Birds, beasts and booties

 Today is the day we visit my Aunt and Uncle. David is my Dad's brother. They have a son called little David. He is 6'5". We have a son called David. That's three men in our family all called David Price. It gets very confusing. Somebody needs to put a stop to it. 

We drove to the other side of Emerald and into the prettiest valley we have seen so far. David and Mary's house was at the bottom of a rough track which was so steep it felt like we would do a somersault in the car. Their house is a great big log cabin which David built in the 70s. It's amazing. And it looks out over a stunning valley, much of which is land owned by themselves. Over the years, they have had cows, sheep, chickens and more. Now their menagerie consists of cats, dogs and birds. That would be too much for us to handle but they told us of a friend of theirs down the road who likes to watch a certain telly programme every day. She left the front door open one day and when she went back in, their was a metre and a half long water dragon sitting in the lounge, watching the telly. This water dragon has been back for the telly programme everyday ever since and still does to this day.

Yesterday evening, I said to Kate how I wished I'd brought my slippers with me. I know. It's just the kinda guy I am. Anyway, bear with me on this.... David took us to the most huge shopping centre we have ever seen and went into this very impressive UGG store, and told us we had to both choose our slippers, which he was buying for us as a present! To be honest, I can't think of a more bangin present. I wear them as I write. I'll let you see a photo of them later if you like? Life without slippers is like kippers without marmalade.

On returning to their house, we watched birds feeding from the bird table. King Parrots, Rosellas, and Gallah birds as well as cockatoos. Very exotic.

After dinner, we set off in pursuit of Kangaroos. Feeling like one of David Attenborough's teams, we scoured the countryside, ever hopeful, as they come out at dusk. Sure enough, after a few minutes searching, we spotted some. First, loads a long way off, then six, up close. They are odd. You can't help thinking that something went wrong with their design but they've learnt to live with it. Once they had stood around and boinged a bit, we felt our thirst for kangaroo spotting was sated, and we returned to say a proper goodbye to David and Mary. They really are the kindest people. 

Tomorrow, we head out to the great ocean road. I have a feeling that it will be great, oceany and roady in spades.

For now, we're both content to gaze at our slippers and remember a great day.

Now that's what I call slippers 
Huge gum trees and huge tree ferns as we drove over the dandenong mountains.

An attempt at photographing kangaroos 
The Gallah bird (emphasis on the second syllable)
King Parrot 

Stopping at a nearby lake
Sat under a trestle bridge that 'puffing billy' the steam train has trundled over for the past 170 years, and still does. This used to be the ONLY route in Emerald
Kate and David Price (one of them!) On their veranda

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Strange milkman

Image
 Yesterday saw a massive tick on Kate's bucket list; We drove up to my cousin, Joy's house and the garage door opened as if by magic as we approached allowing the car to drive into the basement of the house. The trip to Australia has already delivered, therefore.  We have now been upside down for about 14 hours and, so far, the blood isn't running to our heads.  We awoke after a short but inevitable sleep to the sound of kookaburras. It is the most extraordinary bird song I have heard. It sounds like someone whistling softly who has the ability to yodel whilst whistling. Dawn was just beginning to break and I found the sound both spine chilling and hilarious - not something I thought possible up to now. It was like there was a creepy and psychopathic milkman circling the house on his deliveries. The whistling is soft, melodious and mournful - typical of psychopathic milkmen, I find. Brisbane is tropical. The humidity suggests warmth regardless of the temperature. Today, a...
Read more

Signing off

Image
 OK, so it seems that merchandise which winds up in an airport goes through some sort of 'size-warp'. Toblerones are prone to expand and apparently, 'Pringles' shrink. Both in circumference and thickness. But don't worry, the price has increased, presumably to cover the cost of the different sized product, the different sized packaging and so on.... Airports are obviously very significant sources of revenue. It's Brisbane airport that we're sat in now as we await our flight to Dubai, and so, home. It is quite late in the evening and the departure lounge is quiet. The high ceilings which they favour these days, give the space a hushed, almost reverential feel, as people glide by, their cases gliding obediently by their sides. This is the sterile space between worlds where we 'limbo dance' until we reach our gate and exit it. Only people's dress might give a clue to the country that they call home. It's a good time to reflect on the past month....
Read more

Bruce

Image
 This entry starts with an apology to all kookaburras. The birds which sound like a disturbed milkman are magpies! This is much more believable when you consider the nature of a magpie but it is a far cry from their British counterparts. (See what I did there...) Today we climbed a mountain in the Glasshouse range. Saying we had a smashing time would be such a dad joke that I shall avoid it. The mountains are a series of volcanic lumps which stand in a loose huddle, allowing plenty of flat land between each one, ensuring a great 360° view from each one. They all rise to satisfying points with only a few requiring ropes. Satisfied with the view from Ngungun mountain, we climbed down to a pub lunch. I had a sheep. On a plate. I certainly didn't do justice to it but it was delicious.  I also had a small beer. Rather chilly, I thought... I love that we drove down the Bruce highway to get there. I practiced the word Bruce in my best Australian for much of the journey. I don't know ...
Read more