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The journey back went pretty well as scheduled - no flight delays - but the hard part was the 11 hour layover at Hong Kong - that seemed interminable. We tried for an earlier flight but the only other Cathay Pacific flight to London was just one hour ahead of the one we were booked on, and it just wasn't worth the hassle with changing tickets and trying to re-direct bags etc.

As it happens, we arrived in Aberdeen just before 10 am this morning only to find that Jo's bag didn't make the last leg. It arrived on the second BA flight this afternoon so we're just waiting for the couriers to deliver it to Banchory now. I've now given our address details to 4 separate people so who knows when it will be here.

We got a taxi from the airport round to Gary's work to pick up my car and then drove back to Banchory, stopping at Tesco to pick up some groceries. We've had lunch and I've unpacked, showered and changed and, so far, we've done 4 Corrie episodes already - just 28 more to do to catch up!

Cathay Pacific were excellent but we were both a little disappointed that we only got 3-4 hours' sleep on the long haul to London. We'd stayed awake on the shorter (9 hours) daytime flight from Adelaide to HK, hoping that we'd get a good long sleep on the longer (13 hours) night-time flight from HK to LHR, but it wasn't to be. Such are the vagaries of world travel.

To be honest, I don't feel at all bad just now, so I'm wading my way through the paperwork - and blogging, of course. Assuming I stay alert for at least the next hour, then I'll pop down the pub to watch some of the early evening footy with Colin and Dave.

Tomorrow, Gary's bringing Luca out to see us and then, on Monday, I have my operation to fix my torn knee cartilage.

The Three's

So far, we haven't jinxed anything else - but Kelly ran up the hat-trick today when she suggested that we go to to Grace - The Establishment, which was one of our favourite places for coffee and/or beer a couple of years ago when Ross with with us.

She was taking Miller for his latest vaccinations and said she would meet us there, but, like the Royal Croquet Club and the Garden of Unearthly Delights on Monday, it was closed, so we had to find somewhere else to wait for her - which we did.

Miller's Doctor was late, which made us late getting to Brighton to meet David and Lorene, but we got there in the end and had a nice meal and a walk along the pier, followed by ice creams:

Jo cooked hamburgers when we got back and we had a very nice last evening together. I pointed out that we had a tradition of taking a last night of the holiday photo when we were at the Lesinas - and this had been done for 15 years now, and I wanted to start a new one with the Steeles, but there was some initial reluctance from the locals, but I finally managed to get this shot:

There's more I could tell you about tonight, but I'll save that for another time.

Jock Jinxes and G.U.D.

Best laid plans and all that. We set off south on time this morning and stopped at Henley to pick up coffees. Miller had fallen asleep in the back of the car and so I agreed to sit with him in the underground car park whilst J & K picked up the coffees for our road trip.

We left the keys in the ignition with the radio playing so as not to alert M to any changes - but, crucially, we switched the engine off. Unfortunately, the AC was still running and although J & K were only away about 5 minutes, when Kelly tried to start the car again, it wouldn't turn over.

The car has a 5 year warranty with roadside assistance, so Kelly called them, thinking it would be the usual wait of over an hour and they probably wouldn't do much when they got to us. How wrong can you be? Less than 20 minutes later the RAA van was at our side and quickly diagnosed a flat battery and then gave us a start with his jump leads.

By this time, however, Kelly had contacted Lorene and David and cancelled our lunch appointment with them, so we just went back home.

Kelly and Jo took Miller to a local playgroup for an hour and we then arranged to just swap Wednesday and Thursday over - we're meeting Chris' parents tomorrow and we met Chris in the city tonight to pay a quick visit to the Garden of Unearthly Delights and Gluttony, two of the main Fringe areas. We walked around for a while and then picked a stall to eat at. Jo had a pulled pork roll whilst Chris and I opted for the Reuben.

Here's some photos from the G.U.D.:

The washing machine and the car have broken down and they say these things come in three's, so is there something else we're going to jinx before we leave?

