Renovations continue…..

The renovations continue after our layover at Jenny’s house.  Mind you, that layover consisted of two cars going down to Jenny and Scott’s house filled with tools, supplies, and dogs,  to help them out with their deck.  It took both vehicles to drop off all of the tools those two carpenters were going to need.  And of course, Cody made HIS appearance October 23rd, a week before we got there.  So while Chris and Scott worked on the deck, Grandma was ‘hanging out’ with the grandkids.  And once Chris was finished with HIS part of the deck, we returned home and started back up with our own fence.

This is the place  where I’ve been doing MY part of the painting.  With the music blasting away and the cool breezes flowing through, it’s been great.

 

This is the final on the back fence.  All that gravel you see, is going out the other side near the water tank. 

 

As you can see there’s very little grass anywhere and the Leopard tree is still standing alone.

 

 

Chris worked in the hot sun spraying the bulk of the fence with the same colour as the house.  Those dark patches are where the insets are going to be.  Chris has already cut those out and they’re ready for pulling apart.  So more painting and carpentering ahead.

This little section here doesn’t look like much but in the sweltering sun and about 10 wheelbarrowfuls of gravel, I darn near doubled over. Do you KNOW how much each of those pavers WEIGH?!  “Great exercise” I told myself.  I kept having to stop and rest, but Chris took pity on me and gave me a hand. (after he fixed the floor in the boat, set up the water hose, and fixed the water pump. What can I say, I’m a wuss) We ran out of gravel and ordered some more in, but the next batch we received, wasn’t the same thing.  So we’ll have to take some from the back yard now and spread it out here.  But we can only go so far because…..

 

THIS is a problem.  there’s water coming out from under the pathway.  And it’s one of THOSE situations where you contact the builder who built the house two years ago.  They in turn contact the NEW plumber they’re using, who doesn’t WANT to fix the problem from the OLD plumber and this new plumber had already BEEN out once to fix the problem and it’s disconnected from the elbow joint again.  AND on top of all of this, it’s CHRISTMAS time which means the plumber is flat out trying to get other jobs done before they stop work. This problem means that we’re not getting any water to our tank which is shown in the above picture.  But!  thank goodness, our regular plumber has come to the rescue and is fixing the problem as I write this.

I started pulling weeds late yesterday afternoon.  I’ve got one patch done and a WHOLE LOT  more to do yet.  Once that’s done, we’ll top dress and then water the heck out of it.  The young agapanthas are doing fine and as you see, the Jacarandas are doing fine too.

One thing I have noticed, is that because it’s hot and humid and it’s only the BEGINNING of summer, we need to develop a different strategy.  Like starting EARLY in the morning, ( like 5am or 6am), and then finishing mid morning.  I just have to get myself psyched up to get UP that early.  (Okay, I TRIED that method, but couldn’t function so I  took two Panadol and drank two glasses of water and went back to bed) 

Good news though! We finished the back passageway before lunch today!!  We’re off to get a planter and some bamboo/palms to plant.  MORE GREEN!! 

Well, that’s what’s been happening in the neighbourhood at Hervey Bay.  With Christmas coming up next week, we’ll be making plans for catching up with family and friends.  I wish everybody a Happy and Wonderful Christmas and we’ll see you in the New Year!

Changing the look while we wait.

I haven’t written on the blog for a while.  We’ve been working around the house and between the tradesmen coming and going, we’ve been making plans and fixing things.

Today, we planted our very first tree.  It’s a leopard tree which is similar to a jacaranda, without the blossoms.  We hemmed and hawed over which tree to get and decided on this one.  This particular tree went in the backyard which will give us wonderful shade all year round.

And as we wait for Master Cody to make his appearance in this world, we’ve gone as far as we can on the fence before starting another section.  So yesterday,  we checked out the local landscaping and nurseries around here.  We’re just getting ideas for the moment, but decided it was time to plant at least ONE tree.  So between the Lemon Myrtle, the Tibuana Tipu, and the leopard tree, we decided on the Leopard tree.  And while it may look like a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree, it will eventually blossom out and practically fill the yard.

