Post Comment Love 29th Sept - 1st October 2023

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life  and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week and all we ask is that you leave a comment on either mine or Stephanie's post which you linked up through and at least one other post. We'd also love it if you could RT us on Twitter when we tag you to help us reach a wider audience.

It's the 14th Anniversary of my blog on Sunday. My first post was all about my week as the winner of Fancy Dress Friday #FDF a friendly competition that used to take place on Twitter on a Friday evening. It got quite competitive and was a lot of fun. I made some lifelong friends over on Twitter, who I have regular contact with, both online and face to face. 

I never dreamt I'd still have something to blog about 14 years later, although these days I tend to only blog for #PoCoLo and Project 365 with my One Daily Positive that I started in 2015.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. It's been a bit hectic here with my MIL who is unwell, the dog is also unwell and I've been under the weather dealing with the stress of everything and catching up with rest as I've not had a weekend off since we got back from Australia. I hope you enjoy this weeks post.

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Wildlife in Australia

The wildlife in Australia is stunning. Having lived in South Africa we are used to be able to drive a couple of miles to a nature reserve to see Rhino, Hippos, Zebras and Giraffes, but we rarely saw any wildlife outside of the nature reserves. We did have some interesting Rain spiders and Park Town Prawns and Geckos were common. Dual was similar but with Oryx and Camels in the desert and the odd Gecko in the house. Back now in the UK, it's been Spiders, Ants, Woodlice, Bees, Butterflies and Moths and fields of sheep and cows.

Many people have told us they wouldn't visit Australia because of the Spiders and Snakes and we've always been under the impression that to see them you needed to live in the outback, however we came across this beauty in the tree above the footpath walking in Manly just 35 minutes outside Sydney at a busy seaside resort.

A Diamond Python.

We also saw this one in Airlie up near the Great Barrier Reef, also on a coastal path in a busy seaside resort.

A Collared Whip Snake (mildly venomous)

Peter was starting to think that Kangaroos were a figment of our imagination and finally on his second trip to Australia he saw one and then several hundred more.

We saw a lot of Wallabies also which were really friendly.

The birds are stunning, such pretty colours and so friendly.

Rainbow Lorikeet.

The Pelicans are huge.

The cockatoos in volume are similar in numbers to the amount of pigeons we have in the UK.

Kookaburra visit.

There are random Turkeys walking on the beaches.

Herons just wandering around.

Galahs.

And Bin Chickens in the streets. Or the Australian Ibis.

The sea is crystal clear and we were fortunate enough to visit The Great Barrier Reef to go scuba diving and snorkelling.

We also saw an abundance of Whales and Dolphins from boat trips and out on coastal walks.

My favourites are the Koalas and Penguins that we visited in Philip Island near Melbourne.

Unfortunately it is rare to see Koalas outside of sanctuaries which aren't netted so the Koala can move around. Like the Penguins, the conservation fee you pay to visit them and The Great Barrier Reef also, helps to protect their habitat.

Week 38 One Daily Positive and Project 365 2023

Absolutely shattered this week, it's been a busy two weeks with the golf, no time off and hectic in work. I've had a migraine threatening and towards the end of the week, a sore throat.

261 Sunday Last day of the golf, early start and after breakfast with Sam Torrance, I went out with Matt Fitzpatrick, Matt Baldwin and Pablo Larrazábal. The heavens opened as we started on the 17th and just after we got off the 18th they sounded the siren for lightening and there was a 90 minute delay. Thankfully we were able to drop off our kit and head off home. I usually stay till the end and watch the winners but I had work in the morning and a 2 and a half hour drive home. Unpacked, had a bath and went to bed.

262 Monday Back to work via a blood test at the GPs. I'm not feeling work at the moment, there's so much stuff going on but it's all so secretive and it's really irritating when you're working with a student but you're not in the circle with the people who never do face to face with that child. Home from work via the builders yard to order gravel, had dinner, watched TV including the new neighbours, totally confused with what's going on, guess the story line will unfold soon.

My student is off sick so I attend all their lessons and take notes and photos of what we're reading so she can keep up from home.

263 Tuesday Left work early to visit a student who had surgery last week. Home to clean and get ready for mum arriving tomorrow for a week.

264 Wednesday Dug my winter coat and boots out this morning. Peter picked my mum up as she's staying with us for a week. I walked into town after work and we met for coffee.

Priory Park in Malvern.

265 Thursday Up at 5.30am and got some blogging done without interruption. Off to work and home to chill, watch TV and read. The gravel was delivered for the new paths and patio area.

Started watching The Great Gatsby. I've read the book but wanted to see the Robert Redford version of the film.

266 Friday Into work for 8am, super busy and had t pop out for 30 mins to collect mum. I didn't stop all day sorting out problems. I was in bed and asleep by 8.30pm.

Peter edged the lawn last week and has started putting all the gravel around the house.

267 Saturday Peter dropped me and mum at the Three Counties Autumn show, went for his flu jab then joined us mid morning. We had a lovely day, bought lots of plants. I popped out to the supermarket after we got back to get tea. Evening spent tidying around.

Jousting.

On the blog this week:

Our last week in Australia

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Post Comment Love 22nd-24th September 2023

Welcome back to #pocolo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week and all we ask is that you leave a comment on either mine or Stephanie's post which you linked up through and at least one other post. We'd also love it if you could RT us on Twitter when we tag you to help us reach a wider audience.

After a super busy weekend and tens of thousands of steps walked, it was straight back to work after the golf on Monday and I haven't had 5 mins to do anything other than essential things like cooking, washing and getting things ready for mums visit. We're also out all weekend at the Three Counties Autumn Show and taking mum into Worcester shopping. 

I have been asking around 5.50am and having 90 mins 'me time' which I've used to sort out bills, schedule blogs and hopefully catching up with all the posts you kindly linked last week.

One of another camera crew took these photos of me doing the thing I do at the Golf.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the weekend.

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

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Bondi Beach, Coogee and Palm Beach (Home and Away) and Goodbyes

 

We ended our 4 week trip to Australia with saying Goodbye to child 3, Jamie. He's been out in Australia since 2017 and has no plans to return to the UK. 

Our last 3 days were spent in Bondi Beach as a base and we still had several places to explore.

One final trip to the Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Arriving in Coogee after a walk from Bondi Beach

A Facebook memory showed us we were walking this route, exactly one year ago to the day, but in the opposite direction.

The coast line is amazing and we saw whales and dolphins off the coast.

Despite it being winter it didn't stop people swimming in the pool and the sea, but not for us, too cold.

A kookaburra came to say hello

Sunset over Bondi Beach from the roof top

Coastal walk in Manly

A water dragon

A diamond python in the tree above the footpath.

Ferry back from Manly

Cruise ship in Sydney Harbour

Bondi Beach

On the set of Home and Away at Palm Beach.

The lighthouse at Palm Beach

The best Thai meal I've ever had. Chicken and Prawn with pineapple rice from Bangkok Bites in Bondi

That's the end of our road trip in Australia, 3 states, 11 hotels/air b&Bs/apartments 5 flights, car hire, trains and lots of walking. 

It'll be a few years before we plan to visit again. If I had could I'd spend every summer out there, visiting our son and there is so much more to see, explore and experience.