We’re off again. Cruising the countryside. This time in bigger cars! The roads to Lightening Ridge are rough and rocky.

Once again we met at the Wilsons this time with Mike & Helen Grace and Peter Harrison. Sadly, Carmel can’t make it due to an infected leg.

We wound our way out of town and went via Warwick on a more minor road. You see so much more when you get off the main roads.

First stop for coffee at Aratula. The Bakery there is always a winner. A bit of car shuffling and we headed onto Inglewood. Steve isn’t driving due to his carpal tunnel operation. Both wrists! So I’m sharing the driving with Chris & Jill. It was warming up so we sat on the deck and enjoyed the country-style salad sandwiches and the odd sausage roll.

I just love these country towns. Mike disappeared for a while. He had wandered down to the general store on the Main Street and met up with a lady who had worked with him in catering in Brisbane. They had a bit of a yak (talk) and caught up on a few years.

Back on the road for the short hop to Goondiwindi.

There was a spit of rain then a rainbow appeared. A good omen.

We saw others hopping along as well. The kangaroo is a menace on the road. They hop blindly into the path of a car and get startled. Next thing they are road kill. There were bodies littered along the highway. Little kangaroo paws sticking up in the air.

You need to be off the road by 4pm to avoid hitting one. Quite scary.

We arrived safely and checked into our motel. It’s the same one we stayed at this time last year when we were down for Lauren’s wedding.

We visited Lauren in her house nearby in time for a George cuddle. He is about 6 months old and a real cutie. Lauren’s husband Nick is a farmer and they are doing it tough at the moment. Little rain equals poor crops and decisions on when to sow and spray. Nick was off working so we sat on their screened deck and enjoyed baby George.

We planned a drink at the pub. The Victoria. A lovely Art Deco style. It’s interesting to see quite a few Art Deco style buildings in town. If you’re visiting country towns this is a good one!

We sat in front of the fire and enjoyed a drink before walking a block to the Chinese restaurant – one of two in town and, apart from the pub, the best eating in town. It didn’t disappoint. And George was the perfect Bub.

As we walked to the Chinese we passed a few lovely looking shops. Homewares and clothes shops particularly caught our eye. So the ladies made an executive decision to stay behind in the morning and do our best to boost the economy. I spied some very cute deck chairs which would look great in the new area we are creating under the house.

We swapped a few tall tales before heading off to bed ready to tackle Lightening Ridge in the morning.

We also found out there is a “Gourmet in Gundi” festival on Sunday. So we have penciled it in on our return to Gundi.