Heat Wave, Flooding Rains & Re-building Harry Transit

4 - 27 January:  Time to get down to business and start stripping and re-building Harry Transit our 1980 Mk2.  Our old neighbour Mick from Redcliffe, sent us down some materials bought from his suppliers and Danny got stuck into paint scaping, with a bit of help from me, cutting out rust, re-building using an old bbq lid and bogging.  Meanwhile, I kept myself busy with onion weeding the vege garden and then spreading sugar cane mulch.  I also tidied up the front garden (weeds & grass were creeping back in) and scattered some mulch there too.
We took our Foxiehuahua, Fuggles to the vet for desexing ( I told her she was going to a Day Spa!) and our neighbour here, Ray, helped fashion an Elizabethan collar made from a large yoghurt container, so she wouldn't lick her stitches.  Ray has been a real legend, loaning us his ute many times to go into town for food and van restoration supplies.

When I was at the vet, one of the ladies who worked there recognised my name on the diary and it was my old actor mate, Mark's wife Kate.
It turns out:  they live at Half Way Creek, about 50mins from here on 100acres.  So Mark came out one Saturday to say Gidday and promised he would be back soon with his family.
But before that happened, we had a heat wave for a few days:  42 degrees was the top and so we had to work early in the morning and late in the arvo/early evening to get anything done in the garden or on the van.  But finally it rained.  Just a little bit.  So we got some more done on Harry:  I used an old telephone book to mask up his windows, while Danny got serious with the orbital sander.  I had a run in, literally with one of the chilli bushes in my eye.  Luckily it didn't burn, just scratched it which was a annoying and throbbed for a few hours.  Fuggles recovered well from her surgery with help from the garden:  aloe vera.  Ray suggested it - he could write a book on Bush Remedies (and many other subjects!).  He's great for a yarn and cup of black tea.
So Australia Day was looming and so was heavy rain and talk of floods.  Mark, Kate and their daughter Maya came for a BBQ yesterday and we had a paddle in the river, home-made rissoles and some salad from the garden.  It's very cool to have long, lost friends living in the area.  Especially since we have decided to stay here for 2013.  Yes, Keith has had his nose tarped and has put down roots next to the Guest House here.  Danny applied for and got into a course at the Grafton Tafe:  Diploma of Screen & Media and I even applied for one:  Information, Digital Media and Web Technologies.  Don't know if I got in yet.  I also put my resume into a couple of businesses for some admin work.  So, we pulling up stumps for a while as they say. 

One of the neighbours, Polly just popped in, dressed in shorty dungaree overalls and gumboots and told us " the bridge is out".  So, we might get some flooding here from the river over the next couple of days.  We already pulled up the pump pipe and Danny took the pump on the tractor to the shed.  Hopefully water doesn't come into the house.  It has before, but only once. 
Even with the heat and the flooding rains, we are lovin' bush living.  Yee-haa!

A Bush Christmas & New Year

Dec 23-Dec 27:  The festival of food, fun, family and friends began with Danny's folks, Jean and Jimbo and then continued on Xmas Eve with Linda, Clint, Liana, Guy and their dog Groover.  She took a while to relax, but eventually she came around to the charms of Gandi dog.

 We ate our Xmas lunch in the dance hall and . at night we watched Starsky & Hutch on the big screen.  Over the next couple of days, we swam in the river, the men-folk enjoyed the tractor, ride-on, yabbie pots and kayaks, while the chicks had some quality time with Fuggles Renee.
It was sooo good to spend time with everyone after 10 mths travelling Australia and like Jean said: it was a very relaxing Christmas.

Dec 28-Jan 3:  The Palmers from Pearl Street, our old Kiwi neighbours arrived:  Mick, Sue, Tamara (5) and Tasman (2).  It wasn't all drinks and disco lights, as we had decided months ago we would shoot a short film during this time with Mick in the title role.  My sister Melissa and her husband Buzzy came on New Year's Eve and he was straight to work as the ex-boyfriend baddie.  A little too convincing might I say in his flanno, singlet and copious profundities.  Next day I finally convinced my sister to be the woman in our film and as anticipated, she was great.  We all saw 2012 out with music videos on the big screen, frozen marguritas and beers.  Hello 2013 and  it was time for Buzzy and Lissie to go after a big goodbye from her new best friend, Tamara. (Pardon?) With most of the filming done, it was time for the next project - Trash My Wedding photos with the Palmers. The river was picked as the perfect location and even Gandi and I got in on the act... but I failed to catch the plastic bouquet!   On their last day we put them to work: Danny and Mick pulled off Harry Transit's bull and bumber bars and Sue and I weeded the front garden. 

