29th May to 24th July 2014

29^th May 2014

Barry finally got around to building a workbench as an addition to the shelving in the garage but has only achieved approximately 85% of it as he requires some more wood.  He then moved on to replacing the bottom framework of the shed door which has rusted out so that the sliding door can be moved with relative ease.  A morning check of the veggie patches has revealed the start of the broccoli producing heads and significant progress from the tomatoes, spuds, .

carrots, lettuce, broad beans, capsicum and peas.  We have already been eating young lettuce leaves, spinach and radishes.

28^th May 2014

Barry replaced the shelve which is also the top of the cupboard under the wall oven, making sure that it is level in both directions in readiness for the electrician to wire up the new oven.  This really irritated Barry as meant paying someone to insert three wires into the appropriate receptacle and tighten three screws.  Basically the reverse of how he disconnected the original oven, but in the event of an insurance claim it has to be done by a qualified electrician plus it is the dubious law.  However, the new oven is now in place and up and running and already produced a great joint and a load of choc chip biscuits.

29^th May 2014

We pulled the oven back out and put some felt pads under the front two feet to tilt it slightly backwards as the sliding shelf tends to slide out when you open the door.  We left it out on a table and Barry removed the shelve that was above the original wall oven and made another and fitted it just above the new oven as it is not as tall as the original oven.

30^th May 2014

This job was completed today which conveniently lowers the cookbooks that go on that shelf by 5cm putting them in much easier reach of Merry and avoids making a front panel between the oven top and the original shelf.  He also fitted some wooden strips to the side walls to anchor the oven in place and can’t be pulled out without removing screws.

1^st June 2014

Barry sanded the newly exposed strip of wall in the alcove and repainted the whole alcove so that it finished the job off with everything matching.  He also sanded and painted the alcove under the kitchen bench alongside the sink which used to house a dishwasher many years ago.  This area was missed for some unexplained reason when the kitchen was being painted.  We do not require a replacement dishwasher whilst Barry is well and able.

2^nd June 2014

We bought some hardboard to cut up and use for the formwork in the shed which took care of the afternoon, but the soil within the formwork still has to be levelled which may mean removing some soil.

4^th June 2014

Barry finished removing soil from the shed and finished the formwork, and also added some pavers to the side path from the gate to the driveway as this still has to done gradually as the pavers become available from other areas that we are changing. This involved fitting them round a cap over an underground valve for the reticulation system.

8^th June 2014

Over the last few days Barry has continued in short spells removing soil from the original fish pond hole to make it deeper to allow for the thickness of the cement when it happens.  Despite it being a rather dull overcast day we spent the afternoon on the Spalding Park Golf Course (which was the course we were members at when we lived in Geraldton before) to watch the last eight or nine groups of the final day Pro-Am tournament.  This also allowed us to re-unite with some of the people we used to know at that time although we will not be playing club competition membership fees are out of our league, plus Barry’s rigid right wrist doesn’t help him much.

8^th June 2014

Richard arrives in Geraldton this afternoon for another of his so-called rest-and-recreation spells but as yet is not aware that I have organised a cement mixer for the coming weekend. 

12^th June 2014

We collected Nigel’s trailer and purchased a trailer load of sand for the cement program that starts tomorrow, and a suitable piece of wood to finish off the side of the garage work bench.

13^th June 2014

We collected the cement mixer soon after 12.00 noon which gave us an extra afternoon included in the weekend deal. It is normally $50 per day but is $50 for the weekend and includes Friday afternoon.  By 5.00pm Richard and Barry had completed two thirds of the shed pad which are looking quite reasonable for a couple of amateurs with fairly cheap formwork and no screeding experience.  However it is only a garden shed to accommodate some shelving on a now reasonably level solid floor, some garden tools, mower, edger, whipper sniper, etc.

14^th June 2014

We finished the final third of the shed floor and then dug out some the grass from the outside of the doorway to the edge of the paver path where it passes the patio, installed some of the form work ready to put in a concrete path tomorrow. 

15^th June 2014

The shed floor, and the pathway to it, are now complete despite looking rather non-professional, but are still way better than what was there before.  Richard also cut down two out of three bottle brush trees down to chest height and placed on the front verge ready for the council pick up in a week or so time.  The next door neighbour will be going out there to grab the larger pieces of the trunks for his outdoor fire.

