In the morning, I phoned and cancelled the meals we had planned for tonight and tomorrow, with John’s brother and my brother – because John was feeling so ill. He went to a local doctor and was prescribed anti-biotics for the throat.
Later in the day, I started to feel like I was coming down with something similar. Can’t be tonsillitis, because I do not have any, but something akin to that. Not fair!
We needed a fairly early start this morning, because we had to hitch up the van and take it to Trakmaster for a service. Obviously, the outside furniture, awning and the like didn’t need to go too, and we were lucky to be able to move them to the new site we would occupy from this afternoon.
We stayed with the van at Trakmaster. They are very busy with orders through to next June. We like the sound of there being ongoing demand for the brand. They do seem to be developing a solid reputation. We chatted to a couple of prospective customers, while we were waiting.
I added our black lines to the wall map they keep on display in the office, showing where their vans have been taken. It is getting to be quite an impressive display, especially of unsealed road travels.
The original plastic cupboard catches in the van were all replaced with metal ones, at no cost to us, because there has been a lot of the originals breaking.
We collected the seat covers and sleeping bag from the dry cleaners. The wool seat covers look like new – all the dust from remote regions has gone! The sleeping bag smells strongly of chemicals.
Back at Healesville, our new site is an en-suite one. We opted for this, in view of John’s coming travails, and because we had the van mobile today, anyway. It is pleasant to have the convenience of the en suite; now we are paying $22 a night.
Set the van back up again. It was an effort for John because he was feeling most unwell.
The rain continued in the morning, but eased enough for John to go off to bowls in the afternoon, despite his tonsillitis.
Friend T arrived – as previously planned – about 3pm. I had changed our original plan to eat out, to an eat-in one, due to John’s sore throat. I am not sure that T was all that pleased, as I think he wanted to “pay back” a meal!
We had much talk about school and its future direction and people we know, and his future plans.
When John arrived back from bowls, he’d lost his voice!
For tea, I made a chicken and cashew stir fry, with rice, then strawberries and ice cream.
T left about 9.30.
John had been asked to play in one of Lilydale’s competition bowls sides today, so we drove to Lilydale.
Refuelled Truck – 71cpl.
I went for a walk around the Lake, then drove myself back to Healesville, where I cleaned the inside of the van. Had bought the papers on the way back, and read those, some, too.
Late in the afternoon, I picked up John from the Ferntree Gully Bowls Club, where they had played and we drove to his sister’s at Beaumaris. Together with another sister and her husband, and John’s niece and her husband, we had an excellent banquet meal at their favourite Chinese restaurant. It was a very pleasant evening.
What had been a humid day turned into a night of lightning and thunder storms, thus we had a tough drive back, through sheets of rain. It was 2.30am when we got back to the van!
John’s sore throat is much worse.
John had another round with the dentist, for the final root canal work. I waited for him, in Truck, and knitted.
The repair place in Ringwood, where we took the video machine, phoned yesterday to say they could find nothing wrong with it, so we went there and took the TV for them to check, in case the fault is there.
Then we went and did some bowls practice at Lilydale.
Had our various prescriptions filled at Healesville – cost $170!!
Back at the van, I discovered that John had turned the fridge off, last night, because he thought it was interfering with his TV picture. He had not turned it back on. Again! I threw out all the defrosted meat and chicken packs, that had been sitting in their puddles all day. It was a substantial waste, and I was very annoyed. Bloody TV is far more hassle than it is worth. John was not repentant.
Tea was bought fish and chips.
I did the washing.
John pottered about in the morning, doing things like changing a blown fuse in Truck, then went to Lilydale to bowls, after an early lunch. He has a sore throat and thinks he is getting tonsillitis. I wonder if he picked up a bug at the doctor’s? Unhealthy places, those!
I read, sewed and went for a walk.
Tea was soup, steak and vegies. The meat – bought in Healesville, was very tough and almost impossible for me to chew.
We were up at 6.45am, because we both had appointments with our doctor, starting at 8.40.
John was put onto a new anti-inflammatory – Celebrex, and given anti-reflux medication. He was also given a serious order for a colonoscopy, given his siblings’ history of bowel cancer.
I had a routine test done, and some rough skin burnt off my nose – sun-damaged, but not of concern. He was satisfied with my blood pressure – 140/90. We both got new scripts written.
Continued on to Waverley and picked up the Chescold fridge – all fixed, for $60.
Then we went home. I left Dad’s ashes in my wardrobe. We left things we are not taking to Tasmania. John put the roof rack contents back up there, on the new rack. I searched for one of our warm sleeping bags, in case we decided we wanted to do an overnight hike whilst in Tasmania, but couldn’t find one, so I took a grubby, thinner one from the store cupboard in the shed.
On the way back, in Healesville, took the grubby sleeping bag, and the two lambswool seat covers from Truck, to the big dry cleaners there.
John is, understandably, quite upset at the prospect of a colonoscopy, however, I phoned and made the appointment for him.
Tea was soup, rissoles and broad beans.
We were up fairly early, due to having dentist appointments. Down the highway again – getting to know the road from Healesville to Lilydale, very well. At least, it is a really pretty drive.
John was in the chair for ninety minutes. The next visit may see his work completed, for which he will be exceedingly grateful!
The stitch was taken out of my jaw, which has healed adequately.
We went to a local funeral place, and collected my father’s ashes, which they had been holding for nearly three years! Rather remiss of me, I guess, but I have not been able to decide where they should go, and brother is no help. But it feels more appropriate that they should now wait at home, and I will leave them there when we go back tomorrow.
Went on to the bowls club for practice, which was not very enjoyable. John was grouchy after the dental ordeal, even though it was he who insisted we do the bowls.
It was after 4pm when we got back to the van – and it was a very late lunch!
Tea was more of the mushroom soup, and fried rice.
John wanted to go to Lilydale for us both to practice bowls, so we hit the highway yet again.
When we got to the club, there were games on and no space for casual practice. So we went to the Lilydale Lake and walked around that, which was enough exertion for the day.
Back at the van, I made a batch of mushroom and barley soup. We had some of that for tea, with cold roast chicken.
After breakfast, we drove back into the city – to go to the annual Woodwork Show at the Exhibition Centre.
Refuelled Truck on the way – 70cpl.
We hadn’t been to “Jeff’s Shed” before and found that impressive, in that it is very suited to the exhibiting function. There were sufficient ticketing points so we didn’t have to queue for long. But the floor gets very hard after a while of walking and standing around on it!
The show was much more interesting than I had expected. John found a book on walking stick making that he’d been looking for, for a while. There were, of course, lots of the latest machines there, for him to dream of having, one day!
From there, we drove to Brunswick, to a specialist print gallery to see my brother’s latest exhibition. It was the last day, so we were lucky to catch it. He’d sold most of the exhibits, so did really well with the small monotypes that are his latest direction. They are very “moody”.
After we’d finished looking around, we had coffee with brother, and arranged to have dinner at their place, in a couple of weeks.
Back to the van. I was conscious that there were two small chickens to be roasted, and time was getting on. It was fortunate that they were small, because I managed to have dinner ready about 7pm.
I phoned a couple of friends, to arrange to catch up, while we are here.
We got fuel in Lilydale, this morning, on the way through. We are really using up the diesel with all the city driving. Did another 152kms today.
This Adventurous Age