After 154,200 km the journey is finished.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday...30 November 2015
The Queensland daughter and her family came to visit yesterday.
They stopped off on their way to a family holiday they are having before their children scatter to the four winds as adults themselves.
Top of the agenda was meeting Little Miss Happy. She charmed everyone and was of course an absolute angel, she was in good company, her three grown up cousins were also on their best behaviour and the end result was some very pleasant family time had by all.
Happy hour was followed by a simple BBQ dinner topped off with cheesecake. We tried to chat the night away but their early start and our unusual activity levels added up to an early bedtime for all of us. Today after what we hope was a good nights rest, they will continue to their destination and some quality time together on a houseboat on the Murray River. We wish them a happy holiday.
They stopped off on their way to a family holiday they are having before their children scatter to the four winds as adults themselves.
Top of the agenda was meeting Little Miss Happy. She charmed everyone and was of course an absolute angel, she was in good company, her three grown up cousins were also on their best behaviour and the end result was some very pleasant family time had by all.
Happy hour was followed by a simple BBQ dinner topped off with cheesecake. We tried to chat the night away but their early start and our unusual activity levels added up to an early bedtime for all of us. Today after what we hope was a good nights rest, they will continue to their destination and some quality time together on a houseboat on the Murray River. We wish them a happy holiday.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Tuesday...24 November 2015
Another month nearly over.
We have had our caravan now for six years and we have seen a lot and done a lot in our time on the road full time. There have been incredible highs and sad lows but mostly life has been good to us.
In the early days our family and friends were running a book on how long we would last, I wish they had invited me to take part, I knew that we were going to try for two years but in my heart I myself thought one year was a more likely outcome. Isn't it amazing what humans are really capable of?
I think we can all do way more than we initially think we can, the incentive just has to be high enough to make us that much more determined to achieve higher goals.
I think I can.....I think I can....I think I can, eventually morphs into I know I can....I know I can....
So we did.
We have had our caravan now for six years and we have seen a lot and done a lot in our time on the road full time. There have been incredible highs and sad lows but mostly life has been good to us.
In the early days our family and friends were running a book on how long we would last, I wish they had invited me to take part, I knew that we were going to try for two years but in my heart I myself thought one year was a more likely outcome. Isn't it amazing what humans are really capable of?
I think we can all do way more than we initially think we can, the incentive just has to be high enough to make us that much more determined to achieve higher goals.
I think I can.....I think I can....I think I can, eventually morphs into I know I can....I know I can....
So we did.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Thursday...19 November 2015
Last Friday we had a call from the daughter's husband in Horsham asking if Himself could spare a couple of days to lend a hand with harvest as his dad who usually helps had taken sick and ended up in hospital. We threw a few clothes into a bag and off we went!
As soon as we got there after two and a half hours driving, the boys took off to Pinnaroo in South Australia to fetch a part for the header, just a quick trip, three hours each way. The daughter and I went into town and had dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Yum! I know who got the best deal for dinner that day!
Next day the men went about the business of fixing the header and continuing the harvest and after delivering packed lunches to the paddock, the ladies went to lunch and did a spot of shopping. You know, I could get used to doing harvest this way........
But then came Monday and the daughter went back to work.
So mum got to make the lunches and I did not have to but happily offered to cook dinner, (chicken casserole) which went down well when the men finally came in from the paddock very late at night.
Tuesday was declared a total fire ban so the men were home by lunchtime and the header was parked up during the serous heat of the day to wait until the extremely hot winds moved elsewhere. They lunched on home made sausage rolls and left over chicken casserole. Then they went out again late in the day and I cooked a chop casserole which was finally served at 1.00am when they came home for a shower, dinner and bed.
On Wednesday we had an appointment back here in Bendigo so we left straight after breakfast to be back by lunchtime. Gotta say it was nice driving so early in the day especially as the day did turn out rather hot.
Today I minded Little Miss Happy again. This kid is seriously sweet. She played with her toys and anything she could get her hands on around our caravan that was safe to let her fiddle with and she had a one and a half hour nap (what's not to like about that, given that nanny was worn out by then) and then she woke up happy, had lunch and was content to play again until her daddy came to rescue her. Cute kid! After that we went to her house to put together her new cot. Lucky Little Miss Happy.
As soon as we got there after two and a half hours driving, the boys took off to Pinnaroo in South Australia to fetch a part for the header, just a quick trip, three hours each way. The daughter and I went into town and had dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Yum! I know who got the best deal for dinner that day!
Next day the men went about the business of fixing the header and continuing the harvest and after delivering packed lunches to the paddock, the ladies went to lunch and did a spot of shopping. You know, I could get used to doing harvest this way........
But then came Monday and the daughter went back to work.
So mum got to make the lunches and I did not have to but happily offered to cook dinner, (chicken casserole) which went down well when the men finally came in from the paddock very late at night.
Tuesday was declared a total fire ban so the men were home by lunchtime and the header was parked up during the serous heat of the day to wait until the extremely hot winds moved elsewhere. They lunched on home made sausage rolls and left over chicken casserole. Then they went out again late in the day and I cooked a chop casserole which was finally served at 1.00am when they came home for a shower, dinner and bed.
On Wednesday we had an appointment back here in Bendigo so we left straight after breakfast to be back by lunchtime. Gotta say it was nice driving so early in the day especially as the day did turn out rather hot.
Today I minded Little Miss Happy again. This kid is seriously sweet. She played with her toys and anything she could get her hands on around our caravan that was safe to let her fiddle with and she had a one and a half hour nap (what's not to like about that, given that nanny was worn out by then) and then she woke up happy, had lunch and was content to play again until her daddy came to rescue her. Cute kid! After that we went to her house to put together her new cot. Lucky Little Miss Happy.
Tomorrow there is a caravan and camping expo at the local racecourse. We will be there. Cannot miss a nomad muster!!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Tuesday...10 November 2015
You know, it always amazes me that so many people from so far away read my little blog. I really am just a normal ordinary everyday person who happens to be lucky enough to live in a fifth wheel caravan that is being driven around Australia by a bloke (my husband) who seriously enjoys driving and we both like seeing what is around the next bend in the road.
Sometimes our caravan feels small and some times I wonder what it would be like to have a bigger model but generally we are happy.
Today it is overcast and drizzling rain. Yesterday it was warm enough for shorts!
Today I babysat Little Miss Happy for a few hours. Yesterday I did absolutely nothing!
Everyday has its moments. Everyday is different. Life is mostly good. We are healthy and happy. Is there any need for more? We really do live in a very lucky country and I hope it stays that way.
Sometimes our caravan feels small and some times I wonder what it would be like to have a bigger model but generally we are happy.
Today it is overcast and drizzling rain. Yesterday it was warm enough for shorts!
Today I babysat Little Miss Happy for a few hours. Yesterday I did absolutely nothing!
Everyday has its moments. Everyday is different. Life is mostly good. We are healthy and happy. Is there any need for more? We really do live in a very lucky country and I hope it stays that way.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Sunday...8 November 2015
Oops! I have not blogged for a week.
Two things happened at the same time. I ran out of internet and I ran out of energy.
We started out with 1GB a month when we first hit the road. Over time this proved too small so we upgraded to 3GB a month. That did well for a couple of years but again slowly became too small so we upgraded again to 8GB a month. This too did well for a while but now it has suddenly become too small too. My frustration is being caused by the fact that I have deleted everything and anything I can think of out of my normal daily internet routine in an attempt to slow the usage rate. I am even thinking of deleting good old Facebook! I cannot figure out what is chewing it up. Must be something running in the background but our very good anti everything virus protection is not picking up anything naughty. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
The other big thing to happen this week was Little Miss Happy's first birthday. Hard to believe it has been a whole year since she made such a dramatic early arrival scaring us and her terrified new parents. But what a joy she has been. So blessed to have her in our lives. I need to get back into training and get fitter to keep up with that much energy. A day with Little Miss Happy and Nana needs two days recovery time!
Two things happened at the same time. I ran out of internet and I ran out of energy.
We started out with 1GB a month when we first hit the road. Over time this proved too small so we upgraded to 3GB a month. That did well for a couple of years but again slowly became too small so we upgraded again to 8GB a month. This too did well for a while but now it has suddenly become too small too. My frustration is being caused by the fact that I have deleted everything and anything I can think of out of my normal daily internet routine in an attempt to slow the usage rate. I am even thinking of deleting good old Facebook! I cannot figure out what is chewing it up. Must be something running in the background but our very good anti everything virus protection is not picking up anything naughty. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
The other big thing to happen this week was Little Miss Happy's first birthday. Hard to believe it has been a whole year since she made such a dramatic early arrival scaring us and her terrified new parents. But what a joy she has been. So blessed to have her in our lives. I need to get back into training and get fitter to keep up with that much energy. A day with Little Miss Happy and Nana needs two days recovery time!
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Sunday...1 November 2015
Well I survived the second day of minding little Miss Happy. I was absolutely exhausted at the end but we did have fun and Nanny loved it. The good news is that she is still happy to see us so I guess this means we did alright.
The next day some of our friends from Melbourne decided to do a road trip and came to have lunch with us. We had a wonderful time and as we talked and talked they were a bit late getting away to head back to Melbourne. What lovely people to come all that way just to have lunch with us.
Then yesterday we went out to visit our old mates from the West who are now breeding horses about 20 km out of this town. While we were having afternoon tea and once again talking and talking and talking some more to catch up on each others news, my phone rang and it was the daughter from Horsham who had come to visit and we were not home! Oops! She had come to stay the night.
Back to town to catch up with her and take her out to dinner at one of the local pubs.
Today was Little Miss Happy's Christening. Another big event and day. The whole thing went off without a hitch and without any sort of unsocial behaviour from the Little One. She smiled, waved and laughed her way through the whole thing and even thought the priest was a nice bloke too! This was a bonus for her parents as she has not been too keen on most blokes of late.
We followed that with lunch at the local RSL club and then coffee and cake at home. A good group of the family came to help bless this child and her parents are very happy with how her special day went off.
We came home with the Horsham daughter in tow to have a bit of time with us before she headed off to drive home and I now sit here waiting for her call to say she is home safe.
Tomorrow is a designated Rest Day for us, we need to recharge our batteries and catch up on the housework, but that is followed on Tuesday (Melbourne Cup Day) with Little Miss Happy's first birthday. Stay tuned!
The next day some of our friends from Melbourne decided to do a road trip and came to have lunch with us. We had a wonderful time and as we talked and talked they were a bit late getting away to head back to Melbourne. What lovely people to come all that way just to have lunch with us.
Then yesterday we went out to visit our old mates from the West who are now breeding horses about 20 km out of this town. While we were having afternoon tea and once again talking and talking and talking some more to catch up on each others news, my phone rang and it was the daughter from Horsham who had come to visit and we were not home! Oops! She had come to stay the night.
Back to town to catch up with her and take her out to dinner at one of the local pubs.
Today was Little Miss Happy's Christening. Another big event and day. The whole thing went off without a hitch and without any sort of unsocial behaviour from the Little One. She smiled, waved and laughed her way through the whole thing and even thought the priest was a nice bloke too! This was a bonus for her parents as she has not been too keen on most blokes of late.
We followed that with lunch at the local RSL club and then coffee and cake at home. A good group of the family came to help bless this child and her parents are very happy with how her special day went off.
We came home with the Horsham daughter in tow to have a bit of time with us before she headed off to drive home and I now sit here waiting for her call to say she is home safe.
Tomorrow is a designated Rest Day for us, we need to recharge our batteries and catch up on the housework, but that is followed on Tuesday (Melbourne Cup Day) with Little Miss Happy's first birthday. Stay tuned!
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Thursday...29 October 2015
Daughter has had to go to the city for a two day workshop for her job. I was asked if I would look after Little Miss Happy (nearly one year old grand daughter) for a few hours each day to give her daddy a rest. Of course I would, bring it on, this will be fun I said! All that time and we do not have to share with Mummy and Daddy. Lucky us!
Do any of my readers remember how much effort goes into entertaining small people? It was only for four hours and by the time daddy came back to rescue us I was a limp dish rag! It took a very actively mobile small person to show me how many nooks and crannies there really are in one small caravan. I spent most of the time running from one end to the other and then sitting myself "just so" to cover up her access to forbidden treasure such as computer cords and fast moving fans. So far she has not managed to open any low level cupboards but no doubt that will happen eventually. We are going to do it all again today and I am hoping my energy levels are up for it!
Do any of my readers remember how much effort goes into entertaining small people? It was only for four hours and by the time daddy came back to rescue us I was a limp dish rag! It took a very actively mobile small person to show me how many nooks and crannies there really are in one small caravan. I spent most of the time running from one end to the other and then sitting myself "just so" to cover up her access to forbidden treasure such as computer cords and fast moving fans. So far she has not managed to open any low level cupboards but no doubt that will happen eventually. We are going to do it all again today and I am hoping my energy levels are up for it!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Monday...26 October 2015
What a great weekend.
Our friends from Albury/Wodonga come to visit with us on their way home from a trip to Adelaide for a reunion. So wonderful to see them again. We laughed, we chatted, we drank copious amounts of wine and beer and still we talked! We went out to lunch yesterday at the local RSL which was rather nice but mostly we just sat and talked and caught up on each others news. Such a shame they must continue on home today but hopefully it will not be too long before we see them again.
The weather for the last few days has been good but now it is trying to rain, all overcast and gloomy and of course it is windy. I think I will rename this town Windygo! Every time we come here it is blowing a blooming gale. Seriously I am way over the wind. I think that wind could be blamed for a lot of odd behaviour in the local humans. It is just so .............there...........all the time!!!!
Our friends from Albury/Wodonga come to visit with us on their way home from a trip to Adelaide for a reunion. So wonderful to see them again. We laughed, we chatted, we drank copious amounts of wine and beer and still we talked! We went out to lunch yesterday at the local RSL which was rather nice but mostly we just sat and talked and caught up on each others news. Such a shame they must continue on home today but hopefully it will not be too long before we see them again.
