This Adventurous Age

WEDNESDAY 5 APRIL     LEGANA

I did the washing in the morning.

Once that was hanging out on the line, we went back to the Library. Today, John was keen to try to track some of his family too. But of course, the Tasmanian Pioneer Records were not going to help him. For me, they were a great resource.

I was able to follow up some loose ends, but was still unable to find out anything much about my great grandparents on that side of the family. I resolved to try to take it up again when we had finished travel – might be able to get hold of the Pioneer Records through my local library.

Did a grocery shop.

Tea was pasta with a pumpkin and tomato sauce.

TUESDAY 4 APRIL     LEGANA

Last night, I did some share research and this morning phoned the broker to sell one lot, that had begun to fall in price, along with most tech shares. I took a loss on that lot, but a contained one, as it should be.

We went back to the Launceston Library so I could do more family research. It had begun to be addictive. Every piece found seemed to create more questions. For example, I found a birth record for my grandfather, in 1867, but it recorded that he was born at Retreat. But Retreat is over Bridport way and all the family records to date, and all I ever knew about it, had them located in the Meander and Jackeys Marsh areas. In those days, Retreat would have been days of travel away, so I could not work that one out.

Stopped in at the Legana mill and picked up the wood – a piece of myrtle. John then bought a piece of Huon pine, for carving.

Filled up Truck – 94cpl.

Tea was steak and mushrooms.

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.