A full day off at Bello was bliss!!! A gorgeous farm, lots of room to move, sunshine, quiet quiet quiet, except for the morning chorus and continual chimming of bell birds, ginger tea on Sue and Col's verandah overlooking McGrath's Hill, veggie gardens, three dams, a composting toilet, solar panels, chooks, and best of all loving and generous hosts,  Sue and Col Lennox.
The day off was well needed and utilised.  The sleepy town of Bello with it's wide main street and pleasant absence of a big multinational supermarket was overrun by Oteshian's  drinking fairtrade coffee, long pots of chai tea on lounges and enjoying the luxury of the laundry mat.  There are sooo many cafes in Bellingen.  In the evening we returned back across the river into town to partake in some local playback theatre called Climate Change. 
Saturday saw us begin our mid-tour retreat which started with a couple of us welcoming in the day with a 5 am sunrise followed by mediatation led by Sue.  The day that followed was one of reflection.  We pondered our breakfast in silence and spent the day goal setting, thinking about the progress we'd made so far and where to next.  In the avro we jumped in the dam and paired up for some pampering which involved faces, mudpacks and chocolate.  The fire baths that Col prepared for us steamed hot and looked inviting in the cool drizzly evening.  Yes, again we had LOTS of rain (did we mention the leeches).  Amy our personal chef extraordinare dedicated her week-end to filling our hungry biker bellies with warm tasty vegan delights.  Thanks Amy, you made our retreat tops!
By Jodi and Barb