AMIABLE ARNO BAY

Fish farms accross the bay

Looking back at Jezabelle from the jetty.

Our 'million dollar' view.

Boardwalk thru' the mangroves.

Sunrise from the van.

Hi folks, how are things with you? We have had a wonderful time here at Arno Bay. We must have kissed a pixie, as we have had marvellous luck – we were given the best bay here. We have uninterrupted views of the bay and the modest waves break not more than 40 metres from the van. The sound of the waves at night, particularly, is just delicious.
Arno Bay is a delightful little spot and the van park here is brilliant. All the sites are grassed and spacious. The amenities are well maintained and plentiful but most importantly the owners, Belinda and Steve are just wonderful. They have a 12 year old son Nathan, who is just a chip off the old block and a refreshing change for a 12 year old boy, and a 2 year old son as well – I know, I know, 12 yo and 2 yo – just don’t go there with Belinda, she is well and truly cognisant of the fact that it is a BIG break – she tells everyone who asks that she could only speak to Steve through gritted teeth for the first two weeks after she found out she was pregnant. The delightful little boy is called Justin, as he was conceived “just in time”! As I said great couple, they do all the right things including a Thursday night ‘sausage sizzle’ and Sunday morning pancakes – all at minimal expense to the traveller and all funds go to the local and very pro-active Progress Association.

Geographically, Arno is also unusual, it is not what you would call a ‘pretty place’ being almost surrounded by mangrove flats. I have included a photo (I hope) of the mangroves. There is a very good boardwalk meandering thru’ the swamp so you can get a very good perspective on the unusual flora and fauna. If I remember correctly, Tumby has a similar set-up. Farm lands (largely wheat and sheep) butt up to the area and Cowell is only around 40 ks to the north if you need significant shopping etc. The town itself boasts a quite good little supermarket, local arts and crafts, a great old pub and cafe-come general stop shop. The cafe has a special they are famous for, called the Arno Burger – literally as big as a dinner plate – we are about to sample one between us for lunch today. The pub is a casual stroll from the park and runs a ‘Schnitzel Night’ on Wednesday evenings – heaps of different schnitzels (including a squid schnitzel) with a good range of toppings and great salads all for a mere $8 each. Sunday at the pub is ‘jug day’ – jugs for $11 and I suspect TBBITW just might force himself to try that out today as well.
There are sufficient things to do here to keep you amused for a reasonable period of time. The fishing is good, both from the boardwalk and the jetty. There are a couple of charters operating here as well, and they pretty much promise great catches of both snapper and King George Whiting. Cowell is a short drive as is the country town of Cleve. The coast between Cowell and Arno is interesting and dotted with ‘free parks’.

We have been much struck with the friendliness of the place. Mind you, as I said before, we have the best bay in the park. The fish cleaning table is just in front of us, and that pleases TBBITW enormously, as he has the chance of seeing what people are catching and of grabbing his trusty pole if he sees that the fish are biting. To access the jetty from the park, people must walk by our van – we have a great little fence between us and the pathway, it is just perfect for people to lean on while they have a chat with our very social Mr Haveachat (alias TBBITW). Truly, I had no idea what a social fella I was living with until we embarked on this odyssey. He went out to the fish cleaning table one day just to shuck some oysters, and no kidding, he had at least 8 people gathered around him just to chat and watch. As I have been ailing a little with the wonderful cold bug that TBBITW kindly passed on to me, I have not been as friendly as I might, and have occasionally looked out the window (while reading an un-puttable down book) to find that he is holding court with a whole collection of passers-by. Another benefit of being situated just in front of the fish-cleaning table is that while watching all the 'charter goers' cleaning their manifold fish the other night, the skipper of the charter boat very kindly gave us a really (no REALLY) good sized pan snapper for absolutely nothing - it went straight into our fry-pan and was absolutely delicious.

As usual, we have made some wonderful new friends here, one enterprising young couple (read around 40 years old) came in towing a van that resembled a space pod. The erstwhile young bloke had built it himself – I was so impressed that I came over all mum-like and started boasting to anyone who would listen as to what a clever bloke he was – and he certainly was. One of the stand-out characters we met here was Jim. Jim for the four footed fans amongst you, is a beautiful border collie cross with attitude. He really probably could benefit from a spot of time on the psych’s couch – he is a tad confused about whether to bite or befriend and when really pressed will do both. Regardless of his rather startling tendencies to taste everyone who comes within a bull’s roar of him, he is a dog with character plus – one of those dogs who talks to his people all the time. We had his people (both delightful too) over for drinkies, and Jim who was very indignant indeed at being left behind, managed to drag his kennel a good part of the way between our vans in order to part of the party. We were sad to see him and his mum and dad leave this morning.

