Month: June 2020

Friday 26th to Tuesday 30th June 2020

A summary of the final few days.

Atlantic Salmon a-la garlic, butter and herbs, plus steamed South Australian prawns. A feast for kings … but we had it.

 

The annual anniversary of the raising of the Clan Ranald anchor.

Wrecked off the coast 40 perished. Three local divers using not scuba but air hoses (this was 45 years ago) have dived the wreck before but this time they spot ‘something’ that turns out to be a chain link. They follow the chain about I think around 120 metres and find the anchor, all three tons of it. They get a mate with an 80 foot fishing boat to help them retrieve it. It’s sent away for cleaning by soaking in a special solution. It disappears for 15 years. I think the Govt wanted to collar it but truth and justice won out in the end and it was returned to Edithburgh Museum. It was installed on top of a cliff above the wreck site and was later relocated to the main street of the town where it remains.

 

The two gentlemen on either side of the piper are two of the three divers who recovered the anchor 45 years ago.

 

 

A Walk through town.

There are TWO ‘M’s in accommodation. Why is it so hard for people to appreciate this. (another one coming later.)

We find a spiffy little coffee place. ‘Tippers’ which apparently was the name of the original owner who had his blacksmith business there.

 

Truer words were never spoken …  and … Anne finally parts with the empty Champers bottle she has been dragging around for the last couple of months. She bought it in around 1990 in France, 1986 vintage, but when we popped it up at the Flinders Ranges a month or two ago, it was off. We feel cheated. It was only thirty four years old. (!!???)

Crumbed prawns for dinner. Yes! Prawns again. Cousin Mal buys them two boxes at a time.

Another walk around. This time to the …

Edithburgh Cemetery.

The sobering fact when going through old cemeteries is you appreciate how modern times have reduced the mortality rate of children. There are some very sad head stones.

Allan died in 1933 just 3 years and 11 months

These are the graves of the 5 British officers who perished on the Clan Ranald. The were given formal graves. The Lascar crew were not so respected.

This one simply, ‘the infant sons … 5th Nov 1911 and 17th May 1917.

William Parslow, just 10 months.

Lorna Annie just 8 months.

Then the mass grave of the Lascar crew of the Clan Ranald.

N.B.  lascar  /ˈlaskə/  noun  DATED  a sailor from India or SE Asia.

A few bowls and trinkets to pay homage to the departed.

For many years it was just a mound with 31 souls therein.

Eventually the grave site was given a plaque naming the 31 therein and the names of the others who were never recovered.

My wonderful, humanitarian wife decorated the plot with bush greenery near at hand. A token gesture, but a nice thought

Another walk through the town.

This time a few streets then the foreshore.

This young guy confidently balancing on a beam, un protected and un perturbed.

A low flying Albatross. Forgive me for quoting …

‘Albatross …..  Stormy Petrel on a stick ….. Gannet ripple.’

Time to go. Been a great two weeks but all things must come to an end. We are moving on to meet more friends, but we will be transiting in Arthurton, via Ardrossan.

See you later.

‘Auf Wiedersehen’

(Goodbye – German)

 

Thursday, 25th June 2020

 

Yes. I’m daring again. ‘Slow Day.’

Trivia. Today is the 19th month anniversary since we left East Timor on 25th November 2018.

For anyone paying attention, the fourth movie I put on the memory stick for Mal and Kay was The Kings Speech.

People visited, so coffee and nibbles including these fab cheese and bacon scone sort of things Anne has learned to make. She assures me she has the recipe. Assures. Better be so. I love them.

The people who came, bought a car and stored some gear. All in all a win win result.

We were running low on a few vitals, (including red wine and Port) so another trip to Yorketown. Absolutely no reason for photos and description again.

Lunched on return waffle style toasted sandwiches at about 3.30/4pm.

Got lunch down in time for a shower and starting the cook up for evening meal which will be Chili Con Carne again. This time I contribute. About an hour, fuelled by two beers with thumbs up across the board including …

The ‘conc’, Guacamole (with three avocado’s, raw chopped onion, sweet chili sauce, lemon juice salt and pepper), grated mature cheese, corn chips, corn taco shells, sliced lettuce, tomato, sour cream and steamed rice.

Again, second hand meal photograph about a third of the way through.

Also, a great bubbly, Taylors shiraz and a ‘whee’ glass of Port.

‘To bed, to sleep, perchance to dream.’ (wrong)

(N.B. “To die, to sleep – to sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there’s the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come…” (Hamlet) This is said by Hamlet to himself when he thinks he is alone.)

A smile to end on …

‘Gute Nacht’

(Good Night in German)

 

 

Wednesday, 24th June 2020

 

Dare I say again … slow day. Looked at maps to plot the immediate future. Wanted to come up with a ‘cunning plan.’

Lunch ham and cheese croissants with optional cold meat selection for the bigger appetites.

Afternoon our second effort at gathering pine cones with a close observer, to be used as fire starters for the combustion heater in the house. Invigorating.