The weather for the last few days has been good but now it is trying to rain, all overcast and gloomy and of course it is windy. I think I will rename this town Windygo! Every time we come here it is blowing a blooming gale. Seriously I am way over the wind. I think that wind could be blamed for a lot of odd behaviour in the local humans. It is just so .............there...........all the time!!!!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Tuesday...20 October 2015
No more getting up, packing up, driving all day then setting up camp all over again.......for a while! Yesterday we moved to Himself's home town and are planning to stay for a couple of months. It was a long day and quite warm too so much sweating and swearing while parking the rig. Then we called the daughter and got a home delivery on our daily dose of cuteness. The little one is so gorgeous but was having a problem working out why we are not in her mum's phone where we belong! She found the reality of us just a little too confronting so I guess we will have to wait until she adjusts before we get hugs and sloppy kisses. No problem. We have the time.
We made some friends in this park and were so looking forward to seeing them again when we arrived. Some people will do anything to get out of seeing us and this one got herself carted off in an ambulance within hours of our arrival! Rather scary but she is home again and resting.
I spent some of today going into town with the daughter and grandchild to have a much needed hair cut and while I was at it I got a nice high chair which I hope will help contain the grandchild at eating time when she comes to visit. She is at just the right age to spread her food all over the place and I would rather wash a chair than the entire caravan! While I was at it I stocked up on a couple of toys and essential toddler food items so that we have what she needs when she comes to visit. Go Nana!
We made some friends in this park and were so looking forward to seeing them again when we arrived. Some people will do anything to get out of seeing us and this one got herself carted off in an ambulance within hours of our arrival! Rather scary but she is home again and resting.
I spent some of today going into town with the daughter and grandchild to have a much needed hair cut and while I was at it I got a nice high chair which I hope will help contain the grandchild at eating time when she comes to visit. She is at just the right age to spread her food all over the place and I would rather wash a chair than the entire caravan! While I was at it I stocked up on a couple of toys and essential toddler food items so that we have what she needs when she comes to visit. Go Nana!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Thursday...15 October 2015
After coming off the Nullabor we checked into our favourite caravan park in Ceduna for a couple of days to wash the dirt off but then Himself realised that it was coming up to Bathurst 500 weekend so as we had good television reception we stayed a few days extra so that he could have his annual vroom vroom fest! I played a lot of computer games for the two days!
Then we moved on to Port Augusta for one night and from there we motored across country to Mildura. Well actually we stay in a park just over the Mighty Murray in a place called Buronga but we have discovered that not many people have heard of Buronga whereas everyone knows Mildura. The only difference is which bank of the river you are on!
Yesterday Himself took me to lunch at the Mildura Workingman's Club. Nice place. Apparently they built a T shaped bar in 1938 that was believed to be the longest bar in the state. It was 91 metres long around the centre line of the service surface and had 32 beer taps. That bar was removed in 1995 during renovations to add poker machines. What a shame a piece of history was destroyed for a few extra poker machines!
Today it is 37 C.....wtg Mildura!
Nice and warm, had to put the air conditioner on and it is now after 6pm and it is still 37 C.
Will stay a while here and recharge the batteries. I hear tell that the local Mildura show started today. If the weather improves a bit we may go take a look.
Then we moved on to Port Augusta for one night and from there we motored across country to Mildura. Well actually we stay in a park just over the Mighty Murray in a place called Buronga but we have discovered that not many people have heard of Buronga whereas everyone knows Mildura. The only difference is which bank of the river you are on!
Yesterday Himself took me to lunch at the Mildura Workingman's Club. Nice place. Apparently they built a T shaped bar in 1938 that was believed to be the longest bar in the state. It was 91 metres long around the centre line of the service surface and had 32 beer taps. That bar was removed in 1995 during renovations to add poker machines. What a shame a piece of history was destroyed for a few extra poker machines!
Today it is 37 C.....wtg Mildura!
Nice and warm, had to put the air conditioner on and it is now after 6pm and it is still 37 C.
Will stay a while here and recharge the batteries. I hear tell that the local Mildura show started today. If the weather improves a bit we may go take a look.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Friday...9 October 2015
Nullabor Crossing.
Day One.
Esperance to Norseman and out along the road to a free camp called Baxter which is about half way along the 90 mile straight. This is the longest straight stretch of road in Australia and runs for 90 mile or 144.8 kilometres without a bend. It goes on and on and bloody on and on! Taking an overnight break in the middle is a good idea, it helps with the safe driving factor and stops some of the boredom. Just before we stopped for the night we saw a herd of wild camels near our camp area. I decided there and then that if I heard noises outside overnight I was NOT going out to see what was making the noise!
Day Two.
More long and boring travel to another free camp, this one was called the 81k peg camp, probably because it is 81 kilometres in from the border, having crossed into South Australia at Border Village. We did see the usual push bike riders. All the way across the Nullabor at various places the road has been made into emergency airstrips for the RFDS. It is rather comforting to know that help is never too far away in this vast land of ours. There seemed to be a lot more traffic going west than we usually see out there. We put it down to people returning from the football grand final in Melbourne and also there was a large number of motor homes heading to the CMCA rally later this month in Albany WA.
Day Three.
Up late, well it was not late late but because we had crossed a couple of time zones and because South Australia is also on daylight saving time, we lost two and a half hours along the way so while the clock in the car said we were on the road at 8.00am it was in actual fact 10.30am. Ah well, it just meant happy hour came quicker yesterday! We stopped during the day to refuel the ute out of the extra jerry cans we carry and Himself was engulfed in huge flies and had to resort to spraying with the Aeroguard as they were biting him and drawing blood! The other thing to happen was passing push bike riders but this lot had modified their bikes and were in fact lying down to pedal. Looks odd. We only had to drive for four hours before arriving in Ceduna where we have now parked up for a couple of days to allow our bodies to catch up to the clocks.
Day One.
Esperance to Norseman and out along the road to a free camp called Baxter which is about half way along the 90 mile straight. This is the longest straight stretch of road in Australia and runs for 90 mile or 144.8 kilometres without a bend. It goes on and on and bloody on and on! Taking an overnight break in the middle is a good idea, it helps with the safe driving factor and stops some of the boredom. Just before we stopped for the night we saw a herd of wild camels near our camp area. I decided there and then that if I heard noises outside overnight I was NOT going out to see what was making the noise!
Day Two.
More long and boring travel to another free camp, this one was called the 81k peg camp, probably because it is 81 kilometres in from the border, having crossed into South Australia at Border Village. We did see the usual push bike riders. All the way across the Nullabor at various places the road has been made into emergency airstrips for the RFDS. It is rather comforting to know that help is never too far away in this vast land of ours. There seemed to be a lot more traffic going west than we usually see out there. We put it down to people returning from the football grand final in Melbourne and also there was a large number of motor homes heading to the CMCA rally later this month in Albany WA.
Day Three.
Up late, well it was not late late but because we had crossed a couple of time zones and because South Australia is also on daylight saving time, we lost two and a half hours along the way so while the clock in the car said we were on the road at 8.00am it was in actual fact 10.30am. Ah well, it just meant happy hour came quicker yesterday! We stopped during the day to refuel the ute out of the extra jerry cans we carry and Himself was engulfed in huge flies and had to resort to spraying with the Aeroguard as they were biting him and drawing blood! The other thing to happen was passing push bike riders but this lot had modified their bikes and were in fact lying down to pedal. Looks odd. We only had to drive for four hours before arriving in Ceduna where we have now parked up for a couple of days to allow our bodies to catch up to the clocks.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Monday... 5 October 2015
Well our time in Esperance has come to an end.
We have had a wonderful time here visiting with our friends. They are such lovely warm people. And cook......we are surely going to lose weight crossing the Nullabor. No way can I cook like that! Himself will fade away to a shadow if he thinks I am going to continue providing meals of this standard!! The weather has been mostly kind. These last few days were around the thirty mark and I have managed to start this summers tan already.
Tomorrow we will set off on yet another crossing of the Nullabor as we journey back East.
It goes, it goes, it goes..............that way!
See you on the other side.
We have had a wonderful time here visiting with our friends. They are such lovely warm people. And cook......we are surely going to lose weight crossing the Nullabor. No way can I cook like that! Himself will fade away to a shadow if he thinks I am going to continue providing meals of this standard!! The weather has been mostly kind. These last few days were around the thirty mark and I have managed to start this summers tan already.
Tomorrow we will set off on yet another crossing of the Nullabor as we journey back East.
It goes, it goes, it goes..............that way!
See you on the other side.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Tuesday...29 September 2015
The friend I am visiting has only one serious regret in her life and that is that she never got her drivers licence. Now her husband is a wonderful fellow but he does get tired of having to stop what he is doing to take her to the shops to fetch the groceries she needs to provide all this extra yummy food we are all eating. So we have a sort of a deal. When I am in town, he is happy for me to use their car to drive Miss Daisy to the shops. This works well for all of us. I get some much needed driving practice, he can continue doing man "stuff" with Himself and Miss Daisy can shop her little heart out as long as I am available to drive her. We have had some exciting trips to the shops and the markets etc, and it is nice to be able to browse the stores without the men groaning about how long we are taking. Along the way she has learnt some new words to add to her language skills. I am quite vocal with my opinion on the behaviour of the other drivers on the road! Seriously I do wonder how some of them passed their test. They make you wonder if they actually have a licence and while I am not as good as some I can at least park my vehicle properly between the lines of a parking bay.
Yesterday afternoon I wanted to nap but Miss Daisy wanted to shop! Heaving huge sighs of discontent I gave up my nap and took her to the shops. The outcome was a dessert so divine that we made lots of noises while eating it and the visiting dinner guests asked for the recipe! Another gloriously triumphant dinner. The main was Roast Pork with all the trimmings and dessert was Tia Maria Chocolate Sauce with Strawberries over Vanilla Ice Cream. Today's lunch was Chicken, Spinach and Feta parcels in Fillo pastry.
Is it any wonder we are in no hurry to hit the road again?
Yesterday afternoon I wanted to nap but Miss Daisy wanted to shop! Heaving huge sighs of discontent I gave up my nap and took her to the shops. The outcome was a dessert so divine that we made lots of noises while eating it and the visiting dinner guests asked for the recipe! Another gloriously triumphant dinner. The main was Roast Pork with all the trimmings and dessert was Tia Maria Chocolate Sauce with Strawberries over Vanilla Ice Cream. Today's lunch was Chicken, Spinach and Feta parcels in Fillo pastry.
Is it any wonder we are in no hurry to hit the road again?
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Wednesday...23 September 2015
Himself got his F250 back from the paint and panel shop late on Monday afternoon. It does look nice. He had the roof and bonnet resprayed as it was deteriorating rather badly and looking seriously patchy. Along with the paint job came a nice new windscreen. To paint the roof and bonnet properly they needed to take the windscreen out and the old one was due for replacement as it had several nasty stone chips in it. Then Himself and his mate noticed that the headlights looked tired so they ordered new bits and have done a renovation on them too. Himself also got out the vacuum cleaner and gave the inside a real going over before "stuff" went back into it. Hmm Hmm, all nice and new again.
While they were busy out front I got busy out back and did the washing. If this keeps up we are in serious danger of being described as "active" again!!!
The weather yesterday and today has been glorious. Cool in the morning but once the sun gets with the program the day is wonderfully warm and then it cools off again around sunset. Perfect!
My recipe collection is increasing daily as Her indoors is cooking up a storm. Who would want to go to restaurants when you have your own at home? Yesterday was Chicken, Feta and Spinach parcels in Fillo pastry. Today's lunch was Spinach Quiche and tonight dinner is Scotch Steak, Eggs and Chips.The other day we had Rhubarb cake and Rhubarb and Apple Crumble has also been on the menu. I love visiting these people. I always leave a few ton heavier but it is SO worth it!!!!
While they were busy out front I got busy out back and did the washing. If this keeps up we are in serious danger of being described as "active" again!!!
The weather yesterday and today has been glorious. Cool in the morning but once the sun gets with the program the day is wonderfully warm and then it cools off again around sunset. Perfect!
My recipe collection is increasing daily as Her indoors is cooking up a storm. Who would want to go to restaurants when you have your own at home? Yesterday was Chicken, Feta and Spinach parcels in Fillo pastry. Today's lunch was Spinach Quiche and tonight dinner is Scotch Steak, Eggs and Chips.The other day we had Rhubarb cake and Rhubarb and Apple Crumble has also been on the menu. I love visiting these people. I always leave a few ton heavier but it is SO worth it!!!!
Monday, September 21, 2015
Monday... 21 September 2015
Yesterday I helped the friend we are currently visiting, cook a beautiful home made lasagne and my friend made a "to die for" apple and rhubarb crumble. Then her daughter and partner arrived with a couple of dozen oysters which made the perfect starters. Wonderful night, great food, much merriment. The evening ended with us teaching the friends daughter how to play the new board game that has kept us all entertained during this current bout of wet weather.
I have sorted and packed as much of our stuff as I can in an attempt at tidiness and in readiness to travel again. Living in such a small space means you simply cannot let anything get away from you. I spend a large part of my down time putting away and tidying up. Cannot believe we have been here two weeks already. Time surely does fly when you enjoy where you are and what you are doing.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Saturday...19 September 2015
We had a couple of days of beautiful sunny weather, warm enough to take the coats and cardigans off. Today it is cold, wet and very windy! Do hope the worst of this changing weather is done by the time we set off on our travels again. We would save on fuel but I seriously do not fancy being blown back across the Nullabor!
The new leg has arrived and been fitted so we are no longer legless. The boys have looked at the slides and discovered that the couch is causing it to tilt and to work hard going in and out. Honestly we cannot work out why such a heavy couch has been installed in a caravan. It is so heavy that when they moved it, the slide rode in and out very easily. Himself and I went on a new couch hunting mission around the available furniture stores in Esperance, (choice of three) but were unable to find a suitable replacement. We will continue to look as we continue our travels.
