Maggie and Ron's B&B and House with our rig out the front.
Noeline: My devotion this morning was titled "Gods promise gives hope" Psalm 119:49-72. Verse 57.The Lord is my portion I promise to keep your words, v66 teach me good judgement and knowledge for I believe in your commandments.
These images were in my mind as we sorted and packed the van and car. As time came and passed for our planned departure at 10am I began to recognise this was literally the task of moving home for 8 weeks!😳
Paul and I left East Kurrajong at 3:15pm and arrived at Ron and Maggie DeRooys front paddock at 6:45pm. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and safe travel to their new home and new B&B 10km out from Orange. Maggie was in Sydney for a course she was attending but had prepared a delicious beef soup with homemade sourdough bread, which Ron graciously served us. Yummy.
We have been friends with Maggie and Ron for many years as part of our mutual involvement in the Better Marriages Australia Association.
Maggie and Ron DeRooy at the Better Marriages Australia Conference in 2016
As is the case for us, Maggie and Ron are in transition. Ron retired as an engineer for RMS this year, they sold their home near Wollongong and have built a new home and a B&B on 6.5 acres in Berenore, part of the wine country, 10 kms out of Orange, for the next phase of their life.
Monday morning 7th we woke amongst the Orange vineyards at Ron and Maggie's 3.6c(chill factor -1:8c) somewhat chilly but our trusty gas heater makes it comfortable in our van.
Paul took the opportunity after breakfast to take some photos around the property to eventually give to Maggie and Ron. Paul: They have only been moved in a couple of months and are just planting trees and gardens, so Noeline offered, when the gardens are more established, to paint them a landscape painting of their house and property.
Below is a gallery of some of the photos that Paul took that morning.
After breakfast we had do some repairs to adjust the position of our box drawers in the back of the Land Rover. We put our beanies, gloves and eventually our puffer jackets(!) to keep out the wind chill as we worked outside. We were somewhat comforted that some workmen who were doing some landscaping for Ron, were also suitably rugged up!
After many giggles at our antics, particularly Paul hanging out of the box frames and the tailgate to adjust the storage drawer frames, it was a successful operation. We repacked our gear, left our van at Ron and Maggie’s and left to visit Heather and John Rosenblum in their new home in Orange.
John and Heather Rosenblum
After enjoying lunch ( chicken soup and damper ) with Heather, John and Heather’s son Matthew, (who is staying with them at the moment and helping them settle in to the new house), we had time to catch up with their stories of moving, as well as viewing their lovely single level home and big yard.
We were very impressed that they had just managed to put both their cars in their big double garage empty of packing boxes! Heather spoke of visiting the local Baptist church with John, where they found a warm welcome as well as an art/craft group that Heather could join!
After the work we had to do on the car that morning, our time with them was shorter that we wanted it to be as we needed to be on the road to Dubbo in order to arrive there before dark. That also meant that we didn’t get a chance to take some photos of the new house, so we promise to do that John and Heather, when we stop in on the way back from our trip!
We were back at Maggie and Ron’s after 3 pm. We thanked Ron for his and Maggie’s gracious hospitality. We look forward to seeing them both in October, at the Better Marriages Australia Workshop at Austimer and also to return to Berenore at a later date to spend more time together.
It was really great to catch up with two sets of dear, deeply loved friends who, like us, find themselves embarking on new stages of life in new locations.
On the road by around 3.30 to Dubbo and the Mid-City Caravan Park. This park is one of our favourites as it is well located in a lovely setting. We really like its:
- large roads,
- drive through sites,
- very clean facilities,
- good security by a daily code to all facilities,
- well maintained gardens, and,
- pleasant efficient staff.
Well after taking longer than we thought to get packed and leave home, and stopping to experience good times with friends, we arrived at our first caravan park stop. The journey begins in earnest and the excitement is building.