I have been out to the desert country again, out to Broken Hill to support Trevor through another Family Court hearing. This one was the final one as even the judge was getting anxious for Trev and his ex to reach a compromise solution. It came out as expected with half a day increase over the fortnight for Alice's access time with Trev this year and three days a week next year, conditions altering again when she goes to school late January 2017. It is all so complicated and he has been pretty frustrated with the whole scenario but it is over for now. So I don't have to go out again until his birthday now.

I enjoy my time out in Broken Hill, despite it being a "city" it is really an overgrown country town, the kind of town where you walk down the street and are sure to bump into someone you know. It is good to be somewhere where people smile at you and say "g'day". The vehicles they use are practical and dusty of course from all the off road driving and there is sometimes a dog or two tied in the back. It does take me back to the '60's when our area was still small farms instead of large subdivisions and houses everywhere where once there were parks and green spaces and playgrounds for kids. We all need to go out to the country and look at how the other half live, well probably only the other 10% but you know what I mean.

There is always plenty to do at Trev's house, we probably go out less in winter with the shorter days but I went to all my favourite shops while Trev had other things to do. Drinking coffee outside a cafe provides a good opportunity to see how tourists react to being in a country town. Some of them are the "grey nomads", those going around Australia as Ray and I had some day hoped to be. I am still envious of those who get to do this wonderful trip. It is what I dreamed of every time he said "we will do that when we retire." too bad that the multiple strokes took all of that away from us.

I went to the Lions Club meeting there and got a hug from a man I had never met, the brother of one of the Lions in our Club. He said any friend of his brother's was a friend of his. See what i mean about being friendly? I didn't waste all of my time sitting in the sun on Trev's front verandah, although it was very enjoyable, while I was out there I knitted a scarf for Alice. We had her for three days directly after the court case.The access days are full on as she is very busy person and we play a lot of games, do some craft, go to the park etc. I walk behind her while she rides her bike along the footpath and Trev actually jogs behind her as she is more confident now and so goes faster. Luckily so far she stops before the roads and waits for us to catch up, that is when I know I am growing older now.

We also drove the 500 kms and back to visit my other son in Adelaide. I booked rooms for Trev and I in an old motel close by as he doesn't have room to put us up for the night although he has a bigger house now for the five of them. We enjoyed the visit with him, his partner and his three children and going out to dinner together was great. Trev and I left Adelaide the following day, setting off after visiting my ex-minister's family on our way. Pretty scary driving back once it got dark as there are hundreds of kangaroos close to the road and I was ever fearful that one of them would jump out and do damage to the car and then we would be stranded, but luckily that didn't happen. There were certainly a lot that had been killed by the long haul road transports etc and it seems such a pity in our wide land that this road attracts so many the green grass growing where the rain runs off it being the big attraction.

The good thing about being away is that I have time to think, time to plan, time to work out some of the days ahead. I don't plan too far ahead, the strokes taught me not to do that, we all know that today is all that we have, but it is nice to have some things planned to make the future brighter. I have a few trips I would like to do now that I don't have to put time aside to go to Broken Hill for the court cases. And maybe I will now find the time to catch up on a few old friends on day trips too. The shorter winter days are a bit of a handicap for that but I will see what I can do. At least now I have some choices.

And now I am back home and out and about doing what I do in the church and in the community.That keeps me out of mischief. it would be nice to have someone to do it with but maybe that will come one day.