The Observer.

Showers, drinks and the cook up. I am learning a few tricks of the cooking/catering game. Not enough to be able to set up. But some good info. The meal is on Mal and Kay. Special fried rice and garlic and butter prawns in white wine.

Some people should not be encouraged. The joy is in fact because it was a particularly tough cork to get out and I am wearing the mask of success. It’s not a great mask, but it’s the only one I’ve got.

The proof is in the tasting. NO left overs! This is still a very active plate.

Exchange of goods. I get a DVD of Noel V Ginnity and details on DVD of historic family sites in the upper peninsula north of Port Pirie, which we will visit.  I pass on a memory stick with, the 10 episodes of Dancing in the streets – A history of Rock and Roll and the movies, Waking Ned Devine, The African Queen, Uncle Buck and … Damn! What was the last one?

A little more humour to end the day.

‘Kalinikta’

(Goodnight in a different language. You pick which one.)

 

 

Tuesday23rd June 2020

A walk before lunch. We are barely out when I freeze in my tracks, as would any guy my age. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. This ‘thing of beauty’ is an HX GTS Monaro and just … well, beautiful.

Only 130,000 km on the clock when he got it. Yes Km. Metric came to Aust 1974. This is a 76/77car. Spent about 30 years in a garage and the motor had to be done because it had seized from no use. No rust so just a paint job. As I said, beautiful. Good start to a walk.

Just a quick flash back. Cousin Mal’s old 1962 EJ Holden is a bit older thing of beauty. Not to be sneezed at, any collector would jump at it, and we had to walk past it to start our walk. I ALWAYS have a good look when I go past it.

Back along the foreshore, through the caravan park. A quick enquiry at the office. About $30 a night, G’Day members 10% discount (that’s us) and stay for three pay for two nights, plus a few others AND it’s a nice park AND it’s right on the water AND for fisher-persons it has a substantial fish cleaning station.

On that note, at the station, there is some action and our winged friends are attentive. Mum the Albatross scores a win much to the delight to her chick atop the light post because it is still being fed and will be on the receiving end. Chick? It’s the same size as mum. Time to kick it out mum and get on with your life, which I guess is finding a mate and starting again. Ok. I get it. So what’s the hurry?

Coming back past the church we have been seeing from a distance and it is quite unique and in mint condition.

Back for lunch, or in this case lunch heaven. Pies FLOATERS with Vili’s pies. I charge in and after a while Anne says, ‘You love these. Aren’t you going to get a photo?’ So … second hand/half used meals are not display grabbers but it’s the late thought that counts. You know, when we had our coffee shop in Dili, East Timor, I imported Vili’s and did pie floaters. They were so unknown that when someone actually asked for one, I would take their photo and put them in the social pages.  Yeh. A bit weird.

Half eaten. No. More like 3/4.

I just don’t know why the diet isn’t working.

An  afternoon of collecting pine cones for the fire. Well it was really about 20 minutes. The rest was swallowed up by the time thief that you never see. His visit just evidenced by a glance at your watch and followed by the classic line, ‘Where did the time go?’

You will notice the days are structured very similarly while staying in one spot.  Having said that, showers, a little catch up on the computer then evening meal. Tonight, sausages and chops plus veggies. Loin lamb chop that were unanimously enjoyed plus scrumptious pork  and a couple of Kransky style sausages we have completely forgotten where we picked up. The closest we can get is perhaps the Butcher at Loxton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmXr-h3OxY

To bed, via one ‘whee’ port.

 

 

Monday, 22nd June 2020

 

Sorry. I forgot to tell origin of the town name. “Edithburgh is named after Governor Sir James Fergusson’s wife Edith and the two main roads after his daughters Edith and Blanche. The town was laid out with terraces and parklands allowing for a beautiful environment. The Jetty was built in 1873 and salt, gypsum and lime were shipped off to Adelaide.”

Another slow day. We have lots because we like them. Lunch was fried spring rolls and steamed ‘dimmies.’ (Dim Sims)….

…. followed by another walk around town. This is normally a popular summer destination, bustling with boaties and fisherpersons, plus plus plus and the caravan park it right on the water and boat landing. However,  in winter and  with a pandemic, you could literally shoot a gun down the main street.

Old buildings are a treat. (If you like old buildings)

We spot this house on the market for just $99,000 It is of course ‘stuffed’ in a word, with crumbling walls. Cheap house though and in the main street. Lazy mans nightmare.

Drop in at the post office to clear the mail and we notice the flag it at half mast, signifying a local has passed away. Kay says there have been thirty in the past five years.  Sounds a lot but 5 x 6 = 30. so six a year or one every two months. Sounds not quite so bad that way. It is also, after all an older local community.

Squint to see an island way out and a grain silo next town.

We pass the ‘Crow House’ and click a few more pics but with the glare of the setting sun.

