Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Tuesday...29 April 2014
Got away more or less on time this morning as we left my sister's place and began our trek again. We only travelled about 300 km and have found a lovely big quiet and friendly park in Griffith. What we have seen as we came through the town area to reach the caravan park looks interesting but it will have to wait until tomorrow as we are worn out and since making camp we have just sat and relaxed.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Friday...25 April 2014
The weather has turned seriously cold. Definitely time for us to begin moving north. Now that the school holidays, Easter and the Anzac Long Weekend are finally all behind us, we will have more chance of finding suitable places for our rig at our favoured stopping spots along the way. Being large can sometimes make life a big difficult. And we prefer not to be on the road at times of peak activity such as school holidays.
We have left our run a bit late this year and I think we might just get a wriggle on once we do actually get on the road, so that we get up to the warmer places just that little bit faster. No dawdling this year.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sunday...20 April 2014
Easter Sunday
It was 6 degrees this morning and has warmed up to 7 degrees as I sit on top of the heater typing this. AND the Easter bunny did not come. I have searched high and low and even though I can occasionally see bunnies hopping around the camp site, not one single egg is on my doorstep. Oh well. I will just have to eat the one I bought myself earlier in the week!
When Himself crawls out of his nice warm bed, I will have him light the fire in my sisters house. She has one of those lovely wood fire box heaters which, once it gets going, takes five minutes flat to heat her home to open the windows stage. It will be nice to sit in there and read a book which is my plan for today.
Yesterday we went to Benalla to visit my foster parents. They had one of the kids home for Easter and this was mum, dad, three very energetic children and two guinea pigs! The children decided that the guinea pigs should have a holiday too. The visit was noisy, we drank many cups of tea and heard how the old ones were between the needs and squabbles of the children.
Before we left town we went around to one of the foster sisters for a quick hello to her and her husband who is now home following a fairly serious heart attack caused by a 95% blocked artery. Gave us all quite a fright but I bet it scared the daylights out of him too. He initially went to the local hospital where it was confirmed that he was indeed having a heart attack and then he was transferred by ambulance to the bigger regional hospital and the following day he was air lifted by Flying Doctor to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Quite a journey. We are all very pleased to have him home again.
(Easter bunny update: While I have been typing this, eggs have appeared on the table in the house. The bunny must have just been running late this year.)
It was 6 degrees this morning and has warmed up to 7 degrees as I sit on top of the heater typing this. AND the Easter bunny did not come. I have searched high and low and even though I can occasionally see bunnies hopping around the camp site, not one single egg is on my doorstep. Oh well. I will just have to eat the one I bought myself earlier in the week!
When Himself crawls out of his nice warm bed, I will have him light the fire in my sisters house. She has one of those lovely wood fire box heaters which, once it gets going, takes five minutes flat to heat her home to open the windows stage. It will be nice to sit in there and read a book which is my plan for today.
Yesterday we went to Benalla to visit my foster parents. They had one of the kids home for Easter and this was mum, dad, three very energetic children and two guinea pigs! The children decided that the guinea pigs should have a holiday too. The visit was noisy, we drank many cups of tea and heard how the old ones were between the needs and squabbles of the children.
Before we left town we went around to one of the foster sisters for a quick hello to her and her husband who is now home following a fairly serious heart attack caused by a 95% blocked artery. Gave us all quite a fright but I bet it scared the daylights out of him too. He initially went to the local hospital where it was confirmed that he was indeed having a heart attack and then he was transferred by ambulance to the bigger regional hospital and the following day he was air lifted by Flying Doctor to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Quite a journey. We are all very pleased to have him home again.
(Easter bunny update: While I have been typing this, eggs have appeared on the table in the house. The bunny must have just been running late this year.)
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wednesday...16 April 2014
My sister has gone off and left us home alone.
I have no issue with her taking a break, my problem is that now I have to cook and clean for myself! When I am put in a nursing home for whatever reason it happens, I do hope that I am still with it enough to appreciate that someone else is doing all the work. I have had a pretty slack time of it since we got to the east what with all this visiting relatives and friends and now that I am back to doing it all myself it seems like a lot of hard work to me.
The sun is out from behind the clouds again and while the season is beginning to become cooler, the days do eventually warm enough to stop one from feeling morbid and depressed which is what happens to me when it stays grey and overcast for more than a few days. Not a big fan of dull dark days. I like light and bright. The more sunshine the better I feel.
