Monday...30 December 2013

Looked outside yesterday and saw a large amount of smoke that looked like it was only a couple of large paddocks away! Turned out the distance could be measured in kilometres, but the fair sized fire required 19 trucks and two water helicopters to bring it under control according to the CFA website.

In the meantime both the daughter and I instantly looked for our men and wouldn't you know it, they had all left the property and they were not answering their phones, in fact mine had left his at home. We tried the two way and you guessed it, they had that turned off too. The daughter even drove to another property looking for them. Several lectures fuelled by varying degrees of frustration and fright were delivered on their arrival back home. They only made things worse by saying they knew the fire was there before they left and that as they did not deem it to be a threat, they didn't bother to tell us! I know who I will not be relying on the next time I see smoke!

Wednesday...25 December 2013

So that was Christmas 2013. This is our table ready for lunch. Very elegant.
We got up late, shared gifts then ate until we were stuffed. The meal was wonderful and we finished with pavlova and trifle. Then we all had a nanny nap and did it again for tea only this time we finished with Christmas Pudding.  A most pleasant day and our thanks to the daughter and her family for letting us share it with them.

Sunday...22 December 2013

It's raining! A nice quiet gentle rain.
Yesterday, with help from the daughter, I finished all the shopping I needed to do.
I am not a fan of Christmas, it has just not been the same since I left home all those years ago. Through the years I tried to keep the traditions going but like all the old ways things are changing and I must change with them so this year for the first time I have not even sent out cards. That sure feels funny.
We will be having the traditional dinner but I am not required to cook it. And as the daughter has a dishwasher I will not even have to do the washing up. Wonderful!
Whilst I do enjoy eating it, one of the 'traditions' I will not miss is sweltering in a hot kitchen to cook a hot dinner in the middle of the Australian summer. There is a lot to be said for cold meat and salad........
While I have been shopping up a storm, the men have been doing all sorts of jobs. They have cleaned the header and put it away now that harvest is over. They got the down pipes onto the gutters of the new shed so this little bit of rain can begin to fill the tank beside the shed. They have pumped water out of another smaller tank that is going to be the rain water supply for relatives who have moved from a farm into town and they have realigned one of the underground water pipes to bring water to the new shed.
This new shed is beautiful and we have parked our caravan partly into it. The front end hangs out into the yard but we have shade over most of the caravan. The dogs here love the shade under the caravan and we know to look under it if we cannot see them.
As we travel to the different parts of Australia we notice the altering wildlife.
This morning I heard a Kookaburra singing his song into the rain and of course we have plenty of the ever present pink and grey Galahs and Corellas. In the tree out the front of the house is a family of owls and somewhere nearby is at least one fox. The rabbit is making a comeback right across Australia as we are seeing more and more of them. There were a couple hopping around my sisters yard in the early morning most days while we were there.

Thursday...19 December 2013

Had fun at my sister's place for the last three weeks but have now moved back to our daughters in Horsham for Christmas.
Long drive in very hot conditions today.
When we arrived the weather was 42! It is now 11.30pm and the temperature is still in the high 30's.
I have the air conditioner running flat out and will not be turning it off any time soon!!! We have parked our caravan inside the new shed which is providing a lot of shade and will be handy over the next few days until the promised rain arrives to cool things down a bit before Christmas.
Will be very busy finishing my Christmas shopping and then it will be time to sit back and relax and enjoy the time with family.

Monday...16 December 2013

I have just about given up reading RealEstateDotCom.  It appears unlikely that we will find our patch of land at give away prices any time soon. I feel that while I am personally becoming a little needy to find us a base to call home, I am reminding us to be cautious of making a hasty purchase that will turn out to be a bad decision as time passes. Some things take time and time is something we have plenty of, God willing.
The weather is improving by the day. Yesterday was a pleasant 26 and last night was cool enough to make sleeping easy. Today is going to be 31 with gradual increases for the rest of the week up to 40 by the weekend. Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Friday...13 December 2013

Guess what? Estate agents have Friday off too! Different area, different agents, same result. Four properties we would like to look at have a "contact agent for address" notation. All attempts to contact the agents met with a recorded message saying the office was unattended and please leave a message. Seriously tempted to leave a message that says, "Never mind I will take my business to another franchise" and then hang up without leaving a call back number. How do these companies do business or make money? Do they ever really sell anything?  I swing between frustration and despair as our search for a permanent base hits all sorts of roadblocks.