I spot an owl and just for a moment from a distance I thought I had a real one. Turns out his head is on a spring. A Braund Road sign is unique. I know the street in Adelaide and when I googled it, there appears to be only one. So, where did this sign come from?

A flash house with neat planter boxes.

Then a sunset on the way home.

Heading for showers and yet another delightful evening. Chicken and asparagus casserole, Pepperjack Shiraz, and Hardys Sauvignon Blanc  and Chardonnay. Then an early night for us. (11.30pm)

Our turn to cook tomorrow. A challenge for us. A piece of cake for Mal and Kay who have publican and hence catering backgrounds.  Kay throws a masterpiece together with one had while juggling with the other. (figuratively speaking.

Tomorrow is another day, Again. Tuesday 23rd in fact.

dasvidaniya.

(Russian. Dasvidaniya is actually two words, not one: до (until) and свида́ния (meeting). So literally it means until the next meeting. Dasvidaniya is a formal way to say goodbye and should be used with the people you don’t know and the ones older than you.)

 

 

 

Sunday, 21st June 2020

Sunday, a day of rest? Not entirely correct. An easy morning with a piece of toast and tomato. Oh no. Sounds like facebook. ‘What I had for breakfast’ Around lunchtime we head to the craft shop next to the museum as Kay is on volunteer duty there. We also check the outside of the museum. Some fascinating stuff there.

The rock crusher above, (description below) has a hopper at top where the rock is placed. Someone with a sense of humour originally had a dummy pair of legs sticking out of it. Apparently someone with some influence objected and had the legs removed. I say 10 out of 10 for the person who put the legs in and 1 out of 10 for the ‘spoil sport’ who had them removed.

In the afternoon, Mal is cutting wood for the fire and I give him a hand. Maybe he has heard of my successful episode cutting the sleepers in Loxton? It was light work compared with Loxton. A clean up and another fab meal, this time crumbed flathead fish fillets with home made chips and coleslaw. Important!N.B. Crumbed by yours truly! First time ever.

Evening is memories and reminiscences with a few photos and an 1899 Shilling. I sighted the original explanatory note that went with the shilling but photographed a photo copy as it is clearer. It seems that Herbert Henderson, Mal’s father and my uncle, way back on Tuesday September 19th 1916, a mere lad of seven years or so, swallowed this shilling by chance. It was ‘recovered’ 38.5 hours later with no pain or ill effects on young Herb. In 1916, a shilling was quite a bit of money and worth recovering. However, I guess after such an ordeal, it was also worth saving. Young Herbs dad, and our grandfather, HG Henderson, seated in the middle of the photo.

‘Vicky’ on the back.

Hard to follow that one, so to bed.

 

Thursday, 18th to Saturday, 20th June 2020

 

Well, I was quite right last posting on Wednesday. Tomorrow is (was) another Day. Thursday in fact.

It starts a lazy day, but we are short a few grocery items so we take the 16km, 11 minute drive to the big smoke, Yorketown.

Yorketown takes its name from the Peninsula*. In the early days the settlers called it “Weaners Flat,” it being the locality where the pastoralists separated the lambs from the ewes*. … In 1876 the name was changed to Yorketown.

Yorke Peninsula was christened by Matthew Flinders on March 30, 1802, after the Right Honorable Charles Phillip Yorke, one of the first Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty who honored the voyage of the Investigator with their patronage.

HMS Investigator was the mercantile Fram, launched in 1795, which the Royal Navy purchased in 1798 and renamed HMS Xenophon, and then in 1801 converted to a survey ship under the name HMS Investigator. In 1802, under the command of Matthew Flinders, she was the first ship to circumnavigate Australia.

Well it’s bigger smoke than Edithburgh, in that it has a Foodland and a Boozarama, two assumed necessities in this day and age unfortunately. Mince meat for the ‘conk’ (Chilli Con Carne) etc. etc. plus Guinness, Port and red wine. Yes. Necessities.

Yorketown is the major junction of five roads.

The main junction is the centre of town.

There are two roads off to the left to Stansbury and Edithburgh.

The two off to the left. Notice the small sign at left.

That is the road I missed and lost 20 minutes.

I didn’t know they were going to hide it.

Looking at a map, one north, (call it 12 o’clock) which is Minlaton Road which starts from Minlaton as Harry Butler Road. (see previous posting re WW1 flying ace.) Second, about 2.30 is Stansbury Road going to … you guessed it. Third at about 4 o’clock The St Vincent Highway, which goes to our current location, Edithburgh. Fourth, about 6.30, Waterloo Bay Road, going south, changing to S Coast Road once it hits the coast, then around the coast then inland to meet the fifth road around Marion Bay at the ‘toe’ of the Peninsula. Fifth, about 9 o’clock when the St Vincent Highway continues west to Warooka then south west to Marion Bay.

You just didn’t want to know that much about this major junction, did you.

A stroll was in order to take in the street scape and a bit of local history. Every small town has some interesting secrets. Anyway, it’s a great little town which is full of interesting facts if you spend the time.

