Zoe has been walking better and can walk around 10 steps before she falls on her backside, but is getting better everyday...god help us when they are both off and running as Keira has to be watched constantly.
The start of April saw us heading up to Gawler to collect some new glass lenses as mine were scratched and as they were insured, they replaced the lenses at OPSM. I picked Gawler (40 minutes away) as it was worth a nice drive. We also went to BCF there as the camp chair I purchased 3 months ago, bit the dust and they gave me a credit and got a new chair...much better. I should never buy cheap shit !!!
We went over to the Harbour Town shopping Centre yesterday so Steph could check out what she can wear to the wedding...no luck as usual....but while we were there, I thought I'd get a back wax...wow !!!! Hurt !!....Steph and the girls watched and laughed but I needed it as the hair keeps growing as I get older...weird. But feels good now. The next things will be on the 13th April when I remove the Moustache....after having it most of my life. Now, that WILL be weird
Golf again on Saturday and played hopeless again, but had some improvement. Zoe is walking better and better each day which will be good or bad...
We've had a few buses stop near us in the van park at Adelaide which were a pain in the arse....full of school kids making a racket and then the bus starting up and leaving at 5am...we survived it though. We had another trip in to the City via bus/tram again and had a look arounbd Rundle Mall. They had pulled down all thbe trees down the Mall and were re-doing pavers etc. Will look good when finished I hope. The girls love getting around in the pram and checking things out so we headed back into the Central Markets and bought some meat for our future travels.
On Sunday we walked down to the local Surf Life Saving club and had breakfast. A very popular place and a nice brekkie looking over the ocean. There are no waves, so the SLSC is a bit of a mystery ?
Headed out of Adelaide on Thursday morning for the BIG 80km trip to Tanunda Caravan Park. Ian, Rhonda, Laura and her boyfriend Daniel came and visited us and had a cuppa and cake. The next day I played golf with Ian and his Brother-in-law, Dennis, at the Barossa Valley Golf club. A much better game and a very nice course. We didn't play in a comp and we saw hardly anyone on the Course...cold, but a very nice walk and laugh.
Keira has been having a few teething problems with grizzling and crying etc. But seems OK today. Zoe went to bed the other night and about half an hour later woke up crying with her face covered in vomit....I wish I had taken a photo, but we had to clean her and the bed up and put her back to bed. We think she just ate too much. And in saying that, they are eating heaps better having pasta and rissoles, grapes and anything we eat, they want. They even had some Morrocan Chicken last night.
Some figures from the trip ;
Fuel used = 815 Litres ($1300)
Distance Traveled = 3260
Days away = 42 (yes, we made 6 weeks!)
Accommodation Total = $1300
Alcohol = $600
Average daily spend (with EVERYTHING) = $135(Steph's addition)
Saturday 12 April was Joshua and Libby's wedding day. Libby looked stunning and so did the bridesmaids, which included Laura (our neice). They had the ceremony in the grounds of Seppeltsfield Winery which was lovely. A lot of emotion and laughter. The reception was held inside one of their old warehouses and the food was beautiful. It started with canapes out on the lawn (called roaming selection) and then your choice of chicken breast or beef then the wedding cake for dessert. Gary and I had a few dances together. We were given little bottles of red/port as a thankyou from Josh and Libby, which will be sampled along the way. The girls looked cute. They wore their dresses that Aunty Lesley and Uncle Dave bought for them for their 1st birthday. See photos. A lot of comments were made at how good they behaved.Sunday was the day that I got to use the clippers on Gary's moustache of nearly 40 years !!! It didn't take long to get rid of it and after he shaved the last bit of it he came out of the caravan and I just started to laugh. I laughed so much I started to cry. He looks so different but the first thing I thought was that he looked like his brother Ian. The top of his lip is white. He looks very strange.
Gary offered to drive me to some of the wineries (how could I refuse that ! ) so that was what we did yesterday. First stop was Peter Lehmann where I bought a Sav Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Lovely winery where you can purchase a $30 cheese/meat/bread platter but it was too large and Gary doesn't eat alot of that kind of stuff. Next we went to the fabulous Tanunda Bakery and Gary bought some pies for lunch. Then we went to Maggie Beer's Farm Shop where I bought the picnic basket for lunch with a wine. Great little place and you can sample all the produce that are for sale. We bought a bottle of salted brandy caramel, which Keira loved and its where they film her TV show "the cook and the chef". Daily demonstrations at 2pm but no Maggie there. After that we went to Penfolds. Only I went inside as the girls were asleep in the car. I tried 3 reds, one was at a cost of $53. Then we went to Chateau Tanunda where they make the famous Brandy. I tried a couple of wines there but no purchase.
Today Tuesday the plan is to visit Jacobs Creek for lunch then Yalumba and McGuigan and Wolf Blass. MMmmmm wine :)
Gary sort of looks ok today but says he will be growing the mo back. Even he thinks he looks weird.
