Woman of Many Talents and The Reality TV Queen left early this morning, intending to do a decent trek through the mountainous bushland, by following a walking trail to Arcadia.
Mrs Bucket and I planned on catching the bus later and meeting them there for a swim at the beach and morning tea. So the two of us had a leisurely morning at home. We had breakfast, did some washing, ironing and a little housework.
At 9am, we were sitting in the bus waiting for it to leave the depot, when the girls phoned to let us know that they were actually at Horseshoe Bay .. which is quite a bit further than Arcadia.
You have to realise that any walk over the island is a 'trek' because it is rugged and mountainous and not easily navigated.
To hear The Reality TV Queen tell the story of their trek this morning, is hilariously funny and even though she has told it three times already today, I still laughed just as loud the third time, as I did the first time.
They are both regular walkers and both very fit, so to hear how difficult this walk was and how it affected their bodies, made me grateful that I didn't join them!
I planned on doing a walk or two through the trails with my camera, to hopefully get some bird and wildlife pics, but I am quite hesitant now that I've seen the terrain.
So, Mrs Bucket and I eventually met them at Horseshoe Bay, where we enjoyed a smoothie and I bought a gluten free strawberry cheesecake tart for later. We did a short walk along the main thoroughfare, and then found our way to the bus stop, planning to bus it to Picnic Bay, which is across the other side of the island.
It took a while to get there, and Mrs Bucket left us when the bus reached Nellie Bay. We looked through the shops and little art gallery, took some photos of the big old trees and the bay itself, then went into the pub for a drink.
Woman of Many Talents bought some take away lunch and by 1pm we were on the bus heading back to Nellie Bay.
At one stop, there was a large number of back packers who boarded the bus and very soon, the bus was so full that there was standing room only.
It was heartening to see, that every time an elderly person boarded the bus, a young person, without question, stood up and offered their seat to them. It must have happened eight times and I have to admit that I felt quite emotional and surprised by so many respectful gestures.
Eventually, the fully loaded bus arrived at Nellie Bay and the girls and I made a quick trip to the supermarket to get some supplies for dinner.
We made a great team this evening. Mrs Bucket made her famous fried rice. The Reality TV Queen made kale chips with roasted pumpkin. Woman of Many Talents fired up the barbecue and cooked the chicken that I had marinated earlier in the day and I made a garden salad.
It was all very delicious and we washed it down with a couple of glasses of wine before settling down in front of the TV to watch 'X Factor' and 'Winners and Losers'.
It's been a very grey day, as far as the weather is concerned, but all in all, it's been a fabulous day.
I did take a few photos .. not a lot because I didn't think the greyness of the day did justice to the beauty of the area, but I will take more as the holiday wears on. If I have time to go through them tomorrow, I will share some here tomorrow night.
Now, hopefully, I will have better luck falling asleep tonight than I did last night!
Nite all.
