Sunday Blog 257 – 1st November 2026
- That signing up to support a group of eleven cyclists led by my intrepid husband to gruel through 1000kms of NSW countryside over a fortnight was not my best decision of 2026.
- That vans with driver assist can be very noisy with a range of false alarms such as a seatbelt just about to be fastened, or a driver fatigue warning fives minutes after departure. But they do have lateral blind spots and will stay very quiet as you gouge a panel or two trying to execute a U-turn.
- That it’s very hard to run a successful cafe or pub in these semi-abandoned towns; and yet it can be done. And sometimes these cafes also have half-price red felt boots which must be bought to assuage the discomfort of gouging the van and triggering the car rental company’s excess payment policy.
- That there’s nothing like the smell of old-fashioned roses.
- That no town is too small for a war memorial.
- That investing in a hat with a fly net is always a good idea on any Australian holiday, but a twig from a gum tree can fill the gap.
- That sometimes country NSW it can look so much like Western Australia, but with much, much more water, plus hills and mountains.
- That there can be several false dawns of feeling the turn for home, even when you’re not having to cycle any of the 1,000 kms of mixed bitumen/ gravel roads.
- That a well-timed labyrinth in a small town can refresh the spirit enough for the final push.
- That everything passes. I do know this, and this comforted me in the darkest moments in Dunedoo.
- That the moment of release was ecstasy mixed with a tinge of melancholy, just as darling husband said it would be.