Narrative only

After yesterday's photo orgy in my blog post, I have absolutely none to show today. I think Tuesday was the first time this holiday that I didn't take any photographs at all.

After our exertions walking miles round the city on Monday, we both thought we would need a down day, so I cancelled the golf I'd booked at Adelaide Shores and we just hung around the house and read our books until Kelly, Miller and Chris - in that order - came home.

I finished my book - the first Jo Nesbo Harry Hole novel, The Bat. So that's 3 novels and 3 autobiographies so far, with just one (Viv Albertine) left for the journey home on Friday/Saturday. We have a very long layover at Hong Kong - 10-11 hours, I believe - so I'll need a book for that.

We're scheduled to arrive back in Aberdeen mid-late morning on Saturday. My car is at Gary's work, which is just a short taxi ride from the airport.

It was salmon for dinner last night, with salad courtesy of Jo. Today is Kelly's usual day off and we're heading south once more - down to Goolwa to have a beer at the brewpub there and then lunch with Chris' folks. The detox hasn't started yet.

Kelly is also off tomorrow (Thursday) and she's taking Miller for his injections and then we're heading off to the Fringe for a while.

Awkward holiday questions, answers and comments:

• Kelly (in jest) - "not that it's a competition or anything, but don't you agree that Australia is better than USA then?". The correct answer is, of course, "yes but". (Got to give them something to work on for the next time).
• Jo and I to Kelly - "we'll really miss Miller next week", hurriedly followed by "and you and Chris, of course".

Walking wounded

To finish off the photos from our weekend in the Clare Valley, as I said in my last posting, we walked along to the Sheep shearing station at Bungaree to have a look at what was once Australia's biggest industry.

We made a slight detour on the way home and went to Tanunda to have a couple of beers at the Barossa Valley Brewery. It was Sunday lunchtime and it was pretty busy when we got there, partly due to the fund-raiser they were running in the grounds for the victims of the recent fires around Adelaide.

The temperature had already hit 40 C before noon and we all needed cooling down. The adults could use beer of course but for little Miller all he/we could do was throw water over him and soon he was completely soaked through:

So that was our weekend. On Monday, Jo and I decided to go back in to the city, but not before I went out for a pre-breakfast 24 km cycle.

We walked to Peterhead station and caught the 10:12 train and our day then panned out as follows:

1. Got off at Bowden station and had coffee at the Loose Caboose, which is virtually on the station platform
2. Walked from there, past the Entertainment Centre, following the River Torrens towards the City Centre, passing the most beautifully prepared gardens at the South Australian Brewing Company
3. We had originally planned to leave the greenery and cross the road to head for the Wheatsheaf, but we went a little bit too far and my map reading hadn't taken account of the uncrossable railway line
4. We diverted and took a 360 degree walk round the Adelaide Oval before heading back towards our original target
5. Stopped for a refreshing coke at a pub in Hindley St. then walked from there to George St. and the Wheatsheaf
6. Beer and nibbles at the "Wheaty" then we walked back towards the city again
7. Another diversion - this time for a couple of hours walking round Adelaide Gaol
8. Walked from the Gaol back along Hindley St, looking for Kelly's recommendation of the Clever Little Tailor in Peel St., which we found through a combination of deduction and sheer luck
9. Walked from there, down King William St towards the Royal Croquet Club, one of the main centres of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which started last weekend. (It's a bit like the Pleasance or Udderbelly, which are centres of the Ediburgh Fringe.) Unfortunately, it was Monday and everything was closed
10. Undeterred, we headed for the other main Fringe Centre, the Garden of Unearthly Delights, stopping for a quick beer and book reading at the Wakefield Hotel. The Garden was also closed!
11. Hungry now, we headed for Rundle St. and picked out Piatta, an Italian street restaurant, where we had dinner
12. Our penultimate walk was back to Adelaide Railway Station for the train back to Peterhead
13. We walked back to Derby St. from the station, creeping silently in to the house just before 9pm. Miller and Kelly fast asleep, of course, and Chris was just heading to bed.