This week, we’ve had the concrete painters here.  The design that we had before, didn’t seem to suit the house, so we’ve changed it.

We changed from “Truffle” brown to “Charcoal” black and put a diamond pattern in.

 

And Chris got to that point where he was on to the next section of the fence.  Not knowing which way to go.  Jenny’s due any day now and we’ve been waiting for that expected phone call where we drop everything and run. So he’s been tackling the fence section by section.

And after talking to Jenny this afternoon, it looks like Cody isn’t going to arrive until later this week.  So Chris started the next section of the fence and will start on another section tomorrow.

I’m not able to do anything at the moment.  So I’ve been writing the Christmas cards up, posing a Christmas letter, and general ‘doing’ stuff, like making sure the washing is up to date, a bit of crocheting, a bit of reading..etc..I know, it’s a hard life but somebody has to do it. (hehehe)

Well, as you can see, things are RAPIDLY changing..(See Chris, I said “RAPIDLY'' changing.) around here and we all seem to be in some sort of limbo waiting for this grandchild to make his appearance.  Clothes are packed, toys are packed, computer bags are ready, dogs are vaccinated and washed.  We’re good to go.  The rest of this stuff can wait til later.  In the meantime, I’ll keep going over the gardening magazines for ideas and inspiration.  I might even make the Christmas list out and wrap a few presents.  We’ll keep you posted on the arrival.

Renovations are slowly coming together.

This is Mr. Fencer.  He’s a really sweet guy and he’s been very busy this week. He has finished one side fence and there’s three more to do.  He’s having to work around …

 

 

 

 

 

these guys.  The cementers have the foundations for the shed done, and now the driveway is being completed. The framing guy comes Monday to set the “garaport” up. This will not only provide a shelter for the dogs, but a shelter for the Scout AND a workspace for Chris.

And in the meantime, we have a brick fence going up in the front yard.  They’re coming back on Monday too, to finish off.

 

So our renovations are slowly coming together.  I’ve picked out trees and plants, for the most part.  And as you can see, this place is hot and dry, so we’ll need plants to suit this weather and drought conditions.

(This all brings back a sense of deja vu when Mom and Dad moved in to Cerritos.)

We’ve ‘made do’ with a Christmas tin on the post for the mailman.  It’s only for a few more days and we won’t have to worry about the weather.

So as every thing slowly comes together, I watch with anticipation.  My job will soon start.  I’m the “painter” lady.  Good thing I kept my ‘paintin’ clothes JUST for this occasion. 

A simple life in the ‘burbs’.

Well, this week, we’ve said goodbye to “Miss Daisy” and hello to a boat. The boat is an 18ft catamaran.  A good fishing and whale watching boat.   Miss Daisy, who was given to a good home,  will be sadly missed.  But it’s time now for us to explore our own backyard and a boat will be required for doing that.

Chris, with his ‘CEO hat’,  has been doing his thing in organizing all the tradesmen to set this, that, and the other thing up.

  We have the extra kitchen cupboards done so the kitchen now LOOKS finished, we just have to wait on the desk now.  The plumber has connected the water to the fridge, the slab for the shed is down and the shed gets completed next week.  The fence palings have been delivered and stacked ready for fixing. And the backyard looks like a construction site.   And, after many trips around the neighbourhood, It has taken us two weeks to sort out what we want to do with the fence, but we finally got there.  And we’ve also got an idea for what to plant in the front yard now.

We picked up Rob’s Scout for him at the beginning of the week.  He’ll be here this weekend to pick up “Doodle” (Doodle?!  are you serious?!!)  But it will be nice to see both him and Casey this weekend and weather permitting, our first day out in the boat should be excellent.

We had a lovely dust storm come through yesterday, but you wouldn’t know it.  With us being in a new estate and a new house being built across the street AND with no vegetation to stop the flow of dirt, the layer of dirt INSIDE the house is the norm around here.  I figured it was time for a clean up when I could write my name on the kitchen table and the CLEAN spots on the floor was where you had been walking.

