The Manna House: Unfavourable weather and abundant Lorikeets

We have now been in Eden for 4 days. We drove down through Cooma, where a stop at the Snowy Mountains Scheme visitor Information centre was a must. Then through Nimittabel , a cute small town whose name is a real challenge to pronounce….Nim…accent on the I….the ts almost but not quite silent, and aBELL at the end…according to a local. We practiced it for some time before getting it just right. By that time we were almost in Bemboka, where we had decided to stop at the sports grounds for the night. Bemboka is a lovely dairy farming area with green rolling hills, cute shops and houses and a wonderful pie shop. I naturally bought one for dinner and yes, it was excellent.

We headed for Eden, and on the way, via a steep and windy mountain road, (yes, a little nerve wracking for the one not in control) passed through the delightful old scenic, town of Candelo. We were very tempted to stay but as it was only 35 ks from our last camp, we decided press on all the way to Eden. The tourist park at Asling beach, Eden, is so spacious , with abundant bird life, a lake on one side and a beach on the other. We have had a great time with the lorikeets. A pair of them has adopted us. It could have something to do with all the fruit on offer . They come by regularly and announce their presence, squawking, until we come out with some fruit, then hop up to our hands to eat. They drive off any other competitors, firmly staking their claim on us. We call them Lori and Kate . There are black swans on the lake, Plovers, noisily protecting their young, sparrows, ducks and Willy wag tails and heaps of Lorikeets .
The weather has been a mixed bag, making it difficult to plan the day. Sun, rain, hail, thunder and wind. And that was just before breakfast! I walked the 2 klms into town yesterday, while Marnie rode her bike. The sun was shining and after a good poke around the shops and some lunch, I was ready to head back but by then it was pouring with rain. I didn’t think there would be too many taxis in Eden, so I decided to sit it out in the local library, availing my self of their free internet, until it finally stopped and I managed to walk back.
Being a prawn lover, I was hoping to locate some , just caught, fresher than fresh , local crustaceans, but was disappointed to find the only ones on offer, were frozen from Yamba. None at this time of the year, I was assured.

Vicki