A nothing kind of day

As the thirteenth week away draws to a close it is hard to believe that we are at day 91 of our adventure. On the one hand driving off day feels like only yesterday yet on the other it almost feels like a lifetime ago. One thing I do know is that I don’t ever want this way of life to come to an end.

Today, a Saturday, has very much been a nothing day. Mr Awesome finished the first of his six weeks at work yesterday and we celebrated with a quiet rum and coke. Ok so maybe there was more than one and quiet possibly more rum than coke.

Today we woke up feeling a little under the weather. To say the least.

Actually on the scale of worst hangovers ever it probably doesn’t even rate a mention it has just been so long since I felt the after effects of alcohol that it really knocked me for six. Though I am certain it was the lack of sleep more than the grog that left me feeling worse for wear this morning.

Mind you I wasn’t feeling bad enough to swear off drinking forever, or even any period of time for that matter. As I type this there is an icy cold cider by my side. 

Speaking of not drinking though October is the month also known as Ocsober, where those with more will power and sense than I refuse alcoholic beverages for the month. All in the name of raising funds for worthy causes that encourage children to make healthy life choices. Like saying no to drugs and alcohol.

This year a dear friend has decided to be a party of this worthy cause. Which makes her all sorts awesome. Well actually it makes her even more awesome than what she already is. Anyway the whole point of me telling you dear reader is in the hope that you might have some spare coins to donate her way.

All the details can be located via this link. 

Thanking you so very much xx

One of the things I love most about where we are currently staying are the galahs that regularly pop in to say hello. Actually they are probably stopping in to eat the seed we put out for them more than just dropping by to say hi. Regardless, their presence makes me smile. A lot.

For now though I should go and get dinner for the troops sorted. The never ending battle that feeding seems to be drives me to distraction. I mean it is not a battle to get them to actually eat, just the relentlessness of it needing to be done all the bloody time that makes it feel like a battle.

Looking for the best

Yesterday I was whining about how some days things just don't seem to work out they way you hoped or thought or planned. It was a bit of a grumble regarding how the last week has felt for me.

What I didn't get a chance to mention is that deep down as much as it frustrates me when things go wrong I know that nine point nine times out of ten it will work out for the best.

Of course sometimes that for the best is hard to see, but I do believe it is always there, you just have to stop grumbling and look for it.

As sucky as it was having to pay a ridiculous amount of money to have a new clutch put in and buy a new battery at least it is now done and out the way. There will be no more wondering about if or when these things will go wrong. Because let's face it at the end of the day it was inevitable that these things would go wrong. Car parts only have a certain life span. That's all there is too it. At least by reaching the end of their time here we were able to replace them with relative ease. Having the clutch seize and fail while at the top some sand dune in the middle of no where would have been a much bigger issue and a much more costlier exercise than what we had to deal with.

Same with the battery. It really is a case of alls well the ends well. We now have a super flash heavier than heavy duty battery that has a three year warranty.

However having said all of that there is that something that I didn't get to whinge about yesterday that I am struggling to find the sliver lining for.

Since arriving in Sunny Karratha I have made a concerted effort to up my activity levels. The fact that most of my shorts appeared to have shrunk made me think it was probably not a bad idea to move a little more (and drink a little less).

So the other evening I donned my favourite pair of running pants and hit the pavement. I managed to crank out my fastest 4km in I don't know how long. I was all kinds of impressed with myself and certain I would wake up in the morning a few kilos lighter.

At around the 3km mark in my run I noticed a slight burning sensation on my inner right thigh. Being the tough nut that I am I just kept on running. All the while said burning sensation intensified.

As I took myself off to the showers, upon my return home, those watching me would be forgiven for thinking I had released my inner cowgirl as I had suddenly developed a rather bow legged stance to ensure my aching loins were free from any friction.

Upon inspection of my upper leg I discovered that at the thickest point there was a patch where I was in fact missing quite a few layers of skin. Red raw began to take on a whole new meaning for me. Never before have I seen or had such a terrible case of chaffing.

