Reconnecting with my Sydney Seed Mates in the Blue Mountains for Emma's birthday :)

Arie, Emma, Simon, & Claire in the Blue Mountains having fun near the top of Wentworth Falls :)

Hello there dear friends & family,

note ... pic's to be added once I can get the picture uploading to cooperate for me ... hopefully in the next few days for sure ...

I finally got on top of collecting my thoughts and a few pic's from my Easter long week-end visit in the Blue Mountains with a bunch of my Seed mates for Emma's birthday ...

It was soooo very splendid to reconnect with Emma, Sue, Claire & her sweetie Michael, Simon & his sweetie Viv, and the ever mischevious Noel. It was also nice to see Emma's friend Arie who was also in on the birthday visit, ... I had met Arie during my visit two years ago.

Most of us went for a hike to Wentworth Falls, one of the places that visitors to the Blue Mountains are able to enjoy. It was a very, very steep hike down, including a number of steep staircases and a few skinny tracks along the steep rock walls.

Arie, Claire, Emma, & Simon heading down the steep rock stairs to the base of Wentworth Falls

amazing sanstone walls of the Blue Mountains

The falls themselves were quite splendid and equally splendid, we enjoyed a nice quiet time at the base of the falls once we finally got to the small pool area after our steep descent.

Wentworth Falls

Emma sitting on a big rock at the base of the falls

peaceful, flowing water

It was nice to do this with only a light pack on my back and in the company of such wonderful friends.

enjoying the Blue Mountains with my Sydney Seed Mates ... Claire, Emma, & Simon :)

After we made our way back up to the top, we enjoyed some ice chocolates and ice coffees at the tea house, then we headed back to Emma's where Michael & Claire set themselves to making Emma's birthday celebration dinner. Sue took me to the grocery store to get the extra fixings I needed to cover the treats we would have for dessert.

Dinner was absolutely fabulous and everyone enjoyed the ice cream, cookies, & Grand Marnier chocolate chili sauce that I had brought (a treat I had bought back in SW Australia with Margaret Whittle's encouragement).

Emma & her birthday treats

Emma opening her b-day present from me ... the chocolate chili sauce :)

We all slept overnight at Emma's after a leisurely visit after dinner that included a fun game of "In the Manner of the Word", where one person has to guess which adverb you are describing when the person guessing asks different people in the group to do x, y, or z, "Teresa, shake Noel's hand ... in the manner of the word," OR "Claire, please hug Michael ... in the manner of the word." The adverb could have been anything from gently, to confidently, to despondently ... It was heaps of fun and a great way to spend the evening with my dear Sydney Seed Mates.

Simon & me ... trying to catch up on our hugs :)

Sue & Noel ... two very splendid Seed Mates

Simon & Viv ... what a delightful pair

Unfortunately, our dear Bec had to be in Sydney for the Easter Show, so we missed seeing her ... and I didn't get a chance to connect with Mango Man, Graeme either. As well, since I didn't actually spend any lengthy amount of time in Sydney, I wasn't able to reconnect with Fumi, John, or Julia, or any of my Dharma friends there. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit with them the next time I have a chance to spend a few days in Sydney.

The next day, everyone scattered in the directions they needed to go ... and I was able to have the pleasure of spending the day ... & overnight hanging out with Noel (Noel has also been living in the Blue Mountains, so it was handy for me to catch up with Noel as I did :).

Noel and I went out to the same tea house & sniffed out some ice cream cones which we enjoyed as we hiked along one of the shorter tracks near tea house.

That night, Noel treated me to some tasty Vietnemese food for dinner that night & then after some deliberations, we ended up getting a few groceries and making eggs & toast at Noel's before he dropped me off at the train station ... phew ... we managed to get there in time ... after realizing that we were late in heading out from Noel's place :)

As it turned out, the friendly Aussie that chatted with me on the train ride out to the Blue Mountains we on the same train for my ride back ... he invited me to join him in the seat beside him ... and we continued to visit and share what we had been up to for the week-end throughout the ~2 hour train trip.

After I got in to Sydney, I had time to go search out the Khatmandu outdoor gear store and got a couple great deals from their Easter sale ... I now have a pair of trekking poles (which have been the most valuable gear for my OB hiking endeavours), a pair of fleece socks to keep my feet warm at night, and a lightwieght sleeping bag (for the warmer temp's when I don't need the extra insulation that my OB sleeping bag offers) and it packs up to 1/2 or 1/3 the size of my OB bag :).

Before I knew it, it was time to head back over to the train/bus station to catch my bus to Canberra.

It was soooo very wonder-full that these plans worked as splendidly as they did ... to catch so many of my Seed Mates for a visit AND to be able to get in on the fun celebrations for Emma's birthday!! It was a much needed first break away from my OB apartment & outdoor instructor training mode, ... plus a huge lift to my spirit to reconnect with some of my Seed Mates and finally meet Michael & Viv.

Thanks heaps for having me over Emma ... & all the best to you with whatever adventures await you in the upcoming year.

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa