Ramsley Fields

Our key goal for today was to drive a bit more than 400 km to our accommodation in Derbyshire in preparation for the wedding tomorrow. Once there we had sone other things to do but getting there as soon as we could was our priority.

We woke just before 7:00 am to a fine morning with sun shining on the clifftop across the bay. We had showered and were down for breakfast at the Slipway Hotel when it opened at 8:30 am. The couple from Moree that we had met yesterday joined us at breakfast and there was some conversation about travel experiences. They were off to Land’s End today and keen to know what we had found.

Soon after 9:00 am we were back at the parking lot above town to avoid extra parking charges and make an early start. I drove the first leg out through the narrow roads until we hit the highway and then on toward the north-east. The weather was variable. Sometimes we drove through bright sunshine but at other times we had heavy rain showers. We stopped once after about 2 hours for coffee and changed drivers. Majella took us the rest of the way to our accommodation at Ramsley Fields apartments.

The area is aptly named Melbourne View because it sits on a rise above the town of Melbourne. Our accommodation is 3 units – a double for Majella and me, a twin for Virginia and Margot, and a smaller double for Jane. We checked in and sorted out some of our gear. We are here for 4 nights so there will be time to rearrange packing for our flight on Monday. Majella was keen to wait for Jane, Virginia, nd Margot to arrive but eventually we decided to go into Melbourne for some necessary shopping before they arrived. That was just as well because a message from Jane while we were in town inicated that they were at least an hour away.

We arrived in sunshine but did have a few more showers through the afternoon while we sat, enjoyed a cup of coffee with a snack, and waited for Jane and the others to arrive. They finally arrived well after 5:00 pm, having been to a deer park on their way. That gave them just time enough to get their gear into their rooms before we headed off to join Angela and the rest of the Australian contingent at 6:00 pm for a pre-wedding get together a few km away.

That was a fun gathering with all the Kinnane sisters plus Philip, spouses, some of the next generation and a swag of family friends. We had drinks, snacks, curry, rice and a whole lot of talk until we decided it was time to get some rest.

The ride home with Majella driving and Jane, Virginia and Margot in the back seat was entertaining. Perhaps most memorable was Jane’s description of her super-efficient Friday laundry routine which involves the simultaneous use of multiple of machines at the local laundromat with the benefit of a nearby coffee shop and television. She reckons it saves her several hours. Virginia’s comment that she found watching the washing machine go round comforting had us all in stitches. There was a serious aspect to the discussion which started with wondering about the best local laundromat to use for our much needed laundry.

Tomorrow is certainly the day for the wedding of Sebastian and Anna. It may or may not be the day our laundry gets done.