Joan, Peet, Louisa, Max and I drove to Clermont to see Sam and Matt and families. We left on Thursday - drove to Roma - stopping along the way. Left Brisbane at 10 am and got to Roma where we stayed the night at 6.30pm. We did stop h.ere and there along the way. One of the most memorable stops was when I told the kids to jump out and stand in amongst the gorgeous yellow flowers (which were really weeds) growing along the road - I thought it would be a pretty photo - unfortunately when they stepped out of the car - in bare feet- they stepped right into an enormous patch of prickles - the really stingy ones. Louisa and Max had feet full of prickles and I even got them in my hands trying to get them out. They both bore the pain well but refused to pose for flower photos from then on.
Because we arrived at Roma so late we drove right into the sunset - which was actually spectacular - the sun was huge and round (as it tends to be) and golden and setting right in front of us. I tried to take a photo. When I got out of the car it was still way above the horizon, but by the time I walked to the front of the car and set up the camera it was halfway down. Still gorgeous though.
It was really far more spectacular in real life - I must find a photography course!
We stayed in a motel which was fairly new and so exciting for the kids - there was pay TV. We bought the kids McDonalds for dinner and had room service ourselves - with lots of begging for bites from the kids.
The next morning we headed for Clermont - Peet was getting desperate by this stage. He had already had the holiday delayed by a week and didn't want to stop for anything now. I think visions of skateboarding and motorbiking were dancing in his head. We did stop for a play at a park in Chinchilla (I think). There was the most wonderful smell and we finally traced it to a row of gorgeous trees in full flower. Somehow the kids agreed to pose in these trees - having already checked that there were no prickles.
There were magnificent flowers everywhere we went - bougainvillea, roses, wisteria, and heaps more - in fact the kids were saying that there were more flowers in central Queensland than in Brisbane - I think they even beat Toowoomba - due mainly to the lack of water restrictions I think.
We also saw drovers with cattle along the road and Joan told the kids about droving near Dingo.
We stopped in Emerald - much to Peet's dismay - so close and yet so far - and had lunch in a nursery with a cafe. Again - the most extraordinary flowers.
We finally got to Clermont at about 4.30 in the afternoon - meaning that we took a 11- 12 hour drive and made it last 17 hours.
We went to Matt & Floss's house first - the little boys are so cute - Jed has a serious mullet and Jake looks a lot like Max - thank goodness he is still a little smaller.
Floss has done heaps of work on the garden and it is looking fabulous - in fact every time we went there over the week she had planted something new and had the sprinkler on.
While we were talking Jake came running over to Floss, teary and barely able to speak - breathing heavily and almost shaking - when he finally could speak he said 'there's new baby guinea pig!' Apparently he was showing the kids his guinea pigs and they moved the food bag to discover a new baby. He was beyond excited. The new baby's name is Little Brown Foot - because it has a little brown foot - 'and their feet never get big.'
The little boys had a great time running through the puddles made by the sprinkler - a rarity for Max who lives with water restrictions - and on tank water at the best of times - but just another day for Jake and Jed who have a bore.
Finally we left and went out to 'Glenmore', Davy and Mitchy arrived on motorbikes, and Sam arrived about an hour later with Pizza - Clermont is a metropolis now that the mines are growing. Peet got to do a bit of motorbike riding that night - one light between three motorbikes meant that in theory at least Peet and David had to follow Mitch who had the light. They stayed up late - then played Playstation even later. Max and Louisa and I went to bed and read stories till the littlies fell asleep.
The next day (Saturday) all the Fulchers and Joan woke up at the usual time - and so did the Faints - which means 6.30 - 7 am for the Fulchers and 9.30 -10 am for the Faints - they have a gift for sleeping in. Since we knew no one else would be waking up soon (Ross was in Rocky for a boys golf weekend) we loaded up and went in to the cemetery. Photographed the graves - again - and found Emma Weller - who is a daughter of one of our ancestors - to a previous marriage. Didn't know she was one of ours last time I was there so I was glad to find her grave. Joan stole a vase from a grave - in her defence it was very old, and it was at our ancestors grave - and I don't know of anyone living around Clermont who is descended from those ancestors - so it wouldn't be missed. Tried to pick up Jake - but he was still asleep too! Went back to Glenmore where everyone was awake. Motorbike riding followed and David took Max riding.
Max later said to Louisa 'If you get offered to go motorbike riding you should take it - you can feel the wind in your hair and it's really fast.' You can see the effects of wind in the hair below.
We went back into town - and got a flat tyre along the way - which cost $181 since I had to get a new one - also had to get Matt to come out and change it for us.
Jake stayed with us then. Did the shops over at Clermont - doesn't take long. Went home for lunch then picked up David and went to Nora Vale (Sam & Ross's other property - just outside Clermont). The main attraction was a possum that Ross and Mitch have tamed. It usually has a baby - but we couldn't see it. It was completely gorgeous. At first it looked a bit scared - but once it realised we had bread it was happy for us to feed it, pat it and generally poke and prod. David (who is afraid of possums after an encounter gone wrong earlier this year) refused to get close and kept warning the rest of us- but it was irresistible.
Right beside the possums house is an old house that Peet and Dave had fun in - kicking holes in old fibro walls etc.
