MARCH     PLANNING THE NEXT TRIP

Friend M and I decided that a short trip through South Gippsland would blow the cobwebs – literally – out of Bus.

With the worst of summer over, the garden could be left in the care of our flat tenant, who would water whatever needed it, if there were hot days. In return, she could harvest as much as she wanted from the vegie patch.

There was a little window of time between the mass exodus events of the March long weekend and Easter – neither times that we wanted to be sharing the roads and holiday venues, now that we had the retirees’ luxury of choice about such matters.

We would take Bus and Terios. M and her friend C would stay in cabins, as he had been ill before Xmas, so “roughing it” in her Troopy camper was not a good idea. Thus, we decided to depart from usual practice and book the accommodation ahead of time, so they could be sure of getting cabins.

We, of course, were limited to parks that were dog friendly.

It was intended that our first night’s stay would be with friends at their Woolamai holiday house – a visit that was long overdue. We meant to, then, book two nights at Toora, but between us got the dates mixed up and ended up making online bookings for a day earlier than we wanted. This is what happens when you get two bossy, organizing types trying to work together!

OK. It was easier to scratch Woolamai from the plans, than try to change the booking online. So we ended up arranging two nights at Toora, three at Yarram, and tacked on our “spare” night to make three nights at Sale.

Not a long trip, but it should be a pleasant break that would enable us to catch up with some friends along the way, and visit some places not seen before. Yes – any number of such did exist, close to home! We had driven to Wilsons Promontory many times, over the years, but not explored any more of South Gippsland.

It would also, for John and me, be an experiment in travelling with others. We had done plenty of trips before with M, who we found a very compatible co-traveller, but not with the extra person. As a rule, we preferred not to travel with others, as it can complicate the experience and lead to having to make compromises that lessen our trip enjoyment. For M, it was a chance to do a little travel with C, before she headed off for more remote parts later in the year. After last year’s “adventures”, C had declared there would be no more “remote” travel for him – defining remote as more than 100kms from a hospital!

I wanted to visit and stay at the caravan park at Tarra Valley, that really caters well for doggy guests, with fenced sites and exercise areas and the like. But John vetoed that one on the grounds of uncertainty about TV and internet access. Indulgence for dog would be deprivation for him!

It just remained to cook, process, freeze, dehydrate, the last of the bumper summer crops of tomatoes, zucchini, beans, cucumbers, rhubarb, figs. A last minute discovery of lots of ripe passionfruit hiding on the ground under the vines, quickly got frozen in ice cube trays.

Tomato soup anyone?