Yesterday, Today and Temora

Sally wants one of these bath chairs for her dotage

Ray finding his "farmer" side

Something to lighten your day

An angry Spitfire at Temora Aviation Museum

Tonight's camping spot with a view of the Temora runway

The title, as most of you who know Ray will understand, is a Dad joke!  

We're currently in Temora to visit the Aviation Museum.  Along the way, we also also discovered the very interesting Rural Museum, where we spent the better part of yesterday.  

Our path from our last overnight stop along the highway was through Young, where we visited the Information Bureau, Coles (naturally) and Poppa's Fudge and Jam Factory where we bought wonderful chocolates, cherry tarts and cherry jam.  It isn't yet cherry season here but who's quibbling?  

We only stayed long enough to witness an altercation between 2 police and 2 young men in a red P-plated car near our van.  It was pretty heated and although we sticky-beaked to the best of our abilities, we didn't find out what the problem was.  I guess if you attract the ire of police in a small place, look out!

Today we headed for the famous Aviation Museum, which has one of the world's finest collection of flying historic aircraft.  The Museum was established in 1999, and includes the only flying Spitfire and the nation's oldest airworthy Tiger Moth.  The collection also includes CA-16 Wirraway, Ryan STM S2, Gloster Meteor F8, Canberra Bomber, DH-115 Vampire T35, Cessna A37B Dragonfly, CA13 Boomerang, Lockheed Hudson, RAAF CA-27 Sabre, T-28D Trojan and Cessna O-1G Birddog

The Museum hosts regular flying weekends throughout the year.  Unfortunately we were once again here on the "off" weekend, but the friendly and knowledgeable volunteers in the Museum made us welcome and gave us all the information we didn't know we needed.  There are also lots of personal histories on the people who flew these planes, and the various theatres of war they served in.  We stayed longer than we thought we would, and then found ourselves a camping spot next to the runway where we can watch the couple of small planes out for the afternoon.

It's an interesting concept, but there's an estate being built along the road to the airport (in fact right next to it), where houses are being constructed (many already living there), but each house has a much larger hangar out the back where people park their planes when they're not out flying!   There's a wide road leading from the hangars down to the runway, and it seems that taxi-ing planes have right of way over traffic!!    Very sensible really if you like to fly your plane often.  No long drive to the airport, no queues and, it seems, no air-traffic control (thought I'm sure that happens at peak times).  One of the volunteers lives 10km out of town on a 300 hectare farm, and says he usually flies in instead of driving!

We've really enjoyed our stay at Temora, and have met many people who are happy to have moved here, and praised the locals for embracing the airport instead of carping.  The extra visitors brought by the Aviation Museum no doubt contribute handsomely to the coffers as well.

We'll have a quiet night here then get up and consult the map as to whither we go tomorrow.

Just to finish off, I have to reproduce some advice to pilots, even though I know only one (or two) of you are one!!!

Safety tips for pilots with their heads in the clouds.

1.  Every take off is optional.  Every landing is mandatory.

2.  If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger.  If you pull the stick back, they get smaller.  That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.

3.  Flying isn't dangerous.  Crashing is what's dangerous.

4.  The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.  The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool.  When it stops, you an actually watch the pilot start sweating.

5.  A "good" landing is one from which you can walk away.  A "great" landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

6.  You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.

7.  Stay out of the clouds, the silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another aeroplane travelling in the opposite direction.  Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide in clouds.

8.  If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not all they should be.

9.  In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminium going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.

10.  Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take-offs you've made.

11.  It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.

With that we will sign off and hope that you all manage to follow Rule No. 11.

Sally and Ray

Carcoar Dam to Cowra, and beyond

View from Raptor over Carcoar Dam - freedom camping

Central lake at Japanese Gardens Cowra

Waterfall, Japanese Gardens, Cowra

Beautiful entrance to Japanese War Cemetery, Cowra

So, after dealing with our mail, and now being legal again with a new registration sticker (thanks Katrina), we were on our way from chilly Oberon.  We had a great few days with friends Connie and Rob, and their Border Collie Morris.  We did more walking over those few days than we've done the whole trip.  Morris was very insistent when it was walkies time, so we did several rounds of Oberon Cemetery where Morris could chase rabbits and run up and down inside the fence line, chasing the passing cars, and a longer walk down to the dam.  We were very thankful indeed for electric blankets and warm kitchens and have at least ruled out Oberon as a future home.  The cold and damp on the first day was reminiscent of England in winter, although the days warmed up to blue skies and sunshine after a day or so.

