Over and Through the Mountains.

We've been up, down and all around.  These mountains are The Great Dividing Range.

This is Mt Bogong in the Alpine National Park of Victoria.  We drove from Albury and had hoped to see snow.  At Mt Beauty we were told there had been no snow on the ground (as apposed to on the mountain) since 2002.  It was cold though, 7C at the top of the drive up to see this specatcular view.  We saw frost.  Better than nothing at all,  and the scenery was spectacular.

From there to Young in NSW, apparently the cherry capital of Australia.  Who knew?  Of course we had to try a cherry pie or two.  Just between you and I, they were a little disappointing.  Not nearly enough cherries for my liking.  And yes, we carry icecream in the caravan at all times.  Even when the fridge isn't working properly.  Slightly runny, but very cold, icecream.

Next stop Cowra, NSW.

The delights of the Japanese Garden at Cowra were bountiful.  

Designed by Ken Nakajima, the garden is an enchantment of visual artistry.  Each new line of sight reveals something beautiful.  

From jonquils in massive clumps, to the watercourse that runs lazily down the slopes,

the mind is bathed in the glory of serenity with each different aspect of this amazing garden.

I hope I get to see this Garden again, perhaps in Summer when the trees are fully clothed.  But for now the time I spent here was wonderful.  

As for tomorrow, well...it's ever Onward we go.  

Are We There Yet?

Eight days today since we set off on our very exciting journey.  It's been...interesting.  Favourite place so far?  Fraser Range Station.  

 

Look at these two likely lads in the camp kitchen at Fraser Range!  This is the BEST camp kitchen with lounge chairs and a lovely slow combustion wood heater to warm the place up.  (Photo courtesy Lynne McPherson). Personally, I would have liked to stay for a week.  The theme, however, for this trip must be "Ever Onward" and so on we went across the Nullabor. 

At Ceduna we bought fresh oysters to have at wine o'clock.  That is really all I recall about Ceduna.

Ever Onward.

I managed to talk the crew into a lay over day at Burra in South Australia.  We got to see the sights and spent a morning not having to pack up and leave at sun up.  Read 9.30ish actually.  We can't hurry packing up and leaving. There's cappuccino to make for breakfast first.  Of course, the machine travels with us.  

The view behind our van this morning at the Burra Caravan Park.  Rather peaceful yes?  Yes.  

We've developed a small problem with the fridge in the caravan but no one is panicking - except ME!  

I'm not even going to mention the water leak in the en suite!  No one else seems at all concerned.  When you are on the road it's sometimes not possible to get a fix unless you actually break down and can go no further.  So we travel a little bit wounded but not stopped in our tracks.

Resting tonight at Renmark in the Big 4 Caravan Park - Lakeside.   You should see the loos here.  So posh - just like at the Crown Casino except colder.  It's an expensive park and I don't mind at all.

Tomorrow?  Ever Onward.  

Dogs are far superior to cats

Testing. 😳

Gratuitous shot of me and Miss Pixie Possum  and the one hour basket I made yesterday.  Can you let me know if you receive this?  thank you so much - just fine tuning which basically means I am struggling with the technical stuff.   

Here I Go Again.

Two weeks, give or take, until 8th June, 2015 when the new, big trip begins.  By caravan and 4WD from Perth to Brisbane and maybe even Cairns!  Plans are being made.  Stuff is being packed.  Excitement is building.  

Nullabor, here we come!!

This is how the (cartographer) Driver prepares.  Big maps.  Lots of them.  

White City, Jamie's Italian and Rise of the Guardians.

Wow, time to pack for St. Albans tomorrow. That went far too quickly. How can anyone possibly do London justice in 5 days? Put simply, you can't.
We did have a relaxing day today, as one should on a Sunday.
We caught the bus to White City, which sounds quite romantic doesn't it? Not. It's a Westfield Shopping Centre! Jess was lukewarm about it. I, however, loved it. This place is massive. It takes up something like 5 postcodes in the acreage it inhabits. So I hope you're thinking very big now.









The thing that Jess really loved about it was that we found a Jamie's Italian restaurant there. This was one of her bucket list items. I'd not thought of it before, but I guess it was on my bucket list too.
What can I say? It was really good. Amazing. Great ambience, great service, great food.






There was the Gin and Earl Grey Martini.



The olives on ice. Nice touch!









The sardine bruschetta, Black Truffle Risotto and Orange and Fennel salad with boconcini. A fabulous feast indeed.
From there it was off to see The Rise of the Guardians at the cinema in 3D. All my favourite characters were in it - Father Christmas, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost. How could I not enjoy? 3D is thrilling. I loved, loved, loved it.
Now we are packing for the trip down to the country.
As I hauled myself up the stairs to the flat, I counted. This would be the last time and it was finally safe for me to know just how many steps there were. 35. Do you believe that? 35!












That, my friends, is a lot of steps!

Location:North End Road,Hammersmith,United Kingdom

Phillimore Place, Kensington Palace and Winter Wonderland

Turns out my great grandpa lived just around the corner in 1891. A short walk from the High Street and we came across No 15 Phillimore Place.




Standing on the steps where I know he trod made me feel somehow more connected to him. I was pleased to see that the neighbourhood is pretty up-market, so Great Grandpa must have been doing alright.






From there it was a short walk to Kensington Palace, where Jess was keen to do the Tour. But first we had to have FOOD, so it was off to the Orangery. This little building Queen Anne had built so that she had somewhere to sit in the afternoons and entertain her guests. It was also a hot house for trees. Citrus and Gum apparently, for the heady scent they both exuded.




This is the view out the window. I didn't take any photos inside the Palace. Jess's Flickr blog has quite a few.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36105272@N06/sets/72157632090010375/
I thought the Palace Tour not terribly exciting. It was good to see the wood and those high ceilings and doorways (were people taller in the 1600s?) The rest was installations of whispering window seats (gossip of the court) and glass cabinet displays of clothes etc. Interestingly, the staircases were amazing (what is this sudden pre-occupation with stairs?)
They were JUST the right height for you to step up or down comfortably. I guess they did that for Kings and Queens when they built Palaces. Wish we had those stairs at our apartment.
From there we trekked our way to Winter Wonderland, which is a Christmas market situated in Hyde Park, a seriously massive Park I can tell you. We tried to walk...and walk...and walk. I think Jess would have made it but I was fading fast so she hailed a London Cab and we were there within 5 minutes.
It was crazy busy. The crowds were thick and we were stuck in the middle of a hoard of people waiting to be let in to Winter Wonderland. Definitely not a comfortable position to be in. I handled it very well I thought. A couple of minor panic attacks and then we were in with thousands of others.
Jess and I shared a mulled wine. How delicious. All spicy and hot. Why don't we do this in Perth? Oh yes, I forgot. It's HOT at Christmas in Australia.
Today is our last day in London. Tomorrow we head to V's house in St. Albans. It's already snowing there so we should be...well...cold!


Me outside the golden Kensington Palace gates.

Location:London, England