My New Job & School Holidays

Inflatable

With Dave on his trip to the outback, I had planned to do a trip to Sydney.  Unfortunately, I was sick with fever and chills for 2 days, so I didn't get to my trip.  Instead I networked for a job!  I phoned a friend who is a bookkeeper.  She suggested I contact another bookkeeper whom she knew was looking for help.  On Tuesday, I phoned but couldn't get through so I sent an email introducing myself and I told about the class I had just completed.  One hour later, I received a phone call inviting me in for an interview on Wednesday.  When Dave called Tuesday night, he was surprised but encouraging.  I was afraid I would have to cancel the interview due to illness, but my fever broke and I was fine for the interview.  I was hired on Wednesday and began working on Friday - all before Dave had returned from the Outback!

Neo loved the giant bucket that dumps water.

I love my job!  My work hours are the kids' school hours.  I drop the kids in the morning, go to work, and get back in time to bring them home again.  The work is very challenging.  There is a lot to do.  I try to work 20 hours per week.  During the 2 week school holidays, I took Neo into work with me on 2 mornings.  They are very flexible.

During school holidays - last week of September and first week of October - the kids and I went to the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.  Tristan stayed home with Dave, who enjoyed a 4 day public holiday weekend.

They had a fast moving waterway.  This was fun and Zoe, Neo and I went through it several times.  Neo and Clara also did the swim test to be permitted to climb the inflatable.  Neo scrambled over it easily.  Clara had more difficulty.

After swimming, Zoe enjoyed an ice cream with a Flake

The space is huge at the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre.  

During the school holidays, Zoe went to a full day horse riding program.  She loved riding and would like to go again during her summer holidays.

Zoe's first trail ride.

 Neo learned how to lawn bowl.  He has good form and is working on accuracy.  I've joined a bowling club where they allow kids to bowl - it's called "barefoot bowl"

Neo's Bowling form

Dave's Odyssey - Outback New South Wales

The car as camper

The last week of August, Dave drove to Outback New South Wales alone in our white station wagon.  The station wagon was set up to provide a place to sleep, in the event no accommodation was available or if Dave wanted to "camp" somewhere.  He left on Monday and returned on Friday before noon.  On the first day, he drove 12 hours from Copacabana to Cobar (point A to C on the map).  Monday night I called every hotel in Cobar, but everything was booked.  Cobar is near to the mines - present day miners sleep in the hotels during the week.

Dave drove down the road to a roadside rest area where a few other people were already camping.  He slept over night in the sleeping bag and on the air mattress in the back of the wagon.  On Tuesday morning, Dave drove another 8 hours from Cobar through White Cliffs (point D) on to Tibooburra, his destination.  It's 200 km of dirt road from White Plains to Tibooburra.  He spent 2 nights at the Tooles Family Hotel .

While in Tibooburra, Dave went fossicking.  He said he found metal cans left by the miners a century ago.  The soil is red with iron.  The car still oozes the red soil from crevices.  Dave saw a mother emu and young just a few feet away, red and grey kangaroos, wild pigs, lizards, sheep.  He didn't take many pictures - and the ones he did take were corrupted.

Dave on his return

Dave chose to drive "The Cut Line" - 400 km of dirt road from Tibooburra to Bourke - for his return journey.  He said it was amazing.  He saw kangaroos boxing in the middle of the road.  They would stand there and watch as the car approached, before eventually moving off the road because there was no human around for miles.


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