I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the ACT, the Ngunnawal people. I acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

S.E.X. on the road

I've travelled a bit in the last couple of weeks.

ANZAC Day + saw Mum and I on the road to Leeton to visit her mother. In a highly derivative mood, I took photos of my travelling sock, cast on at SnB the night before we left.


Here it is having breakfast at Rotten Ronnies outside Yass.

We missed all the ANZAC commemorations but stopped at the War Memorial loos (I kid you not) at Springdale.


I was touched by the care taken of this little memorial in the midst of the drought.

Leeton was reached just after 1.30 and we were starving. Not wanting to risk the local Soldier's Club on ANZAC Day, we found an open takeaway. The wouldn't do a salad sandwich but happily provided, at discount, a hamburger with the lot on bread, not toasted, without the burger. I'm such a city girl!

We spent a few hours with Nanna that afternoon and retired to our motel for much needed cuppa by the pool.

The sock seemed to enjoy it after the Alzheimers conversation it endured at the nursing home. You haven't lived until you've walked behind your mother and your grandmother, both on walkers, down the corridor of a nursing home. I have seen the future - it isn't pretty.

The sock also enjoyed a couple of glasses of local white wine and a very fine fish and salad for dinner cooked by my second cousin at the local pub.

The next morning the sock was up bright and early. We collected Nanna and after a series of enquiries and false starts, the great granddaughter of Nanna's neighbour at Stanbridge when Mum was growing up, found us a place that would give Nan a hair cut immediately.

A hair cut and a turned heel later, Mum and Nan had a race to the shop next door - St V de P. Mum won.

No wool or needles in this shop. I suspect the CWA have the op-shops in this (and other) country towns, sewn up, so to speak. A letter to the ACCC may need to be written.

The sock accompanied us on a drive around town and helped Nan eat a sausage roll and Mum, an iced bun in a new little shopping centre that had level access, wide self-opening doors, adequate disabled parking, disabled loos and a coffee shop. It was very nearly my favourite place of the day.

This was my favourite place of the day. The Leeton Salvo Shop. The sock liked it, too, although it preferred to stay in its bag for the photo.

Here we picked up some cr*chet cotton for a friend of Mum's, a couple of jumpers to unravel for wool and a MaggieT jumper for me to wear. It was not our favourite place for these reasons, however.

It was my favourite because it has a cafe inside the op-shop. I wanted to move in!

Alas I could not, so we returned Nan to the nursing home where both Mum and Nanna looked happy and just a little relieved.

Leaving Leeton we made our way to Wagga Wagga - which is a whole nuther post.

8 comments:

Susan said...

Love a good road trip! Nothing like a good country OZ motel - especially if it has a pool.
Love the room delivered breaky too! Nothing tastes like it.

Sue H said...

I am so glad that sock enjoyed her road trip, Oh and of course, you, mum and nanna too.

Anonymous said...

The Cenotaphs and memorials in Australia really are well looked after and respected. Coolest road trip ever!!!! Nice sock!! Why did it stay in the plastic bag?? Any special reason???

amanda j said...

What a lovely trip. You are so much the better daughter and grand daughter than me!

I think we can all be happily derivative - us knitters know that is a form of flattery!

Denise said...

Lovely to see pics from your trip, from the sock's perspective :)

I want to know why ALL Salvos don't have a cafe inside - brilliant idea!

And I second Amanda's comment - you win the best daughter / grand-daughter prize yet again - that's 7 years running now! ;)

Georgie said...

ROFL at the race to the St V de P!

How cool is the cafe in an op shop? AND only 50c for their calico bags, bargain!

AMCSviatko said...

Damn you! I'm in the Qantas Club in Melbourne, giggling like a mad thing at your post, and getting some dirty looks from people actually trying to work.

Great post, great photos and great idea having a cafe in an op shop - was the crockery second hand?

Gillian said...

Oh Tapho, what a great excursion! Everyone seems to have had a ball and you have so many lovely pics to show us. Knitting seemed to go well too.
Cheers Gillian