Thursday, 1st May 2014 - Coolagolite, Bermagui … Day 338 of our ‘Around Oz’ tour
I received a reminder this morning that I had an appointment at Centrelink in Wangaratta tomorrow afternoon. It hasn’t been 3 months so it might be about going over to the Age Pension. Bumma, now we have to go into Bega tomorrow.
Later we popped into Bermagui and then back to the Steel Fabricators to pick up Geoff’s scooter rack part that he had an extra hole put in.
I spent the rest of the day cooking, making a bread pudding with the stale gluten free bread, some chicken stock, chicken enchiladas and refried beans. All from scratch, no cheating.
Geoff spent the afternoon doing modifications to the scooter rack to lighten it up a bit.
Friday, 2nd May 2014 - Coolagolite, Bermagui
A cold night with the weather forecast saying we are in for a really cold spell over the next few days. Thank god for the diesel heater which we have on in the mornings and occasionally at night.
After brekky I tried to ring Centrelink to see if I really had to go into Bega for an appointment. There was over a 30 minute wait on a 13 number which was too expensive on a mobile phone so we decided we would go in anyway. We decided we would stop on the way to have a look at the Mumbulla Creek Falls located in the Biamanga National Park. It was 13 kms off the highway of which 9 kms was on a really degraded and rough gravel road and we were glad we weren’t attempting it in the motorhome. When we got there we found a small cascade, really not big enough to be called a falls, which fell into a rock pool. It was pretty enough but nothing really special and it reminded me of Goram Falls on the road between Benalla and Mansfield. But what was good about the place was the amount of work and effort the National Parks had put in to the walk up to the falls and the picnic area below the car park. Very well done and a credit to them. Pity they can’t do something to the road in.
Onto Bega and lob in at Centrelink where the lady at reception told me that I needn’t have bothered to come in as I was only 2 weeks away from the Aged Pension. All that way, a 90km round trip, only to be told I didn’t need to come in. Never mind, I topped up on some supplies whilst we were there which should last us till we leave Coolagolite. Bumma … lost my magnetic sunnies somewhere!
When I got back I vac packed the meat and then my phone rang. It was a lady from Centrelink Wangaratta where todays appointment was scheduled who had just opened my file and seen I was about to go onto the Aged Pension. She was ringing to tell me that I need not go in for the scheduled appointment. A bit late to let you know at 4pm when the appointment was for 3.45 pm. I told her it was nice of her to ring as she had now confirmed that all was well with the pension. So … I’m free!!!!!
When Geoff let the sheep into the top paddock to count them he could only count 26 so where was number 27? Off he went on the scooter to check and came back with the news that he had found the missing ewe with her brand newborn lamb. We went down with some warm feed for her but we couldn’t get too close and didn’t want to worry her so left it where she could get to it and hoped she got to eat it before the others found it. Anyway, mum and babe looked fine. It’s nice as we were starting to think the sheep were never going to give birth.
Saturday, 3rd May 2014 - Coolagolite (Bermagui)
Mum and her new lamb are still with us, so far so good. Later Geoff had to separate one of last seasons lambs as it was head butting the new lamb and trying to get to the mothers milk. Later he counted the sheep and there were four missing including the new lamb so he thought that they had a hidden spot that he couldn’t get to with the scooter. Later he recounted them and they were all there except the fat lamb from the previous season. He was nowhere to be seen but we do know he can get through the fence at spots so we think he might have gone to visit other sheep around the district.
We are currently going through a very cold snap so we have had the reverse cycle air/con on to heat the motorhome and, luckily, it is not vibrating too much.
Sunday, 4th May 2014 - Coolagolite (Bermagui)
It was a horrid, horrid night. The wind was really, really strong and blew all night. The motorhome would shudder every time a strong gust would come through. When I went on the web to check the weather I saw the gusts had been recorded at around 56 kph which equates to around 40 knots. Plus we are on top of a hill so we do not get much protection. Also I am not sleeping well as the antibiotics that the doctor in Cobargo prescribed are not working. I told him that my recurring bladder infection seems to be resistant to this antibiotic but he gave it to me anyway even though I gave him the name of the one that works. He poo pooed it so here I am four days later with no noticeable improvement and four days of no sleep because of it. I got up early as my tummy was also a bit upset with the stress of listening to the wind. Since Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald I have trouble with strong winds and very heavy rain and get stressed out and even shake at times. I know it is stupid, I tell myself it is stupid but my mind will not listen to me. Surely it will ease with time?