 What a uniquely wonderful 10 days - Big Thanks to Danny's family, my family and the Palmers for coming on down to Tim's Rest. 

Where the hell is Chambigne?

 Dec 15-22:  After a brief stop at the Big Banana for a photo or two, we detoured off the highway to the fishing village of Wooli. Very cute and we had a fish and bit of a paddle in the inlet.

 We got to Chambigne, 15mins south west of Grafton, went through the gate with the 3 letter boxes and over a Billy Goat's Gruff bridge - I had to get out to direct Danny over so Keith's back wheels didn't fall off!  Up a 4km rough dirt track was Tim's Rest where we would property sit for 3 months.  And what a great property and we got on with Tim immediately. The blue Transit was there and he went like a rocket (could we just use him for parts?) and we settled in for a week of introductions to all aspects of the property:  chickens, vege patch, trouble-shooting the water pump, generator, tractor, solar / batteries, projector and ofcourse, Gandi - Tim's well behaved cattle dog.  (although he did play up just before Tim left with not wanted to go to bed outside and running off one morning)   Tim's sister, Neroli was here the first couple of nights and cooked us a great Asian meal, but after she left I took over the duties as Tim has just had a shoulder operation and is in a sling.

Danny helped Tim edit a demo film for Dunbe, his high school drumming group and I rescued the pot plants from their 2 yr excile in the shade house and adorned the main house and guest house with them. 
Tim's neices husband, Engie arrived to help out with cleaning windows and taking Tim to appointments in town as he couldn't drive. 

Lots of drinking and chatting was had, with me piking out and going to bed first as usual.  Tim left on the 21st for Ghana, where he has a property (that's a whole story in itself! More on that later...)
So it was just us, the 3 dogs and chickens and  preparations to be done to make the property look it's best for the arrival of Danny's family - slashing of paddocks, whipper snipping, cleaning of the guest house and the main house with some swimming in our birthday suits in the nearby river to cool down.
Danny found a liking and may I say, some talent for Tim's old piano that his late dad gave him when he was a boy.  I found a liking for the hammock and so did Fuggles!  
Dec 22 and we were ready and waiting for the arrival of our first guests who we hadn't seen for over 10 mths - Jim and Jean Loyden.

Hooray for Canberra!

Dec 8:  Said our Goodbyes to the North Family and hopped on the M1.  Lunch at Wellington and eventually to Lakes Entrance.  Despite the TV ad that Danny's Dad doesn't like, it is a pleasant seaside village and we stayed in a cheap caravan park facing the river.  Afternoon drinks at the retro-looking RSL, then dinner at the local Thai restaurant.  Very salubrious.  
Dec 9:  Danny remembered a forest drive he went on 20 yrs ago in his Kombi, so we took a detour at Orborst.  It was very windy, but beautiful big trees and leafy ferns.  Came out near Delegate, a cute old town and I had a little slide down a grassy slope.  Tried to find somewhere for lunch and picked a nice spot outside the cemetary, but we had no gas!  So lunch at Bombala once we re-filled the gas bottle and then Canberra.  Let me just say, that I have never professed to be good a maps and am very new to the smart phone ones and their directions.  That said, Keith ended up facing Parliament House about 3 times before we finally got on the correct road to Danny's family.  Not impressed and fair enough...
We arrived at Auntie Jill's and cousin Colleen put on a great BBQ for us to catch up with some of the family. (Danny's cousin Vicky lives round the corner and his Uncle and Auntie two doors up).We hadn't been back since our trip from Tassie 11 yrs ago.   Uncle Norm suggested we park Keith in his big backyard, so we did and the dogs had a secure place to hang out too. 
Dec 10-12:  We spent 3 days parked at Uncle Norm & Auntie Eileen's, and Aunty Jill took us to Spotlight (hooray, new sheets) and then cooked the best roast and desserts, shared with cousin Sharon and Steve. Colleen also made us yummy chicken stew and caramel dumplings the next night...Oh the festival of food!  Uncle Norm loaned us his car and we went and re-visited the wonderful Australian Museum with the grooviest vehicle (see pic above) that was the home for many yeas of a travelling knife / saw sharpener and his family.  We also had a look at the National Art Gallery next door.  On our last day, Danny with the help of Colleen, re-sheeted some of the perspex roof on Jill's sunroom.  A job that even Uncle Ronnie had bawked at, due to the fiddly nature of getting up on the roof etc.
Dec 13: What a great time we had with all the Canberra Gang, but 7:30am and it was time to go.  Easy freeways took us to The Big Merino, Goulburn to re-fuel and by lunchtime we were at our good friends in Umina Beach, NSW.  Michael (with his expert flight attendant training) looked after us very nicely with drinks and nibbles until Russell came home.  Danny and Russ had a walk and I had a lie down (damn migraines!) before dinner of Morrrocan Lamb and Vegetables.  Oh yeah, that man can cook and they have a lovely house in the trees, overlooking the bay.
Dec 14:  Double highway most of the way with lunch at Michael's suggestion, Bulehduleh.  I have stopped there before sometime in my past...I bought Danny his 6th pair of thongs for the journey and we settled for the night at the White Albatross Holiday Park, Nambucca Heads where Danny had stayed for his Auntie Mazza's wedding many years ago.
I love the fact that The Adventures of  Keith has enabled us to re-unite with family and friends across the country.  And now another stage of the adventures was just about to begin...

