December 20th
Well Fae came home and was looking pretty good in all. No black eyes or brusing. Very lucky girl mine. When you see the size of the splints they put up her nose it would bring tears to the eyes. She has stopped coughing a bit now and is well on the way to recovery.
We hope you all had a great xmas, we did nothing special but enjoyed the break and it gave Fae time to recover before going back to work.
We are having a very wet ,wet season. The park flooded in the worst of it (just the center bit) the drains had a lot of trouble keeping up a flow away from the roadway. We had some terrific down pours like you wouldn’t believe. 200 mm in four hours, hell that’s wet I tell you, it don’t matter what you wear you got wet from the rain or humidity or both. Great fun though, I had a few wines late one afternoon and thought my eyes were playing tricks when Fae told me to look at the road, cripes it was going up and down, rolling around like me on a Saturday night. It was truly errie, the road finally gave way and burst upwards, spliting all the bitumen all the way down the hill in front of our van. In the morning it looked like a mini earthquake had struck. ( must check the date on that wine bottle!!)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Where does the Time Go
Hell has it been that long since I have updated the blog??
Well a lot has happened, not the least to mention that I now have a real job, No more playing with CROCODILES & TOURISTS,. I got me one of those jobs you hear about, quite well paid, air-conditioned work place,(about 25 inside) a good team to work with, coffee etc. Bloody great compared to working in the rain from 8 till 5 .
I left Hartley’s and now work for a firm called Norstate Gas, a welders warehouse sort of place, you know, a guy shop!!!
We are settling in to the van very nicely thank you, but I must admit I seem to be doing the lions share of the cooking etc but my beautiful “Fae” looks after the washing and cleaning etc. Fairs fair I suppose. We come home and usually start with a coffee, then move on to a wine with “ horse’s doovers!!” until after the news and a current affair. Very sophisticated Ha!! “Fae” has the annex all set up complete with reclining chairs, side board and a host of candles. Very homely.
As I said previously,
I am surprised at how easy it was to adapt to the van. Our annex is our living room and the van for cooking, sleeping ,washing etc. The boss admitted today that there are a lot of things in cupboards that have not been used yet but we saw them as “MUST HAVES” As for the Jayco, the only problem so far was a pump in the washing machine, replaced for $39, and works like new again. We are very happy with our Jayco and have yet to find any real problems with the van.We have had some bloody torrential down pours and nerry a leak.
The van park at Lake Placid has lived up to its expectations, during the busy period we were full of Grey Nomads,(Just like us) what a very friendly bunch of people, well mostly any way!! There seems to be a bit of a trend setters group occasionally that form a circle for drinks and then shun anyone else that is not seen to be in their sect!! Never mind their loss, by far the majority of vanners in the park are all very nice people who we like to keep in contact with if possible. I know some will be back next year and all being well we will still be here. Apart from Jules and Len who most of you would know, we met a couple with a love for two very small dogs, Paul and Lynne.(not the dogs names) We had some bad news with these two as Lynne had to undergo a bypass op during their trip. They were heading to their next stop when Lynne had a heart attack and had to be taken to Townsville for surgery.(get well soon)
The male half of the other couple, Len, is at it again as far as I know and Jules is flat out keeping him away from the nurses again.
It must run in circles you know, “Fae “ has had a cough and sniff for nearly twelve months now and finally our doctor got her to get a thourgh scan again to see what was happening. We the next day we had a call to say that there was something “Majorly wrong with the scan and we had to see the doctor immediately” We both said nothing but we both thought , “no not again, we have had our turn!” We had a shocking night as neither of us could sleep although neither one of us wanted to let the other know we were worried. The following morning off we went to the doc’s, I was very upset at this time and the doctor asked me how I was and seemed very jovial, even to the point of asking if a trainee doctor could sit in on the consult. What!! Did he want to show the new guy what people who were down looked like !!
. I was very pissed off at this point and the doc must have picked up on the vibe as he asked me what was wrong.?
I said we got the message and here we are!. You should have seen his face drop, classic, the message we were suppose to get was that there was something majorly wrong with her sinuses and we needed to get it fixed as soon as we could. What a relief, you have no idea! I broke down to tears as the relief flooded over me, my “Fae “was safe after all. When he said she needed to see a specialist to look at her nose etc. I could have kissed him.
