Yesterday we headed to Canberra with our friends Ang and Greg to watch the Wallabies (Australia’s national team) take on Italy in a rugby union match. It was a quick but entertaining game. Australia won by a mile but Italy put on a good show. We even managed to keep smiling despite the frigid -1 degree temperature at the stadium!
Today I drove back to Forbes with Ang and Greg while Phil flew to Sydney as he has a week of training in the city. It’s pretty strange having the house to myself!
Monday was a holiday in New South Wales. Never ones to waste a good long weekend Phil and I headed off to the Snowy Mountains with a group of friends from West Wyalong for a getaway adventure. We drove from Forbes to Jindabyne and met up with my coworkers Jacki, Joanna, Todd and Ian before heading into Thredbo village. Our first evening was relatively tame and we enjoyed a nice dinner and then had some fun out at a pub dancing and singing along to live music all night.
On Saturday everyone except Phil and I got up bright and early to catch the chairlift to the top of the mountain and get their first real taste of snow. I was disappointed that I missed out on the Aussies playing in the cold, wet white stuff but the stories they came back with were priceless. Phil and I headed up the mountain later in the afternoon, hiked to the Mount Kosciuszko lookout (4km round trip) then hiked all the way down the mountain (an additional 5km). My legs were jello by the time we reached the bottom but the trip was well worth the effort. The views were beautiful. We went from gusty, blustery ice fog and snow at the top of the mountain to shedding our scarves and hats at the bottom.
The weather was cool enough to require winter jackets, scarves, hats and mitts but not quite cold enough for the snow to fall at the base of the mountain. We were disappointed that we couldn’t use our snowboards but still had a great time. Our friends Dan and Nicola joined us later in the day and we had a boisterous evening out at a German schnapps bar.
On Sunday it finally started to snow in the village! After introducing our Aussie friends to ice hockey by watching game five of the Stanley Cup final on television, Phil, Jo and I enjoyed a rather wet walk through the village while everyone else went to Jindabyne to watch a movie. We were hoping to do some horseback riding but once again the weather went against us.
Monday was spent on the road as we made the six hour drive back to Forbes. The snow continued to fall in the mountains and according to yesterday’s Canberra newspaper, the area received more snow over the past week than it ever has before at this time of year. All predictions are calling for an amazing season of skiing and snowboarding. Perhaps we will have to make another weekend trip to the slopes.
Has it really been a month since my last blog entry? Wowsers. I guess that’s an indication of how busy things have been of late. Last time I wrote I was about to head to Perth for a week of training. I suppose I should provide a brief recap, although my cross-country trip is old news now.
I had a lovely time in Western Australia yet again. There is something about Perth that really appeals to me. It’s scenic, friendly, exciting and yet serene. It’s basically a big mining town with all the perks associated with urban living but none of the snobbery associated with many other cities. I absolutely love it. The course I attended was excellent. I met all sorts of great people from the Barrick family and even got to chat with a few people from North America that I haven’t seen in years. I caught up with our friends Mat and Sarah for an afternoon and even managed to squeeze in some shopping. The flights were uneventful and before I could blink I was back in New South Wales and off to work yet again.
