Mollymook bliss & crazy detours

It's been a busy couple of weeks!
We took a super quick trip to one of my favourite places on earth, Mollymook in NSW to spend the weekend with the Mothership for her 60th birthday.

It is a long drive. About 10-12 hours. 

But the minute we arrive and drive down Golf Avenue in Mollymook, we're greeted by the magnificent view down the road through the trees to the expanse of Mollymook Beach. It's just so pretty. 

Do I have a photo? Well, er, no. Sorry. But next time, I promise!

The siblings arrived within the hour or 3 after we did. My younger sister (our very own Jan Brady, but we shall call her Blonde Sister Amazona) and my little big Brother the Red Haired Viking.  Little, because he is the youngest. Big because he towers over me. But then everyone does. They had their own family entourages and as quick as that, Mothership's house was filled with family fun and chaos. 

Sonofagun No. 2 had fun hanging out with his Canberra cousins...


The railing is just wide enough for a little leg in each gap, too narrow for whole bodies.... I checked!


We were only able to stay for a weekend but managed to squeeze in some beach time.  We live near a beach at home, but Port Phillip Bay beaches in Melbourne are bay beaches. Not much in the way of surf, surrounded by city. Nice but I think coastal town beaches are nicer. 

The Sonofaguns soaking up the beachness....
The Mothership's party was epic.

We decorated with vases of flowers from her garden...





We all chipped in on cooking duties, setting up, greeting and chatting with all the family and friends who came.  

Greek salads, watermelon & feta salad, satay chicken niblets, potato bakes, chicken and lamb satay sticks, orange & fennel salad, roast leg of lamb and the Mothership's homemade satay sauce and homemade barbeque sauce!

The weather did not stop us! It began to rain shortly before everyone arrived and culminated in the mother of all thunderstorms towards the end of the evening. 
In the weeks leading up to the party, a little idea began to implant in the old brain.  Ok, it was a half idea/ half phrase that took it's own shape. I tried to shake it off as silly but the purple tendrils of creativity hooked into everything until I had to sit down and start writing. It had a mind of it's own and I couldn't stop it! It had it's own tune. Well not really. It stole someone else's tune. I was swept up in a tidal wave of a parody that I simply had to do!

WHAT THE EFF IS SHE TALKING ABOUT??

This phrase kind of just arrived in my head and kept whirling around. 

"60 is the new 45"  

But think of it in place of that well known line "this'll be the day that I die...." Recognise it?  

It's from the song American Pie by Don McLean.

So I put these words to paper. We practiced and figured out the right chords for the guitar, and then performed this for the Mothership at her party to the tune of 'American Pie'....


60 is the new 45


A long long time ago Mark can still remember how Debs red hair used to make him smile.
He thought her ass looked hot in flared pants,
And hoped that she would take a chance and maybe they'd be married in a while....
But February makes Deb shiver with the 60 years it delivers,

Old age on the doorstep, and soon she'll need a new hip!
And I'm sure she's had a little cry when she sees the wrinkles at her eyes,
But I've got them too and I'm only 29, so Deb no need to sigh...

Coz 60 is the new 45
Just have another glass of Houghtons 
and if your glass runs dry then Mark will run down to the liquor aisle singing
60 is the new 45,
60 is the new 45!

(Upbeat verse)
Deb popped out a few cute kids and your's truly is the favourite!
But don't tell Lisa or Mick...
She's the Queen of planting and manure, she can take 50 oldies on a garden tour
She is the birthday girl du jour!
Oh her famous Thai Chicken balls are a dream for your abdominal walls
Just dip them in sweet chilli sauce and you'll be going back for a second course!
She's lived in Latham near a park, a farm with goats just for a lark,
then moved down to the coast with Mark the day that he retired....
And he was singing 

60 is the new 45
Just have another glass of Houghtons 
and if your glass runs dry then Mark will run down to the liquor aisle singing
60 is the new 45,
60 is the new 45!

(slow verse)
Have you bought your walking frame, and do you remember your own name?
for your senior citizens card.
Go to the salon for a blue rinse, buy Depens for incontinence 
and put your teeth in a glass at the end of each day.
Now you all know that this is bollocks!
Susan Sarandon is no old trollop....
You're our Australian version, although Susie's been to the plastic surgeon!
And you've joined a club of hot older women, 
like Lynda Carter and Helen Mirren
Coz 60's too young to be packing it in!
So hold up your wrinkles with pride!

And start singing 
60 is the new 45
Just have another glass of Houghtons 
and if your glass runs dry then Mark will run down to the liquor aisle singing
60 is the new 45,
60 is the new 45!


Yes. I sang it. No, I can't sing. The neighbour's cat sounds better when he's on heat yowling around the neighbourhood in an attempt to lure innocent young girlie cats into an afternoon of feline lurve. But the Mothership loved it!  And she was serenaded by the 30-40 people there who all joined in for the choruses.


The Mothership's garden without rain....

Just something a little interesting: last Easter when we had a quick trip to Mollymook and the adjacent larger town of Ulladulla (pronounced Ah-lahdah-lah, not Oolladoolla), we went down to the main street to watch the Ulladulla Annual Blessing of the Fleet Parade.  And right at the front of the parade was Historian Neil Oliver filming a segment for the History Channel's documentary Coast Australia!



It forms part of Coast Australia Season 2 Episode 7 but the website says the segment on Ulladulla is a 'web extra'. I haven't seen the episode yet as we don't have the History Channel, but that may mean this part is only available to view online.

For native Ulladullians and Mollymook-tians, and any interested parties, the show aired on Feb 15 (last week) and you can view the link about the program here .



Normally we drive back from the coast via a rather interesting steep, hairpin bendy mountain road know locally as 'The Clyde'.  Locals told us this time to take another route that heads north towards Nowra, then south and avoids the steep hairpin bendy Clyde.  It was quite a beautiful trip as it is a slow crawl up the hills until you seem to be driving along the top of the mountains above the world.

We followed their directions. Then we missed a turn. We ended up on the mothertrucker of all ridonkulous detours that took us to wild crazy places!

This was the right way...


This is also the right way....

This was also the right way. Believe it or not...

This did NOT seem like the right way...

Don't even get me started on how WAAAAAYYYYY off the right way we were.
After an hour or so of following random firetrails and kangaroo tracks in the wild Australian bush (somewhere north between Bungendore, Braidwood and Goulburn), we found the original road we were SUPPOSED to go down and were able to continue our trip home.  

And now for an update on that never ending Russian Cloche hat thing:

I have finally figured out the pattern for this cute little hat!

panama (1) (469x640, 85Kb)

I am in the process of writing it up in a way that's hopefully easy to understand with step by step pictures. I'll do my diddly danged best to post it up, if not this weekend then next Wednesday for sure!

Until then

xox
Louise

The Red Haired Amazona

Comments

  1. First time I've seen this post. I love your detour. I will come home and sing your song (when the children aren't around) he he he

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