Something good! Something bad :(
Well, as of today, I am licensed to drive the truck! I did my driving test late this afternoon and although I got told to check my mirrors more often, I did well enough to pass. Now I just need to practice a lot more and become more confident.
Unfortunately we don't have the caravan yet. We got a phone call that the van had arrived, the same day that Bun's Mum died so all thoughts of that went out the window for a couple of weeks. We were scheduled to pick it up on Friday last week but apparently there is an electrical problem that is intermittent. We decided with the local saleswoman that the best option is to send the van back to the manufacturer in Melbourne so that the problem can be sorted out there. Hopefully it will only be a week or so before it's back, looking pristine and ready to roll!
Josh has started a new job in Adelaide this week and it looks like he has found a house to rent already so that's a relief.
Ben has moved house again and has scored an extra room along with his bedroom so looks like he will have a study/quiet room to himself.
Callie will be home next weekend to enjoy a quiet family celebration for her 21st.
The big trip to USA is getting closer now so she's starting to get excited. She's also found out that Justin Bieber will be having concerts in Vegas and LA while she's there so I think the plan is to get tickets for her and Steven to go. She's really excited about that, Steven hmm not so much :)
I think that's enough for now. Fingers crossed soon we'll have good news about the caravan.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
It's been a sad place here.
Two weeks ago, Bun's Mum, Fiona, had a massive heart attack and passed away. She had been fine earlier that day and we are thankful that Bun and his two sisters were at the hospital with her. We are also thankful that everyone in the family, including all 8 grandchildren, were able to be here to farewell Fi with a lovely service and spend a few days together.
Two weeks ago, Bun's Mum, Fiona, had a massive heart attack and passed away. She had been fine earlier that day and we are thankful that Bun and his two sisters were at the hospital with her. We are also thankful that everyone in the family, including all 8 grandchildren, were able to be here to farewell Fi with a lovely service and spend a few days together.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A big week!
Okay so plenty has happened this week!
First we went to Thredbo on Friday to meet up with Ben and following an unexpected cold snap, it was only 3deg and icey (according to the car) when we arrived at 6pm. The trip took a bit longer than usual as there is still some floodwater around and we had to detour. On Saturday morning we looked at the weather and made the decision not to do the walk that we intended. Instead we went on the chairlift to the restaurant to find very big winds and the temp was, with windchill factored in, a very cold -9deg!!!
There was SNOW!! So we sat there by the fire with hot chocolate and hot scones, because that's how we handle snow :)
Anyway we had a relaxing weekend spending time with Ben and managed to also have lunch with my brother, sister-in-law, niece and great-niece (that makes me sound old). Monday was another long day driving with another detour. Arrived back around 4pm with the last grapes harvested that night, starting at 8pm.
Tuesday was the really big day because the truck arrived! It looks really big but at least my feet can touch the floor when I'm sitting in it :) I went for a little drive in it with Josh after work but I know it will take a little while before I really feel comfortable driving it.
Next big news is that Bun has a job! Again it's not what you know, but who you know. A friend from Winkie has a friend interstate who runs a contracting business with his son. The friend was visiting Winkie this week and after a bit of a chat, Bun has a job to start in October driving a harvester for the grain season. The boss is happy to train him and work alongside him so it's great to know that there is something lined up to go to as soon as we leave here. It will probably mean that I will be driving the truck and towing the caravan while Bun drives a machine between properties so I need to get some practice in. Also it means that we will be heading east not west! The guy works through NSW and down into Victoria so a 'slight' change of plan there but we had said 'no rules, no plans' so it doesn't fuss us at all.
Finally for news this week, Josh has just got word that he has a job to go to straight after Easter. He will be heading west instead of us :) He will be working for 3 months or so, somewhere around Geraldton. He only heard this morning so we don't have a lot of details yet, but I think it is on a station doing welding and stuff. Accommodation and food are included but he has to cook for himself. Sounds like a good deal to me. Oh, and Stevie dog will be going with him so he's happy about that too. The job was sourced through a job agency that I've been keeping an eye on for a while, with a view to us using it. They work at placing people into short-term, casual vacancies (backpackers, grey nomads, etc) and I think once Josh has done a placement with them, he'll probably have no trouble getting other positions.
