The Chapter newsletter is not finished but Keryn and I agreed that I would send the last of my contribution to her by e-mail and she would add it and her bits and then print it and that we would go back to Sherwood Forest next week to do the mailout.
We set off for Carters Ridge after smoko and took the toll road to avoid going through Brisbane. A short detour to Wyllie Park was necessary to dump the black. We had lunch and drove straight on to Carters Ridge. As we were the first to arrive for the Australia Day party, we parked in the prime spot next to the shed.
In the evening, a couple from Canberra, who are now grey nomads living in a caravan, arrived and we spent the evening chatting until a late rain shower drove us back to the Motley.
I spent the day doing nothing much. Jean sat in for Helene in the office for several hours while Philip and Helene were out. We had communal fish'n'chips for dinner and afterwards, we all played canasta until a very late hour.
The rest of the partygoers turned up during the day and by happy hour we had about twenty people ready for a good time. Helene demonstrated her usual skill at getting everybody involved in the celebration. Much champagne was consumed, many games were played, and lots of stories were told. Supper was a communal barbecue. Helene had made a huge amount of trifle which went down very well. The youngsters put on some golden oldies rock and roll and danced themselves into several lathers and had to skinny dip to recover. When I went to bed at 11, most of the champagne had gone but there were still a few dancers dancing, drinkers drinking, and talkers talking.
We had a late breakfast after a late night. Morning tea merged into lunch.
In the afternoon, sleep deficit overtook me and, while pretending to watch the cricket, I slept.
Dinner was a communal barbecue finished off with Helene's wonderful trifle. Some of the guests had left but the chat and the stories were still very amusing. Jean and I finished off the white wine opened as an ingredient in yesterday's chicken salad.
Most of the people left during the day. In the morning, Helene convinced me that I must go swimming. I couldn't find my swimmers so I wore the beer boggle boxers I had bought for the Canberra skit but hadn't worn then. .
By dinner time there were only Helene and Philip, Chris and Mike, and Jean and I left. We barbecued dinner, drank some of Philip's 1994 Tyrell Hermitage, and played Balderdash well into the night.
It has been an exceptionally good weekend. The company was mixed but good fellowship was universal. Chris and Mike, being caravanners who had never before experienced motorhomers having fun were much impressed and I'm sure would trade in the caravan and four wheel drive for a motorhome if they could get a good deal.