OK, Tuesday saw us visit Jacobs Creek and had lunch...yum...Steph Marinated Spatchcock and I had grilled Swordfish....bloody beautiful !!! Steph also had a bottle of wine all costing $99 so it should've been beautiful :) Visited Yalumba and Wold Blass wineries and where Steph had a few more tastes and purchased some wines whilst the girls slept in the car....with me guarding thme of course.
We said good bye to Tununda and traveled to Burra. A nice little town and well worth a visit. We at a nice Ploughmans lunch sandwich and moved on as we wanted to free camp along the way to Broken Hill. However, as we approached Peterborough, I asked Steph did she really want to go to Broken Hill, then North, or would she like to head across the Nullabor to Perth. The answer was easy after we talked about pros and cons, and we turned left at Peterborough and went in and stopped the night at Port Augusta to get our bearings once again to head west instead.
Some of the towns we traveled through were as if we were inone of those movies when the tourist comes into town and there is no one living there....weird !! Some were places where there would be serial killers waiting for their rise to fame, or crims already convicted and hiding out :)
I had never been down through the Eyre Peninsula, so I write this entry sitting at a place called Redbanks Beach, looking out into the ocean, just north 0of Ando Bay. A nice free camp and there are a few fishermen down on the beach trying their luck....and I think there is no luck. It is a bit windy here, but we have the girls nice and warm inside the van.
Steph's mum, Louise, has been getting pour mail and she informed me yesterday that I received a Speed camera fine for doing 111 in a 100 Zone...damn !!! Don't even know where it was, but by the location and day, it appears it was as we traveled back down the hill from Hahndorf, but I cannot remember the 100km/h zone for the life of me ?? Oh well, I will spear off a letter and see how I go as I've got an excellent record and I would like to keep my points at least. Will see what happens.
Back to traveling......After leaving Ando Bay we went about 400km to another campsite called Eyres Waterhole which is a place with a waterhole that was used by the pioneers hundreds of years ago...but we reckon all the yobbies piss in it now :) We had a good night sleep just the same...peaceful and the girls hit the sack about 7pm !!
Next day we headed into Ceduna and fueled up and Steph needed her MAJOR supplies....nappies and wine, in no particular order. Very quiet once again in another outback town and being Easter Sunday, not much at all was open. After Ceduna, we headed west once again and stopped at a rest area about 10km short of Nundroo as last time I went across I stayed there and it was a rip of paying for power only ands the showers and toilets were stuffed...so better off in the bush. As I was getting the mat ready so the girls didn't play in the dirt, I heard Steph have a bit of a girlie scream. I turned, expecting to see John Jarrett from Wolf Creek fame, or at least a bit black snake, but no, it was a march fly ??????? There were millions of other flies there as well and they were getting right into to corners of the Girls eyes and lips....mongrel little bush flies. We kept the girls inside until the sun went sown and the flies pissed off and then sat and looked at the stars....bloody beautiful is all I can say when you get away from Cities.
The Nullabor was true to form with a head wind for us for a couple of days and it was such a pain in the arse as I could see the fuel gauge move as I was using so much...but nothing I could do about it except keep a nice steady pace around 95km/h. I took all the girls into the Head of the Bight, where Southern right Whales visit during May to October...a little early for us, but nice to visit and see...except the Cousins charge us $7 each to visit. Left there, fueled at Nullabor roadhouse for $2.05 a litre !!! and then traveled and found another GREAT viewing place for the Bight....and this one was FREE and FAR FAR better.
Camped a total of 5 nights from Port Augusta and across the Nullabor. Girls were great, but very very dirty. They looked like a couple of Aboriginals heading to a Corroboree with that dust all over them. The Nullabor was true to form as everytime I have crossed it, I have seen something strange. This time, there was a bloke running pushing a barrow type thingy with all his gear it it. There was another bloke riding some bicycle contraption and then a handful of MG sports cars...always fun.
Arrived in Esperance safe and sound and didn't realise it was school holidays, but the people at the Pink Lake Caravan Park accommodated us and helped us out with a site so we could clean up. We will be stying here until Saturday 3 May as I have to get new tyres and a car service which is getting done next Thursday. Esperance seems a nice enough place and we took a drive around the Bay today (Anzac Day) and the water was so clear and beautiful. Came back a little early as Zoe had a big chuck in the back seat....had to clean the stink out of the car :) We will be heading to Cape Le Grande one day where there is a beach that used to be Number One ...will let you know what we reckon.
So many beautiful beaches...water is pristen with white sand....lovely. We went out to Cape Le Grande which is about 60 km from here and a National Park. Another great spot with beautiful beaches and we should've camped out there...oh well, it's in the memory bank. We had some rain and wind of late and it is very annoying. No use moving on as it is like this all over the West Coast, so will hang here and finish my Car business and then head off.
I bought some devon the other day at Woolies and Keira and Zoe absolutely love it...so I made them a tomato sauce and devon sandwich which they devoured :) We met a nice couple and their dog here, Bob, Maureen and Sarah and the kids loved Maureen and cried when we left her after happy hour. They are really coming out of their shells now, but still grizzly here and there as they get tired from all the excercise walking :)
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