I’ve started riding my bike again.  Although with the gusty winds this week, I missed my ride on Wednesday, but today is looking pretty good.  Even Chris has bought a new bike so we can enjoy rides down to the esplanade together.  I just have to convince him to RIDE down to the esplanade, not drive there.  It’s not THAT far!    And I’m also working on the photo album, sorting out which pictures to use.  My aunt and uncle sent some old sepia photos of my family, which I’ve printed and hung on the walls.  Now, I’m just sorting out the photos from our trip.

So as you can see, while we wait for our new grandson to arrive, we’re keeping busy.  Even the dogs are enjoying the hustle and bustle of ‘tradies’ going in and out of the backyard.

Now when did THAT happen?

So here we were, running around like mad chooks trying to get furniture in, unpack boxes, get the electrician, the plumber, and the kitchen guys organized, all the while trying to clean up the caravan to sell. 

Well, we’ve sold the caravan.(woohoo!) The plumbers, electrician, and kitchen guys have already been.  The boxes are unpacked and ALL of the furniture is here.  And then arrives Jenny, Scott, and Camille for a visit to Papa and Grandma’s house.

The buzz of their visit started well before they arrived.  Both Chris and I were all hyped up for their visit.  The kids arrived about an hour after the kitchen guys left.  We all sat down to dinner and the talking didn’t stop until we all went to bed.  Catching up on this and that.

The following day we showed them around Hervey Bay.  We had a nice lunch of fish and chips, a play in the park for Camille, and a great walk down the jetty.  We were all very tired, but the only ones who got any naps was Papa and Grandma!  I’m just not sure if it was the sun and fresh air or the relaxation  after all of the unpacking and organizing we did, but we finished the day off with a BBQ and the boys watching the finals on the Rugby League while  us girls played a game of Scrabble.

But this morning, it happened.  The kids left…and there was this silence.   And it was in THAT moment that I realized that I’m in the same situation  LIKE MY GRANDPARENTS!  That whirlwind energy of the kids and grandkids coming in to the house  making it hard to focus on the many conversations around me and then that silence when they’re were gone, leaving me with those feelings of being old fashioned, (which to me is really a sign of being relaxed and comfortable).  And when did this happen that I’m not able to keep up with the conversations?   I can remember being able to listen to each child’s request for what kind of sandwich they wanted while  AT THE SAME TIME  listening to my husband call out for something he needed in another room, all the while listening for the dog that might get the postie as he drove by,  AND waiting for the baby to wake up.  This morning my husband asked me if I wanted a cuppa and while I HEARD him, I didn’t register that he was talking to me.  Is this a sign of getting old or do I just need some vitamins?  My focus doesn’t seem to be as good as it once was, but for the life of me, I don’t know whether to put it down to discipline or age.  The art of conversation seems to have disappeared from me and I’m not sure why.  Is THIS a sign of getting old or that I need to get out more?  Where did all my energy GO?!  hmmm…  So,  while Papa is curled up on the couch for a nap and I type away on the computer, I contemplate my situation.  Maybe I’m just going through a transition period from parent to grandparent.  Maybe I just need to get out there and do more exercise and meet people.  Who knows?  But for the moment, at least I can gather my thoughts and focus on writing this blog. 

A pause for reflection

Chris and I are relaxing this morning.  As the movers put the last of the boxes in to the house yesterday, our house began to look smaller and smaller.  (It looked so BIG when there wasn’t a stick of furniture in it.)  And last night, it dawned on me.  This move is really different.  We don’t have any kids on this move.  I don’t have to get drinks and food for everybody in between the unpacking of boxes.  No more excited noises about what they’re going to do in the THEIR bedroom.  No more chattering. I didn’t have to put the kids to bed last night or worry about the school run this morning.   This is the first time in 28 years that we’ve moved WITHOUT any kids. (sigh)  I don’t whether to be excited or sad.

