Angel by day, Devil by night

Bumper sticker in Bellingen.

Georgie and I had a wonderful day out to the Hawkesbery River to visit Lindsay and Sue Johnson, before leaving Sydney on the road North. One of the best days yet it was. We left Central Station on a double decker train. From upstairs, where else, we watched the suburbs subside, most of them named after English towns as most places are over here apart from the numerous Irish names: Ballina, Crossmaglen, Avoca etc. Upstairs in a train affords a better view and a much quieter passage. We glid along soundlessly. Soon the Eucalypt forests took over, impressive in their subtle colour variations and density. There are over 700 species of Eucalyptus in OZ . We descended to a station by a wide river, The Hawkesbery, where Lindsay awaited us with a little speedcruiser. It's a junior version of what I call 'the dishwasher' breed of boat so espoused by the denizens of Porto Banus etc. I love wooden boats though they are probably a fright to maintain.

(This text will stop here while the poodle goes for his strawberry milkshake....more tomorrow dear reader (if there is one). Dont be shy to comment by the way, there is a button at the bottom of the texts that explains. Au revoir.......)

Back at the desk despite thunderous downpours here in Bellingen..........
Anyway, before the pink drink in the tall glass called, here we are in Lindsay's fast boat scudding across the Hawkesbery river under the main railway line heading North under the main Pacific Highway heading North, round the bend into choppier water. You can see a small island on the Left where delinquents reside in a camp of some sort .It looks like a wonderful place for anyone. We pull into a small settlement on river's edge. Wooden houses built from the twenties up to present day rather reminiscent of a Norwegian village. Here Lindsay and Sue have two properties. They are working on the one we visited, gutting it's interior and maybe extending to a second storey. it's wood and tin like it's neighbours and has a lovely pool. We lunched very favourably on salads, fruit and prawns cooked on the barbie along with some very suggestive looking vegetarian sausages. We splashed around in the pool and sat on the edges discussing Aussie life, Irish life, relationships, children and vocations not to mention the climate which is really irresistable. So rewarding to talk with these good people who have found a very comfortable niche and way of life. Mr Poodle was much impressed by their philosophy of child rearing and the fruits of such were well reported to us. Lindsay then took him for a spin up river or was it down. This was a main artery for inland Australia in days gone by, a trading route. Very impressive sandstone cliffs thickly wooded with the ubiquitous Eucalypt. I saw the source for many of the paintings seen the prvious day in the Museum of New South Wales in Sydney. The older more representational painters struck me the most; the pioneering explorer/artist types mirrored on Beara Peninsula by our hidden master there Danny Osborne. Meanwhile back at HQ Mrs Poodlem and Mrs Johnson had some deep tete-tetes which Georgie enjoyed immensely. Time to jump in the boat (the only means of access and egress from this spot) and head for harbour, train, Sydney and bed. A perfect day.