That brings us to tonight, I am writing this after visiting my beautiful “Fae” in hospital, She is doing fine and will come home tomorrow. I believe she is going to support a couple of black eyes for a week so she will use that to her advantage to get the sympathy card!
So as of now you are up to date and I will try to be more dillegent and try to keep up to date. Thanks to you that have signed our guest book and please keep in touch.
To all our readers and friends please keep in contact and be safe for Xmas and the new year.
LOL Dreamcaster
Well a lot has happened, not the least to mention that I now have a real job, No more playing with CROCODILES & TOURISTS,. I got me one of those jobs you hear about, quite well paid, air-conditioned work place,(about 25 inside) a good team to work with, coffee etc. Bloody great compared to working in the rain from 8 till 5 .
I left Hartley’s and now work for a firm called Norstate Gas, a welders warehouse sort of place, you know, a guy shop!!!
We are settling in to the van very nicely thank you, but I must admit I seem to be doing the lions share of the cooking etc but my beautiful “Fae” looks after the washing and cleaning etc. Fairs fair I suppose. We come home and usually start with a coffee, then move on to a wine with “ horse’s doovers!!” until after the news and a current affair. Very sophisticated Ha!! “Fae” has the annex all set up complete with reclining chairs, side board and a host of candles. Very homely.
As I said previously,
I am surprised at how easy it was to adapt to the van. Our annex is our living room and the van for cooking, sleeping ,washing etc. The boss admitted today that there are a lot of things in cupboards that have not been used yet but we saw them as “MUST HAVES” As for the Jayco, the only problem so far was a pump in the washing machine, replaced for $39, and works like new again. We are very happy with our Jayco and have yet to find any real problems with the van.We have had some bloody torrential down pours and nerry a leak.
The van park at Lake Placid has lived up to its expectations, during the busy period we were full of Grey Nomads,(Just like us) what a very friendly bunch of people, well mostly any way!! There seems to be a bit of a trend setters group occasionally that form a circle for drinks and then shun anyone else that is not seen to be in their sect!! Never mind their loss, by far the majority of vanners in the park are all very nice people who we like to keep in contact with if possible. I know some will be back next year and all being well we will still be here. Apart from Jules and Len who most of you would know, we met a couple with a love for two very small dogs, Paul and Lynne.(not the dogs names) We had some bad news with these two as Lynne had to undergo a bypass op during their trip. They were heading to their next stop when Lynne had a heart attack and had to be taken to Townsville for surgery.(get well soon)
The male half of the other couple, Len, is at it again as far as I know and Jules is flat out keeping him away from the nurses again.
It must run in circles you know, “Fae “ has had a cough and sniff for nearly twelve months now and finally our doctor got her to get a thourgh scan again to see what was happening. We the next day we had a call to say that there was something “Majorly wrong with the scan and we had to see the doctor immediately” We both said nothing but we both thought , “no not again, we have had our turn!” We had a shocking night as neither of us could sleep although neither one of us wanted to let the other know we were worried. The following morning off we went to the doc’s, I was very upset at this time and the doctor asked me how I was and seemed very jovial, even to the point of asking if a trainee doctor could sit in on the consult. What!! Did he want to show the new guy what people who were down looked like !!
. I was very pissed off at this point and the doc must have picked up on the vibe as he asked me what was wrong.?
I said we got the message and here we are!. You should have seen his face drop, classic, the message we were suppose to get was that there was something majorly wrong with her sinuses and we needed to get it fixed as soon as we could. What a relief, you have no idea! I broke down to tears as the relief flooded over me, my “Fae “was safe after all. When he said she needed to see a specialist to look at her nose etc. I could have kissed him.
That brings us to tonight, I am writing this after visiting my beautiful “Fae” in hospital, She is doing fine and will come home tomorrow. I believe she is going to support a couple of black eyes for a week so she will use that to her advantage to get the sympathy card!
So as of now you are up to date and I will try to be more dillegent and try to keep up to date. Thanks to you that have signed our guest book and please keep in touch.