Hopefully the caravan will be arriving soon (it's due in April) but I'm not holding my breath. Still, it will be great when we get that as we'll be able to have a couple of long weekends away to start settling in to it.
Okay, just got some more details on Josh's job. He will be working with a guy who plants sandalwood trees, employs backpackers, needs a tractor driver/supervisor, maintenance, welding, etc. Near the coast near Geraldton somewhere so apparently there are opportunities to go fishing, shooting goats, riding motorbikes, go to pubs, etc. I told Josh it sounds like it's just made for him :)
First we went to Thredbo on Friday to meet up with Ben and following an unexpected cold snap, it was only 3deg and icey (according to the car) when we arrived at 6pm. The trip took a bit longer than usual as there is still some floodwater around and we had to detour. On Saturday morning we looked at the weather and made the decision not to do the walk that we intended. Instead we went on the chairlift to the restaurant to find very big winds and the temp was, with windchill factored in, a very cold -9deg!!!
There was SNOW!! So we sat there by the fire with hot chocolate and hot scones, because that's how we handle snow :)
Anyway we had a relaxing weekend spending time with Ben and managed to also have lunch with my brother, sister-in-law, niece and great-niece (that makes me sound old). Monday was another long day driving with another detour. Arrived back around 4pm with the last grapes harvested that night, starting at 8pm.
Tuesday was the really big day because the truck arrived! It looks really big but at least my feet can touch the floor when I'm sitting in it :) I went for a little drive in it with Josh after work but I know it will take a little while before I really feel comfortable driving it.
Next big news is that Bun has a job! Again it's not what you know, but who you know. A friend from Winkie has a friend interstate who runs a contracting business with his son. The friend was visiting Winkie this week and after a bit of a chat, Bun has a job to start in October driving a harvester for the grain season. The boss is happy to train him and work alongside him so it's great to know that there is something lined up to go to as soon as we leave here. It will probably mean that I will be driving the truck and towing the caravan while Bun drives a machine between properties so I need to get some practice in. Also it means that we will be heading east not west! The guy works through NSW and down into Victoria so a 'slight' change of plan there but we had said 'no rules, no plans' so it doesn't fuss us at all.
Finally for news this week, Josh has just got word that he has a job to go to straight after Easter. He will be heading west instead of us :) He will be working for 3 months or so, somewhere around Geraldton. He only heard this morning so we don't have a lot of details yet, but I think it is on a station doing welding and stuff. Accommodation and food are included but he has to cook for himself. Sounds like a good deal to me. Oh, and Stevie dog will be going with him so he's happy about that too. The job was sourced through a job agency that I've been keeping an eye on for a while, with a view to us using it. They work at placing people into short-term, casual vacancies (backpackers, grey nomads, etc) and I think once Josh has done a placement with them, he'll probably have no trouble getting other positions.
Hopefully the caravan will be arriving soon (it's due in April) but I'm not holding my breath. Still, it will be great when we get that as we'll be able to have a couple of long weekends away to start settling in to it.
Okay, just got some more details on Josh's job. He will be working with a guy who plants sandalwood trees, employs backpackers, needs a tractor driver/supervisor, maintenance, welding, etc. Near the coast near Geraldton somewhere so apparently there are opportunities to go fishing, shooting goats, riding motorbikes, go to pubs, etc. I told Josh it sounds like it's just made for him :)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Waiting patiently (sometimes!)
Well we're still waiting for the truck to be ready. We had requested that they fit an extra fuel tank and apparently when they went to order one, all the ones in stock were dented. So... we're still waiting :)
However on the plus side, at least we had put back the date for going to America because I guess it's just as likely that the caravan delivery date will be late too. This way we aren't stressing that things aren't happening when they should and we'll still have plenty of time to test things out before we make the big move.