Fat lamb is still missing. There is no carcass on the property and no carrion birds hovering anywhere so we believe she must have gone through the fence. She is too big for a fox or eagle to take her. Geoff went all over the property on the scooter looking for her and even went to surrounding properties but she is nowhere to be seen.
Monday, 5th May 2014 - Coolagolite (Bermagui)
Still no fat lamb.
After brekkie it was off to the doctors again to get the stronger antibiotics and this time he sent a sample away for testing. Going to the doctors also reminded me I had to call Dr Ring in Albury to check all my tests he had me get done. The glucose test was fine so no diabetes and all the blood tests were ok except one which he told me I should get redone and it is probably nothing. It is a ana DS-dna test so I will get it done when I get somewhere for a while. I am not going to worry about it … she says!
Geoff continued cleaning up the mess of silicone around the windows that someone had left there when working on the van. Geoff is a bit particular and hates a shoddy job. I made a yummy batch of soup—using my new blender, rice pudding and then put a roast on and then we both sat out in the setting sun gazing into the fire.
Mum and the new lamb have re-joined the flock and both seem to be healthy and happy.
Geoff went off on sheep patrol on the scooter before brekkie and came back with some sad news as one of the sheep had lambed and it was dead, a little black one. He buried it under some rocks as mum stood watching. Sad, but mum seemed to know and once it was buried just re-joined the flock. She seems fine.
Geoff spent the morning, with a little of my help, cleaning all the Perspex windows with Plexus. He also, carefully, cleaned the fly screens. I say carefully because the mesh pops out of the sides if you put any pressure on it so someone needs to anchor it by holding it in place.
Later we, somehow, managed to separate most of the pregnant ewes from the rest of the flock and are now keeping both groups in different paddocks. The ‘mums to be’ are in the paddock with us for the ease of keeping an eye on them.
Wednesday, 7th May 2014 - Coolagolite (Bermagui)
The gas had run out when we got up so Geoff had to change it over before we could have a hot shower. I did the washing and hung it up in the shed, got a picnic lunch together and we went off to play tourist. We went the long way via Bermagui and Wallaga Lake to Tilba Tilba and Central Tilba and got there around midday. The town was founded in the mind 1890’s and is now heritage listed. The whole main street is full of colonial style buildings and it is very pretty with lots of interesting but very touristy shops. As we were playing tourist, this was fine with us. Our first stop was the ABC Cheese Factory. This was a much smaller business than the Bega Cheese Factory but had a much better variety of cheeses and goodies. We bought some lemon pepper cheese, some Chives cheese and a souvenir microfiber tea towel. From here it was on to the ‘Bath Patisserie’. I thought it was a funny name for a shop until we went inside. What a lovely smell and sight awaited us. The shop was full of hand made soaps all in the shape of cake slices or cupcakes. Wow … it was so colourful, even beautiful, and the soap really looked good enough to eat. We both love good soap so bought a little bag of pretty end pieces. This way we thought we could try out a selection without breaking the bank.
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We continued on and went into most of the shops on offer but the next one that caught our eye was the wood turning shop. I love wood things but most of the goodies in this shop were way to large and way, way too expensive for us but it did make us realise how much our coffee table was worth. This was a coffee table that my Great Uncle Ron made for me when he was still alive and living in Atherton. We also saw how much the mirror that we bought in the Daintree would be selling for these days. Sally and Martin have both these items in storage for us still. Something nice to put in our home when we eventually have to settle down. But we still did not leave the wood turning shop empty handed as we bought a little nut thing that you can fill with essences to keep the home smelling nice. From then on we managed to keep the money in our pockets whilst we made our way back to the car. We grabbed our picnic lunch from the car and sat at a picnic table in front of the cheese factory devouring our hot soup, bread pudding and fruit… yum!
After lunch we made our way to Narooma for a quick look around. We went to the lookout overlooking the bar to the entrance and read all the interps signs. We did a bit of shopping, got our gas refilled and headed back via a quick detour to Mystery Bay. The bay is the location where the abandoned wreck of a small boat was discovered in mysterious circumstances in 1880. The boat had carried a government geologist, his assistant, the boat owner and two others who were inspecting new goldfields on behalf the New South Wales Mines Department. None of the five men were ever seen again, and Mystery Bay was named after their unexplained disappearance.
