A solo drive to the beach & tour of the farm 🚙 🏊🩴🐚 💻 🧑‍🌾 🥝 🧄 🫚

 Wednesday, May 15:

G’day! 🦋

The morning was bright and sunny! Since Sally had given me my Driver’s Training Course the evening before, she let me drive to Sawtell Beach alone in her car while she continued working on getting her shipment of 300 kilos of garlic & ginger ready. I did pretty well, just drove on the incorrect side for a few yards after pulling out of the driveway onto the country road. I missed a right turn because I was looking for the street sign on the left. (So confusing!) I also kept turning on the wipers instead of the turn signal! But I made it there and back safely, and it was actually pretty fun!

I went for a quick swim in the Rock Pool. It was chilly.

Then I walked on Sawtell Beach, gathered shells, waded in the water up to my waist, and skipped rocks. 

I think these little guys are the ones that make these amazing designs all over the beach

This one looks like fireworks!

This driftwood worked well to prop my camera on or some selfies

When I got back (safely!) to Kiwi Down Under Farm, I went down to the shed to help Sally complete her order. She got it in on time, and was excited to see that what she thought was 250 kilos was actually 300 kilos! 

This is Diesel. Ever present wherever we go on the farm.

Now Sally can clear the garlic off her dining room table

Pecans and macadamia nuts

This gorgeous farm!

💻 In the evening I worked on my itinerary for the next stop. All of my contacts for the upcoming destinations had not responded. I realized that I only had Saturday night open, and the rest of my time in Australia was set. So I booked a hostel in Noosa Heads, a destination my Chilean friend who spent half his life in Australia told me I had to visit.

Thursday, May 16, Part 1:

Sally was excited to have a day off. She spent the morning organizing her home, and then started mowing the grounds! (That’s a day off 🧑‍🌾!) 

I offered to make french toast for breakfast, with home-grown banana slices on top.

I saw a kookaburra while we were eating breakfast 

Banana Trees - the blue bags protect the flowers

Then Sally gave me a guided tour of the farm (quick, before it rains!) 

This is where Tim stays - an “expanded” caravan (aka trailer) 

The garlic shed

Some of the many trees

These flowers grow on the tree trunks. This one ↓ has heaps of them

The garlic patch

Caffir  limes

Picking mandarins

The creek 

The kiwis

The tall trees! There are so many varieties of trees!

Red $40k tractor that Sally's husband Dean bought when his cognitive skills were compromised by the brain tumor. 

I’m lucky Joe just bought supplements to boost his memory

and a training plan to make $15,000 a week.

Lemonade lemons - don’t have the tartness of regular lemons

Ginger that has been dug up

Coffee

Starfruit

Chayote or Choko

Walking back up to the house