We left Oberon for Bathurst, where we stopped for lunch at the wonderful The Hub in Keppel Street.  Connie and Rob met us there the previous Thursday as a starting point for our trip to Oberon.  The coffee and food was so good we stopped off there on the way back for a wonderful Trunkey Creek BLT which, luckily, we decided to share.  Talk about a Foot Long Sub - I think the original roll was actually a whole loaf of bread, because even halving it was almost too much food!

After lunch we hightailed it out of Bathurst, not wanting to spend too long in overcrowded areas, and headed for Carcoar Dam, about half way between Bathurst and Cowra.  There's a wind farm on the opposite hill, which is fascinating to watch.  We spent 2 nights there, relaxing and taking the occasional stroll along the road to the Dam wall.  Finding a level spot to park the motorhome took a while, but most of the time we were on our own, close to the dam, with any visiting caravans further up the hill on level ground.  It is a very civilised Free Camp, with toilets, water and rubbish bins.  I thought to myself on the first morning "Ah, I shall save water in the van and have my shower in the Ladies" having seen 2 shower stalls there the previous evening.  I headed up the hill carrying all the necessaries, stripped down and headed into the stall for a warm shower on a cold morning.  Wrong again!  Yes, there were 2 taps, and yes there was water, but only one tap turned, and that certainly wasn't the hot one!  In years past perhaps the hot tap worked but not now.  However, I was there and I was determined to have a shower, so cold water it was, and a quick shower it was!!!  I reckon the water came straight from the Snowy.  The second morning discretion was the better part of valour and I had a hot shower in the van, with reckless disregard for the level of the water tank.

We left Carcoar reluctantly this morning, realising that after 4 weeks away from home we had only travelled 1500km from Brisbane (as the crow flies anyway) and it was time to move along.

We did, however, stop in Cowra, which was the site of a POW camp during World War II, and famous for a breakout of 378 Japanese prisoners on 5th August 1944.  Over the following 9 days, 334 Japanese were recaptured, some over 15 miles from Cowra.  The last Japanese soldiers were captured 9 days later.  Several had committed suicide in the bush and 2 had thrown themselves under a train.  Australia lost 4 soldiers, with 4 wounded, the first 3 in the initial breakout.

We visited the site of the POW camp, just up the road from the Japanese Gardens, and it is such a beautiful place; it's hard to imagine that it was once divided into four 17 acre compounds, each holding 1000 prisoners; Italian, Japanese, Formosan and Korean.

After the war, the local RSL assumed responsibility for the care and maintenance of the Japanese section of the war cemetery.  In 1963, the Japanese Government was considering the repatriation of their war dead to Japan; however they were so impressed with the care taken of the graves by the locals, that they submitted a proposal to the Australian Government for a Japanese War Cemetery.  It really is a magnificent small cemetery, adjacent to Cowra Cemetery, with a beautiful walkway entrance lined with white blossom-covered trees.  

The Japanese Gardens cover 5 hectares and were created by Ken Nakajima, a world-renowned designer of Japanese gardens.  The first stage was opened in 1979 with the second stage in 1986.  It has magnificent manicured hedges, waterfalls and streams, and 2 lakes providing a tranquil environment for local wildlife and birds.  As usual we're just outside the "right" time to be here, with the Annual cherry blossom festival being held in September.  Perhaps about 2 weeks too early, as all the blossom trees were heavy with bud, but not yet ready to pop.  However, it was still a great visit and we spent nearly 2 hours strolling around the paths and admiring the koi in the ponds.

A quick visit to Coles on the way out of Cowra provided us with fresh food for the next few days, and here we are, parked on the side of the Mid Western Highway, on our way to Young tomorrow, and from there to Temorah, probably tomorrow night.  There's evidently a great couple of museums there, one being the Aviation Museum, which we've been told not to miss.  

Hope it's not too noisy a night, with the trucks roaring past.  However we're not quite alone; there are 2 other caravans in the lay-by.

