The Odd Couple

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DAY 185

We decided to book in for another day here at Shark Bay, as we just struggle to grasp any down time, so today we wanted to do absolutely nothing except potter around, read our books, or even have a practice on the communal didge.

Caroline was suggesting we could possibly have a walk on the beach, or may be do this or that, and I listened intently and just said yes, without any real intention of doing it.

Its constantly hectic on the road, or even if you are staying somewhere for a couple of days you never seem to stop there is always so much to see and a lot of people we have come across always say to us “You must see this and you must see that”, so we try to do everything and see everything but it is impossible unless we stayed in the same place for a lot longer which would mean it would take another year to get round this amazing country.

Breakfast was done and dusted, showers had and chins shaved, well mine anyway (Caroline) (whoops only joking), and we were ready for the “big easy” I pottered around the truck just mooching really and found the Axe head and new Hickory shaft that we had bought a while ago when we were in Bunbury.

At the campsite they had a workshop that I spied the other day, I walked up and asked reception if I could straighten some tents pegs first, to see how the land lay. Yeah! No problem, and one of the site guys hovered over me whilst I did this simple task, I suppose to make sure I didn’t put any of their tools in my pocket, I asked if they had a wood chisel so that I could shape the wooden shaft to accept the new axe head but they hadn’t. I was talking to this chap about his role here and he said it was good and that there were 3 maintenance guys here (noted) and one of them was on holiday today.

I thanked them profusely for letting me do my own bit of maintenance then walked back to the Wendy House, where Caroline was sitting in the shade and thoroughly engaged in the depths of her book.

I got my trusty knife, and sat in the sunshine paring away at the Hickory so that the old axe head would fit snugly, then allowing me to drive the new head wedges in, It took me about an hour carefully making sure it was done, just right.

I wandered back up to the reception where one of the two remaining maintenance men happen to be and said would they mind if I used the workshop to set this axe head, no worries, so I headed in to the workshop.

As luck would have it they had a grind stone, and enviously looking at it I thought they may freak out if I turned it on, as I only wanted to grind the excess drift from the axe head to make it safe, but as luck would have it one of the maintenance men had just gone in to town and the other had jumped on the site moped to show some arrivals where they were to pitch as it is quite a well laid out site.

In no time at all the old axe head look brand new sitting aloft the new Hickory shaft, I was so pleased to close this job out at last.

Again I thank them profusely and wandered back to the trailer, where Caroline was still sitting and appeared as if she hadn’t moved at all since the last time I saw her. Raising her head she said “I wondered where you had got to” and I proudly showed off the axe. (Men and their axes eh! I bet he cannot wait to make a fire!)

I settled in to my book, I am reading a book about Diane McCorry who had a million acre cattle station in the Northern Territories, and was as tough as old boots, Caroline bought the book a few weeks ago in Perth, Diamonds and Dust, but as Caroline is busy with another book I just thought I would pass the time with this book.

Around lunchtime we popped out to the garage, we needed to re inflate the tyres after yesterdays off roading and of course fill up with Diesel ready for our trip to Carnarvon tomorrow. We pop into Tourist Information just for a nose round, there is a museum there but you have to pay so we declined to visit. There is an amazing poster in there of the Space Shuttle with the cargo doors open and you can see a picture of Shark Bay and the surrounding area in the background. What a superb picture!

We pop into the supermarket for some bread and a couple of bits and pieces for lunch then back to camp.

A while later in the afternoon, we were just sitting reading our books in the sunshine, I suddenly said to Caroline that I wanted to make damper, and would appreciate if she took the time to show me how, and in no time at all I had some damper bread cooking on the stove, the only unfortunate thing was it wasn’t on an open fire. However I wanted to know how to make it and practice is the best way we do not always have the luxury of being able to make a fire (man thing). I made it with chocolate chips as I thought it would turn out badly but in fact It wasn’t too bad at all, a bit doughy I suppose, but all things considered not to bad. Next time I shall make it into smaller pieces for cooking.

Caroline went and had a shower and I pottered around some more, then eventually it was time for tea, another camper van had pulled in where the Dutch people had vacated, immediately they pulled up they spoke and then they came over and introduced them selves as Kevin and Janice from New Zealand, and as it was Kevin’s Birthday would we like to have a drink with them later.

In the camp kitchen there were a few people, but not so many as the night before, the campsite seems to be very quiet. There is a couple of older gentleman preparing their dinner for the evening; they seem to be preparing quite a feast for themselves. We find out that they are fishing buddies and their wives are at home, listening and watching them for a while, they sound like and old married couple, and really reminded me of Jack Lemmon and Walther Matthau in the 1968 film “The Odd Couple”. These guys have another 10 days fishing here before heading home.

After dinner Kevin and Janice came over with their chairs, it was a fairly cool evening, we toasted Kevin’s birthday. He did say that some people had to be reminded.

While we were talking Caroline was uploading the blog and had a Skype call from Barbara so she vanished for a short while.

Kevin and Janice told us that they were heading South on the way down they saw a decapitated cow, you can imagine the jokes that came out of that story.

We had a great evening sitting and chatting to Kevin and Janice, but soon it was time for bed.

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