Ethan & Steph – Ready for a Santa run – looks like fun

7th Dec

What a mixed day.

Foxtel Go told us we could watch FOXTEL on the move and if we were with Telstra there was no data charge. Wrong. Go to Telstra shop – The only mobile wifi is Bigpond mobile on a plan – Agggghhhh. OK bite the bullet. 11/2 hours later exit Telstra shop !!!

Later. – Spend 3 hours on the phone being passed from pillar to post as I cannot activate the beep thing. Seems the fault turned out to be because they didn’t have my ID documented. It’s gotta be cheaper to move the call center back to Oz. Still, we now have the ability to utilize our FOXTEL. We’ve been on the road nearly a month and only used it once. I do wonder if we need it but after 41/2 sorting it out we’d better use it!!!!!

9pm – look at BOM to check tomorrow’s weather – B————r tomorrow’s weather black and red stuff on the radar coming directly at us. So there we were battling in the awning as the storm approached – funny how all goes haywire when you’re rushing in the dark. All done.

Fall to bed exhausted only to we woken up at 2am by a buzzing siren – locate it eventually – it’s the caravan alarm. Try everything to stop it. The wind is howling and it’s bucketing down with rain. Nothing will silence it. Decide to wait till morning to sort it

8th Dec

6am disassemble alarm box and unplug it, still going, take out battery – peace at last.

Sign spotted on road from Port Victoria to Port Pirie. Damn we forgot our veils – will we be charged!!!!!!! Joking apart it is apparently an invasive creeper weed of the asparagus family. Well you learn something new every day.

Set off to Port Pirie – wind stil gusting 35k. Plug in at the caravan park air con on – it’s 35 degrees. Plug in car fridge to van – pop!!!!! All electrics go.

Bemused, scratch heads – Durrrrrrrrr – what idiots. When we took the awning in it exposed the triple socket we had outside – soaking wet. We are soooooooo lucky that the only real damage turns out to be the alar

Time to relax

9th Dec

New day. Ollie pops car round the corner for it’s service. Only problem we know about is a trim on the driver’s car seat. This has already had a Mitsubishi rep look and watch a 3rd repair – 4th one coming up!!!!

whilst Ollie takes the car to the garage I have shower – no I don’t – no hot water!!!! Decide to prepare some Brack cake and mandarin  juice and then tackle the hot water. Oh SH one T the battery on the scales is dead – no worries use a cup measure. Sorted. Now for the water – check fuses all OK. Oh look hot water switch turned off- simples. Great shower.

Ollie returns. Phone rings – car ready. Off Ollie goes again. I decide to get van prepared for his return. All goes well till I need to raise the legs on the van (Val & Norman you will remember a night in our very old van in The Hollies where we forgot to put the legs down!!!!!) Ollie uses a battery drill and a long “spanner”. Easy. Oh no – definitely an oh B moment. The thing jerked off and hit my wrist at full force. Do some kind of dance in silence the pain is deafening!!!

Just sitting with ice to kill the pain and Ollie rings – tells me the car needs 4 new tyres and is off to Bridgenorth tyres to get them. In a very small voice I say “I injured myself”. Ollie knows that a quiet voice and short sentence means trouble.  Quick return of Ollie. Thinks X-ray needed.

Find hospital – that’s the fast part. Everyone really caring and helpful -X-ray ordered. 2 hours later and 2 ice packs told it will be at least another 2 hours for an X-ray. Meanwhile Ollie has been and got the tyres done.

Pain no less and no worse so decide to forget the X-ray. Back to caravan – do self immobilization of the wrist – hitch up and off we go to Spear Creek.

Spear Creek is a working station isolated at the foothills of The Flinders Range. Oh, peace. What a lovely place. Settle in. BBQ of saltbush lamb – delicious.

Walk to watch the sunset on sunset seat

Spot these 2 in a tree

The perfect end to a not so perfect day we thought

Return to the van – all euphoric – could be the sunset and maybe the wine.

Time to tuck ourselves into our van and do the blog and some reading. Not so fast

Even though all fly nets are down Ollie is covered in bugs !!!! Then me!!! What now – tiny beetles have invaded us – South Australia definitely has more bugs than Queensland. Try all manner of reducing the onslaught but the caravan looks like it has black measles. After an hour with the Dyson stick Hoover we have the onslaught under control

Hope you have as good a laugh at our day as we have had.