Goodnight all. xx

A real bed for a change!

Parkes Radio Telescope

Our latest and best caravan park so far

The photo above shows our current situation.  Looks dire I know, but we’re really in clover; parked in a friend’s shed (yes it’s big enough to take the motorhome) on a property in Oberon, central western New South Wales, with electricity to run the heater, and a house with underfloor heating which we’re going to be staying in for the next few nights.  They’ve just returned, themselves, from Tasmania and we all stayed in our respective vans last night because the house heating takes 24 hours to warm the whole house.  It’ll be novel to sleep in a “real” bed again for a couple of nights.  We’re here until our mail catches up to us (thanks Favourite Daughter), as it contains our registration sticker. 

I start to wonder about the wisdom of travelling south in Winter, even if Spring is only just around the corner.  The weather for the last few days has been dire; cold, drizzly, windy and even sleet in Orange! Not exactly conducive to getting out and walking the cities we’ve passed through, or their beautiful parks and gardens.  We were prepared to stay in Orange for a few days, but ended up in the Canobolas Caravan Park, high on a hill, buffeted by winds and rain, reading and just trying to keep warm.  We discovered a wonderful café (Patmos Garden Café) at the Botanical Gardens.  We had driven there expecting an afternoon stroll through the gardens (probably not really advisable in terms of flowering plants at this time of year) and as it started drizzling, we headed for the café.  We had inadvertently discovered a gem –a genuine Greek café run by genuine Greeks!!  The coffee (or hot chocolate in Ray’s case) was excellent, as were the cakes.  Unfortunately the afternoon was too inclement to see the gardens so we headed for the caravan park and warmth.  The next morning, after some sleet overnight, we decided that Orange was out of the question, but breakfast at the Patmos might be a good thing.  Right!  Lovely bacon and egg on Turkish bread with hot coffee/chocolate.  It really hit the spot.  Good food, good service, and a warm welcome.

The last decent weather we had was at Parkes.  It was quite a sight driving through the beautiful countryside (and it is beautiful out here, despite the weather) and coming across the Parkes Radio Telescope, in the middle of nowhere.  It is a 64 metre diameter parabolic dish, operated by CSIRO, and used for radio astronomy.  We spent a couple of very interesting hours there browsing the history and watching the Dish rotate.  The telescope was built in 1961 but has been upgraded many times over the years and is now ten thousand times more sensitive than when it was commissioned.  The moving part of the telescope above the concrete tower weighs more than two Boeing 747s, and has to be “parked” when the wind exceeds 35km an hour.    It takes 15 minutes for a full rotation, and is almost balletic as it does.  A fascinating couple of hours.

From there to Orange, to Oberon.  Here we sit waiting for Australia Post to find us, with a warm (literally) welcome from friends Rob and Connie.  We shared our pasta last night, they are sharing their Tasmania pork tonight and who knows what tomorrow will bring. 

Sally and Ray

The Good, The Bad, the Bad and the Ugly

Meerkat Sentinels

Hippo Mouthwash

How cute is this otter?

Baby Galapagos Tortoise - only another 200 years to live!

The Good:  Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo

Well, we've been here in Dubbo nearly a week now, a bit of R&R.  We're in Poplars Caravan Park almost in the middle of Dubbo.  It's literally 2 minutes walk to  Coles car park, opposite the c.p. and I've been there most days, buying fresh food (fresh food?  fish?  Dubbo???)

Our big outing here took us today to Western Plains Zoo, only about 10 minutes drive from where we are camped.  It's 8km by bike, which we did last time, but by the time we left the Zoo, about 3pm, it would have  been excruciatingly cold riding home, so we were pleased that we were able to drive the motorhome around the Zoo.  Plenty of parking, heating when we returned and fresh food in the fridge! The temperature didn't reach much more than 10 degrees (although we believe it was more like 7) and with wind chill factor as well, we were glad to duck back to the van from time to time to drive between exhibits.

Dubbo Zoo is nowhere near as good as Taronga, but what it does have is space and land aplenty for large animals.  Some of it is sad - such as Cuddles, the last remaining African elephant in Australia.  She has a couple of camels for company, and 2 Asian elephants in the next field to share stories with of an evening, even if they are in adjoining stalls, but still, it's sad to think of being the "only".  (Anyone read "The Last Potoroo" by Margaret Wild?)

