After some breakfast, my Auntie takes us for a guided tour of her Retirement Village, showing us the main 'Village' hall which has communal facilities for residents which includes just about all you could possibly want. There are rooms for all sorts of different things - cards, table tennis, darts, library and a kitchen where you can help yourself to tea/coffees etc., and even a beautiful swimming pool outside.
The whole area is landscaped with paths and a stream that just make you feel like sitting and soaking it all up. It truly is a place where you would want to spend your retirement (well I would), with like minded people, all enjoying the facilities as and when you feel the need.
We have a light lunch back at Auntie's and leave her to have a restful afternoon as we go off to Philip's house to spend some time with the family again, where we get introduced to the family pets, Rex the dog and Fluffy the rabbit. After a quick tour of the house, I go for a drive with Philip to pick up one of the children who's been out on a playdate. It's really good to catch-up and also to see a bit of the area where he lives, the beach there is beautiful and apparently where a lot of Sydney's residents head for the weekend! When we return, the little ones get very over-excited in their home environment and once again, Uncle Phil gets the full brunt of their excitement!
Becky and I struggled with what little gifts we could bring for these children who don't even know us, but felt we should bring something. Rather than something like sweets when we arrived in Australia (although previously mentioned Lindt Chocolates had been bought as a back-up plan), we decided on something a bit more British and bought three items from Heathrow Airport that were probably left over from the Jubilee/Olympics last year! We gave these items to the kids at this point and the excitement was soon curtailed as they asked what they'd been given and then threw them aside to continue playing with Uncle Phil. The Chocolates were a little better received!
It is decided that we'll go down to the beach and then for a walk to the Haven, we have no idea what that is but it all sounds good. We park in the ample parking area and meet up with the family when they arrive, then make our way down to the beach, down the slipway, only to find there are a large number of Pelicans in the water there which is quite normal for the locals, I'm sure, but is really surreal, and quite exciting, for us!
The children and adults enjoy wave jumping and we all get our feet wet, in fact most of us even get clothing well past the knee wet too, but it's all dried in the sun pretty quickly and then it's time to share chips at the beach cafe before walking up the path, along which Becky finds a suitable pole to try for another photo opportunity for her Pole Group. She manages to climb and strike a pose quite quickly, but not quick enough as the two youngest children decide to come back and help, and want to climb the pole too. Good old Uncle Phil steps in to lift them up the pole and they're soon sliding down. Becky suggests that if she gets into position, Uncle Phil can lift one of them onto her lap, which works well for the photo!
We continue the walk up the hill to enjoy the views from an area called The Skillion which is part of an area called The Haven where we enjoy fantastic views from the two viewing platforms provided as this is a good spot to see Whales as they pass along the coast but, unfortunately, we've timed it wrong again.
Time is getting on so we return to the cars, and get back to Auntie, only to find her having had all her old photo albums out and had a lovely afternoon of tears and smiles, looking through them and remembering a lot of good times.
Once again, we go out for a meal with all the family and to a Chinese Restaurant this time, and we remember to take a bottle (fortunately Phil had bought half a dozen, hopefully not because he thought we'd have drunk them all before it was time for us to leave, more because it's always good to have some in store in case of visitors like us!) - I love these Bring Your Own places - what a good idea! We arrive after Philip and his family as we had to return because Auntie realised five minutes down the road that she had forgotton to put her teeth in (not the whole lot, just a couple of falsies!) so we returned for her to save herself any embarrassment. As we left once again for the restaurant, she said "Don't tell them why we're late!"
When we arrive, the large round table has a paper tablecloth for which the restaurant provides a pot of crayons and already the children have written and drawn over quite a lot of the spaces. Much fun is had by everyone writing comments and scribbling out and re-writing, and drawing pictures of each other. Becky was talking to Philip's wife soon after we arrived and Auntie asks if Becky was telling them about her and her teeth, which she wasn't but now everyone knows anyway!
It's a lovely meal, once again everyone shares their dishes and the lazy susan in the middle is constantly spinning one way and then the other so I manage to keep missing out on most of the food as it whizzes past, still its good for the diet I'm starting when I get home!
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