Two Days in Sale….
Well this has been a quiet time in my journey and very much needed. It has not been dull though. I have met some lovely people here, both in the showgrounds caravan and motorhome park and in town. After pulling up in the main street, I sat for a little and contemplated whether or not I wanted to keep going. It wasn’t lunchtime yet but the weather was not the best for driving in. I decided to get Alex out and together we could explore this town. Everywhere we went people were so friendly and helpful. I really felt quite at home already. The first person was an older man who stopped to pet Alex as I locked up the motorhome. He welcomed me to Sale and said he hoped I had a really good time. He then went on to tell me the best places to eat and just where to find the showground. I kind of figured then that I was meant to stop here lol, however I still wanted to explore and as I had a great parking spot for my motorhome I figured why not just leave it where it was and go a’wandering! I went in search of a newsagent and got a lovely card for Marie and Colin, I still feel really sad for them that it had not worked out this time, and a postcard for Joshie and Melissa’s kids. The card had all the historic buildings on it. I just knew that both Colin and Marie would appreciate that; the postcard was of air force planes which I knew would thrill the kids!
Next I went in search of my ‘other’ bank which isn’t as prolific in Victoria though I am heading into some placeds where it will be lol…. I have some business to attend to though not urgent. Every bank but lol however when I wandered into the Westpac bank a lovely teller there went out of her way to help me locate the nearest ones though there isnt one here. Definitely didn’t need to do that … good old fashioned customer service and/or a lovely warm person, take your pick!
It was the same no matter what shop I wandered into in Sale; I had to take Alex into the places I needed to go into and not once did I get told to take him out; if anything it was totally the opposite! Naturally I didn’t try to take him anywhere that food was sold; still it was really refreshing and as there were no real places that were away from the busy road I could tie him, it was so very much appreciated. I was in town for quite some time and lunchtime had been and gone so I popped into the old world bakery.. thats the name :)…and bought a lovely chicken and salad wrap and a hot chocolate for me; a mini sausage roll for Alex for I simply cannot sit and eat in front of him lol… there were a lot of people who loved Alex on the spot as always. His beautiful eyes and his glossy blue/black coat does it every time not to mention his boisterous and loving personality! Well I sat down to enjoy my meal, feeding him his beloved sausage roll. Naturally he was through his quicker than I was mine and the mooching then began in earnest. Three ladies were sitting at the table next to me, all of them dog lovers with pooches of their own to boot.
They were enchanted with Alex, laughing along with me at his antics and encouraging him all the more. One of them had a piece of cheesecake and, like Alex’s mummy, could not eat it without sharing with him. She asked me first and I said it was ok since it was a plain one lol..if you could have seen this boy of mine! The cheesecake of course stuck to the roof of his mouth and he was licking his chops for a good four or five minutes before he had it all off. Have you ever seen a dog who looks like he has died and gone to doggy heaven? Well thats how Alex looked lol, all three of us absolutely tickled pink by his obvious pleasure. We each went our separate ways not long after but the lovely encounter stayed with me. I walked him back to the motorhome and drove straight to the Sale Showgrounds where I am still happily camped. The people here are lovely and again so helpful. One of the guys helped me to get the awning out because my lack of height sometimes presents a bigger challenge than I bargained for lol.. another helped me work out the guy ropes and where to put them so the awning would be secure even if we got a blowy day lol…I chatted and laughed for more than an hour with the other campers here, some permanent residents and others temporaries like me. Oh I have been so very blessed on my journey so far, I think I said that though lol…
Today the weather was not too good to begin with but it has turned into a lovely sunny day though the winds have gotten up a bit. I was pretty lazy this morning, just doing some house chores and slowly preparing myself for the day; a leisurely shower and oh the joy of hair that squeaks its so clean lol.. and then I off into town. I had been chatting back and forth to n old friend about her old friend that lived here; my friend had offered to contact her and see if she would like to meet up with me. I didn’t feel very well first up this morning, really tired and a bit sore again around my ear and left side of my head so I was not sure I wanted to do that. However as the day progressed, I started to feel better. I headed off to town, thinking I would do some last minute shopping when I got a call from my friend’s friend…my unexpected but very welcome bonus was having a lovely lunch with this bright and lovely woman … Her name is Judy and she is just lovely. She won’t mind me telling you that she is 77 years young. I would never have picked her for that age. Not only does she look more than ten years younger but she acts no older than I am!
What an inspiration and an absolute joy to spend time with. Judy fed me lunch after coming here to pick me up in her little car, wouldn’t hear of me taking anything along other than myself and Alex. We got to know each other, the conversation flowing surprisingly easily and maybe part of that was the antics as my Alex met her daughter’s cat Jackie… well! Jackie is from the RSPCA like Alex is. He though has never had anything to do with dogs. Alex is used to my daughter’s cat Jade who might flatten her ears but puts up with his attentions, even his big sloppy kisses LOL… anyway Jackie was a different kettle of fish! It didn’t help that as Alex came bowling through to the back yard where Jackie was, he not only frightened the cat but proceeded to urinate on the bush right next to it LOL.. oi vey! Some dogs need to remember their ettiquette I reckon lol. The cat was offended naturally and began actually growling at Alex who bolted in fright LOL! I knew that Alex would never hurt the cat and we both knew the cat was all bluff lol though Alex did not. The cat stalked Alex who promptly hid behind me as I perched on the stool LOL.. the cat settled down on the other side to glare at Alex..we were quite amused at the antics and even had we not gotten on as naturally as we did, I believe those two gorgeous animals would have broken down any barriers that may have been up!
I really enjoyed my afternoon with Judy and Jackie, enhanced by the vivacious presence of her daughter a little later as she popped back home from shopping. Judy drove me back around three thirty, amid promises that I would let them know when I was coming back through so we could do it all again.
Tomorrow I am back on the road; I have some numbers from people I have met here and they have mine…
