Monday...23 May 2011

Up nice and early thanks to Himself who has an internal body clock second to none! I cheated and deliberately did not set an alarm last night, to be up early enough to take my pills, I figured one day of being lazy would not do too much harm to me or my shingles. But no, right in the middle of a perfect dream, tap tap thump!! He of course then rolled over and went right back to sleep.(No I am not going to tell you what the dream was about!)
Spent the morning going through cupboards just rearranging and sorting and restacking, was actually trying to do a proper clean but the weather and company were against me. It rained last night, quite a bucketing apparently, I did hear rain, sort of sat up, said to self, its raining, then went right back to sleep, thus missing one hell of a storm so they all tell me. Very soggy outside this morning  and our awning was squewiff, looked like it had been to the pub!
Talking of pubs, us and the couple in the next van, went to the pub just over the road from the caravan park today for lunch. Just another local pub but the food was OK and the company was very pleasant. Outside the hotel near the kids playground is a PNG Defence Force Dakota DC3. Bit of a talking point and very hard to miss when you have a plane that big parked at the front door. The exciting bit for the men was that they and any other responsible person can enter it and sit in the cockpit etc, every instrument is still in the thing, put a tank full of fuel in her and technically she could take off if she wasnt tied to the pub and rusting with old age.Fascinating.

We all played the pokies for half an hour and then came home as the folk next door had to take their car in for some repair work. After it came back from the repair shop, us girls took it to go shopping at the local supermarket. They are lovely people and they have the most precious little Tri-color Jack Russell dog called Mia. Mia does not bark and she is ultra smart, she can make humans do what ever she wants them to!! Her owners are from Tasmania and are on their way to work in Qld. Who knows one day our paths may cross again and while it will be nice to chat to Chris and Helen the big attractiion of course will be precious little Mia.
We all went down to the thermal pools again tonite, then came home and had home made apple crumble made with apples supplied by my sister and topping made and cooked by me in the turbo oven, cream supplied by Helen. Not quite perfect but the flavour was there.
Yesterday I used my food dehydrator to dry some sliced apples and today I did beef jerky. I am a very popular girl right now.
Tomorrow is moving day.....Gundy I think but lets wait to find out together.............

Sunday...22 May 2011

Happy birthday to my younger brother, Wally.
Today we slept in for a bit, then when we were up and ready we went down to the local Tourist Information Centre to find out what there is to see and do and when it all happens. Seems there really isn't all that much, well there is but we have done the type of tours they are offering. We will wait until we reach Gundy and get more personally organised tours!
Then it was off to the shops (well the ones that were open in a country town on a Sunday!) to buy me some swimwear so that I can go into the thermal pools. Apparently shops stock budgie smugglers all year round but they only stock ladies swimwear during summer and haven't you noticed dear, it's winter right now and way too cold to be wanting swimwear...............
I was able to purchase a lovely pink hat which looks crocheted but is actually made from paper in China. Still it will keep the sun off me and it seems Himself would prefer this hat to the brown leather Akubra type I have been using. It squashes up and crunches nicely to be stuffed under as seat just like the old one too!
Home again, and it was decided that my 'bathers' would consist of a black pair of shorts from Broome and a black camisole from Noni 'B!
In I went, floated around beautifully, nothing like the water to make one feel a little less heavy, that is until ones bottom persists in floating to the surface no matter how I hold the rest of me!!! Yes I know it also had something to do with trapped air in the pockets of the shorts but.............
Still it surely was the nicest bath I have ever taken and it will not take much talking to get me back into that water again tomorrow.
And I believe we may be doing lunch with our new friends from the caravan beside us which is also a fifth wheeler at the fairly large pub just over the road from the caravan park.
See you all tomorrow....hic.....taxi.......

Saturday...21 May 2011

Another lazy departure day, we made it out of the camp by 10am but only just, but to be honest it probably doesnt really matter to the people at that particular park. They are the most laid back friendly folk we have ever met.
Last nights entertainment was watching a young dad, (wife, two kids, around 20mths and two months!) trying to put up his brand new camper trailer type van/tent thingy. No manual and not a clue! Bits of metal and guy ropes and canvas all over the place. The final result sort of looked like it should, the canvas sagged in places but it must have held up, I did not hear any screaming overnight.
Today's big news: SUN, SUNSHINE, HEAT oh blessed heat again....I started in jeans and finished in cropped pants and lightweight tshirt!
Today we travelled through Narrabri to Moree, via the Pilligia ranges.  Along the way we saw paddock after paddock of cotton crop either waiting to be harvested or just harvested and waiting to go to the gin which is what the mill is called that cleans the cotton bolls before they are sent to market and then onto the factories to be made into jeans for example.
While we are in this district we are hoping to be able to do a tour of a cotton gin and the largest pecan nut farm in the southern hemisphere is in the area and olives somewhere too, so could become quite busy here. Other crops grown include wheat, sunflowers, sorghum.
At this caravan park there are naturally occurring thermal springs which the park has harnessed into four pools. One is 35degrees celcius, the next one is 36c, then 37c and finally 39degrees celcius. One can get into any or all. The pools are very popular with the occupants of the park. Himself had a wonderful dip after dinner, and apparently we are shopping tomorrow for swimming attire for myself (my children and siblings can stop laughing anytime in the next ten years!) so that I too may enjoy the benefits of the spa.