Feeling the Pressure

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DAY 370

We had today planned out, but of course best laid plans and all of that, we find that time escapes us again.

An early start on the day for Andy, which is now becoming a bit too habitual, I sleep until 7.00, my usual time. Andy was sat at the bottom of the bed doing some Internet research on our journey to Wagga Wagga.

Again this morning we have to pack everything up and take the trailer with us to Camping Country as Andy will be fitting our water tank today. So we have breakfast, shower, pack up, but anything that we do not need such as chairs and tables, we leave on our site and away we go.

First stop is Camping Country to drop the trailer off, we see Jarrod for a brief chat, he is getting final preparations ready for the Bush Camp Retreat this weekend, we wanted to go to this originally but now we have amended our plans we are unable to go.

Originally I was to drop Andy off with the trailer, so that I could go down to Caloundra and pick up the “EvaHot” Fridge but Andy decided that he wanted to come too, so we leave the trailer locked up at Camping Country and head off toward Caloundra.

First stop is to drop a book back in to Chris and Michelle, they lent it to us to read when we originally headed off on our journey, and if you early readers remember we were going back to the Sunshine Coast in June to house sit for them while they were in England. Sadly we had to let them down on that, which was not a decision that was met lightly but the time and cost was against us, which just goes to show how you can underestimate the size of this country and how long it takes to actually get anywhere.

We were pleased to see Michelle, Chris was out working but we stopped for a coffee and a chat, looked at the wedding photos from their daughters wedding in England, but again as time was sitting on our shoulder we finished our coffee and on again with the promise of coming back when we are back on the Sunshine Coast.

On to EvaKool, to collect the fridge Yvette said she would see if the fridge was ready, Andy asked about the other things that we brought in such as the lamp, power converter a credit on the inverter for the replacement that we bought in Darwin for the one that failed. Yvette said that Alan would look at the credit on the inverter, when he is back in town, We are given a new Torpedo Light and Inverter unit along with a new power pack to power the fridge via 240v.

Brody turned up with the fridge which looked almost new, after a clean and a service (we have had the service card filled in because in order to validate the 5 year warranty it needs a service every year after the first 18 months).

We had to ask about the food that they had in the fridge in their office, as that needed retrieving and handing back to us, except that some of the food in there by now will need to be thrown away.

We also purchased a wireless temperature read out and thermometer, the sender unit is put in the fridge to measure the temperature and the wireless unit we can have sitting on the dashboard of the truck showing what temperature the fridge is so that we are able to keep an eye on it. So if we notice the temperature dropping too much then we know that there is a problem. There is nothing worse than driving all day only to find that the food in the fridge is starting to go over, as it had not kept cool.

Then it was on to Joe at Best Trailers, we were going to pop in tomorrow morning on the way out but as we are here we thought we would see if our bits and pieces had come in as if we take them now it will save us a whole lot of time in the morning.

It was about 1.30 by the time we got back to Camping Country, I helped Andy get set up, we pushed the trailer into the workshop, set it down on the ball hitch off the jockey wheel to give the rear of the trailer some height.

While Andy got to work, I wandered off to the shops to buy us a sandwich for lunch and then to the chemist to pick up one of Andy’s regular prescriptions. There was a discount chemist down the road; I paid $19.00 for one of his boxes of tablets, which I think, has to be the cheapest so far.

Back in the workshop, I help Andy out with some of the fetching and carrying, measuring etc. Miraculously 2 hours later and without a single swear word we have a fully operational water tank and pump.

The important thing to remember about your drinking water is that you do not want it to be contaminated with some kind of taste, now when I say this, people can use the wrong hose to fill the tanks with, in turn this makes the water taste so we have to be sure that the hose we use to fill the tank with is food grade which in turn should give us water that tastes like water and not plastic.

Andy wants to sterilise the tank first anyway, although we are told there is no need, Andy feels more comfortable knowing that it is sterile before we fill it with drinking water.

So much for our busy morning and lazy afternoon, it never worked out that way at all, we had hoped for the time for a swim, but that has gone out of the window now. We head back to camp to set up the trailer again for just one more night, it takes us seconds this time, I had done some washing earlier that needed hanging out on the line and I had hoped to get another load in the machine but there was not really any time.