We spot a touch of modernizing to this church. As we walked past the bell rang but I couldn’t see the bell swinging. That is to say, the ‘bowl’ was not rocking and the ‘clapper’ was not hitting the bowl.

Have a close look. It appears it has had an external electric bell ringer installed.

Back to the smaller (but nice) smoke of Edithburgh. We raid our hosts fridge again and feast on beef curry, while hammering the Foxtel movies. To bed, to dream, which is a whole lot better than nightmares. On that note, if you have a wicked sense of humour, here is an exert from a fabulous book loaned to me by Garry R. Thanks Garry. It is a humorous and fictional travel book as per a Lonely Planet type, Called ‘Molvania, a land untouched by Modern Dentistry’ and it is hilarious in a sarcastic, tongue in cheek, off beat way. Under is an example.

Friday, 19th June.

We missed a few items so took a walk to the local general store. Avocado, eggs and licorice then back.

Our hosts arrive in the afternoon and it only takes about a half an hour to unload their purchased stores. They store up a LOT. Much rejoicing and Anne’s Chilli Con Carne.

We find out the medical procedure in Adelaide was in fact quite obtrusive preparation and assessment to confirm the path to take in a few weeks. Anyway, basically all good. Another great night of amusing stories and discussion till it was time to pull up stumps. I think my stumps were pulled up a couple of hours before the end of the night.

 

Saturday 20th June.

A bit of a sleep in on a cold-ish, wet-ish, dark-ish day. A call at 10am inviting us into the house for mushroom and tomato breakfast from the house. Incentive to get scrubbed. Fifteen minutes and we are dining like kings and queens. We decide to walk off breakfast with a walk. (?) One look at the sky and we take umbrella’s. We only get about two hundred metres to the ‘crow’ house. We stop and chat with Arthur, the owner.

… AND we only got half way through pics and conversation and down it came.

(might double back and get the rest)

Walk over. A late lunch at 2.30pm. Back to the van for stomach pumps at 5.30pm (well that’s what we needed) then we come out swinging for round three towards 7-ish.

Another fabulous evening starting with Kay’s marvelous corned beef with suitable accompaniments, both solid and liquid. A couple of ports seemed a good idea this cold evening. Back to van for more sweet dreams. However, now we should not just dream but plan our departure north to the border. Hard decision when having such a good time. Oh … we will do that tomorrow.

Bonne nuit.

Sunday, 14th to Wednesday 17th June 2020

 

We are leaving Wallaroo today, but we go down to the end of the camp first to check the building out.

Then a phone call and we are in the main street of Wallaroo having a coffee with Robert Mooney and friend Helen. Robert is an old friend from the 70’s, namely the Torrens Rowing Club. We all had nick names then and Robert was always ‘Moose’ just as I was ‘Leithal’. That’s is back in the days when I could justify it, to a degree. A great catch up and potentially another in the not too distant future.

… and spotted another Valiant Charger. Second in about six weeks.

The last was in Clare.

On to Moonta Bay. A lovely seaside town better appreciated in say five months. Anne insists on hot chips (?) and who am I to kill her fun. Then on to Moonta for a quick drive through as the sun is getting lower in the sky and the chill is moving in.

We decide on a free camp, supposedly with toilets, at Maitland. The two delineated park spaces are a challenge for our 14.3 metre long circus train. I pick the larger of the two spaces  which is still a challenge and a half. after a few minutes and a close pass by a big gum, and some very negative comments from my spouse, ‘it is decided'(for me) that I will not continue, but look further afield.

We end up around the corner in the show grounds with a caravan park declaration at the gate with the very reasonable, ‘$18’ price displayed.

An enquiry with a happy camper and I am told, ‘Just find a spot with power and the manager will show up and collect. This turns out to be quite a good spot. Plenty of space, petitioned but clean and very functional toilets and showers, plus a complete dump spot. Excellent. A sunny next day, the manager arrives. We have a pleasant chat and we drive off, happy to recommend it to anyone passing through.

Monday, 15th June

Cousin Mal has been in touch and we head towards Minlaton with renewed optimism and a new order for the Minlaton Bakery. This bakery is well known in the district. Mal knows it as well. A small country town and the line is out the door. We spent about $75 and could have kept going. Over the Mal plus Leith order were, 4 custard tarts, 2 kitchener buns, 1 honey roll bun, 2 pasties, 1 vegetarian pasty, 2 beef pies, 1 chocolate donut, 1 more beef pie, 1 more pasty, one spinach roll and two cappuccino’s. Two boxes and two bags plus the takeaway coffees was a serious carry. I told two couples outside as we were going, ‘In my next life, I’m coming back as a baker.’ They knew what I was saying and laughed.

We doubled back for the Devil. Local boy Harry Butler became a WW1 flying ace and his story and plane, the ‘Red Devil’ is on display in a glass enclosure in the main street. Quite a story. You should get an idea from the attached photos, if you squint to read.

