The journey back to Sydney

The 12 hour trip home was OK, but that last two hours was a killer again. Seemed like everyone on the carriage was feeling it too. The rail lines got smoother as we neared Sydney, but I just couldn't get comfortable in my seat no matter what I tried. They're big and wide seats, with plenty of leg room for a short bloke like me, but even that didn't help. In the end I listened to some music in the ear plugs for a bit, until my ears started playing up as we came over the ranges west of Sydney. 

The bus trip wasn't as bumpy as last time as I sat further back in it over the double wheels in the rear. Was still moving around a lot but there wasn't that horrible hard bump like it was coming up, every time we went over a rough patch. There's a lot of new planting being done out there recently (it's the first day of Spring today) with vast fields of bright green. The most spectacular were the canola fields, all a bright yellow. Many of them went for as far as the eye could see, an amazing sight. With all the rain they've had this year they're growing crops to take advantage of it. The floods earlier this year (when Simon got stranded out of Lightning Ridge) have still left water all over the place slowly seeping into the ground. The country being so flat means the floodwaters were very slow moving.

Near Dubbo I saw another canola crop coming up in the distance and took some pictures out the bus window. I'm so pleased at how they came out:

Got into the Dubbo train and bus interchange. This is the Dubbo train station. The buses park out of the picture to the left and you just walk across the platform to the train on the other side.

The train trip wasn't scenic at all as it was raining and cold outside. When we went through Orange it was only 8 degrees C at 3pm. 

Got to Central on time just before 9pm, and had a couple of beers at the pub across the road before getting the bus home (I had a weekly ticket already to go in my wallet). It felt very strange sitting in that pub, and I realised this was the big Friday night piss up by workers in the city. I don't enjoy city pubs much with crowds like that (the ones around my area the people seem more real). They're all so pretentious and all trying to be cool. Have never fitted in or felt comfortable around that, it's just not me. 

But I guess the contrast was even more stark after being in Lightning Ridge for two weeks. It's rough out there, but at least you can say about the people is that what you see is what you get. They're all just happy to be who they are, and don't feel a pressure to conform to some notion of coolness.

Today I'm pretty wiped out, taking it very easy. Will do some shopping soon, maybe couple of beers at the local. Daughter has cleaned the place right up. There's even toilet paper, milk, and coffee! *faints* I think though she enjoys the challenge to be independent like that. Think she really missed me as she was texting me about nothing the last few days. Put a "welcome home" little post it note on my bedroom door. I got up this morning and she was doing the dishes. Glad to see there were no wild parties and the place destroyed; she likes it as  home I think, like I do.