Hi All
As we sit here on the downside of a flattening curve, with hopefully the worst behind us, we have time to catch up with so many of our little jobs and goals, including this blog. Somewhere in the middle of this period, I finally started to learn to use Facebook more, so if you start to feel you may have seen some photos before. it may not be deja vue! 
We did a remarkable amount of wandering last year, almost as if we knew that wandering wouldn't be possible much of this year ! D'ya reckon? Anyway, I may have to do this in two parts, so bear with me.On looking through the photos, other than the travelling, the other main themes over the past 10 months or so have been birthdays and catching up with people and places, so here goes . And if I miss anyone, forgive me, but the albums are my memory now; if we don't snap it, we don't recall it.We managed to catch Aiden's 6th birthday party;
great to catch up with so much of the family. Came school holidays we headed south to Collie and area. The older boys have outgrown travels with the Nannies, but Kellan and Aiden jumped at it and we all had a special few days!! I don't know who enjoyed it more, -the boys or us; but I do know who got more tired! No prizes !!
We explored; they climbed and wandered along the river and around Wellington dam; experienced military and mining equipment; and of course made a contribution to Gnomesville! They wrote the story of origin and travels for the two gnomes we left in their new gnome-home.
At our last stop, Busselton, with its famous jetty and underwater observatory, the big hit was an 'underwater experience' with a difference. The boys wore virtual reality masks and were transported under the water. We got such a kick out of watching them twisting and turning to watch fish, divers, and even a mermaid swimming by!!
Then home to more birthdays,- family and friends. Belated wishes and cakes for both Olivia and Alex, and a neighbourhood gathering for John !! And as many catchups, friends and cuddles as we could before we took off again !
In Bali, we first stayed at a small pleasant resort on a stunning bay on Lembongan Island, but other than that, the island won't be on our must return list. But if you never never go, you never never know, right ?
Ubud was next and thoroughly as enjoyable as we hoped. This time we found a charming small place very near the old centre. Besides the usual, shopping, sightseeing, and the monkey forest, we did some hiking on marked trails out of town, through rice fields and villages. Most enjoyable change of pace!Years ago, we had loved coconut pie, but in the years since had been unable to find it ever again. This trip we not onlyfound the lady who used to make it, but the pie itself, now being made by someone else and served right across the street from us !! :) :)
Back in Sanur, which always feels like a second home to us, we did very little really. We renewed a few old acquiantances in the markets and had some covers made for beachhouse furniture, but other than that, we just wandered and lazed !! Lovely !
Home to another birthday celebration, Quentin's, amongst many of our neighbours and friends; and then hustle around to get ready for the off again.In Sept. we struck off on the start of our 83 day (didn't quite make the 80!) around-the-world adventure!! Stopped a few days in Bangkok, mainly to break the trip, rest up and stay healthy. JOKE ! Despite all our jabs, tablets, supplements, and hygiene precautions, we both got increasingly sick with chest infections ! :( :(
Fortuitously and totally unwittingly, I had booked us right into the centre of Khaosan St., Bangkok's 'happening' street. We only had to step out our door to shop, eat, drink, or just to goggle open-mouthed at all the strange and wonderful foods, people and toys. We did as much local wandering/touring as we could, but weren't up to much.
Our plan for the first part of our English visit had been a week's walking holiday in the Cotswolds. We fortunately had booked one accomodation for the week, intending to do a shorter loop, get picked up each night, and driven back to our route each morning (on the assumption we're not great walkers and wouldn't get that far away at the best of times). As it turned out we spent the first few days in bed coughing; we felt so sorry for our hosts, as well as for ourselves. Anyway, as we started to recover, we took our hire car and drove out to various parts of the trails we would have walked and villages we would have visited. So we did see and enjoy a fair bit of the area.
In England, we always stop with cousins, Ann and Vic, just north of York. This time we got to see a couple of their 'kids' whom we haven't seen for many years. Lovely to meet them anew, in their own homes.
Next stop was Whitby, on the northeast coast, not far from Anne's stomping grounds. Lee and Belinda were visiting and touring in the UK, with Maryanne and Belinda's Mum, Marian. They had caught up with us briefly at Ann and Vic's. Now we had a really good catch-up and lunch in Whitby.
We also managed to spend a couple of hours on the Cleveland Way, which goes along along the clifftops south of Whitby, before catching up with another lot of cousins, a very enjoyable visit with Margaret and family; as well as a brief visit with old friend Joe, before heading over to Billingham, Middlesborough area, the motherlode of friends and cousins
In Billingham, we stayed most of the time with Anne's god-daugther, Fran and husband Terry, and had several visits with old school chum, Gladys, who's no longer able to live on her own, but was still the same character we remembered and loved.
Fran and Terry just opened their home, letting us come and go and use them as a base !! We caught up with umpteen cousins, friends, niece and great niece and a very engaging young great,great nephew !! Too many people to mention all here, sorry. My apologies to those we miss in the blog; we didn't miss many of you over there, which is the main thing. It's always so good to catch up with everyone; and how were we to know that we'd soon have a long period where we couldn't catch up with anyone!?Sometime along there we spent a couple of days on a 'Roots' trip, to the village of Reeth where Anne found a previous family home, and to a churchyard on the way to Billy Row, where she found the grave marker of her grandparents!
That's about it for Part 1, except to say we headed back down to London and met up with Alison and Graham, who had been touring Ireland. We did only a bit of sightseeing, then all headed to Tilbury to board the cruise ship, CMV Vasco da Gama, to sail half way round the world, through the Panama Canal to Sydney.
So that's where I'll start Part 2. Take care all and stay safe.
Kathie and Annie
The Happy Wanderers
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