To all our readers and friends please keep in contact and be safe for Xmas and the new year.
LOL Dreamcaster
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Dream has Started in Earnest
3rd Sept.
We have been in the van for a week or so now and we are starting to get every thing in order, you know every thing has a place etc.!! “put that back where you got it”
I have made mention of various people in previous pages and tonight we get to meet the couple from “shiela and willy makit” fame. I have followed their trip around the block with great delight and follow their position in the Camps 4 book. Reading between the lines I recon they have a wicked sense of humour. Shiela e-mailed and said when they arrive in Cairns they would bring Pizza and a bottle from Alice Springs. I said we would supply the beer. The time was set.
I was coming back from the shower block and noticed a green Patrol prowling around and thought I would take a punt. I stuck my head in the window and said “I hope you brought the bloody pizzas” The look on Jule’s face was worth the effort. What a great pair of down to earth people. We sat down to pizzas, bubbly and beer. What a night. Jules tells a bloody great yarn and had me in fits with some of their adventures, like going over a bridge made of logs and getting stuck to a certain cold seat!!!! Lenny sits and sips his beer and adds the appropriate bits that usually lay sh** on Jules,(nicely of course). You had to be here and I guarantee you would have almost wet yourself. We had a great night and we hope to keep in touch with these two and follow them around.They are obviously very much in love (lust in Lenny's place) Please take the time to read their story it is great. http://www.freewebs.com/sheila-willymakit/index.htm
We will continue to keep you informed of our Dream and please take the time to sign our Guest Book.
We have been in the van for a week or so now and we are starting to get every thing in order, you know every thing has a place etc.!! “put that back where you got it”
I have made mention of various people in previous pages and tonight we get to meet the couple from “shiela and willy makit” fame. I have followed their trip around the block with great delight and follow their position in the Camps 4 book. Reading between the lines I recon they have a wicked sense of humour. Shiela e-mailed and said when they arrive in Cairns they would bring Pizza and a bottle from Alice Springs. I said we would supply the beer. The time was set.
I was coming back from the shower block and noticed a green Patrol prowling around and thought I would take a punt. I stuck my head in the window and said “I hope you brought the bloody pizzas” The look on Jule’s face was worth the effort. What a great pair of down to earth people. We sat down to pizzas, bubbly and beer. What a night. Jules tells a bloody great yarn and had me in fits with some of their adventures, like going over a bridge made of logs and getting stuck to a certain cold seat!!!! Lenny sits and sips his beer and adds the appropriate bits that usually lay sh** on Jules,(nicely of course). You had to be here and I guarantee you would have almost wet yourself. We had a great night and we hope to keep in touch with these two and follow them around.They are obviously very much in love (lust in Lenny's place) Please take the time to read their story it is great. http://www.freewebs.com/sheila-willymakit/index.htm
We will continue to keep you informed of our Dream and please take the time to sign our Guest Book.
Finally the Van is Delivered
26th August
A day to remember, We had a big garage sale at our friends place two doors up as we were not allowed to do this in the unit complex. Jo and Darren are great mates and well appreciated. Hells bells, where does all that stuff come from. We had accumulated vast quantities of all sorts of junk and treasures etc. I had a brand new Sunlight genny 2800 watts for sale and one gent said he would take it off my hands for $50. Gees!! That was good of him NOT. we ended up having two guys arguing who was there first to buy it.
We had to be out of our unit by Sunday the 24th so the new tenants could move in, but as luck had it the van would not be here until the 26th.
We moved every thing into a small villa in the park. Luckily the unit had two bedrooms which we filled up with boxes. We finally got a ring from the towing company "Handy Tow" to say the van was at the depot. Bugger no electric brakes fitted to veh yet so explained that the van was to be delivered to site. Yeah! Right, for another $100 we can do that. It cost us $2650 to get the van up from Brisbane but they would not deliver it another 20 klms to the van park. Great service you think?, “Handy Tow” it ain’t! Why is it that every body wants to screw you? I would have sung their praises to all and sundry if they had offered a little bit of service and delivered the van. Ah! Well. Not to worry its here.