Parting with new-found friends is one of the down-sides of this lifestyle – you no sooner make friends than you seem to be parting with them too. Of course, this is ameliorated somewhat by the magic of emails as we are able to stay in touch with most of our new friends now, while on the road. We don’t often meet people who are not ‘on-line’ while travelling.
My over-riding guilt at leaving my aged mother at home alone, has been accentuated by hearing last night that she is unwell – she has picked up a bad bug which has apparently gone to her chest – as she was supposed to be having small but important procedure on Monday to lift her eye-lid a little, she is very distressed. She was so concerned last night that she was considering calling a locum, but also scared to, as she was afraid he would put her into hospital – the fear then being, what would happen to her mad wombat (read – Sparky the over-fed Staffie) and her house. Of course, these problems could have been over-come, but that wasn’t going to ease her mind at the time. After speaking to her this morning, and after she has had thankfully a good night’s sleep, she now plans to go ahead with the op tomorrow, doubtless telling many porkies to the Dr and nursing staff in the process about her general state of health. I know it is pointless to worry, and being there for her would not really make that much ‘real’ difference in the end, except to make her feel a little happier – but as much as I know that it is very, very hard for her, it does take the edge of our enjoyment a little as well, just worrying about what we should do. Does that sound selfish? I worry that it does.
Ah well, we did know when we left ‘home’ that we would have the odd problem and worry and that things can go pear-shaped, here’s hoping that this is just a small glitch and that things will be OK.

On a much more minor, but practical note, we have a couple of small probs with the van. Poor Jezabelle has sprung a leak, just around the kitchen sky-light. TBBITW thought that he had fixed the matter, but at the last small shower we had here, the drip kept dripping in! He is still engaged in determining where the water is coming from – it’s not a biggie, but does need to be fixed. We had quite a big blow here the other afternoon and Mr “I can do this myself” collapsed the awning, in what sounded to me like gale force winds. I was having a shower at the time and was not outside to assist. Needless to say, we ‘broke a frets’ – his way of saying we broke a thingamajig which we don’t know the proper name of. The handyman that he is (or isn’t) has since applied several glue-like substances which we hope will hold us until we reach Darwin. Once again, not a biggie, but will have to be fixed. In amongst that, his computer has been playing up and the globes in the van keep blowing. Other than that, all is good.

We only intended staying here for 3 days, but due initially to my bug, then to the sheer pleasure of being here, we extended our stay to 14 days. From here we plan to go to Nutbush (a park just out of Whyalla) and then up the centre to Alice and then eventually Darwin. Whether we turn left or right then is in the lap of the gods at this time.

Weather report???! Oh, well the cold has really caught up with us here – we have been spoilt most of the time with crisp evenings and glorious clear blue days, but just lately the nights have been dropping down to around the 4 – 6 degree mark and it is indeed chilly when your feet first hit the floor in the mornings. We have seen a bit of cloud and just a little rain (they need heaps here) and today is just plain gloomy. So onwards and upwards to warmer climes!

Until next time – your long winded friend – Steph
Laugh, love and be happy until next time.

COUGHIN' AT COFFIN BAY!!

Dolphins play in the surf! Oyster Farms in the Bay

Sorry about the double up - have no idea how to remove one of the photos!!!!

Oyster Farms in the Bay

Picturesque bays in the National Park at Coffin Bay


Mysterious Peaks across the National Parks

Well, hello again, this time from beautiful Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.

What an absolutely beautiful spot this is. The day we arrived here was wet and very overcast - it was still spellbinding - a little like I imagine Scotland to be - vast expanses of water surrounded by mysterious cloud shrouded hills. Once the weather cleared, the transformation was astounding, lakes full of diamonds reflecting the clear blue skies. Glorious tree covered hills and thick bushland. The place abounds with wild-life, sea bird calls pierce the clear air, kangaroos munch their way thru' the camp at night, emus stroll along the roadside and the sound of the magpies caroling sooths you thru' the day. Oyster farms decorate the huge expanses of water that make up the myriad bays and inlets, and gulls and pelicans find them convenient roosts during low tide.