It was a hard walking day - 24 kms, mostly on the city pavements.

Here's the story above in pictures:

Loose Caboose

Loose Caboose

Brewery gardens at River Torrens

Newly extended Oval

Wheatsheaf

Gaol

Wakefield

Piatta

Breweries & Vineyards Weekend in Clare Valley

Our accommodation for the weekend was at a former Sheep Station called Bungaree (http://www.bungareestation.com.au/) in the heart of the Clare Valley's wine country. It's still a working farm but nowhere near as grand as it used to be - a mere 7,000 acres now, compared with 180,000 in its heyday. It was a complete village in those times and the first major centre of Merino Sheep in Australia, dating back to 1841.

The original Hawker family's dependants still have a presence on site and, although the days of supplying the world with wool and lamb have long gone, a new tourism business is getting off the ground.

We stayed in the former Council Chambers, which had been beautifully restored with all mod cons:

Having checked in, we headed back to the town of Clare and popped in to Knappstein Winery, who also happen to brew a solitary beer. That was just a brief pit stop on the way to one of Kelly's and Chris' favourite spots. They'd booked a table on the patio right underneath a lovely old tree at Skillogolee's.

The temperature had climbed dramatically since we left the city in the mid 20's. We were now in to the 40's and something had to give - and it did. A proper downpour forced us all back on to the terrace behind the wind protectors:

It was very atmospheric with the rain battering down on the tin roof - and the food was excellent.

We had dessert as well - as did Miller:

Our bathroom had an old "washing machine" in it - a built-in basin with a fire underneath, which Miller took a shine to:

On Saturday morning, we had arranged to join Mark to go round and feed the animals. First we saw where he and his wife - one of the original Hawker family - lived:

There were turkeys, ducks and, of course, 'roos:

Then there were deer:

Earlier on in the holiday, Miller had displayed his liking for old tractors and there was another opportunity here:

We drove down to Clare again and bought coffees whilst Miller slept in the car and we headed further south to Auburn and the Hop & Vine Cellar Door for the Clare Valley Brewery. Miller awoke when we arrived so we roused him in the playpark there - http://youtu.be/8E1vmfBdJMA

The Cellar Door was pleasant too:

Next stop was Pike Brewery:

Then it was Paulett Winery, followed by Sevenhills, founded and run by the Jesuits. Jo and I took a trip down to their cellars:

When we got back to Bungaree, we had agreed to meet Mark again and he was going to take us up in his open Land Rover to check on the horses. It was too hot and sticky for Miller, so Kelly took him back to our accommodation, whilst Chris, Jo and I took the trip, with Jo in the front and Chris and I in the back as we rode the prairies:

There was a bit of competition for the apples Chris and Jo were trying to feed them - check this video - http://youtu.be/-a52MCc2XDE

This morning (Sunday), we all breakfasted and then strolled along to the old Sheep-shearing station, after which we had a second hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, courtesy again of Chris.

We diverted our route home slightly to go in to Tonunda and visit the Barossa Valley Brewing Company. Beer was required because it was now 42 C. Photos to follow later.

Mechanical problems

I awoke this morning with the best of intentions. We knew we had to stay in until the man came to fix the washing machine between 11 am and 1 pm, so I decided that, having had the puncture fixed on Chris' bike, I would go for an early morning pre-breakfast ride. Think again - the tyre was flat again!

So we just had breakfast, read our books and waited for the washing machine man to arrive. Usual story - "computer fault - not worth repairing - buy a new one - that'll be A$110, thank you".

We relayed the sad news to Kelly and Chris and then had a bite of lunch, after which we walked the bike down to the bike shop and asked them to fix it again.

We now had a couple of hours to kill, so we decided to head for the Pier to read our books with the wind in our hair keeping us cool. We couldn't walk past the ice cream shop, however - salted caramel and rum 'n' raisin cones were our choices.

