Day 2 Friday 28/5/21 Tocumwal, sunny with a chill wind 6-15

A really, quiet night and it is so nice to snuggle back under the doona and listen to the birdsong. Midmorning after a lazy start we stroll the two blocks into town looking for a new step for VeeWee as she ran over hers with the motor home. Never a good move and it looks a little sick and bandaged.

Town is busy and friendly the autumn leaves are still hanging on to wintry branches. Since we were last here there’s a new two storey building being built overlooking the river and a new walkway along the levee bank. Woody does an 8km walk around town.

There’s a large well equipped camp kitchen at the back of the park with a wood fire in the centre. ‘John’ wanders in and lights the fire with the aid of a slurp of diesel and a lot of whinging about: 1. People who don’t know how to light fires, 2. Who wait for him to add more wood, 3. Steal the wood, 4. The Collingwood football team (hey, that’s my mob). Instructions well heeded, he wanders off to be replaced by his wife. They’re full-time grey nomads and undecided which way to go next due to the Covid restrictions. ‘John’ reappears and reiterates all his beefs about fire handling while waving his own specialty chicken casserole recipe in one hand and the TV remote control in the other. His channel changing is as fast and constant as his talking. Meanwhile (though we don’t get to see any news about the lockdown) the fire is so warm we are moving our chairs backwards and “John’ is talking louder. This kind of entertainment is priceless. And the Specialty Chicken Casserole recipe? Well, it’s basically chicken pieces dredged in flour, sautéed with onion and capsicum and covered in cream and canned soup. Which reminds me, in the rush I left the pie maker at home, damn!

No chicken casserole for dinner, for us it’s homemade pumpkin soup.

Towing Kms: 0

Accom: $29.75