SUNDAY 2 APRIL     LEGANA

There was a focus on woodwork stuff again, today.

We went to the main show rooms of a firm that had machines at the show, yesterday, and John investigated different ones.

Then we went back to the Wood Show and did more browsing. Bought a couple of pieces of sassafras heartwood from the man with the portable mill; it turned out that his base was at Legana.

John bought a sharpening set up for chisels, and the like. Overall, we spent rather a lot of money, over the two days.

We waited at the show until after 4pm, for the raffle draw, for which there were some rather good prizes. We did not win anything.

Tea was sausages and potato mash.

SATURDAY 1 APRIL     LEGANA

We got up fairly early.

Drove into Launceston, to the woodwork show that was on at the Inveresk Tram Shed – Launceston’s exhibition facility.

There was much that was interesting, beginning with the man outside using a portable saw mill. John would really love one of these! Some nice myrtle and sassafras logs were being cut up. Inside were many tools and finished products – ideas! We bought a couple of wood work books – on turning. John decided to buy me a little electric wood carving tool, plus chisels. I had some hope that he might get interested in hand carving and shaping and it could be his equivalent of my sewing, while we travelled.

Portable sawmill in action at the Wood Show

We left the show about 1pm to go to the family get together and book launch, at Evandale. It was a pretty drive, there. Quite a crowd was gathered – maybe 200-250 people, mostly older folk. The book would not be ready for another couple of weeks, but I paid for the copies previously ordered for brother and myself. I did not find the gathering particularly interesting – from people’s labels, it did not seem that there was much representation of our branch.

We decided to leave and go back to the Wood Show. Much more interesting! We spent another couple of hours there, including talking to the wood turner from Geeveston, who gave us lessons earlier in the year. It was enjoyable to catch up with him again.

On the way back to camp, bought pizza for tea.

WEDNESDAY 29 MARCH     WYNYARD

This was a cloudy, windy day.

We walked to the shops, after breakfast. John posted a letter. I mailed a cheque for the deposit for our Woodman Point bookings. Bought some odds and ends at the shops, including pins so I could take up the hems on John’s new jeans, which he wants to wear this afternoon! I made an appointment for a hair cut, this afternoon.

Browsed in a second hand shop for a while. John saw a Hilti drill that he is tempted to offer $200 for – apparently, he has always wanted one of those.

Back at the van, I took up the jeans legs, while John made lunch.

Then John was off to bowls at Wynyard.

I read the paper, then walked back to the shops and had my hair cut. I was pleased with the outcome.

John came back happy with his game and said the new stretch jeans were comfy.

We spent some time talking with fellow travellers in the park and getting some destination advice from them. A place called Bowthorn Station/Kingfisher Camp, north of Lawn Hill in Qld was said to be a place not to miss. Also that the new-ish Point Stuart Lodge, on the Wildman River in the NT, was worth a visit and camp. Such talk made me excited about the prospect of going north again.

A couple came to look at the van and we gave them one of the brochures we carry with us.

By the time we finished the travel chat, it was 7pm and too late to cook, so John went to the excellent shop here for some of their lovely fish and chips.

After tea I sewed and we watched TV.

TUESDAY 28 MARCH     WYNYARD

The day was very pleasant, though there was a build up of cloud later in the day.

After breakfast I walked to the shops, for the paper and to collect our mail. It wasn’t in – the mail had been delayed in Launceston, this morning, due to fog.

John finished his letter and printed off the copies he wanted to send. I read the paper and sewed.

After lunch, John drove to Burnie to get the tyre fixed. It turned out to have been a faulty tube, they thought, rather than a problem in the wheel.

John phoned Landrover in Launceston and booked Truck in for Monday. From his description, they thought the problem was normal wear and tear that would be straightforward to fix.

While he was gone, I walked back to the Post Office again, Still no mail – I had been expecting that the long-overdue photos would have been forwarded to us, from home.

I phoned Aunt J and arranged to visit her again on Thursday afternoon. This meant we had to extend our stay here by a day, so I went and arranged that.

We discussed plans for later in the year. John wants to have good TV so he can watch the Olympic Games and thinks, therefore, that we should plan to be around Perth at that time. That would significantly reduce the time we had to spend in parts further north, which I was annoyed about.

I tried to book at Bussellton for the always problematic Xmas period, but they were already booked out – and they were pretty expensive at that time anyway. So decided to book the same Woodman Point, near Fremantle, park for both September and Xmas. We probably would not be doing much sightseeing while the Games were on, anyway, so there would still be things for us to do, over the Xmas period. We would be able to access Perth city from there – and the park had a pool! Then, once the holiday peak was over, we would head along the south coast for the rest of summer.

Woodman Point wanted big deposits – like half the overall cost!

Tea was soup, cold meatloaf, potato, salads.

I phoned home. They had not gotten round to forwarding the photos, so I asked that the mail now be sent to Legana PO. Phoned former colleague GH and arranged to meet in Devonport for lunch on 13 April.

After dark, thunder and lightning set in, with some rain. There was a loud explosion which we thought might have been a power installation exploding. There also seemed to be a lot of airplane activity into and out of the airport, late at night. Maybe the wind was just blowing this way, so I noticed.

John stayed up late, playing his computer game. I sewed till 11pm, then went to bed.

SUNDAY 26 MARCH     WYNYARD

S and M had phoned yesterday, to ask us to go back to Stanley for a late lunch today, so John could meet their neighbour there, who is a well-regarded wooden guitar maker. They thought John would find him interesting and might learn some techniques from him.

We got diesel in Wynyard – 93cpl.

We reached Stanley about midday. It was a lovely, sunny, warm day there.

S and M were still painting the outside of their cottage when we arrived. There are some really quaint cottages in Stanley – not surprising, given the age of the settlement.

J met the guitar maker and they talked for ages. I sat out in the courtyard of the cottage, in the sun, and sewed. It was very pleasant, sitting there, with the black lab dog and a little Russian Blue cat, who also belonged to a neighbour.

We had a late lunch – BBQ chicken – done in a Weber style portable gas BBQ. It cooked well, but we thought it was too heavy for us to cart around.

It was great to be back in Stanley again, but we had to head back to Wynyard in the late afternoon. We drove 129kms today.

I really like this section of the north coast. Could live here, I think.

Sunset over the ocean, from the beach by our camp

Tea was zucchini soup, cold lamb, potato, salad.

After tea, I worked on a letter to U and J. John played computer games.

SATURDAY 25 MARCH      WYNYARD

John slept in somewhat.

I walked to the shops for papers. I was trying to break in the new sandals that I have been carrying around for ages, and they blistered my feet. I thought they must be a size smaller than the previous pair.

John left for bowls at 11.15am.

I read the papers thoroughly, did some sewing, washed my hair, began cooking a roast lamb dinner. It was a lovely, lazy day.

John really enjoyed his bowls and played well. Smithton won. His rink defeated a previously unbeaten rink from Railton’s top side. So the Smithton people were really thrilled to finish their season that way, and John was popular!

He transported a player called G back, who was a woodworker. G gave him a little model tomahawk, made from sassafras. He sells these. He also gave John a turning blank of sassafras that he makes the tomahawks from. John bought a plank of sassafras from him for $20. So, John came back with more timber! It turned out that G was S’s uncle! Tasmania is amazing.

John drove 184kms today.

The roast lamb and veg dinner was yummy.