Easter is rapidly approaching and shortly after that we will begin trekking north again.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Saturday...12 April 2014
I expect that soon our rent will go up to reflect the newly installed water views!
We have bright sunshine now, but two days ago it rained and rained and then it rained some more. We got over two inches of rain and now our caravan is sitting in a fairly large puddle, hence the water views. No doubt it will dry out if the current sunshine continues.
Some of the local farmers are rubbing their hands with glee, others are rubbing theirs and muttering about being ruined if this keeps up. Now we know that farmers are never completely happy, it is their nature, but I feel for them. They are doing their best to feed the nation and to make enough to support their families, but their pay packet is entirely reliant on the weather and how good they are at what they do. Those of us who work a "normal" job know that no matter how we perform there will still be a regular pay packet to sustain us. Not so for the farmer. A single failure can mean the difference between being successful or being sold up by the bank and joining the unemployment queue. It's a hard life they have chosen. Bless them all.
We have spent a large part of the last couple of weeks researching this area for places we might call home. No success so far however it has been an interesting time.
We have bright sunshine now, but two days ago it rained and rained and then it rained some more. We got over two inches of rain and now our caravan is sitting in a fairly large puddle, hence the water views. No doubt it will dry out if the current sunshine continues.
Some of the local farmers are rubbing their hands with glee, others are rubbing theirs and muttering about being ruined if this keeps up. Now we know that farmers are never completely happy, it is their nature, but I feel for them. They are doing their best to feed the nation and to make enough to support their families, but their pay packet is entirely reliant on the weather and how good they are at what they do. Those of us who work a "normal" job know that no matter how we perform there will still be a regular pay packet to sustain us. Not so for the farmer. A single failure can mean the difference between being successful or being sold up by the bank and joining the unemployment queue. It's a hard life they have chosen. Bless them all.
We have spent a large part of the last couple of weeks researching this area for places we might call home. No success so far however it has been an interesting time.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Sunday...6 April 2014
So it stands to reason that after going to great lengths to tell you how we pack up and move our little red wagon, I probably should also tell you how we set up camp once we arrive where ever it is we were going. The arrival goes something like this:
Himself decides where the van is to be parked and I am instructed to stand on a certain spot as a guide and then he backs or drives the rig into place, only stopping when I raise my arm to suggest he has got to where he wanted to be. Easy really!
Of course there is some minor to and fro-ing to straighten us to the site but he usually gets us more or less exactly where we should be without too much fuss.
In the middle of all that backing up, we need to keep an eye on overhanging trees and electricity lines and also other caravans, vehicles, people, animals, infrastructure such as taps and power boxes and hoses as well as the actual lie of the land which is very rarely dead flat!
The next step is to get out the spirit level. This is placed on the back bumper of the van to decide if we need to add blocks to raise or lower anything to make up for the terrain. When we are fairly level I push the button to lower the back legs. This is serious work, I broke a nail once! Himself lowers the front legs, and the tailgate of the vehicle and prepares to disconnect from the turntable.
Once disconnected he adjusts the height of the van and places the tripod under the hitch. He designed and made the tripod to take the bounce out of the front when we stay anywhere for a bit.
Next we open out the three slides and attach warning flags to the bottom of the bedroom slide as we have discovered the edges are at head height!!! Himself has several marks on his head from accidentally bumping into them. I did it too once and damn near knocked myself out. I was quite giddy and needed a lie down. My head hurt for days.
So now we have our 'feet' on the ground and are as level as can be managed given the location. Next comes connecting to the water and electricity and if available the sullage as well.
While Himself continues with putting out our camp chairs and table and setting up the awning and any matting the site needs to be comfortable, I start the inside set up by getting things out of storage and putting them back into place for ease of use during our stay. My first priority is to turn the fridge on as soon as power is available and to boil the kettle for a much needed cuppa once the camp is complete. Himself finishes the outside set up and then comes in to tune in the TV and/or the Satellite system if it is needed.
After our cuppa, we go to the shops and stock up on food and drink for our stay and if needed we top up the fuel tank ready for any sight seeing in the area.
And that folks is pretty much what we have been doing each and every time have stopped in the last four years. Like the pack up procedure it becomes fairly routine with the only difference being the need to fit to a particular place.
