Steff organised a BBQ lunch catch up with her parents, Jess and Jody, as well as my beautiful ex-Mother-in-Law Jill. It was a really fun afternoon and great to see them all. Jess is part owner of an amazing Rolls Royce built in 1934 and he picked Sam, Steff and I up and took us for a drive around in it. It was pretty amazing. It would be so great if that car could talk, it would have seen so much and had some pretty cool stories to share. It was fun that everyone we passed waved or honked. Sam was nailing the Queen wave in the front seat.
Sam and I with Jess’s Rolls Royce, Mitchell Park SA
So very early in the morning my door creaked open and a hand slid through holding a phone that was playing “I like long build ups and disappointing drops”. A very annoying song that is kind of catchy and gets stuck in your head. It has been a long standing joke with Sam, my son, and so this was how he decided to wake me up at the crack of dawn. Luckily he made up for it by getting me breakfast in bed (sorry for the crappy photo but it was the best I could do, and kind of cute that Franklin wanted in on it too).
So after nearly a year of being on the road, the time had finally come for me to return back home to Adelaide. I was pretty excited to get to see everyone, but especially the Grand-kids. I have missed them very, very much. It is also a little nerve wracking to wonder if this might have damaged our relationship with them, being away for so long when they are still so young. Haim is 3 and Connor is 2. I was a bit sad that Col couldn’t come back with me, as it would have been great flying into Adelaide together, but he had work commitments so couldn’t join me this trip. Continue reading “Day 305 – 15th November 2018 – ADELAIDE”
I have made a bit of an executive decision to only blog weekly, or if there is anything significant to share, from here on. As the holiday part of of our trip is coming to a close and I will be heading back to Adelaide soon to see everyone (CANNOT WAIT). So if you notice gaps in the days, this is why. Continue reading “Day 303 – 13th November 2018 – Darwin”
So the first night of air-conditioned comfort did not quite go to plan. EVERYONE tells us that they only run their air-con for about half an hour at night, just before they go to bed, then they only run their fans over night and it is comfortable. So I put on the air-con for a while before going to bed and the van was deliciously cool when we went in there. We even used a sheet!! I fell asleep with a big smile on my face, only to wake up about two hours later nuclear hot. I searched around for the air-con remote control and again ran it for about half an hour before switching it off. Once again I woke up about two hours later boiling hot. This went on throughout the night and it was not a great night’s sleep. It was good to be able to switch it on and instantly cool down when you needed to, but the temperature of the van overnight would creep up to the usual unbearable temperatures. Why did we not run it all night long I hear you ask? This is a great question and one I put to Col the next morning. I don’t care what the cost, the air-conditioner is staying on all night long from now on. It will be interesting to ge the power bill to see how much it is, but seriously, who cares?  Totally worth it. Continue reading “Day 300 – 10th November 2018 – Darwin, Cahill’s Crossing”
It felt a little weird not having the van on our site today, we are temporarily homeless. But what a great sight when you know where it is and what is happening!
I have noticed at the library there are two glassed in rooms and wondered what they were for. I asked today and was told they are quiet study rooms and anyone can use them. I was pretty excited and headed in there to study. The view was much nicer, overlooking a courtyard and the quiet study room certainly looked the part. I headed in there with high hopes. Unfortunately the guy I was sitting next to belched, coughed and sniffed his way through his study. My quiet room hopes came crashing down around me. I also realised there are tables and a lounge area along the side of the study room where the high school kids hang out after school. The glass walls don’t go all the way to the ceiling, so you get to enjoy and be a part of the loud banter. There is no escape. I realise I am sounding very old as I write this. I have been a Nanny for 3 years now but today I just realised I am actually sounding and acting like a Nanny too hahahahaha. Anyway, the view was good and you get your own power and USB charging spot, so I can’t really complain.
Casuarina Library, Darwin NT
In the evening I met Col at the pool to swim laps. I did my 900m then we came home to pack up the van in preparation for the early start in the morning to drop off the van to get the air-conditioner installed. I am sure that you guys will probably be as excited as us but for different reasons. You will probably just be happy not to hear me whinge about how hot it is at night and not having an air-con  One more sleep (or lack of it). It feels like Christmas.
Today’s highlight was a phone call from the air-conditioning mob to let us know that our van is booked in for this Friday WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!!!! OMG, so excited!!!!!! Luckily they only need it for the day, so we won’t be homeless for too long. It does mean packing up the ‘house’ though and dropping it off on Friday at 7.30am then we can pick it up at 3pm.
We decided to head to the Casuarina sports bar for dinner in the evening to celebrate.
I went for a 6.2km walk/run today. I have found a pretty good spot where I leave the caravan park and head up Lee Point Road. There is a good wide path along the way. The heat makes it very interesting though! I seem to be tolerating it ok but need to carry a bottle of water with me. The interval running definitely helps, I don’t think I could run without stopping or I would definitely overheat. It is already 30 degrees at 7am, so going really early doesn’t make much difference here. The days are usually around 35C and humid. I was hoping it might rain while I was running but that didn’t happen.
I used the morning to run errands and do work around the van, then headed to the library in the afternoon to study. The air-con there is awesome, but it is definitely a noisy place which makes it hard to concentrate. When did that change? I thought you got booted out of the library if you are loud, but apparently not. So torn between my desperation for coolness and wanting to get away from loud gaming teenagers. Maybe I should invest in some sound blocking headphones!
After Col finished work we met at the pool to swim laps. Last week I was swimming 700 or 800m and tonight I did 900m pretty comfortably with minimal breaks. Next week I will aim for 1km.
 One more sleep (or lack of it). It feels like Christmas.