Home now

14.10.12  Sunday.  We're at home now.  We left Cliff Heads on Friday.  I'd not been out of the caravan the previous two days because of the wind and flies.  When we first arrived it was great, there were a few flies and bees but we weren't too concerned.

By Friday Steve was taking Timmy for a walk with my fly net on to keep them off his face.  I don't know where they came from, there were thousands of the little suckers.

We did some shopping in Dongara and had called in Geraldton a few days before.  We leave Timmy in the caravan now when we go to the shops.  Fortunately his little legs can't get him onto the bed so he sleeps on the floor under it.

We have a list of stuff we have to get before we head off to Tasmania.  We've spoken to a few people and Steve has almost decided on solar panels to keep the battery topped up together with an inverter that does something with the t.v.  We also need a digital satellite finder because the one iTech sold us is worse than useless.  In fact I would go so far as to say that we should have researched satellites more comprehensively and bought a different make.

Steve has made a few short films.  I'm sure you'll find this one particularly riveting.

We've got the 'guide to Free-Camping in Tasmania' by Sue and Steve Collis and we'll be using it together with Camp 6 (or 7 if its published) when we leave in February.

We come back to Australia in April and were going to spend time in the Eastern States but we now have a new baby due in April so it's good that we're free spirits and not time poor because we may have to change plan a to plan b or even c.

Forgot to tell you:  In which country is it acceptable to get off your push bike and attend to your toilet needs (knickers and shorts around her knees showing her thighs and bum) on the gravel a metre from the bitumen?

We've seen and passed this couple before, just not that much of her although it could have been her in a bikini and fly net over her face a couple of days ago on her way to the toilet with her toilet roll in her hand.  Steve has waved to them a few times and they've ignored him.  Obviously from a country where privacy and discretion is not embraced.

Cliff Heads

8.10.12 Monday:  We were surprised when we pulled into Cliff Heads.  We thought there may not be any room with it being school holidays but there were only three other caravans here.

It’s a lovely spot; overlooking the ocean with cliffs at the back of us, mostly windy but the flag is flying (the right way up this time thanks to a lesson from my brother-in-law) and the sun is shining.

We just had a visit from the people who we were parked next to in Kalbarri.  They have a trailer tent, which they’d parked at Dongara and had come to check this site out.  They recognized the flag and called in.

Yorkshire Rose Flag

Steve and I had a laugh last night during Happy Hour.  One of the guys was talking about an old couple.  ‘Oh’ he says, ‘they were old, in their middle 50s’.  This guy was no spring chicken (obviously not yet 50) but we thought it was hysterical that he thought middle 50 was old.  We didn’t let on how old we are.

There’s 4 other dogs here and no fighting between them so we’re not fastening Timmy up.  We have to keep him out of the long grass because there’s ticks, snakes and goannas hanging around.  Timmy has been really good; he’s a little ball of fluff with a big bark and doesn’t let anyone who he hasn’t seen before get too close without alerting us.  

Kalbarri

4.10.12  Thursday     We’re at Murchison Caravan Park in Kalbarri, getting up close and cosy with the people on either side of us because the sites are so small.  Steve said last night that if they were any closer they’d be in bed with us.  I have to say that being so close to people is a tad inhibiting, we can hear them speaking and snoring so they can hear us. 

We leave here on Friday and will be free camping now until we get home on the 14^th October.

2.10.2012   Tuesday.  The flies are terrible.  I’m sitting here typing with a fly net over my head.  Steve keeps making facetious comments but I’m not laughing.  The alternative is go inside but I don’t want to do that.

A family has just approached us from Thornlie and I thought they were going to ask about Cystic Fibrosis but she wanted to talk about the caravan as they’re upgrading their pop-top into a larger one with a shower and toilet.

We’ve been parked at Galena Bridge ,#444 in Camp 6 since yesterday morning.  We were going to have a night at Water tank rest area  #445 but the flies there were even worse than here and there was a lot of broken bottles and cans around the place.  We were at Nerren Nerren, #446 the night before and ran into a couple who’d been at Shark Bay.  He explained a few things about the satellite dish to Steve.  We just cannot get a signal and now Steve knows why.  More expense I’m afraid.  I really feel ripped off by iTech who we bought the gear from.  Their after sales service is non existant.

This 24 hour stop is at the side of the river, which is home to black swans, both adults and youngsters.  We watched them yesterday afternoon: One adult was keeping an eye on two little ones which didn’t seem to want to be with the rest of them.  It was quite funny how the littlies kept swimming away from the adult.