The caravan park there was spacious and green, all the bays were grassed and the sites were huge. National parks surround the region, and for $8.50 day pass you can travel thru' these unspoiled areas. We generally won't travel on really rough terrain ('cause we're soft!) and so we stuck to the tarmac and better gravel roads - we were still rewarded by some marvelous scenery. We found a breathtaking bay around the corner which was very 'Esperance-esque' - white sandy beaches fronded by aquamarine water. In the waves a pod of dolphins frolicked - a real treat to find. I have included our photo of this event, hopefully if you click on the photo and expand it, you will be able to see the dolphins.

The park is dog friendly and we met many happy tail-waggers there.

We found ourselves parked next to another Supreme, same layout as ours, but not off-road. Great people (of course) and new mates again. This was the first park where we experienced the 'meet again caravan syndrome' - we actually bumped into three different couples we had met at previous parks. It is an interesting phenomenon - when you realise that you have met before, you greet them like long lost friends - it really creates a bond of sorts.

There is plenty to do in this region, fishing of course, oyster eating of course, sight-seeing of course, and visiting pig farms ......of......course..........? Yes, we visited a pig farm - quite by accident - there is a sign indicating an antique shop - it had been recommended - I had been told that there was a nice little cafe there where you could get really nice tucker. We followed the signs thru' some really interesting and lovely countryside, to end up, of all things at a piggery.

A free range piggery at that! Yes, the antique shop was part of the piggery, and the cafe was part of the antique shop - what did they serve there you might ask -

bacon of course. I have a terrible confession to make. Driving into the piggery we passed some very large and fat pigs and some very cute little piglets. Did I let my love of animals get in the way of enjoying a really special 'door stopper' Bacon and egg brekky - absolutely not - it was wonderful! A most unusual experience however. The lady who ran the place seemed very downcast and her demeanour didn't add a great deal to the unusual experience I have to say. She seemed to cheer up after a little while, but didn't come to talk to us. I was a little disappointed as I am sure she would have had an interesting story to tell.

While in CB I had my hair cut - I had to try to have undone, the damage that had been wrought in Esperance. The lass in Esperance did a wonderful job with the colour, but really butchered the cut! The salon at CB proved that old-fashioned hair dressers really do still exist. The cut was excellent, the atmosphere was chatty and we had a good laugh as well - do you remember when a visit to the hairdressers was still fun? This lass was brilliant, if ever you go to the salon in CB be sure to ask for Sylvanna.

We were compelled to go into Port Lincoln for supplies. Due to early onset 'old-timers' by both of us, we had to go in twice, as we forgot stuff the first time. This wasn't a huge problem as PL is only around 40ks from Coffin Bay and a very pleasant drive at that. Port Lincoln is quite a nice town, a little like Albany in WA and super busy. We were shocked, as we have become real country hicks by now and were horrified to find 'traffic lights' and other such city stuff. Parking was a problem and traffic was hectic. We had decided we would not stay in Lincoln as we had been told by several people that the park there was steep and windy. We went and had a look and thought that it looked quite fine. The windy part was probably true, but hey, where on the coast is it not windy? We also drove thru' the national park there (another $8.50) and were very disappointed - it really did nothing for either of us and the roads were less than bad. Of course, each to their own - we have spoken to other people who have camped there and loved it!

The other down side to two visits to Port Lincoln and the supermarket, was that TBBITW caught a cold. Yes folks, a cold, and was he miserable - you will find a little attachment with this entry giving you all the story of the cold.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Coffin Bay - as usual, we extended and stayed a little longer than anticipated, just to allow TBBITW to recover enough to pack up and move on to Arno Bay.

Love to all, and stay well. Steph.