The Meerkats were, as always, compulsive viewing.  They're such a tight-knit family group, with a sentry always on duty, looking out for the welfare of the rest, or in this case, two sentries.  Perhaps it was a Changing of the Guard?

The hippos, improbable beasts, seem to be happy and well cared for, and trained to the extent that they will put their (open) mouths on a rail, for the Vet to inspect their teeth.  Better him than me!

We spent the last half hour of our visit at the Galapagos Tortoise enclosure.  There are interesting talks by various keepers at nearly every animal enclosure, but somehow I didn't think that the Galapagos Tortoise could be particularly interesting.  WRONG!  We probably spent more time there than even at our beloved Siamangs.  There were 5 tortoises, ranging in age from around 40 to 90.  What was particularly interesting was that the Zoo had managed (well with a little help from the tortoises) to incubate 1 new tortoise, which at this stage, is about 100mm across the shell.  It's still in the premmie ward, but you can see the size of it compared to the pebbles its head was resting on.  Believe it or not, the old tortoises love to have their heads and throats scratched, which I spent most of my time doing while listening to the talk.  They're such prehistoric looking creatures, and their hide is thick and horny, but the skin underneath the throat is soft(ish) and they obviously enjoy the attention.

The Siamangs were, of course, our reason for visiting again.  Since our last visit, a baby has been born, and it was such a delight to see the family of 3 interacting, climbing trees and giving their "family" call. Unfortunately (for us) they are no longer fed publicly, as they were last time we were here, due to the birth of the baby, and the stress to the mother of having too many people around at feeding time.  However, we did manage to stay long enough to enjoy watching them interact and it only reinforced our determination to keep away from buying any products which contain palm oil - palm oil plantations being the cause of the loss of habitat for Siamangs in the wild.

The Bad

The burnt out plug on our van.  We seem to have become complacent, not really worrying too much about how many appliances we run at one time.  With the electric fan heater going full time since we arrived (believe me, it's REALLY cold), all our i-thingies charging, the electric hot water and who knows, perhaps, the final straw, cooking last night's vegies in the microwave, we were suddenly without power.  Too dark and cold to track down the fault last night, but in the light of day a burnt out plug; a visit to an electrician this morning, and the wallet $60 lighter, and the lights are on again.

The Ugly

The nasty little sods who steal from campers (not us thankfully) overnight.  We met a lovely young couple from Adelaide who had spent a couple of months travelling round in a tent-top trailer with large 4WD (alarmed).  Unfortunately she had left her bag inside the 4WD, which, although alarmed, was broken into one night and the bag taken.  Evidently, if you are cluey enough, it is possible to break a small back window in such a vehicle, even if alarmed, and send someone presumably VERY small, inside to take whatever valuables are in sight.  She had not only her wallet in the bag, but lots of small presents which she had bought for friends back home in Adelaide - the bag probably in the river now, all cards lost and little hope of return.  

So, we lock up well every night.  Anyone who needs our thongs which are the only things left outside, is welcome to them.  We are warm and cosy inside.  If it wasn't for our diesel heater, we would probably have turned for home weeks ago!!

Stay safe. xx

Warialda to Dubbo

As you know I (Ray) don't write long blogs but I thought I might write an introduction to Sally's epistle to set the scene.

People ask "What do you do tracking from town to town"  so I thought I should include two pictures that sum it all up.

Sally in another Craft Shop - we haven't missed one yet

Sally drinking coffee (with me) on the street in Dubbo- there is at least one good coffee shop in every town.

The rest is necessary because there have been a number of issues.  However all is now well and we look forward to trying out Dubbo as a home for a week.  So over to Sally for the real blog.

So, Sally here.

We left Warialda after a great night with cousins Nancy and John, who caught us out eating pies for lunch in Warialda the day before - they had come into town to shop, and we had stopped for lunch on the way.  Nowhere to hide in Warialda - it's basically one short street!

