Tue 18th sept - Day 22

 Tue 18th sept - Day 22 


Woke up to bird song. 

After morning duties were cleared, and porridge was had, mama busied herself with muffin making. The local IGA proved to be excellent for local produce and special dietary requirements - big tick for gluten free flour that did not taste like cardboard or have the consistency of a dish sponge. 


Speaking of IGA, throughout the trip we travelled with a big esky. Each town we stopped in we found the local supermarket and diligently found a staff member to ask, - What do you have that’s local?

This was both to reduce our carbon footprint and to support the local community.

Coles and woollies consistently gave disappointing answers - either blanks looks, “nothin”, “I dunno” or an aggressive “What, you expect me to know where everything comes from???”

IGA consistently stood out in the positive (though was admittedly more expensive). And Atherton was the standout of the whole trip. The friendly avocado guy set aside his plump fruits and took me for a spin around the entire store pointing out produce, dairy-items, baked goods and ice cream. And then there was the impressive healthy alternatives section. Well done, Atherton IGA. 

https://www.freshstmarketiga.com.au/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Google%20My%20Business&utm_content=Fresh%20St.%20Market%20IGA%20Atherton%20-%20Atherton&utm_term=plcid_17242258105260636713




Back to the morning tea…


The cousins and Aunties trickled in. 


Bonny, Papa’s mum, was visiting for a few weeks, so it was quite special to have a large portion of the family together. 


Maerey collected Grandma and Grandpa. We set up in the covered outdoor area. Banjo the dog was chuffed to have these visitors, and settled near Grandpa's chair. 


Nastya and Sash had the honour of being the youngest of the great-grandchildren and got acquainted with their great-grandparents.



Grandpa was encouraged to pull out his harmonicas. 


The remarkable thing about grandpa George picking up his harmonica was the change that came over him. His memory for tunes was intact, the few times he got the wrong key or mixed up the songs he would adapt or transpose on the fly. The transformative nature of music is not something we’d need convincing of, but seeing those synapses clicking in, and the obvious joy on his face was truly lovely. 





Bonny and Maerey sang along while Papa tried to keep up on guitar, a proper jam session across three generations.



Papa remembered her as the storyteller, and dedicated creative of the family. The addition of a wheelchair did not dampen her want to hear all about what everyone was up to. 



A beautiful, family-focussed afternoon.











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