"COUGHIN’ BAY"

The bloke started coughin’ at Coffin Bay
Not at first, but on the third day
I’m not feelin’ well, I’m not feelin’ right
He said to me, early that night
Well, he coughed thru’ the night, he coughed thru’ the day
He moaned and he groaned in every way
He wasn’t that flash, he wasn’t that good
I should’ve been sorry I know that I should!
But try as I may and try as I might
I just didn’t appreciate his sorry plight

It’s not a secret that we ladies know
If men had the babies mankind would not grow
The birth rate would drop and the ladies would hear
“Not tonight sweetie, I’ve an ‘eadache I fear”
So it’s hard to feel sorry for the bloke on the bed
When all that he has is a cold in the head.
In his defence he didn’t pike and he didn’t quail
And to drink his quota he didn’t fail.
We still went for drives thru’ roads rough and wide
All round and about the close country-side

And the gallant female that supported him thru’
His darkest day, and who was true blue?
Well I was so happy and I was so gay
That I wasn’t ill in any old way
But life had an irony and twist of its own
And several days later I started to groan
As my breathing tools all started to fail
And just like him, I started to wail
I’m not feelin’ good, I’m not feeling right
Now I couldn’t sleep all thru’ the night

But where was the love, so tender and bright
That should’ve been mine by fairness and right
Oh no, not my bloke, he suddenly found
His cough had come back, so he went to ground
And who soldiered on, thru’ sinus and pain
That’s right girls, the woman again.
He still was not well, he still was not right
He just didn’t sympathise with my sorry plight
Cause I wasn’t coughin’ and spitting like him
My chance of a break was pretty slim.

And the moral to this sorry story so sad,
Well, there just isn’t one so you blokes can be glad
That women are women, and men are just men
And we will look after you again and again.
We’ll bitch and we’ll moan and carry on so
But along with you we always will go
But try to remember that it would be good
If you would look after us just as you should
‘Cause when you are sick and feeling your ills
We are the ones in charge of your pills!

ELLISTON OH ELLISTON

Hello my friends, I hope you are enjoying life and planning your respective 'escapes'.
Well surprise, surprise, we didn't leave Elliston when we had planned to - we were to leave on the 19th, then the 21st, then the 22nd and finally we managed to drag ourselves away on the 26th April. You may deduce from this dear Watson, that we enjoyed Elliston - spot on!! I have to say I just loved the wide open feel of the caravan park and surrounds, and TBBITW became a born-again fisherman for a while and I really don't think I could have dragged him away if I had tried.
There is a fishing spot some 10 ks east of Elliston called Loch Wells - this is a truly stunning spot, however in order to fish, one has to traverse 280+ steps down and then of course, back up again. TBBITW took up an offer from a fellow camper to do a spot of fishing at Lock Wells - sadly, no fish were caught on this occasion, but my dears, the legs, the legs!!!... We were in some discomfort for a couple of days after the climb. Some three days later he was invited by a madman to go fishing in a very small tinny - of course he went, two consecutive days in a tiny tinny on top of the stairway to hell, and TBBITW turned into TMDBITW - the most decrepit bloke in the world. As we all know girls, if blokes gave birth, negative population growth would apply - I tell you, if my beautiful man had to have the kids, we would have regressed while he ran whimpering into the distance. Don't get me wrong, I love him to bits, but he is not the strong silent type when it comes to suffering - I didn't know the human face could contort like that!! Of course, it may well be that given a serious condition, he wouldn't say peep. Let's hope we never find out.
We went on a sight-seeing expedition to Loch Well a few days later and it is a stunning spot - very high hills surround a pristine surf/fishing beach which stretches out into the distance. There is a really good viewing platform there (only a few steps) and from there I could see a young seal playing in the surf - just amazing. The more I see of the Southern Ocean and this remote coastline, the more I realise just what a wonderful healthy Eco-system is operating in this part of the world. Fortunately, this is one corner of the globe we don 't seem to have mucked up (yet!).
I mentioned a madman - we met a wonderfully interesting couple, lets call them Barry and Bernadine - what incredible people. They were pushing 70 and both would go fishing most days in this tiny tinny. Barry immigrated from Yorkshire when he was 16 and went almost immediately to the outback. They now live in Parkes in NSW - I don't think they spend much time there however. We were told many hair-raising tales of camping by crocodile infested rivers in the Territory and far north Qld. I have to tell you, I am an animal lover from way back and have a bit of a problem listening to hunting tales. Barry was just one big hunting tale! He owns 37 guns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He shoots pigs, rabbits, turkeys, snakes, and I dread to think what else. I was somewhat mollified to find that he is not really a cruel man, and always kill with one shot to the brain - I was only somewhat comforted by this fact tho'. I know that much of what he does is considered constructive, shooting ferals, but I am just not that comfortable with that degree of death. Apart from his propensity to killing things, he was literally unable to speak below a bellow and had the laugh of a berserker! You could hear him laughing all over the camp. He was totally homophobic and any poor bloke who didn't look totally 'blokey' was automatically suspect. One poor bloke was consigned to the 'no good' pile, just because he wore orange crocs! You may wonder about Bernadine - well she was a quiet lady, but entirely in sink with her man. She didn't shoot stuff, but she was obviously proud of his 'achievements' and was not at all adverse to the blood and guts. Despite the aura of blood attached to Brian I eventually warmed to him. They were unfailingly generous people and quite happy to split the catch down the midde and he wouldn't hear of accepting any money for fuel. As a result of the fishing forays, we ended up with good supplies of King George Whiting, squid and several other odds and sods. On top of all this, we did manage to catch up with the local pro. fisherman and TBBITW bought up all his remaining KGW stocks. The madman, had spent some time at Cowell before going to Elliston and had discovered a seriously cheap supply of fresh oysters. He bought and consumed no less than 42 dozen oysters and had ordered a further 17 dozen to pick up on his way back thru'. He also introduced us to another way of preparing and consuming oysters. Boil up some water, when it comes to the boil, toss in the oysters, wait until the water comes back to the boil and then boil for 5 mins. He gave us a couple to try cooked this way - we were not terribly impressed, we much prefer to have ours just below frozen - but some people love them this way. It did accentuate the flavour and they were quite chewy.
ANZAC day came and went while we were at Elliston, and we found that many people in camp (including the madman) were Vietnam Vets - it seems that many of these blokes travel around the countryside - they tend to have their regiment colours displayed on their cars and vans and there is a real brotherhood involved. Really good to see.
Well kiddlywinks, I'll leave you in peace for now - we are now in Coffin Bay, but that is for another day. I'll put a few more photos of Elliston in the next issue, as I have yet to down-load them from the trusty camera.
Love yourselves - Stephanie

