Wednesday, August 17

Follies and Foibles

I am going on a Road Trip, with my son.
We have decided to take the opportunity to visit some rellies, who live at the top of this State, New South Wales.
This is a trip that Gom and I had long planned to take, but somehow events conspired, and we did not take the journey.

Son and I are planning to be very flexible, and just take it all as it comes. We have no destination, apart from the rellies at some stage. We will see where time and tide take us.
I have always wanted to do a trip this way. Leisurely and slowly, with no rush or time limits. And no definite  destination.

Gom was a man of 'plans'- though he seldom let me know of his intentions, and calculations, before the journey was begun.
We would set sail, and he would then inform me that we would be at So & So by 5pm and heaven help us if we needed a comfort stop, or were dying of hunger, it was all go go, until we reached the destination, and we could wet ourselves or suffer dehydration and starvation.
Arrival as close to his estimation as possible, was what the trip was about.

At times this was almost alright. Howcver there were times when it was breathtakingly, clenchingly,  uncomfortable, in the case of the toilet breaks. Hunger would often  make both the children & I grumpy to the point of misery. To say nothing of thirst, once we had used our supply of beverages.

The most horrible of these regimented trips was a time when we were booked, for the 6pm sailing,  on the Inter Island Ferry, which sailed between Picton, in the South Island of New Zealand, and Wellington, on the North Island of New Zealand. This was a four hour trip, and not always pleasant, as Cook Straight can be notoriously rough.

We left Christchurch in plenty of time to make a visit to his daughter, who lived with her mother, not far from Picton. When we arrived, our daughter was not home, so off went Gom, hell bent for Picton.

The children and I were starving, as well as needing a comfort stop, but there was no stopping Gom. He was very reminiscent of Toad of Toad Hall, behind the wheel of the car.

We reached Picton around 1.30pm, and Gom became convinced he could get the car a berth on the 2pm sailing of the Ferry. I told him that was all very well, but our needs came first, and with 2 young hungry children, we needed to refuel. Gom, not to be thwarted, dropped us off in Picton township and motored off to the Ferry.

Imagine my horror, when once more, relieved and refuelled, we ran to the dock, to find it empty and no cars in sight and the Ferry about to sail.
The children panicked, cried and felt abandoned. I felt quite murderous thoughts, towards Gom.

A man appeared at the car ramp, and beckoned us to 'Come this way!'  'Has  father left you behind, haha?'

I spent most of that Ferry trip in aggrieved silence.

Thankfully, we spent that night in a Hotel in Wellington, but had Gom been alone, I am sure he would have begun the long drive up to Auckland immediately, upon driving off the Ferry.


**************
In other news, Beloved Brother has taken a Sky Dive.
I was rather horrified to learn he was to undertake this venture, and said to my Son that I have lost my sense of Adventure.
Son asked if BB was "adventurous", and I replied that I felt the word was "foolhardy".



 Here is BB about to leap from the plane, with his second born son, giving him the thumbs up, in the plane. Second Born's turn was to be next.


Here is BB flying. I wondered "Is this the face of terror?"
He tells me it was not, but remarked that the rush did strange things to his face and beard!

I told him I had visions of cheek flaps beating off his ears, but I can see they were well protected by the helmet!



Here he is, in what he tells me is the magic part of it all, flying and soaring above the earth, with the panoramic view, and the wonderful feeling of weightless flying.

He did land safely, and says he would do it again, in spite of an initial exit, halted, due to a 'problem', and a landing to refuel before taking off again, for his actual jump!

Second Born says he will never jump again.

I wondered how the photos were taken, and BB tells me the tandem man has a camera strapped to his left wrist, hence the wonderful shots of all the action.

I do admire BB his bravery, (or foolhardiness.)

Of course, I am extremely glad he enjoyed it all, and landed safely back on land.
In other joyous news, he is to be a grandfather again, so he is looking forward to that, very much.





20 comments:

Anonymous said...

A road trip taken in a casual manner sounds good. That is the way I like to travel when possible. I hope that you find the weather and the roads to be cooperative throughout the trip. Best wishes.

Thimbleanna said...

Oh good Meggie -- I'm glad you'll be able to take a trip with your son. BB looks like he had a grand time. Both of my boys have recently jumped and the younger one continues to do it. I try not to think about it.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

A trip sounds fun! Jumping from a plane is not something I would ever do, although my husband says he would love to. I think I will keep my feet on the ground ...... I don't even wear high heels! I hope you have fun on your trip.

Pauline said...

Have a marvelous trip with your son, not only to visit the rellies but to make new memories!

Cathi said...

I hope you have a wonderful trip that will give you many very happy memories! I can't imagine jumping from an airplane at all but, that said, the feeling as one flies through the air must be quite amazing!

Unknown said...

Enjoy your trip Meggie - your description of Gom's singlemindedness did make me smile and reminded me of a trip Nigel and I took on our first holiday to Scotland when the man selling us a ferry ticket in Fort William for the Mallaig to Skye ferry told Nigel he couldn't possibly make the 35 - 40 mile road trip along winding lanes in the 40 minutes before the next sailing - we made it - but I'm not sure I saw all the scenery as I think I had my eyes closed for a good part of the journey

Angie said...

Oh Meggie, it is so good to hear that you and son are going on a leisurely trip! I do so hope that you have an absolutely marvelous time! :) Dear GOM and his 'need' to go WHEREVER in all haste reminds me of a couple of the male species around here. :/ Your brother is absolutely adorable-looking!! :D His little face makes me smile to look at it. I would NEVER want to do a jump myself as I am petrified of heights, but I do cheer on those 'foolhardy' souls (our son being one of them!) that are working on their Bucket Lists. :D Oh Meggie, I'm so glad to 'see' you, dear heart, and hope that you and sweet Honey are adjusting and finding some measure of pleasure in each day. Hugs and Love, Angie

molly said...

I agree with you Meggie....It's not about the destination, but the journey! Your BB is brave [maybe foolhardy!] I would die of fright as soon as I jumped!

Ali Honey said...

Happy tripping Meg. That sounds a lovely idea.
I find that announcing loudly before setting out on a long journey, that I will be requiring a coffee after x amount of time ( or at a place ) and a toilet stop about there probably -there will be no discussion, so plan for it! That works for us. ( or even a request - could we detour to see..... along the way ?)
I think this all came to a head( long ago ) when I was more than 7 months pregnant and on holiday at Hahai we went on an outing that turned into a trip around the top of the coromandel peninsula which took most of the day and I was so uncomfortable and needing frequent toilet stops. ( it kind of set the rules for the rest of our travelling life. )

Jennifer said...

A gentle leisurely trip, what a lovely idea - you and your son will have some wonderful memories of it. Your brother was very brave, I couldn't do that!

quiltmom anna said...

A road trip will be lots of fun with your son- I am sure you will enjoy some gorgeous scenery and have a terrific time visiting family.
Our niece went skydiving last year- she loved it- it would be terrifying to me but to each his own.
Warmest regards,
Anna

VioletSky said...

Your road trips with GOM sound like much our road trips as a child with my father at the wheel!! I think that may be why I now prefer to travel alone, and almost always venture away from the most direct route.

Have a great time and come back with more of your infamous tales.

ancient one said...

My dad was like GOM. We'd better go before we left or we were in trouble.

My husband doesn't love to travel much, but when we do, he'll always stop to eat or for restroom breaks.

I would love to do a trip like you have planned. We have animals and my husband hates to ask anyone to feed them, so we are usually just doing day trips.

I don't think I could jump out of a plane. I've never even flown on one. I hope you and your son have a wonderful time.

The Sagittarian said...

Those Ferry trips could be hell, couldn't they! When we were little dad was always happy to amble, I think he drove mum to distraction as we never seemed to get where we were meant to on time...just had to stop and have a wee look in a second hand shop or admire the view...or for a 'comfy stop'. Good times. xx

Marja said...

A trip with your son will do you good Meggie. I love cruising around taking your time and looking everywhere. My husband can be often in a hurry as well. He is getting a bit better.
I have taken the trip on the ferry a few times and had to ly down on one of these chairs as I get seesick easily.
Your brother is very brave i wouldn't do that in a thousand years Take care and enjoy your trip

Tanya Brown said...

These are great, hilarious memories of GOM. Reminds me of my father.

Your brother looks like he's having a blast on the dive. Good on him for trying it!

Pam said...

Have a lovely time. You deserve it.

Tanya said...

Although I would never do it myself, and I will have a heart attack if I ever hear of my son doing it (he's the one most likely in my family), I think it is fantastic that your Beloved Brother would be so adventurous! Good for him!!!

persiflage said...

I hope you and your son are having a very pleasant and comforting time together, and that the change of scene helps you.
Your horror stories of previous trips made me gasp and stretch my eyes. It is interesting what memories emerge to remind us of all the various experiences of life together. Some bad, others good.
I have been trying to clean the front windows this afternoon, and this can only be done partially, as the flyscreens are fixed, so only half the windows can be reached. The window frames are wonky, another thing on which there was no agreement ab out repair....
I hope you are travelling as well as possible. XXX

Bren said...

You are such an amazing storyteller. I am always so captivated by your words! I think it is time to start that book....or finish it. Whatever fits ;)