Tuesday 10 September 2013 – another day in Cotton Tree

Well here’s a turn up for the books – it rained through the night, and this morning we woke to wet towels (on the clothes horse outside) and a pool of water filling the saggy seats of our outdoor sling chairs!  And to top it off an overcast sky – threatening clouds.

After brekky (I was still eating mine)Mal (the man with the chairs for sale) and his wife Clare called at the door with their outdoor chairs for us to look at and to try for size.  They were a very nice NZ couple, who, like other NZ’ers we have met come over to Qld for five months of the year, own a car and caravan here and store it in Brisbane when they return to NZ.  In this case they have decided they are past handling the van any more and are selling off some of their gear, as they now stay in an apartment.  They had already sold their tv set to the people in a van just two or three away from us.  Anyway, the chairs were in pretty well perfect condition, a good height and very comfortable.  They wanted $100 for the two of them, so we offered $90 and he accepted.  I checked them out on the internet and they retail for $99 each new, so I think we did pretty well.

They stayed chatting for twenty minutes or so, after which I finished my brekky, tidied up, then we made a fresh cuppa and went over and sat on a bench on the grassy verge of the beach to enjoy it and the trying-to-come-out sunshine.  I took my book and read for a while.

At about 11.30 we came and got changed ready to go out for lunch with Gormans.  They arrived at about midday, we talked for a while, wandered up to the little café beside the park here, and after reading the menu on the board, turned around and went on the lookout for somewhere else.  We felt the prices were a bit rich – two examples: fish and chips $29.50 and fettuchini carbonara $32.50!  We all got into Neville’s car to go searching for an alternative when we spotted – just over the road from the park – a Coffee Club shop.  So we piled out of the car and walked over, and enjoyed a lovely lunch there.

While we were waiting to order, we were just talking when Grant said: Dawn – look over there (pointing to the opposite side of the road).  There on the footpath were Pauline and Terry – the Tasmanians who were our neighbours for over a week at Hervey Bay.  I dashed over the road (well – ‘dashed’ might be a slight exaggeration) and they got such a shock when I came up behind them and spoke.  We established that we are staying in the same park as us, they were going to the RSL for tea tonight and asked us to join them.

Now the initial plan for today was that we would eat lunch then go to the Ginger  Factory, but Neville was a bit sore after his two cricket matches (over extended a thigh muscle a bit yesterday), so they decided not to go to the ginger place.  And as the afternoon wore on it became obvious that we weren’t going this afternoon either.  We went our separate ways at about 4.15 this arvo.   It was really good to catch up with them and we had a good afternoon.

So our visit to the Ginger Factory, first planned for yesterday, then for today, is now scheduled for tomorrow!  Yes, we have extended our stay here by a day – it’s a lovely spot.

Once back in our van we had another cuppa, I finished my book, and then Pauline and Terry called round ready to go to the RSL.  As it isn’t far away we walked – probably about a fifteen minute walk, and found it to be a very big RSL.  We enjoyed a roast dinner, talked and got home a bit after 8pm.  Terry and Pauline are moving on in the morning to Bribie Island to visit their brother-in-law.

So that brings to an end quite a social day – most enjoyable.