Wednesday 25th October 2006

Hunter Valley Gardens Flowers by the pond

The garden centrepiece - The Falls

The Border Garden

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PAMMY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU......

Pammy woke a little later than usual this morning but the sun was still shining and she had a smile on her face that became even bigger when she opened her parcel from the 'Other One' and found she was the mother of ANOTHER teddy bear. This time it was Rosie that joined the family and she is a pink teddy with a pink bow. There is no doubt now that there is hardly enough room in the bed for Pammy and the 'Other One' has not a hope of fitting in it now with all the teddy bears that have taken his place.

Then there was a telephone call from our great friends the Demarco's in Queensland, another call from daughter Kym and Son-in-Law Lee and even a quick visit and birthday wishes from a lady in a caravan over the road from us who Pammy had been talking to. That smile was getting broader by the minute.

After making herself even more beautiful, we drove out of the caravan park at about 9:a.m. and headed off for Broke Road and the Hunter Valley Gardens, arriving there about fifteen minutes later. Our entry to the gardens was $15 each and that $30 proved to be one of the best value venues we have visited on this tour.

The area is so large it is difficult to know where to start, however we started by strolling through the Oriental Garden with it's Japanese Pagoda surrounded by water and statues of native bird life and of course an abundance of flowers. Next we viewed the 'Brokenback Brumbies which were bushes shaped by topiary to resemble life size horses. Then it was the Italian Grotto with scented lavender leading up to a statue of Assisi, patron saint of birds and animals.

On we went to the Border Garden which incorporated formal hedges, classic fountains, an array of annuals and statues (female of course) representing the four seasons. We were also able to observe this area from a viewing lookout that provided outlooks over most of the park.

After this we entered Storybook Garden which was fascinating with it's life size models of nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters set in a surrounding of lawns, flowers and shrubbery. There were nursery rhymes playing through speakers while we strolled around this area and it was a delight to be in. It would have been even more appealing if there were children with us to see it from that age also. Pammy was in raptures and couldn't get over it.

Time was getting on and it rained whilst we were in Storybook Garden, so we eventually left that area and made our way to the Waterfall Lookout and the Sunken Garden which is where to find the waterfall that is the centerpiece of the whole gardens. This waterfall tumbles down several falls in between the colours of the flowers and plants all around it and looks different from each angle it is viewed.

With rain threatening to fall, we moved on through the Rose Gardens with the multitude of reds, pinks, yellows and many other colours still in display on the rose bushes, with statues of Grandmother and Grandchildren in the centre of the display garden. Onward still until we came to the Indian Garden that had spices and herbs planted among the flowers and it had a very distinct aroma of Indian spices wafting up all around us. Then we found ourselves in the Formal Garden which was just as it is named, with everything being laid out so precisely and looking magnificent.

At this time the rain started to drizzle down again so we made the last short distance into the 'Garden Shed' which is a souvenir shop and just happens to be the way out as well. Obviously we didn't walk straight out so by the time we did, we were carrying some bags with us and assisted the future gardening projects with a little financial aide.

This was a magical place to visit and Pammy couldn't stop explaining how great it was, nor could she help noticing the shops on the way out of the complex so we stopped off to visit these shops and have lunch at a rather flash 'The Cellars' restaurant. It isn't every day that Pammy turns 61... Oops, I wasn't supposed to mention her age, just pretend I didn't!

After a very enjoyable lunch Pammy made a bee line for a shop she saw called 'Christmas In The Vines' and whilst in there spotted some more 'Settler Bears' Yes.... you guessed it, once more there is another addition to the family, this time it is Francesca.....

After all this exercise (walking, eating and pulling the wallet out of the back pocket) it was time to make our way back to the caravan for the afternoon, arriving there about 2:30p.m. We had not been back long when we received a call from reception telling Pammy that she had a couple of parcels up there to collect, so up we went and there were parcels and flowers from the younger 'real' members of the family. This really just about topped off the day perfectly, the only things to come after that were telephone calls and talking to Jay, Kym, Lana and Travis.

We wish the best for a great holiday to Daughter Kym and Son-in-Law Lee who fly out of Perth tonight on their way to spend six days on Hamilton Island, thanks to Kleenex Tissues and a competition they ran..... Have a great time.

This day ends with a bottle of Asti Riccadonna sparkling wine being popped at Happy Hour and one very happy girl ending her birthday on a high.

Tomorrow we head off up to Singleton again to visit the Army Infantry Museum and maybe a little shopping in preparation for our move on Friday.

Thursday 26th October 2006

WWI memorial statue of an Infantry Soldier

Uniforms through the ages

Rifles of the Vietnam War

Friday 27th October 2006

Time to move on this morning, however as it is only around one hundred and fifty kilometres to go, there was no need to be up too early or change our usual morning activities. The sun has also slept in and the sky was rather overcast but there had not been any rain or strong winds that we had believed were expected, in fact if was fairly warm, around twenty degrees at about 7:30a.m.

We were eventually ready to leave, had the caravan hitched up and we were driving out of the caravan park by about 9:a.m. We were heading for Emu Plains which is over the Nepean River from Penrith City Centre, about an hour out of Central Sydney. As we didn't have any detailed maps of the Sydney CBD and surrounds we let Miss Bossy (Navman) guide us all the way and for once it would have to be said that it was a pleasure to be bossed around by a woman's voice! (don't tell Pammy that or she may try that as well.... Oops... Too Late!!!) But Miss Bossy managed to get it right all the way and gave plenty of warning before any turns or deviations and made the drive easy.

From Cessnock we worked our way through Brunkerville and the Watagan Forest until we came onto the Pacific Motorway near Freemans Waterhole, them made our way south on the Motorway. This drive took us through some quite mountainous country, the motorway had been build at huge expense and in some places there were great cuts in the mountains and others the road had been built up high over the valleys. Because we were on the motorway we didn't see any of the towns and cities along the way, however we passed by places like Morisset, Wyee, Wyong and the turn off to Gosford, Woy Woy and Cowan. When we reached Hornsby, Miss Bossy really took over and we followed her directions along Pennant Hills Road (or the Cumberland Highway) until we reached the Western Motorway where we headed west until we reached Penrith and the Emu Plains exit. From there it was just a turn or two or maybe a dozen that she directed us around until we reached the caravan park at about 11:30a.m. Although most of this drive was on motorways or major highways, quite a lot of it was very interesting, particularly around the Hawkesbury River and mountains.

After booking in to the caravan park for the next four nights, we took our time to set up the caravan and get ourselves organised before lunch, then made a short driving tour of the centre of Penrith and close surrounds, There is a large Westfield Shopping Centre in Penrith and quite a shopping centre that may be given a much closer examination (Pammy says) before we leave this area. About 400 metres from the caravan park is a train station that has trains running to Sydney CBD about fifteen minutes apart during the peak periods and thirty minutes apart other times. There is little doubt that we will experience one or two trips into Sydney on these trains. Katoomba and the Blue Mountains are only a short drive to the west and they are also on our agenda for a visit in the next few days, at this rate we may have to extend our time a little to fit it all in.

Tonight there is a very strong gusty wind blowing and there could be some rain or bad weather brewing, so no decision will be made on tomorrows activities until we see what the morning brings. The one decision we have made is to sit down and enjoy a leisurely Happy Hour tonight without the rush and tear we have had over the past few days.