16^th June 2014

We returned the cement mixer and then took a load of soil and rubbish to the tip and returned Nigel’s trailer.  Whilst Barry was at the tip emptying the trailer Richard started to savagely prune the remaining trees in the back garden and now there is nothing left above chest height.  Meanwhile Merry is in Perth having her 6 monthly check on her throat at Sir Charles Gardner Hospital she had the pleasure of staying with Sue overnight, yesterday (Garon is in Singapore) and will be with Ann and Ashley tonight and return to Geraldton tomorrow.

17^th June 2014

Merry returned home from Perth in the afternoon in time to catch the worst of the storm that was moving in on Geraldton.  Her bus had driven all the way through stormy weather.

18^th June 2014

Richard cut down the remaining palm tree in the front garden so it is also without anything above chest height except the pile of debris on the front verge waiting for the council pick up.  Barry had a video consultation at the local doctors’ clinic with a specialist in Perth and arranged for another biopsy as my PSA has risen above 6 once again.  This will take place in September at Armadale Hospital

19^th June 2014

The root ball of the palm tree has also now been dug out thanks to Richard along with a few remaining remnants in the front garden and is now removing the final offending tree stump in the back garden.  We drove out to a local permaculture nursery and Richard treated us to some new native plants to start re-establishing the garden to suit us rather than numerous tenants’ attempts.  This will be the last of the exercise that Richard will gain as he returns to Perth tomorrow in readiness to fly back to work in Gove.

20^th June 2014

We spent a fair piece of the day returning the shed items, such as shelving and garden equipment, back into the shed which clears the patio.  Although the new floor is not perfect it is a vast improvement on the loose blue metal chips that were there originally. This has allowed us to arrange things in a much better order that gives us more room to move. We have started to use our broccoli which are not tight heads like the ones in the shops but taste good and are much fresher.  The cauliflower and beans don’t appear to be doing much, other than producing huge plants, but the carrots and potatoes are looking good at this stage.  Lettuce, radish and capsicum are really good and in use whilst the peas are progressing well

23^rd June 2014

We have finalised our collection of unwanted clutter, such as the old oven, etc, along with the tree loppings can claim that we have the largest pile in this area of Geraldton.  Whilst taking Foxy for her morning walks it has become evident that this council clean-up is actually a community swap meet and the council dispose of the leftovers, much of which has been scattered in the rummaging where it had been tidy piles.  We noticed the same arrangement existed in the Melbourne area which seemed to coincide with our visits to Garon and Sue when they lived there.

25^th June 2014

Much to Barry’s surprise, as a result of one phone call, we have sold our sea container for what we wanted for it, and it will be removed next week.

26^th June 2014

Barry removed all of the posts and plastic lattice screening plus the shade cloth covering the sea container in readiness for the removal.   The lattice and shade cloth will be used to replace the current wooden lattice and shade cloth cover over our bedroom courtyard which is in poor condition due to it being over fifteen years old.  The lattice from the sea container screen is only seven years old, plastic and rot proof.

29^th June 2014

Barry spent a large part of the day fitting out a sheet of chipboard with appropriately spaced screws to mount his most used tools on, usually called a shadow board but Barry doesn’t like the shadow idea.  If you use the tool and put it back where you got it from you don’t need pictures to help you.  If you can’t put them back when you have finished with them, don’t use them, is his theory.

29^th June 2014

We dug over the small front garden now that the palm trees have been removed along with some scruffy Geraldton Wax trees that were never looked after by the tenants, and have planted most of the native shrubs and trees that Richard bought us in their place

2^nd July 2014

The sea container has now been taken away by the new owners leaving ample space beside the house in which to park the caravan instead of across the front of the house.  Barry has moved part of the collection of green waste that the local council was supposed to collect a week and a half ago with no sign of it happening soon.   It gave Barry room to manoeuvre the caravan to its’ new position although he still had to use some of the road as well, but being  very quiet traffic wise didn’t present any problems.  The van is now ready for Jack to use as his bedroom next week when he and Rory visit with Richard, and now that it is clear of the front of the house allows a lot more light into the two bedrooms that were previously covered and therefore they will also benefit from the late afternoon sun warming the rooms now that it is winter.