ENTICING ELLISTON - PHOTOS

ENTICING ELLISTON

YES, YES, YES, YES,OH YEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!
Elliston is absolutely lovely - I am soooooo glad to be here and to have left Smoky Bay behind us. Don't get me wrong, Smoky is a wonderful place to be if you are a fishy person - even tho' TBBITW does drop a line in once in a while, I think our main interest in fish, is in eating some. We arrived at Elliston 5 days ag0 - and I was so happy to see that it is green, wonderful grassy green. Even the surrounding paddocks are starting to green up and it is lovely to see. We are staying at the Elliston Caravan Park, close to the historical jetty. We have a great bay which overlooks the surrounding paddocks and I can see for miles, whew - I felt soooo closed in at Smoky, just looking at the fence and the other vans - this is marvellous. The park is all green lawn and nice and soft. A really nice little park, well run, with a brand new pool (bit cold now) and a jumping thingy for the kids. Bearing in mind that it is the last week of the school hols, there are still a few ankle biters running around the camp. At least here, the noise is absorbed by the grass and the sheer 'outdoorsness' of the place and the kids noise vanishes into the ether. I must confess, I could stay here for months, regardless of the weather. The little town boasts a good bakery, supermarket, pub, hospital, pharmacy and info centre. What more do need? We were lucky enough to find local prawns at the supermarket (at a good price) and we have sourced some local fisherfolk who will sell you fresh fish. We haven't actually spoken to these people yet, but will do before we leave. TBBITW hasn't dropped a line in here, as it seems the fish are a bit off the bite at the moment. The only stuff being caught off the jetty is herring (tommy-roughs) and garfish (all very small) - not really worth the effort in our book. Plenty of people seem to love these little fish, so we will leave them all for them.
The local scenery is quite stunning - really where farming meets fishing, literally. Gently rolling pastoral hills, softly running down to the spectacular ocean cliffs. The sea-line is a combination of raging seas crashing onto sheer granite and limestone cliffs, interspersed with bays where the water gently laps the sandy shore. There are good salmon fishing beaches and generous whiting holes. Colonies of sea-lions living off shore, promise the odd sighting of seals. One of the local very hairy surfing beaches boasts dolphins which literally surf with the brave (insane?) souls who loiter there on their boards. Most of the surf spots require these brave folk to traverse almost sheer cliff faces in order to reach the ocean, and then paddle out past treacherous rocks and reefs to the place where the waves form. Surfing these waves in, they then have to avoid being crushed on those same rocks or pulled under the reefs. The amazing thing is that these erstwhile surfer boys (at least the ones we saw) mostly won't see 5o again - not youngsters by any stretch.
For the twitchers amongst you, the bird life here seems prolific - we have seen many birds which I have not been able to identify, along with some old favourites. I was delighted to have the company of a little fantail right outside the caravan the other day - he came in and gave us a little dance - he has visited us every day since. Just wonderful. We always put water for the birds at each stop - it's really interesting to see who comes to drink.
The weather here has been brilliant too, lovely clear blue days around the mid to high 20s and cool crisp nights, wonderful for sleeping. Today however has dawned grey and I am listening now to the rain drops on the caravan roof - being a rain lover from way back, it is very comforting to be inside listening to the rain - the country around here certainly needs it, and this will be good seeding rain for the area.
They are having a bit of a mouse problem in this vicinity at the moment - apparently last season was the best they have had for years, and the mice can reach plague proportions very quickly when that happens. Streaky and Smoky both had considerable probs and the evenings at Smoky were occasionally punctuated by the squeals of ladies discovering them in their annexes or tents. We had no probs at Smoky, but did find a dead one in our car here yesterday. We are not sure if he was a local or whether or not we imported him from Smoky - certainly we have not seen any live ones here.
We are supposed to be leaving here on Monday and heading off to Coffin Bay, but I am inclined to just stay a couple of extra days here - of course if the rain persists we might as well move on I guess.
Anyway folks, I had better close this up and give the bloke back the modem so he can go on line and play a little poker (pretend money only)
Oh, just before I forget, some of the photos will show some rather unusual items in the forefront, there is Tourist Drive here and it features local artists' sculptures etc.
Love for Now - Steph.

