Change one letter at a time to make a new word ----- BLOG, FLOG, FLOP.
In future, I'll have to flog my blog so that it won't flop! The irritating fact of the matter is that I was so unwell during our time away that I didn't have the energy to do anything, much less to keep up a blog. Oh well...... We figured that I might as well feel bad near the pools, as at home.
The poor old truck nearly didn't make the distance home. An hour from Moree, the clutch broke with a loud thwack! The gears were working, so we continued on our way. We tried not to stop anywhere, but when we did, Steve got us going again with the truck in gear, then a kangaroo hop! He was able to change gears as we travelled by matching the revs to the gears. Very smooth indeed!
We stayed for one night at the Gilgandra caravan park and then stopped only for petrol and gas for the rest of the distance, kangaroo hopping at each start. It was important to get smoothly across each intersection and roundabout and not stop at traffic lights. We went around the small towns with lights and created a miracle at all other intersections. Each time, we let traffic pass us, slowed down and looked ahead and by some amazing phenomenon, there was no traffic when we wanted to go through.
Of course, on the outback roads, there aren't many intersections but it was too amazing for words that nothing caused us to stop. With one exception. A violent storm erupted and as we slowly turned the corner at Conargo, blinded by rain, the truck came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. Another miracle ........ there was a slope off to the parking area of the famous Conargo Pub, so we rolled down, out of harm's way. We sat in silence, brains ticking over, until Steve muttered, "So near and yet so far." We had always known that the RACV would get us home but they wouldn't tow the van or truck. So we sat planning what to do next. Without hope, Steve idly turned the key and vrooom, vrooom --- away we went and didn't stop until we pulled up in our driveway.
We have continued to sleep in the van as the weather has been cool and the van is warmer than the house. Plus, we can cuddle up easier than in twin king singles! Alas, the double living is becoming a bit difficult, with articles not where we want them, so the move back inside is imminent.
Next move is to catch up with the family, who we've missed very much.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
A Visitor
A visitor arrived in with Steve this evening. A lovely, bright green frog. He hopped into the kitchen and just sat there, being admired. The frogs have been very vocal since the rain. Some have extremely LOUD voices and some seem to have raspy sore throats.
I'm afraid that the frog chorus at home might not exist, now that there's no water in the channel.
I'm afraid that the frog chorus at home might not exist, now that there's no water in the channel.
Wheat Harvest
After 3" total rain last weekend, everything was fresh and green. We looked at the "parking lot" of trucks, headers and other machinery opposite the caravan park in the morning and saw that another vehicle could not have fitted in. No one was working. By the next day, they were moving out and the following day they were all gone. It was work as usual, apparently. The crops up here hadn't been damaged and the crops further south were at a stage where they welcomed the rain. We can see the trucks lining up to deliver the grain to the silos and the trains continue running into the night, to take it away. We even see many headers travelling north on the road, so clearly, there is much more grain to collect. There are no vacant cabins available in the park now --- they are all taken up by workmen.
Above: Grain trucks parked all along the road outside the caravan park. Below: Road trains and semis parked on the land opposite the park. It is always boggy after the rain. The drivers occupy cabins and caravans in the park.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday
Today being the first Sunday of the month, we went to the market.
During the week, Emily and Carissa had asked if we would take them to the town pool. They had heard of some piece of blow-up play equipment that was going to placed in the pool for a couple of hours on Sunday. They knew that we couldn't fit them in the truck, so they organised with their parents for us to have their car. There wasn't much for us to decide!!
The market was good and we all enjoyed it and found some bargains. The girls felt that they had got the biggest bargains ever! They each bought a boxed set of watch, pendant and earrings for $10. The label on each box said RRP $199. When that was pointed out to me, I managed a casual, "How wonderful". Not so Steve. In my absence, he delivered a lecture on how this works. When I returned, they appealed to me, while Steve kicked me under the table and hissed out what he had said. I said again that they had got great bargains and Steve kept quiet! The girls were happy.