Later in the afternoon we also got a call from the RV repairer saying that our back moulding had, at last, arrived. We had been told 4 weeks which rolled into 10 weeks but at least it was a weight off our backs.
Thursday, 8th May 2014 - Coolagolite, Bermagui
A lovely day today. Mum and new baby are doing well.
Geoff spent the day making a little shelf to hold the coffee and sugar jars. I cooked a large batch of soup again, yes we like our soup, and then made a lasagne. After this I went sheep poo collecting as Geoff had promised Wyn and Ann a sack for their garden. Then I had to wash the inside motorhome mats as I had walked sheep poo in … bumma! I was really busy all day but it was, as usual, chores that were not worth mentioning in this journal.
Later, when we were reading in bed, we could hear a lot of grunting and groaning just outside. Geoff went out with a torch but couldn’t see anything and we wondered if one of the sheep was giving birth.
Friday, 9th May 2014 - Coolagolite, Bermagui
We opened the blinds this morning and one of our favourite, very fat, brown ewes had given birth to twins, both white. Clever mum, no wonder there was all that noise last night.
Later we popped into Cobargo to get a few things. When I got back I made another bread pudding, washed the floor etc.
We kept an eye on the new mum and her twins and soon we felt that, although she had large udders, the lambs were not getting any nourishment. Geoff knew that they needed to get colostrum within 36 hours of birth so he made up some and hand fed them.
One of the lambs does not look at all strong so we hope it will still be with us in the morning.
Late afternoon we sat around the fire pig again and roasting chestnuts which I love. Geoff is not so keen on them as me.
Saturday, 10th May 2014 - Coolagolite, Bermagui
Awake to an overcast day. When we got up we had newborn twins again. This time they are coloured and are so cute and look very healthy. We fed the two lambs which are not getting any milk from mum and they still both look a little frail.
We spent some of the morning ringing around to organise our trip back up north and arranging to get the motorhome back moulding fixed.
Louise, Ed and family arrived back around 4.30 and said that our favourite brown sheep had recently had bad mastitis and they were worried that she wouldn’t be able to feed her lamb/s so they were glad we had given them colostrum and also fed them. They also found a dead lamb around by their washing line, where I had not looked, so we think the third ewe to give birth must also have had twins with one dead.
Sunday, 11th May 2014 - Mallacoota
Nature called and I disturbed Geoff so we were up at 7am and packing things away. We stopped for scrambled eggs on toast and then caught up with Louise to find there was another newborn lamb this morning. The first twins are now being bottle fed and look so much fatter and healthier this morning so we think they will be fine.
We said our goodbyes and they gave us some chocolate and wine as a thank you present. Geoff took the scooter rack off before we went down and out the bottom gate so we had less chance of bottoming out. As he was putting it back on we got chatting to a lady walking her Golden Retriever who also uses house sitters and asked for our business card.
We eventually got going around 11am and stopped for lunch about 20 kms the other side of Eden. On the way to Mallacoota we did a quick detour to Gypsy Point which was pretty but just holiday accommodation. We got to the Foreshore Caravan Park at Mallacoota around 2.45 and paid for an unpowered site at $14.50 a night … not bad.
The site she gave us turned out to be no good for us. We think they must have had rain as we spun our wheels on the small slope so had to back out into a flatter easier site and get her to change it for us. In fact, there is quite a slope to most sites in the area we are. It is a huge caravan park with over 400 sites, if not more. As it is off season they seem to be only using one section of it. The area they are using is the prettiest part overlooking the estuary and entrance but is also the hilliest.
After a cuppa we went for a quick walk which ended up with a bit of a cliff scramble. Good job I had Geoff to steady me as I climbed up. It was just a quick walk and then it was back to the motorhome for another cuppa. As we were sipping our cuppa we got a message from Sally and Martin saying they were going to be in Paynesville for the week and wondering when we would be passing through. Fantastic timing as we were going there in the morning.
