Winter 2014, somewhere in the Gulf We’re heading south on the Burke Developmental Road towards Cloncurry. It’s the sort of morning that can only be described as magnificent and we have the road to ourselves. A flock of bright green budgies rises up from the scrub and wheels in front of us splat, splat, splat, yuck! Continue reading Oh, what a beautiful morning
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
Loch – There’s a possum growling outside our window. Toora – We have a rabbit under our van. I’m calling it Rosemary after the herbs along the fence. A wind farm is on the hill behind us, swooshing like an ultrasound of my heart. Marlay Point – We nod off as waves lap the shore fanned by a stiff breeze. Gillards Beach and Broulee – pounding surf. Albury – traffic, bloody traffic, why did we choose a city? Whorouly – more growling possums, like old men with consumption. Continue reading Night Noises
Mar 2019, Whorouly, Vic We’re camped at Whorouly Recreation Reserve and the pub, like many in the bush opens at 3 in the afternoon. We stroll over the bridge admiring the cow paddocks. Graham is the publican and an all-round … Continue reading Whorouly Hotel
Freedom camping is all about keeping devices charged. Phones and Kindles and iPads and the like must be charged whenever we have 240volt power. When we don’t have ‘town power’ we use an inverter to power up our devices via our van’s 12volt plug. We all have a variety of methods of charging things up and avoiding the dreaded flat battery. When freedom camping the nights are dark, black as pitch. There’s no glow from the microwave clock to light the way to the bathroom and there’s no glimmer of a street light through a gap in the blinds when … Continue reading At least it’s not a red light!
Mar 2019, Whorouly, Vic (out the back o’ Wang) The road dips to cross a pebbly stream (The Ovens), we pass a few nut groves and the large supported vines of kiwi fruit farms and suddenly we’re there, Whorouly. Pronounced … Continue reading Whorouly Recreation Reserve
Mar 2019, Canberra, ACT While in Canberra we catch up with friends who are passing through, getting an early start on their winter migration. One can only hope that they drive slowly or else they’ll run into the northern cyclone … Continue reading Yarralumla Open Day
Mar 2019, Canberra, ACT Filled with excitement we wake early to see the hot air balloons rising on the lawn in front of Old Parliament House. It is too breezy to fly today but three balloons are inflated and the … Continue reading Canberra Balloon Spectacular
Mar 2019, Canberra, ACT When our GPS ‘Gabbi Garmin’ died recently we didn’t rush to replace her. Afterall we were only going on a short trip, up the New South Wales south coast and possibly heading back to Melbourne down the Hume Highway. “Hey, we know those roads well.” Or so we thought. There was a possibility of visiting Canberra that became stronger as we travelled north. A chance to catch up on the visit that we missed out on last Christmas when I was still getting used to my new eyes after cataract surgery. I’m sure only those who … Continue reading A love hate relationship
Mar 2019, Canberra, ACT We tour the Canberra suburbs and have difficulty with the unusual advertising restrictions, that we later find out have been in place since 1937. Dickson is near to where we are staying and we quickly learn that when a sign says ‘Shops’ one must park the car and walk around said shops to find the shop or supermarket that you are looking for and that the brand of the supermarket might only be displayed inside the building. “Oh look, that one is green it must be a Woolworths.” As this is a ‘walking city’ don’t expect … Continue reading Bring back the Mad Men
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