The bike still wasn't ready when we returned a little earlier than the scheduled 4 pm, so we went for a pot of tea for two at the nearby Sarah's Sister, adjacent to the garden centre, with windows at the back opening out to it:

Back "home" with the shopping and the bike, I decided to go for a cycle, just to make sure the tyre was properly fixed. It was the wrong time of day really - way too hot - and my body temperature rose dramatically and my throat was parched. I was very grateful for the iced water and the shower when I got back.

I cycled out to Outer Harbour again, just in time to see a cruise liner departing the port:

The crowd who had turned out to see it leaving were all turning round to go home as I got there.

Tomorrow we're off to Outback country again - Clare Valley. Communications may be difficult until we return on Sunday evening.

Wednesday winery

Kelly has been working a 3 day week since we've been here and Wednesday is one of her days off. The morning was spent doing chores - shopping, laundry etc, but eventually we set off south towards the McLaren Vale area again - specifically the Woodstock Winery (http://www.woodstockwine.com.au/) for lunch. Lovely rustic, rural place. We missed the kangaroo feeding session but had a quick look at the small reserve they had there after lunch.

Lunch was lovely - 3 entrees (starters in Aussie-speak) was more than enough for us, plus a bottle of:

Very nice it was too.

Regular readers of this blog may recall an earlier mention of trees stripped of bark. There were plenty of examples today at Woodstock - gum trees, we are told:

In Scotland in Autumn, the leaves fall from the trees, but in Australia in Summer, it's the bark:

There's some pretty hefty chunks there, so it's no wonder that these signs litter the car park:

Miller liked the wombat statue:

and the old agricultural equipment lying around:

Nearby was Goodieson's Brewery, so we stopped off there as well:

Nice place - worth a visit, even if only bottled beers.

Tomorrow (Thursday) the man arrives to fix the washing machine. Apart from that, nothing much else planned. I may go for an early morning cycle, having got the tyre fixed on Chris' bike yesterday.

Tuesday walking again

Jo and I were free agents again today and we decided to go for another slow walk - this time to Port Adelaide, where we planned to do the noon tour of the old City of Adelaide Clipper ship. On the way we planned to walk the new-ish Loop Path round the Port.

We stopped to ask another couple directions only to discover that they were from Helensburgh. Their son now lives in Port Adelaide and they were doing the Loop Path the opposite way from us. Turns out he is Chairman of the Argyll Classic and Sporting Car Club and there was a procession of Corvettes in the Port last Sunday, so he took a few photos and they've now been posted on the Club's web site - http://forargyll.com/2015/02/argyll-classic-sporting-car-club-chair-running-to-form-in-adelaide/ 10,000 miles away.

We arrived just in time for the noon tour round the old Clipper. It's a bit of a wreck, after sitting in silt in the Clyde for many years after a mishap when it was run as a nightclub. It's always interesting to hear the other side's story and, whilst our guide didn't cast Scotland in an entirely bad light, there was a bit of an underlying insinuation that we should have done more to preserve it. Then again, the Aussie Government isn't exactly backing the restoration project either - currently it's all volunteer effort. In the end, Scotland agreed to fund £0.75m. of the bill to get the ship back to Adelaide, but the cynics amongst you will say that they only did this because the cost of dismantling it would have been 4 or 5 times greater than this. They are still flying the St. Andrews Cross there, so that's good.

When we met the couple from Helensburgh, they had told us there was a dolphin wandering round the inner harbours - a unique sight in an inner city environment. We spotted it playing around in the distance, but then got a much closer look at it when it appeared as we were doing the Clipper tour:

Here's Jo amidships on the Clipper:

That's about. Time to sit down for dinner now. G & T finished and now on the red wine. Kelly alert - she's discovered red wine, so hide your stocks if she comes to visit!

Miller's playing in the sand pit and paddling pool and having a whale of time.

