A final two week holiday

We sat at the Pizza Restaurant down by the lake a fortnight ago, musing on the fact that with only 14 days to go we should treat every day as if we were on holiday. Tempting as it was to take 5 days sick leave to help the "holiday feeling" I soldiered on bravely to the end. Finishing my experience with only 16 out of 27 children on my last day (It is a bit of a trend over here). I managed to say most of my farewells in an amicable and friendly manner, avoided one or two people and the same one or two people probably avoided me. A guarded but pleasant farewell was had with the principal. I had written ALL my thoughts on the experience in a 5 page "essay" to him. He shook hands with a smile either because:
a) He appreciated the effort I'd made and my professional opinion
b) He had not got round to reading it.
c) He'd read it and smiled as he put it in the bin.
Much more contented smiles were had in the evening when a hardcore 5 of us shared several pints/ glasses of wine etc. in the General Roberts in Newcastle.
This helped to relieve the stress of it all and another stress relieving activity was selling the car. After several surreal, late night and curious conversations with a man from Melbourne 14 hours drive away, who insisted he wanted it. We finally sold the car on the 19th December to a family from Tuggerah 1 hour away. $2850 dollars which added to $1700 hail damage insurance meant we have made a $450 dollar profit on the car.
Better still we were not left carless as Michelle's Mum Gloria lent us her Mazda!!!!



There are some uptight people in Australia and boy have they enjoyed going on and on and on about the Ashes but Gloria is the epitome of many people we have had the pleasure to meet. Always ready to help you out of a spot , making varying degrees of sacrifices to do so. Gloria has really missed Michelle and the family but has always been welcoming to us and rounded it off by inviting us all round for a Christmas dinner during the final weekend, giving us lovely gifts and dutifully sitting through one of Jessica's shows. What a star!



Two late nights, focussed on walks in the dark. One to see the Christmas lights in the area which involved 18 of us strolling around the local neighbourhood. Then a much quieter affair, strolling in bushland by the lake, possum spotting with the secretary at school with her husband and her son, the latter being our expert guide. The longest day though was our final farewell to Sydney.
Could not think of anything new to do; nothing we could afford anyway so re-did a couple of our favourites. First stop Darling Harbour with its giant Christmas tree. This of course was not the actual reason for our trip but more so that having grown 9cm, little Alex was tall enough to go on the Harbourjet speedboat ride. Little Alex was nearly sick too but survived the ordeal. We think he liked it. Tina certainly did (It was her first time too) whilst Jessica was a third ride veteran so was a bit more laidback about it all.
Back in the water after this but in a more sedate fashion as we took a water taxi across to the other side of the Harbour.



This was to satisfy the childrens' final request of a trip back to Luna Park. Well here was the penultimate ride that the children went on with Dad. Jess had no height restrictions so was able to do everything her Dad did. So after her eighth ride she acheived what Alex had failed to do earlier and did a blue powerade vomit in the middle of the main walkway.



We made a quick exit but not quick enough and missed the cross harbour ferry; waited 40 minutes for another boat to Circular Quay and completely missed out on a poignant farewell to the Opera House. Instead we ate chips at breakneck speed, walked swiftly to the station having no time to even glance at the eighth wonder of the world and hopped onto the 9:15pm train. Two and a half hours later after stopping at every single poxy station imaginable (Woy Woy, Wyong, Dora Creek, Booragul etc......) we made it home. 5 hours on a train altogether for the sake of a 20 minute boat ride and 3 hours in a second rate theme park was probably not the best way to spend one of our last days in Australia but Sydney must be thanked for the many highlights it has given us. We never did get round to doing the Bridge climb. Oh well we'll do that next time!
Back at Lake Macquarie, the day after our dinner with Gloria and two days before Christmas we were on the water again. This time for our final "Pateman adventure" doughnutting in their tinny. Trying to pull someone along in a rubber ring whilst you row is really hard though.



Only kidding. The tinny, which they had won in a raffle, came with a pretty handy motor. As is usually the case it was Alex we were most concerned about but it was he who could not get enough of it.
Sometimes though he just liked chilling out.