At any rate, we’re both sitting here relaxing with boxes stacked up around us, not having to worry about kids going to school or getting the unpacking done quickly so we can go back to work.  It’s an odd feeling.

And while our minds are spinning around in circles with all of the things we need to get done, I just can’t quite focus on ONE thought.  I’ve made a list out and we’re slowly going through that,… along with adding to the list as we go along.

So today, we’re off to restock the fridge and pantry…oh! and get another set of drawers for our clothes.  For the life of me, I don’t remember having so many clothes before!  Hopefully, I can still fit into them.  I stepped on the scales yesterday and was horrified that I’d gained 7 kgs while away. (that’s 15lbs!!)  And Chris already knows that he’s gained weight.  How much?….don’t know,.. he’s afraid to step on the scales to find out.  So our diet may..I mean WILL.. need changing.

And now if you will excuse me,..I need to start unpacking some more boxes.

We’re home!!

It seems like yesterday that we just started on our trip  on the road,..but at the same time, it seems like forever.  But we’re HOME!

With only a few hiccups here and there, we made it.  We ended up bringing the Scout back with us from our stopover in Townsville.  We’ve picked the dogs up and both are very well behaved in this neighbourhood filled with dogs and kids.

We had a gas cylinder go missing, but it’s now been returned.  And the caravan is now empty and ready for detailing with a fair bit of Pilbara dust and Oodnadatta dust left in the wheel wells.  Chris has washed both cars, pulled all the drawers, fridge, and racks off the Cruiser.  I’ve managed to find a home for most things.

Our furniture arrives on Monday and the Telstra phone tech arrives to give us our new phone number.

Yes, we’re at home.  In the ‘Burbs”.  We’ve been  living rurally for quite a few years now and having neighbours so close will take some getting used to.  I just reflect back to Mom and Dad’s house, and our houses in Toowoomba.  This will be interesting.  New etiquette rules apply.  No loud music, no yelling from room to room, keep the dog’s barking down, clean up after your dog, no loud cars, the bins have to be used properly with garbage in one and recycle in the other. ….hmmm,..yes, this could prove interesting considering I like to be able to hear the music from all points of the house, we like to start our conversations when the other person LEAVES the room, and the Scout has such a sweet purr when the engine is revved up, …and don’t the dogs have a paddock to do their business?  Oh yes,..I think the training begins for everyone involved.

In the meantime, it’s Sunday morning, a day of rest and that’s just what i plan to do.

Relaxing in style in Townsville…

This is what I call relaxing in STYLE.  Rob thought of the idea of going fishing this morning at Magnetic Island.  So we both heartily agreed that a ferry ride to the island and a bit of a fish would be great.

Downstairs on the ferry, the cars were lined up ready for exiting on the island.

 

 

Robert enjoyed the ‘cool’ seats against his back, with only a minor twinge now and again.

 

 

We landed at Nellie Bay where there’s a pier that goes out about 300 metres.  This is the view from the right.

This is the view from the left.  As we looked down in to the water, there was large Gar fish  swimming around in the clear blue water.  I did see another type of fish, but I wasn’t sure what type.

This is the view of Townsville from the jetty.

It was a glorious day today.

 

 

This is one of my all time favourite things to do.  Even if we ARE only feeding the fish.

At the end of the day, we headed for the local pub to have a drink with some chips.  We spotted this bird and couldn’t quite figure out what it was.  We did finally figure out that it was a Curlew.

Beautiful bird.  It’s eyes are owl like and it’s colouring is similar to a bustard with stork like legs.  It was quite a beautiful bird.

The bus showed up and we were hustled back to the marina to catch the last ferry.  We also got to see the sun set over Townsville.

Maybe not quite as spectacular as Western Australia’s sunsets, but lovely, just the same.

 

We ended the day by having dinner at a Chinese restaurant close by Rob.  Great Food!!!  Rob raced home as Casey was on her way home tonight and we headed back to the caravan.

All in all, today was a wonderfully relaxing day.  Thanks Rob,..that was a great idea you had.