Yes I know quite possible a case of too much information but since I am relatively certain I can currently name all the people that stop by to read what I have to say I have no qualms about over sharing.

The really horrifying part though came when I was folding up my beloved running tights only to discover a gapping hole in the seam.

Oh the horror.

Then as if things weren't mortifyingly bad enough.

In my wisdom I thought applying some tape to protect my damage skin was the best course of action, only I somehow managed to get my out of control pubic hair caught in it.

Yep. You wouldn't read about. Well I guess you would because you just did, I wouldn't though because I am positive that such drama could not happen to another living soul.

So please, what remedies do you have for chaffing? And how can I find the for the best out of this?

Some days...

Some days, no matter what you do or where you go everything just seems to go to crap. Not necessarily in a terrible the world is falling apart manner, just a could have gone a little better manner.

The last week has felt like it has been full of such days.

It all started when we took the car to the mechanic. There was a chance it could be a super cheap option but there was also the chance it could be a mega expensive option. Naturally it turned out to be both.

Originally the mechanic said he would be able to get it fixed in less than two days. It didn't seem worth organising a hire car for less than two days. Sadly less than two days became three, and then four and then five.

At the end of the four days we were suffering from a spot of cabin fever and organised a rental for twenty four hours. Because the mechanic assured us we would have the Patty back by then. Of course we didn't.

Being a little on the tight side of the wallet I made Mr Awesome stay at the car rental return place (aka the airport) till the mechanic called to tell him they were on the way to pick him up. Only the call was never made and some fifty odd dollars later in a taxi fare Mr A made his own way to pick up Patty. Upon arrival he had the pleasure of waiting a further hour because the darn thing still was not ready.

All the while I am stuck at the van park with three kidlets jumping out of their skin asking when will dad be home with the car.

The next day we head out to check out some sights. Since Mr A was off to work the next day it seemed only fitting we do something. Only you wouldn't read about it, but the car wouldn't start.

I shit you not.

The battery was as flat as a tack.

Thankfully we have some flash charging device thing that we can plug into electricity and get ourselves going. We just assumed that the drive would be long enough to charge the battery to start Patty for our return journey.

Have you heard a saying about assumptions being the mother of all fuck ups?

No? It was one of my dad's favourite sayings.

The battery was so flat that the 45 minute drive was not enough to charge it so it would start for the trip home. It was however enough to get the second battery turning and with the press of a magic button we were able to head on home and put the battery on charge.

Only, even after being on charge all night poor old Patty still wouldn't start. Leaving me to sort out a new battery because Mr A had started his first day back at work. Thankfully I was able to work out the nifty little charge starter the mister had used the day before so I could go and find a place that sold batteries.

It didn't surprise me that there was only one guy in Karratha that sold batteries. It did however come as a bit of a surprise to discover that he was 97 years old and unable to fit the battery for me. Which I needed to do as soon as I purchased because when I turned the car off it refused to start again.

Thankfully I am not adverse to getting my hands dirty and was able to fit the battery myself. All the while wishing that I could take a photo or two because I couldn't help but think what brilliant blog material I was creating. Only Teapot had kindly taken my phone for a swim the day before and the cheap and nasty waterproof case Mr A had purchased for me online was anything but waterproof.

Oh how I miss my poor phone.

After sitting in rice for a few days it still appears to be completely kaput. Which after this last week is much how I feel as well

Day 31

A slow day. 

Sleep in, egg and bacon for breakfast and a meander through town and some shops. 

We get a new floor matting to place under the awning. Up until now we have been using foam mats. Which while are lovely and comfortable under foot they are also a pain to put down and pick up. Not to mention the large space that they take up on the roof rack.

The other great purchase for the day was a five disc compilation of 101 party songs. Not exactly my preferred choice in music but at least there is a little something for everyone and it is mildly better than the drone of the corrugation. It most certainly makes a welcome change from the eight CD’s Mr Awesome made before we left. Especially since they are all incredibly dirty and scratched already. Making some new ones when I duck back to Darwin for my doctor’s appointment at the end of the month is a high priority.