Now there is some urgency because our fresh payload is in fact lunch, and time marches on. So, on to Edithburgh via Yorketown with a 20 minute delay due to a wrong turn. (!!??) The thing is, if you are on a minor country road, there is no three point turn with a big van on the back. You just have to keep going until fate throws you a crumb such as an intersection or a large drive way. In the mean time, there was much ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’, in fact more teeth gnashing than weeping.

N.B. Wikipedia says, ‘ The phrase is also found as an idiomatic expression in colloquial English. Gnashing of teeth’ is when one grinds one’s teeth together. Or to have one’s teeth set on edge, or to bite down in pain, anguish, or anger.

There were also, ‘casting of dispersions’. Oh yes. Dispersions, left, right and centre. You want dispersions? I’ll show you dispersions.

N.B. Casting = throwing around; stating non-privately. Aspersion = making a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone’s reputation (ref: Definition of ASPERSION ) So, “to cast aspersions upon” would be to make false or misleading statements intended to harm someone’s reputation. Also, Casting Dispersions: Often misunderstood as ‘Casting Aspersions’, this ancient term derived from the Spanish ‘Castio Dispersionio’ refers to the encanting of the magic spell ‘Dispersions’ causing, as the name suggests, the target of the spell to break up and scatter before you. (I love trivia)

Yep. That’s it!

We front to Cousin Mal’s and partner Kay’s and there was rejoicing. We also meet (unknown to me), second cousin Colleen. A bit of a bonus. Two cousins for the price of one. We made short work of most of the payload, then parked the van in the back yard. Followed was further rejoicing and chatting and storytelling and the odd libation or three. Most of this was conducted in the water tank. Yes. The water tank. When Mal bought the house it had an underground concrete water tank which was converted to a bar. Brilliant!

This was pushing the ‘selfy’ a bit but done.

My Grandpa Henderson. My Mothers and Mals Fathers Father.

Great old guy and lots of stories here. Having said that, characteristics are supposed to skip a generation, So I should have picked up a few from Grandpa. I believe he was about 6 ft 6 inches and I pulled up at 5 ft 8 inches. I got done out of 10 inches! Life is just so unjust.

Evening meal was Mal’s specialty. Garlic (and butter etc) King George Whiting and Prawns. This was a five star meal. I not only watched prep and cooking with care and attention, but went straight off and wrote it down.

Stories of past present and future came hard and fast till we realised we had lost a few listeners and it was the wee hours. So to bed as tomorrow (it was that already in fact) was going to be a big day.

Tuesday 16th

Kay, Mal and Colleen are off to Adelaide. Mal is going down for a ‘procedure’ and Kay and Mal will return Friday, Saturday or Sunday. In the mean time, we are house sitting. We wave the trio goodbye, settle in for a while, then take a leisurely stroll up the main street then back along the promenade taking in (and clicking pics) the streetscape and environs.

Evening meal is minimal lunch leftovers bolstered with more of similar, followed by Foxtel. Ahh. Good to go rural.

Wednesday 17th

A lazy catch up day of emails, paying bills ($$$$!!!!) and washing of bed linen and clothes. This was followed by more Foxtel. Serious question. If you were a hard core movie buff (me) what would you do in this scenario? All starting at the same time are ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law), ‘Unforgiven’ (Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman) or ‘Chef’ (Jon Favreau, Sophia Vergara with cameos by Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson)? Answer? ‘CHEF’, because it is a happy little film, with a different story line, good actors holding their own and just a little Quirky.

Started another film and fell asleep in the chair so, to bed, perchance to dream. I did in fact. Real Estate! Can you believe it? I never considered myself a masochist.

Tomorrow is another day. (Derrr?)

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, 9th to Saturday 13th June 2020

 

Still in Loxton. We are invited by Lindsay to go on a morning tour to see the result of a significant wetland reclamation in which he had a contributing role. The location is between Loxton and Berri on the Berri side of the river not far from Lock 4. A marvellous series of gates, grids and water locks to control and steer water flow for the benefit of the wetlands, fish, flora and fauna. N.B. Small Red Gum saplings should flourish in the new environment.

Roads were raised to compensate for rising water and pleasant camping areas with fire pits were established, most with their own eco toilets and hand wash stations near.

We also learnt about fishways. They are cleverly designed facilities allowing fish to continue upstream past locks.

This area will be a significant tourism drawcard.

The trip included Lock 4 and we viewed it from both sides of the river. No. You can’t cross it. It entails a fifteen minutes drive over the Berri Bridge.

I stared at one of the info boards featuring the word, ‘Fishes’ and says I to myself, ‘surely the plural of fish is fish. So I googled it before jumping to error conclusions.

‘Fishes: The plural of fish is usually fish. When referring to more than one species of fish, especially in a scientific context, you can use ‘fishes’ as the plural. The zodiac sign Pisces is also often referred to as fishes.’ So you live and you learn, or I did anyway.