Messy roads and messy vans in Townsville

We were so anxious to get home . We had been traveling on some wonderful straight roads in the Northern Territory and Western Australia that we gave no thought to the roads...that is...until we hit Queensland. From the Queensland border the road turned into a molten mass of bitumen. You could actually SEE the waves in the road,..the deep RUTS from where the large 10 ton trucks drive, and the pot holes that were left from the cyclones the year before.

The worst part of the section was from Mt. Isa to Townsville. They have started working on it, but it could be slow going, as we're now in Queensland country and the " she'll be right" attitude is very prevalent.

And because we were at the end of the winter "tourist" season, we thought that the caravan park would be partly empty. Boy, was I wrong. They were full up, but we managed to get the last unpowered site they had. (Today, we'll change over to a powered site.)

And then when I opened the door to the van, there were books scattered across the floor, sugar on the bench and sink, and when I opened the fridge door, the glass shelf was broken with glass laying on top of the fruit and vegie boxes.

So while Chris is getting the car cleaned up, and a couple of shelves for the fridge. (another one broke at the beginning of the rough roads) I'll be cleaning up inside.

And in all of this, we managed to get over to see Robert, who seems to be doing very well. We brought salad makings and some steaks for dinner. And while he grimaces occasionally as the bandages pull, he's holding up very well. He's one tough cookie.



And before we head back over to his place today, I'll have another cuppa as I figure out which mess to clean first.

Detour from the fast lane.

Well, here we are travelling in the fast lane heading home….and we get THE phone call that all parents dread.  Something happened to one of our babies.  Okay.  So they’re not babies anymore, but still.

Robert, while looking at a friend’s car, lifted the bonnet (that’s HOOD to the American folk) and the radiator hose exploded.  This has landed him in the hospital with blistering burns to his back.  So our plans changed and we’re taking a detour straight to Townsville.

It’s amazing how fast things like this can happen in our lives.  Robert seems to be taking the whole episode on the chin, but I know he’ll appreciate the company.  He has a very positive outlook and is figuring out what he can do to fill his time in while he waits to go back to work. ‘REST!!’ says Dad.

This will also give Chris the opportunity to get the Scout, (hopefully) fixed.  There’s problems with the paint blistering and spots of rust coming through the paint.  This will help relieve Rob of the responsibility of the Scout as well.  He’s been worrying about that.  And while we’re there, Chris can get the car (the cruiser) serviced as there’s now 200,000 klms on the clock. 

Me?..well, while I’ll give my son a hug, albeit gingerly, ..I’ll take some time out to do some cleaning in the van and wash some clothes.  And just help Rob where I can.

Heading home....in the fast lane.

Today was a big day. We have travelled over 1200 klms in the last two days. Our goal? Mt. Isa. Why? .... I don't really know. But for some reason, Chris has it in his head that he needs to see Mt. Isa before we go home. And we'll be home early anyway. " And in Mt. Isa, we can have a rest!". Well, I've never been there, so I guess we can have a bit of a break from driving. But for Chris, well, he'll be able to travel down memory lane again. He hasn't been here since he was 18 yrs old looking for a job in the mines. That was.......?...a long time ago.

Today, we drove from Katherine to Barkly Homestead, which is roughly 700 to 800 klms. Barkly Homestead is roughly 200klms from the border of Queensland and Northern Territory. Today, we listened to John Farnham, ABBA, Dixie Chicks, and a medley of early sixties music. We've snacked on nut bars and mandarins. Chris cracked jokes and I laughed. We even made out our 'to do' list for when we get home. It even got to the point that we started counting the signs to the Qld. border! Both of us were numb when we stopped. The Barkly Homestead offered us $12 Roast Beef meals which was very nice. ( I didn't have to cook!)

Tomorrow, we'll land in Mt. Isa. It's only another 400 klms to go. Once there, we'll rest for a day, wash a few clothes and do a bit of looking around while Chris reminisces. After that, a beeline for home.

I AM starting to get excited about it too. We get to unpack, we get to pick the dogs up, we get to see the kids and start planning. So yes, it IS exciting.