The spray painter called yesterday and said we can have our car back on Monday, it is finished but they wanted it to sit for a bit and allow the paint to settle properly before giving it back to us so that is another job taken care of.
Himself get the hose out yesterday and gave the caravan a good wash so it is all sparkly clean and looking loved. No doubt our friends and their neighbours will like seeing the sun gleaming off it when we finally get sunshine again.
The new leg has arrived and been fitted so we are no longer legless. The boys have looked at the slides and discovered that the couch is causing it to tilt and to work hard going in and out. Honestly we cannot work out why such a heavy couch has been installed in a caravan. It is so heavy that when they moved it, the slide rode in and out very easily. Himself and I went on a new couch hunting mission around the available furniture stores in Esperance, (choice of three) but were unable to find a suitable replacement. We will continue to look as we continue our travels.
The spray painter called yesterday and said we can have our car back on Monday, it is finished but they wanted it to sit for a bit and allow the paint to settle properly before giving it back to us so that is another job taken care of.
Himself get the hose out yesterday and gave the caravan a good wash so it is all sparkly clean and looking loved. No doubt our friends and their neighbours will like seeing the sun gleaming off it when we finally get sunshine again.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Wednesday...16 September 2015
Talked the friends into trying a new board game.
Think we have created a monster!
She loves it, she is addicted to it, she wants to play day and night!
No dementia for her, it is a game that requires strategy and lots of thinking.
Seriously we all enjoy playing this one.
Great way to kill a rainy day.
Think we have created a monster!
She loves it, she is addicted to it, she wants to play day and night!
No dementia for her, it is a game that requires strategy and lots of thinking.
Seriously we all enjoy playing this one.
Great way to kill a rainy day.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Sunday...13 September 2015
After a few days of absolutely glorious weather, it has been raining now since mid afternoon yesterday. Oh well I am sure it will return to sunshine eventually! And I did get my washing done and off the line before the rain arrived so not too much to complain about.
What to do when it rains?
Lets play a game she said. Oh what game we said. A game about Australia she said. Oh the sounds interesting we said (been there, done that, smirk smirk!). Well guess what? It is much harder than it looked and it is amazing just how much about this great land of ours the average person does NOT know. A fun time was had by all with much laughter and moans and groans when the contestant was sure they had the correct answer only to find out they did not! Will definitely be playing that game again, great fun.
Himself and his mate that we are currently visiting have been busy working their way through the list of things that need doing to maintain our rig. They have pulled out the front leg to look at why it is not wanting to work and discovered that it needs replacing so a new part is on order and is due to be delivered toward the end of next week. They have put new strips of anti slip on the front door steps, the old ones were beginning to look a bit ragged and were becoming a safety issue of their own, the F250 has been booked to have the roof and bonnet repainted and when it stops raining they will adjust the slides. Nothing major wrong with the slides, the mechanism that works them gets a bit slack with constant use and needs regular maintenance to stay level. Then we should be all good to go back on the road to continue our travels.
No rush, we are having great fun here in Esperance.
What to do when it rains?
Lets play a game she said. Oh what game we said. A game about Australia she said. Oh the sounds interesting we said (been there, done that, smirk smirk!). Well guess what? It is much harder than it looked and it is amazing just how much about this great land of ours the average person does NOT know. A fun time was had by all with much laughter and moans and groans when the contestant was sure they had the correct answer only to find out they did not! Will definitely be playing that game again, great fun.
Himself and his mate that we are currently visiting have been busy working their way through the list of things that need doing to maintain our rig. They have pulled out the front leg to look at why it is not wanting to work and discovered that it needs replacing so a new part is on order and is due to be delivered toward the end of next week. They have put new strips of anti slip on the front door steps, the old ones were beginning to look a bit ragged and were becoming a safety issue of their own, the F250 has been booked to have the roof and bonnet repainted and when it stops raining they will adjust the slides. Nothing major wrong with the slides, the mechanism that works them gets a bit slack with constant use and needs regular maintenance to stay level. Then we should be all good to go back on the road to continue our travels.
No rush, we are having great fun here in Esperance.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Thursday...10 September 2015
Still in Esperance, still having a great time.
Good food, alcohol, good friends, lots of warm, wet kisses from the puppies.
It's the perfect world for wandering nomads.
Good food, alcohol, good friends, lots of warm, wet kisses from the puppies.
It's the perfect world for wandering nomads.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Saturday...5 September 2015
The noisy neighbour shut down his noise way sooner than expected and peace and quiet settled over our caravan. I have had a good nights sleep and my attitude has been adjusted accordingly!
When we arrived yesterday lunch was home made pea and ham soup. Have already asked for the recipe as it is way better than mine. Dinner last night was slow cooked lamb shanks. Divine!
This house has two adorable long haired miniature dachshunds and bless their little hearts they appear to have remembered us. They initially came out the door barking furiously and then as soon as Himself spoke they stopped barking and started "talking" to us and jumping for joy around our feet.
The weather today is looking a bit dull and dismal right now but perhaps it will brighten up as they day goes by. Bit like me really, I start out slow and miserable and improve as the bones and muscles remember how to work each day. Fingers crossed the sun gets with the program.
When we arrived yesterday lunch was home made pea and ham soup. Have already asked for the recipe as it is way better than mine. Dinner last night was slow cooked lamb shanks. Divine!
This house has two adorable long haired miniature dachshunds and bless their little hearts they appear to have remembered us. They initially came out the door barking furiously and then as soon as Himself spoke they stopped barking and started "talking" to us and jumping for joy around our feet.
The weather today is looking a bit dull and dismal right now but perhaps it will brighten up as they day goes by. Bit like me really, I start out slow and miserable and improve as the bones and muscles remember how to work each day. Fingers crossed the sun gets with the program.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Friday...4 September 2015
Yesterday we moved from Mandurah toward Esperance.
We ended up free camping on the side of the road about half way between Newdegate and Lake King. We had thought we might try the caravan park at Newdegate but wouldn't you know it, yesterday was Day 2 of the Newdegate field days.
As we travelled toward Newdegate from Wagin the oncoming traffic seemed unusually heavy for the area and we found out as we approached Newdegate that the annual field days were just ending for this year and all that traffic was visitors and exhibitors alike slowly making their way back home after the two day event. What a shame we missed it. When we lived up north we often saw the ads on television for this big event and here we were at last in the area and did not know it was on and missed it! Bother!!!
Anyway there did not seem to be much point in trying for a spot at the small local caravan park so we continued until we found ourselves a fairly large parking spot and that's where we chose to stop for the night. Middle of nowhere but once again, wouldn't you know it, as we took off this morning just a few metres down the road from us there were other campers who had done the same thing. You are never truly alone in this great land of ours.
After a fairly pleasant drive of just on 300 km we arrived at our friends house in Esperance. How lovely to see them again. It has been just over two years since our last visit. I sit in my caravan in their back yard listening to one of their neighbours being very loud and reminding myself that it is Friday night and one needs to cut the noisy neighbour some slack so that he/she can enjoy their time off, when all I really want to do is find them and smash their noisy sound system into firewood as I am very tired from our travels and did not sleep well last night and was really looking forward to a good sleep tonight! Perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow night.......
We ended up free camping on the side of the road about half way between Newdegate and Lake King. We had thought we might try the caravan park at Newdegate but wouldn't you know it, yesterday was Day 2 of the Newdegate field days.
As we travelled toward Newdegate from Wagin the oncoming traffic seemed unusually heavy for the area and we found out as we approached Newdegate that the annual field days were just ending for this year and all that traffic was visitors and exhibitors alike slowly making their way back home after the two day event. What a shame we missed it. When we lived up north we often saw the ads on television for this big event and here we were at last in the area and did not know it was on and missed it! Bother!!!
Anyway there did not seem to be much point in trying for a spot at the small local caravan park so we continued until we found ourselves a fairly large parking spot and that's where we chose to stop for the night. Middle of nowhere but once again, wouldn't you know it, as we took off this morning just a few metres down the road from us there were other campers who had done the same thing. You are never truly alone in this great land of ours.
After a fairly pleasant drive of just on 300 km we arrived at our friends house in Esperance. How lovely to see them again. It has been just over two years since our last visit. I sit in my caravan in their back yard listening to one of their neighbours being very loud and reminding myself that it is Friday night and one needs to cut the noisy neighbour some slack so that he/she can enjoy their time off, when all I really want to do is find them and smash their noisy sound system into firewood as I am very tired from our travels and did not sleep well last night and was really looking forward to a good sleep tonight! Perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow night.......
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Wednesday...2 September 2015
We have had nearly a month in Mandurah and I have to say, the weather has not been the best! Today was to have been fine and sunny but sadly it was windy and overcast. Most of our time here it has been raining and windy. A shame really as tomorrow we move on again and will take with us a rather poor picture of what is usually a lovely spot. Oh well, we cannot win them all as the saying goes. Better luck at the next stop.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wednesday...26 August 2015
Daughter has come down from Perth to visit and she came bearing gifts.
We now have a lovely new Dyson fan+heater. I love the idea that it replaces both my old fan and my old heater with one stylish new item.
We are very lucky to be given this and I am sure we will bless this child at regular intervals as we continue our travels.
She also bought along a happy hour platter laden with nuts, meats, assorted onions and dried fruits. She also produced a shopping bag full of cheeses and pates and dry biscuits. Something in that for everyone.
Himself is enjoying playing with the new "toy".
At least it keeps his mind off the pain after the skin people took another big chunk out of his back today. The biopsy from last week excision was not good so they deemed it wise to reopen his previous procedure and enlarge the excision to be sure they had taken all of the nasty out. Fingers crossed they have it all. He must have check ups more regularly now and cannot stretch the muscles in his back for a month to allow the hole to heal. The original excision had three stitches, this one has more than ten! Poor him.
We now have a lovely new Dyson fan+heater. I love the idea that it replaces both my old fan and my old heater with one stylish new item.
We are very lucky to be given this and I am sure we will bless this child at regular intervals as we continue our travels.
She also bought along a happy hour platter laden with nuts, meats, assorted onions and dried fruits. She also produced a shopping bag full of cheeses and pates and dry biscuits. Something in that for everyone.
Himself is enjoying playing with the new "toy".
At least it keeps his mind off the pain after the skin people took another big chunk out of his back today. The biopsy from last week excision was not good so they deemed it wise to reopen his previous procedure and enlarge the excision to be sure they had taken all of the nasty out. Fingers crossed they have it all. He must have check ups more regularly now and cannot stretch the muscles in his back for a month to allow the hole to heal. The original excision had three stitches, this one has more than ten! Poor him.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Tuesday...25 August 2015
This is the view we have out the big back window of our caravan here in the Mandurah district. On a nice sunny day like today it is a very pleasant sight.
There is a constant stream of people walking, riding bikes and leading dogs along the path and they keep us amused all day.
Himself did not break any of his stitches, thank goodness, and he is healing quite nicely....BUT... we had a call today from the Molescan clinic asking him to come back in tomorrow. The only explanation we have been given is that they need to do a further procedure. Stay tuned!
While he is off being hacked about, I will do lunch with one of the daughters who is coming down to see us for a couple of days.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Friday...21 August 2015
It has been raining off and on now for three days. Such a shame really as the weather before this was looking like the end of the cold wet season had arrived. Guess I was wrong!
Himself has been busy.
On Tuesday he drove back up to Perth to get the results of his skin biopsy (all clear) and to have a suspicious mole cut off his back. Not allowed to remove the dressing until Sunday so not sure how many stitches are under there. He was ok on Tuesday but by Wednesday morning the dressing was one big bloody mess! I have a nasty idea that he has popped at least one of those stitches.
Then on Wednesday he drove back to Perth and flew to Karratha to visit our taxation person and file our overdue tax returns. Two hours driving to Perth, two hours flying to Karratha, four hours on the ground and then two hours flying back to Perth and two hours driving back to Mandurah. A very long day. While I had wind and rain in camp he had sunshine and 34 in Karratha. Guess we know who had the best day. Just quietly I think he enjoyed the whole thing, it was a bit like his old working life of meetings, hire cars, plane trips, Business Class and the Qantas club!
The caravan park we are in backs onto a water view and lots of people walk their dogs around this area so I have a constant supply of puppies to watch. The variety is endless. As I type I have been watching a very small pooch trying to convince its human that this is not fit weather for man nor dog as they walk in the rain. It has been sitting down and refusing to walk even though the human has a giant sized umbrella that easily keeps both of them dry. Bless the human, he has been endlessly patient with his sulky pooch.
Himself has been busy.
On Tuesday he drove back up to Perth to get the results of his skin biopsy (all clear) and to have a suspicious mole cut off his back. Not allowed to remove the dressing until Sunday so not sure how many stitches are under there. He was ok on Tuesday but by Wednesday morning the dressing was one big bloody mess! I have a nasty idea that he has popped at least one of those stitches.
Then on Wednesday he drove back to Perth and flew to Karratha to visit our taxation person and file our overdue tax returns. Two hours driving to Perth, two hours flying to Karratha, four hours on the ground and then two hours flying back to Perth and two hours driving back to Mandurah. A very long day. While I had wind and rain in camp he had sunshine and 34 in Karratha. Guess we know who had the best day. Just quietly I think he enjoyed the whole thing, it was a bit like his old working life of meetings, hire cars, plane trips, Business Class and the Qantas club!
The caravan park we are in backs onto a water view and lots of people walk their dogs around this area so I have a constant supply of puppies to watch. The variety is endless. As I type I have been watching a very small pooch trying to convince its human that this is not fit weather for man nor dog as they walk in the rain. It has been sitting down and refusing to walk even though the human has a giant sized umbrella that easily keeps both of them dry. Bless the human, he has been endlessly patient with his sulky pooch.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Sunday...16 August 2015
Finally got some nice sunshine and a touch of warmth. Not sure how long it will last but happy to take it while I can.
