Change of plans - Central Coast

After picking up the trailer from North Rocks and getting back to Camden, we enquired about availability and price in Katoomba. Limited availability and overpriced was the outcome, so we decided to head for Shelley's Beach near The Entrance, north of Gosford.

We picked this destination because my oldest friend Michael, his wife Ann Louise and 3 daughters Susanna, Elisabeth & Julia - all beautiful - live close by & we always stop in to say hi when we come through.

The original plan was for 1 night on Sunday, but forfeiting the Blue Mountains enabled us 2 and a better catch up. We arrived and made our way over there for dinner at about 5:30pm as there was wedges already in the oven awaiting.

It's always great to see the gang, Zander was only 6 months when we saw them last, Mick passed through Brisbane a couple of days after Mav was born, but the girls had never met him, and nor us Julia, so this was nice also.

Mick, being the consummate butcher cooked us a lamb barbeque which was complemented by Ann Louise's pastries. She has a flair for baking....just what we needed after this trip and now trying to drop kilos. So of course we said yes to any offerings.

The kids got on famously and spent the time playing with toys, watching DVD's & playing iPad games. It's amazing how well young kids bond so quickly, it was nice and gave us time to chat. Mick has always been a fish & reptile man so the kids had heaps to look at with fish, turtles, frogs, a spotted python snake which he kindly lens boys have a touch of.

It's like nothing has ever changed with Mick and I, we always laugh about the old things we did as kids like throwing Dad's wild lemons over the fence down the hill onto the roofs of neighbours we didn't like, riding bikes to school with flat tyres because it was cool, running last in all the cross country races preferring to go mud sliding and arriving at the finish line in trouble, and the afternoon we batted a whole afternoon against Michael Kasprowicz after he bounced and bruised out the top order in an intermediate cricket team...funny stuff.

The beers were disappearing quickly and the boys were getting restless after multiple late nights, so we decided to get going about 9:30pm with the idea of coming back tomorrow after Mick set up the slippery slide in the back yard, needless to say it was welcomed by the kids and was a good form of bribery to get them home to bed.

Strange how we call the trailer home now, because I certainly feel that way. Nat wouldn't admit to it but I think after a short time after being home she will miss the lifestyle we are now accustomed. I am missing it already, and we are no home yet....

Jase.