I had planned to finish up at work at the end of June to allow time to get everything sorted here, however now I will have July off and go back to work full-time for 2-3 weeks in August so that my boss and his wife (also a co-worker) will be able to have time off with his sister when she visits from America. It will make life easier for them and doesn't make a big difference for us as we can still head off in the van for a couple of weeks at the end of Aug - start of Sept.
We head off to Thredbo on Friday to meet up with Ben, the plan being to walk up the mountain on Sat morning so long as the weather is fine. Then off to Canberra at the end of the day and catch up with my brother and his family on Sunday before heading home on Monday.
Only catch with it all is that we now have to harvest grapes from about midnight on Friday morning before we can leave at 6ish for a long day's drive. To top it all off, the last of the grapes are booked to be harvested early (and I mean early) on Tuesday morning after we get back late Monday! Timing is everything! If I hadn't booked the accommodation through Wotif, I would have tried to reschedule for the following weekend but whatever?! We'll just go anyway and see Ben.
We have also booked to fly to Sydney for a quick weekend catch-up with Bun's brother and my brother at the end of June. Both families have moved house in the last year or so and done renovations. We haven't seen the houses yet and thought we'd better see them soon before we head off.
I'm really starting to look forward to October when we finally get to leave. It seems like such a long time to go especially when people start saying "I thought you'd gone already" and we have to say no, that it was just a really long lead-in time for the whole event :)
At least I have been using my spare time productively, having finished off some long-term projects (and a short-term one) in the sewing room. I completed a king-size quilt for Kerry, about to finish a queen-size one for us (maybe for the caravan) and also about to finish a queen-size one for Ben's friends who are getting marrried in November. Also completed are a baby quilt (to go in the cupboard!) and an applique wall quilt that has been on the go for about 3 years now. Steadily working my way through the fabric and supplies that have filled the wardrobe so that I will just have some smaller, more manageable projects to work on while we travel. I decided that some of the smaller cupboards in the caravan are really not made to store big things but would be perfect for 'stashing' fabric and patterns! :)
Hopefully the next post will be soon to say that the truck has arrived.
However on the plus side, at least we had put back the date for going to America because I guess it's just as likely that the caravan delivery date will be late too. This way we aren't stressing that things aren't happening when they should and we'll still have plenty of time to test things out before we make the big move.
I had planned to finish up at work at the end of June to allow time to get everything sorted here, however now I will have July off and go back to work full-time for 2-3 weeks in August so that my boss and his wife (also a co-worker) will be able to have time off with his sister when she visits from America. It will make life easier for them and doesn't make a big difference for us as we can still head off in the van for a couple of weeks at the end of Aug - start of Sept.
We head off to Thredbo on Friday to meet up with Ben, the plan being to walk up the mountain on Sat morning so long as the weather is fine. Then off to Canberra at the end of the day and catch up with my brother and his family on Sunday before heading home on Monday.
Only catch with it all is that we now have to harvest grapes from about midnight on Friday morning before we can leave at 6ish for a long day's drive. To top it all off, the last of the grapes are booked to be harvested early (and I mean early) on Tuesday morning after we get back late Monday! Timing is everything! If I hadn't booked the accommodation through Wotif, I would have tried to reschedule for the following weekend but whatever?! We'll just go anyway and see Ben.
We have also booked to fly to Sydney for a quick weekend catch-up with Bun's brother and my brother at the end of June. Both families have moved house in the last year or so and done renovations. We haven't seen the houses yet and thought we'd better see them soon before we head off.
I'm really starting to look forward to October when we finally get to leave. It seems like such a long time to go especially when people start saying "I thought you'd gone already" and we have to say no, that it was just a really long lead-in time for the whole event :)
At least I have been using my spare time productively, having finished off some long-term projects (and a short-term one) in the sewing room. I completed a king-size quilt for Kerry, about to finish a queen-size one for us (maybe for the caravan) and also about to finish a queen-size one for Ben's friends who are getting marrried in November. Also completed are a baby quilt (to go in the cupboard!) and an applique wall quilt that has been on the go for about 3 years now. Steadily working my way through the fabric and supplies that have filled the wardrobe so that I will just have some smaller, more manageable projects to work on while we travel. I decided that some of the smaller cupboards in the caravan are really not made to store big things but would be perfect for 'stashing' fabric and patterns! :)
Hopefully the next post will be soon to say that the truck has arrived.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Progress
Things are happening slowly. The truck will hopefully be delivered to us by the end of next week and then Bun can work out what storage options he wants to go with. Once the truck has everything done to it, we can advertise the ute.