The Perth daughter came down to stay with us for the weekend. We have drunk copious amounts of wine and played games (Sequence and Yahtzee) all weekend. Most pleasant way to past the time even if the daughter won most of the time!
Must be going to rain again. The corellas are carrying on absolutely silly. They are doing cartwheels across the ground and hanging upside down from the trees.
Last night the pub around the corner had live music very loudly until midnight but then things quietened down. Tonight I have my fingers crossed that the new arrivals in the whizz bang parked near us have good bladders! If they have to go walkies off and on all night I will not be a happy camper listening to the sound of their sliding door doing the noisy whizz bang each and every time they go into and out of their vehicle.
The Perth daughter came down to stay with us for the weekend. We have drunk copious amounts of wine and played games (Sequence and Yahtzee) all weekend. Most pleasant way to past the time even if the daughter won most of the time!
Must be going to rain again. The corellas are carrying on absolutely silly. They are doing cartwheels across the ground and hanging upside down from the trees.
Last night the pub around the corner had live music very loudly until midnight but then things quietened down. Tonight I have my fingers crossed that the new arrivals in the whizz bang parked near us have good bladders! If they have to go walkies off and on all night I will not be a happy camper listening to the sound of their sliding door doing the noisy whizz bang each and every time they go into and out of their vehicle.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Monday...10 August 2015
The wind blew very strongly last night. The noise was horrible and the sound of the awning flapping was worse! Himself got up at 4 am and after untying the ropes and straps that were supposed to be keeping it steady, wound it up. Blissful silence. Sleep at last!
Up early pretty much as usual this morning and the sun is shining and the sky is a murky blue. The ground is wet with puddles all over and the wind is still blowing but I think it has eased off a bit.
I sure hope this weather front is done for now. Came here for the warmer weather and the lovely blue skies, none of which I have had much of so far. Come on WA you can do better than this.
And having said that and stopped long enough to check my spelling before hitting the finished button, down came the rain!
Looks like another day inside reading and playing computer games. Ho hum!
Up early pretty much as usual this morning and the sun is shining and the sky is a murky blue. The ground is wet with puddles all over and the wind is still blowing but I think it has eased off a bit.
I sure hope this weather front is done for now. Came here for the warmer weather and the lovely blue skies, none of which I have had much of so far. Come on WA you can do better than this.
And having said that and stopped long enough to check my spelling before hitting the finished button, down came the rain!
Looks like another day inside reading and playing computer games. Ho hum!
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Thursday...6 August 2015
The Perth daughter made us her famous lamb roast the other night and then sent us home with the left over roast and vegetables. Did not have to cook for two nights and then I used the rest and made a small shepherds pie. I do like a gift that just keeps on giving!
We went for our Molescan visit yesterday. I got the all clear but Himself has to go back to have a couple of suspect spots surgically removed. After that we wore ourselves out walking around Ikea. That place has so many good ideas.
We were invited out for dinner last night, had a lovely BBQ in front of the wonderfully warm log fire and played Sequence afterwards. What a great game, must buy one for the caravan.
Moving day again today, left Perth and moved to Mandurah.
Will need to return to the city for various appointments but mostly we can relax and chill out again.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Monday...3 August 2015
Perth.
Blue skies, sun shining. Small problem with the temperature, it could go up a few notches, but it is nice to have blue skies again.
After being away for so long it is odd seeing so many WA number plates!
Today I think I will get a chair out and read a book in the sun.
Blue skies, sun shining. Small problem with the temperature, it could go up a few notches, but it is nice to have blue skies again.
After being away for so long it is odd seeing so many WA number plates!
Today I think I will get a chair out and read a book in the sun.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Wednesday...29 July 2015
Nullabor done and dusted!
It is a long long way to go just to see what is on the other side!
As well as the usual convoys of trucks, there were lots of caravans out there, mostly going east. It was sort of nostalgically nice to cross cattle grids again, been a while since they were a regular feature of our travels.
We stopped at the Head of the Great Australian Bight and spent a couple of hours whale watching. Apparently that particular spot is one of the Southern Right Whale nurseries and we saw at least fourteen whales and calves. Fascinating creatures to watch and the new board walk that goes right to the edge of the Bight allows the illusion of being close to them as they feed and frolic close to shore in total safety.
Of course we saw the usual push bike riders crossing the iconic Nullabor. The total count for our trip was 13 going east and 2 going west. I am not sure if I think they are completely off their rockers or if they are the bravest of the brave to take on that part of this enormously arid and empty country.
The road signage included warnings to watch out for kangaroos, emus, wombats, cows and camels. Sadly we saw most of the same animals as road kill, including a camel!
We camped out for two nights and at one of the spots we stopped for lunch, we found a tree with a beautiful aboriginal painting. Guessing it is an accepted meeting spot for various groups. I love dot paintings and of course the colours are always so vibrant.
It is a long long way to go just to see what is on the other side!
As well as the usual convoys of trucks, there were lots of caravans out there, mostly going east. It was sort of nostalgically nice to cross cattle grids again, been a while since they were a regular feature of our travels.
We stopped at the Head of the Great Australian Bight and spent a couple of hours whale watching. Apparently that particular spot is one of the Southern Right Whale nurseries and we saw at least fourteen whales and calves. Fascinating creatures to watch and the new board walk that goes right to the edge of the Bight allows the illusion of being close to them as they feed and frolic close to shore in total safety.
Of course we saw the usual push bike riders crossing the iconic Nullabor. The total count for our trip was 13 going east and 2 going west. I am not sure if I think they are completely off their rockers or if they are the bravest of the brave to take on that part of this enormously arid and empty country.
The road signage included warnings to watch out for kangaroos, emus, wombats, cows and camels. Sadly we saw most of the same animals as road kill, including a camel!
We camped out for two nights and at one of the spots we stopped for lunch, we found a tree with a beautiful aboriginal painting. Guessing it is an accepted meeting spot for various groups. I love dot paintings and of course the colours are always so vibrant.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Saturday...25 July 2015
Pt Augusta to Ceduna. 456 km. Another long day but felt shorter because we were not constantly slowing down or stopping for town after town. Out here there is a long way between stops.
We will park up for the weekend so that Himself can watch the end of the Tour de France and then it is off to cross the Nullabor. Before we set off, I will cook up a storm and use as many of my fresh vegetables as possible otherwise I will have them taken off us at the SA/WA border control station. They took all our fruit and tomatoes back at the SA/Vic border. They left the vegetables, not sure why but the next mob always take the lot.
We have just been told that there are whales visible in the Great Australian Bight so might take a bit of extra time to stop and have a look as we go past that point of our journey.
We will park up for the weekend so that Himself can watch the end of the Tour de France and then it is off to cross the Nullabor. Before we set off, I will cook up a storm and use as many of my fresh vegetables as possible otherwise I will have them taken off us at the SA/WA border control station. They took all our fruit and tomatoes back at the SA/Vic border. They left the vegetables, not sure why but the next mob always take the lot.
We have just been told that there are whales visible in the Great Australian Bight so might take a bit of extra time to stop and have a look as we go past that point of our journey.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Friday...24 July 2015
Buronga to Pt Augusta. 541 km. Via Renmark, Morgan, Burra, Crystal Brook and Port Pirie!
This was not the plan! However as always Himself got a little carried away with the driving. He says his bum is not as sore now but golly I think mine is!!!
Look out Ceduna, here we come!
Isn't it funny how the minute Himself looks like getting out on the wide open road he goes back into north west mode and drives all day?????
This was not the plan! However as always Himself got a little carried away with the driving. He says his bum is not as sore now but golly I think mine is!!!
Look out Ceduna, here we come!
Isn't it funny how the minute Himself looks like getting out on the wide open road he goes back into north west mode and drives all day?????
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Thursday...23 July 2015
A big days travel today for Himself and his sore bum. Echuca to Buronga which is on the NSW side of the Murray River at Mildura.
We got up this morning in a pea soup fog which made the camp pack up a little bit cold and damp. Could not wait for the engine to warm up so that I could turn on the car heater. When we got on the road visibility was not good but we expected it would improve fairly quickly, but it stayed that way until nearly lunch time! As soon as the fog did finally lift and the sun was shining through the big front window of the ute, we had to put the air conditioner on! Crazy!
We have stopped for the night at a caravan park we have used before and bless them, they gave us a lovely drive through site so we did not even have to unhitch. Perfect.
We got up this morning in a pea soup fog which made the camp pack up a little bit cold and damp. Could not wait for the engine to warm up so that I could turn on the car heater. When we got on the road visibility was not good but we expected it would improve fairly quickly, but it stayed that way until nearly lunch time! As soon as the fog did finally lift and the sun was shining through the big front window of the ute, we had to put the air conditioner on! Crazy!
We have stopped for the night at a caravan park we have used before and bless them, they gave us a lovely drive through site so we did not even have to unhitch. Perfect.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Tuesday...21 July 2015
Began our travels again yesterday.
Only up the road to the next big town but at least we are on the way!
A couple of weeks ago Himself had a coughing fit and initially suppressed the cough but then when he went to take a breath, nothing happened and down he went, crash bang boom! I think he passed out. As he fell he hit his head on the bench and his back on the cupboards and his bum hard on the floor. Anyway we got him back to his feet and he was walking alright but said his bum hurt. I said he should go to the doctor and he said not to be so silly it was only a bruise.
A week or so later he had to admit it was more than a bruise when it was uncomfortable for him to move around and to drive the car. We had been to visit the other daughter, a two hour trip each way and he was unable to sit for that long. So off he went to the doctor for X-rays.
He has a dislocated coccyx and can expect some discomfort for at least six weeks. This makes travelling difficult for him. He is on pills for pain and anti inflammatorys. We have bought a foam cushion for him to sit his sore bits on and this helps but right now our best progress will be town by town instead of state by state each day! Mileage will be low and I can see us doing a lot of free camping to balance the budget but every days travel is another day closer to warmer weather.
Only up the road to the next big town but at least we are on the way!
A couple of weeks ago Himself had a coughing fit and initially suppressed the cough but then when he went to take a breath, nothing happened and down he went, crash bang boom! I think he passed out. As he fell he hit his head on the bench and his back on the cupboards and his bum hard on the floor. Anyway we got him back to his feet and he was walking alright but said his bum hurt. I said he should go to the doctor and he said not to be so silly it was only a bruise.
A week or so later he had to admit it was more than a bruise when it was uncomfortable for him to move around and to drive the car. We had been to visit the other daughter, a two hour trip each way and he was unable to sit for that long. So off he went to the doctor for X-rays.
He has a dislocated coccyx and can expect some discomfort for at least six weeks. This makes travelling difficult for him. He is on pills for pain and anti inflammatorys. We have bought a foam cushion for him to sit his sore bits on and this helps but right now our best progress will be town by town instead of state by state each day! Mileage will be low and I can see us doing a lot of free camping to balance the budget but every days travel is another day closer to warmer weather.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Sunday...19 July 2015
Daughter and I went to the Sheep and Wool Show today. Himself went yesterday and stayed most of the day. We saw craft including ladies actually spinning fleece and weaving and knitting. We tasted jams and chilli's and ate burgers and donuts. We watched a shearing competition and a wool classing display. Having walked into and through every building we could find and watched the fashion show we headed up the other end of the oval and entered the sheep judging buildings. Ahhh, the smell, it never changes!
Anyway daughter was in heaven walking around looking at all the beautiful Merino's and then we entered another building with various other breeds in it. With permission from the handlers she was allowed to "pat" a sheep and feel its lovely soft fleece.
We heard a stud auction and watched a sheepdog trail. And to finish the day off we visited the display of black sheep. I can remember when being black as a sheep was a no no but now they are prized by home spinners for their natural fleece colours.
Quite a day out and there is still work to do here at camp. Tomorrow is moving day and I must tidy the rig ready for the off in the morning. Then it is off to dinner with the daughter and a last play time with the grandchild before our departure.
I do like the facilities this town has, just not very keen on the winter chill. We will return when the weather warms up again and this camper is less grumpy!!!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Monday...13 July 2015
It is cold.
It is windy.
It is raining.
It is grey and miserable.
Apparently, it is Winter!
Do I feel like adding anything more?
No.
It is windy.
It is raining.
It is grey and miserable.
Apparently, it is Winter!
Do I feel like adding anything more?
No.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Thursday...9 July 2015
Still in the cold country. How people can willingly spend time in this much cold is beyond me. This is why I think houses must be warmer than caravans. I know caravans are cheaper to heat then houses but sadly the heat does not stay around very long in my caravan. We have a long list of stuff we must do before moving again but the cold has made getting them done hard. Still we continue to make plans to travel again soon.
Usually I love television at this time of the year. Wimbledon and the Tour de France and the AFL and the NRL and the State of Origin and for an added bonus we have the cricket happening too! I used to stay up half the night to watch Wimbledon and the Tour. Sadly I think most of the sport available now is unwatchable.
I gave up on ladies tennis years ago as I hate the way they carry on squealing and grunting. Nothing ladylike about any of that! And now the worst examples of unsportsmanlike behaviour is coming from two of our men. Disgraceful! These two should be banned from playing any of the top tournaments for a year and be made to earn their right to the grand slam events again. And channel 7 should refuse to show any of their matches on national television. Until there is cause and effect these idiots will continue to bring their sport into disrepute. I also wonder how they got to be so bad without anyone doing something to pull them into line much sooner.
The press is full of stories about the Tour and the AFL and NRL and drugs. How can we have any respect for the participants or believe in the results as being true and fair if they are running on illicit substances? And according to some sections of the media, the cricket is decided by the bookies!!! Such a shame that sport, the opiate of the populace, has been tainted so badly that it no longer holds any real joy for the average man on the street. I for one turn it off more than I turn it on. Really Sad.
Usually I love television at this time of the year. Wimbledon and the Tour de France and the AFL and the NRL and the State of Origin and for an added bonus we have the cricket happening too! I used to stay up half the night to watch Wimbledon and the Tour. Sadly I think most of the sport available now is unwatchable.
