Tuesday 25th October - Spin and NSW Birding Meeting at Tuggerah

It rained today! After that really hot day yesterday, it was cold and wet all day today. We started with a trip to the gym to do a spin class and then we returned home to give O his mid day nap and to have a light lunch(after yesterday's excesses)! Tash had to go to a midwife appointment and came back saying hat they didn't 't like her blood pressure and that they had summoned her to hospital. Di drove her there leaving me to mind Ollie by myself and even to prepare tonight's meal. Ollie and I had a grand time playing with his trains and watching some cartoons later whilst I prepared a tuna pasta bake. Di returned at about 5.30 and took over Ollie duties and driving me to Woy Woy station as I was going to a meeting in Tuggerah.
I bought a ticket for about 8 dollars and only had a five minute wait before the train pulled in. Trains in Australia are "double decker" and I went upstairs and sat and read throughout the 20 minute journey that stopped at Koolewong, Tascott, Point Clare, Gosford, Narara, Niagara Park, Lisarow, Ourimbah and finally Tuggerah.

I was about 45 minutes early so I went into Hungry Jacks for a coffee before the meeting. I walked across the road in drizzling rain at about 7.10 and joined a group of about 20 birding enthusiasts who had come to this monthly meeting of the Central Coast group of the NSW Birding Society. We listened to a presentation by a man about the birds of South Kent in the UK! Afterwards we chatted and had a cup of tea. I was approached by a woman who had collected enormous numbers of postage stamps for the RSPB but who needed someone to transport them to the UK. We exchanged addresses and I agreed to take them in December when we return. I also spoke to the speaker and found out that he and his wife had lived in Australia since their retirement in 2000 but that with unfavourable exchange rates, they had moved back to the UK two years ago. They were presently on a visit to see their grandchildren.

At the end of the meeting I caught the train back to Woy Woy having to change at Gosford. On the way I phoned Will and found out that Tash was being kept in hospital overnight as a precaution but that she would be sent home on Wednesday morning and then have to come back on Thursday for an inducement if the baby had not appeared naturally by then.

Will picked me up at Woy Woy station on his way home from the hospital and we had a late supper of my pasta bake before turning in at around 11.30. Di told us that Ollie had been excellent while we were all out and had played nicely with his trains. I wonder whether, like Ollie, the new baby will be a "Wednesday's child"?