Category: When Things Just Go Wrong

Vic, When Things Just Go Wrong3 Comments

Power problems

Itching for Hitching

May 2014, Lake Boga, Vic Woody checks the battery charger and discovers that it isn’t being charged by the caravan park mains power. This is interesting because not only ours but three other vans were having power problems when we first hooked up here. On top of that the park is having new electrical cabling put in. Something is amiss. We pop into Swan Hill for some new fuses but they don’t fix our problem so we may have to rule out free camping on the way home. Eventually we get enough charge from the car via our Anderson plug … Continue reading Power problems

When Things Just Go Wrong14 Comments

Why cataract surgery can be dangerous for women

Itching for Hitching

Anyone who has been following this blog for a while will know that I recently had cataract surgery. Now any woman who has had this procedure will tell you that the new lenses bring every speck of dirt and every cobweb, no matter how high your ceilings are, into sharp detail. My hair has been various shades of bottled blonde since I was in my thirties. OK, a long time. Even when we’re on the road I colour my hair, slapping on the chemicals and wrapping my head in plastic wrap. Last weekend I was cleaning the house and colouring … Continue reading Why cataract surgery can be dangerous for women

When Things Just Go Wrong7 Comments

‘ard of ‘earing

Itching for Hitching

Mar 2019, Bermagui, NSW For days now I’ve had a blocked left ear which is leaving me feeling like a duck with one foot nailed to the floor and wanting to walk in circles. Stone deaf in my left ear has meant that I’ve been sleeping really well but when it came to catching a fly in the caravan I had no idea where the buzzing blighter was. I even missed partaking in a local ukulele festival. By Monday I booked an appointment at the Bermagui medical centre and joined a throng of elderly surfers waiting to be attended to, … Continue reading ‘ard of ‘earing

Caravanning Hints, When Things Just Go Wrong12 Comments

Oh, oh, oh

Itching for Hitching

Nov 2018 We service our van annually and after the last service we arrived home particularly tired and gave up trying to reverse park the van straight in the back yard. This morning we paid the price for being lackadaisical (now there’s a word I’ll bet you haven’t heard in a while). We forgot to lift one back leg that was close to the fence. As we drove away, the by then dragging leg jammed tight on the steepest part of the driveway. Bearing in mind that the van was on quite a slope Woody jacked the van up with … Continue reading Oh, oh, oh

When Things Just Go Wrong9 Comments

An unwelcome guest

Itching for Hitching

Nov 2018, Lake Bolac, Vic It is a warm still evening that doesn’t drop below 22˚c. Getting into bed Woody spots a hairy Huntsman* scurrying off the doona. We madly strip the bed and spray half a can of fly spray around the bed and into all the crevices while Woody stands naked in the kitchen stomping on my socks. When all is quiet, about an hour later I crawl into bed and revel in the fact that all of the hatches and windows are open and there is a gentle breeze flowing through the van. It would be lovely … Continue reading An unwelcome guest

Caravanning Hints, WA, When Things Just Go Wrong6 Comments

Everything must have two uses

Itching for Hitching

Apr, 2015, New Norcia, WA After a summery breakfast in the paddock campground at New Norcia Monastery in Western Australia, Dee does a fair job of ironing his fingers in the awning arm but quick thinking on Woody’s behalf sees him grab a wine bottle cooler sleeve from the freezer and shove Dee’s hand into it, the swelling soon goes down. Once again there’s that old adage of everything on the van must have two uses including the freezer. Continue reading Everything must have two uses

When Things Just Go Wrong2 Comments

April Showers

Itching for Hitching

April 2014, Lake Boga, Vic Our caravan club members met at Lake Boga for an autumn muster. One couple arrived quite late after losing the back window of their car when they excitedly drove off with the power cord still attached to their Waeco fridge…whoops. They may have gotten away with it had another club member not been driving by their house at the time. On the topic of caravanning mishaps it probably should be recorded that on the same weekend yet another member of our club paid a quick visit to her caravan toilet, without realising that hubby was … Continue reading April Showers

When Things Just Go Wrong3 Comments

Most people visit Clare for the wine

Itching for Hitching

Mar 2018 We are up early to meet the auto electrician in nearby Clare. It’s a beautiful drive through rolling hills dotted with sheep chewing contentedly on wheat stubble and substantial stone farmhouses with wide verandas, though difficult for El and Elle Prado as they are closely following our van with its flickering tail lights. As we arrive in Clare, Elle has trouble getting us on the radio and our verbal instructions to her of “breaking now, turning right” are fractured and garbled. We say goodbye to The Prado’s who are heading for home because they have yet another ship … Continue reading Most people visit Clare for the wine