WOMEN ARE FROM............................

Fella's I'm sorry, but I need to talk to the girls for a little bit. I don't know how many of you remember what TBBITW stands for - no? THE BEST BLOKE IN THE WORLD - you might also remember his alternative name TBPITBIW - THE BIGGEST PAIN IN THE BUM IN THE WORLD - I have to say, my other half is TBBITW for 97% of the time and he does it beautifully - he is a truly great bloke, but there are just those few days each month (no I didn't - say he gets PMT) when he becomes TBPITBITW - and then he is truly trying. Anyone who knows my wonderful bloke will recognise what I'm talking about. TBBITW has had very little ill-health or injury during his 60+ years, but on the rare occasion that he does have some ailment, he is the biggest cream-puff in the world. Being in pain, or not feeling well actually depresses him to the inth degree. He goes lower than the proverbial snake's belly girls.

Sadly, I am somewhat of an emotional sponge, that is, I pick up other people's moods and sink or soar with them. This is something I am currently working on, trying to stay centred and not to get caught up in his mood-swings. This time round, I managed to 'stay centred' (more or less) for around 1 1/2 days, but after that I felt sorely tested. The bloke, had a bit of a tummy upset (I do mean just a little bit), a sore mouth where he had burnt it on something (no - not my tongue!) - and an ongoing tender thigh/hip which has been niggling ever since we left home - well, dears, you would have thought it was a death sentence. The grimaces, the groans, the no talking, the negativity, the ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! All of this was happening on the day we took a drive into VENUS BAY ......how appropriate is that? There could no have been a better example of that excellent book "Men Are From Mars" - certainly what they say is so true, if men were the child-bearers, negative birth rate would certainly apply. Fortunately, these mood-swings into the black abyss rarely last long - TBBITW is back thank goodness and my sanity (a very fragile entity) just barely survived yet again. I thought last night that the mood was going to make a come back, but we seem fine today! Oh Joy!!

VENUS BAY

We chose not to stay at Venus Bay due to some very mixed reports on the park there. We did go day trip from Elliston to have a look at what we had missed out on. I have to say that after visiting the place, we were tempted to back-track and stay there for a week. The place is stunning. One side of the little town overlooks the peaceful bay and jetty, and the other side looks out to the open Southern Ocean which crashes in on the rugged and dramatic coastline.

We were not aware there is a prawning industry there. When we walked out onto he jetty, the prawn trawlers were unloading their catch - very interesting.

There appears to be a thriving sea-bird population there, particularly pelicans which seemed prolific in the bay. The caravan park is right on the bay, with the front bays on the beachfront. It did look a bit jam packed and there was no grass there, but I think the view and the fishing would have made up for that. The sunsets there must be stunning.

There was a nice looking little cafe there and it seemed that you would find everything there you would need for a short-term stay.

