Had a relaxing morning at Jo's.Then Alison & I headed to town to the Cadbury Chocolate factory. We were late for the 1st tour so I looked at the informative displays in the lobby while Alison went to the Green Party headquarters to work on a project. Alison got back just in time for the next tour. The factory itself was closed for maintenance over the holiday so we got in for 1/2 the price. We got to taste coca beans that were roasted & distilled - yegh. Also, saw a video on the making of chocolate & parts of the factory that were closed. We were taken to a tower where one ton of chocolate was
The tour guide showed us the ton of chocolate pouring down into a big vat that it's not part of the chocolate making process, it was just for show. It smelled wonderful in there.
Went to Uncle Walt & Aunt Mary's on the hill. Uncle Walt looked a little old but still had spunk & got around just fine. After a bit of visiting, he took his one front false tooth out & said he was going to be comfortable & be himself.
Mary is suffering from memory loss. They don't think it's Alzheimer’s but it sure sounds similar. Her hair was long, a little greasy, & pulled back in a ponytail. She looked a bit older too but still had the familiar mannerisms, like standing with her hands behind her back, with a little smile, & listening very closely. And her laughter was the same.
Mary was a pretty quiet during the visit. She told me about a few things she had hanging on the wall. I mentioned that we'd been at the chocolate factory & she said she had worked there, up above the factory floor, & that she had the job of making sure the chocolate didn't boil over.
They took me on a tour of the property. They have 2 large rain barrels to catch the rain off the roof of the garage. It's then piped to 2 barrels on a high stand that give it pressure to the house. One for drinking & 1 for the wash, etc. The toilet is electric & works on a centrifuge method. The inside spins which whisks the waste into a tank which then dries & is later emptied & used for compost. The greenery around the property is overgrown. There are raspberries, grass, vines, & bushes everywhere. It almost hides the little yellow house. It's kinda run down. It definitely had character. Walt showed me how he took a door & cut it in half so he could have the top half open in the morning. He has lots of plans on fixing the place up. They have a handyman that's helping him with the work.
Alison said that Walt owns 5 hectars of land. (I think hectars are a form of measurement like kilos, meters, & grams). About 20 yards out from the house is a break in the trees giving us a view of the bay. We went through a paddock with 2 sheep in it. Mary had us stand on either side of her because the male ram doesn't like her & has butted her to the ground.
We said good-bye & headed over to the Albatross Colony. Jo came with us.
(To be continued tomorrow)