Dash arrived to pick us up at 5.15 and we headed to their place for dinner of roast lamb, roast potatoes and salad. Alli even made me a gluten free apple crumble for dessert. Thanks Alli! The two boys, Finn and Cade were really excited to see us as they thought Geoff might have brought his fly gun with him. What they didn’t know was that Geoff had bought them a fly gun each so they were soon shooting imaginary flies around the house with strict instructions that they were not allowed to shoot Ned, their elderly Staffy. The kids loved them but whether Alli and Dash will love them remains to be seen. Soon it was time for their bed but not before Geoff and Dash had to read them a bedtime story.
Goodbye guys … see you next year, maybe.
Monday, 12th May 2014 - Paynesville
Warm in bed, cold outside so it was nearly 9am before we ventured out from under the doona. We got going about 10am and headed for Paynesville with a quick stop at Cann River for fuel etc. This time we took the Lakes Entrance route and found it much more scenic. We stopped for lunch in Lakes Entrance in front of the trawler wharf. Lakes Entrance is a very appealing little town and we have fond memories when we were here with 2AB in 2005/06.
We got into Paynesville about 3pm and pulled into Wyn’s driveway to be greeted by Wyn, Ann and Kristy (with a K), the dog. Kristy was straight into the motorhome looking for her lamb crumble treats. We spent the next 2—3 hours catching up with Wyn and Ann until Sally and Jan arrived to pick us up for tea. Wyn’s back was playing up so they declined Sally’s dinner invitation. We stopped at IGA first to buy a couple of cooked chooks veggies and ice cream and then it was back to the unit where they were staying. The unit belonged to friend from Bright who had kindly offered it to them for the week. The unit comes with its own private jetty which had enough room to allow both Sally and Martin’s and Ron and Jan’s trailer sailers to be berthed. Sally and Jan threw together a very quick but tasty dinner with loads of veggies which pleased me. Alas, the cauliflower had a cheese sauce all over it which was definitely NOT gluten free but I got some with no cheese sauce (AND I love cauliflower cheese). I had a pear for dessert whilst the others pigged out on ice cream and something - I never looked to see what it was as I would feel deprived. Martin dropped us back just after 9pm where we caught up some more with Wyn and Ann.
Tuesday, 13th May 2014 - Paynesville
Up at 7.15 to Brrrrrrr! The thermometer said 6ºC so it was on with the diesel heater and then the Air/Con. We will really have to do something about the air/Con as Wyn and Ann were watching TV in bed and it drowned out the sound, so they said. When the van warmed up enough we had our showers and brekkie and then said goodbye to Wyn and Ann until we catch up with them again somewhere up north.
We headed back to Sally and Martin to have a quick cuppa and have a look at the boat, a Sonata 20’ trailer sailer. Sweet!
We got going just after 9am and stopped quickly in Bairnsdale to pick up some loo chemical. Geoff also saw some running lights that were on special so, of course, he bought them. It was then on to Traralgon to grab my birthday
We then pushed on to Melbourne, stopping for lunch on the way, to get to The Plastic Centre in Cheltenham before they closed. The guy looked at our shower base and they discussed the best product to use and the best size to cut and said it would be ready some time tomorrow. We then looked at the options for overnight. Michelle was away on two weeks holiday. John’s place was 50 km away in heavy traffic so we opted for a caravan park in Chelsea which was only 13 kms away. It was a reasonable park with, mostly, residents and only 8 sites for transients. $37 for a powered site which was okay for an inner city caravan park.
Wednesday, 14th May 2014 - Mt Evelyn
We had a leisurely start and didn’t leave the caravan park until 11am. We had time to kill so we drove to the Frankston shopping centre but there was nowhere to park so we paid $5.20 to park close by and walked from there. We bought a little ceramic heater in Target and some new slippers for me. When we got back to the motorhome Geoff rang the Plastic Centre and they said our acrylic round base would be ready by 2pm so we headed back to Cheltenham to pick it up. Geoff was very pleased with the result.
Time to head to Mt Evelyn to see if anyone was at home. Yep .. Gail was home and John turned up just after 6pm. Pizza for tea from Dominos as they do a gluten free base … great. We decided to stay in the motorhome overnight as it was only for one night. We left them to it at 9pm as they both start work really early, around 5am. We were to see them soon as we were all going to be at Denny and Terry’s in Wangaratta for a nostalgic ‘get together’ weekend.
