RobinsonAdventures2023

And On To Melbourne Friday November 3 - Saturday November 11, 2023 Friday November 3, 2023   We arrived in Melbourne at about 3:30 this afternoon. We had exactly 90 minutes to collect our luggage, rent a car, drive across town and find the restaurant where we were meeting friends at 5 pm. Fortunately, we know the city fairly well; we are accustomed to driving on the left hand side of the road; and, in spite of it being Friday late afternoon, the traffic was moving very smoothly. So off we went … we did pretty well. We arrived at the restaurant at 5:11 pm.   Seven friends were waiting for us. It is a group of friends who all have children approximately the same age. When we lived here the teenagers all gathered with a youth leader at the church for a Friday night activity. We initiated the idea that if the kids could go out to have some fun, maybe the parents should do the same. So we started to eat at a restaurant near the church every Friday. Usually we had Asian food and one...

  Wednesday, November 1 – Friday, November 3   Perth to Sydney and on to Canberra. Our friends, Harold and Chris Small, were standing at a window at Canberra Airport watching for our arrival. It was fun to be able to wave to them before we even got into the terminal.   When we moved to Canberra in 1996, Chris was the first person I met. She was the secretary of the local Uniting Church and I had dropped in to find out about services and activities. We immediately clicked and have been fast friends ever since. This friendship was further cemented when we learned that we both had teenage daughters who would be attending the same school. Happily, Karen and Nadia also became good friends and still stay in touch.   We spent one evening with Harold and Chris at home and the next day, we drove out to Yass (about 45 minutes) to have dinner with Nadia and her husband, Joel, and their six delightful children. Everyone  was friendly and on their best behaviour. We enjoyed ...

Sunday, October 29, 2023 After two nights of discomfort, we finally found an organization of beds that enables both of us to be comfortable and sleep peacefully. We went to bed quite early last night and woke up very early this morning. It was 5:23 am when I looked my phone. The sun was already high in the sky and there was to be no more sleep for me. Jim slept a little longer but not much. We had a leisurely morning in our camper van before heading out for the day.   Once again today, our focus was on wild flowers, those that were growing in large numbers along the sides of the roads. So many colours, so many varieties … what a spectacular array of blossoms. That’s why we came to Western Australia and we have certainly not been disappointed.   We travelled through several country towns today. We left Lake Grace and headed for Pingrup. Nearby was a large pink lake, yes … pink water, caused by mineral deposits and salt. It was fascinating.   The landscape was dotted with m...

  Robinson Australian Blog 2023   Friday, October 20 – Sunday, October 22   This is an unusual way to begin our trip to Australia. We flew from Toronto to New York City where we spent the weekend. We attended a party, a wedding and a memorial service during the weekend and we were very happy to be a part of each celebration.   Brent, brother of our daughter-in-law, Elaine was getting married to Nicola, a wonderful young woman from Brooklyn where Brent and Nicola live. Friday evening, they hosted a party for all the out of town guests. It was at a wonderful pub in Brooklyn and we enjoyed spending the evening with others who had also travelled from Toronto to be part of the weekend festivities.   Saturday was wedding day, held at an old industrial site, now transformed into an event venue. We arrived a bit before the ceremony and watched while the team of decorators put the final touches in place. There were at least a dozen people scurrying around, attending to f...