Copperfield is near Nora Vale so we went to see the Copperfield Chimney - it is all that is left of the town (other than the graveyard) and is from the days when they melted copper. Matt Rob told us that he has actually climbed it - there are barbed wire fences all around to prevent just that behaviour but apparently you can get through them and climb the chimney - there is a sort of ladder inside.
The kids really enjoyed the red rocks and the walk around the chimney.
Went to the Copperfield Cemetery next -found a plaque to all the unmarked graves - one of whom is a baby in our family tree that was not named in the Hatfield book. So many babies - must have had some disease (or diseases) go through the community - must have been just awful.
Matt & Floss's house for dinner - really good steak, sausages, potato bake and salad, and baked reef fish (as you do when you're 5 hours from the coast) which was really delicious. The kids loved the trampoline and the guinea pigs.
Spent the night sitting and laughing - my favourite story from Matt was about a friend of his who has a 3- 4 year old boy. One night the kid wouldn't eat his pumpkin so Dad said 'Eat your pumpkin'. Kid says "No." Dad says 'eat your pumpkin or I'll get benny (the strap).' Kid starts to eat the pumpkin, gets the fork almost to his mouth then puts it down and says 'you better get benny.' They raise them tough out west.
Laughed a lot about the funny things we did when we were kids - Matt said he just loves it when his boys ask for a drink when they are driving 'cause then I get to turn around and say - here have a drink then (with a pretend cup in hand)', just like Dad did to all of us so often.
Sunday - Joan braved a motorbike ride with David - Matt Rob and Mitch went too - apparently David was going over 90kmh since Matt Rob and Mitchy couldn't catch them. Joan thought it was lots of fun till Mat Rob came off his bike later that afternoon and the best explanation the boys could offer was 'well sometimes it just happens.' Sam was happy to have Joan go a ride but confessed that she had never been on the back - and never intends to go on the back.
Sam gave Peet a new deck from David's Nail range and a new grip tape (also Nail) - and Peet spent the next four days stressing over buying new screws to attach the trucks to the deck - it was a very long haul between getting the new deck and getting it all ready, with many upsets and disappointments along the way. This is the first attempt to set up the new deck.
Typical afternoon/evening for Max and Jake:
Sunday morning was mainly about sleeping in and reading then we went in to town tosay goodbye to Matt who was starting a four day shift.
Matt had given Dave a ute that he had bought for the tyres - David was very pleased and went for his first drive - Peet went along and Mitchy did too. Mitchy said it's like the Dukes of Hazzard!
Peet loved it:
When we finally got home we went to watch the great bike jumping at the dump. David drove the hilux over and Max and Louisa, Joan and I rode in the back - Peet doubled on Mitchy's bike.
Mitchy did great jumps over dirt mounds and David did a few too - Peet had a ride around the track - Max's eyes shone with admiration.
Louisa was very brave and hopped on the back of Mitchy's bike for the trip home - she had no idea it was going to be so much fun - after that she asked for rides each day.
When we got back to the house Joan and I stopped off to look at Molly's table which was in the rat shed and Max rode home in the back of the Hilux all alone - a big achievement.
Sam and Louisa made fresh pasta for dinner, I made a chicken and artichoke sauce, and a flourless chocolate cake and we made a green leaf salad - a spectacular meal and now we have to get a pasta maker.
On our last day - Monday - we had planned to go to Alinya to get a look at the old homestead where Grandma Thomas had painted a dragon in the kitchen (inter alia). We had contacted the surrent owners and were to meet them in town and follow them out - but when we talked to them they said that no much remained other than a few posts. But Jane (the new owner) did say that there was still a zebra on one of the doors in the new house and she would send us photos. We picked up Jake anyway and went for an ill-advised drive - ill-advised because Jake got car sick and threw up in the car. Poor Jake looked so sick but got better quickly.
There were a few odd jobs to do in town so I took Peet, Louisa, Mitch and Dave to town. Joan and Max stayed home and walked tothe dam to check the yabbie trap. Becuase it was so cute we all walked down when we got home. Davy & Mitchy actually drove down in the two four wheel drives and Peet stayed home.
Max checked the yabbie traps - nothing this time - but they had already caught 11 earlier, as well as 3 shrimps and 2 dead turtles.
Louisa went swimming and I almost went in too -but Louisa was bitten by something on her foot - don't know what but it broke the skin and bled a little.
Dave, Mitch and Joan were heading home and checked that we were ok to walk - Louisa sasid yes but as soon as they were out of sight she started to cry because her foot hurt. So then we had a dilema - how to get Louisa home. Max said he was sure he knew the way and he would walk home and get help - I was worried but thought that it would be great for him if he did manage to do it -so we sent him off. Louisa and I walked up the road a little to make sure he was going the right way - he seemed to be ok but pretty soon we saw him coming back down the road and crying a bit.
He had taken a wrong turn then found his way back. Now I figured it was really important forhim to do the job so he didn't feel bad - so Louisa and I hobbled up the road till we could see Sam's house then sent him off for help.
When help didn't arrive we started to walk home - thinking that maybe everyone was out - or something had happened. Just as we were about to turn the last corner Dave & Joan arrived in the truck. Dave took Louisa home and Joan and I walked - too scared to go in the Dukes of Hazzard car actually. Turns out Max had wandered in, lay down to watch TV, and forgot about us till David walked past!
Sam brought Floss and the boys out for dinner and Ross got home from his golfing weekend.