It was a very pleasant drive from Warialda along the 95 to Bingara, where we stopped yet again for coffee in the refurbished Roxy Theatre building, which was built around 1936 by 3 Greek entrepreneurs, operated as a theatre until the 1950s and then fell into disuse for 40 years.  The theatre has since been rebuilt for use again as a theatre and conference centre - very fancy for a small town!  The 95 joined the Newell Highway at Narrabri where we stayed a night at the Big Sky Caravan Park, spending most of our time (sorry, Ray's time) on fixing and fitting new tyre valve extenders on the inner back tyres.  Hopefully we won't have the problem of air leakage with these new, solid, valves.  I can't imagine that there can be TOO many more obstacles to our forward progress; I have all my fingers crossed and toes as well when I can!

It was a very pleasant drive along the Newell Highway, which is an excellent road these days, to Dubbo via Coonabarabran and Gilgandra (the Coo-ee town).  During World War 1, the first recruitment march began in Gilgandra.  This was known as the Cooee March, after the "cooee" calls at each town they passed, to attract recruits.  Twenty six men left Gilgandra on 10th October 1915; by the time they reached Sydney just over one month later on 12th November, the numbers had swelled to 263 recruits - the biggest recruitment drive of World War 1.

So here we are now in Dubbo, in the Poplar Caravan Park, just a short walk to the main street (really short - just across the road).  We're having a bit of R&R here, waiting for mail to catch up (thanks to the Favourite Daughter), enjoying the weak winter sun, planning a visit to the Western Plains Zoo to visit our favourites, the Siamangs, and anticipating the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning on the oval opposite the camp.

 

Inverell to Cranky Rock

Cranky Rocks

Cranky man (not)

Well, the good news, or the bad?  Perhaps we should get the bad out of the way first!

The alternative title to this was “Jinxed!”. 

We set off from Inverell around 10am today, after a relaxing couple of days in a very pretty little, well appointed town – (for well appointed read good coffee shops).  Dutifully we filled the diesel tank and checked the tyres, not knowing what lies ahead, but by the time we reached Cranky Rock, one of the rear outside tyres was well and truly deflated.  Thinking that the invalid would have to jack up the motorhome (which is at its heaviest at the moment, with full water and diesel tanks and not enough wine bottles drunk), I was very close to deciding that enough was enough.  However, for once the worst didn’t happen and it was due to a ruptured extension on the schrader valve from one of the tyres. So the solution was easy; with a pump designed to pump up bicycle tyres, we pumped a truck tyre to 60 psi, over about half an hour, and touch wood, the problem is solved.

So, now for the good.

Only 9 kilometers outside Inverell is Olives of Beaulieu, 439 Copeton Dam Road, Beaulieu (www.olivesofbeaulieu.com.au) where we spent a great hour tasting their wonderful olive oils, infused oils, spice blends and olive products.  As the only visitors that morning, we were treated to a history lesson on the family (6 generations on the land), processing and cooking with olives and olive oil, and tasting of Dukkah, Squisito, Chilli Sauce, and Jams, to name just a few, and came away with a lightened wallet but lots of goodies for the trip.

Once again we are the only residents of a deserted campground, only 8 kilometres east of Warialda.  It’s a beautiful area of Nature Reserve 3km down a reasonable dirt road.  Reedy Creek waterhole nestles at the base of a huge group of granite boulders, thrown up by past volcanic activity, balancing one on top of another, with an elevated viewing platform built at the top of the rock formations.  A lovely place for a summer swim no doubt, but the water temperature at the moment is certainly not conducive to swimming.

Legend has it that a Chinaman, Charley Young (Australian-acquired name obviously), accused of killing Warialda resident Eliza Goldthorpe in December 1875, was being pursued by an angry mob, and leapt to his death from Cranky Rock to avoid capture.  The Maitland Mercury correspondent, describing events after the murder, reported “A tracker was at once procured; almost every male in Warialda turned out and scoured the bush.  It is doubtful whether he (Young) would have ever seen a court of justice, as a very general opinion of lynch law existed among them”.  None of this explains why “Cranky” Rocks – was Young cranky, or was it the mob?  Either way, he didn’t survive the fall and his body was found downstream at Gragin. 

So tomorrow, off to visit a cousin, Nancy, and her husband John; long term residents of Warialda.  First a visit to the nearest garage to double check the tyre, then hopefully a night or two with a much loved cousin, and lots of reminiscing.