Wednesday...11 December 2013

Yesterday we drove up to Echuca to meet with one of my many brothers and we spent the day looking at properties all over his district. What was surprising was the lack of selling agents available to talk to about anything that we were interested in. At every office we visited we were told that the agent was not in today but would we like their card so that we could give them a call? Is Tuesday the real estate rostered day off?
So we drove all over the place and got into and out of the car several times and walked all over town to read shop windows and now my legs ache. Finding a new base is hard work!

Sunday...8 December 2013

So my sister has gone off and left us home alone again! This time her excuse is a sister in law in need of help following an operation......or so she says.
Yesterday we went to a property auction, beautiful house and lots of land but too close to a very busy and noisy main road. We then spent the rest of the day touring the district looking at available properties. Still no closer to finding a base but I guess for every district we cross off our list of possibles we are that much closer to the final choice.
The weather is being a bit temperamental. Up and down and very hard to pick from one day to the next. Today is hot and still but we have storm clouds all around us and rain is forecast for tomorrow.
I have decided to stop sending out Christmas cards. Even travelling full time in a caravan I have managed to produce an annual Christmas letter and cards for family and friends but the returns have been dwindling so I guess that is another tradition that has gone by the wayside.

Thursday...5 December 2013

So the hot weather was followed by a solid 24 hours of steady rain.  Now our caravan is sitting in a fairly large puddle of water, I guess the rent will go up to pay for the water views. It has certainly cooled things off a bit so this has made life a little less sticky. It also seems to have removed the millions of tiny green flying insects that invaded the caravan for the two hot nights prior to the rain. And the absent sister has returned home from her bush camp. She was the only female in her camp and the only one to actually come home with one of the famous Murray River Cod. Well done Sis!

Yesterday we drove to Benalla to visit the old folk. It is only a short drive and well worth the time to go and see them. The rhythm of life adjusts when you take the time to connect to your past.
On the way back we stopped off in town and met with my siblings for a family dinner at a great little Chinese restaurant. These are very special occasions for me as there have been so few of them over the years because I lived so far away from the rest of my family.

Tuesday...3 December 2013

So my sister went off camping for Cod Opening. No sign of her returning yet, wonder if it is the scenery or the fish that are keeping her away? (I am sure it is not because I am parked up at her place!)
Been jolly warm these last two days, I have still not got the hang of being hot and soggy even after four years of varying temperature zones. I spent 35 years living in one of the hottest places in Australia, but everything there was air conditioned and while this makes life bearable it also tricks the body into all sorts of false feelings. Coming back to reality sure has a way of making one dream of "the good old days".
We have started looking at Tasmania again. It is still cool over there but right now I am thinking this is a good thing! Of course one needs to keep in mind that back on the mainland things are not going to be any less hot. Perhaps I will spend my old age doing summer in Tassie and winter in the far north!.

Sunday...1 December 2013

Nearly the end of the year already.
All over the world people will begin putting up their Christmas trees today.
And in our little patch of the known universe, it is Cod Opening Day, and since the early hours of the morning the road that runs past here has been like a super highway as dozens of happy fishermen with "tinnies" in tow head toward the local river in their quest to catch the famous Murray Cod. No doubt there will be many a tale told around the camps tonight of the ones that got away and those with bragging rights will increase the size of their catch with each re telling of the fight to land their prized haul.
Lets hope that there are no mishaps and that the fishermen enjoy a great day out.