Day 44 - Thursday at Wye

With a heavy heart we realise it can’t be long before we give up this almost paradisiacal existence and go back to the real world.

Sod that.
We’re still here.

Margaret was up before me and was making breakfast.

On occasions like this, historic as they are, I feel compelled to go out to the veranda and survey the world.
I tend to stretch, yawn loudly, and oftimes fart loudly. I might even give myself a good scratch as long as there’s nobody about.

My neighbours these days are always begging for food, and if they don’t get any they can turn very raucous. Yes, even the parrots want fed in the morning. I still think I’d rather feed these birds than a lot of the ones in Boucher. Soon enough dear reader, soon enough.

Margaret’s choice of location today was west.

Our first stop was Apollo Bay.

Although we’d been here a couple of times before, we hadn’t really explored it.
Just like several other wee towns in this area there is a nice buzz about it. It might have something to do with the hordes of young back packers found everywhere, or the flocks of elderly tourists, a lot of them older, even than Crosser. It could be the constant sunshine at his time of year. Or it could be worlds apart from what we know. Literally and geographically.

We went down to the pier, deserted in the early morning except for one old salt doing repairs to a vessel as old as him. A couple of tourists not unlike ourselves. A whole lot of sea birds scrounging for breakfast from the trawlers that are not here.

Back up into the town and caught sight of some post cards. I saw an interesting birthday card, but because it had the F word on it, I wasn’t allowed to get it. That was the only effin reason I wanted it in the first place. We bought others, filled them out at a kerbside café and went into the post office to send them. I spotted Chris from the restaurant we went to the other night. We shook hands warmly and yes, he remembered me from the visit to his restaurant. I asked him how he found business to be and he replied the stock answer which means not to good “Ticking over, dear chap, ticking over!” So even here there are problems.

I’d seen a brochure for a place called Maits Rest and here’s another cracking link.
I must admit, after Nicola had taught me how to do this I think I’d rather have just a few words of text, and several dozen links. So much easier. This place was gorgeous. It was only about a forty minute loop, but the vegetation was marvellous. The forestry wallahs had created a wooden path, a bit like decking in a huge circular route. Mountain Ash and Myrtle were the two main species of tree, some of them hundreds of years old. More huge tree ferns, sometimes possums nest in their crowns. It was just off the road and so easy to get to. We weren’t even breathless when we emerged back into the car park.

Proceeding in a westerly direction me laud, we came to Cape Otway lighthouse. Margaret had said this was to be a stop and see place.
It is situated at the end of a ten kilometre drive through yet another part of Otway Forest.

This time though, there were Koalas in abundance. We even saw our first mother and child together.
That was so cute.
I wonder what Koalas taste like?
Kangaroo is nice, as is Crocodile.

There was admission fee to get to see the light house. $16.50.
The equivalent here would be to pay £10 to see round my shed. Like. Would ye?
It was mildly interesting, but glad we went. We climbed up to the top of the light house and the guide fellow was as pleased to be there as I am to go to Boucher. If, and I did, you asked him a question, he’d ramble off some information and yawn! He seemed to be intensely bored and unfriendly. First time we’d come across that in several thousand kilometres of travel down here. Thank you.
The light house at Split Point was much nicer, and far bigger. Unfortunately it didn’t open to the public.

We’d done enough for the day; we’d made yet another picnic so time to find somewhere to eat.
As it turned out, we ended up in Apollo Bay, right beside the sea. We sat at one of the many tables and munched our way through whatever we had, ham rolls, cow pie, and the usual. A walk along the very long beach finished off our day out.
Another fine day full of memories of sights and sounds. Smells and emotions. And that was only the toilets at Apollo Bay.

We got back to HQ at six thirty - sevenish.

Tired. Again.

I jumped into the shower early, before settling down with a couple of beers.

A couple of days ago, on our way back home from wherever, we stopped at the local supermarket. I love supermarkets that see interesting produce, field and tree fresh, deli to die for, and butchery that you’d love to have a steak in.

This is one of those. It was here that we discovered the two litre box of wine. Oh yes, almost as good as the real thing and a lot cheaper.

I had my usual couple of beers, and since it was a weekday, a couple of glasses of wine. Then my dear reader, off to the pit.
Margaret hadn’t been able to decide if she liked the wine so she kept trying until the first box was cleared. This was obviously a cause for celebration, so after a couple of Gins, she too, came to bed.

And woke me up.

Who’s making breakfast in the morning I thought, as I drifted off to the land far away, where peace and quiet lives. With the help of Ear plugs from Boots!