FRENCH ANYONE??

What a lovely bit of gear! And it drives even better than it looks. Yes, it's the Peugeot 508 wagon.

 It has a 2 Litre turbo diesel engine and a very comfortable 6 speed auto. Quite responsive.

 Quite a sizeable area in the wagon.

 Don't know whether you can see the paddles. I even used them when I took this baby for a drive. Lovely steering wheel.

 You can "open up the roof" also. And there is no danger of rain coming in.

Yeah... I kinda like the front also. Do you like it? I'm just lacking that rich aunt to help me get into this vehicle. Won't be buying any time this year though. Thanks Peter Warren, Warwick Farm. $46,888 drive away. We'll have our Pug 307 a bit longer I guess.

THE POWER OF ONE

 This guy might only be ONE, but he's already on the verge of conquering the world (well, at least the Southern Hemisphere anyway.)  Yes, he turned ONE 2 weeks ago. Well done Buddy. Been walking for a couple of months now. That's old hat.

 Jack's parents are really trying to keep this critter under their control.... alas.... I think it's a lost cause.

 When you're a grandfather, you have free rein to really spoil the grandkids rotten and then give the parents a bit of work to do. Somehow I figure parents have it easy these days. I mean, all they have to do is work, keep house and look after kids! Not much really is it? I'm sure we did more when we were their age.

Sometimes you wonder what these young fellas are gonna be like when they grow into young men! We have four grandsons so far, but pretty soon, there should be a grand daughter to join the boys! Won't she be spoilt? (Especially if the grandparents have anything to do with it.) Meanwhile I'd better have a snooze before the next bunch of 3 grandsons arrive home! At least the beard makes me look my age anyway!

THE JEEP RIDES AGAIN

Well, it seems a young bloke by the name of Angus Booth found the pictures of Paddy's Jeep. Good lookin' Angus. And it just so happens that Angus' grandfather, Cliff Booth owned the Jeep at one stage of its life. I think there could be some solid "Jeep stories" coming here soon!
Angus' aunt, Sandy Brain remembers the Jeep well. At one stage, her father, a bit loose with the spray painting tool, gave the Jeep a new look - CREAM! (Or was it white? Or Yellow? Whatever.) Cliff Booth said he wouldn't sell it to anyone except Paddy Dillon. So old Cliffie, long since departed, would be happy in the knowledge that the Jeep was fully restored by Paddy and now adorns the Lake Boga Catalina Museum not far from Swan Hill in Victoria.
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Here's what Sandy had to say.... Gosh Keasty, How on earth did you find our jeep. I learnt to drive on that machine and taught the neighbours and half Barham to drive on it too. I think I could write a book about it and the escapades we had in it with Cliff. It was pretty handy in the floods also and on those clay roads; made driving in the snow o/s a breeze...  
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How cool is that? Here are a few pix of the Jeep at its new resting place. Paddy drove it there when we were visiting him recently. I posted info about the Jeep on 4 April 2012. And Angus found it!!

Yep, the Jeep sure has a smart looking home now and snuggles up to the huge Catalina when it gets a bit cool. Note the attention to detail that Paddy has taken. You can't see the shovel and axe on the left side either, but they're there. Thanks Paddy for adding that bit of history for everybody to enjoy.
The other things about Sandy (there are many things aren't there Sandy?) is that she attended WWTC back in the 60s. You'll never guess who one her close mates was back then????  Marie Dillon, Paddy's wife! Of course that was before Paddy and Marie were married. And there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then!!! There was no sleep that night was there Paddy??? Now, which night was that?

BIKE POTENTIAL

 It's always good to see a cyclist who can do his own mechanical adjustments and repairs. Reckon Jim Blaxland will snap this fella up when a vacancy arises.

 This guy has graduated to riding without training wheels. It's sometimes a bit tough getting much riding in in the big smoke, so he is right into it down here with Nan and Fa. Maybe he could be on standby for the Broome-Perth-Sydney trip next year.

