We made our way back up to Tweed Heads and the Banora Jones’s just a few days before Christmas where preparations were under way for our family celebrations.
We took our van to be assessed for repairs under our insurance policy claim and now need not only a new awning but also a complete new roof with hatches as well. This repair is not going to happen any time soon because of Covid related issues so we have left it that we will get the work done about June time to coincide with my hospital procedure that I’m having at Tweed hospital then. Let’s hope everything goes to plan as we are hoping.
As we left Caravan Fix at Yatala we saw a tyre place and decided to get the tyre valves replaced as mentioned in my last blog. Well, nothing is that easy, is it? We were told that we needed to replace at least 2 tyres instead so about an hour and 4 new tyres later we are off back to Tweed.
Now Christmas is upon us and my niece Suzanne, her partner Grant and son George will spend Christmas Eve with us at Jo’s. This is so that George, who is an only child, could experience the special excitement of Santa’s visit with his cousins. Next year he will have his own little sister to share Christmas with as Suzanne tells us she is pregnant and due around June time.
Christmas morning, we were lucky enough with all the Covid restrictions, to get mum out of Raffles for a few hours. We had organised a disabled taxi for her and I traveled with her to and from Jo’s so she wouldn’t be too stressed. We had organised a late breakfast/brunch which worked out well, allowing for everyone to arrive and the kids to open their presents. There was 15 of us for breakfast which included Jo, Phil and the girls, Chris and I, mum, Jenny (Phil’s mum) Suzanne, Grant and George, Roger and Jacquie along with Roger’s grandson Callum and his girlfriend Sol. We all sat down to a beautiful feast of ham, smoked salmon, fresh fruit platters, croissants, cakes, pastries and chocolates. With bubbles and fruit juices it was certainly a feast.
With breakfast over and much talking and laughter, it was time for the kids to hit the pool and try out all their new pool toys of which there were plenty. Mum by this time was beginning to tire and was ready to go home to Raffles. The taxi was a bit later than we had booked for but considering it was Christmas Day it was not too bad.
As the day progressed, Roger and all his family left to get ready for their own celebrations later that day and we then enjoyed a nice relaxing day with only 7 of us left. Later in the day we enjoyed another feast of cold seafoods/meats with salads and desserts. I think we can all agree it was a good day. Good food and good company in a relaxed and stress free atmosphere.
With Christmas over we had organised to do a Housesit at Pottsville for 4 weeks. This was so we could stay around the area and I could visit mum. We didn’t want to outstay our welcome at the Jones’s house or pay the high priced caravan park school holiday rates so the Housesit worked well for us. As luck would have it the Covid restrictions hit again and I wasn’t able to visit mum anyway!
We enjoyed our stay at the lovely house in Pottsville looking after Ollie, a good little dog (Maltese terrier, we think) who seemed to enjoy our company as much as we did his. We had arranged with the owners, Brenda and Noel to also allow the girls to come and stay with us for a couple of sleepovers which made our stay there even better. There’s nothing we like better than sleepovers with the grandkids!
I was later able to visit mum a couple of times but only under strict conditions. I needed to provide my own RAT test (not easy to get!) which I had to do in front of a Raffles staff member and wait 15 minutes, then if negative I had to wear the full protective gear of plastic overall and goggles and mask. Not quite sure why when I have just shown a negative test result but hey, I just do as I’m asked and follow the rules. I feel so sorry for everyone that has to wear all this garb all the time!
As it’s now heading toward the end of January we head up to Noosa, stopping 2 nights at the Galaxy caravan park near Loganholme. I wanted to check out IKEA thinking about when we might eventually move into our house. There wasn’t anything there that appeals to us so that’s good to know for future reference. While at this park our neighbour gave us a beautiful big mud crab, already cooked and cut up. That was our dinner that night and lovely it was too. Thanks for the freebie.
We had said our goodbyes to Jo, Phil and the girls but only for a short while as they are also coming up to Noosa in a couple of days time for the weekend. My brother John was turning 60 and a party has been arranged at Simon’s. With his big house and pool area, it’s a great party house.
With much preparation and rearranging of furniture, the party gets underway. With live music and plenty of food, the kids in the pool and some dancing, it was a good night. I can’t think why but from all the boozy presents that John received, people must think he is a big drinker! 😂
Jo, Phil and the girls left the next day so now we don’t expect to see them before June. We miss Livi and Ruby already.
We spent a week with Simon and Kerry before we again say goodbye as we leave to head up here to Elliott Heads, stopping on the way at Howard where I found a good Op shop and Appletree Creek where we enjoyed walking around the Saturday market.
We had arranged to meet our friends Bob and Ellen and Eric and Di at Elliott Heads for a long overdue catchup and have stayed at this caravan park a couple of times before. It’s a great spot to just relax and enjoy each other’s company. We’ve swam in the ocean, played bowls, enjoyed a meal at the club, the girls went Op shopping and Chris and Bob had a game of golf.
Now we are on our own again as the friends have gone home.
We booked to do the Lady Musgrave Experience. A day trip out to the island, including a glass bottom boat trip, a walk around the island and snorkeling with the turtles. When we booked the trip we checked the weather forecast and were told that Monday was the best day by far. Well, according to the crew it was but that didn’t stop a lot of us landlubbers getting seasick! We hadn’t been out at sea for more than 10 minutes before some people were turning green and heading for the fresh air of the back deck. With a 2 1/2 hour trip both ways, this was not a good sign.
I recovered quicker than Chris and with a sleep on the deck I felt better and was able to enjoy the rest of the day. Chris wasn’t so lucky, he only came good on the trip back which was a slightly calmer trip. Was it a good day and money well spent? Probably but if that was a “good” day weather wise, I’d think twice about recommending it to others. We did enjoy the company of a young family that day, mum, grandma, 2 kids and a baby. I spent time snorkelling with them and Chris took photos of their feet in flippers from the observation deck below the deck.
We were due to leave here today but have decided to stay longer as bad weather is now playing havoc along the east coast. We have had a lot of rain here but we’ve been reasonably lucky. The flooding has closed some roads from Childers down. We are getting phone calls from family checking on us and some people at this park are staying longer because they can’t get home yet. On our visit to Woolies and Aldi this morning we are again seeing empty shelves as the supply trucks can’t get through. If it’s not Covid it’s the weather! Whatever can we expect next?