Welcome and Salutations, to my April update.

Why not make a cuppa or get something stronger and sit back and read away, if you dare!

First up and quickly. I am still in recovery mode from my fall and still seeing the specialist for unrelated problems and treatment for that is going better than I thought so, I'm on the mend.

Stop the press!

A visit to the specialist earlier this week was great and I am now finished seeing her until later this year. The leg, well its getting there. The ribs, healed I think.

The month started with much cooler nights and even cool days, nights were around -1c-12c and the days ranged from 18c-28c. Just perfect weather really, temp wise anyway. We got some varied wind speeds and directions throughout the month but sadly no rain, yet again. The aircon remote has been put away and the fitted gas heater is getting a workout early in the mornings now.

The first week of the month I decided to head of on one of my 'Doug's big day out' . I headed off to see some Silo Art I had heard about in Grenfell not all that far south east of Forbes NSW. The town was first named Emu Creek but in January 1866 was renamed Grenfell in honour of John Grenfell, Commissioner of Crown Lands at the time but killed by a Bushranger later the same year. The Silos are truly amazing and I would rate them the best I have seen so far. I say I as there maybe better around that I am still to visit. They were only finished earlier this year and already 1000's of people have visited them.  

After those I noticed on the way in to town a sign saying that Henry Lawson's Birthplace was in Grenfell also so headed there for a gander. The actual building has long gone but a memorial has been set up on the spot of the building in memory of a great poet. While reading the info board there I noticed an old gold mine was just around the corner, no, not a country corner, as in a long way down the road but just around the corner so headed there to check that out. O'Brian's Hill was the first Gold discovery in the town, by Cornelius O Brian who worked on land owned by John Wood. O'Brian rushed too Young to register his claim and it was known as O'Brian's Reef. Unfortunately they are just ruins now.

It was time to head out of town so I then headed too and had lunch in Forbes. After lunch I paid a visit to The Deck a display of six natural wool fleece variations stapled to boards then displayed at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in 2012. The display itself took thousands of hours over a six-month period. After a short showing of the display after the show in various country towns and through a request from Forbes it was set up behind glass for protection on an outside wall of the Spotlight store that was built on the site of the old Forbes Stock Yards. I have included a picture below and apologise for the quality but due to the glass it is hard to get a good pic without glare.

After all that excitement I then headed south to West Wyalong, just cos I could, I checked out a couple of places along the way I stayed at way back at the beginning of my GN travels, finding no changes, then did a cross country drive back to Young and the Aluminium Tent. A good day had, although it tired me out and a little pain. The land is dry everywhere you look too.

 A week later I even fitted in a visit to the movies into my hectic schedule. Mmmm, did I say busy schedule? Yeh Right and saw Shazam, not bad but not as funny as I thought it would be. Still, seeing I hadn't been to see a movie since August 2017 up in Townsville, I enjoyed the outing. I also met up with a couple of people I know as well so that's always good.

The month kept moving along in a forward direction very quickly indeed and I looked after the property for a few days while Garry and Roxanne went to Sydney for e few days to catch up with friends there. All went well back on the ranch and in Sydney so good for all parties involved. I even got in the farm Ute and did some farm work, yeh, me. Surprised? Not me, it was good to actually be able to do something again. I drove around the bottom paddock I am set up in and the one next to it spraying the dreaded Paterson's Curse and Bindy Eye. A few days later I noticed positive results of my labour.

Now, I hear some of you saying that is that horrible word, work, well, it is sort of I spose however, it was done in Grey Nomad working hours 10am-12pm with a one-hour compulsory rest stop, so all good and no GN rules broken.

With all that hard w..k (sorry, I have said that word enough) being done it brings this update to an end so keep safe everyone, I will try too.

DOUG

Some pics below as usual.