I gave up on ladies tennis years ago as I hate the way they carry on squealing and grunting. Nothing ladylike about any of that! And now the worst examples of unsportsmanlike behaviour is coming from two of our men. Disgraceful! These two should be banned from playing any of the top tournaments for a year and be made to earn their right to the grand slam events again. And channel 7 should refuse to show any of their matches on national television. Until there is cause and effect these idiots will continue to bring their sport into disrepute. I also wonder how they got to be so bad without anyone doing something to pull them into line much sooner.
The press is full of stories about the Tour and the AFL and NRL and drugs. How can we have any respect for the participants or believe in the results as being true and fair if they are running on illicit substances? And according to some sections of the media, the cricket is decided by the bookies!!! Such a shame that sport, the opiate of the populace, has been tainted so badly that it no longer holds any real joy for the average man on the street. I for one turn it off more than I turn it on. Really Sad.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Saturday...4 July 2015
Went into town yesterday and got a much needed haircut. While we were there we popped into the youngest daughters new store. Great shop, lovely staff. Could not resist such beautiful clothes even if they are a bit more than I usually spend and came away with two heavy bags and a much much lighter wallet! On the way back to camp we stopped off to visit with the new grandchild. What a happy happy baby. Always smiling, rarely grumpy.
A couple of people have commented on my recent posts about the caravan hiccups.
They have suggested that maybe the caravan is reaching its use by date. Not really, it is just ongoing break down and maintenance. If you think about your house and the leaking taps or broken pavers out in the yard or the big oil leak in the drive way or the crack in your shower screen etc, ours comes under the same heading. Just ongoing "stuff" that happens! And you only know about this because I write about what ever is happening in my day, good and bad. Mine may be a little more frustrating than yours or I may not handle it as well as you do and mine may impact on me more as I have no other alternative than to deal with whatever comes my way. There is no putting things off in a caravan! Things break, things get fixed, well most of the time they do, and we move on with life.....after I have a big or little sook about it depending on how much the event affects me.
The caravan is as sturdy as ever and still attracting a lot of attention. I have long since got used to the size and splendour of it all and find peoples amazement a bit surprising. We are still giving guided tours, and explaining the finer points of a fifth wheeler for full time travel. Several people have expressed interest in buying one, but so far none have come back with a healthy check book or their bank manger to talk to us!
We looked at a lot of property in Echuca last week but so far nothing has got us excited so we will continue to travel looking for a place to call home. Who knows, maybe we never will!!!
A couple of people have commented on my recent posts about the caravan hiccups.
They have suggested that maybe the caravan is reaching its use by date. Not really, it is just ongoing break down and maintenance. If you think about your house and the leaking taps or broken pavers out in the yard or the big oil leak in the drive way or the crack in your shower screen etc, ours comes under the same heading. Just ongoing "stuff" that happens! And you only know about this because I write about what ever is happening in my day, good and bad. Mine may be a little more frustrating than yours or I may not handle it as well as you do and mine may impact on me more as I have no other alternative than to deal with whatever comes my way. There is no putting things off in a caravan! Things break, things get fixed, well most of the time they do, and we move on with life.....after I have a big or little sook about it depending on how much the event affects me.
The caravan is as sturdy as ever and still attracting a lot of attention. I have long since got used to the size and splendour of it all and find peoples amazement a bit surprising. We are still giving guided tours, and explaining the finer points of a fifth wheeler for full time travel. Several people have expressed interest in buying one, but so far none have come back with a healthy check book or their bank manger to talk to us!
We looked at a lot of property in Echuca last week but so far nothing has got us excited so we will continue to travel looking for a place to call home. Who knows, maybe we never will!!!
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Thursday...2 July 2015
Moving day again. Echuca to Bendigo........sort of!
Up nice and early, have you seen how bloody cold it is first thing in the morning? Anyway, unlike some of the occupants of this caravan, I was up just after seven o'clock. I did have the alarm set for half past but the little room was calling me very loudly so gave up and just got up earlier than planned. Then we went through the usual routine of me calling him and him ignoring me or just plain rolling over and going back to sleep for a while before reluctantly getting up and getting started on the moving day routine. Hooray. Progress.
So we did eventually get packed up and hooked up and off we went, just before the mandatory ten o'clock check out time. Five minutes later having just exited the caravan park and established our travel sequence there was an almighty metallic CRACKING that was loud enough to have every one walking in the street we were driving down, stop and look at us!
Now we all know this cannot be good!
As soon as we could, about five hundred metres further along our route, we pulled over to check out the rig. Hmmmm he says as he disappeared under the wheel area of the caravan. What what what I said as I wondered what the hell had happened. Himself eventually came out from under the caravan to inform me that we had a broken spring hanger. Yep, know what he means, keep breaking hangers myself!
Apparently not so simple. We had to unhook the caravan beside the road and I got to sit in it and be guard dog while he drove off to see what he could do about spare parts. So I sat with a cup of tea and a biscuit and a magazine and several crosswords and a novel and my phone to wait for his return. Three hours later he came back....... empty handed.
Next move was to ring the youngest brother and ask him for technical information in the form of local knowledge for likely places to acquire the needed spare parts. We also asked for a couple of lumps of wood of a certain height to help raise the caravan to enable the repairs to happen. Bless him he dropped everything and came to help. Thanks LB, much appreciated.
Himself eventually sourced the needed bits and then spent nearly an hour on his back in the dirt under the caravan to replace not one but two spring hangers as he found that the other one was also broken. Clever man bought four on the off chance he would need them so now he will make time and replace the other two as well and then we should have no further trouble with them as the ones he used as replacements are way stronger than the originals.
By now it was three thirty and we could finally head off to Bendigo. It was nearly five o'clock when we arrived and then we had another hiccup. The site we were booked on had been taken off us and given to a bigger rig that was staying longer. Damn! But the park owner personally escorted us to the area we were assigned and offered us a double site which is actually better than where we were meant to be. Win win for us.
We were way late for happy hour but golly that first glass tasted sooooo good!
By the time we got to site it was getting dark so we did a lick and promise set up and will fix everything properly tomorrow. We are way too tired today to bother any more.
Up nice and early, have you seen how bloody cold it is first thing in the morning? Anyway, unlike some of the occupants of this caravan, I was up just after seven o'clock. I did have the alarm set for half past but the little room was calling me very loudly so gave up and just got up earlier than planned. Then we went through the usual routine of me calling him and him ignoring me or just plain rolling over and going back to sleep for a while before reluctantly getting up and getting started on the moving day routine. Hooray. Progress.
So we did eventually get packed up and hooked up and off we went, just before the mandatory ten o'clock check out time. Five minutes later having just exited the caravan park and established our travel sequence there was an almighty metallic CRACKING that was loud enough to have every one walking in the street we were driving down, stop and look at us!
Now we all know this cannot be good!
As soon as we could, about five hundred metres further along our route, we pulled over to check out the rig. Hmmmm he says as he disappeared under the wheel area of the caravan. What what what I said as I wondered what the hell had happened. Himself eventually came out from under the caravan to inform me that we had a broken spring hanger. Yep, know what he means, keep breaking hangers myself!
Apparently not so simple. We had to unhook the caravan beside the road and I got to sit in it and be guard dog while he drove off to see what he could do about spare parts. So I sat with a cup of tea and a biscuit and a magazine and several crosswords and a novel and my phone to wait for his return. Three hours later he came back....... empty handed.
Next move was to ring the youngest brother and ask him for technical information in the form of local knowledge for likely places to acquire the needed spare parts. We also asked for a couple of lumps of wood of a certain height to help raise the caravan to enable the repairs to happen. Bless him he dropped everything and came to help. Thanks LB, much appreciated.
Himself eventually sourced the needed bits and then spent nearly an hour on his back in the dirt under the caravan to replace not one but two spring hangers as he found that the other one was also broken. Clever man bought four on the off chance he would need them so now he will make time and replace the other two as well and then we should have no further trouble with them as the ones he used as replacements are way stronger than the originals.
By now it was three thirty and we could finally head off to Bendigo. It was nearly five o'clock when we arrived and then we had another hiccup. The site we were booked on had been taken off us and given to a bigger rig that was staying longer. Damn! But the park owner personally escorted us to the area we were assigned and offered us a double site which is actually better than where we were meant to be. Win win for us.
We were way late for happy hour but golly that first glass tasted sooooo good!
By the time we got to site it was getting dark so we did a lick and promise set up and will fix everything properly tomorrow. We are way too tired today to bother any more.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Monday...29 June 2015
Bad weekend. Our internet died!
Three days with nothing, then we finally found a Telstra shop who gave us a number to call Bigpond. What a joke, why bother having shops if the staff cannot help you. And why do we have to deal with faceless people who only want to sell us another modem rather than fix our problem. This one is two months old and was purchased outright at a Telstra store! If it needs replacing it should be under warranty.
Himself was on the phone, mobile of course, on the one call for over three and a half hours being shunted from pillar to post from technical support to billing then back to another technical support and still no joy. We are now operating on a wireless modem that only works if we use a plug in cable and even that is hit and miss!
Then they rang us back as we sat down to dinner and tried to put the entire mess on to us and that call ended with Himself asking for the phone numbers for Optus and the Ombudsman! After that he turned his phone off for the night and we will now wait until we reach a big town with a Telstra Business store and then we will see if the matter cannot be resolved. Utter frustration. We do not need this much grief in our lives right now, there is much more important things to use our time (and the internet) for. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Thursday...25 June 2015
Another moving day.
Hay to Echuca today.
Good drive, easy travelling.
Set up camp told the kids we were here and within hours the one further down the road was on the door step! She did bring the grandchild with her so happy campers all round.
Very tired now.
Hay to Echuca today.
Good drive, easy travelling.
Set up camp told the kids we were here and within hours the one further down the road was on the door step! She did bring the grandchild with her so happy campers all round.
Very tired now.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Wednesday...24 June 2015
On the move again.
Condobolin to Hay today. We did not get to pack up yesterday so had to do it all today and being on the slow side these days we did not get away until just before lunch. We grabbed a sausage roll at West Wyalong and kept on going but before long I had started yawning and that set Himself off too so we have stopped at the Showgrounds in Hay for the night which means we do not have to unhitch and it is fairly cheap too. AND the internet works! It sort of worked back in Condo but it required a lot of patience and we all know how much of that I have!!!!!
Condobolin to Hay today. We did not get to pack up yesterday so had to do it all today and being on the slow side these days we did not get away until just before lunch. We grabbed a sausage roll at West Wyalong and kept on going but before long I had started yawning and that set Himself off too so we have stopped at the Showgrounds in Hay for the night which means we do not have to unhitch and it is fairly cheap too. AND the internet works! It sort of worked back in Condo but it required a lot of patience and we all know how much of that I have!!!!!
Monday, June 22, 2015
Monday...22 June 2015
Blimey it is cold! We do not do Winter as a rule and being this cold for this long is not making me a happy little camper. I still have a cough, food still tastes awful, and worse yet my wine is undrinkable! I wonder how long before my taste buds get back to normal?
It has been bitterly cold overnight and most mornings we get up in a pea soup fog and cannot see the other campers here in the caravan park until mid morning. The days are fine and clear as such but the temperature stays very low (13). I did the washing yesterday and took it straight from the machine to the dryer even though the sun was officially shining. Another lady hung her washing on the line and still had to put it in the dryer after a full day in the sun!
The camp kitchen has a wood heater which is always going and this is a nice place to spend time keeping warm while chatting to other travellers for morning tea of scones with jam and cream supplied by the park managers and again later in the day for happy hour.
Nearly time for us to be on the move again. Stay tuned!
It has been bitterly cold overnight and most mornings we get up in a pea soup fog and cannot see the other campers here in the caravan park until mid morning. The days are fine and clear as such but the temperature stays very low (13). I did the washing yesterday and took it straight from the machine to the dryer even though the sun was officially shining. Another lady hung her washing on the line and still had to put it in the dryer after a full day in the sun!
The camp kitchen has a wood heater which is always going and this is a nice place to spend time keeping warm while chatting to other travellers for morning tea of scones with jam and cream supplied by the park managers and again later in the day for happy hour.
Nearly time for us to be on the move again. Stay tuned!
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Thursday...18 June 2015
Slowly improving. Very tired and a bit foggy in the brain department. Have taken all my pills like a good girl, this is a first for me, I usually start and then forget somewhere in the middle of it all. Definitely not bouncing like I used to.
It has been raining for the last couple of days. More than an inch so the local farmers are happy. To quote one person I heard, at least it has washed the dust off the crops! If it continues for the rest of the week the local crops will be off to a good start.
We have been out to the farm for lunch a couple of times and met them in town for a coffee as well. They are going away this weekend but we will catch up with them when they get back and then it will be time for us to continue our journey.
The caravan park people have a bird they bring to morning tea and happy hour. It has a habit of trying to steal everyone's drink.
It has been raining for the last couple of days. More than an inch so the local farmers are happy. To quote one person I heard, at least it has washed the dust off the crops! If it continues for the rest of the week the local crops will be off to a good start.
We have been out to the farm for lunch a couple of times and met them in town for a coffee as well. They are going away this weekend but we will catch up with them when they get back and then it will be time for us to continue our journey.
The caravan park people have a bird they bring to morning tea and happy hour. It has a habit of trying to steal everyone's drink.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Friday...12 June 2015
Ok that is enough excitement for me.
Had no sooner finished partying and then I ended up in hospital with pneumonia.
Only I could manage that much drama so early in the week. After doing the hospital shake, rattle and roll for a few days and being on my best behaviour they finally let me out again today. They loaded me up with a couple of packets of pills and puffers and some very strict instructions about completing all the pills so that the bug causing my problems really does die and does not make a unexpected comeback.
(I had nebulisers, which make you shake, I had about sixteen pills a day, which make you rattle, and I had a bung in for IV antibiotics and that rolled all over the place!). They threw in a chest Xray and an ECG and a bucket load of blood tests just to make me and my health fund feel loved!