On the way back from Venus Bay (around 50ks West of Elliston) we stopped to enjoy the beauty of Talia Caves - not really caves at all, but ocean caverns sculpted out by the raging ocean along this rugged and pristine coastline. The photos, taken by TBPITBITW are quite good and will give you some idea of the area - the first few are of Venus Bay ad then they move on to Talia Caves. You will see one or two of a beautiful surf beach - this is reputed to be wonderful fishing and around 20ks of "wild surf beach" - it did look tremendous. I'll be back in a moment, to tell you all about Elliston where we are based at the moment. Steph.

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES

Hi folks, just wanted to take a moment to dwell on a few personal issues and observations.

Firstly, on a light note, I am amazed at how much I feel out of my comfort zone, leaving the home state behind!. I wouldn't have thought I would notice any difference, but it is quite noticeable. I no longer 'know stuff' - in WA I was always able to give some advice regarding places, weather, etc., now, I don't even know where I am most of the time. The produce is definitely different - it's hard to describe how it's different - it just is - Cos lettuce seems hard to find and the iceberg lettuce are beautiful - on the other hand I don't like the tomatoes here - they have much more seed than at home. Apples, so far, are described at red or green - not Granny Smith, etc. Dairy is just so different, having left behind all the WA branded dairy. It's really funny, but when part of your identity is know how to shop for food and then you have to re-learn, it's a little bit diminishing.

People seem a little different here - people from WA are so outgoing, here they seem a little more 'closed' for want of a different word.

As for missing home, well - it's really hard to describe. I miss my boys and their families - and I must confess, I am a bit miffed at how little we seem to be missed by them. We initiate most of the contact and my emails are often not responded to, or even read. I know realistically they have busy lives and we have opted out of their lives for a while, but still..............

As far as mum is concerned, of course, the guilt is still with me for leaving her - I doubt if that will ever change - it's just something I will live with. She seems to be coping quite well, with the help of my wonderful friend and her husband, but I still feel I have deserted her in her 'hour of need'. Not much I can do about it tho' - we are loving our adventure, and we have done the right thing, but still...........................

Doesn't guilt just piss you off?!! I also feel guilty for leaving my wonderful friend to keep an eye on mum - she and her hubby have taken the task to heart and have really been doing much more than I ever expected them to, and I know my friend has her own health and family issues to deal with. She will doubtless read this at some time, so thank you darlin' - you and him indoors are wonderful, thank you so much.

Missing the house, and missing having a home - not a bit - I did have a short lived moment when I was thinking of our back yard and garden, but I have devised a mental exercise which keeps them with me and now I have no probs with that. Not having a home doesn 't bother me at all, as far as I am concerned, the caravan is our home and that is that.

Health wise - we are doing OK, but we have until very recently been living much to much of the good life - an easy thing to do living this life. Sun downers are the killer, a few drinkies and a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and a relatively sedentary lifestyle - un-good!! I have recently started walking again in the mornings and intend to keep this up as a regular regime - sadly the body is protesting vigorously to this, and my knees and back are pretty much screaming at me most of the time now. One thing I will never do again is run out of Omega 3 - since I increased my dosage (as per Dr's instructions) I have been much better, we ran out this week and boy oh boy, did I feel the difference - I have both the bloke and myself back on track with those now. We have also decreased our meals and meal size - something we really needed to do, and now it's back to the straight and narrow. TBBITW is trying to reduce the beer intake and to go to a lighter beer when he can get it.

The Spiritual re-awakening I spoke of in earlier issues of the blog has taken a slow turn for the bloke, he really has given it up again, at least for now. I on the other hand, had an amazing experience in Esperance with an intuitive healer during a reflexology session and have since then started a major psychic cleansing program. This involves re tracking all the emotional hurdles and upheavals of this life and removing the barb from those experiences. I am probably one third of the way thru' but have dealt with most of the really big issues and am already feeling much better for the experience. I need to do this exercise before I can move on to the next phase of my spiritual journey. It is all progressing well. I have to say, tho' raking thru' a lot of old grief has prompted some amazing dreams - really interesting stuff.

One realisation has come to pass, and that is we are not on holidays - this is how we live now - that thought helps to keep us honest as far as alcohol and food consumption is concerned.

Am I happy, yes, and despite the pre-mentioned guilt - I am also content - I believe that applies to TBBITW as well - see you in my dreams - Steph.