Lunch time and after a long inspection of the watery facilities, we need a feed. So we have a treat. The Hotel Loxton has been through some serious upgrading and while perhaps not completely finished, it is open for suitably spaced lunches. Had my Parmi in Berri so this time it was ‘Fish and Chips’ all round.

Then a short trip to see the site of Daisy Bates C.B.E. Amazing Irish Lady. Read the plaque.

Then as we are leaving, we spot our old mate, ‘Red Ned goes past!’

A quick and easy, evening meal. Baked potatoes topped with left over bolognaise sauce sprinkled with cheese.

Wednesday 10th was going to be departure date, but instead it was clean up and restock day. Washing, car cleaning, restocking food and liquids, ready to connect up, then crumbed chops for evening and our last happy night together with Rick and Diane. Been a good stay.

Thursday, 11th June 2020

A farewell look at a few things.

 

Left above, a babbling brook runs down the boundary. Septic tank overflow processing actually.

Right above, One of Ricks several vices. A particularly old one. See immediately above, the vice manufacture date 1914.

 

Below, our last wood chopping exercise.

Below, a late entry. The Loxton Bakery ‘Ned Kelly pie cross section.

Planned departure of 10-ish. Being slack meant 11-ish ready to go.

But first a ceremony. As we will be crossing borders, we decide we will have to store Anne’s little cactus we having been lugging around. It is Anne’s favorite toy, so I think we should formalize entrusting it to Rick. He takes possession like a Knight be Knighted. These things are important to record.

Now, the ‘walk around’, before we drive off is a very necessary part of the process. One walks around the whole rig looking at everything that opens and shuts, does up or undoes. So I get three metres and the left headlight is not on. Bugger. So another hour to take instruction from Mr Oracle (Rick) on disconnecting, removing the globe then testing. I don’t want to disconnect so Rick gives me a lift to the auto shop (got 2globes ) then back and installation. Away (finally!) at 12.15 pm, only 2.25 hours late. That’s about normal.

Moorook, just down the road burns up another 25 minutes as we try and do the little but neat as a pin town justice.

Next transit highlight, we go up Accommodation Hill. A long, slow hill with a dog leg near the top about five km’s before Truro. Anyone who drives a truck or pulls a van knows this hill. You get more visual effect going down it, but we are going up.

We make it to Truro and turn off to weave through a series of small towns, but settle on Balaklava for an overnighter.

Caravan Park, $30 a night, neat as a pin, (I used that term a little earlier. Didn’t I?) well run and maintained by Gary and his very pleasant wife. A drive through site so did not have to disconnect. The well appointed utility room is a converted squash court. It also has a fully functional kitchen, immaculate ablution blocks and all in all a good place to pull over AND a five minute walk to the main street. We were also given late check out as they were not at full capacity. I was tempted to stay an extra day but we had to keep moving.

 

Friday, 12th June

Kadina is bigger and a little busier but a lot of history. Well, all these little towns would be chock a block with memories, ghosts and interesting history, but we could spend the rest of the year and not move a hundred km’s.

Finally, Wallaroo. Sun getting low, a bit cold so we did a lap around the town then headed for the free camp. No toilets but an interesting place. A huge expanse of old bitumen with a two story building at the end. A bus with trailer and car next to the building, a car and van up the other end and we plumped ourselves right in the middle. So our nearest neighbour is about eighty metres away.

For once, Anne’s eye is more eagle like than mine. We are opposite a corner road and on the next corner is a PUB. Yes, I do feel like a walk. Yes, I am happy to go to the pub. Yes, I would like a drink. What a lovely wife.

It’s aptly named The Wallaroo Hotel. How appropriate. On the walk, we pass a unique art piece in someone’s side yard. Very good, and we are told the bike lights come on when dark. On the way back, we saw they did but it was still too light for it to show up on camera.

A nice cool night, real cool actually but we are self contained so it’s hot water bottles and not electric blankets.

Saturday, 13th June

Next day, it is, cold, wet, windy and cold. (it was worth a repeat) So a lazy day is planned.

It all went to plan pretty well. We are heading to cousin Malcolm’s and other half Kay at Edithburgh. We have been in contact and we get a call from the man himself. Always well informed and well experienced, Mal tells me he is aware of the Wallaroo pub, in fact there was a story with that. He further suggests we drop into the Weeroona Hotel to look up a mate. So at about 3.30pm, the wind has died a little so we take the rubbish for a walk to the Weeroona.

We stop and pic click old buildings on the way.

There is a convenient bin out the front so we will not have to carry the rubbish back to the van. A good start. We meet the names we were given and their owners, have a talk and a couple of drinks at again, the specified spacing and get a few pics of the occasion and some interesting info.

Owner Grant tells me the area we are camped in is the old, now disused, marshalling yard for the semi trailers to unload grain. They needed all this space for the semi’s to line up. The double story building was to take grain samples from the trucks as they passed through. So now we know … and so do you. Useless trivia for you, the unaffected? So back to the marshaling  yard for another cosy, self contained night.