Speaking of which I really should get around to booking the airplane tickets for that. Just quietly I am a little anxious about it all. The thought of leaving everyone does not thrill me. Nor does it thrill them for that matter. I have thought about skipping it but deep down I know that would not be the smartest of moves.

The cells at the Old Derby Gaol

On the upside though at least I will get to see McDreamy again. In a strange way I have missed our weekly catch ups. In so many ways it was like hanging out with a new friend not just a doctor. Since I have been gone he got married and I am interested to hear how it all went. Just as I know he will be keen to hear about our travels so far. He is a bit of a bush boy and loved the idea of #ouradventureofalifetime.

Once we had finished shopping we headed out to look at the Old Derby Gaol. There were lots of signs and information for the girls to read and take in so it felt like we did a bit of learning. It was hard explaining to Zany why the Aboriginal people were taken off their land and had all their rights removed. It was even harder explaining why children were removed from their families.

You can't really see the entrance because of the shadow but there is a hole
in the centre of this tree and in days gone by they locked people (Aboriginals) in there

After the Gaol we went to look at the Boab Prison Tree. It wasn't nearly as large or impressive as the one at Wyndham but still worth looking at. The girls were a tad disappointed that they were unable to go in this one. It has been fenced off as it holds cultural significance for the local Aboriginals.

Derby

Another moving day. 

This time we are moving to Derby. Another town that I am a little excited to see. Not that there is a lot to see with a population of only 5000 it is not exactly big, but it is a place I have heard people go to for a range of reasons so I am pleased to be able to say I have been there too.

Mr Awesome and I are both looking forward to being near the ocean again as well. As lovely as it is being in the bush I do miss being near the sea. At home I would drive past the foreshore everyday and have done so for as long as I can remember. There is something so very soothing about the ocean.

Sadly though the ocean in Derby is not nearly as soothing as I was hoping for. In fact it is a lot more of a mud flat than ocean. Having said that though Derby is famous for having the highest tides in Australia and some of the highest tides in the world. Not that we got to see this as high tide falls in the dark at the moment.

 

Once Edna was set up we went for a quick drive around to scope the place out. Which pretty much meant just heading out to the wharf and dropping in at Woolies for some supplies. I was surprised at how pleased I was to see a Woolworths. It is the first one since we left the Territory. Kununurra had a Coles while Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing only had IGA’s. 

We also restocked the bar which was super exciting. Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing did not sell take away alcohol. At all. The only place to purchase an alcoholic drink was at a bar where they charged a small fortune. It is all in a bid to curb some of the drinking problems that the locals face. 

Which I do appreciate, I just wish I had of known in advance. I had expected there to be some tight regulations about when and how much could be purchased. I hadn’t expected it just to not be an option.

On hold

Well today sees #ouradventureofalifetime put on hold. At least temporarily.

Those avid readers who never miss a post, would have read yesterday about the woes of poor old Patty. His clutch has worn out and needs to be replaced. Along with some bushing and rings though they don’t cost anywhere near as much as the clutch so are all a bit irrelevant.

As it happens the company that Mr Awesome worked for back in Darwin has a branch here in Karratha. And by the miracles of life are in desperate need of a worker over the next few weeks.

See where this is all going?

So as of Monday, for the next six weeks Mr A will be once again gainfully employed. The van park has come to the party and given a slightly cheaper weekly price than the one yesterday but it is still at a higher rate than what we have already paid. Can’t win them all I suppose.

We probably won’t actually be able to save a whole heap of money by staying and working for a while. Unless of course I went and offered my services to the local topless bar but I doubt there are few people interested in looking at my saggy fed three children boobies. Or perhaps they are but my slightly flabby muffin top rolls could prove to be too much of a distraction. 

By having Mr A work for a bit we will however be able to make the leave pay last a little longer. Which is all kinds of good. At the moment Mr A’s leave was due to finish the beginning of November. It will now be put on hold while he works and kick back in when we leave meaning we will get paid till nearly the end of December.