 Even #3 is not gonna miss out. This bloke (nearly 2) I figure might be the boss of his brothers in the days to come. He certainly doesn't like others trying to tell him what to do!

 Things got a bit competitive at one stage. Maybe that seat could go up a bit Bren!

See... the mechanic can ride! Even rode to the shop and back today.
Days have just cracked 20 (but sunny) and nights around 8 or 10. Glorious really.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO BE HOME?

We had a fairly easy trip home from the Centre and kept moving. Went through Broken Hill so quickly (we actually slept at the Church of Christ on the hill) that we reached Dubbo on Friday instead of the planned Saturday.  The birdlife and the goats were in abundance as we motored along the fairly straight Barrier Highway.  

We had an ulterior motive in getting to Dubbo by Saturday. We wanted to attend THE WEATHER AND YOUR HEALTH by a good friend Bethany Simons. What a professional actor and playwright she has become. And she’s still such a beautiful and unaffected young lady. (Yeah, that's me with Bethany just before the show started.) She has taken her play all over Vic & NSW and also performed in WA and QLD. I believe she is or will be performing her play in Melbourne about now. Check out THE WEATHER AND YOUR HEALTH on Google.

Fay and I also managed to get to the Baptist Church, had a meal with Chris and Rhonda (Peta’s in-laws), a meal with Dicko and Sue, a coffee with the cyclists at Artology followed by another cuppa at Country Garden with the old Ratpak, got our car serviced by Peter & Greg at MidCity Motors at 22 Bourke St Dubbo and the caravan get new lights at Maccas Auto Electrician (thanks Shane & Ian). Fay did the op shops looking for a replacement glass plate for our caravan microwave. We stayed at Kinschers’ Colony Crescent Caravan Park. See manager below. 

From Dubbo, we made it to Molong and pulled up stumps at Ian (below) and Jane's pad (in the county.) Thanks for the warmth – in more ways than one.  And the eggs!

When we departed there we headed for Cowra where we caught up with Reids and friends Dave & Laurel Martin (ex Dubbo folk.) Both Daves are ex WWTC around 1959-60. Both were exceptional sportsmen so they headed off for a whack at golf just before we departed. Then Goulburn to catch up with Fay’s big sister Pat and then home to Cudmirrah by 6 pm Tuesday.

Today? Cycle into town, attend Bible study and have a walk down to Berrara and back through the bush (see picture). Oh, I did have a good sleep in!

Just about sorted out clothes, mail, the house etc.  Hey, we’re nearly back to normal.... whatever that is.   

NOW THAT'S POWER!

But those who hope (trust) in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:31
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We have seen so many wedge-tailed eagles on this trip. They are such beautiful creatures. I managed to "capture" this one (won't show you the ones I missed!)

 In Andamooka, we checked out the highlights - the long bus, and then some of the early houses built there.

 These were built around 1940-50. They don't build underground like they do in Coober Pedy, another opal mining town.

Think this fella works in a mine-related job and lives in Roxby Downs. You could also hazard a guess that he has a wife and they have 2 kids; one at kindy and the other a pre-schooler. (That's a common scenario in Roxby Downs, which has one of the biggest birthrates in our country.) Just missed CHEV 1 on another Commodore.  
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We also saw heaps and heaps of emus, mostly between Broken Hill and Wilcannia. Maybe 50 or more. At least 2 groups of 9 or 10. Then we saw hundreds of goats, mostly pretty close to the road too. Some were really beautiful colours - different browns, cream, white. Thank goodness we didn't see any roos as we decided to bat on and go for Dubbo. 750 km (Broken Hill to Dubbo). Made it to the Colony Crescent Caravan Park in Dubbo by 7 pm. And we have an ensuite site!!! The managers, Deb and Andrew were not even here to greet us, but I guess we'll catch up if we're here for 4 sleeps. Gotta go to THE WEATHER AND YOUR HEALTH tomorrow night, starring Bethany Simons. Google it! An awesome talent. Just click that bit above where it's underlined!!! 
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Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEB McLAUGHLIN.