If you catch that flu I was talking about, be kind to yourself, it has a hell of a sting in its tail!
Had no sooner finished partying and then I ended up in hospital with pneumonia.
Only I could manage that much drama so early in the week. After doing the hospital shake, rattle and roll for a few days and being on my best behaviour they finally let me out again today. They loaded me up with a couple of packets of pills and puffers and some very strict instructions about completing all the pills so that the bug causing my problems really does die and does not make a unexpected comeback.
(I had nebulisers, which make you shake, I had about sixteen pills a day, which make you rattle, and I had a bung in for IV antibiotics and that rolled all over the place!). They threw in a chest Xray and an ECG and a bucket load of blood tests just to make me and my health fund feel loved!
If you catch that flu I was talking about, be kind to yourself, it has a hell of a sting in its tail!
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Tuesday...9 June 2015
What a weekend.
I have spent it watching one much loved 80 year old celebrate her birthday with family and friends. You could not get the smile off her face. Her greatest present was to have her family and friends around her and in numbers to be reckoned with.
On Saturday night 96 sat down to a formal dinner at her local RSL club. There is something very special to be in a room full of happy people all talking and reconnecting after years apart. It was a birthday party but underneath it was also a huge family reunion. This formal event was hosted by her daughter who made finger food for before the dinner and lovely little chocolate coated nibbles to be served with the birthday cake, which she also cooked, for dessert.
On Sunday it was open house all day out at the property. Once again they came in force! When we arrived, the back paddock had over 20 cars parked and I found more when I went around the front of the homestead. At times it was standing room only inside as we all paid homage to the birthday girl who sat surrounded by her family and friends in her own home with a smile from ear to ear.
And food......
When we arrived morning tea was being served, it was followed by a casserole lunch and then came afternoon tea and as we were leaving late in the afternoon I heard mention of what was on the menu for the evening meal. Once again this was all organised and mostly cooked by her daughter. The urn ran hot all day and someone had to have ended up with dish pan hands from washing all those cups and mugs to keep up with the demand. Outside the men chatted as they do about crops and sheep and heaven knows what, while inside we were admiring her 92 year old brother's Order of Australia Medal (OAM) which he received in this years honours list, What a pretty medal and what an honour to meet the recipient of such a prestigious award.
The birthday girls husband also did his bit and played tour guide, taking groups of visitors through the paddocks to the property at the back of his place to visit Christ the King Chapel. Out there nearly 50 km from town, one man has built a beautiful chapel in the middle of his place that is open to any and all who care to visit it.
A big weekend and it could not have happened without an awful lot of organisation and I take my hat off to her husband, daughter, grandson and his partner for all their hard work. I am sure everyone had a good time and will remember this one for a long long time. Well done everyone.
I have spent it watching one much loved 80 year old celebrate her birthday with family and friends. You could not get the smile off her face. Her greatest present was to have her family and friends around her and in numbers to be reckoned with.
On Saturday night 96 sat down to a formal dinner at her local RSL club. There is something very special to be in a room full of happy people all talking and reconnecting after years apart. It was a birthday party but underneath it was also a huge family reunion. This formal event was hosted by her daughter who made finger food for before the dinner and lovely little chocolate coated nibbles to be served with the birthday cake, which she also cooked, for dessert.
On Sunday it was open house all day out at the property. Once again they came in force! When we arrived, the back paddock had over 20 cars parked and I found more when I went around the front of the homestead. At times it was standing room only inside as we all paid homage to the birthday girl who sat surrounded by her family and friends in her own home with a smile from ear to ear.
And food......
When we arrived morning tea was being served, it was followed by a casserole lunch and then came afternoon tea and as we were leaving late in the afternoon I heard mention of what was on the menu for the evening meal. Once again this was all organised and mostly cooked by her daughter. The urn ran hot all day and someone had to have ended up with dish pan hands from washing all those cups and mugs to keep up with the demand. Outside the men chatted as they do about crops and sheep and heaven knows what, while inside we were admiring her 92 year old brother's Order of Australia Medal (OAM) which he received in this years honours list, What a pretty medal and what an honour to meet the recipient of such a prestigious award.
The birthday girls husband also did his bit and played tour guide, taking groups of visitors through the paddocks to the property at the back of his place to visit Christ the King Chapel. Out there nearly 50 km from town, one man has built a beautiful chapel in the middle of his place that is open to any and all who care to visit it.
A big weekend and it could not have happened without an awful lot of organisation and I take my hat off to her husband, daughter, grandson and his partner for all their hard work. I am sure everyone had a good time and will remember this one for a long long time. Well done everyone.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Tuesday...2 June 2015
Condobolin.
Golly it is cold! Right now it is zero. But apparently it will get better once the sun comes up, top today is expected to be 12! But the little thingy on Himself's phone says it will warm up later in the week to a top of 16. We will be all nice and toasty then.........
We are over our flu thank goodness but this cold stuff has made my nose spring a leak, most irritating. Beginning to think I should buy shares in Kleenex.
We have developed a problem with the front legs of the caravan. On our arrival late yesterday as Himself was raising them there was a lot of nasty noises and eventually they refused to go up or down. It would seem we have broken a bolt or something that helps make the mechanism do its thing. This is not a good thing to happen. For starters we are unable to level the van which is done by raising the front legs so although he wound it up as much as he could manually, once the bolt broke that was it, no up, no down. Guess we know what he will be doing with all his free time for the next week or so! We cannot move on until it is fixed and until he does fix it I need to get used to living with my balance out of wack!
Golly it is cold! Right now it is zero. But apparently it will get better once the sun comes up, top today is expected to be 12! But the little thingy on Himself's phone says it will warm up later in the week to a top of 16. We will be all nice and toasty then.........
We are over our flu thank goodness but this cold stuff has made my nose spring a leak, most irritating. Beginning to think I should buy shares in Kleenex.
We have developed a problem with the front legs of the caravan. On our arrival late yesterday as Himself was raising them there was a lot of nasty noises and eventually they refused to go up or down. It would seem we have broken a bolt or something that helps make the mechanism do its thing. This is not a good thing to happen. For starters we are unable to level the van which is done by raising the front legs so although he wound it up as much as he could manually, once the bolt broke that was it, no up, no down. Guess we know what he will be doing with all his free time for the next week or so! We cannot move on until it is fixed and until he does fix it I need to get used to living with my balance out of wack!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Sunday...31 May 2015
Moving day again.
Today we moved from Moree to Dubbo. We were only going to Coonabarabran but we got there before lunch and decided it was way too early to stop for the day so we continued on to Dubbo. It is jolly cold down this way. We have already had the under floor gas heater cranking and it is only afternoon tea time!
On our travels today we saw lots of trucks, this road must be a truck super highway, they certainly out number all other road users on this track. Another thing we noticed was several trucks transporting brand new caravans north. And we also saw plenty of occupied caravans going north for the annual migration of grey nomads. No doubt they thought we were lost and going the wrong way! What we are not seeing lately is the obligatory push bike riding tourist. Maybe it is too cold for them at this time of the year. I do hope the Pillaga Princes still has her Great Coat on, she will need it in this weather!
We did enjoy our time in Moree, it is always nice to sit in the lovely hot pools and soak away the aches and pains and warm ourselves right to the bone. The pools are like a lovely hot bath that never gets cold. I noticed I was moving much more freely by day 2. Himself did at least two sessions per day, his second one was usually late evening, bit chilly for me so he went on his own.
Today we moved from Moree to Dubbo. We were only going to Coonabarabran but we got there before lunch and decided it was way too early to stop for the day so we continued on to Dubbo. It is jolly cold down this way. We have already had the under floor gas heater cranking and it is only afternoon tea time!
On our travels today we saw lots of trucks, this road must be a truck super highway, they certainly out number all other road users on this track. Another thing we noticed was several trucks transporting brand new caravans north. And we also saw plenty of occupied caravans going north for the annual migration of grey nomads. No doubt they thought we were lost and going the wrong way! What we are not seeing lately is the obligatory push bike riding tourist. Maybe it is too cold for them at this time of the year. I do hope the Pillaga Princes still has her Great Coat on, she will need it in this weather!
We did enjoy our time in Moree, it is always nice to sit in the lovely hot pools and soak away the aches and pains and warm ourselves right to the bone. The pools are like a lovely hot bath that never gets cold. I noticed I was moving much more freely by day 2. Himself did at least two sessions per day, his second one was usually late evening, bit chilly for me so he went on his own.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Friday...29 May 2015
Yesterday we moved from Millmerran in Queensland to Moree in New South Wales. About half way we stopped for a quick coffee with Himself's cousin in Goondiwindi. Two hours flew by, so much to catch up on. We will see her again next week further down the road at her mothers 80th birthday party which is where we are going. Will to be a great event, lots of family and friends all in the one place, most excited.
This caravan park has four hot spring pools at varying temperatures and Himself went for a soak last night but I left my run too late and had to stay home out of the cold night air which makes me cough myself silly. Perhaps I can go today sometime when it is a little warmer. I rather fancy a nice long soak in an oversized warm bath!
This caravan park has four hot spring pools at varying temperatures and Himself went for a soak last night but I left my run too late and had to stay home out of the cold night air which makes me cough myself silly. Perhaps I can go today sometime when it is a little warmer. I rather fancy a nice long soak in an oversized warm bath!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Wednesday...27 May 2015
After fighting a losing battle with the flu, we admitted defeat and stopped for a few days to rest and try to get ourselves well again.
We found a nice spot in Millmerran and slept and lazed our days away between pill popping and bowls of home made soup. Lots of tissues and plenty of eucalyptus spray and hand sanitiser helped.
Himself is back to normal and I am down to only one or two coughing attacks every so often. The ability to breathe freely in between coughs is very appreciated.
On his walks around the park Himself noticed these owls in a palm tree near the ablutions.
Around the town there is some absolutely stunning artwork on various buildings and structures.
We found a nice spot in Millmerran and slept and lazed our days away between pill popping and bowls of home made soup. Lots of tissues and plenty of eucalyptus spray and hand sanitiser helped.
Himself is back to normal and I am down to only one or two coughing attacks every so often. The ability to breathe freely in between coughs is very appreciated.
On his walks around the park Himself noticed these owls in a palm tree near the ablutions.
Around the town there is some absolutely stunning artwork on various buildings and structures.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Sunday...24 May 2015
Big day.
Today marks 5 years continuously on the road for the Loftus Caravan!
And they said we wouldn't last five days......ha ha ha.
In that time we have done a couple of laps of Australia and a figure eight just for good measure. There have been lots of other smaller sections but there is still one whole state we have not set foot on yet......Tasmania. It is on the list for sure, just that every time we have thought about going there something has got in the way like floods and fires and family & friends in need.
I guess this means we will have to keep on going, at least until we tick that last big chunk off the list, after that it might be time to settle down a bit and do normal stuff like buying a house and staying home for summer and hitting the road north for winter like all the other grey nomads.
Wish us luck as we continue our journey.
Today marks 5 years continuously on the road for the Loftus Caravan!
And they said we wouldn't last five days......ha ha ha.
In that time we have done a couple of laps of Australia and a figure eight just for good measure. There have been lots of other smaller sections but there is still one whole state we have not set foot on yet......Tasmania. It is on the list for sure, just that every time we have thought about going there something has got in the way like floods and fires and family & friends in need.
I guess this means we will have to keep on going, at least until we tick that last big chunk off the list, after that it might be time to settle down a bit and do normal stuff like buying a house and staying home for summer and hitting the road north for winter like all the other grey nomads.
Wish us luck as we continue our journey.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Saturday...23 May 2015
What do you mean Qld has winter? I thought old Joh passed laws against it!
Yesterday the top temperature here was 15. Really Qld, I am sure you can do better. You even threw in a couple of pea soupers and darkness at 5 pm AND......a day of non stop rain. Lovely soft gentle rain but non stop all the same. Kept us bunkered down in the van doing crosswords and reading or playing computer games. My Bigpond usage went through the roof! Today the sun is shining again so I am hopeful of being able to soak up a few rays to help me with this persistant aching cough.
I got a phone call two days ago from little brother who kindly let me speak to BB who he was visiting in hospital. He has been moved from ICU to a normal ward at last. Wonderful to hear BB's voice and have him tell me himself that he is alright. As you would expect I gave him a piece of my mind for scaring us all AGAIN!
We had a discussion over how many of his nine lives he has managed to use up (3 that I know of) and he reminded me that as a Leo he is fully entitled to his nine lives!
I think that some silly old buggers have a sense of entitlement that they really have no right to!
Yesterday the top temperature here was 15. Really Qld, I am sure you can do better. You even threw in a couple of pea soupers and darkness at 5 pm AND......a day of non stop rain. Lovely soft gentle rain but non stop all the same. Kept us bunkered down in the van doing crosswords and reading or playing computer games. My Bigpond usage went through the roof! Today the sun is shining again so I am hopeful of being able to soak up a few rays to help me with this persistant aching cough.
I got a phone call two days ago from little brother who kindly let me speak to BB who he was visiting in hospital. He has been moved from ICU to a normal ward at last. Wonderful to hear BB's voice and have him tell me himself that he is alright. As you would expect I gave him a piece of my mind for scaring us all AGAIN!
We had a discussion over how many of his nine lives he has managed to use up (3 that I know of) and he reminded me that as a Leo he is fully entitled to his nine lives!
I think that some silly old buggers have a sense of entitlement that they really have no right to!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Wednesday...20 May 2015
BB is still in ICU. Surgery went well but his blood pressure is very low so they are keeping him there until they get him level again. I spoke to his wife this morning. She had been able to talk to him on the phone and said he was cheerful enough, just sore and a bit flat in himself. Fingers crossed he improves.
We continue to ache with the never ending flu. We are actually a lot better but still worn out and having a hard time shaking the cough. We made a decision to just stop and do nothing for a few days and that has helped but it is a very persistent bug.
