Ruminations – On the road again

July 12, 2025

Plan B for 2025

Majella has been harbouring an ambition to drive right around Australia. The obvious way to do that may be to set out from home and keep going, clockwise or anticlockwise, until we return but that would require more time than we want to spend in a single block. What’s more, we had driven Brisbane to Adelaide cross country and back...

2025 WA & NT/Ruminations/Two of us Comments: 0

September 30, 2024

On the train to FNQ

Sometime last year (2023) friends from the USA, Peg and Dave Ertmer, contacted us to propose that we ride the Spirit of Queensland from Brisbane to Cairns with them. Dave is a fan of trains and Majella’s father worked as an engineer for Queensland Rail so we agreed it was something we would be happy to do. Their initial suggestion...

2024 FNQ/Ruminations/Travel with family & friends

August 7, 2024

It’s taken four years…

This trip was originally planned for 2020 but COVID-19 blocked us. We managed the second part of that plan in 2023 and are about to embark on the Nullarbor crossing.

2024 SA & WA/Ruminations

April 13, 2024

It’s on in a rush

This trip has been in preparation since mid-2023 but there were some unavoidable delays with getting a new passport for Lucas and nothing could be booked until we were sure it was on. The passport details arrived on Friday, 8 April. That sparked a surge of activity with booking. As usual there were multiple factors at play in the planning...

2024 Japan/Ruminations/Travel with grandchildren

July 16, 2023

Puzzling out a plan

Some trips need more detailed plans. In this case there are many websites with relevant information and a post with links is a convenient way to keep them handy.

2023 Western Australia/Ruminations/Travel with family & friends

May 13, 2023

Preparing to travel

Travel, especially if it is far and/or long, benefits from careful preparation. Our upcoming short trip to Europe required negotiating dates that worked around Callum’s school and motorcycling commitments. Then there were booking of flights and car, planning an itinerary from Paris to Sierre and back, and booking accommodation. Our previous trips to Europe with grandchildren were linked to conferences...

2023 Europe/Ruminations

September 25, 2022

On our way at last

We are off again on a long delayed trip with our grandson, Harry. We will collect him in Sydney and then head for New Zealand.

2022 New Zealand/Ruminations

March 10, 2020

Majella’s reflection on Nepal

Sitting at the airport waiting for our flight on the last leg of our journey, I have time to reflect on our visit to Nepal. While India left me feeling confused and unsettled, Nepal left me with more optimism. There was still plenty of poverty, way too much litter, and many social issues to be addressed, but there was not...

2020 Singapore, India, & Nepal/Ruminations

March 2, 2020

Majella’s reflections on India

Today is our last day in India. I hope by writing some of my thoughts and impressions I will be able to process some of the experiences of the past 2 weeks. The joy and colour of John and Shruti’s wedding will stay with me for ever. It was a beautiful introduction to Indian culture and I really appreciated the...

2020 Singapore, India, & Nepal/Ruminations

August 27, 2018

Marathon walking

It was not in a single burst or even a single day but my Fitbit record confirms that our efforts in the Lamington National Park while staying at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat last week amounted to the equivalent of a marathon (42 km) or more of walking. Majella and I certainly felt it even if Laura took it in her stride...

Ruminations/Two of us

Category: Ruminations