3^rd July 2014

Barry has made and fitted the two doors for the toilet cupboard which obviously covers the display of toilet rolls, etc, but it doesn’t have the originally intended panorama picture across them as yet.  We still have to work out the best way to achieve that without parting with a small fortune.

5^th July 2014

Surprise, surprise, the council workers have arrived this afternoon and removed the huge pile of green waste from our front verge along with others in the street which has improved the overall look of place.   However, they are yet to collect the general rubbish, much of which has already changed hands.  Hopefully it will happen sometime Monday or Tuesday morning so that it has gone by the time we return home from Perth in the afternoon with Richard and the semi-adult kids.

8^th July 2014 

We are now back home in Geraldton with Richard and the kids after the long drive back from Perth with a stop for lunch slight deviation into the Pinnacles to let them see the rather unusual area.

9^th July 2014

The trip to Perth for medical reasons proved to be useful as enabled us to collect Richard and the kids to bring back to Geraldton but let us catch up with our friends, Ann and Ashley, and Colleen, Craig and Abbey, but not Emma who is on a school trip in New Zealand. Because we went for medical reasons the cost of fuel was supplemented by the PATS scheme because Geraldton Hospital couldn’t provide the specialist service.  The outcome of the specialist consultation and breathing tests, etc, was that there is nothing wrong with Barry’s lungs.  There is some evidence that he has been exposed to Asbestos at some stage of his working life, like most people of our age, but does not and will get Asbestosis.  There is slight hardening of the lung muscles close the lower rib cage area but basically nothing of any concern and should last longer than the rest of him. 

11^th July 2014

We drove up to Kalbarri and arrived at around lunch time so had a bought lunch in town and then drove along the coast road and turning into each of the cliff gorge roads and car parks to take in the views and walk down to the beach were possible.  On the way out from our last gorge road that accesses three gorges we were lucky enough to have some Humpback Whales put on a show for us, albeit a further out to sea than we wanted.  To cap of the day, on final stretch of road out from these same gorges we had stop and wait for an Echidna to cross the road in front of us.  We decided there was too much to do or see for one day so booked a cabin for the next three nights and returned to home to start packing.

12^th July 2014

We drove back to Kalbarri in the morning and unpacked at the very basic cabin, had some lunch and then drove back towards Port Gregory and turned off on a dirt road to Lucky Bay.  After passing through squatter type area we picked a track which turned out not to be the main track to Dune area were the sand surfing happens.  We turned out onto the beach to ask for directions which meant another 3 kilometre drive along the beach and dunes.  We eventually found a high enough dune to cater for the sand surfing although it wasn’t the area that the tour operators use.  We then ploughed our way back along the beach until we spotted the main track and joined that although it wasn’t much better than the beach.  On the way back to Kalbarri we stopped off at Rainbow Valley and dropped Richard and the kids off to do the coastal walk to Mushroom Rock.  We drove round to collect them from the other car park  and walked down most of the way to the beach (we left out the tricky clambering bit) to get photos of the Mushroom Rock  

13^th July 2014

It was more like a spring/summer day while we drove out to the ‘The Loop’, ‘Nature’s window’ and the “Z Bend” in the National park.  We went to The Z Bend first were we did the photo stuff whilst Richard and the kids made the effort to take the track down to the river’s edge.  Normally we would have done that trip but since Merry had her radiation treatment she doesn’t manage that type of exertion too well.  We then drove round to the Natures Window car park and had our picnic lunch before walking out to Nature’s window from which point Richard and the kids did the 3 hour walk on the ‘The Loop’ track that involve some scrambling, while we waited at the car and caught up on some reading.   We had dinner in the local tavern which provided some warmth and a decent meal at an almost reasonable price.

14^th July 2014

It was arranged to have a 5 hour canoeing trip up the Murchison River but before anybody set foot in  a canoe a sever rain squall hit town and then settled to steady rain and wind for an hour and a half so the trip was cancelled.  The weather didn’t make any attempt to improve to the of doing more sightseeing so we packed up and left for in the afternoon rather than have another night in an uncomfortable bed, and leave in the morning.  This allowed us to collect Foxy a bit earlier than expected from the kennels we had placed her in because we couldn’t have her in the cabin, or the National Park.  When we collected her we found that she had obviously done a lot of barking in our absence and her voice was almost non-existent.

15^th July 2014

Richard and the kids went to the pictures as the weather was still not the best and there is not a lot for kids entertainment in Geraldton.

