Good Witch Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 (edited) I find it difficult to write about our mundane lives, but... reading others journals I understand how even the simple day-to-day things that are written about can help those still anticipating the move to Aus. So... herewith then my very feeble attempt at capturing some of those daily moments.To start at the beginning of our Aus experience, you might want to have a quick read-through here first (if you haven't already done so!) First impressions of Wagga & reuniting with long-lost son!Sundays have become 'chore' days around our new house in Wagga. Especially now that there are 3 of us. My son Shaughn who has been in Aus 8 years decided to 'move back home' and it is really great having him with us while he establishes himself in Wagga Wagga. On Sundays I generally tackle the laundry, hubby works on his latest creation for the house (I now have a gorgeous hand-made headboard, thanks to him!) and Shaughn (aka Sunshine ) gets the lawnmower out to give the garden a good weekly 'haircut.' By the time lunch is served we are all done and ready to relax for the rest of the day.However, being Easter, we decided to do some country exploring instead this weekend. On Saturday we went to the licorice & chocolate factory in Junee, just about 30 km's from here. We are STILL eating licorice! It is absolutely delicious! They produce an organic licorice that tastes sooo good! One bite, and you're hooked for life! The factory itself operates from the old Mill and has an old-world feel about the place. The countryside itself is absolutely beautiful! No dirt or litter, no shacks everywhere (not even one in sight) the countryside is pristine... I was struck by the unspoiled beauty thinking this is how a countryside should look. Despite it being brown as we have not yet had our rainfall season (winter) it was gorgeous as you may see in the pics below: The other thing that struck me was the lack of people! Perhaps because it is Easter, or perhaps that's just how it is... Either way, it almost had an ethereal 'feel' to it... On the road from Wagga to Junee, Gundagai, Temora and Coolamon. See the dramatic sky!And here are pics of the licorice factory, almost otherworldly! Like something from Charlie & the chocolate factory!After Junee we went to a magical town! Gudagai! This place captured our hearts! It is known as the town of historic bridges, and we soon saw why! Gundagai is so impressive that one of the top 30 Australian folk songs ever written is called 'The Road to Gundagai', and is every bit as well-known as Waltzing Matilda! Go figure! I was reluctant to leave this place. I could have spend hours and hours here... But, see for yourself:The Rail Viaduct, constructed in 1903The oldest working bakery in Australia!Gundagai and South Africa share a history too...View of the town, from the main streetOne of the parks in GundagaiNext time I'll post pics of Temora and Coolamon.Until then...Hugz all round! Edited April 13, 2009 by Andi and Gunther Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candivw Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Thanks for sharing, looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 (edited) Nice town to visit! Thanks for giving us a peek at it too.Just read your other thread about "First Impressions of Wagga-Wagga.." Wow Andi you have a real talent for letting the reader see through your eyes! Looking forward to the next posts...Tex Edited April 13, 2009 by Tex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ta'mossie Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hi Andisounds like you had a fab time. Thx for the lovely photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polly Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Thanks for the photos! Looks like you really had a ball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom of 3 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Sounds like you had a great time!!! The licorice sounds like it could be addictive!!! Joanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jitterbug Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Thanks for sharing, love the second picture with the dramatic sky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eva Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Thanks for sharing. It really is great to hear about peoples lives in Aus. I remember reading posts like this with relish. Could never get enough!!] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 (edited) Unfortunately I seem to have already used up all the available attachment space I have for pics! Now, if I can figure out how people like Polly do it (hint, hint) then I should be able to post more pics in future posts. I would love to add pics to the places below, but that will unfortunately have to wait until I can find a way to overcome the 2MB space constraint... (Yippeee!!! Thanks to Alida I managed to work out the photobucket thing, so here are more images.)Coolamon was a sweet town to visit, bearing in mind that we literally only drove thru it. It has the most beautiful 'island' down the main street! So much so that I could not resist a spontaneous family picnic right there and then! Yes, you read correctly, a picnic down the main street of Coolamon... It's like this you see, the very, very wide center island (between incoming and outgoing lanes on the main road) is in fact a beautifully maintained garden, complete with tall shady trees, picnic tables & benches, lush green lawn, and lots of colourful plants and flowers! Lots of paving to create mini islands within the larger island, and even a fabulous water feature! It was almost impossible to drive past this little piece of paradise without stretching our legs and having a bite to eat under the inviting trees. And again, not one shred of litter anywhere... nothing! What an absolute pleasure..! My 23-year-old nursing a heavy hang-over from the night before... Poor kid doesn't have a very sympathetic mother, I dragged him around the country-side with me instead of letting him sleep it off at home! Trying to take the 'edge' off during our picnic... Yeah, right... It was after attending the aviation show in Temora on Sunday (yesterday) and enjoying the many vintage cars on display at the Temora Aviation Museum too that we decided to drive on to Coolamon before heading home to Wagga. I cannot really comment on Temora itself as we only experienced the air-show and did no further driving around. But, if I can work out how to post more pics, I'll include some of the lovely vintage cars that we saw there too. Especially