Thursday, 15th May 2014 - Alexandria
It was my birthday today. I got the Kobo eBook reader, of course, and a stuffed toy … a platypus … which had ACTUALLY been made in Australia, wonders will never cease. We were up at 7am as we needed to get to the RV repairer by 8.30.
When we got there Geoff took the scooter rack off so they could get to the back to replace the moulding. We rugged up as it was very cold and made our way to the Knox Shopping Centre by scooter where we had brekkie. We bought a few things then made our way to Bunnings and Spotlight to get some other bits we needed. Whilst we were at Spotlight we got a call saying the motorhome was ready so we made our way back. Back on with the rack, then the scooter and make our way to Lilydale to a discount supermarket that sold ‘end of line’ or discontinued stock. We bought heaps and it only cost $37 … a bargain. We then got out of Melbourne, filling up at Yarra Glen which is always cheaper than the city, for some reason.
We eventually stopped for the night on the Goulburn River near Alexandria. There was one other caravan there, also a Queenslander. I cooked an easy tea and Geoff got my new eBook up and running for me … thanks Geoff. Oh - there were heaps of birthday wishes today by phone or Facebook so thanks one and all.
Up late, have some brekky and wander down the track to the Goulburn River. As we wandered down the hill I spotted movement out the corner of my eye and it was a large wombat eyeing us warily. So cute, this ‘bulldozer of the bush’. It is nice to see them again as they seem to be non existent when you get further up north.
The area beside the Goulburn River was very pretty and a nice place to camp although to get there you had to walk and carry all your gear in. We could see the other campers fishing further up the bank but whether they were catching anything, we couldn’t see.
We eventually got going and made our way to Denny and Terry in Wangaratta where we were staying for the weekend. After a bit of lunch and a chat Geoff decided he would tackle the shower floor before John and Gail arrived and while he had access to whatever Terry had on offer of bits and pieces to help out with. First he carefully cut a small hole in the damaged base and slowly opened it up further. To his relief the floor underneath had not been compromised by the water leaking so he continued cutting it away until he was happy with it. He then conned Terry out of a bit of AC sheet for packing then sealed in the new base with really thick coating of good marine adhesive sealant that was also vibration resistant. He soon had three buckets of water weighing it down and was just about finished when John and Gail arrived.
From then on it was non stop chatting, reminiscing and laughing until it was soon midnight. Denny and Terry and John and Gail had not seen each other for many, many years but it felt like it was just yesterday. When we eventually got back in the motorhome we found that none of the sinks, which are all interconnected, would empty out and Geoff thought a bit of debris must have gone down the shower outlet when he was working on the base. After a lot of plunger use and swearing we must have eventually dislodged it and the water started flowing again. Phew!
Saturday, 17th May 2014 - Wangaratta
Up late and it was very cold in the van as Geoff had left the top hatch open again. Brekky with the others and then Den, John and Gail went of to the Bruck Mills and John came back with a blind for home.
Apart from this the day was spent with natter, natter, natter again. Geoff cooked Mexican Cottage Pie for tea. Denny and I did the mashed potato topping and Terry did the veggies. A joint effort. It was a little earlier to bed … 11.30 pm.
Sunday, 18th May 2014 - Wangaratta
Bacon and eggs in the house with the others. Denny then found some old photos so we spent some time walking down memory lane again and discussing how young and foolish we were in those days. John and Gail were on their way back to Melbourne by 11am after telling Denny and Terry they would be back and inviting them to visit in Mt Evelyn. I hope they all keep in touch as we all go way back to our first years in Oz when John was just 16. I think they both had a good time … I hope so!
The rest of the day was spent sorting through 4 large plastic boxes of stuff that Denny had stored for us. It was interesting seeing stuff we hadn’t seen for some years. We looked at some of our old black and white photos which Denny scanned for us and put on our memory stick.
Later we headed off to an Italian Restaurant to meet up with a couple of Den and Terry’s friends, Dawn and John, for dinner that also had a good gluten free selection. We all met at the restaurant at 6.30 and it was a good night. Denny treated both couples as a birthday present as I had just had mine and it was John’s that day. Thanks Den.
When we got back to the house Denny did some more scanning of old photos for us and some genealogy tracing of my dad’s timeline on his mothers side.