16^th July 2014

Barry dropped Richard and the kids off at Greenough River mouth so that they could walk along to the sand dunes and do some more sand boarding.  They couldn’t risk swimming as that bit of coast is renowned for rips, and there was a rough sea anyway.

17^th July 2014

We packed up and took Richard and the kids back to Perth a day earlier than previously planned to give them time to go Paintballing on the 18^th.  We dropped them of at Garon and Sue’s place and then went down to Ann and Ashley’s place where we are staying.  Later we returned to Sue’s place and joined them plus Sue and also Craig, Colleen, Emma and Abby for a pleasant meal in an Italian restaurant.

18^th July 2014

Due to a mix up in the booking they turned up at the wrong paintball place so we rescued them and took them back to Garon and Sue’s place.  They made fresh arrangements for paintballing the next day in the right place’

19^th July 2014

We drove out to O’Conner to a Waldeck Nursery and bought 8 rose plants.

20^th July 2014

Richard and the kids left for Darwin.  We met Craig, Colleen, Emma and Abbey again at The Heritage Rose Garden Nurseries for lunch and to pick up a 'Candy Striped' rose that we had ordered and paid for, and also picked out another four rose plants.

23^rd July 2014

We took the car up to Herne Hill to the Diesel/Gas agent and had our gas infusion system checked as it had stopped using gas.  It turned out to be a simple but strange correction, and therefore relatively cheap.

24^th July 2014

We returned to Geraldton and a slightly warmer climate.

17^th March 2014

Whilst taking Richard to the bus station, and also when Merry visited the hospital yesterday, the car seemed a bit reluctant and very hesitant.  It is the first form of trouble we have experienced with it in nearly10 years and it has been in some very remote places that many people fear to tread.  Fortunately we have stopped using these out-of-the-way tracks but it has left us with some inconvenience. 

18^th March 2014

As a result of the car’s behaviour Barry decided to change the fuel filter on the assumption that it was a fuel problem, as it can’t be an ignition problem as there is no ignition system on a diesel vehicle.  We have carried a spare fuel filter since travelling the Canning Stock Route and this seemed like a good time to use it.  After changing the filter the priming pump refused to prime the system so we now can’t start the car and having tried everything that Barry can dream up, are now convinced that it is a faulty primer that is built into the filter support plate that just happens to cost $250.  Not bad for an aluminium plate with a small diaphragm valve in it that you can’t access in any way.

19^th March 2014

After several more tries to start the car we used the RAC to see what they could do, which didn’t start the car but the mechanic was convinced that the priming pump was letting air in, which is what Barry had decided but not suggested to him so that he drew his own conclusion.

20^th March 2014

Bought a new priming unit which took most of the morning as we had to rely on the sparse bus service, therefore the new unit was fitted and ready for work in the afternoon.  The problem then arose that the battery had done so much cranking that it didn’t want to know.

21^st March 2014

The battery refused to charge when we tried to charge it over night so we called the RAC again to use their power pack but it only tried to start but not pick up and run.  Because of the original symptoms it has now been taken to a diesel mechanic with a suspected failed injector pump.  If that is the problem we are looking at several thousand.  However, we were informed later in the day that they have got it up and running without that expense but it is still running a bit rough so we still have an unknown problem that they thought could possibly be a $400 ejector wiring harness.

25^th March 2014

Now that Richard has returned to Gove and have temporarily finished messing with the car as it is running, we took a decent length drive to give the battery a good charge.  We drove out to Bayside estate and did a drive-by look at Steve and Terri’s house which looks like the tenants are looking after the garden.  The vacant blocks behind their house now have two houses on them so the ocean view is either gone or very limited though the gap between them.  Additionally the two storey house that was being built on the foreshore has been completed which was also destined to block some of the ocean view.  In the afternoon Barry prepared the master bedroom in readiness for painting. Merry has started planting out some veggies in the beds that Richard dug out for us, so we now have beans, cauliflower, broccoli and lettuce in progress.

26^th March 2014

Merry visited a consultant with respect to organising a colonoscopy which she is supposed to have tri-yearly since having bowel cancer in 2007.   Meanwhile Barry is continuing with the painting which is now happening in the master bedroom so that we can use the bedroom that Richard occupies when he is here.

