This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.

Monthly Archives: February 2017


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1999 Travels April 12

MONDAY 12 APRIL     HOME

I took Butch to the vet at 8.30am. She was not a happy dog and tried to bite the man!

We worked around the house, and packed up the van. John fixed a broken fence rail and veranda post. He took Truck to refuel – 67cpl.

We gave the flat tenant a bottle of champagne, with thanks for looking after the unit so well. He admitted that our cats spent quite a bit of time in there!

I feel sad and guilty all over again that we are leaving the pets once more. They have gotten a bit used to having us back.

04-04-1999 Butch & Fox ready for supper.jpg

I picked up Butch at 6pm. She was much brighter and stronger than I expected. Ate her tea with no problems. That is a relief. But I do wish that she did not have to put up with P’s little dog, who annoys her quite a bit.

Our tea was tinned tomato soup and frittata that R brought for us on Saturday.

Now that we know dog is fine, we have decided to head off tomorrow, and go to Kerang. I am all “socialled” out – and not in the mood for seeing or visiting anyone else!


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1999 Travels April 11

SUNDAY 11 APRIL     HOME

Today, we went to P parents’ place, out beyond Lilydale, for a BBQ lunch, family gathering and opening of the wedding presents. It was quite a large gathering. Unfortunately, the misbehaviour of the totally revolting, feral children of one of their friends rather spoiled the present opening.

They received some very nice presents.

We watched the videos they took in the USA. A segment, taken at Williams, of P seeing snow fall for the first time ever, was brilliant, and so funny.

We went back to the van for an early night. All this socializing is bloody exhausting!


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1999 Travels April 10

SATURDAY 10 APRIL     HOME

In the morning, I took Butch dog and the two cats to the vet, for their annual checks and injections. The cats are fine. Butch needs a tooth removed – I arranged that for Monday. It will cost about $200. Poor dog! But that is a lot more than I have ever paid to have one of MY teeth extracted!

John worked around the place all day. He took greenery and prunings to the tip – several loads. K helped a little. He seems rather grouchy – jet lag? He cleaned out the gutters. John did some too. They do not seem to have been done since we left. I cut the kiwi fruit vines back from the house and that debris went to the tip, too.

R came out to tea – in the van, with us. We had nibbles and dips, Greek style chicken breasts, potato and salad, with fresh fruit after. She brought us copies of some great wedding photos, to keep. We gave her a torch that was surplus, and my father’s old vacuum cleaner, for her flat. She brought out her computer screen, to go to our computer friend for repairs, which we will pay for. She visited with P and K too. It was a good evening.


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1999 Travels April 9

FRIDAY 9 APRIL     HOME

Saw our accountant in the morning and got some investment advice.

Did some shopping at Chirnside.

Back at home, moved our things from the house back out to the van. Cleaned up the house. Washed the bed linen we’d used and put it away when it was dry.

P and K arrived back after lunch. They’d had a great time in western USA, though they did not get to see the Grand Canyon, as planned, because it was snowing in the area!  It was P’s first overseas trip. I thought they were pretty chirpy after a 13 hour flight! They looked through my photos of the wedding.

John left to return the Disco to Frankston and collect Truck, which is ready. When he got back, he was not happy with the engine noise, though – thinks it has too much of a whistle. Tappet noise, maybe? We were not charged for this work, at all, which was great – thanks to the Service Manager of the dealership.

We all had fish and chips for tea, then P and K went out to see some friends.

We retired to bed in the van, again. This feels better!


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1999 Travels April 8

THURSDAY 8 APRIL     HOME

For some time now, John and I have been throwing around ideas for where we will spend next summer – the millennial one. As with the one just past, we do not want to be where it is too hot, cyclonic, or coastal crowded. We have settled on Tasmania. I joked that if the civilized world does grind to a halt, there are worse places to be at the time!

This morning, we visited Jetset Travel in Lilydale, booked our trip to Tasmania, and paid for it. We will sail on 22 October and return on 15 April, 2000. That will give us six months, more or less, over there, and avoid the peak season high fares. Given the high cost of taking Truck and van over on the ferry, we need a good long stay there, too, to get our money’s worth.

We booked a cabin for each leg. My first ferry trip to Tasmania was almost forty years ago, on the Princess of Tasmania, and my friend and I – impoverished students at the time – only booked the chairs. Lessons learned! Bass Strait can be extremely rough, at any time of the year. Being surrounded by sea sick fellow travellers is most unpleasant. Sharing communal bathrooms in those circumstances is even more dire. Since then, I have made several more crossings – but always book a cabin! These have their own bathroom.

We paid out $1400, which included travel insurance. We deemed it wise to take this out, since the trip is so far off.

Whilst walking back to our upmarket vehicle, encountered our accountant in the street, and arranged on the spot, to see him tomorrow about taxes and finances.

Back at home, I dried some more figs.

Tea was cold roast lamb and salads.


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1999 Travels April 7

WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL    HOME

We did house and garden work in the morning. There certainly has been a lot to do!

After an early lunch, drove in to Windsor, to see the surgeon who did John’s hip replacement, in 1996. It is the 12 month check up – somewhat late! He seemed quite pleased with the hip’s progress to date – but did not want to know about the other one! I suspect that is because of the complications of blood clotting, back then. This might mean that John will have to find another surgeon, when the time comes. We will worry about that one later.  Much later, I hope!

Back home for a quick tea because K’s friend R was coming over, to return a computer game that John lent him on Friday. We had a pleasant chat for a couple of hours.


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1999 Travels April 6

TUESDAY 6 APRIL     HOME

We occupied much of the day with gardening and house work.

Our rhubarb patch is fruiting well, so I picked and dehydrated it.

Our computer supplying friends came to dinner. I made my ham and mushroom pasta dish again, but it was a bit too runny this time, because I used thin cream in it. I served stewed fruits for dessert.

This was another good evening, with friends who have been doing some travel, in short bursts. We tried to talk them into tackling the Simpson Desert crossing with us, later in the year, but I don’t think they are quite ready to take on something of that magnitude.