The only real downside to it all is that there is not a lot to actually do in Karratha. And by not a lot I guess I actually mean nothing. Or at least nothing that I know of. Which I guess means the girls will have plenty of time to study and learn. Much to their disappointment of course.

On the whole though I do feel this will be a good thing. It will also give me a chance to catch up on sharing some of my tales with you. Today is day number 81 and I am only as far as writing about day 29 on the blog. I have a few rough notes for the days in-between and far too many blank pages.

Sigh.

The other upside to being put for a bit is that I will have the chance to get my running back on track. Which could possibly mean said flabby excess muffin top rolls may disappear. It could also just mean that I go back to feeling all kinds of smug about being able to call myself a runner. Either way it will justify the new runners I purchased when I was in Darwin the other month. 

Being put for a bit will also give me a chance to get the follow up blood tests that McDreamy requested I get done a month after seeing him. Though just quietly I am a tad reluctant to do so incase they come with bad news. I like having the whole blood clot thing behind me and dread the thought of being on thinners for the rest of my life. Sensible Sally though keeps saying I really should JFDI.

Double sigh.

For now though I will continue to revelling in holiday mode, at least till Monday.

A tantrum of epic proportions

Really I should be all kinds of pleased with myself after today’s efforts. I ran 5km to return an overdue DVD and then turned around and moved myself back home. I didn’t actually run as much on the way home but I didn’t catch a taxi either. It also marked the third day in a row of me getting out and moving. So really all kinds of things to celebrate.

But I am not. 

Instead I am here moaning and carrying on. 

Much like Teapot did earlier today when I insisted she have a piece of fruit before cabana. Or Zany did yesterday when it was discovered I had not gotten a DVD for them like I had said I would the day before. Monumental tantrums they were. Monumental I tell you. Much like how I feel like carrying on right now.

Yesterday Mr Awesome took the car to the mechanics. There has been a rather dreadful sound as we change gears of late. A really grating grinding kind of sound that hurts your ears and makes you shudder. From the inspection yesterday it was determined that it could maybe have been one of two things. One was really cheap and the other was ridiculously expensive. 

Naturally it turned out that it was both options.

insert a wide range of swear words with lots of the f word thrown in for good measure.

We won’t get an exact price until we pick the car up tomorrow. A ball park figure though is around the $3000-4000 mark.

insert more unfavourable language I prefer not to use on the blog.

Deep breath.

And again.

To make things even more frustrating there is a chance that Mr Awesome could get some work here. Only when we made enquiries at the van park as to how much their weekly rate was we were told it was nearly double what we are currently being charged.

Yep I kid you not.

At the moment we are paying $156 for four nights, which works out to be $39 a night. Which quite frankly is a bargain. So far we have paid for 8 nights totalling $312. When I asked today what a weekly rater would be I was told it would be $415 for a week. Which works out to be $59.29 a night.

For FFS!

Cue another swear word filled rant.

Lots more deep breaths.

Dear Dad

It has been five years since we said goodbye. I could be all dramatic and say they were five hard long years but the reality is they have flown by in almost the blink of an eye. You always said life would go on without you and so it has.

There have been days when thoughts of you have not flitted through my mind. They may be few and far between but they have been there. Days when I haven’t felt like the pain in my heart might just break it into thousands of little pieces. 

None of those days have been recently though.

In fact these last six weeks have had you in my mind almost as much as the days that followed your departure.

Lately we have been to some truly beautiful parts of the country. Seen amazing bush landscapes that I just know you would have loved. In a few of them I swear I felt you right by my side.

But it has been more than just the landscape that has made me think of you. It has been this whole way of life. Living on the road, making do with as little as possible, the freedom of it all. No place to be or time to be there by. All of it, reminds me of you.

Then there are the other travellers. Particularly the men, that remind me of you. From the shoes and clothes that they wear to the colour of their greying hair. It all just makes me think of you. Especially the ones who have big bruises on their legs from their poor circulation and subsequent medication. Or the few that look like they have cataracts in their eyes. Weird I know but I just can’t help but notice all the similarities.

