I am posting this from Dad’s new laptop! It’s a spiffy model, bigger and faster and all-around better than my little guy, so I’ll be using it for the rest of the Newcastle portion of this trip. Furthermore, I’m using Dad’s new wireless network as well, and posting this from the living room while everyone else sleeps!
Today, Bernard, Dad and I walked the Fernleigh Trail from Whitebridge to Redhead.
The trail is a repurposed old rail line, now converted into a beautiful walk through the Australian bush. It took us about an hour each way, through sweltering heat, but accompanied by the most intense cacophany of cicada-song intersperced with the trademark warbles of various species of Australian birds.
For instance, in this video you can hear the distinctive call of the bellbird.
On the walk, we found a quaint site – someone had decorated a tree in the ‘middle of nowhere’ with christmas decorations!
A bit further down the way, I found another surprising (but welcome) thing – a $20 note!
It was just to the side of the path by the fence. My beady eyes spotted it in an instant 🙂
I also spotted another orb weaver like yesterdays monster. These spiders are outdoor only, and don’t really bother humans. But due to their great size they are particularly scary, and to this day I can remember awful moments walking through their webs as a child.
The walk lasted a couple of hours all told, and we lunched afterwards at a local sports club. We were hot, tired and hungry men at that point and would have eaten anything. But the chicken and fish and hamburger we ordered was just perfect at that moment!
According to the thermometer in the car, it got to 33 C today at the hottest point. It certainly felt that way; I was sweating like a dog after an only 1 hour walk earlier in the day. But I like (and treasure) this heat, and hope it keeps up!
I drank a *lot* of Lift today. At least 5 cans and a 450 mL bottle. Perhaps 6 cans. Hrm… I’ll continue the tally tomorrow!