I headed off to the shower, Andy filled the newly fitted tank with water and popped some sterilising tablets in. By the time I came back a cup of tea was waiting, we both rummaged in the trailer for clean and decent looking clothes as we are out to dinner tonight, but first we have to go to Caloundra, again.

Andy tried to pump some water, however it would not come out, he was slightly puzzled but un perturbed as we don’t have time to ponder that one right now, we will sort it out tomorrow.

We arranged to go and see Karen and Derek at 6.00, they had our rear seats for the Patrol, we left them with them when we left Caloundra back in January, as we did not have the room to take them around with us. They were also kind enough to keep some of our post for us as well, so we wanted to collect all of that too.

We managed to get there just before 6.00, we stayed only briefly as we were running short on time, there was a huge stack of mail, but nothing that had not already been dealt with except for one letter from MacDonald’s in Devonport, they had responded to our email complaint from way back in March. I will have to check with blog day, but we stopped in on a rainy day before we caught the Spirit of Tasmania back to Melbourne, but the service was so terrible it prompted an email.

Well the good news is despite a poor grammatical letter back with the promise of taking up the issues at the next managers meeting, there were a load vouchers for coffee and Egg and Bacon McMuffins. A fairly good apology, I am sure that we will have not trouble using the vouchers in the coming weeks.

We said our goodbyes and then headed back up to Maroochydore, we had a little time to kill so we popped into Bunnings for some pipe clips to keep the water pipes in place on the new water tank.

Then it was straight round to the Maroochydore RSL club where we meet up with Ruth, David, Alan and Lynne, apart from our fleeting visit to Ruth earlier in the week we have not seen the others since early January and we have been really looking forward to a meal out with them all.

The Maroochydore RSL club looks quite new, it is a large building with different sections to it, such as the huge room with the Pokies, I think that is what they call the slot machines, then in another area there is a restaurant and bar which is where we are headed. We have been told about RSL clubs before, you can become a member and visit any RSL, you are always guaranteed a good meal at a reasonable price.

We choose a table and go up to order our food from the menu, we are given a number for the table and go to sit down again. It is only when we finally sit down and a gin and tonic appears in my hand that I suddenly feel an overwhelming tiredness, we have been non stop all day and in fact it has actually been quite a busy week. But I soon over come the tiredness and engage in conversation. There are a couple of people singing on the stage, but they seem to disappear into the background as we all talk.

Andy and I try not to be terrible holiday bores, even though everyone is interested in what we have been up to, so we try to divert the conversation to the more every day life type of things. Alan and Lynne are going on a cruise next month they fly down to Sydney to pick up the Diamond Princess, if you remember from our blog on January 29th Diamond Princess, blog day 83, we were in Sydney and saw the Diamond Princess, such a beautiful ship, yet so huge and apparently there is no time to be bored!

None of us can quite believe how much time has passed since we were last on the Sunshine Coast, it feels quite scary really, but I do love the Sunshine Coast and would love to stay here a little longer, but as needs must we need to move on.

After dinner Dave and Lynn disappear to play on the Pokies, they both reappear with smiles saying that they are $10 up on where they started so it was time to pack it in for the evening.

It is a school night and everyone bar Andy and I have to go to work tomorrow, although we want to be up early to finish getting ready for leaving, it has been another exhausting day.

So we bid Ruth, David, Alan and Lynne a farewell and I hate to say this “Happy Christmas” with the promise to be back again as soon as we can, but we have rough plans for the next 3 months, after that who knows?

Back at camp, all is quiet apart from a few people in the camp kitchen, we head straight to our bed.

Until tomorrow bloggers.

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Photos

Working on the Water Tank
Andy gets under the trailer to look at the new water tank he fitted

Maroochydore
Along the river at Maroochydore

The Opposite Bank
Maroochydore River

Comments

[Andy Horsman]

Memories
Hi there, just a quick message to say I'm enjoying reading your blogs on Qld. The Maroochydore blog in particular has brought back some memories, of when I was a backpacker staying at the local YHA in the early 1990s. I had free accommodation as I was cleaning in the evenings and picking ginger, usually at farms near Yandina, during the day. Good times! I used to fish from the bridge in your picture... . Anyway, thanks for some entertaining blogs and I'm enjoying travelling vicariously through you. Cheers, Andy