After a delicious meal of potato, coleslaw and kangaroo balls. In fact to explain, the kangaroo is minced, mixed with herbs and formed into golf ball size spheres and sold as such in a hermetically sealed packet of twelve. So we were not contributors, after the fact, to the demise of six male kangaroos.

Tomorrow, we move.

Cheers.

Monday, 1st of June 2020

 

We stop in Berri just long enough for a hotel booking and a coffee. We go up the main street. Anne changes her order from a Cappuccino to a navy, woollen jumper and a red cashmere scarf. I stayed with my Cappuccino order.

We double back to the coffee shop and she ends up with a coffee as well. The place is called River Jacks Café and they seem to have a fetish for Gourds?

N.B.  gourd /ɡʊəd,ɡɔːd/ 

 

Who can answer: What is the first name of the actor who said, ‘And four for the gourd.’ Send an email. See address under ‘contact us’ on the home page.

Then, like coming home, we pulled into Rick and Diane’s welcoming drive way just outside of Loxton. Just like we had never been away.

We had been determined to take them out to lunch as a thank you for taking us in for the lockdown. Hence, once the Berri Hotel was open for business, we were ‘in business.’ (At a distance. It’s a long walk between tables now)

So next day it was off to The Berri Pub and for that which I had been particularly pining … A ‘Pub Parmi.’ This time Anne kept her coffee order (we had cappuccino’s x 4) …

… but both ladies had a dessert at the same ladies clothing store from yesterday. Anne usually has a cake dessert but this time it was a pair of black jeans. Diane’s dessert undeclared but it came in a similar pink plastic bag and not too bulky.

Evening …Tuna Mornay, beer, red wine, port and another day of peace, tranquillity and over indulging. It is suggested we should stay for the long weekend as it will be ‘bedlam’ out there.

“N.B. The word bedlam came about as a contraction of the name of a hospital in London. This hospital started out in 1247 as a priory for the order of St. Mary of Bethlehem. This priory eventually became the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem and was meant to serve sick poor and homeless people. However, by 1405, the hospital was under royal control and had begun to be partly used as an insane asylum, the first of its kind in England. The name of the hospital had already been slurred to Bedlam in popular speech, helped along by the variant spelling Bethlem and soon an inmate of the asylum started to be called a bedlam as well. Bedlam was not always the most well run or inspected of establishments and there were periods of great brutality and there were descriptions of “miserable creatures in chains” in John Evelyns 1657 diary. The hospital became known as a place of noisy, raving lunatics and wealthy people even took to visiting it to be entertained by their antics. It is estimated that around 100,000 people a year visited the institution for this purpose and the hospital was a model of the kind of excesses and cruelty that the “madhouse” came to be associated with.”

No. We don’t want to go anywhere near Bedlam, so it is likely we will stay to the following Tuesday.

Down to Wednesday, a day of odds and ends including of all things, buying clothes. We go to Country Proud clothing shop. I ask for T shirts and once fixed up for trying on, I inform the nice lady ‘My wife wants either a skivvy or long sleeved T shirt.’ Well, that’s what she said. Anne gets a pair of jeans, second day running? Over the road to Vaughn’s (shoes) and we both walk out with new boots. Next, the Ford dealer for the small middle wheel cap off the front right wheel. The original we estimate is somewhere between Glass Gorge and Blinman in the Flinders Rangers. We score a second hand one which will match the other three. Boozerama and Woolies for a roast chicken for evening meal. A clean sweep. We should be keeping tabs. Loxton is doing pretty well from us loiterers.

I spot this sign in town. Can anyone spot the problem?

 

Now ‘Tersdee’, is ‘fix it’ day. A loose bracket in the back of the car requires the 20 litres of drinking water to be emptied so the jerry can may be removed to access the bracket. Diesel heater tank to be filled. Turn off the fridge section of the car fridge/freezer as currently not required. Guinness cans from long term store deep in the back. Installation and testing of new boots. Installation of wheel cap. (That was another thirty seconds). etc etc etc.

In the mean time in the adjacent workshop, Rick is attempting to fix a chain saw he put in the too hard basket thirty years ago. It’s model name is believe it or not, Eager Beaver.’

Throughout the day we hear the odd short run of the chain saw motor (very short) with the occasional backfire and the whole performance punctuated with varying statements and declarations in both low and high pitch and all based on the subjects of religion, reproduction, heritage and different possible destinations of the subject machine. I thought, ‘Damn! if I’d been recording it, I could have worked it into at least a four act, extremely bawdy stage play complete with colourful characters and a spectacular finish including a sledge hammer and a flying chainsaw.’

The chainsaw did in fact survive, but in the status quo. We learn it is back in the too hard basket for another thirty years where it is to be Willed to Ricks grandson Jack to fix. This is in an attempt to ensure when Rick is gone, he will still definitely be remembered by Jack in particular, though perhaps not in the fondest light.

