Flick, Dave, Charlie and James Family Blog: A country weekend

Flick's Cousin Bridget invited us up for a weekend in the northern Hunter Valley country, coinciding with the Northern Hunter Show in Muswellbrook. Leaving on Friday afternoon, a great adventure awaited us, starting with an impromptu rest stop at the information centre just north of Cessnock, which is also at the entrance to the local airstrip. We happened to see a couple of guys with pilots' stripes (although not pilots' hats as Charlie pointed out) and Flick asked them if we could look at the airplanes. Following them to the airstrip, Captain Matt mentioned that he was running a training flight from Bankstown, and had a few minutes to kill before he returned with his student - would the boys like to have a look at his plane? Needing no further encouragement the boys wound up sitting in the single engine plane, finding out how manipulating the wheel makes the flaps move on the wings and tail. So that kept them happy until we reached the farm.

Bridget has a cute farm cottage on 5 acres in a lovely valley on which she runs her eventing horses Pete and Lulu and her ponies Mikey and Blue. Our next adventure was helping Bridget feed the ponies and see what it was like to go for a little ride, which both of the boys enjoyed.

What with all the excitement it was pretty late before we managed to get the kids to bed - so late that we were able to have a little look at the stars, which without Sydney's light pollution were shining brightly on a crisp and clear Autumn evening.

After a somewhat disturbed night sharing a room with the kids (who were sleeping in their Kindercot tent beds), we awoke to find that Bridget and her partner Clint had headed off early to the show with the horses. When we made it we found a lovely country show - not too crowded, though with side show prices surprisingly close to Sydney's. The boys enjoyed the petting zoo before being enticed by the bright lights of the dodgem cars, bumper boats and various other diversions. We also saw an enormous Friesian steer - taller than its keeper, who was not a short man, but very docile; and visited an Expo presented by the local coal mines and power stations, which had a very realistic simulator machine allowing us to test drive one of the massive dump trucks (Charlie and I deliberately rammed it into the mine building to see what would happen - a big jolt and an explosion filling the wrap around monitors).

By way of juxtaposition there was also a magic show presented by the Sustainability team at the local council, encouraging us to use less energy amongst diversions like Charlie finding that he had several foam balls stuck behind his ears.

Over an over-priced and under-nourishing show lunch we watched Bridget compete in the show jumping on Pete. Unfortunately he was less than cooperative, but Lulu's performance earlier in the day had earned her a first place.

Back on the farm Charlie showed more enthusiasm for another pony ride than James, who was more interested in playing in Bridget's four by four. Flick was thrilled when Bridget's niece Claire, who Flick has never met, turned up for dinner from Armidale (several hours north) where she is studying at the University of New England.

On the Sunday morning after a much better sleep, Charlie enjoyed one last ride ride after breakfast; poor Jamie seemed to be feeling a little poorly with a streaming nose. After thanking Bridget and Clint for a wonderful weekend we headed home, stopping on the way for a quick visit to see Siobhan and a play with their kids Christian and Sammy. We hope to return soon!