I do occasionally find myself feeling slightly disorientated and sometimes get startled when noises come from an unexpected direction in the first couple of days at a new location, but if we stay longer than a few days I adjust fairly quickly.
Himself decides where the van is to be parked and I am instructed to stand on a certain spot as a guide and then he backs or drives the rig into place, only stopping when I raise my arm to suggest he has got to where he wanted to be. Easy really!
Of course there is some minor to and fro-ing to straighten us to the site but he usually gets us more or less exactly where we should be without too much fuss.
In the middle of all that backing up, we need to keep an eye on overhanging trees and electricity lines and also other caravans, vehicles, people, animals, infrastructure such as taps and power boxes and hoses as well as the actual lie of the land which is very rarely dead flat!
The next step is to get out the spirit level. This is placed on the back bumper of the van to decide if we need to add blocks to raise or lower anything to make up for the terrain. When we are fairly level I push the button to lower the back legs. This is serious work, I broke a nail once! Himself lowers the front legs, and the tailgate of the vehicle and prepares to disconnect from the turntable.
Once disconnected he adjusts the height of the van and places the tripod under the hitch. He designed and made the tripod to take the bounce out of the front when we stay anywhere for a bit.
Next we open out the three slides and attach warning flags to the bottom of the bedroom slide as we have discovered the edges are at head height!!! Himself has several marks on his head from accidentally bumping into them. I did it too once and damn near knocked myself out. I was quite giddy and needed a lie down. My head hurt for days.
So now we have our 'feet' on the ground and are as level as can be managed given the location. Next comes connecting to the water and electricity and if available the sullage as well.
While Himself continues with putting out our camp chairs and table and setting up the awning and any matting the site needs to be comfortable, I start the inside set up by getting things out of storage and putting them back into place for ease of use during our stay. My first priority is to turn the fridge on as soon as power is available and to boil the kettle for a much needed cuppa once the camp is complete. Himself finishes the outside set up and then comes in to tune in the TV and/or the Satellite system if it is needed.
After our cuppa, we go to the shops and stock up on food and drink for our stay and if needed we top up the fuel tank ready for any sight seeing in the area.
And that folks is pretty much what we have been doing each and every time have stopped in the last four years. Like the pack up procedure it becomes fairly routine with the only difference being the need to fit to a particular place.
I do occasionally find myself feeling slightly disorientated and sometimes get startled when noises come from an unexpected direction in the first couple of days at a new location, but if we stay longer than a few days I adjust fairly quickly.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Tuesday...1 April 2014
Right so we managed to get organised enough yesterday to move.
You would think that after all this time we would have it down to a fine art, which we sort of have, but no two moving days are the same. The routine goes something like this:
I fly out of bed in a dither thinking I have slept in, I make a cup of tea and sit at the table to drink it, all the while looking at the clock and around me to see what needs to be done. I jump up and do a couple of little things like putting stuff away off the benches or sorting through the usual accumulation of papers and magazines and shopping receipts and catalogues and books on the table. Then I sit down again planning on drinking my now tepid cup of tea, but without fail I notice another little thing I should do and up I jump again. This routine continues until Himself gets out of bed and calmly sits at the table to eat his breakfast. While he eats I dash into the bedroom and make the bed and tidy the room putting away anything that needs to be stored safely for travel. With breakfast over Himself winds down the TV aerial and helps with the hard to do or heavy things inside and then moves onto the outside preparations. I drink what is left of my now cold cup of tea and continue by washing the dishes and tidying and stowing all manner of things in the bathroom and kitchen and living areas. I also make a peanut butter sandwich which I put in a zip lock bag in my handbag. (This is my breakfast and His morning tea once we are on the road!) If the day is going to be a big one I will also fill the Thermos so that we can have a cup of tea along the way.