Peace reigns and the evening moves to ‘better than the pub could ever do’ Schnitzels with pan fried, cheese sprinkled veggies and gravy washed down with the usual. An early crisp night to bed lit by an all but full moon. A good day with a memorable workshop floor show.

Friday, work day. Light and heavy. Lightest was shopping and emptying the toilet cassette. A bit heavier was ‘The cutting of the pallets.’ More kindling for the fire place. My job was pick up and stack up.

Not quite finished. Another eleven to go. They can wait. N.B. This chainsaw was the one that replaced the Eager Beaver a while ago. Works like a charm . (Sthil)

Evening meal, a large, local bakery meat pie, mashed potato, peas and mashed carrot and pumpkin. (plus Guinness, wine and port)

N.B. I have done short video recordings of Red Ned. It is a truck with an unmistakably unique exhaust note. So far, I have recorded Red Ned by chance, but I wanted the definitive shot of him approaching, passing and moving away. Ned doesn’t know we have analyzed his modus operandi and while his appearance is sporadic, he consistently does return trips somewhere between one hour and five minutes and one hour and twenty minutes later. Furthermore, if his exhaust note is less discernible, he is unloaded and not ‘pulling’ so hard. So a quiet passing usually means the return will ‘sing’ the note.

Now …. Saturday, I am up early because I had heard the unmistakeably unique exhaust note of ‘Red Ned.’ I am standing outside the van, ready to run and shaving with my battery operated shaver. I turn off when I hear it. I yell to Anne and hit the trot up the drive way putting shaver in pocket and pulling camera out. Crossing the service road and treed plantation I pull up at the ready. The note builds and I realise Anne was hot on my heals and is now panting behind me. Camera on and ……

Not perfect but not half bad. Enough to put closure to the Red Ned filming crusade.

Des, an old buddy of both Rick and I, is coming from Adelaide tomorrow so Rick decides to gift him a ‘Dog.’ Not just any dog. This will be a Cornish terrier. He will be called ‘Morgan’ because Morgan is a 101% Cornish name. It’s hands on for both of us to create this nuggety little guy. A good place to start is an old gas bottle and smaller gas bottle number two is the head. from here on, the extras determine whether he is a dog, pig or duck. We break for evening meal, eat and drink to excess (well I did anyway) and retire for an early start.

Sunday, day of rest (??) it’s an 8.20am start for the recipients scheduled 10.30am arrival. You can achieve quicker on a tight schedule. We tried to make him realistic, with some simple features.

 

We finish five minutes early and Des arrives thirty minutes late. Much rejoicing for old comrades re-united. Des takes me on a short demo ride in his recently purchased V8 Ford Ute. Des has always had a love of cars. Big cars. Bloody big cars. This ‘bloody big engine’ that happens to have wheels and two seats, has taken Des back at least five years towards his youth. The ride took five years off my life expectancy.

 

We present Des with ‘Morgan’ and although a man of few words, he appears well pleased.

Lunch is a BBQ featuring local recipe ‘Nagari’ Hamburgers, the mandatory snags and a potato bake to die for.

A bit of a walk round, a good chat, cook the barbie. Great catching up and looking back from now to back then. We have changed physically but not our minds and hence character. Still mates.

Marvellous lunch, coffees, including a creamy pastry treat from Des, a quick modification to Morgan and a very pleasant day comes to an end as Des blurrs into the sunset with Morgan in the back. Dinner was left overs, “‘Nagari’ Hamburgers, the mandatory snags and a potato bake to die for.” Drinks were much lighter. Just one Guinness and 1.5 glasses of red wine followed by a chair nap then an early to bed, first firing up the electric blanket to melt the icicles in the bed. It’s VERY cold here at night … and in fact till about 10am. How can tomorrow beat that.

Monday, 8th June 2020 (last day of the long weekend)

Slow to rise on a cold, cold morning. First thing. Defrost the laptop. Yes. It is so cold in the morning here, the laptop rattles and moans, then has to be turned off. It WILL NOT start. I have to fire up the diesel heater, place the laptop in front of it and give it five minutes on each side to get it thawed enough to work. I can cook a steak quicker.

A comfortable day. A little late to start. Bits and pieces. Afternoon, Rick and I finish the pallet cutting. The last eleven took about 45 minutes. By the way, it was achieved using another chainsaw. NOT the Eager Beaver. That has been, as I said, in the two hard basket for thirty years.

A fab (and again generous) meal of ‘Spag Bol’ was thoroughly enjoyed. Italian means must have red wine. (Mandatory)

A classic two for one gift when the moon is still up and bright while the sun is coming up. Also, a little local flora and those amazing ant holes again.

Two things remain for this period.

Firstly, Rick said he would forward progress on the horse he is currently building and here it is. Amazing.

Secondly, I have a late entry from Ken when we were in Morgan. He is on the camera of course. Is this glam camping? That is to say, you will note the ladies are sharing an electric blanket. Pretty cool I thought. Warm that is.

We are nearing the end of our stay here. I would say two days to go.

Cheers.