Hopefully no more glitches.

Sally and Ray

   

Contrasts and maybe a plan

We are comfortable in the Inverell Caravan Park for two nights.  The night at Washpool was lovely sitting around the campfire although a bit cold. 

What a change yesterday afternoon in our sheep paddock.  The wind blew at about 40 knots and it was bitterly cold as the afternoon progressed.  My main fear was that a tree might fall over the road such as it was and we could have to walk out.  Maybe I should have packed a chain saw?

As they say the wind dropped and the morning broke crisp and clear.  Sally stuck her head out through the hatch and called for the camera.  The roof of the van was thick with ice.  Our trusty diesel heater had given us a comfortable cosy sleep.  It wasn't on all night as Sally insisted it was too hot.  I got up at about 3am and the internal temperature was 4 degrees.  I overruled the boss and switched the heater back on.  Those of you hanging for a long blog will have to wait as Sally is cooking dinner and I need to pour the drinks.  

A day in Inverell tomorrow and then off to Cranky Rock on Sunday and then a visit to Sal's cousin in Warialda on Monday.

So much for having no plans - that's 3 days

Keep smiling

Ray

Washpool campfire - cosy

This morning in our paddock the frost was thick 4  degrees in the van at 3am

The pattern on the roof is ice not anti skid

Breaking free at last

Coachwood Pool, Bellbird Campground, Washpool National Park

Middle of nowhere

Wednesday:  We left beautiful Broom’s Head rather reluctantly this morning, but as the day started slightly overcast and with a cool wind, we decided to avoid the coming rain and head west. 

Tonight we’re camped, with only one other van, in Bellbird Campground in Washpool National Park.  We headed west from Grafton on the Gwydir Highway, and after a very hilly and slow trip through Jackadgery and Cangai, we turned onto 4km of dirt road leading to one of the prettiest little campgrounds ever.  We have our own bush surroundings and campfire with abundant wood supplied, so although we cooked inside, we had drinks and nibbles outside by by a roaring fire.

There’s no phone coverage (even with Telstra), therefore no internet and no communication.  SO, what to do with the night hours?  We’ve had a delightful evening, playing Rummy Tile (Rummy Kub, Rummikins) taught to us by some American sailors at Lizard Island.  It’s a very intense numbers game with much forward planning, therefore Ray almost always wins; however it’s so enjoyable that I really don’t mind.  The game’s the thing!

And, as it’s still too early to turn in, we are sitting inside in the warm, Ray reading his book and me embroidering.  Now I remember what family life was like in the 50s!  I love not having any television (or any radio) – and a short break from political news is very welcome!

This afternoon we went on a walk down to Coachwood pool via the Lyrebird Walk.  Last time we were here we saw several lyrebirds, but this time though we didn’t see any, we were treated to a 5-minute concert of lyrebird calls.  At first we couldn’t work out what sorts of birds we were hearing until we realized that all the sounds came from the lyrebirds, which are great mimics. The only 3 calls I could identify were black cockatoos, willy wagtails and currawongs, all coming from the same bird!

Thursday:  Middle of nowhere.

After another walk to Coachwood Pool in the early morning (no lyrebirds this time) we headed to Glen Innes for a few supplies.  The difference between coast and country is truly amazing; Glen Innes is freezing - we were told that it rarely gets above 10 during the day at this time of year.  Will have to look out gloves and beanies if this is to continue.  

We decided to stop overnight at Sinclair Lookout, about 15km out of Glen Innes towards Inverell.  The stopping place designated on the Hema Maps book didn't look right, so we headed on up a small dirt road, searching for the promised lookout.  About a kilometre into the climb we decided that we were probably misguided, but eventually came to a lovely cleared area looking out over rolling farmland, so decided to stay here the night anyway.  I've just been for a long walk further along the dirt track and it comes to an abrupt stop where a massive tree has fallen across the road, so goodness knows where it leads eventually.  Anyway, in spite of the cold and the wind we've decided to stop here for the night.  We have full internet coverage so can pick up any messages and phone calls; last night's isolation didn't last!  

Tomorrow, who knows?  Inverell certainly, and Warialda to visit a cousin, but further than that is a mystery.

Sally and Ray