for the blokes!Okay, admittedly we haven't done all that much exploring since arriving in Australia 11 or 12 weeks ago. We have been quite focussed on finding our first rental and settling into every-day life in Wagga Wagga, that driving around on weekends isn't something we have done much of yet. I say yet... because just today Gunther bought us a GPS. Until now he was navigator and I have been driver. So, now he's off the hook with the navigation! Also, I really do want to plan a trip to Melbourne sometime soon. I figured if we leave here early (very early) one Saturday morning, we should arrive in Melbourne at about the time the city wakes up (assuming it even goes to sleep at all,) leaving us virtually the whole day to explore and soak in the many beautiful wonders that I have been dreaming of in Melbourne for longer than I can remember. We could stay over at friends or book into a hotel for the night, have a leisurely breakfast the next morning, perhaps explore a bit more, and then set-off for home again in the afternoon. It is only about a 4 or 5 hour drive between Melbourne and Wagga, so quite do-able I think... Maybe we'll plan something like this to coincide with the next ex-South African BBQ event! I hope that everyone had a really great Easter weekend... Until next time: Hugz all round Edited April 14, 2009 by Andi and Gunther Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine and Riana Pienaar Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Great guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alida Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 When I used up my 2MG of space, I created an account at photobucket (you can use flickr as well) and then link to the photo's. It works well. Thanks for the enjoyable posts, and you're right, us still in RSA soaks up every little detail of other's life down under. In anticipation ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 When I used up my 2MG of space, I created an account at photobucket (you can use flickr as well) and then link to the photo's. It works well. Thanks for the enjoyable posts, and you're right, us still in RSA soaks up every little detail of other's life down under. In anticipation ...Thanks Alida, I am going to try flickr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chalmers family Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 fantastic pics!!!looks like SA back in the old days...... absolutely beautful....keep the pics flowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 fantastic pics!!!looks like SA back in the old days...... absolutely beautful....keep the pics flowing.Glad you are enjoying the pics. I managed to work out how to add more, so scroll back a bit for pics on the 2nd post too.CheersAndi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polly Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 So you figured it out without me Great seeing the pics, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) Everything settles back into 'normal' this morning... Hubby's at work, and Shaughn started working today too which I am really chuffed about. He's a good kid, last week he helped someone out at a tyre fitment centre just before the Easter weekend, got paid for it which was great, but more importantly, he is starting to build bridges for himself here in Wagga. Today he starts training at his new full-time job. This is so good for him! We have decided not to charge him for board and lodging as originally discussed when he moved in, instead we are going to ask for a fixed amount per week from him as enforced savings. I'll put this away in a savings account for him so that (when he's ready) he'll have a bit of a cash injection for things like deposit and bond on a rental of his own, and maybe even a down-payment on a motorbike.I like having my home back to myself, I must admit..! While the boys are out working, I enjoy pottering around the house. All the boxes have been unpacked apart from 3 in the study. We are so fortunate to have a rather large house - compared to most that we viewed when house-hunting. I have converted the family room into a reading-room, a large sunny room with many, many books! Bookshelves overflowing with books on almost any conceivable subject (within our ranges of interest, that is,) and a large comfy sofa on which to sit (or slouch) while tucking into a book or project. I am currently sharing my reading-room with 'Hildegard,' a creature in-the-making. She cannot yet decide whether she wants to be a pixy or a witch, so she's hanging out in the reading room until she knows - so that I can finish her! Years ago when I lived in a magical place in the Magaliesburg Mountains I used to make 'Rock Faeries' for my garden. Creatures crafted from clay which I elaborately painted and stuck to select rocks in the garden. They watched over the herbs in particular, and often became a point of conversation with young and old. I have not yet managed to make any of these creatures for our new garden, and maybe I will or maybe I won't, I don't yet know. But, I did come across a sweet little thing at Bunnings recently who now guards over my parsley patch. She doesn't have a name... yet.When we first saw our house from the road a while back while looking for a rental, all 3 of us knew that this was the one! Compared to what we had already seen thus-far, this was the only one that I wanted to live in. I won't kid you, the whole renting process almost took the wind out of my sails! I was SO intimidated by the process, and so scared that we wouldn't find a place that *felt* like home in time, that I battled a bit until we found this house. It's no mansion, besides, we wouldn't know what to DO with a mansion if we had one! It's just a spacious 3-bedroomed house that I felt I could quickly create a home from. We saw the house from the road on the Sunday afternoon. Before the agency opened its doors for business the next morning I was there, camping outside their front door, determined to get THIS house before someone else did! The agent told me that she had already received an application on the house which she had passed thru to the owner. It was at about this point that ALL sanity deserted me! I hauled out rolls and rolls of $50 notes, at least the equivalent of 12 weeks rental. These I fanned under the poor agent's nose saying 'Phone the owner NOW, tell him I am willing to pay up to 12 weeks rent in advance if that is what it takes, but this is MY house!' I will never forget the expression on her face! It was a mixture of amusement and fear! LOL! I must have looked like a raving lunatic! I can just