I don’t know why now, but the other day on our way home from a gorge my sense of loss at never seeing you again was so overwhelming silent tears began to roll down my cheeks. How I stopped myself from sobbing I know not. I think it was the thought of sharing my grief with the girls. 

The two oldest still miss you terribly as well. Lovely still holds it against me for not bringing her to say goodbye on that fateful day. Something for which I imagine I will be eternally sorry for. There was just no way I could have left you at the time. And really it was no place for her to be. Hopefully as the years pass by that will be something she can see.

As I typed this my eyes started to well. Though I promised myself I wouldn’t be too sad today. I know that is the last thing you would want. Anyway just before the tears started to roll this little fella flew in and started walking around my feet. Needless to say the tears were quickly wiped away and smile began to grow.

Oh dear daddy how I love you so xxx

Snapshots of Us - Weeks 39 & 40

Welcome to another wrap up in photos of what we have been up to. 

Eighty Mile Beach was not exactly much of a swimming beach which we were initially a bit disappointed about. However there were certainly lots of interesting things to be found as we walked along the shores. Including these cute little hats.

From Eighty Mile we went to a free camp on the banks of the De Grey River.

This was the perfect chance for a spot of fishing.

 After a blissful few days on the riverbanks and despite our abundance of fresh fish, we were forced to head to Port Hedland in search of more supplies.

As lovely as it was in Port Hedland there were not a whole lot of portraits of us to share. The few images I did capture I am holding on to for now and will share them when I do my post on Hedland.

The next port of call was back inland at Karijini National Park. One of the most truly beautiful places I have ever been to.

For more duckfaces make sure you follow Mr Awesome on Instagram.

Since we did such a fantastic job at packing up at Karijini and got on the road by eight o'clock and creating a new on the road record, we were rewarded with Chinese for dinner our first night in Karratha.

Tunnel Creek

The road that leads to Tunnel Creek has been reopened after the tanker accident so we are able to head out that way today.

There are no words to adequately describe just how cool Tunnel Creek is.

Mr Awesome had read that we needed to take torches and water friendly shoes which made it all the more exciting. Especially since our feet got wet the moment we entered the cave.

Tunnel creek is Western Australia’s oldest cave system. Like Geikie Gorge it is part of an ancient Devonian reef system. The tunnel goes for some seven hundred and fifty meters. At some points the water is said to be waist deep though the only ones who got water near their waists were the little two. Mind you we were there at the end of the dry season so I am sure that a good wet would change things.

As we walked through the darkness, guided by Mr Awesome and his rather awesome torch we saw  quite a few stalactites stalagmite formations. Mr Awesome taught the girls a little rhyme to remember which was which. Something about one goes up and the other goes down. Just quietly though rocks and such have never been overly interesting to me so I paid little attention and can’t remember which is which.

The fact that I find it difficult to pronounce stalactite and stalagmite might also have something to do with it. Regardless of my disinterest though it was a bit lovely to listen to Mr A share something from his childhood with the girls. Especially since they were hanging on his every word and quickly able to point out which was which.

When we got to the end of the tunnel we were greeted with a rather quaint and picturesque river image. We walked down a little further and sat on the edge of the creek to have a bit of a snack and a drink. 

There was a monitor on the other side of the bank that the girls delighted in watching sun bake for a while. I delighted in listening to the overseas tourists discuss whether it was a crocodile or not.

As with Echidna Chasm and Cathederal Gorge I was astounded how many people no sooner got to the end and then turned around and headed out. There was next to no one who sat and enjoyed the serenity of the bush before them. It once again made me so thankful to have the time to sit and make the most of where we were.

Geikie Gorge

Our original plan for today had been to go out to Tunnel Creek. This plan quickly needed changing though on account of a fuel tanker that lost it’s end trailer the day before spilling aviation gas all over the road. At the time of it happening word was the road out of town and leading to Tunnel Creek would be closed for up to forty eight hours.

I can’t help but feel this was the universe’s way of telling us to go to Geikie Gorge. Somewhere along the line someone had told us that Geikie wasn’t really worth looking at so we hadn’t given it too much thought.

