Thursday 8th - Day 1 in Coffs

Awoke at 7:45 and after a bit of stuffing around got out for a run. Brother Chris and I worked out a loop that we thought would be about 5 km -- two loops would do nicely. I set off and really didn't feel very good. Stiff, niggly legs. Then it was hard finding a comfortable place to run. There was either the road edge with a whacko camber, the footpath of solid concrete, or the nature strip with uneven footing. More often than not I went for the nature strip. At the completion of the loop the distance was getting towards 8-km and I was not really enjoying the run, so I called it quits after doing a couple of repeats up the hill that Chris's house is located towards the bottom of.

Culinary indulgence continued as Chris knocked up some bacon, eggs, snags & baked beans for Tatsuya and I. Then Tats and I went shopping for souvenirs -- you know exotic things like muesli, Nutri-grain, Caramello koalas, Australiana print tea towels and the like. We also enjoyed a custard tart. I think I am passing on a third generation of predilection for custard tarts! We had a bit of a look around the beach/jetty area and were still out when lunch time rolled around. Ttsuya's request this time: fish and chips!

When we got back my brother Michael and his wife Naomi from Cairns had arrived. They had flown into Coolangatta and got a lift down with Toots, a long-time friend of Mum and Dad's from the Tweed. After lunch in Mum and Dad's flat and a bit of a rest, I acceded to Tatsuya's pleading to try some fishing. Borrowing some lines from Chris we picked up some bait and had a typically fruitless attempt from the bank of a local estuary. Fed a few tiddlers and had several rig-losing snags. Par for the course.

I can't remember what we had for tea that night, but I know I bought a few James Squire India Pale Ales to wash it down and we sat up talking into the night, what with four of the six siblings now assembled.