I make sure all windows are closed and locked and the roof vents are lowered and locked, I check all the cupboards and the fridge to make sure they are packed correctly for travel and that they have been pushed shut until they click and lock into place. I check that the door on the shower has been snibbed to prevent it swinging open along the way and possibly breaking the glass. I gather my bag and make sure our phones are charged and that the camera was returned to my bag if it was connected to the computer to downloaded pictures of previous excursions or tourist activity,
While I have been doing that, Himself disconnects and stows the power lead, the water hose and the grey water hose. He turns off the gas. He also raises the back legs and removes the front tripod stabilizer. If necessary he packs and stows the portable clothes line and camping chairs and table and removes any guy ropes and privacy screens on the awning and then retracts the awning back against the side of the caravan ready for travel. He will disconnect and pack the satellite dish if it has been in use. He retracts the three slide outs and shuts the doors and folds up the steps and puts the rubbish out. Himself is responsible for always knowing where the keys to the caravan are. He then moves the tow vehicle into place after resetting the side mirrors for towing mode and folds back the tourneau cover to expose the turntable and lowers the tailgate on the ute. Then he hitches the caravan to the turntable which I help with by standing to one side and looking useful while he does a perfect job of making the connection, most times in one easy try. After locking the turntable, shutting the tailgate on the ute and securing the tourneau cover in place and raising the front legs of the caravan, we are packed and ready to travel. We roll forward far enough to be able to pick up our wheel chocks and do a walk around and tick off our pre travel check list to make sure we have done everything before finally beginning our days travel. Once we clear the town and the traffic thins I bring out the famous peanut butter sandwich and we settle down to enjoy whatever the day holds for us. Sometimes it is a short trip of only a couple of hours, other days we may travel all day depending on where we are going.
Pretty simple really!
You would think that after all this time we would have it down to a fine art, which we sort of have, but no two moving days are the same. The routine goes something like this:
I fly out of bed in a dither thinking I have slept in, I make a cup of tea and sit at the table to drink it, all the while looking at the clock and around me to see what needs to be done. I jump up and do a couple of little things like putting stuff away off the benches or sorting through the usual accumulation of papers and magazines and shopping receipts and catalogues and books on the table. Then I sit down again planning on drinking my now tepid cup of tea, but without fail I notice another little thing I should do and up I jump again. This routine continues until Himself gets out of bed and calmly sits at the table to eat his breakfast. While he eats I dash into the bedroom and make the bed and tidy the room putting away anything that needs to be stored safely for travel. With breakfast over Himself winds down the TV aerial and helps with the hard to do or heavy things inside and then moves onto the outside preparations. I drink what is left of my now cold cup of tea and continue by washing the dishes and tidying and stowing all manner of things in the bathroom and kitchen and living areas. I also make a peanut butter sandwich which I put in a zip lock bag in my handbag. (This is my breakfast and His morning tea once we are on the road!) If the day is going to be a big one I will also fill the Thermos so that we can have a cup of tea along the way.
I make sure all windows are closed and locked and the roof vents are lowered and locked, I check all the cupboards and the fridge to make sure they are packed correctly for travel and that they have been pushed shut until they click and lock into place. I check that the door on the shower has been snibbed to prevent it swinging open along the way and possibly breaking the glass. I gather my bag and make sure our phones are charged and that the camera was returned to my bag if it was connected to the computer to downloaded pictures of previous excursions or tourist activity,
While I have been doing that, Himself disconnects and stows the power lead, the water hose and the grey water hose. He turns off the gas. He also raises the back legs and removes the front tripod stabilizer. If necessary he packs and stows the portable clothes line and camping chairs and table and removes any guy ropes and privacy screens on the awning and then retracts the awning back against the side of the caravan ready for travel. He will disconnect and pack the satellite dish if it has been in use. He retracts the three slide outs and shuts the doors and folds up the steps and puts the rubbish out. Himself is responsible for always knowing where the keys to the caravan are. He then moves the tow vehicle into place after resetting the side mirrors for towing mode and folds back the tourneau cover to expose the turntable and lowers the tailgate on the ute. Then he hitches the caravan to the turntable which I help with by standing to one side and looking useful while he does a perfect job of making the connection, most times in one easy try. After locking the turntable, shutting the tailgate on the ute and securing the tourneau cover in place and raising the front legs of the caravan, we are packed and ready to travel. We roll forward far enough to be able to pick up our wheel chocks and do a walk around and tick off our pre travel check list to make sure we have done everything before finally beginning our days travel. Once we clear the town and the traffic thins I bring out the famous peanut butter sandwich and we settle down to enjoy whatever the day holds for us. Sometimes it is a short trip of only a couple of hours, other days we may travel all day depending on where we are going.
Pretty simple really!
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