know when we would be available this week to meet up, it looks like it is going to be a busy week.
Tuesday rolled around, and at 5.45, straight after work, we were at the Eastlake club to meet Jan and Ted, they were already in side waiting for us, they had joined the Eastlake club when they arrived on Sunday, as they had already been there with the Table Tennis team for dinner, and thought it appropriate just to join.
It was great to see them, they looked so well and were as cheerful and fun packed as ever. We sat and had a couple of beers then we spied a very large group of people coming in for dinner so we decided to drink up and go and order ours before
The 3 Amigoes.
Well four,
Jan Graham, Craoline and Ted the queue got very big!
Australia love their clubs, Eastlake is a football club, not soccer, but AFL, and if you join, I think it costs us about $5.00 a year, you are always guaranteed an excellent meal, our four wheel drive club meet here every month and we always get there early so we can have our dinner before the rush.
In the blink of an eye it was time to call it a night, sadly, It was awesome catching up with Jan and Ted, catching up, on their family news and finding out what has been going on in all their lives, we already have another evening planned for dinner on Friday, but at this moment in time we just didn’t know where.
We said our goodnights and went home, we had work in the morning, and so unlike when we were travelling we now need to be in bed at reasonable time for an early start in the morning.
The next day at work came and went, and again we were off to the Eastlake club, for another evening of meeting of friends, this time it was the Pootling Possums, none other than
the mum and dad of one half of the Wallaby Wanderers, whom you will have heard mentioned in this blog 1000’S of times.
The Wallaby Wanderers are back now in the UK, sadly for the people in Australia who miss them and Sarah’s mum and dad have been over in Australia, sort of taking over where the Wallaby Wanderers left off, but not quite, Jan and Graham Kettle blog under the banner of the Pootling Possums, and their blog is on the same site as ours and just like the Wallaby Wanderers are great writers.
Even though we have never met them, and I have to say we did know what they looked like as soon as we laid eyes on them it was like we had known each other for years.
We sat and had a couple of drinks then went and ordered our dinner, sadly I had the same as the night before, and we were very busy swapping stories of each of our adventures.
Ted had come in to the Eastlake club with his table tennis people, he popped over to say hello, and fortunately Ted has a good camera finger so we
asked him to take some pictures of us all.
Obviously our conversation did jump forwards and backwards to the Wallaby Wanderers and how “Sydney with a Y from Cairns” came to be, who is now in the UK with Daryl and Sarah, though he finds the climate quite chilly, far different from his home in Cairns, where it can be quite humid.
Jan and Graham handed us a bag and in it was a Bilby, which is a small Australian Creature with big ears and a long snout the size of a Guinea pig. This was fantastic, she had come all the way from Charleville in far Northern Queensland, to be with us, we were very pleased with our gift. I should just add that it wasn’t a real Bilby, for those of you concerned that the Bilby was in a bag.
Jan and Graham have had some great adventures and are in Australia until April next year, their trip will have been about 18 Months, very wow, they managed to get their visa extended, but they did have to leave the country and re-enter in order to do so.
Jan and Graham are still towing
The Toy
Nice private plate Sweetie, the Caravan, with Pie and they are both holding out well considering the amount of usage they are both getting, we wonder if the the Wallaby Wanderers will come back anytime soon to take up the mantel again when the Pootling Possums finally return to Blighty.
It was a crazy situation that we have never met these people before, yet got on so well and had so much in common, that is amazing a bit like when we met Daryl and Sarah really.
We have had a few near misses with the Pootling Possums, First up in Townsville when we went to Magnetic island, we found that they had been and just left. Also very recently when we left the Warrumbungle National Park, the Pootling Possums went there, we were not lucky enough to meet then, but of course we were destined to meet at some point.
As day follows night, the evening came to an end, Ted was on hand to help out on another couple of shots, and then it was time to head our separate ways, but first Graham wanted to have a look at our the truck and see what we had done to it, I think he was satisfied and wondered when we were going to put it to full use!
We drove home satisfied that again we had had a good evening, we got home and fell in to bed exhausted, as usual.
Thursday came and went in the blink of an eye, and thank god we have a night in, feet up on the sofa, as much as we love going out to socialise, we don’t think we could have socialised tonight.
Friday in the office is always “Dress down day” when you don’t have to go in your usual attire, I usually wear a Tee shirt, hiking boots and Jeans and Caroline is usually dressed the same, but today we dressed slightly better. As tonight we are out with Jan and Ted and had booked a Table at Bellucci’s in Manuka, (Pronounced) Maah-ni-ka, which is a restaurant we know and like.
We met Jan and Ted in the multi-story car park, paid our fee’s and went and got our table. The restaurant was almost empty as it was still fairly early but it was already warm, the food is good, the atmosphere was easy one minute the restaurant was empty and the next minute bustling with people including someone called Margaret who was having a birthday and everyone in her party were singing happy birthday and making a fuss of her, so Happy Birthday, Margaret “whoever you are?”
Once again it was goodbye and tomorrow Jan and Ted leave Canberra and head back to Sydney.
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Jan Davis
non-member comment
Putting on the Kettle
Hi Guys, Another great couple of nights making some more great memories. Loved catching up again with you in Canberra. It went all too quickly. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we can do it again. Looking forward to the big "Pozzie" bash. :) On the countdown now. Good luck for Saturday Andy and the 29th Caroline. It couldn't happen to two nicer people. We are almost as nervous as you two but, in a good way! :) Love you guys. Jan & Ted xxx