Backtracking

G'day from Bendigo,

Sorry for the delay... Due to the fact that Uncle Len lives in the 1990's and has DIAL-UP INTERNET .. - sorry Uncle Len haha - I didn't have much of a connection to try and update each as too all of our adventures, so here is a quick (or somewhat longer) recap:

The day after our steamboat rides - Tuesday at the wharf in Echuca - we were hit with a crazy rain storm and due to the severity of the storm and the cold rain we decided it would be a reading day and we ended up staying in and reading our books virtually all day, except for the 20 minutes it took for Uncle Len and I to take Cosmo the kitty to the vet for a vaccine and a check up. Then back home for dinner, tele and bed. The end...



As for the next day, we decided to take a trip to Gunbower - even in the shitty weather - where Dad and the rest of the Grange family all grew up, we even stopped by the old family home and I listened to Uncle Len tell me about all the trouble they got into in the past as well as point out just about everything in the town which was smaller then I'd even imagined it, but I commend Uncle Len on his incredible memory of the 'good old days'.

We took a trip around town seeing the old church, swimming hole, cop station, friends places, footy grounds and of course the pub. We decided it was a decent necessity to stop and have a beer at the Gunny Pub, and that turned into 2 or 3 beers including a photograph of me behind the bar of Gunny Pub pulling a beer for us.






On the way out of town we stopped by "Torrumbarry Weir" where the Lock and water level barriers are, we saw a little bit of the information on how it was made then took a walk down to the weir to look at the flowing water and enjoy the fresh - chilly - air! And of course, pose for a few photos along the way.
Stopping to grab a picture of the "Torrumbarry Pub" for dad on the way back to Echuca and we were home for tea before nightfall even with a little scare from a few kangaroos.






The next day was special to me, I promised dad I would stop and give our love to Nana and Granddad before leaving town and I brought a few Canadian tokens to remind her of us when I left. Uncle Len was very handy, wiring down the Canadian Mounty beaver and the Toronto key chain so that the bear sat up and guards Nana's headstone like a true Mounty, we had a few photos and a little bit of a cry saying goodbye - till next time - to Nana before jumping back in the car and driving around Echuca a little bit. I saw most of the town including where Uncle Len works in his fancy office and a bit of the outer skirts of the neighborhoods.
We were back to the house by early afternoon and gearing up for a busy evening when little Ellie Grange came bounding around the corner looking for Pa and Nan and her toys! Next came Thomas and Meg and finally Justin with Charlie in his arms and Haley holding down the packs. If you think your house is loud, get 4 kids all 7 and under into it and you will wish you could go back to your once "loud and distracting" home.
It was wonderful seeing everyone though, especially considering last time Pops and I were here Thomas was just a little fella and Meg was still in her mums tummy! It didn't seem like long ago until all 4 of them were playing on the living room floor.
We had a delicious dinner and some ice cream cake and all headed outside to watch the kids roast marshmallows on Pa's fire. Even little Charlie crawled all over the lawn with the other kids before settling into the patch of rocks lining the path and replacing them all to where he thought they should go! Eventually little Meg started to run out of batteries and Haley and Justin decided to pack up and head the hour back home, so we all waved and gave the kids a hug goodbye and watched them pull out onto the road, retreating inside where we were READY FOR BED!

Finally it was Saturday and though the morning was not much of a sleep in it wasn't long after our bacon and egg sandwiches that we were packing up all my stuff to head to Bendigo. My time in Echuca was done but I didn't have to say goodbye just yet! We arrived in Bendigo to drop our stuff off and went outback where I got a good fix of puppy time with Ziggy the border collie (massive one at that) and Polly the jack Russell, I tore myself away in time to pack right back up into the car and head to Melbourne.
I had a nap on the way from Bendigo to Melbourne which is around 1.5 hours, but I was fully away for our trip around the city to where I thought Uncle Len was going to turn around and go home! We spent 2 hours driving around and only a handful of times did we actually know where we were or where we ended up on a street that was not CLOSED or UNDER RENOVATION or anything of the like, by the time we ended back up where we were supposed to be we were in need of a cold beer and a hot meal.
We sat at the 'University Café' and had a VB (Victoria Bitter beer) waiting for Kate and Matthew to join us before heading to a pizza joint up the way for a great pizza dinner. We were just in time after paying the bill to hop into Kate's truck and end up a few blocks away from Etihad Stadium. All decked out in scarves and ready for the game we walked across the train station to Etihad and took our seats for a great game of Footy.
The Essendon Bombers vs Gold Coast Suns, both teams were great and it really was a treat to watch the captain of the Suns 'Gary Ablett' rip around the field, he really is an amazing athlete! As well as the Bombers rookie, only in his 2nd game ever who played outstanding, including getting I think a total of 13 marks and 3.2 goals!
By the time we rounded up and got back on the road it was pushing 12:30am as we pulled up to Matt & Kate's and all settled down for bed.

Sleeping alone, in a cold house is not something I favor, but as the sheets heated up it was nice to have all the space to myself without kicking Daryl, Mackenzie, Bo or Maverick and startling myself awake, instead I was woken up atleast 10 times by what seemed to be every dog in the neighboring houses, all barking at whatever it is they felt necessary to bark at...


It was fine when I woke up and went out to give Ziggy and Polly a cuddle, that seemed to fix every right away... Oh and the fact that Matt gets the NHL Playoffs on his big-ass tv!!! We had Pancakes for breakfast and sat down to watch game 2 between the Hawks and the Bruins, which ended up heading into OT before the Bruins put one passed the Hawks and ended the game, a great game and a great surprise considering I'm literally halfway around the world!

Lauren and little Emily joined us for Chicken sandwich lunches and a little of the hockey game while Matt and Uncle Len dealt with a pain in the ass oven vent. But it had to end eventually and after a few photos it was time to say goodbye, Uncle Len as it seems all Grange family member do, has a soft spot for goodbyes as do Dad and I and Aunt Kim so they headed out quickly after a good hug and we waved them bye down the road.

Considering it is a beautiful day it seemed like we were somewhat wasting it by sitting inside, so we took the car to town, stopped by an old book shop - where I got 3 more beautiful old books - and then walked through the park, up the street a few blocks and sat at a pub for a beer (big surprise eh?).

The walk around town was nice and by the time we got back to the car it was around 3 o'clock and we were all lazy and tired and headed home so that Kate could mark her exams and I could write my blog and Matt could walk the puppies, a good day all around matched by great food and great company. Now I have tomorrow morning to sleep in, sit on the stationary bike for an hour or so and then Matt will be home for his 1.5 days off and we'll head out to the mines and etc. This time I'll keep you posted.

Ta for now

-A.G