New day dawning and the big shift is on whilst Fae is at work, I think she got the better of this!! I loaded up the old Toyota and did several loads to the van. All the big stuff, side board, camphor wood box, etc all went up on the hand cart. You should have seen the look of disbelief on the faces of some of the residents’. One gent could not contain himself and asked if the wife was in the box!!!! It put a smile on my face that one. After all had been put in place Fae and I went out for dinner. According to our next door neighbour we had a constant parade of people going out of their way to walk their dog or just walking by straining to see what the hell was going on.
Had to laugh as it continued when we were at home later. We took a couple of days but Fae finally put the finishing touches on things and pronounced we were home at last. I took a couple of days off work to get the annex up and to set up the van, my boss was not happy and rang me to ask what the hell was going on. I explained that I could have just rang in sick but tried to tell the truth. (next time I will lie) I explained that I was casual and that my wife came above all else, hi then tried to explain that I was “permanent casual!!!” and needed to apply for leave, now that was funny.
A day to remember, We had a big garage sale at our friends place two doors up as we were not allowed to do this in the unit complex. Jo and Darren are great mates and well appreciated. Hells bells, where does all that stuff come from. We had accumulated vast quantities of all sorts of junk and treasures etc. I had a brand new Sunlight genny 2800 watts for sale and one gent said he would take it off my hands for $50. Gees!! That was good of him NOT. we ended up having two guys arguing who was there first to buy it.
We had to be out of our unit by Sunday the 24th so the new tenants could move in, but as luck had it the van would not be here until the 26th.
We moved every thing into a small villa in the park. Luckily the unit had two bedrooms which we filled up with boxes. We finally got a ring from the towing company "Handy Tow" to say the van was at the depot. Bugger no electric brakes fitted to veh yet so explained that the van was to be delivered to site. Yeah! Right, for another $100 we can do that. It cost us $2650 to get the van up from Brisbane but they would not deliver it another 20 klms to the van park. Great service you think?, “Handy Tow” it ain’t! Why is it that every body wants to screw you? I would have sung their praises to all and sundry if they had offered a little bit of service and delivered the van. Ah! Well. Not to worry its here.
New day dawning and the big shift is on whilst Fae is at work, I think she got the better of this!! I loaded up the old Toyota and did several loads to the van. All the big stuff, side board, camphor wood box, etc all went up on the hand cart. You should have seen the look of disbelief on the faces of some of the residents’. One gent could not contain himself and asked if the wife was in the box!!!! It put a smile on my face that one. After all had been put in place Fae and I went out for dinner. According to our next door neighbour we had a constant parade of people going out of their way to walk their dog or just walking by straining to see what the hell was going on.
Had to laugh as it continued when we were at home later. We took a couple of days but Fae finally put the finishing touches on things and pronounced we were home at last. I took a couple of days off work to get the annex up and to set up the van, my boss was not happy and rang me to ask what the hell was going on. I explained that I could have just rang in sick but tried to tell the truth. (next time I will lie) I explained that I was casual and that my wife came above all else, hi then tried to explain that I was “permanent casual!!!” and needed to apply for leave, now that was funny.
The New Tug Arrives
1st August,
Fae gets a call to go down and pick up the new vehicle. Yipee!!! At last. The sales man rang and asked her if was ok to pick up the Honda a little early as the plates etc needed to be done, all well. They had parked the new vehicle in pride of place in the showroom all ready for Fae to drive it out. I think she is very happy with the new machine but just a bit disappointed to have to say goodbye to her beloved Honda Euro. Never mind a new chapter is about to begin!
I must admit it is a very nice vehicle to drive, we weakened and had cruise fitted and all windows tinted so it looks very nice. (pics later) An ARB canopy was colour coded and fitted prior to hand over. It was the first colour coded canopy they had seen at the dealership and they were impressed. I like the twin locks on the tailgate and the smooth interior finish. The motor does seem to have a lot of get up and go even though we are taking it easy for the time being. Fae lets me drive it occasionally and I have to say “it ain’t bad”.
Fae gets a call to go down and pick up the new vehicle. Yipee!!! At last. The sales man rang and asked her if was ok to pick up the Honda a little early as the plates etc needed to be done, all well. They had parked the new vehicle in pride of place in the showroom all ready for Fae to drive it out. I think she is very happy with the new machine but just a bit disappointed to have to say goodbye to her beloved Honda Euro. Never mind a new chapter is about to begin!
