Geocaching - Hiding our first treasures

We have been geocaching for about six months and really enjoy the challenge of working out the cryptic puzzles and finding ourselves in new and interesting places.  This week, we have started to hide our own geocaches and have released two out there.  We have been working on them for  a couple of weeks, and researched the locations around the caches. It was fun and turned out to be very interesting. 

We have one called Woodvale Railway Hotel and  this cache is hidden across the road from the site of the Woodvale Railway Station Hotel - every town has a Railway Hotel, but this one was special. It was established during the gold rush, and the railway line was extended to Woodvale in 1882. It was originally called the Baden Baden Hotel (based on the German bathing / spa town) and the name was anglicised before World War 1.   In the gay 1920s, the world had seen the end of the war and the local soldiers were home from London and Paris. A Saturday night dance at the school hall was tame indeed, and many men travelled to the Railway Hotel on a Saturday night where nude table top dancing was the fashion. One local scandal involved a police raid and a well-known respectable Bendigo patriarch bolting naked from the Hotel.

Another is hidden near the site of the old  Woodvale Railway Station. The railway line was extended to Woodvale in 1882 and it provided a new opportunity to receive goods from Melbourne in only a few hours, rather than several days. Originally, this area was called Sydney Flat Railway station and was adjacent to the crossing which is a little south of here, opposite the Railway Station Hotel. In 1912, the Railway Station was moved north and is now just near Nuggety Creek. A large mound of dirt, bordered with Sugar Gums marks the site of the old platform. A violent windstorm blew the station down and it was rebuilt, before being closed and removed in 1931.

It's been fun and we have learned so much about the history of the town we have lived in for the past 15 years.

Christmas 2009

We had a quiet Christmas this year.  It was my first Christmas since my mum died and I didn't feel much like celebrating. We had a lot of offers for Christmas lunch, however we decided to stay at home for lunch and have a cold seafood and salad lunch.

It was great. We made phone calls in the morning and caught up with various family members across the country and have a leisurely lunch that needed little preparation.  Helen was happy with her fish smoker, and Jim got a fantastic multi-purpose torch/ radio/light.

For Boxing Day we travelled to Point Lonsdale to catch up with Jim's family. We took the dogs and Rocky (the new puppy) was well behaved and slept most of the way. We had a great day and it was nice to catch up with the latest news.

Here is  a family  photo of us all on Boxing Day, and our dogs - Reggie and Rocky.  Rocky was exhausted by all of the excitement!

Introducing Rocky

We would like you to meet Rocky, our new Puppy.  Rocky is a Sheltie, also known as a Shetland Sheepdog.  They look a bit  like a miniature Collie dog.  He is energetic, and a cuddly bundle of fur and was nearly 8 weeks old when we picked him up. He was born on 6 October 2009, which is our wedding anniversary.  Isn't he cute?

Helen's 40th Birthday

This week I celebrated my 40th birthday at Picnic Point on the Murray River near Mathoura, NSW. It's been a difficult few weeks since my Mum passed away and I have not been looking forward to my birthday. Earlier in the year, I had talked with my Mum about going on a holiday together for my birthday and now that's not going to happen. It's also the sign of a change in my grief and the beginning of the firsts - this is my first birthday without her.

My husband, my Dad and my nieces: Meg and Alice, and my friend Ellen came along to celebrate with me. We stayed at the Caravan Park at Picnic Point and we had a really nice time. The River was lovely and we spent the days fishing and wandering along the River, and the nights sitting around the camp fire at the Caravan Park. We spent one day near the Edwards River and another day near the Murray River. We caught a few fish, but they were too small and we let them go. We had a picnic for lunch each day, and my friend Ellen organised a chocolate mud cake for us all to enjoy by the river - and it was a beautiful spot.

I was really grateful to have all of these special people around to share this day with me and on the last day, just as we were packing up, a kookaburra flew in and sat on the nearby picnic table and laughed his distinctive laugh. And I remembered, no matter where I go, my Mum will always be with me.

Remembering my Mum

My mum, Raelene, passed away in August after a short battle with Cancer. For those of you who have cared for someone with Cancer you will know how it can be an awful disease. My Mum was aged 61 when she died and I remember when I was a young child and I thought 61 was so very old. But today, it seems much too young to die.

I feel her around me, especially when I am in the bush and I hear the Kookaburra's laugh - I remember how she loved those Kookaburras and how she loved the Australian bush. I especially find it comforting to be near the River. I'm not sure why - maybe it is the sun reflecting off the water, or it is the noise or the smell. Or maybe it is all of those things. Being by a river reminds me how much my Mum enjoyed the Murray River and how she liked to spend all of her holidays camping by the river.

It's my birthday next week and I am planning a few days of camping by the river. My Dad is coming along and I'm sure my Mum will be with us, but I am sad that she won't write on the card or give me a hug on my birthday.

My dear Mum passed away

I've been pretty quiet with my blog in recent weeks as my dear Mum passed away in Port Augusta, South Australia on August 17, 2009 after a short battle with Cancer.

It's been a difficult time for all of us and I will blog more when I am feeling brighter.

Helen

Captain Jim

Recently, Jim was elected as the Captain of the Woodvale Fire Brigade. This is a position that he is very excited about and looking forward to all of the challenges that comes with this role.

Doesn't he look handsome in his uniform?