Monday, Monday, be good to me.........(As in 'The Mamas & the Papas')

You, Rylah, are indeed the Queen of Blogging!!!. I'm back to 'composing' my blogs. Obviously, I had changed it somewhere, somehow, sometime. I wondered where all the things (very technical term) had gone. Yep, I am a blogmuggle......

My weekend was a good one. Dad had a very quiet birthday celebration with just Mum, my brother, his family, my boys and me. After whining and complaining that he didn't want to go out, he had the temerity to ask my sister-in-law why we weren't going up to Jewellstown for tea!!!!!!

Poor Beloved worked most of the night, then drove town to the Twin Service stations on the freeway to meet me and take the boys to Pacific Park for a bike demo day. Scorpa-boy is staying there for a week a part of his Year 10 work experience programme, learning about leisure park management, the tourism industry, and environmental management. Well that's what the school was told. In actual fact, he's going to help maintain the park, do a bit in the canteen, and spend the rest of his week perfecting his riding skills and improving his fitness. Beloved will be going to pick him up next Saturday, but will be staying until next Tuesday evening as there are riding schools on that have been organised by the Park owner and Scorpa-boy's sponsor. By the way, if you ever stop at the servos fer a break, avail yourself of the toilets in "Olivers"; very clean, modern and surprisingly pleasant, unlike the ones in the Maccas/Coolibah complex, which are usually messy and have a line-up. I didn't get much of a chance to have a look, but "Olivers" professes to have a very healthy fresh food menu, so I think I'll give them a go next time I'm in the area.

I waved the boys off, and headed up the freeway to visit some friends at Nords Wharf. Or that's what I thought, and so did they. Instead, driving along, enjoying the peace, quiet and joy of my own company, I went to my happy place instead. I had forgotten how quickly the turn-off came up, completely missed the signs, and recognised the road winding up the hill on my far left with an ache in my heart. There was nowhere to turn around until I reached Morriset/Mandalong Road. Then the first exit off the freeway took me on a lovely tour through the enticingly named Lakehaven and Charmhaven. Lots of new, crowded, tiled roof, generic brick houses, and accompanying hardware and homeware retail outlets.........My 15 minute journey ended up taking over 30minutes.......BUT.... I did manage some good coffee and porridge, and fab company and gossip whilst sitting on their deck overlooking Lake Macquarie....just a divine way to spent a Sunday morning.

Next on the agenda was an exciting (or a bit excruciating) shopping trip with Mum so she could finish off her Christmas shopping. We decided that Glendale was a little more manageable than Charleytown, but, sadly, there is NO CALENDAR CLUB THERE...hint hint...Undies and placements from "Less then Best", and a porcelain doll from "Homeart". A nice slow walk apund past "Target" when Mum decided that she needed food and drink....... in the middle of nowhere.....we couldn't possibly have been further away from the food hall. "Starbucks" was around at the end of the mall area in the way we were walking, so we v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y wandered around.......2 frappas and a pice of gingerlaof and carrit cake each, we headed off into K-Mart. DVD's and then a trip tp the toilet was required. So off to the check-out we went, then off to find the loos. That job done, it was back into K-Mart, kids' toys this time, then "Strandbags" for an 18th gift for GG's friend, Jess. Enough for one day!!!! Just out of interest, I HATE SHOPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I left Mum sitting in the shade outside "Starbucks", and found her in her very quiet "happy place" when I returned with the car. Mum's illness results in her blackingout when she is stressed physically or emotionally. It was a common occurrence a few years ago, but thanks to medication and her "I'm not going anywhere I love my chair in my loungeroom" lifestyle, she doesn't blackout too often these days. I'm glad that no-one else realised that she was actually unconscious, or her handbag may have disappeared.........

Then Clover and I headed off to pick up GG from BestiePat's on the way home...or so I thought. I was driving GG's car, which she has named 'Coco'. I stopped at a rest stop at Rixs Creek to give Clover a walk and blow out the cobwebs, then back into the car and off we went again, and as we headed off up the hill, I heard a funny popping/crunching noise, and thought I had run over something. But I couldn't see anything. Then ALL the lights came on on the instrument panel and wouldn't go off.......Then the heat gauge was HOT...there is nothing around but coal mines on the roadside.....I decided to nurse the car a little further along the road to Ravensworth where there is a large Boral truck Depot, which is mannned 24hrs a day..it was already 6.45pm. A truckie stopped and advised me to see the mechanics in the truck depot if I couldn't sort it out. He must have been impressed with my can-do, professional manner of lifting the bonnet, topping up the coolant with a bottle of water, and NOT removing the radiator cap....Another guy, named Geoff, who was on his way home to Singleton turned around, stopped, surveyed the engine, which was now cooler and I had removed the radiator cap, walked over to the depot, filled up his water bottle which he proceeded to empty into the radiator, then left it with me ( he said I needed it more than he did), and I continued nursing my car home. It should have only been a 15 minute trip..... On the last hill before the power stations, I decided to stop again...there is no phone reception, or a safe place to stop for about another 10ks...so over onto a grassy triangle I stopped, and called the NRMA. They were quick..Michael would be 20 minutes, he said, and would tow me back to Singleton....then we could organise a towtruck back to Muswellbrook at our own cost....."No thank you" said I...."Can you give us a ride into Muswellbrook instead?"..So, Clover and I waited....A bloke with his kids on the way back from skiing on Lake Liddell, asked if I needed help.....A lovely young couple on their way back to Sydney turned around to help me out..they had been up to Inverell to look at a property to buy, but added that their parents didn't like the idea..my suggestion was to do what feels right, so who knows????? Micheal duly arrived just before it was totally dark, and we had a lovely ride to BestiePat's place..Michael asked if I could leave Clover behind, please..........I HAD LEFT POOR LITTLE COCO ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, IN THE DARK, IN NO-MAN'S LAND....
BestiePat's mum drove us home; a big thing for her; letting my dog into her brand new Hyundai Getz.... I had instructed GG to make sure that Clovers' occassionally dripping nether region (she's still in season; day13, only 6 more to go...) remained on her black-skirted lap at all times...... then when Beloved arrived home, I shared the good news.......9.30 by then....everybody was yawning.....

Monday dawned with me off to sort out boy's rooms with a view to finish off the trim painting this week, and 4 lovely loads of washing. We still have no milk, or anything for tea. The good news is that it looks like just the fan-belt broke on Coco, and he bought a new one for less than $20, which is really good, since I checked out the bank balance, and it's not so flash....

More later.......I have to go with Beloved to buy food!! ;)))))