It was a different story when we arrived at the pool. The toy wasn't there, because the Council said it was too windy and might rain. They soon got over their disappointment when they met up with friends and started swimming. I had a great time going from the 39.8 pool, to the 26C olympic pool. The hot pool has 3 large jets of water and I hammered some particularly sore spots.
There are events on next weekend too so it's already mostly organised that we get the car again. One event is the Cotton and Harvest Festival. Emily pointed out that it was "tradition" for us to take them to that. We've taken them to the fair and parade for the past 2 years. No doubt the pool will be on the agenda again. I also want to go to a Craft Fair, so there might have to be some juggling going on!
During the week, Emily and Carissa had asked if we would take them to the town pool. They had heard of some piece of blow-up play equipment that was going to placed in the pool for a couple of hours on Sunday. They knew that we couldn't fit them in the truck, so they organised with their parents for us to have their car. There wasn't much for us to decide!!
The market was good and we all enjoyed it and found some bargains. The girls felt that they had got the biggest bargains ever! They each bought a boxed set of watch, pendant and earrings for $10. The label on each box said RRP $199. When that was pointed out to me, I managed a casual, "How wonderful". Not so Steve. In my absence, he delivered a lecture on how this works. When I returned, they appealed to me, while Steve kicked me under the table and hissed out what he had said. I said again that they had got great bargains and Steve kept quiet! The girls were happy.
It was a different story when we arrived at the pool. The toy wasn't there, because the Council said it was too windy and might rain. They soon got over their disappointment when they met up with friends and started swimming. I had a great time going from the 39.8 pool, to the 26C olympic pool. The hot pool has 3 large jets of water and I hammered some particularly sore spots.
There are events on next weekend too so it's already mostly organised that we get the car again. One event is the Cotton and Harvest Festival. Emily pointed out that it was "tradition" for us to take them to that. We've taken them to the fair and parade for the past 2 years. No doubt the pool will be on the agenda again. I also want to go to a Craft Fair, so there might have to be some juggling going on!
RAIN
There have been bumper wheat crops up here this year. We can see some of the silos from the van and the trucks are emptying out day and night. Long, long trains have been picking up the wheat from the silos for the last 10 days. The park is housing many of the workers.
Now suddenly tonight, it has begun to rain heavily, in bursts. So far, we have had an inch and it's still going. What is this going to do to the wheat??????
There's a vacant lot opposite to the entrance of the caravan park and the wheat trucks park there when they are not in use. It's crowded at present. If we see them leave in the morning, we will know that some outlying farms have been spared the rain.
I can't begin to think how heartbreaking it would be to rejoice in a bumper crop, only to have it ruined by the rain ----- the rain that was responsible for growing it so well. Mother Nature is so fickle.
Why isn't this rain falling at home? Farmers there didn't have a great hay growing season and would probably welcome this deluge.
Now suddenly tonight, it has begun to rain heavily, in bursts. So far, we have had an inch and it's still going. What is this going to do to the wheat??????
There's a vacant lot opposite to the entrance of the caravan park and the wheat trucks park there when they are not in use. It's crowded at present. If we see them leave in the morning, we will know that some outlying farms have been spared the rain.
I can't begin to think how heartbreaking it would be to rejoice in a bumper crop, only to have it ruined by the rain ----- the rain that was responsible for growing it so well. Mother Nature is so fickle.
Why isn't this rain falling at home? Farmers there didn't have a great hay growing season and would probably welcome this deluge.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Weekend
The 37C pool has been changed to a cool pool. The hottest one, 39C, still remains but the other two pools have gone to 35 and 36. I'm so happy! I love wearing a track between the hottest and coldest pools. I walk a few laps in each then plunge into the other one. So exhilarating!
The days have been quite hot so it's good to have a cool pool to swim in. The hottest one is still well used, mainly by the Europeans. The spas in their countries must be very hot.
Top temp today was 36. It remained at 20 last night. The aircon has struggled but it keeps the bedroom perfect for sleeping. We bought a fan to push the cold air down to the lounge end.