Vintage is starting to speed up, we have more grapes getting picked Fri pm/Sat am. Rain is forecast for next week so it will be good to know that more of the crop is gone.
Ben has started studying again and Callie has just started TAFE again this week. She's keen to get back into her studies again after nearly 4 months off. She also seems to have started the countdown to the big trip, apparently it's only about 28 weeks away :) Josh is busy driving tractors this vintage but looking further down the line, he's applied for the army and is also looking into getting work at the mines.
Jobs to do shortly include talking to a new accountant and organising how the bookwork for the business will be done while we travel.
I found that now you need an official marriage certificate to get a passport in your married name so I'm waiting on that before I can apply for a passport but we'll get Callie's done tomorrow.
I've been trying to walk further distances in preparation for next month's walk up the mountain. Bun and I walked into Berri yesterday morning, I think Ben said it's about 10kms. Lucky we've got a great neighbour in Jenny and she picked us up and gave us a ride home.
Well I've got an unexpected day off tomorrow so I should get a few neglected jobs done at home.
Vintage is starting to speed up, we have more grapes getting picked Fri pm/Sat am. Rain is forecast for next week so it will be good to know that more of the crop is gone.
Ben has started studying again and Callie has just started TAFE again this week. She's keen to get back into her studies again after nearly 4 months off. She also seems to have started the countdown to the big trip, apparently it's only about 28 weeks away :) Josh is busy driving tractors this vintage but looking further down the line, he's applied for the army and is also looking into getting work at the mines.
Jobs to do shortly include talking to a new accountant and organising how the bookwork for the business will be done while we travel.
I found that now you need an official marriage certificate to get a passport in your married name so I'm waiting on that before I can apply for a passport but we'll get Callie's done tomorrow.
I've been trying to walk further distances in preparation for next month's walk up the mountain. Bun and I walked into Berri yesterday morning, I think Ben said it's about 10kms. Lucky we've got a great neighbour in Jenny and she picked us up and gave us a ride home.
Well I've got an unexpected day off tomorrow so I should get a few neglected jobs done at home.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Booked the trip!
Well, we finally made some decisions regarding the trip to USA! Having originally thought that the start of July was the go, we are now leaving mid-Sept for 2 weeks. Callie and Steven are staying a week extra after we fly back. Saving heaps on flights plus the weather will be more pleasant and Disneyland in particular will be a lot less crowded.
The plan is LA for a few days then hit Disneyland followed by Vegas and back to LA for a couple more nights before we leave on 29th Sept. We will also be doing a day trip to the Grand Canyon by helicopter.
Callie and I went to get passport photos done today and had a hell of a laugh. The WORST photos ever taken at the Post Office, quickly followed by a trip to the photo store at the shopping centre to have some more taken there. Much better! Callie declared that she looked like a murderer in her first photo and that "You look like a stoner, Mum!"
We are happy to have 10 year passports with the second lot of photos as I'm not sure that Customs in USA would have let me in the country!!
Rescheduling to Sept has also made things easier for us as Bun will be picking oranges up until the end of June and we wouldn't have had much time to try out the caravan. This way we plan to spend a few weeks away during July/Aug as a trial run, packed up ready for the West. It will give us the opportunity to cull things that we don't need and leave them home, rather than carting stuff around that we don't really need. I'll also spend some time at the start of Sept looking for work for us to go to mid-October, hopefully we'll be able to line something up maybe around Esperance.
We've been enjoying spending time this week with 6 Canadian nurses that are based in Berri for a couple of weeks. They mainly come from farms and agricultural backgrounds so have been interesting to talk to. They've even said that Bun should come and work a harvest on their families' farms so who knows what might happen in the future. They would also be a good contact for the kids if they decide to travel to Canada. Ben is keen to go to USA with us if his work commitments allow and then go to backpack in Canada for 3 weeks after we leave. Hopefully that will work out for him.