Monday, 19th May 2014 - Overnight at Henty
As usual, a slow start to the day. After brekky Geoff put his old version of Photo Deluxe on one of Denny’s computers as she just loves to fiddle around with photos and graphics. I packed up the motorhome. Before she left Denny gave me some print outs of dad’s lineage on his mother’s side going back to my great great grandfather (or was it great great great) who was a publican. Dad did you know that your great grandad (or was it great great) was a publican? She must have fiddled around on her ancestry program for ages after we went off to bed searching for my forebears. How nice and very interesting.
We got going about 11am and made our way to Wodonga to visit Polly and Jim. Polly supplied lunch, thanks, and we chatted away for an hour and a half and then showed them the monster. We left at 2pm and, apparently, just missed Bob Adams who popped in after we left.
A quick stop at Woolworths and Jaycar and then we were heading out of town. Our plan had been to stop at Sammy’s but she had a really bad cold and was feeling decidedly off so we decided to give her a miss and catch up again next year.
As we drove on, Geoff stated he thought the clutch was starting to slip and that we would need it looking at when we got to a bigger city. We stopped at a rest stop at Henty overnight which was a bit noisy as we had the highway on one side and the railway on the other. But traffic noise doesn’t seem to worry us so it was not too bad. Later we were joined by two trucks for an overnight stop.
Tuesday, 20th May 2014 - back to Albury
The road noise didn’t worry me but the trucks running their engines before heading off were a tad annoying in the wee hours.
We were soon on route to Wagga Wagga but the clutch started to slip very badly so Geoff stopped to see if there was a Fiat dealer in Wagga. No … the closest was in Wodonga so we got some fuel and started to head back as Geoff was sure we would make it back. This was not the case as we only got 10 kms south to Uranquinty when the clutch stopped working completely and we couldn’t move. Luckily we were on a slight hill near a country dirt road so Geoff was able to roll back and onto some waste land so we could get off of the highway. Geoff let the clutch cool down and tried to edge it back a little but the monster was not going anywhere. Unluckily, we do not have roadside assist as we found it hard to get it for such a large vehicle but our motorhome insurance covered us for up to $1000 for a tow and we had to be taken 115 kms to Wodonga. The girl at APIA was fantastic and did all the ringing around for us and organised a 12 tonne tray truck to come and pick us up. It was a stressful 2 hours waiting for him to arrive. It wasn’t too hard getting the motorhome onto the tray and secured but there was only room for one passenger so Geoff headed off on the scooter as Chris, the tow truck guy, secured the motorhome.
We caught up with Geoff 12 kms out of Albury and by this time it was dark and cold. When we got to the tow yard Geoff was stiff and very cold. Dear Sammy came and picked us up and Geoff had a nice hot bath to get back to feeling normal. Although we were stressed with the breakdown and the thought of the cost it was also good that it had happened near Albury where we had good friends. We could have been stuck in the middle of nowhere. Our poor savings are going to take a hit with this one. Over $3000 we have been told … bumma!
Wednesday, 21st May 2014 - Albury
I don’t think Geoff slept very well last night … I wonder why?
It was a cold start to the morning and very cold on the scooter as we went back to the tow yard to grab a few more things . They were currently organising for the motorhome to be delivered to the workshop. We popped into the repairers who said they were very short staffed and wouldn’t be able to look at it until, at least next week and we would have to be patient. This was another blow but we would have to take it on the chin, so to speak. What else could we do. Back at Sammy’s we tried to occupy ourselves and I got the washing done, at least. By this time the sun was shining so we lounged outside on Sammy’s outdoor setting soaking up the warmth. Geoff’s fingers are starting to play up with the cold so he will have to keep an eye on them. I cooked a quick tea and Sammy got home about 6.30. She is letting us hog the TV as she says she is used to it when her dad comes over. Poor Sammy … not only has she got a horrid cough but she is losing her TV as well!
Thursday, 22nd May 2014 - Albury
We slept better. Sammy’s spare bed is very comfy and huge.
After brekky we decided to go back to the motorhome to pick up some more food supplies etc. When we got there we were told that they were going to start the work that afternoon as they had held over other repairs. This was good news indeed and lifted our spirits and I told them I was so pleased. We will probably go to Sally and Martin’s for a few days tomorrow to get out of poor Sam’s hair. Not that she worries.