Tomorrow (Sat), there's an Art and Craft Fair which I want to see. On Sunday, we've been persuaded to take Emily and Carissa out for the day. First, it's to the market. We'll have lunch there and then go to the town pool. There's going to be some blow up play thing in the cool pool for a couple of hours during the weekends. The girls are very excited about this. I hope it lives up to their expectations. We'll take Nev and Lindy's car so as to fit everyone in.
We had pleasant visitors last week. Bernie, from Steve's caravan group, and his wife Lesley, called in on their way down to Sydney. We were happily surprised to find that 4 people could sit comfortably in the lounge.
Although we have tables and chairs in the nook near the door, we still aren't certain that this is what we want. This caravan might remain a work in progress for a very long time!
The days have been quite hot so it's good to have a cool pool to swim in. The hottest one is still well used, mainly by the Europeans. The spas in their countries must be very hot.
Top temp today was 36. It remained at 20 last night. The aircon has struggled but it keeps the bedroom perfect for sleeping. We bought a fan to push the cold air down to the lounge end.
Tomorrow (Sat), there's an Art and Craft Fair which I want to see. On Sunday, we've been persuaded to take Emily and Carissa out for the day. First, it's to the market. We'll have lunch there and then go to the town pool. There's going to be some blow up play thing in the cool pool for a couple of hours during the weekends. The girls are very excited about this. I hope it lives up to their expectations. We'll take Nev and Lindy's car so as to fit everyone in.
We had pleasant visitors last week. Bernie, from Steve's caravan group, and his wife Lesley, called in on their way down to Sydney. We were happily surprised to find that 4 people could sit comfortably in the lounge.
Although we have tables and chairs in the nook near the door, we still aren't certain that this is what we want. This caravan might remain a work in progress for a very long time!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Browsing
Today I went browsing. In all the years we've been coming here, I've never seen many of the shops. Steve valiantly dismantled the scooter and took it into town on the back of the truck so that I could wander around by myself. Like most men, he HATES window shopping!! We each had a two way radio so that we could arrange to meet up. I had a fabulous time!
The scooter's previous trip into town had been along the footpath as far as Woolworth's, on the outskirts. I'll repeat that trip next week, stopping off at the antique shop on the way.
As I meandered along the footpath, a young woman came up to me and introduced herself as from the Moree Champion. She asked me what I thought of the cancellation of the southern section of the new bypass, wrote down what I said and took my photo. I explained to her that I wasn't a resident but I did have an opinion about the town bypass. Every week, the newspaper has a poll on an issue and publishes the photos of 4 or 5 people and their comments. Big mouth!! This bypass is desperately needed, as the B Doubles and the Roadtrains have to drive through the main shopping centre. They are bumper to bumper for most of the day.
A BIG wind sprang up late this afternoon. We hurried home, expecting to see a caravan without an annexe. The caravan was safe but the annexe was flailing madly, like a bloated kite. Last week we looked out of the window and saw a willy willy headed our way. A conical shape, thick with leaves, danced across the road and lifted the annexe in the air, while Steve battled to hold it down. It was all over in a minute and was an entertainment for our neighbours who were unaffected by it. That annexe must have 9 lives!
The scooter's previous trip into town had been along the footpath as far as Woolworth's, on the outskirts. I'll repeat that trip next week, stopping off at the antique shop on the way.
As I meandered along the footpath, a young woman came up to me and introduced herself as from the Moree Champion. She asked me what I thought of the cancellation of the southern section of the new bypass, wrote down what I said and took my photo. I explained to her that I wasn't a resident but I did have an opinion about the town bypass. Every week, the newspaper has a poll on an issue and publishes the photos of 4 or 5 people and their comments. Big mouth!! This bypass is desperately needed, as the B Doubles and the Roadtrains have to drive through the main shopping centre. They are bumper to bumper for most of the day.
A BIG wind sprang up late this afternoon. We hurried home, expecting to see a caravan without an annexe. The caravan was safe but the annexe was flailing madly, like a bloated kite. Last week we looked out of the window and saw a willy willy headed our way. A conical shape, thick with leaves, danced across the road and lifted the annexe in the air, while Steve battled to hold it down. It was all over in a minute and was an entertainment for our neighbours who were unaffected by it. That annexe must have 9 lives!
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