Last day at Bathurst

Tuesday August 29, 2017

-3 Degrees this morning.  Even the batteries that I took out of the charger had enough warmth to warm my frozen hands!  Although, by the time we had had breakfast and morning coffee the sun had gained enough strength to make it a pleasant day.

We were going to visit Viv's friend Marcia.  On the way to Duramana we had to find a cache of course!  Oh, this was a good one and deserved a Favourite Point!

#1688 Glen's Not Here! (cache)

Viv pointing at the dunnie

This was an interesting cache behind a little old church.  It's a dunnie, or in normal English, an outdoor toilet.  In Dutch we would call it a plee. ;-)

The cache description was as follows and contained a short poem:

Glen's not here,Just ducked out the back!

If you were sitting in the pew,
and nature called you for a number two,
OH what would you do??

Some people do have a sense of humour!  The cache itself was easily found and also 'out the back' but 'out the back of the dunnie'.  Just as well, I was not going to put my hand in the hole!!!

And this was the little church:

Marcia's property wasn't far off and on a road with the interesting name of The Bridle Track.  The other day we passed the Hen and Chicken Lane.

The draw cards at Marcia's place were the old house and the old, old house. ;-)  Also her native garden with, of course, a lot of wattles in flower, but also a lot of trees and bushes budding, because it will be spring soon.

First we enjoyed the view around the house and then we went to see the old houses.

the old house

a mural to brighten up the place

Next we went to have a look at the two old houses.  A small one is the oldest, with a room, a bedroom and a room that was used as laundry and for storage.  Both houses are built with sticks and mud, called 'pine and pug' or 'pole and pug'

a glimpse at the original wall through glass:
pole and pug

The storage/laundry of the oldest house has a hessian ceiling and a window in the wall made out of a kerosene box, placed in the wall, of which the lid opened as a shutter for the 'window'.  In the corner is a newly built shower cubicle for the WWOOFers who come and help on the farm.  In one of the bedrooms the hessian ceiling has been removed so that the roof and wall can be seen from the inside.

courtyard

shower and hessian ceiling above

the 'kerosene box' window

ceiling with hessian removed

When the 'newer' house was built the space between the two houses was the courtyard, covered in the past with corrogated iron, to protect the area from the weather as two of the children slept there out in the open!

courtyard

courtyard

stove in the oldest house

fireplace and Marcia showing how to kill insects in the olden days
(the red gadget in her hands)

Viv pointing at the ceiling

Marcia with a 'window in the door'
(bedroom)

The same window opened

Old school desk in the bedroom

The newer house is built in the same manner, but was bigger.  It had a kitchen-cum-living area and two bedrooms. 

The story of the renovation of both houses

bedroom

foldable cot

kitchen/living area

Marcia with a photograph of herself with her mum

View across the vegetable garden at the old house

Verandah of the old house - the sign reads:
This house is open to God, Sunshine and Friends

Long drop dunnie - still in use for the old house

View of the old house and part of Marcia's beautiful native garden

I have stopped taking pictures after visiting both houses, almost museum pieces.  I could have taken a lot more of Marcia's beautiful native garden and herb garden with so many beautiful plants, but it would probably have become too boring.

We visited the gardens after a lovely cup of tea with lots of home made banana cake and ginger biscuits.

And now the surprise: Would you believe that this lady, who keeps her 'museum' up to date, does her own house keeping, her own cooking and baking, her own gardening, and goes to town weekly to present her own radio program (!) is nearly 100 years old!!!?  If I make it to 80 and keep as fit and witty as she is I will be happy!

Well, what can I say after this visit.  The rest of the day is not worth talking about....

I updated my blog as you can see, skyped with a lady in the Netherlands with whom I am going to swap houses, helped Viv with a few corrections in her course work and enjoyed a hearty dinner as usual.  For dessert we had rhubarb crumble, made with rhubarb from Marcia's garden.

And tomorrow?  Tomorrow I will pack and head home.  All good things have to come to an end...