That's it for now.
The plan is LA for a few days then hit Disneyland followed by Vegas and back to LA for a couple more nights before we leave on 29th Sept. We will also be doing a day trip to the Grand Canyon by helicopter.
Callie and I went to get passport photos done today and had a hell of a laugh. The WORST photos ever taken at the Post Office, quickly followed by a trip to the photo store at the shopping centre to have some more taken there. Much better! Callie declared that she looked like a murderer in her first photo and that "You look like a stoner, Mum!"
We are happy to have 10 year passports with the second lot of photos as I'm not sure that Customs in USA would have let me in the country!!
Rescheduling to Sept has also made things easier for us as Bun will be picking oranges up until the end of June and we wouldn't have had much time to try out the caravan. This way we plan to spend a few weeks away during July/Aug as a trial run, packed up ready for the West. It will give us the opportunity to cull things that we don't need and leave them home, rather than carting stuff around that we don't really need. I'll also spend some time at the start of Sept looking for work for us to go to mid-October, hopefully we'll be able to line something up maybe around Esperance.
We've been enjoying spending time this week with 6 Canadian nurses that are based in Berri for a couple of weeks. They mainly come from farms and agricultural backgrounds so have been interesting to talk to. They've even said that Bun should come and work a harvest on their families' farms so who knows what might happen in the future. They would also be a good contact for the kids if they decide to travel to Canada. Ben is keen to go to USA with us if his work commitments allow and then go to backpack in Canada for 3 weeks after we leave. Hopefully that will work out for him.
That's it for now.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Things to do
We've made quite good progress so far on the long list of 'things to do'!
We have ordered a 4WD light truck to travel in. It has a much longer tray space that Bun is keen to fill with 'toys', so far a motorbike and a 4-wheeler and some built-in storage boxes. I'm allowed to take my pushbike as well. He's also hoping to fit a surfboard and a tinny on there as well!
I remarked to Josh that it seemed that there would be a lot of toys to play with and that Bun wouldn't find enough time to work and he said 'so you're finally starting to get it, Mum!' However I plan to take my sewing machine and a 'small' fabric stash as my 'toys'.
We have also ordered a caravan that should be ready in April, the truck is due in February.
The most recent on the to-do list was updating wills, power of attorney, etc; generator has been purchased and Callie has just been approved for a new house to rent in Mildura that will accept the dog so that is a big relief.
We're also planning to go to a TAFE course to get Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates and also attend a First Aid Course early in the year.
Next of the list is organising the booking of the much anticipated holiday to LA, Vegas and Disneyland in July.
We also want to visit Ben again in Canberra, probably in late March, with the view of climbing Mt Kosioscko with him.
The next few months are sure to fly by with work and the vintage to keep us busy but I'm really looking forward to the changes ahead.
We have ordered a 4WD light truck to travel in. It has a much longer tray space that Bun is keen to fill with 'toys', so far a motorbike and a 4-wheeler and some built-in storage boxes. I'm allowed to take my pushbike as well. He's also hoping to fit a surfboard and a tinny on there as well!
I remarked to Josh that it seemed that there would be a lot of toys to play with and that Bun wouldn't find enough time to work and he said 'so you're finally starting to get it, Mum!' However I plan to take my sewing machine and a 'small' fabric stash as my 'toys'.
We have also ordered a caravan that should be ready in April, the truck is due in February.
The most recent on the to-do list was updating wills, power of attorney, etc; generator has been purchased and Callie has just been approved for a new house to rent in Mildura that will accept the dog so that is a big relief.
We're also planning to go to a TAFE course to get Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates and also attend a First Aid Course early in the year.
Next of the list is organising the booking of the much anticipated holiday to LA, Vegas and Disneyland in July.
We also want to visit Ben again in Canberra, probably in late March, with the view of climbing Mt Kosioscko with him.
The next few months are sure to fly by with work and the vintage to keep us busy but I'm really looking forward to the changes ahead.
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