Steve took a photo of a lizard yesterday, which was sitting on Timmy’s cushion, and I’ve just seen another one running towards me, and then veering off to go underneath the caravan.  Lizards don’t bother me, snakes do but we’ve not seen any of them.

It’s nice and peaceful; when we got here at about 10.00 yesterday morning there were three caravans.  By the time we went to bed there  were approximatelyt 30.

 I’ve read about ‘Cuddlers’ which are people who get as close as they can to other caravans and we experienced it last night with a family in a motorhome.  We always leave what we think is a suitable distance between other caravans and this motorhome squeezed, yes squeezed, into the space between us.  Talk about being inhibited.  As Steve said, we could hear them so they could hear us, so I put my favourite playlist on to drown them out.  Don’t know if they appreciated some of the songs and classical pieces but I really didn’t care.

There’s only five of us left now.  The people behind us are waiting for a space at Kalbarri, we move there tomorrow for two nights.

Steve disappeared inside the caravan and when he came out he’d made scones for morning tea.  What would I do without him.  He’s the most special person to me, takes care of me in every way, complains about it but smiles when he’s doing it.


What do I give him in return?  I think you know………..

I think the floppy foot is getting better.  It’s not healing fast but I’m sure there’s more movement in it.  I wonder if I should have another nerve condition test done to see if I’m kidding myself or there is in fact something going on but the test is so painful, really really painful.  It’s a decision I’m not going to take lightly and I wouldn’t have it done until January anyway which will be 12 months since the damage occurred.  The orthopaedic surgeon said it would be 18 months and 12 months is 2/3 of the way but if there wasn’t a significant improvement or even none at all which means I’m fooling myself I’d be devastated.  It’s the thought that ‘one day’ I’m going to be able to walk like a normal person that keeps me going.

This trip has been so much more than the last one when I was only two weeks after having my right hip replaced.  I was unable to walk anywhere, getting in and out of bed was so painful, getting into the caravan and truck was like climbing a mountain but this time it’s been great because everything is healed (apart from Floppy).  I still don’t walk anywhere, Steve goes off a few times a day with Timmy and I read my Kindle.

 

Denham/Shark Bay

27.9.2012  Thursday.  At last we seem to have left the red dust behind.   We’re in Denham/Shark Bay in a caravan park and the ground cover is a fine white sand and tiny shells.  We’re staying here until Sunday morning so that Steve can watch the grand final.  We haven’t seen any television since Saturday.  We have no idea as to what’s going on in the world.  Steve has filled the tanks already, the electric is on and we’ve had coffee using water from the electric kettle. 

We have phone reception so will call our girls later.  Just something to make you laugh:  Lily (age 5) was learning about Italy at school and asked her mum did she know about the leaning tower of penis.

26.0.2012 Wednesday.  We keep forgetting what day it is.  The plan is to stay here tonight then move to Denham tomorrow.  When we get reception we’ll see what caravan parks are available so we can get charged up, filled up, cleaned up etc., before moving off to Kalbarri.

We’re overlooking the Shark Bay Marine Park and the weather today is a bit grey and cooler than it has been for the last few days and it’s just started raining which Steve is pleased about because he’s hoping it’ll wash some of the dust off the truck.

There’s no phone reception here although there was some at #462.  We didn’t feel comfortable when we looked at that site.  It reminded me of the place in ‘True Blood’ where the inbred panther family lived, it was really creepy and there was a guy using an angle grinder.  He had a big sign advertising repairs.  When we were parked at Quobba we were told that someone had been living there for 7 years.  It just seemed a really strange place.

24.9.2012    I’m not exactly sure where we’re parked for the next few days.  It’s supposed to be New Beach (#461 in Camp 6) but we seem to have taken a long way round on a badly corrugated road to get here.  It’s supposed to be 6kms but it had to be over 20, maybe even 30+.

Not to worry, we’re in a nice little spot where we can see water.  The book says not to get too close to the water so we’re back a bit.  It’s doubtful we’ll be doing any paddling and Timmy doesn’t like going in it anyway although he’ll be having a bath when he gets home so he returns to his natural colour of cream.

We called into Carnarvon this morning but didn’t stay, just spent $84.00 on essential groceries and $17.00 on two apple turnovers and two coffees, which we had for lunch.  We like to put money into the country shops.