After lunch we walked to the Centro shopping centre to get something for dinner and then walked back. My legs were aching when I got back even though it is not much of a demanding walk. Sammy got back about 6.30 after going to the gym and we all watched a bit of TV together.
Friday, 23rd May 2014 - Freeburgh
Up late-ish, of course, and then brekky. Sally and Martin arrived at 10 am and grabbed a cuppa and then we went along with them (Rent-a-crowd) to the Children’s ward of the Albury Base Hospital where Sam was having the opening of the new children’s ward playground. Sam is in charge of the paediatric unit and is always trying to get grants to improve the facilities for the sick kids. Recently she g0t a grant from the Bright Hospital Op shop to set up a chemotherapy room for sick kids so they could get their treatment away from the adults with cancer a she said it was daunting to be with adults with various degrees of the illness. The kids chemo room has bed/chairs and three large screen TV’s so they can be distracted whilst the treatment is going on. The staff even have different uniforms from the adult wards, which Sam had to fight for. She wanted her staff to be more informal and normal for the kids so they have bright pink tops and florescent pink shoes. Now they (staff and volunteers) have just completed a kids playground which I think is great.
After the opening we popped by the motorhome to get a couple of more bits, went shopping and had coffee and then it was back to Freeburgh where we got a big welcome from Bella-dog. Sally put us in the cottage so we could be more private but we all had dinner together anyway.
Saturday, 24th May 2014 - Freeburgh
It was cosy in the cottage and we got up about 8.30 and had brekky. Geoff then went over and helped Martin to re-align the fencing to incorporate the new shed/workshop into the house paddock. Sally and I fiddled around. Mainly Sally worked and I looked on as she took up some jeans of mine and gave them a quick mend. Martin and Geoff, basically, finished the fence which just needs barbed wire on the top which Geoff said us girls could do. In your dreams Geoff!
Sunday, 25th May 2014 - Freeburgh
Up at 8.15 and Geoff got the wood fire going and I cooked bacon and eggs for Sally and us two as Martin had gone off to Winton to watch the vintage vehicles race. Geoff worked on Sally and Martins eBooks putting books on for them that will keep them going for quite a while, hopefully.
Mid morning Bob and Kay popped up and we looked at their new (to them) 4WD which will have a roof camper attached. They are off around Oz in June.
When they left Geoff, Sally and I had lunch in the cottage and Geoff went off to the bonfire in the paddock that was made up of all burnable garden rubbish. Sally rang the CFA to notify them of the burn so no fire trucks came rushing up. Sally then supervised two local lads to rake up the mountains of fallen leaves from the garden.
When they had finished she drove them back into town and I went with her as she needed to get some groceries. I also got a few bits and found some gluten free rolls which looked quite nice and I shall try them out tomorrow.
Monday, 26th May 2014 - Freeburgh
Warm and cosy in bed but we did get up at 8.30. Geoff went off to re-ignite his fire and put some of the fallen leaves on it to burn … well … smoke. I went onto the laptop to finalise the photos for my Beltana article which Laura from Beltana Station had sent me and to type up the extra additions Tim, the editor, had asked for. I am just waiting for some confirmation on some prices and then I am done. I then finalised my Part One May journal which I was way behind on and got it sent off. All this time Geoff kept appearing at the door of the cottage with split wood for the wood shelf which I then stacked. He did three trips and then the wood pile was full so a little job that Sally doesn’t have to do. Neither Sally and Martin ever seem to stop.
Mid afternoon the repairer rang to let us know that the fly wheel on the motorhome was absolutely stuffed and he was waiting on the availability and price from Fiat. Bet it is expensive.
Then there was a knock on the door and it was Sally looking sheepish saying the tyre had come off the ride on mower. Geoff had a look at it but it needed tools so Martin was informed … not impressed, I think. The wheel was soon off and Sally and I popped into town to get it fixed and do another couple of errands.
Martin put the wheel back on when we got back and an hour later we were back out and heading for the Chinese Restaurant where we had a last meal before it changes hands. The owners, Linda and Brendan are moving to Bendigo and we wish them well.
