A Week with Mum

Guess I left off at the part before we headed out to the pub, so let me finish with Wednesday night:


Here we are in our new outfits made from nearly entirely all op shop finds! My entire outfit (excluding a necklace borrowed from Hillie but including the blouse and cami, skirt and sandals) cost $8! And can you tell?? Op shops are great, I don't think I'll ever buy anything new.

The three of us clip-clopped our way down to the pub and definitely got the attention of all the boys. Rosco, Hillie's 'acquaintance' met us there and we placed our orders. The special was steak and although that was why we had picked tonight to go, Rosco was the only one who ordered steak. Hillie and I got grilled fish and chips, and Caroline ordered chicken Parmesan. Rosco got us some garlic bread appetizers and like a gentleman, paid for our soft drinks. We sat in a secluded room away from the TVs and bar. The conversation was great and our food was excellent! Rosco and Hillie are adorable together, and he really makes her smile. :)



After eating, us girls returned home and changed into our jammies. We played a round of Spelldown and drank a pot of tea, then went to bed.

Thursday Hillie had to work at the op shop again, so after breakfast Caroline and I headed out to hunt for more op shops. We traveled about half an hour to the neighboring town of Kerang (pop. 4000) and trolled through a gift store and two op shops, with a break for Chinese food in between. The first shop was homey and highly fruitful, while the second seemed more commercialized and had higher prices. With a little bargain-hunting lust still in us, we drove to Cohuna (pop. 2000) and got sidetracked by this quirky little gem museum, Crystal Paradise. The walls were lined with display cases crammed with every sort of rock and gem, and then the room held a bunch of large tables with polished rocks and jewelry for sale. The shopkeeper stayed close by and answered all of our questions and showed us a gadget that read the color of your aura (I was green, Caroline was purple). But the color can change, sometimes minute to minute, so I'm not really sure what it all meant, but it was neat anyway. :)





We were then shown the back room, which was mainly a studio for meditation workshops but also had a few more display cases and at the front of the room, a long hand-made wooden table that held a series of large opaque crystal bowls. The woman showed us how the bowls 'sing' by catching sound and amplify it as you rub a soft stick around the top. It was amazing; the sound became almost deafening but still beautiful, like church bells. Although we got to try it, the bowls did not sing for us as well as they did for her.

Also on display was this amazing ram's skull that had been found in a salt pan, completely covered in a thick blanket of pure white salt crystals.

We left about an hour later and when we found the town's only op shop, found out that Thursday was the only day of the week they weren't open. :( But we wandered around the town's beautiful little park, complete with a pond and a fountain and a skate park and a really spiffy playground. We sat on the swings and watched the birds flying over the water, then decided to head for home.



Caroline took us on a detour to see Mt Hope, a stunning tower of boulders that overlooks miles of patchwork farmland in all directions. We climbed nearly to the top and watched the sun set to the sound of birds calls and bleating sheep from the pasture below. To stand among such an ancient and powerful creation reminds you of how majestic and beautiful the natural world really is. Your thoughts seem to echo and your mind clears and stills. I could sit there for hours without realizing it.



We had gotten in the car and were starting to leave when we jumped out for a few last sunset pictures, which caught the attention of a flock of freshly-shaved sheep. Unable to resist, I approached the fence as they hesitantly approached me. We stood there, me facing a hundred bleating sheep, for a few minutes before they realized I was not there to feed them and turned tail. But it was enough to satisfy my 'animal craving'. ;)



When we arrived home it was dark, and Hillie thawed some of the potato and sweet corn soup she'd made in preparation for our arrival. It was DELICIOUS!! The secret must have been the bits of bacon. YUUUMMMM... So good.

Friday we had plans to make a big lunch and play cards with Hillie's brother, John, and Rosco. Caroline and I hurried through our yoga routine and then we all ran down to the butcher to get a leg of lamb. Then while Hillie got her hair done, Caroline and I bought some veggies and snacks before returning home and getting the roast and veggies in the oven.

At about 10:30 we headed out to visit a nearby salt pan. I've wanted to see one since my last visit because in my mind, it looked amazing. I could imagine it glistening like water but to touch it and taste the salt crystals would be fascinating. We'd driven past one on the way home last night, but it had been too dark. So Caroline drove me back out and I was super-excited and curious to finally be able to stand on one.



It looked like a really big, dried-up puddle, but there was a definite layer of white over the top. It felt like wet, compacted sand/dirt, and upon closer inspection I found tiny white crystals. I showed Caroline, who was sitting up on the road watching me with her camera, and after brushing off the dirt, I tasted it.

It tasted like nothing.

Maybe it wasn't the opaque rocks, maybe it was the clear rocks that were salt. So I put that one in my mouth next.

It tasted like a rock.

I was beginning to think that this was some nation-wide practical joke, a devious plot to get the tourists to eat dirt. But the pan was still beautiful, and I wandered around taking pictures before getting closer to the one area where the water hadn't evaporated.



The ground became squishy the closer I got to the water, and the mud beneath the thin layer of red topsoil was pitch black. I took a few more pictures and then--for reasons I can't explain--decided to taste the warm water.

SALT!

At last, I can say that I've tasted salt from a salt pan! I continued walking around the water's edge, taking pictures of dead insects and even a dead frog before I was satisfied enough to leave. At the car, I realized that it might not have been a good idea to drink water with a bunch of dead things floating in it. *wince*

We still had a little time before the lamb would be ready, so Caroline took me to Pyramid Hill. Unlike Mt Hope the night before, we could use a walking track to get up the side. But just like Mt Hope, Pyramid appears to be a giant heap of loose boulders, some of which could come tumbling down at any second. It looks so out of place among the miles of flat pasture surrounding it, like it had to have been man-made but the boulders are so huge that would be impossible. Caroline explained to me about volcanic activity and how the different types of rock rise and settle over time, and I suppose it makes sense but to see such a formation up close is simply stunning. Birds swirled over the very top of the mountain and on the way up, I spotted a wallaby! I was too slow for a picture, though. :(

At lunchtime we hurried back home just as Hillie was taking the lamb out of the oven. John was already there and Rosco would be coming shortly (lunch was running a little late) so Caroline and I walked Paddy down to the grocery store for some drinks. The house smelled amazing and Hillie had brought out all her fancy dinnerware. The lamb was carved and the veggies were plated up and Rosco arrived just as we sat down to an amazing meal! Everything was so good!

For dessert, John had brought some home-made Oliebollen, a simple and traditional Dutch pastry made mainly of flour and raisins that has been fried and is rolled in powdered sugar prior to eating. They were delicious but dangerous... I could easily eat a whole batch of those puppies!

After eating, the table was cleared and the playing cards were brought out. We were playing Dutch Euchre, an old family favorite. Rosco and I were newbies so the first round was practice, but as the game proceeded the rules were coming back to me. Fairly confident I could manage without Caroline's help, the game turned serious.

I forget how many rounds we played, but it was at least five and we finished close to four after having broken out the chips and candy. The final round was between Hillie and I, and I actually won! Hillie took it like a good sport, though. ;) It was a great afternoon full of fun and laughter and I'd do it again any day.

Then men left shortly after the game was over, and Caroline and I played three rounds of Spelldown (and finished off the junk food) before watching an episode of Frasier in bed.

I had a GREAT week with Hillie and really enjoyed meeting all of her family. Everyone is so happy and made me feel very welcome. Thank you Hillie, for opening your home to me. *hug*



Tomorrow: back to Melbourne and a three o'clock birthday party for Caroline's coworker!