Back to Hunter Valley for funeral and friends : July 17 2024

Wake late on a blue sky day. My wife "are we going to the funeral?" Inside 30 minutes we were on the road to drive up to the Hunter Valley. Even had time to get coffee in Cessnock

Photo from the main street of Cessnock

Picture of the church - built in 1909. The town would have been tiny then yet they built a grand church. Now 60,000 population

My friend Warren and his wife Gay helped me a lot when I moved up to the Hunter Valley after my separation. We played golf. We cooked. We drank a little wine. They helped rent my house out. Friends for 22 years - a quarter if his life. Was nice to meet people from the other 3/4ths and to share stories.

View of the church from the other side. Prevailed on my wife to take me to walk Lomas Powerline trail to look for orchids while she had a sit down

No orchids - a few pea flowers

Scene of many an orchid walk when we had a house in the Hunter Valley. The last track with has smashed the orchids - too much sand runs off the trail into the bush.

As close to an orchid for this walk - maybe a bearded orchid for October

There were lots of mushrooms - photos of the tiny ones did not work. These bigger orange ones made the grade

A blend of mushrooms and lichen

Found a few hibbertia flowering - just a few

Car park mushroom photo

We were invited to after funeral drinks at The Cooperage - the B&B founded by Gay and Warren. It is a great place to stay in the valley. Was really nice to touch base a little more personally with family and residents of Kelman Vineyard - friends going back 22 years. Was our first visit since we sold 18 months ago.

Surprised to find heaps of orchids flowering in the back garden. Surprised as it gets really cold overnight - all cymbidiums

Large

And smaller

Property is for sale. If the price is right it will make a good B&B business - it has 4 double en suite rooms and a honeymoon suite. Close to town and nestled in a vineyard

View across toward where our house was as sun was setting. Chose not to take photo of my old house. The changes have killed all the character of the place. We did turn right at the end of the road and dropped into visit friends down that side. We shared a lot of stories and some wine - glad we did that. Nice to reconnect. We will visit again for a weekend.

I drove home - only drank one beer. Was a hard drive home in the rain

A hard day to get steps in - a short walk helped. Many steps at home when we got back

Dinner: Cottage pie from leftover bolognese

Trade action: Adjusted URA, LXS.DE, DDD, NXE

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Daily Activity, House Chores, Photowalking