Heading home a little faster each day.

As we head further east and towards home, I can feel Chris’s antsy-ness to get home.  It’s like a horse that wants to bolt back to the barn for a feed.

We stopped in at Wyndham the other day and once the vans were set up, we got back in the car and had a look in and around town.  Now mind you, we’ve been doing that in most places we’ve been, but now that the trip is coming to an end, it seems to stand out.  I can feel myself pulling back and Chris just wants to GO.

His reasoning is that we’ll see all this next year when we do the Canning Stock Route.  My reasoning is that we’re not finished and we should enjoy this now, while we ARE here.

So just to let you know, the pictures will be erratic and the blog will be erratic as we make our way home.  (Not to mention that the reception isn’t very good out here and it’s hard to upload anything.)

But, in the meantime, here’s some photos of Wyndham, the Ord River, and  Perry’s Lagoon.  Please enjoy as I strap myself in for the fast lane home.  This ride could be a little bumpy.

From the Bungle Bungle’s to Wyndham…

We started the second day of camping at the Bungle Bungle’s fairly early in the morning.  We left at 7am instead of 6:30, but it was still good.

We started our journey into the Mini Palms Gorge.  We followed the dry river bed right up into the gorge.  The palm trees seemed to come from nowhere, giving it a tropical appearance.

We climbed in and around boulders and over the tree roots.  This was really beautiful in this valley.

We got to the back of this gorge, paused,..and returned back.  This was the 5 klm walk.  In the shadows, it was great, but once back on to  the sunny river bed, the walk became a bit strenuous.

This is when the day REALLY started warming up.  The shade was very welcoming.  We headed into the Echidna Chasm.  (Echidna is a spiny anteater.)  This chasm was very interesting as some of the rocks were caught between the boulders.

and then in the middle of this chasm, there’s a wide open space and a bench, which Margaret and I took advantage of.

 

 

 

This was certainly a place worthy of visiting.  However!..it should be done in the coldest part of winter.  Because we’re at the end of the winter months, the heat has really hit us hard. 

Once our walks were done we headed back to pick up the van and head straight up to Wyndham.  I wasn’t sure what was up here, but it did surprise me.

In the heat at Purnululu National Park

With Fitzroy Crossing behind us, we headed up through Hall’s Creek and plopped our vans at the roadhouse further up  at Turkey Creek. 

The following morning, we stocked the cars and headed out to Purnululu Nat. Park for some walking and some camping……and more walking,…..and more walking……..…and more walking.

Fifty klms down the highway and  fifty klms into the park.  We ploughed through a few dusty potholes here and there.  This kind of bulldust is very fine and it’s very deceptive as you drive through potholes filled with it.  There was a couple of potholes here that could take the front end out of your car if you weren’t careful.

And if dust filled potholes weren’t a problem, then these guys would be.  These Brahmas are scattered through the desert area and they like to jump out in front of you when you’re least expecting it.  So when you DO see them, you slow right down.

There were also creeks to be forded as well.  It’s surprising when you come across water filled creeks as the area is so dry, you just don’t think there could be ANY water.

And the landscape starts changing.

 

The start of the Bungle Bungles as the day starts warming up.

 

 

As we made our way in to the Cathedral Gorge, the temperatures started warming up.  I just had to stop once we reached the shade of the rock.

This is the back of the gorge.  It’s called Cathedral Gorge because the sound of your voice carries just like a church cathedral.  The dark spot on the left is where the waterfalls come in when the wet season hits.  I talked to one tour guide who said when the waterfall is going you can’t hear yourself think!

Once we finished walking around, it was close to 40 deg temp.  We drove up to the other end of the park and made camp for the night before heading up to the hill for sunset.

We climbed up a hill and sat on the benches supplied by the park to watch the sun set over the Bungle Bungles.  The views were awesome.

We  headed back to camp for the night.  And with our new SINGLE mattresses to sleep on, we were both looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

 

Because the heat was so intense, we decided the following day that we would start at 6:30am to do some walking and touring.