imagine how that phone conversation might have gone... "Errr... there's a mad woman from Africa waving money around insisting that she must have your house!" :lol: But, what needs must, and sometimes the end justifies the means, because I got the house. Within an hour I had an answer from the owner (via the agent) that the house was ours! So... what's all the fuss about you might wonder? Well, for someone else it will look and seem like a very average house, and in many ways it is... But, for us this is our first Aussie home, and a place that we fell in love with even before we saw further than the front garden! In fact, we had signed the lease, paid the deposit and bond AND collected the keys already before we even saw further than the front garden, because there was a tenant living in the house and we could not get in before that! Jeez, speaking of blind faith, huh? Imagine if this was a dump inside? LOL! On the first morning after receiving the keys for the house, just after I dropped hubby off at work I drove thru to the house, made myself a cuppa coffee and spent about an hour on the landing outside just listening to the day awaken and watching the sun rise... I felt so incredibly blessed... I KNEW that I was blessed almost beyond reason, and cherished these few moments quietly as I felt the core of me bow to the Universe with more gratitude than I can begin to express. If ever I have felt 'At One' with everything around me, it was in that moment... THAT was my private little 'house blessing,' a moment in which any residual energies that may have resided in my new home were dealt with... The good was enhanced and the unwanted was dispersed of. By the time I turned back indoors from the landing, our new house was truly our new home. But, enough... I do tend to go on and on a bit...The front of the houseAnd look what we found in the back garden!And this is Belthazar, the Reliable Red Beast!Well, on that note, I bid you farewell. I have tons of laundry to attend to this morning!Hugz all round...Andi Edited April 14, 2009 by Andi and Gunther Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 So you figured it out without me Great seeing the pics, thanks LOL! You were my 'back-up' plan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eva Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Andi you make me laugh! I have driven past a house I have totally fallen in love with - I WANT IT!! It is a really run-down house crying out to be loved and restored, I actually thought it was vacant it looks so abandoned. One day when the The Hulls came to visit I dragged Liesl off to show her, and there was an old man clearing out some branches. We stopped to ask him if he would be interested in selling his house, totally unimpressed he said no.I am stilling picturing myself living in it, restoring it to its former glory. Have had the odd evil thought about bumping the old codger off even!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Andi you make me laugh! I have driven past a house I have totally fallen in love with - I WANT IT!! It is a really run-down house crying out to be loved and restored, I actually thought it was vacant it looks so abandoned. One day when the The Hulls came to visit I dragged Liesl off to show her, and there was an old man clearing out some branches. We stopped to ask him if he would be interested in selling his house, totally unimpressed he said no.I am stilling picturing myself living in it, restoring it to its former glory. Have had the odd evil thought about bumping the old codger off even!!ROTFLMAO!!! Eva! You are wicked girl! Poor old guy! :lol: But, you know 'the drill'... Don't let something as small as a little 'no' stop you! You just keep 'em visions coming gal, and before you know it... You and Liesl will be sending pics of your first tea-party under the very trees that the dear old guy was clearing out for you! "Impossible" is not an option, it's not even a consideration... unless you allow it to be! But, you knew that already... Didn't ya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I have posted pics of the surrounding country towns, but nothing on Wagga yet. So, for those who are wondering what Wagga looks like, here's a sneak preview:Wagga Wagga, early morning city center: I actually took these pics on the morning that I 'camped out' in front of the estate agent's office, waiting for them to open so that I could secure our first rental!There is a gorgeous lagoon right in the centre of Wagga, and it lazily winds its way thru town...On the opposite side of the lagoon (from where the pic above was taken,) is a tranquil park. Home to many beautiful birds.And of course, the Murrumbidgee River... These pics were taken on Australia day, 26th JanuaryCan YOU see the cockatoo..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 This is a really great post. Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 This is a really great post. Thanks so much. Cool... Glad you are enjoying it Tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billabong Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 O Andi, I think your house is gorgeous!!!! It has a lawn!!! I can only hope and pray we get something like that in Canberra!! Love all your pics and I'm very glad that you have settled so quickly and I think you should make a pixie witch! Surely they have some too.....?hie hie.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Witch Posted April 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 O Andi, I think your house is gorgeous!!!! It has a lawn!!! I can only hope and pray we get something like that in Canberra!! Love all your pics and I'm very glad that you have settled so quickly and I think you should make a pixie witch! Surely they have some too.....?hie hie.. A pixi-witch! What a novel idea!!! YES! I love it! Hildegard, the pixi-witch..! Yes! My beautiful lawn!!!!! It didn't look quite as beautiful then as what it does now, thanks to loads and loads of water, and two precious men in my life who don't mind giving the lawn a weekly haircut! Fortunately there are no real water restrictions where we live, so watering the garden is not a problem.Billabong, mark my words, your house in Canberra is going to be absolutely perfect for you! And I am sure that if it's a lawn you want, you'll find the perfect house with lawn! Blow a kiss to the Mountain for me! I'll blow one towards Canberra for you! LOL!HugzAndi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donne' Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Really great posts .Thanks !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.