ANOTHER SPONTANEOUS TRIP

AFTER A NICE NEW YEAR'S EVE  in torquay at jenny and rob's with just six of us, bbq dinner and lots of talk,  i decided to head up to the murray and see my old house, the flood and friends.   Sue and derek very kindly put me up in their separate cottage, perfect so we could all do our own thing and come together in the mornings and evenings.

cool and misty weather as i headed off towards ballarat

I DROVE TO SEA LAKE and stayed at the terrific Royal Hotel as i often do.  it's been bought and renovated by the local community to provide accommodation for the tourists who come to see Lake Tyrrell, a pink salt lake currently with a lot more water than usual.

a new bird - Robert's Pippin, a sweet little bird seen in low scrub by the lake. 

Arrived at Sue and Derek's on a night when sue put on a great dinner for friend Marg Thomson's 80th.  Marg's house on tucker creek had water up to the back steps, too close for comfort.

I had lunch with Sonja and Helen at Fossey's Ginporium like we always used to. So good to see them. Visited Marg at her home, she was as colourful as ever - sadly her vision is getting really limited.

On the last morning derek drove me all around the outskirts of wentworth, up the Darling and over to my house.  it was all pretty emotional but it felt so good to be back there, waking up to gorgeous melodious birdsong in the mornings. weather was very warm but with cool mornings, perfect sunraysia days.  I'm so glad i went and i managed the drive home in one long hit, driving from 9.30 to 6.30 with a couple of short breaks and my arm held up, a bit achy towards the end but so was my bum 😁

the front yard of my house looks like a lawn but it's about 2m of water with duck weed growing all over it.  there's sandbagging and a boat at the front gate.  Cadell st is underwater further up 

the studio on the right.  everything is loving the water

   The Darling River is huge, spreading out endlessly past the banks

I visited Di's house, the water came right up close to the verandah from

about 100m away, rising about 4m in all.   the kingfisher arrived while

i was taking pics :0)

A mural in Birchip on the way home, i loved driving through all the familiar towns along the Sunraysia Highway again.  I left at 9.30, got
home by 6.30, rising full moon at 9.30

the moon rising over the bay last night