We continue to ache with the never ending flu. We are actually a lot better but still worn out and having a hard time shaking the cough. We made a decision to just stop and do nothing for a few days and that has helped but it is a very persistent bug.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday...18 May 2015
Phone call from my sister first thing this morning.
Eldest brother who had a stroke a few years ago, has underestimated his own abilities and yesterday he fell off a friends shed. Heaven knows what he thought he was doing going up there in the first place. Apparently he fell through the roof. Tests show he has sustained a spinal injury. Overnight he was flown from country Victoria to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and this morning he was transferred to the Austin Hospital who are the specialists in spinal cord injuries for Victoria. On arrival there he was taken into surgery as he has unstable L1 & L2 fractures.
He is out now in recovery but no further information is available yet. The ward is still waiting for his paperwork to come down from theatre.
Silly bugger, more lives than a cat but again he will face a long recovery and seriously hard work to come back from this misfortune. Get well BB!
Eldest brother who had a stroke a few years ago, has underestimated his own abilities and yesterday he fell off a friends shed. Heaven knows what he thought he was doing going up there in the first place. Apparently he fell through the roof. Tests show he has sustained a spinal injury. Overnight he was flown from country Victoria to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and this morning he was transferred to the Austin Hospital who are the specialists in spinal cord injuries for Victoria. On arrival there he was taken into surgery as he has unstable L1 & L2 fractures.
He is out now in recovery but no further information is available yet. The ward is still waiting for his paperwork to come down from theatre.
Silly bugger, more lives than a cat but again he will face a long recovery and seriously hard work to come back from this misfortune. Get well BB!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Friday...15 May 2015
After two nights of limited sleep we picked up the caravan and took to the road again. Still a big fan of the modern motorway. Has to be the fastest and straightest way out of any town! Within an hour we were in open country again leaving the noisy and crowded city behind us.
We pulled up for the night on the edge of a little country town. After dinner and a couple of quiet ones we ran out of television shows to watch so Himself headed off to bed. He was up again within half an hour to complain that the sound of the clock ticking in the absolute silence of the bush was deafening! The peace and quiet was really noticeable. Sudden silence can be just as scary as the constant city traffic! We did manage to adjust and had a wonderful sleep. The temperature dropped to 2 degrees which was rather a shock but the bigger shock was the alarm going off. We set an alarm the day the caravan had to go into the work shop but obviously Himself did not turn it completely off and bright and early this morning, on a day we could sleep until lunch if we wanted, off went the alarm! Just as well it was on his side of the bed, I would have thrown it through the unopened window myself!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Wednesday...13 May 2015
So after spending the night illegally camping outside the fix it shop on the Gold Coast, we handed the caravan over yesterday morning to have the roof fixed "again". Then we found a caravan park cabin to spend the next two nights in....right next to and hard up against the M1 motorway AND at the end of the runway approach to the Gold Coast Airport! Boy oh boy, we sure can pick em!!!! To be fair the cabin is cosy and has every thing needed but nothing could insulate us from the surrounding noises. Loud. Constant. Horrific. Just when we convinced ourselves the motorway would settle down after peak hour along came the southbound trucks roaring through the night. Exhaustion eventually allowed us to fall asleep but we needed no alarms clocks, several city flyer early morning flights took care of that little detail in our weary lives! And we get to do it all again today and tonight. Will definitely be finding somewhere else to stay if the van takes longer than quoted!
Monday, May 11, 2015
Monday... 11 May 2015
Well bugger me! Himself's brother nearly did it again. Got a phone call to say they were outside our caravan park this morning, the shame of it is that we did not know they were coming and we checked out this morning. By the time they rang us we were way down south on the Gold Coast instead of up north on the Sunshine Coast which is where we had been for the two weeks before. Close Charlie, real close, better luck next time.......
Had a great time in Caloundra with the eldest and her family. Did not do as much as we all would have liked as us oldies caught ourselves a cold/flu and spent much of the visit somewhat under the weather but it was still wonderful just to see them and catch up on their lives. The whole family live very busy lives with work, sport and school. I think they should install a revolving front door to handle the traffic through there.
Last night they took us out to dinner for Mothers Day and for Himself's birthday which is today. We had pizza and then they produced a cake and sang him happy birthday. Well done kids. Himself cannot remember the last time he got a birthday cake so it was either a very long time ago or he has begun to develop old timers!
Today was moving day. We needed to get our van to the roof repair man by lunchtime, then we waited all afternoon only to have them say they would do something tomorrow. Bit late in the day to organise anything else so we are camping over the road in a little area that may or may not be ok for us to be using. No doubt someone will soon tell us if we need to move but until then this very sick worn out old granny is gonna park up for the night and rest!
Had a great time in Caloundra with the eldest and her family. Did not do as much as we all would have liked as us oldies caught ourselves a cold/flu and spent much of the visit somewhat under the weather but it was still wonderful just to see them and catch up on their lives. The whole family live very busy lives with work, sport and school. I think they should install a revolving front door to handle the traffic through there.
Last night they took us out to dinner for Mothers Day and for Himself's birthday which is today. We had pizza and then they produced a cake and sang him happy birthday. Well done kids. Himself cannot remember the last time he got a birthday cake so it was either a very long time ago or he has begun to develop old timers!
Today was moving day. We needed to get our van to the roof repair man by lunchtime, then we waited all afternoon only to have them say they would do something tomorrow. Bit late in the day to organise anything else so we are camping over the road in a little area that may or may not be ok for us to be using. No doubt someone will soon tell us if we need to move but until then this very sick worn out old granny is gonna park up for the night and rest!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Wednesday...6 May 2015
Himself went back down the Hwy on Sunday for a second try at watching Australia v New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium. I would have thought after all that effort the very least Australia could do would be to win, but no, the Kiwis made them look like rank amateurs. I do believe that several players and the coach should be looking for new jobs!
Himself however come home a winner. He won the catch the flu competition! Which he was kind enough to share with me. Who is a lucky girl? Both of us have a constant ticklish cough and aching eyeballs. Sleep is not happening, cannot stop coughing long enough to enter the land of nod and any attempt to lay down brings on more coughing. Still if I must be sick I am in a nice place. Outside I have lots of fresh air and sunshine and that often cures most things.
Today Himself has driven back down the highway to the Gold Coast to see what can be done about the caravan roof. I do hope he comes home with some answers or at least a good idea of how we can fix it and put a stop to the leaks. The concern now is that the actual roof under the rubber membrane may be going rotten or at the very least mouldy if the rain is being trapped under there. Fingers crossed!!
Himself however come home a winner. He won the catch the flu competition! Which he was kind enough to share with me. Who is a lucky girl? Both of us have a constant ticklish cough and aching eyeballs. Sleep is not happening, cannot stop coughing long enough to enter the land of nod and any attempt to lay down brings on more coughing. Still if I must be sick I am in a nice place. Outside I have lots of fresh air and sunshine and that often cures most things.
Today Himself has driven back down the highway to the Gold Coast to see what can be done about the caravan roof. I do hope he comes home with some answers or at least a good idea of how we can fix it and put a stop to the leaks. The concern now is that the actual roof under the rubber membrane may be going rotten or at the very least mouldy if the rain is being trapped under there. Fingers crossed!!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Saturday...2 May 2015
Himself spent nearly 8 hours stuck in traffic on the Bruce Hwy last night. A big storm hit the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast and dumped enough water that the Brisbane airport shut down, trains stopped and traffic crawled to a halt as water flooded into and around the area.
Himself had a ticket to the Australia and New Zealand Rugby Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last night so he set off from Caloundra a little after 3 pm with plans to drive to Caboolture and get a train into the game which was due to start at 8 pm. As he drove along the rain got harder and harder until he was down to 60 km and eight km from Caboolture the traffic ground to a halt and there it stayed until after 10 pm! Apparently the highway was cut by floodwaters in at least three places and I am reading reports this morning that five people died after their cars were swept away by the flood waters and that others had to stand on the roof of their cars as the water rose around them.
Our grandson was on his way home from university on a train which stopped between stations because the tracks were flooded and he sat on that stationary train for more than four hours and then when it finally did move again it terminated at the next station which left him and a lot of other people stranded for the night in an unknown suburb of Brisbane. His family called in favours and had him picked up and looked after for the night by friends of friends and he is now home safe this morning.
Himself survived his stranding reasonably well once he found out the Rugby match had been postponed until Sunday, but he said it was no picnic. Traffic finally started moving again a little after 10 pm, He said that even after driving the 8 km into Caboolture, fuelling up, calling home (Telstra was down but those with Optus had coverage) then crossing the highway to the north bound lane, he did not see the end of the backed up south bound traffic for another 15 km. One wonders how far back it was before the highway re opened as the traffic had been moving for more than half an hour at that stage! He was very tired when he finally got back a little after midnight.
And he gets to do it all again on Sunday!!
Himself had a ticket to the Australia and New Zealand Rugby Test at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last night so he set off from Caloundra a little after 3 pm with plans to drive to Caboolture and get a train into the game which was due to start at 8 pm. As he drove along the rain got harder and harder until he was down to 60 km and eight km from Caboolture the traffic ground to a halt and there it stayed until after 10 pm! Apparently the highway was cut by floodwaters in at least three places and I am reading reports this morning that five people died after their cars were swept away by the flood waters and that others had to stand on the roof of their cars as the water rose around them.
Our grandson was on his way home from university on a train which stopped between stations because the tracks were flooded and he sat on that stationary train for more than four hours and then when it finally did move again it terminated at the next station which left him and a lot of other people stranded for the night in an unknown suburb of Brisbane. His family called in favours and had him picked up and looked after for the night by friends of friends and he is now home safe this morning.
Himself survived his stranding reasonably well once he found out the Rugby match had been postponed until Sunday, but he said it was no picnic. Traffic finally started moving again a little after 10 pm, He said that even after driving the 8 km into Caboolture, fuelling up, calling home (Telstra was down but those with Optus had coverage) then crossing the highway to the north bound lane, he did not see the end of the backed up south bound traffic for another 15 km. One wonders how far back it was before the highway re opened as the traffic had been moving for more than half an hour at that stage! He was very tired when he finally got back a little after midnight.
And he gets to do it all again on Sunday!!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Thursday...30 April 2015
It started raining last night, it has not stopped yet!
As people will tell you, there is nothing quite like the sound of rain on a tin roof, but the sound of rain on a thin sheet of fibreglass on a caravan is not so soothing. One can hear every individual drop land, loudly, continuously, all night.
This too shall come to pass........(I hope).
Having a great time with the family.
Monday the daughter came to say welcome. Tuesday we planned to go out for dinner but could not get a booking at the chosen place so ended up having Chinese take away at our place with daughter and the two grand daughters. Wednesday we had dinner at the daughters house which was lovely and allowed us to finally catch up with the son in law and the grandson. They all lead such busy lives full of a good mix of work, school and sport but it is not often now that they are all home at the same time and even yesterday we only saw them all by staying still in the one place long enough!
Today I think we will go for a wander around the local shopping centre, it will be warmer and so much brighter than the cold wet and miserable day visible out the window of the caravan!
As people will tell you, there is nothing quite like the sound of rain on a tin roof, but the sound of rain on a thin sheet of fibreglass on a caravan is not so soothing. One can hear every individual drop land, loudly, continuously, all night.
This too shall come to pass........(I hope).
Having a great time with the family.
Monday the daughter came to say welcome. Tuesday we planned to go out for dinner but could not get a booking at the chosen place so ended up having Chinese take away at our place with daughter and the two grand daughters. Wednesday we had dinner at the daughters house which was lovely and allowed us to finally catch up with the son in law and the grandson. They all lead such busy lives full of a good mix of work, school and sport but it is not often now that they are all home at the same time and even yesterday we only saw them all by staying still in the one place long enough!
Today I think we will go for a wander around the local shopping centre, it will be warmer and so much brighter than the cold wet and miserable day visible out the window of the caravan!
Monday, April 27, 2015
Monday...27 April 2015
Moving day. Up early to break camp and move. What is it about moving day? I NEVER sleep well the night before, constantly waking to check the clock!
Today we left Casino, great place. well worth the time to stop and will come back again one day. Weather was wonderful, park is great, loved the peace and quiet.
We took the road back to Bangalow and from there it was onto the M1 just north of Byron Bay. Words cannot describe the wonders of the modern motorway. For over 300 km we were on a divided road that had at least two lanes and sometimes five depending on the location (Think Gold Coast), Into a capital city (Brisbane) and out again without a single traffic light and all at 80 - 100 km/h. This folks is the wonder of modern engineering and road design. I have said it before and I repeat again, it was a Rocking Chair Ride from one side of the city to the other and from one state to another. The only comment I will make is that I missed the sign that said Welcome to Qld! How did I miss the border? Was it marked? And when are they going to take into account my aversion to heavy traffic flow on the roads I am travelling?
The eldest was pleased to see us and came for a visit. We are in a caravan park that is literally over the road from the local big shopping centre and only a couple of hundred metres from the many popular restaurants and shops of the main street. Bring on happy hour, we can walk to every thing from here!
Today we left Casino, great place. well worth the time to stop and will come back again one day. Weather was wonderful, park is great, loved the peace and quiet.
We took the road back to Bangalow and from there it was onto the M1 just north of Byron Bay. Words cannot describe the wonders of the modern motorway. For over 300 km we were on a divided road that had at least two lanes and sometimes five depending on the location (Think Gold Coast), Into a capital city (Brisbane) and out again without a single traffic light and all at 80 - 100 km/h. This folks is the wonder of modern engineering and road design. I have said it before and I repeat again, it was a Rocking Chair Ride from one side of the city to the other and from one state to another. The only comment I will make is that I missed the sign that said Welcome to Qld! How did I miss the border? Was it marked? And when are they going to take into account my aversion to heavy traffic flow on the roads I am travelling?
