Woke at 6:20, there's been a moon all night, so no "pitch black" of the bush.
Voice A:
"Up, dress, pack tent, ( toilet stop?) And onto the road to warm up, then an hour of quiet, before some food and drink eh? - "
Voice B:"Or reckon that could be all right. Let's try it."
(Conversation in my mind…)
I did get up, but everything was wet and "freezing" - so, lit a fire to boil some water. No wood, or even twigs on this wet ground covered in wet grass, spangled with 20 dew drops on every blade. Just the cardboard and paper wrappers i was carrying. Enough to warm the water, and my hands, but not enough to boil anything. Oh well, it was something. Maybe I should carry a little bit of solid (or liquid) fuel with me? Only 18km to go today.
Ruth Smith called (whom I had had lunch with on my way to Oaklands). She had lost my number, but a friend gave it to her again, and she rang to thank me for popping in. She said she'd think about friends shecknew in both Lockhart and Coolamon, and get back to me.
Dianne & Peter stopped the car to see how I was, and what was happening. Dianne was driving, for work & she pulled down her mask so I could see her face as she asked. I told them, & Dianne introduced me to Peter who she had gone to collect and take back to town (Lockhart) as part of her work. He said "Hello", & "Pleased to meet you."
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I told them I was booked in to the Railway Hotel tonight. She said they make a mean Indian Curry there. I said, "Good. I was hoping they also did meals." She (might) come & have a beer there tonight.
How good is that, Indian.
A good long talk with a neighbour on the phone…
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Until I walked in and saw this:
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.a few more blocks until i see the pub on the corner, and on the lawn on the right, this
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I have a drink at the pub and get my room. Have a shower, wask my clothes in the shower and hang my clothes up. Ruth rings back with the name and number of a friend, who will ring me shortly, if i don't ring her first she lives here in Lockhart: a lovely lady who was the Anglican Minister from Lockhart (& her husband Graham, who I didn't get to meet, before I had to go. Hello Graham!), invited me round to meet over a cup of tea, which we did!
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Nola is a follower of Jesus who used to be an Anglican Minister in this town. She told me of God's dealings with her since retiring and how she had 7 and a half months away in Qld, and that she had to "repent" and "be forgiven", and came to see mistakes that she had made (unintentionally, but still which had affected others) but then she was enabled to come back with a fresh capacity to love, that somehow God's mercy and forgiveness made possible.
I helped her turn her lessons and responses into a poemish thingo, then into a songish thingo. A lot of fun.
Annie and Toni have had the Railway Hotel for 10 months,
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and as I mentioned, they have a reputation for the best Indian curries in the area. They only charged me $60 for the room and then a Lamb Korma with Rice and Naan were $24.50. It was lovely, and Toni let me have some of his Gulab Jamin for desert. Annie, left some Naan bread in the freezer for me to take in the morning. We talked, i practiced my drawing using Toni as a model.
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He didn't charge anything!
It's been a good day. Good night.
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