Road Trip To Mildura
Last week, MUM and DAD decided to take me on a road trip to the mighty Murray River in Mildura, on the NSW and Victorian border. I was so excited as I have not been out for a while and MUM lent me this lovely bag to put my things in. It usually contains her Miss Fix-it tools that Unkee Kneel gave her for her birthday. She has never used them 'cause she wouldn't know how to fix anything. If you have a close look at my ears, you will know what I mean.
Here I am sitting on Bertie's dashboard going along the M5 motorway on our way down south. I was looking out for the speed cameras so I could wave to the computers that take pictures of you if you speed. I always sit with my left side showing as it is my best.
Once we got past the cameras and out on the open road, DAD gave me my first driving lesson. As you can see I am a bit short to use the pedals and my arms are a bit short to turn the wheel, but DAD helped me. I am a really good driver, considering I am still only five.
Many hours later we made it to Cowra and visited the most beautiful Japanese garden. It is a mark of respect between the Japanese and Australian Governments to commemorate World War II. It is a special place and I liked the blocks that had nice symbols on them. I have no idea what the symbols mean, but the colours are nice. I wanted to take one home and use it as a doorstop to the garage downstairs in our building, but MUM said it would be very disrespectful. I tried to stuff one of the blocks in her bag, but I got a clip around the ears instead.
Here is a picture of me lying in the middle of a pile of autumn leaves. The colours are so beautiful and all the trees are losing their leaves at the moment, so there are heaps of them on the ground. I wanted to take a pile home and decorate our space in the cupboard, but I got a clip around the ears (again!) when I tried to stuff them in MUM's bag.
We finally made it to Mildura, our stop-off point on the mighty Murray River, which is 2,995 kilometres long. It is the third longest navigable river in the world after the Nile and the Amazon rivers. I have now seen two out of three rivers - I have only the Nile to go. We went on this lovely old steamboat up to a local winery and well, the rest is history.
I know, I know, here I am looking a bit poorly (again!) 'cause I had tasted a few of the lovely wines made by an Irish settler family. DAD kept passing me thimble sized tumblers to sample and I think I overdid it 'cause I was yelling 'I love youse all' by the end of the session. I got another clip around the ears (again!) 'cause I used the word 'youse.' MUM said I sounded common.
Here is a picture of me with my two friends in the country. They don't say much, but they can stand really still. If you look closely, you can see how many bullet holes are in their portrait. MUM said the locals are a bit bored and like to shoot up anything that doesn't move. I made sure I was jiggling about when this photo was taken.
Here is a picture of MUM. Only joking - ouch! This is 'ziggy,' a mega fauna or giant wombat. They used to hang about until they all got eaten. Now wombats are much smaller and can hide more easily. This one lives in a museum at Lake Mungo which is a very beautiful place. The lake has all dried up now and you can visit the Walls of China which are mounds of sand that are thousands of years old. Many years ago, the remains of Mungo Man (the oldest human remains in the world...) and Mungo Lady, were found there. It looks like the surface of the moon. Not that I have ever been to the moon, but I have a vivid imagination.