We enjoyed a little sleep in which was much needed.

Karen and I had sat up talking until the wee hours, kept company by Ray’s rhythmic snoring. Poor Linda was feeling the effects of the rolling sea yesterday and she had gone to bed to recover. 
We were glad to see her much better this morning and so we enjoyed the morning sun and then decided to head to the coffee plantation in Proserpine for a look at the Farmers Market and perhaps indulge in a little coffee and cake. 
We arrived and saw a sign that the market wasn’t actually on today. We consoled ourselves with banana and caramel cake and lime and coconut cake. I experimented with taking some photos using some of Karens photography tips.

Karen spotted a tyre swing and knew a photo opportunity when she saw one. We all took it in turns swinging and clicking. We thought it pertinent to have our photo taken in a sugar cane field so we braved the whipping grass and laughed and posed like children. Absolute fun!

We picked up some lunch and headed back to the van to eat then collect belongings for the trip back to the airport. It was hard to believe our time together was over already, it seemed like it had passed in the blink of an eye. 

I thank my thoughtful friends and their husbands and children for granting me this time with them. Knowing that Linda hasn’t ventured this far within Australia just makes it all that much more special that she would do this for me. I have always known that my female relationships are important to me, but I think I totally underestimated just how much not having them in my life while we travelled would mean.
They gave me 4 days of companionship that was priceless. We laughed, reminisced at length and considered our futures and what is important to us now that we are older. We shared new skills and the part of my learning brain that had been lying dormant for nearly a year was sparked into movement again by new possibilities suggested by Karen. I was refreshed by the comforting essence of Linda and just being near her brought back strong memories of my high school years. She supported and journeyed with me then, and continues to now. 

Seeing them walk onto their plane was bittersweet. Caleb could see that I was upset on the trip back so he made up a song to comfort me. It had, ” we know your sad and you love your friends but we are here to make your day better”. His attempt made me smile and I counted all my blessings.