Johan and Angelica, we think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

 

Good-bye, Johan and Angelica! We enjoyed your company and appreciate your friendship and hope we meet again one day. Have a safe trip back to Sydney and be good to each other and to Joca!

The "Riverbend" Team


Peter & Padma and Malty & Rover

Have you noticed how many Labrador owners have gone blind?

 

Christmas is almost over again. I had asked Santa to bring me this year a big fat bank account and a slim body and not to mix them up as he had done in previous years.

Well, he's done it again, hasn't he? Still, I'm quite proud of having finished in just six hours the jigsaw puzzle he gave me. The box said 2-4 years!

For most of the time I have been looking after Joca, the 21-month-old female labrador pup belonging to our guests Johan and Angelica.

They're leaving tomorrow before she starts affecting my eyesight.

One for the cruciverbalist

				P
				A
R	I	V	E	R	B	E	N	D
	S			A
				D
N	E	L	L	I	G	E	N
				S
				E

Johan, you didn't need your Crossword Dictionary to work this one out, did you? In fact, your kind comments confirm it:

"Riverbend is heavenly and the hosts are out of this world! It is a magical spot on the Clyde River and very well cared for and maintained. The hosts went out of their way to make our stay a memorable experience at Riverbend as well as our day trips. Joca, our 2-year-old labrador retriever, was well looked after with daily walks on the property with Peter and playing with Rover. We will be back! Johan, Angelica and Joca, Sydney - Dec '13"

 

Dogs' breakfast

Padma at the centre of it all

 

Nelligen is Dog Haven and they all meet in Maisie's Lane. We walked across the bridge, which had been hit the night before by a drunk and speeding driver from Canberra, ...

He hit the rail and walked away to tell the tale

Rick's Café

... to have a bite to eat at Rick's Café and introduce Johan and Angelica to the delights of Betty's Trash and Treaure.

left-to-right: Our guests Johan and Angelica; Betty and Padma

Betty sells bits and pieces for as little as 10 cents which is like saying, "We want you to have this as a gift from us but we don't want you to feel bad about it, so give us a coin you forgot you had."

Thank you, Betty! You're doing a wonderful job!

Silent night, holy night ...

<

Left to right: our vivacious hostess Sharyn; Padma; Johan; Angelica

 

Sharyn's Christmas 'drinkies' were very convivial and animated and only turned silent when I brought in my button accordion to play 'Silent Night, Holy Night'. After the first verse everyone joined in. "Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright."

We are back at "Riverbend" now with our guests, Johan and Angelica, and about to "sleep in heavenly peace".

 

P.S. What the critics are saying: "I must say how much everyone enjoyed both your company here on Christmas Eve but the highlight of the night and an event which will give wonderful memories to all, was Peter's entrance playing Silent Night. Absolutely it was unbelievable. I could not see you properly in the darkened vestibule so thought it was a wandering minstrel. That gave me joy but more so when I realised it was you, Peter, fabulous double surprise. Thank you both so much for an evening I will never forget. Sharyn"

P.P.S.
... and here is the story of Silent Night:

Click here to open the story in a separate window

 

Welcome to Riverbend Cottage

 

 

Our very short-lived 'tourist season' is about to start with the arrival of one Sydney couple today. They will be followed by another couple in a week's time who have been spending their New Year's Eve at "Riverbend" Cottage regularly for the past six years. They are our friends now and the best friends at that, namely paying friends.

After I had bought "Riverbend" in 1993, I suddenly found that I had lots of 'friends' who were only interested in free accommodation on the coast. At first, I took them all in and there were times when I had to sleep on the floor because all the beds were taken. When I began to refuse some, I suddenly had very few friends left!

Now some of our paying guests have become our friends which makes for a far more genuine and lasting friendship and we always look forward to welcoming them back to "Riverbend" Cottage.

A very Merry Christmas to all past, present and future guests

 

We have outsourced this year's Christmas Greetings to keep costs down - and it seems to be working as our nearest B&B neighbours charge $1925 a week while we're still a very reasonable $1260.

We're the cheapest and the best with the most freebies and the closest absolute waterfront. That's worth being merry about. So here's to a very Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us!

Padma & Peter & Malty & Rover, the two K9s.

 

P.S. And here's one for all you hopeless romantics out there to get you into the Christmas spirit of things:

A couple were Christmas shopping. The shopping centre was packed, and as the wife walked through one of the malls she was surprised when she looked around to find that her husband was nowhere to be seen. She was quite upset because they had a lot to do and she became so worried that she called him on her mobile phone to ask him where he was.

In a quiet voice he said, "Do you remember the jewellers we went into about five years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we couldn't afford, and I told you that I would get it for you one day?"

The wife choked up and started to cry and said, "Yes, I do remember that shop."

He replied, "Well, I'm in the pub next door."

 

Throw away your watch!

 

The Tide Clock inside the Cottage tells you all you need to know! And if all that physical acitivity and fresh air doesn't make you hungry enough, the Merinda passing by reminds you when lunchtime is.

If you still want to bring along a watch, make it worth our while by bringing along your gold ROLEX! ☺

 

A walk on the wild side

Click on image to enlarge

Crossing the bridge to the village early this morning, we saw this strange-looking figure sitting on the bench by the river. Walking up to Benny's Store, we saw an even stranger-looking figure sitting on the steps of the store.

The first one turned out to be a couple of weeks early; the second, Tom "Tugboat", was late for his breakfast as he'd run out of milk.

Unlike the first one who looks like he'll hang around Nelligen for the next couple of weeks, "Tugboat" will spend Christmas in his modern en-suite cabin aboard the 54,000-GRT bulk carrier RTM Wakmatha (meaning 'Stormbird' after a local Aboriginal man who had assisted geologist Harry Evans in the discovery of the Weipa bauxite deposit) which shuffles at around 14 knots (26 km/h) up and down the east coast, carrying bauxite from Weipa to Gladstone, and which at this very moment is located here.

Yours truly, who's just a shadow of his former self, took the photos, typed this blog, and, on account of it being a very hot day, is now taking a nap. SOFA, so good!