We had some early morning visitors to our van this morning. I gave Ray explicit instructions to make the bed “extra nice” and tidied up a bit. Karen and Roy live in Burleigh Heads after moving from Melbourne about six years ago. Karen and I went to high school together and have known each other for over 40 years. I was so excited to see her and we signed them in at the caravan park office and gave them the grand tour of the van. That took a total of 3 minutes.

Karen and I went to the dress shop (Daughters of India) that was closed yesterday when Ray took me there. It is a slow fashion brand and their dresses are made from hand printed fabrics. Much better idea to try on dresses with Karen than with Ray and Henry. I was so glad that I had Karen with me because I tried a few on that I had been lusting after on their website and Karen (who knows me so well) helped me to make a sensible choice and I walked out very happy. She also found a top that filled a gap in her wardrobe, so we were two very happy shoppers!

We met up with the guys who had taken Henry for a walk along the Coolangatta foreshore. Ray wanted to look at some real estate so we checked out the agents there too. It was definitely time to eat so we left it up to Ray to guide us to a suitable eatery. Karen and I spotted the plush looking cushions on the sofas and gave a quick glance over the menu and declared it ok. We settled and ordered.

The cafe was staffed by backpackers who were close to knock off time. We have found that 2pm is closing time for eateries in Queensland. Probably because they open so early. After some disappointment with a lack of cold beer and Chardonnay, Karen and I were satisfied with a Pino Gris and the food sufficed.

Karen and Roy have been enjoying some time at their local called “Local” in Burleigh Heads. It’s a new bar that has opened up opposite the beach. They thought it important to share it with us and to get Roy his cold beer there and we agreed.

I went with Karen and the boys went together.

Somehow Karen and I managed to arrive first and this gave us the opportunity for a wander down James Street while we waited for the boys to arrive. Whenever I’m in Burleigh Heads, visiting Karen or passing through, I always try to get in a wander through James Street. There’s something special about the mix of shops, eclectic items and quality goods to be found. Karen knows how fortunate she is that these are how local shops and that she rarely has to go anywhere else than here and the local weekly farmers market to shop. What a way to live!

We met the boys at the “Local” and they were now seated and enjoying a beer. Surprisingly, two of Karen and Roy’s friends were also there with their cute puppy, Gizmo. We joined them and spent the next few hours getting to know Caddie and Glen.

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Caddie kept us enthralled with tales of swimming with sharks, without a cage, I was on the edge of my seat and I’m sure it made me thirstier! After a few glasses of wine, beer, cocktails we all had to leave. It was a week night and some people weren’t retired like some other people! Such a delight meeting some more lovely Queenslanders.

We said a quick farewell knowing we would see each other again soon (I think a girls trip needs to be pencilled in somewhere) and Ray and I returned to the van. There was on-site wood fired pizza available for dinner and that seemed like a good option so we ordered pizza and I spent the night on Realestate.com thinking of extending the day we had today into a permanent way of being. A girl can dream!

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