My cold is a little better - thanks for asking. Last night wasn't much fun, but hoping for better things tonight.

Birthday boy

Chris was working but he made sure he stopped off to buy doughnuts for his co-workers beforehand at http://www.krispykreme.com.au/

The final day of what Kelly calls the 3-day celebration of all things Chris took us to nearby Largs Hotel for dinner tonight:

Earlier on, Jo and I had gone for a walk south along the esplanade, where we stopped for a seat and a read on the dunes:

From there we walked inland a bit and then headed back for a bite of lunch and some shopping on Semaphore Road, then back to Derby St. A couple of chapters and a snooze in the hammock and then Kelly and Miller were home. Miller joined me as I read:

Are you ready for some more Aussie-edu? Like many of the states in USA and in Scandinavia, the supermarkets don't stock hard liquor - in fact, they don't stock any kind of alcohol. You have to go to a separate shop, which, in typical Aussie style is foreshortened and ends in -o, so it's a "Bottle-O" you have to look out for.

At first, I assumed this was to restrict alcohol intake, but then, when Aussies go on a road trip, they usually pull in to a drive-through Bottle-O like this:

You don't even have to get out of your car. Compare this with the hoo-hah that there was in the UK when Wetherspoon's opened the first alcohol outlet at a motorway service station.

Another common Aussie word is Ocker - I'll let Wiki explain it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocker

When we were at Matt's BBQ on Saturday, I commented on the large, what we would call kebabs. He said no - they're Shashliks (http://aussietaste.recipes/meat/lamb-mutton/how-to-make-shashlik/) - another word I'd never heard of.

Today's lesson over.

Sunday gig

It's now Monday morning in Adelaide and Jo and I are home alone again as the working week starts. I awoke yesterday with a sore throat and I'm still croaky this morning - hopefully just a summer cold that doesn't come to much.

Kelly, Jo, Miller and I headed off early Sunday morning in to the city to The Market Shed on Holland - as it suggests, a Sunday morning market in lovely surroundings. All organic, sustainable etc etc - partly indoor, partly outdoor, with musicians playing:

Jo had to share her hard-won smoothie with Miller. We had bought them at a stall called Revolution, which offered smoothies for $8 - or $7 if you mixed it yourself on the bike contraption the owner had rigged up. Watch Jo mixing hers here -  http://youtu.be/OHKuXKsdT18

While we were all away, it gave Chris the chance to get on with some work in peace, but he also gave the house a quick clean too - good man.

It was a chill-out/snooze afternoon and then, come the evening, we all headed off to Cooper's Brewery for the Sting/Paul Simon concert, where we met up with David and Lorene, plus Matt, Amanda and Abi. It was a beautiful day for a picnic concert on the lawn. Temperature peaked in the low 30's, so it was much more bearable than Saturday. As darkness fell, some of the old fogeys got up to dance:

As I write this, Australia is going through what they call a "Spill" motion concerning Tony Abbott's Premiership. He's survived apparently - at least for the time being. They seem to want to change leaders here almost as often as the Italians - but it's not for me to comment - I don't have the vote - but our daughter soon will.

Saturday - Chris' pre-birthday party

It was even hotter today, but, thankfully, it didn't quite touch 40 C. Nonetheless, it was still stinking hot, even early morning. Jo and I took a short stroll up to Largs and had a soft drink in a cafe there, making sure we were back in good time for the planned noon departure to Chris' brother Matt's where a pre-birthday party/barbie was being held.

Parents David and Lorene were there, as was Abigail, Matt's daughter and her Mum Amanda. An elaborate system of sheets and covers was erected to protect everyone from the blazing sun, but the real winner was the decision to bring Miller's playpool along. It wasn't long before all - young and old - were dipping their feet in it and even when the hose got in to the wrong hands, a good soaking was gratefully received.

Here's a couple of shots I took:

Cooler tomorrow we believe - just as well as we're off to the Sting/Paul Simon gig at Cooper's Brewery.