Tweaking and refining systems in the van and cruiser is a constant and ongoing task when you live on the road full time. There are endless little tasks from lubricating the moving bits and pieces to rotating tyres and checking systems etc. Living with solar as we do, complimented by gas systems and backed up by the trusty genny life can get complicated at times, this particularly when you struggle with living Un-plugged at the best of times.
In years gone past the Australian Sundowner was a wanderer who arrived at dusk seeking work, usually the promise of work and in turn was given a meal. However when the sun rose the next day the promise of work never eventuated as the bloke had usually moved on during the early dawn. Or… another meaning was for the 5pm happy hour drinks.
One of the best things about living in a caravan and freecamping, particularly in wilderness and remote regions, is that if you wait around long enough you truly abandon society and become part of the wildlife. We recently were very surprised to realize that this too can occur in a caravan park, albeit that the wildlife is a tad tamer than usual.
These handy zippered bags are the best thing since sliced bread. They are cheap as chips, readily available and great for storage and all manner of things. We store our seasonal clothes (out of season) in these and use them for dirty clothes. We prefer them to plastic when shopping or picnicking and they are great for holding ropes, cables and the like.
I love visiting home and I hate it. It brings with it all those jobs, which non-home owners so much enjoy to miss. I’m not just talking only about the maintenance, the lawns and the gardening along with other responsibilities but calling in at home brings those pleasures that actually draw me home. Those pleasures, such as the gardening, the lawns and maintenance (especially the purchasing of new items). It also brings the family, those lifetime friends and your deep involvement in other peoples lives, which despite everything, is often a deep and personal pleasure.
We’ve completed The Lap, an Aussie dream and yes… we adored our time travelling. It was all part of our retirement plan and given 18 months we feel that we took way too little time to appreciate all our country has to show us. We planned diligently and as happens, found we had commitments to meet with family and friends all along the way as well as our many adventures. These we all very much enjoyed but there was so much to see that we had to set aside for another visit a great deal and already we have made plans to return to many of these places. We also made lots of new and great friends who we continue to run into, who we follow on Facebook and with whom we will catch up with again for sure. Plans are already afoot.
We are currently back where we began many years ago.. in fact we are fluffing around what could be considered “Country”. The meaning of the term, in the Aussie modern vernacular, means a great deal. It is where you find your world, where you are at home even though it may not be your home anymore. It is often the place of your birth and passage to adulthood as within the Aboriginal meaning.
I’m parked up in another of the many bush camp today, and I do love the bush camp I have discovered. Previously I have written about the delights of a camp out amongst the gum trees, but in our time travelling full time around Aus’ … and for a long time on and off, we have heard so many of our friends and mates comment on how we are living the life. We are dawdling our way around the country on “The Lap” and already we are planning lap No.2 … there is just so much to see and so many adventures to be had. So I thought it was perhaps time to look at just what that means as a lifestyle.
With the new year comes the time to organise and reflect on the year past. I’m deep into this now, organising my writing and busy editing past posts. I’ve been blogging and writing publicly now for a few years and I’ve been with WordPress for about 18 months. I must admit I find the WordPress site the easiest to negotiate… even when they occasionally get it pear shaped with the date stamp thing as with one or two past blog. There simply is no better, or easier way to stay in contact with family, friends and my readers, as well as those great adventurers who you meet constantly on the road. Like souls and others who are living the dream and holding life by its horns as they tour the country.
My latest project has been to gather up my postings into some order, mostly for my elderly Mum who is wanting to read these and can’t manage a computer. Hence… I have released a anthology of my blogs in a pricey full colour print and a cheap large e-book both with many full colour pic’s. It has been an interesting exercise for me.
We are having lots of trouble leaving our current camp. It is just a great camp… few public amenities but we don’t require them. There is the cool rolling ocean water, warm white/golden sand and smell of the salt in the air that keeps us here. It’s the peace, the wildlife around us and the entertainment in those who share our day as they come and go. It’s the people who stay and 5 o’clock happy hour, which we are sharing with our fellow campers. It is the freedom of life and the adventure of a country we love. Continue reading
Jan Hawkins Author 