The eldest was pleased to see us and came for a visit. We are in a caravan park that is literally over the road from the local big shopping centre and only a couple of hundred metres from the many popular restaurants and shops of the main street. Bring on happy hour, we can walk to every thing from here!
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Sunday...26 April 2015
Road trip today.
Casino to Lismore to Ballina to Byron Bay to Bangalow to Clunes to Lismore to Casino!
At Ballina we saw the big prawn. It weighs 35 tonne and is made from concrete and steel.
After a quick stop at the local Information Centre we took a side visit to the Ballina Lighthouse. Now this is not an overly big structure but it is all by itself in a huge grassed area and can be accessed by car if desired. Just as we arrived a white station wagon pulled up beside it and the occupants were not there to sight see. They sat in the car in the shade of the lighthouse to have a nice quiet chat without any consideration to folk who were genuinely interested in the actual structure. Getting photos without them in it was very difficult!
From there we headed north along the coast road to Byron Bay via Shelley Beach and Lennox Head, both well known and popular surfing beaches.
Byron Bay....boards, boardshorts and boobs! This area has lots of the pretty young things wandering barefoot and wearing as little as possible. And why not in such a lovely setting. Lots of places to eat and/or drink and shops selling surf boards and bikinis. People and traffic all move at a slow steady pace that is both soothing and annoying!
One of the more popular things to do here was to hike to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. We drove out and got to glimpse it as we did a go around because parking was very limited and we were not the only ones to drive out.
We went back into town for a fish and chip lunch then made our way back to base. We took the Bangalow road and found out too late that Bangalow has a very very popular Sunday markets. Traffic in the town was bumper to bumper and the entire town looked like one big parking lot and given that it only had a main street I have no idea where the actual markets were as all we could see was the mobs of people in the main street and cars cars and more cars along the main street and up every little side road available. There was no signage for the markets. Perhaps it is so well known that everyone knows and there is no need to advertise it any more. Our loss.
Casino to Lismore to Ballina to Byron Bay to Bangalow to Clunes to Lismore to Casino!
At Ballina we saw the big prawn. It weighs 35 tonne and is made from concrete and steel.
After a quick stop at the local Information Centre we took a side visit to the Ballina Lighthouse. Now this is not an overly big structure but it is all by itself in a huge grassed area and can be accessed by car if desired. Just as we arrived a white station wagon pulled up beside it and the occupants were not there to sight see. They sat in the car in the shade of the lighthouse to have a nice quiet chat without any consideration to folk who were genuinely interested in the actual structure. Getting photos without them in it was very difficult!
From there we headed north along the coast road to Byron Bay via Shelley Beach and Lennox Head, both well known and popular surfing beaches.
Byron Bay....boards, boardshorts and boobs! This area has lots of the pretty young things wandering barefoot and wearing as little as possible. And why not in such a lovely setting. Lots of places to eat and/or drink and shops selling surf boards and bikinis. People and traffic all move at a slow steady pace that is both soothing and annoying!
One of the more popular things to do here was to hike to the Byron Bay Lighthouse. We drove out and got to glimpse it as we did a go around because parking was very limited and we were not the only ones to drive out.
We went back into town for a fish and chip lunch then made our way back to base. We took the Bangalow road and found out too late that Bangalow has a very very popular Sunday markets. Traffic in the town was bumper to bumper and the entire town looked like one big parking lot and given that it only had a main street I have no idea where the actual markets were as all we could see was the mobs of people in the main street and cars cars and more cars along the main street and up every little side road available. There was no signage for the markets. Perhaps it is so well known that everyone knows and there is no need to advertise it any more. Our loss.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday...21 April 2015
After a couple of months of having our internet connection drop in and out more often than a drunk at his local, we took our mobile internet dongle to the dongle doctor. They said it was terminal and our best option was to do the humane thing and put it down! In its place we now have a nice new 4G Advanced II wifi dongle. It took two days and five calls to Telstra but it is finally working the way the nice people who sold it to us said it would! It is faster than lightning. This is good. Sorta. Now we are chewing through our monthly data faster than ever before......
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Tuesday...14 April 2015
Still in Casino, still waiting for the NSW and Qld school holidays to end.
While we wait we have been blessed with nice weather, now that it has stopped raining! The nights are cool to cold and the days are perfect, warm and sunny without being hot enough to turn on the air conditioner.
We can sit and watch the light aircraft leaving and landing at the airport beside the park and at night we hear trains somewhere not too far away. Last night we had a helicopter hovering over us, Himself thinks they may have been waiting for the landing lights to be turned on at the airport.
The bays of the park are separated by lovely high hedges of lilly pilly and they in turn provide homes and hideaways for all sorts of little birds and tiny skinks. We often see blue wrens and lorikeets roost in a gum tree at the end of our allocated space.
Part of this whole set up is a "Over 55's" Village. Believe me, some of them are way over 55! Zimmer frames and gophers nearly out number cars around here. Still it is interesting to watch them going about their day as they stroll, play golf, bingo, cards, snooker, bowls and a dozen other activities available to them (which we as guests are also welcome to join in) and keep active.
Casino has all the usual country town services. There are lots of shops as well as a Coles, Woolworths and Aldi. I have passed a large nursing home so I gather there is a hospital somewhere.
Down the road 30 km is Lismore. Lismore is a fairly large town. It is big enough to have a Masters and a Bunnings! Himself was a happy camper when he spotted that. Another 30 km past Lismore is Ballina which is larger again and from there it is only 30 km to Byron Bay. Perhaps we should research this district in more depth?
While we wait we have been blessed with nice weather, now that it has stopped raining! The nights are cool to cold and the days are perfect, warm and sunny without being hot enough to turn on the air conditioner.
We can sit and watch the light aircraft leaving and landing at the airport beside the park and at night we hear trains somewhere not too far away. Last night we had a helicopter hovering over us, Himself thinks they may have been waiting for the landing lights to be turned on at the airport.
The bays of the park are separated by lovely high hedges of lilly pilly and they in turn provide homes and hideaways for all sorts of little birds and tiny skinks. We often see blue wrens and lorikeets roost in a gum tree at the end of our allocated space.
Part of this whole set up is a "Over 55's" Village. Believe me, some of them are way over 55! Zimmer frames and gophers nearly out number cars around here. Still it is interesting to watch them going about their day as they stroll, play golf, bingo, cards, snooker, bowls and a dozen other activities available to them (which we as guests are also welcome to join in) and keep active.
Casino has all the usual country town services. There are lots of shops as well as a Coles, Woolworths and Aldi. I have passed a large nursing home so I gather there is a hospital somewhere.
Down the road 30 km is Lismore. Lismore is a fairly large town. It is big enough to have a Masters and a Bunnings! Himself was a happy camper when he spotted that. Another 30 km past Lismore is Ballina which is larger again and from there it is only 30 km to Byron Bay. Perhaps we should research this district in more depth?
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Thursday...9 April 2015
Here we sit in Casino. Casino is a town in NSW. Must be careful to say we are in Casino not at the casino! We were lucky enough to make camp before it rained for four days. And we got another roof leak! (Same place as last time) Definitely not a happy camper! We paid a bloke an awful lot of money not too long ago to fix the last leak and that repair came with a ten year warranty and that was in November 2013. So we spent another few nights sleeping on the mattress on the lounge room floor while water dripped into buckets in the bedroom.
Eventually it stopped raining and the long wait for the fine weather to dry out everything (including us!) began. Once it was dry enough Himself was able to look on the roof to see what our problem was and has managed to do a spot repair that should get us far enough up the road to have the head office of the fix it company look at our problem. Fingers crossed that they honour their warranty.
So ever noticed that when one thing goes wrong lots of other little things go wrong too?
Because we leaked, I needed to dry the feather doona, woollen underlay and foam eggshell off the bed as well as wash and dry the doona cover, the top sheet and the bottom sheet and the four pillowcases, or in other words all the linen that goes to making a bed! This needed lots of one dollar coins to feed the washing machines and dryers. It is Easter and the park is packed and it is raining. Many people wanted to use the laundry facilities. I was happy to take my turn but alas, myself and several others could not do our washing as none of us had the correct change to work the equipment. The office had no change for the entire Easter break and it did not occur to them to empty the machines to get some change! By the time we gave up asking and Himself went into town to the bank to get me some change, the linen was going mouldy! Well at least it did eventually get washed and although it was not hot, it was not raining and a cool breeze was blowing which meant I could put the washing on the line and not have to use the dryers. The first sheet I hung on the line, the line broke and dumped my clean sheet on the muddy ground. That did it! That is when I finally lost my cool. The pegs in my hands got thrown in the air and the air turned a black shade of blue for several yards around my vicinity! And to add more insult to the story, not long after picking it up and rehanging it and its mates on another line to dry, it started raining again. Back to the line to get the washing and put it into the dryer after all.
In the meantime it continues to stay dry and our little house is slowly drying out both inside and out and life is starting to feel normal for us again. The days are warm without being too hot and the nights are cool enough to allow comfortable sleep. But more rain is forecast later in the week.
Eventually it stopped raining and the long wait for the fine weather to dry out everything (including us!) began. Once it was dry enough Himself was able to look on the roof to see what our problem was and has managed to do a spot repair that should get us far enough up the road to have the head office of the fix it company look at our problem. Fingers crossed that they honour their warranty.
So ever noticed that when one thing goes wrong lots of other little things go wrong too?
Because we leaked, I needed to dry the feather doona, woollen underlay and foam eggshell off the bed as well as wash and dry the doona cover, the top sheet and the bottom sheet and the four pillowcases, or in other words all the linen that goes to making a bed! This needed lots of one dollar coins to feed the washing machines and dryers. It is Easter and the park is packed and it is raining. Many people wanted to use the laundry facilities. I was happy to take my turn but alas, myself and several others could not do our washing as none of us had the correct change to work the equipment. The office had no change for the entire Easter break and it did not occur to them to empty the machines to get some change! By the time we gave up asking and Himself went into town to the bank to get me some change, the linen was going mouldy! Well at least it did eventually get washed and although it was not hot, it was not raining and a cool breeze was blowing which meant I could put the washing on the line and not have to use the dryers. The first sheet I hung on the line, the line broke and dumped my clean sheet on the muddy ground. That did it! That is when I finally lost my cool. The pegs in my hands got thrown in the air and the air turned a black shade of blue for several yards around my vicinity! And to add more insult to the story, not long after picking it up and rehanging it and its mates on another line to dry, it started raining again. Back to the line to get the washing and put it into the dryer after all.
In the meantime it continues to stay dry and our little house is slowly drying out both inside and out and life is starting to feel normal for us again. The days are warm without being too hot and the nights are cool enough to allow comfortable sleep. But more rain is forecast later in the week.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Thursday...2 April 2015
So driving up the road today from Macksville to Casino via Coffs Harbour and Grafton we passed some interesting signs. Yes we saw The Big Banana as we came through Coffs Harbour, but back to my story.
The first sign said Watch for Koalas. Fairly standard around these parts. The warm and fuzzy koala bear is definitely not endangered here. Now a koala in the wild will rip you or anyone else for that matter to pieces should you be silly enough to attempt to give it a hug or to lift it off the road before some other less caring motorist should iron it flat with a nice new set of Coopers. Those things are lethal weapons. The koalas, I mean, not the Coopers. The claws on their feet and hands are more deadly than a kangaroo in mating season. And speaking of which, we also saw a sign that said Watch out for Kangaroos. After living in the north all those years, I have never really stopped watching for kangaroos. Every tussock of grass blowing in the wind on the side of the road is a possible kangaroo sighting to me!!
The next sign I noticed said Watch for Wild Cattle. Now cattle really are warm and fuzzy creatures with their soulful eyes, so what on earth would make them wild we asked ourselves? The next sign said Watch for Horses. There was a riderless horse prancing across the sign and no one seems to have a problem with them on the loose and out of control, or animals like koalas and kangaroos wandering at will about the country side, but the poor cow that is probably lost and desperately trying to find its way home, is described as a wild animal. You know, I would be wild too if someone described me to the world that way!
And while I think of it, we actually saw a sign recently that said to watch out for deer. Crikey, is there any thing we do not have running loose in this big country of ours?
Along the way today we had alternate patches of bright sunshine and pouring rain. As it is the beginning of the Easter break there were extra police patrols and lots of motorists flashing lights at each other. NSW is also very fond of the fixed speed camera. We should be ok with them, we never go over the limit with the caravan hitched on. Way too dangerous if you have to stop in a hurry.
The first sign said Watch for Koalas. Fairly standard around these parts. The warm and fuzzy koala bear is definitely not endangered here. Now a koala in the wild will rip you or anyone else for that matter to pieces should you be silly enough to attempt to give it a hug or to lift it off the road before some other less caring motorist should iron it flat with a nice new set of Coopers. Those things are lethal weapons. The koalas, I mean, not the Coopers. The claws on their feet and hands are more deadly than a kangaroo in mating season. And speaking of which, we also saw a sign that said Watch out for Kangaroos. After living in the north all those years, I have never really stopped watching for kangaroos. Every tussock of grass blowing in the wind on the side of the road is a possible kangaroo sighting to me!!
The next sign I noticed said Watch for Wild Cattle. Now cattle really are warm and fuzzy creatures with their soulful eyes, so what on earth would make them wild we asked ourselves? The next sign said Watch for Horses. There was a riderless horse prancing across the sign and no one seems to have a problem with them on the loose and out of control, or animals like koalas and kangaroos wandering at will about the country side, but the poor cow that is probably lost and desperately trying to find its way home, is described as a wild animal. You know, I would be wild too if someone described me to the world that way!
And while I think of it, we actually saw a sign recently that said to watch out for deer. Crikey, is there any thing we do not have running loose in this big country of ours?
Along the way today we had alternate patches of bright sunshine and pouring rain. As it is the beginning of the Easter break there were extra police patrols and lots of motorists flashing lights at each other. NSW is also very fond of the fixed speed camera. We should be ok with them, we never go over the limit with the caravan hitched on. Way too dangerous if you have to stop in a hurry.
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