I must admit it is a very nice vehicle to drive, we weakened and had cruise fitted and all windows tinted so it looks very nice. (pics later) An ARB canopy was colour coded and fitted prior to hand over. It was the first colour coded canopy they had seen at the dealership and they were impressed. I like the twin locks on the tailgate and the smooth interior finish. The motor does seem to have a lot of get up and go even though we are taking it easy for the time being. Fae lets me drive it occasionally and I have to say “it ain’t bad”.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Van Purchase
17th July
The finance came through yesterday and all was OK for us to start are looking in earnest. On checking a couple of sites I had studied before, I had found a van that would suit us down to the ground, but, wouldn’t you know it. They had a holding deposit on same. Well on looking this time it appeared to be on the market again. It is a Jayco 24ft6in Heritage 2005 Great news now that we had money lined up. E-mails were sent back and forth and it seemed as thought every thing was going very well. Unfortunately, when we took in to account that there was no annex walls and we had to get the van up to Cairns included in the loan, we found it was out of reach. I sent an e-mail to the sales guy Peter and explained that we had only X amount and thanked him for his efforts and help but Karma is Karma and we were not meant to have the van. To cut a long story short Peter spoke to his boss and they agreed to come to terms with us. All we had to do was have a look at the van.
Again to the rescue came our new friend Kym, from
“No Boundaries” ( http://www.noboundaries.com.au/ ). He agreed to go and have an unbiased inspection of the van on our behalf. This saved either Fae or myself the time and expense of a trip to Brisbane. The report came back favourable and honest, so the purchase is going ahead. I think Peter was a little taken aback by Kym’s professional approach, but after I spoke to him and told him of Kym’s report and that Kym found Peter quite a likable guy he changed his mind!
Well guys the deposit has been paid and the annex is in the process. It looks like we shall have the van up here with in four weeks. Yahooooo! I would like to highly recommend City RV Centre, Loganholme Q’ld. As a reputable dealer from the professional way they have helped and handled our purchase.
20th July
We went and said G’day to Maria at the beautiful Lake Placid caravan park to day. We were interested in the park for a while now as on every occasion we have visited it has seemed quite and friendly. Maria sent us on our way with a plan of the park and a texta pen to mark any site we may be interested in. There are several sites booked for years in advance (says volumes about the park) and Maria is very protective of her guests. We made a decision on our site and it was available. A large site with room to move, under nice shade trees Great! Fae was even starting to organise where things would go.
The van park is at the end of a small road to Lake Placid. A very leafy park with updated amenities and a beaut community kitchen and pool, the staff could not be friendlier or more helpful if they tried. Even putting your van on site for you if you don’t trust your self. That’s service with a smile.
http://www.lakeplacidtouristpark.com/index this link should get you there if you are up this way.
OK that’s all for today, I will update as it happens so you that are interested can “follow our story”.
The finance came through yesterday and all was OK for us to start are looking in earnest. On checking a couple of sites I had studied before, I had found a van that would suit us down to the ground, but, wouldn’t you know it. They had a holding deposit on same. Well on looking this time it appeared to be on the market again. It is a Jayco 24ft6in Heritage 2005 Great news now that we had money lined up. E-mails were sent back and forth and it seemed as thought every thing was going very well. Unfortunately, when we took in to account that there was no annex walls and we had to get the van up to Cairns included in the loan, we found it was out of reach. I sent an e-mail to the sales guy Peter and explained that we had only X amount and thanked him for his efforts and help but Karma is Karma and we were not meant to have the van. To cut a long story short Peter spoke to his boss and they agreed to come to terms with us. All we had to do was have a look at the van.
Again to the rescue came our new friend Kym, from
“No Boundaries” ( http://www.noboundaries.com.au/ ). He agreed to go and have an unbiased inspection of the van on our behalf. This saved either Fae or myself the time and expense of a trip to Brisbane. The report came back favourable and honest, so the purchase is going ahead. I think Peter was a little taken aback by Kym’s professional approach, but after I spoke to him and told him of Kym’s report and that Kym found Peter quite a likable guy he changed his mind!