Documentaries and Videos from The Adventures of Keith

 
In May 2012, we stayed in Malanda, FNQ doing Help Exchange and came across an old mechanic's shop.  An elderly gentlemen, Vince Seres came out of the open doorway and welcomed us into his workshop.  It was like a museum of vehicles, manuals and motoring parts.  We went back a few days later and he told us his story.

Now we are in a new year, we thought this was a good time to revisit Keith's first test drive (after his restoration) shot in Pearl St, Scarborough 2011.

Get Keith to the Greeks (Apollo Bay to Melbourne)

 Nov 30: 
Johanna Bay, free camp at the beach.  Danny went fishing and we listened to Ponting's last test cricket game. (Should have gone while you were on top, Ricky...) We had fresh parrot fish for dinner and chatted to a friendly couple parked next to us from Belgium.

 Dec 1:  We pulled up further along the Great Ocean Road at Apollo Bay.  We settled into a caravan park on a creek and then had a look at the little seaside town.  I bought some Xmas presents and then we just relaxed with Keith for the evening. 
Dec 2:  Not far to Lorne and the caravan parks were full of Schoolies.  We managed to escape the frivolity and had a lovely day buying more presents, walking on the beach with the fur girls and then a few drinks at the Lorne Hotel with cricket on the big screen.

Dec 3:  We arrived at Avondale Heights, Melbourne to stay with our Greek nomad friends, Stella and Angelo (who we met in Karumba).   They really know how to make the most of their house block with a smoke house and substantial vege garden out the back and cellar with bottled goods under the house.
We went for a walk with the dogs along the river and had bass caught by Angelo for dinner with home-made tzatziki, houmous and sweets.  We also met their daughter, who I got on with very well. 
Dec 4:  All of us to the Highpoint Shopping Centre and I spent some of my birthday gift card on shoes, a country cd and a bucket margurita mix for New Years.  Stella bought Indigo and Fuggles bling collars and a red tracksuit.  A big lunch of lamb and chicken from the smoke house with Angelo and Stella's son and his work mate, then left overs for dinner.    
Dec 5:  Aldi - for the first time in about 6 months!  Then we by-passed the city and drove to our friend Cathy's lovely place at The Patch in the Yarra Ranges.  We picked rasberries and plumbs from her trees and walked our girls and her golden retriever, Zoe to the local school for a run. 
Dec 6:  We caught the train into Richmond and had coffee at a bike shop cafe.  I got some extremely discounted undergarments from the Berlei Warehouse shop and Danny bought a much needed laptop (his died in Alice Springs) on sale in the city.  I made my famous meat balls for dinner.
Dec 7:  At home day with Danny on his new computer and me doing paperwork and blog.  Dinner that night with Cathy and her daughter Gabby at a local cafe:  Cook's Corner.  I had the vego pizza, very nice. 

What a great time we had catching up with Stella and Angelo and then Cathy, Gabby and her brother Mike.  But the festival of food was just beginning!