Whoever that person was, was wrong. Really really wrong. Geikie Gorge was rather beautiful. 

The best part  about Geikie was that they had a Gorge boat tour that was affordable enough for us to go on. Family ticket was about $64 dollars which meant it was well and truly within our budget. A lot of other tours are far to expensive for a family of five. 

It was only an hour long tour but there was plenty to be seen in that hour.

Geikie Gorge is in a national park about 20 kilometres away from Fitzroy Crossing. Geikie was named after Sir Archibald Geikie who was some important person in England (who never even made it out to Australia let alone the gorge) when the the area was given it’s European name way back in 1883.  The traditional owners are the Bunuba people and the ranger giving the tour was fairly confident that before too long the park will be known by it’s Aboriginal name Darngku.

As with a lot of the gorges in the Kimberly area Geikie Gorge was once a reef that formed during the Devonian period. The limestone walls were formed by algae and lime secreting organisms that are now extinct.

The water in Geikie is from the mighty Fitzroy River which during the wet season can rise the water level by nearly seventeen meters. The change in water levels was visible as the colours of the rock walls change. It was rather impressive to think of just how much water could be in there at times. I can’t recall the exact figures but the ranger kept saying there was enough water to fill Sydney Harbour a ridiculously large amount of times.

As well as the boat tour there are a few walking paths along the gorge that you can take. We had a bit of a wander around though the girls were not overly interested. After the boat ride and some lunch they were more than happy to head home.

Instead I insisted on dragging them along the walks because it seemed silly to be there and not explore everything. Mind you on the walk home I may have run off on them all in the search of some peace and quiet. I was sick of all the complaining and figured a quick getaway was much better than yelling and screaming. Being the competitive person that I am I tried to make it into a game by letting them know before I sprinted off that it had suddenly become a race to get to the end.

A race mind you that no one was interested in taking me up on. Which was kind of nice because a lot of the path was rather sandy so it was particularly hard going. I may have stopped running not to long after getting out of sight. Interestingly enough Mr Awesome reported that the whining stopped the moment I disappeared.

Fitzroy Crossing

With great reluctance we leave the beauty of Mary Ponds and head on towards Fitzroy Crossing.  We will set up camp for a few days here and do a few day trips back on to the Gibb River Road and check out Tunnel Creek and Windjana Gorge.

The options of places to stay are rather limited so we decided to check out the Fitzroy Crossing Lodge (as opposed to the Fitzroy Crossing Inn). Though in all honesty the real deciding factor between the two was that we happened to come across the Lodge first. Which actually made Mr Awesome a bit happy because he had read good things about it on Wiki Camps which is essentially a bit of a bible app for us of.

Turns out all that Wiki Camps had said was true and it was quite a lovely set up. Particularly since when we arrived there were lots of empty spaces so it appeared to be quite spacious.

We were given the luxury of selecting our own site and after much deliberation went with one that was well away from everyone else and under the shade of a tree.

Unfortunately as it turns out we actually managed to place ourselves in the middle of two sites. Something we were not told about until we were set up and unable to move. Mind you it did not stop a van being slotted in right next to us a little later on.

Shortly after we arrived a road train carrying aviation fuel had an accident just passed Fitzroy Crossing. While no one was injured the road was closed and suddenly the empty caravan park began to fill up. As fuel was all over the road there was the possibility of it being shut for up to twenty four hours.

After a quick trip into town for some fresh milk and ice for our drinking water we quickly discovered that much like Halls Creek there was no take away alcohol available for sale. A fact that only really made us sad because it was a Friday night and there was football we wanted to watch.

Thankfully there was a pub attached to the Lodge so we went up and watched the game there. As a special treat (mainly for me) we also had dinner there. I can not begin to explain how excited I was not to be cooking for the night.

The other notable mention for Fitzroy Crossing was seeing two old school Fords pull up towing caravans! I am not normally much of a Ford girl but there was something rather impressive about touring around the country in these old girls.