Well guys the deposit has been paid and the annex is in the process. It looks like we shall have the van up here with in four weeks. Yahooooo! I would like to highly recommend City RV Centre, Loganholme Q’ld. As a reputable dealer from the professional way they have helped and handled our purchase.
20th July
We went and said G’day to Maria at the beautiful Lake Placid caravan park to day. We were interested in the park for a while now as on every occasion we have visited it has seemed quite and friendly. Maria sent us on our way with a plan of the park and a texta pen to mark any site we may be interested in. There are several sites booked for years in advance (says volumes about the park) and Maria is very protective of her guests. We made a decision on our site and it was available. A large site with room to move, under nice shade trees Great! Fae was even starting to organise where things would go.
The van park is at the end of a small road to Lake Placid. A very leafy park with updated amenities and a beaut community kitchen and pool, the staff could not be friendlier or more helpful if they tried. Even putting your van on site for you if you don’t trust your self. That’s service with a smile.
http://www.lakeplacidtouristpark.com/index this link should get you there if you are up this way.
OK that’s all for today, I will update as it happens so you that are interested can “follow our story”.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Dream Continues
12th July
Hi everyone.
Well the dream continues, a lot of it is very up hill though. Fae’s out look on life keeps me on the straight and narrow. We had an accident, or rather incident, with our car the other day. We were on our way out to do a bit of window shopping, as you do. We were nearly hit by a bus coming out on our left. After a toot on the horn all was forgotten until a few minutes down the road when the same bus ran us off the road after colliding with the side of our car. Talk about road rage! At this point in time I believe the police are looking at charging him with dangerous driving. The big thing is we are both all right, not so for Fae’s pride and joy. It went into the repair shop today so all will be ready when our new vehicle finally arrives, yes we have been told a date. The end of the month for sure!!! I know we have been giving the sales guy a hard time but he has been very good to us.
We are still looking at vans and we finally came to the conclusion that we can not afford a new van. Bugger. We have seen a couple of very good second hand ones that will do nicely and we have applied to get a pre approved loan so we can be a little flexible. I can’t wait to get into the van and start our new adventure. I realise that not much will change as we still have to keep our positions for another couple of years whilst we pay off our car and van but I still can’t wait. We visited the van park we want to go into the other day to get an idea of how it will be during the busy period. We were very happy to see the very friendly people enjoying life. The vast majority of the people staying at the park were grey nomad types and very friendly and quick to say Hi or g’day. Nearly all were getting ready for an early dinner and the wine was out and the drinks flags up!!
Well this is all for now until we hear re finance, finger crossed everybody please!
Hi everyone.
Well the dream continues, a lot of it is very up hill though. Fae’s out look on life keeps me on the straight and narrow. We had an accident, or rather incident, with our car the other day. We were on our way out to do a bit of window shopping, as you do. We were nearly hit by a bus coming out on our left. After a toot on the horn all was forgotten until a few minutes down the road when the same bus ran us off the road after colliding with the side of our car. Talk about road rage! At this point in time I believe the police are looking at charging him with dangerous driving. The big thing is we are both all right, not so for Fae’s pride and joy. It went into the repair shop today so all will be ready when our new vehicle finally arrives, yes we have been told a date. The end of the month for sure!!! I know we have been giving the sales guy a hard time but he has been very good to us.
We are still looking at vans and we finally came to the conclusion that we can not afford a new van. Bugger. We have seen a couple of very good second hand ones that will do nicely and we have applied to get a pre approved loan so we can be a little flexible. I can’t wait to get into the van and start our new adventure. I realise that not much will change as we still have to keep our positions for another couple of years whilst we pay off our car and van but I still can’t wait. We visited the van park we want to go into the other day to get an idea of how it will be during the busy period. We were very happy to see the very friendly people enjoying life. The vast majority of the people staying at the park were grey nomad types and very friendly and quick to say Hi or g’day. Nearly all were getting ready for an early dinner and the wine was out and the drinks flags up!!
Well this is all for now until we hear re finance, finger crossed everybody please!
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