To Craig's Hut with Steve & Lois

In our High Powered Machines...   ?  -
no, those are the Austin 7s we saw on the way -

Steve & Lois led a 4x4 convoy to
Mount Buller,
and the High Country,
3 hours drive north of Melbourne


It is what they are good at..


organising people...

It started as 3 vehicles...

Full of Salisbury's, Billie's, Harvey's

and Grahams/Morrison

But grew to 10 all up...

We met at the foot of Mount Buller

beside a cool stream

which was fun for the kids

Jessica and Gill...

Whilst all the adults caught up with the latest..

And the summit of Buller above glowed in the sunlight -

it's been quite warm for some weeks, now.

Then collect your radios

and "start your engines"...

Upwards, the track varied 

from where you competed with the Mountain Bike Race 

to where it was steep and rough - 

real 4x4 country

Steve was in his element

and Lois was in her car...

and we were getting near

to our destination...

Craig's Hut :

Real High Country

where horseman

are special

and Gill gets first in the queue

to pat his horse...

before he leads off...

down the track and

Lois & Linda get a photo-op..

Jessica and Jonathan in a Snow Gum

and camera-shy Steve 

is  caught between picnic groups...

Sandra and Agnes digest theirs, and the view

Having got up

to the High Country

it was time to go down..

Clive admires 

the Billies'

descent...

(at the quarry...  
- boys & toys ! )

and  

for Steve to say Farewell

to the "Man from Snowy River" ?

at the top 

of Mount Buller..

(Actually that was the winner of the local Sculpture Prize ! )

Nevertheless

although he will deny it...

Steve (& Lois) deserve a round of applause

from us all.
Thanks for a Great Day !

With the last 'gong' going to -  the girls, of course !

We "Still Call Australia Home"

This joyful meeting was long overdue.

Meet TomandEdna, yes, in our mind they are as one. Enjoying the new facilities at The National Trust's Chedworth Roman Villa.

Along the top of the Cotswolds, with Mal and Carol and the fashionable Walking poles.  Helpful in Neil's muddy lanes.

Yet another visit to Hidcote Gardens.

Lunch in Marlow, a handy spot on the Thames to catch up with niece Kate and Karim.

Marlow, like Alcester, also has a gold Post box, celebrating a local gold medal winner at the Olympics.

Back in Beijing in the hutongs. We have used the local phrases for "back lanes" in each country to describe our journey.

This adapted bicycle has food, but also a wok, or frying pan, sitting in a brazier of hot coals as he peddles along!

Just another card game, - another loser reluctantly handing over the cash !

Evening stroll, in the company of thousands.  It was National Holiday Week.

This is 'only' the train station.  It is like an armadillo.  The airport is enormous, as new airports are.  At least we got lunch, since we were too late for the hotel breakfast.

Australian  dawn.

A Grand Welcome Home. 

Jack reads a story with adaptations ordered by Adela.  There was dancing to follow... always dancing.

And Gill tells me she looked after these two teddies, but that she could have done it better if they lived at her house!

Good to be back in Australia! 

70 successive sleeping places.

58 types of beer.

77 separate journeys logged on the Eurail pass.

18 countries.

10 currencies.

12 languages plus English.

158 days.

8,000 kms approximately by train.

1,200 by bus.

800 by boat.

200 by plane in Europe. Plus the flights to and from Australia.

5 kms on bikes (!)

5,500 kms approximately by car in UK.

Here endeth the lesson.

Time to see more of Australia.

Yorkshire

In Central Scotland, mates from university, and how the time flew!
Marie provided for her husband Paul (left), and Jim and Bob (right). All school teachers for most of their careers. We missed you, Kay.  Paul, in answer to your question, my sister-in-law said straight away that the collective noun for a group of superannuated geographers must be a "mappery" (!)


Off to St Cyrus, near Montrose, where Neil's brother found their great(x4) grandfather's birth registered by their great(x5) grandfather.  We looked in this old graveyard hidden down the cliff because Jim at Uni Mates re-union lunch had said he had visited St Cyrus' old burial ground at the foot of the cliff whilst walking there & had seen Graham headstones, which we found quite remarkable.  They must be distant "cousins".

From the top of the cliff by St Cyrus looking down. A long way to the old graveyard.

Another great (x5) grandfather was watchmaker in the nearby town of Laurencekirk.

There were twin Gateposts to the pheasant-infested property of "the Big House" of the area, formerly Grahams.

Still called Pitbeadlie, this was the place of the tenant farmer's house, an older building then, where the Graham ancestor Alexander registered the birth of his son Alexander. A popular name. Sandra's family too, have at least 6 Alexanders going back, not counting the 2 females in the family today.


After that family diversion, we caught up with my brother, Mal, & Carol, his better half, at their friends caravan, on the coast of East Yorkshire, where Mal & I grew up.  It was a chance to catch up with our shared hobby, steam trains :-

Steam on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Another day we did train chasing.

Neil's brother Mal and his wife Carol, at their friends' caravan.

Riding with the top down in their new 'TwinTop' convertible.

This is the crypt is below Lastingham Church, and  still in use. Oldest archeological  piece was from the 10th century.

Out on the Moors.









Wildlife: red grouse and hare.

Flamborough North Landing. Looks bright, but the wind is chill.

Mal and Neil.

Mal, Carol and Neil.

What a special time it has been back in Yorkshire!



The High Wolds of East Yorkshire, with York in the distance...

Neil's parents, Bridlington.

Paternal grandparents in Hull.

Maternal grandparents, Hull.

Bruce, of Hull City Council, marking the plot of Peter Graham, the great-grandfather, who came down from North East Scotland, and of Isabella, his wife.