Tuesday 27th, May 2014 - Freeburgh
A very windy night with torrential rain. Apparently Martin had to get up at 4 am to secure the tarp over their boat. Tony rang at 8.15 and Geoff went slipping and sliding down the stairs to grab the phone thinking it might be the repairer. Tony … we are slack getting up so leave it another half hour next time! We got the fire going and then Geoff rang the repairer who said they had spent the whole day yesterday trying to get onto the Fiat parts supplier and eventually got them at 4pm. They have located a flywheel and it is on its way but we should not expect it to be ready by Friday. Ah well … such is life.
I then started making a Lemon meringue Pie after raiding Sally’s pantry for castor sugar, eggs, mixer and measuring spoon. It looks good so I hope it tastes good as I can’t have any of it as I was unable to get any gluten free biscuits for the base. I will think on the positive side and just think of the calories I will be saving myself. Geoff spent most of the day cataloguing his, and my, eBooks through a program called Calibre.
By 2pm the rain stopped and weak sun was starting to peak its way through, although it was very short lived and the rain came down again.
Denny and Terry arrived about 4.30 pm, I think, so we went over to Sally and Martin’s to chat and help out, sort of, with the dinner. Roast lamb yummo followed by the Lemon Meringue Pie which they said was fine. We left the other four to carry on chatting at 10.30 and went back to the cottage. During the time we had been over at the main house a plague of Wood moths had descended on the place. We had left the porch light on and the fly screen was covered with these really big moths (they can grow to the size of a small sparrow) with some wingspans of 25cm against the Bogong moth that only has a wingspan of 25 mm and are the moths of the true Witchetty Grub. Geoff brushed a lot off and then slid his hand inside and switched of the light and managed to get in quickly. He then let me in through the French doors. Only four got inside and they were soon dispatched as I hate moths. More info click on file:///C:/Users/user/Downloads/fact-sheet-giant-wood-moths.pdf
Wednesday, 28th May 2014 - Freeburgh
It eventually stopped raining but it was colder so we snuggled under the doona for a bit longer.
We then wandered over to the main house to catch up with Denny and Terry and Sally and Martin and had a cuppa with them. Denny and Terry left about 11 am with Sally and Martin following shortly after as they had some chores to do in Myrtleford. Bella stayed with us in the cottage. There was not much to do so we watched the old film ‘The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith’ and then watched our old NZ and Italy home movies.
Sally and Martin were not back at 5pm so Geoff went over the house to light the fire for them and they arrived back about 30 minutes later. Apia also rang and said the tow was $750 of which we have to pay the $500 excess so we didn’t get much of a reduction. But we thought it was a reasonable price for towing of 115 kms on a large 12 tonne tray truck.
Thursday, 29th May 2014 - Freeburgh
Geoff worked out when he thought we would get to Brisbane and then rang the Royal Brisbane Hospital to change his appointment. They did not have a free appointment for over 3 months so he cancelled it and now we will have to get another referral from the doctor to get it done in another hospital as we travel. Bumma as I don’t not think we would have made it on time after what has happened.
Geoff went off to do a bit of soldering and to give Martin a bit of a hand and I did a small ordering chore for Sally and then made a bread pudding.
In the afternoon we got a call from the repairer saying the motorhome was ready. Wait for it … $6998.70 … wow, there’s a large slab of our savings gone!
Friday, 30th May 2014 - Freeburgh
Martin was off to Bright for a doctor’s appointment and then was kind enough to drive Geoff all the way into Wodonga to pick up the motorhome. I had paid most of the bill via internet banking so Geoff only had to pay the balance.
Sally and I went off to Chris’ and then we all piled into Chris’ car to go to Wangaratta to visit Jan who had just had a knee replacement. We treated ourselves to lunch down by the river and then it was back to Porepunkah to get Sally’s car. Whilst I was there I quickly typed up an invoice for Chris and sent it via email for her. It was a quick stop at Bright and then it was back to Freeburgh where the motorhome was waiting. Geoff showed me the stuffed clutch and said the flywheel was also a mess but he hadn’t bothered to bring that back as it was more junk to get rid of. The fly wheel alone cost $1700, the labour was $3200 which equates to around 30 hours work. Geoff said he had also booked her in at Peter Saines Motors on Monday to get the cab A/C looked at which either has a leak or needs re-gassing.
Sammy came home for the weekend and broke her diet as we were having yummy lamb shanks for dinner. Mine and her favourites. Saturday, 31 st May was a nothing sort of day!
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