Endings, beginnings, and life goes on.

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Winter is over and spring is here, well according to the calendar it is. We spent the last day of winter in Mallacoota in absolutely miserable conditions. Freezing cold temperatures, strong winds and heavy rain marked the day. It was a great day for sitting around so we went for a drive into Merimbula for lunch and then to Eden for a look and bought some oysters along the way. The first day of spring was much the same as the day before, except we did sit around and kept warm and dry.

This change of seasons also marks the end of our holiday. We are currently retracing our steps, as such, and spending a couple of days in Buchan before returning home tomorrow. The weather is absolutely beautiful. We have been sitting out in the sunshine, and the dogs have been swimming in a nearby dam. They are not very keen on the water, but swim they did, possibly something to do with Frank having thrown them in far enough that they had to. It couldn’t have been too bad, they had three turns at being thrown in. We have had to face facts. The girls are not happy, fun loving dogs who love to run along the beach in the waves and retrieve balls etc. We are the owners of two couch potatoes.

You may remember that we set a challenge or two at the start of this trip. Challenge number one was that the dogs would play, possibly with toys. I have a set of three toys, free to a good home, hardly used. Challenge two was to catch a fish. We were successful in winning here. Frank caught two fish and I caught one. Pretty dismal really. At least the fish living in the areas we tried fishing were well fed, so all was not lost.

Our trip down the east coast home was not without dramas, of course. South of Eden we pulled over to let the dogs stretch their legs. As we were driving of, up a steep winding hill, Frank noticed something wrong. He had a quick look and then had to reverse very gingerly back down to the area we had stopped at. His inspection revealed a U bolt missing from the new spring on the van. With the aid of a passer-by or two, we contacted a caravan repair in Eden who had the necessary part, and Frank was driven in to town by a very kind young lady to collect it. Repairs by lamplight took place and we were on our way to Mallacoota for a last hoorah at fishing.

A few decisions were made on this trip and a few lessons learnt. We had planned over the last few years to buy a port-a-boat to take along with us. We have now decided that a boat is an absolute necessity and that it will be an aluminium tinny that will sit on a purpose built frame over the front of the ute. We are restricted because the van sits over the tray of the ute.

Things we have learnt along the way: 1. Don’t pack a basic black wardrobe if you are going to be living in very close proximity to dogs, particularly white ones. 2. Sydney Rock oysters can live unshucked for up to twenty days if stored between 5 to 15 degrees Celsius. Packing them in ice or an airtight container will kill them. Pacific oysters, such as Coffin Bay or Tasmanian Oysters, are not native to Australia, but they taste good. 3. Macadamia nuts are dearer at dedicated retailers than they are in the supermarket. Incidentally, the same applies to wines at wineries. 4. Sitting around for five weeks is not conducive to weight-loss. For this reason, it is always good to pack clothes with elastic waists. 5. A bit of maintenance can save stress and potential disasters. (That was Franks lesson.) 6. Humpback whales have two blowholes. They are the only whales that do. 7. Spells of sleepiness as a car passenger can be reduced by knitting. I have knitted seven scarves so far; the toll could be as high as nine by the time we get home. I hope I can find homes for them all. 8. Local knowledge is essential when fishing. The information given by tackle and bait sellers is not necessarily correct. They just want to sell you stuff. Ask the locals. It would seem that the fish in Queensland do not like the fresh water running out of the rivers from recent rains and that the fish in the south of the country don’t like cold water. Can’t say as I blame them really. Another fact seems to be that where the Sadys are, the fish are not.

All in all, we have had a lovely holiday. We are both tanned and relaxed. We have caught up with family, met some interesting people, caught up with some and unfortunately missed out on meeting old friends. There is always next year. In the meantime, we will be fishing closer to home, possibly down the Surfcoast on the weekend.



Post Script: We have arrived home safely, and the van was parked away before school finished. (We live across from a school and there is a bit of a traffic problem.) Bubble has been to the Vet and will be having surgery next week, after a course of antibiotics. I will be having a broken tooth attended to tomorrow. And the technician will come and fix our foxtel in a couple of days and prevent the world from ending!! Life does indeed go on.

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