28 July 2009

From Pauline

The next weekly post, only 14 days after the first one! Hmm. We are almost ready to go. The preparation has involved pruning the garden, several farewell soires, writing of instructions for house-minders, purchase of an EPIRB (we need it for the boat anyway), plus 2 way radios, with instructions in faux English, so that we can keep in touch through the clouds of red dust on the back roads, a fly proof instant tent for fly and moth free meals, (winter nights begin at 6pm and if you put up a light those critters come from everywhere and dive-bomb your tucker), purchase of a nice pair of binoculars for ME with my farewell voucher from work mates, a new cast iron camp pot because I left the last one out in the rain for 2 winters and it is 100% rust, and so on.

We spent a few hours with our unit tenant last weekend and noticed her son had a bad cough. Now we hear that he has swine flu....I have to go there tomorrow to plant a red cap gum tree in the back yard....remember to hold breath and keep it brief.

Must remember to take passports and soft gear bags (no room for suitacases in Rita) as we will side trip to NZ to hug the Boisverts. I have been told off for packing too many CDs, no names mentioned.

We have just learned that when we pass through Aboriginal communities we are not allowed to carry grog, so what was supposed to be a week or so of "having a good look round" is now going to be a DASH! Should do the 1700 kms to Alice in 2 or 3 days!

I've got my flute and so far can play a scale, not sure which one because my piano is so out of tune! John has his guitar and has been working laboriously on Hey Jude.

Our travelling partners are Barbara Manson, sailor, and Peter and Diane McDermott, sailors, whose fence blew down in a storm last week, so our departure is delayed till Friday 30th.

More later