5^th April 2014

Barry made a shelving unit to compliment the unit he made whilst Richard was here that housed our coffee, tea, etc, and applied a first coat of paint to both.

7^th April 2014

Barry applied a second coat of paint to the cornices and ceiling and also applied a second coat of gloss paint to the two shelving units that he made.  One houses the six jars that hold our coffee, tea, sugar, etc and the other houses our spices, etc.  The first is mounted above the kettle on the right hand side of the kitchen bay window and the other on the left hand side of the kitchen bay window nearest to the cook top.  Meanwhile Merry has made a significant improvement to the garden with more pruning and digging up the lawn for the second veggie patch.  She has also added another three rose bushes to the front garden bed beside the drive to accompany the existing six that we planted fifteen years ago that burst into life since we returned and started watering them again. The veggies she planted in the first veggie patch are doing well except for the beans.

8^th April 2014

Barry finished painting the office/bedroom with two coats on the walls and the outside of the wardrobe doors and one coat on the inside of the doors.  There is now only a final coat of paint to go on the inside of the wardrobe doors and the bedroom door.

9^th April 2014

We moved all of the furniture and L shaped workbench back into the office/bedroom, refitted the vertical blinds and net curtains and set up the computers again.

10^th April 2014

We ordered some vertical blinds for the lounge window as there were none in that room for some unknown reason whereas there were blinds in all of the other rooms.  We moved to Karratha 18 months after buying the house and that time we found the afternoon sun through that window had badly faded one chair. 

14^th April 2014

The vertical blinds have now been made and fitted.  One of the tenants had fitted a cane type blind which I think is actually meant to hang on a fence to add a bit of character to an otherwise plain fence.  It did the job as far as privacy and furniture but left the room very dark but is now a lot lighter, and definitely more attractive.  Barry laid a few dozen pavers from the side gate where the original paving ended, and now joins the driveway.  This allows access to the rear of the house without having to walk through sand from the drive to the side gate and incorporates an area for the dustbin which will now roll straight out onto the drive without dragging through sand, or lifting.

15^th April 2014

We borrowed Nigel’s trailer (two doors away) and took a load of previous tenant’s collection of junk and some of ours to the tip and collected some veggie mix soil on the way back.  This has left the shed almost cleared out and ready for Barry to mix heaps of cement and put a decent floor in the shed, with a cement path leading to it.  We then took two trailer loads of green waste to the tip and collected some mulch on the way back but have another load of green waste to go to the tip.  The back garden is now looking quite respectable with two veggie beds, one in use and another almost fully prepared for use, but we still have to renovate the pond.  During these trips to the tip, etc the car really struggled with problem that it has had for several weeks, especially when the trailer was loaded

16^th April 2014

Richard arrives back today on another break which is actually a day late as his flight from Gove has to go via Cairns where the airport was closed because of cyclone Ita.  He will probably dig the third veggie patch out us will he is here as well as swimming in the sea which he can’t do in Gove because of the water being home to numerous crocodiles.  On the way to pick up Richard, Barry bought a new fuel filter for the car as he was convinced that it was the cause of our problems when we had to get the RAC involved. 

17^th April 2014

Barry changed the fuel filter on the car and surprise, surprise he was wrong all along and the car now runs like it is meant to.  Barry took the final load of green waste to the tip and then assisted Richard and Merry to add the veggie mix to the second veggie patch which has since had some veggies planted in it.  We returned Nigel’s trailer but will borrow it again when Barry is ready to start on the concrete work.

19^th April 2014

This was mainly a garden day as a start to renovating the garden back to something like the way we left it, as seen below, bearing in mind that the bird bath and little boy statue have been stolen by tenants unknown, and the pond has been filled with dirt. Most of the stone work in the foreground, our herb garden, other than a strip at the front of the pond was ripped up and dumped in the old septic tank when it was changed over to mains sewage and is currently just dead grass.  We also totally cleared the garden shed out ready for Barry to concrete the floor which is currently just blue metal chips, but this will be after he has painted the bathroom ceiling and the narrow strip between the top of the tiled walls and the ceiling.  This is the last room to be painted.

25^th April 2014

 Richard has now finalised the digging out the third veggie patches, as the grass there was dead and has now had potato, carrot and onions planted in it, to add to the other assortment of veggies in the other beds.  He left on the 8.30am bus for Perth this morning, which is a day earlier than he usually leaves as he wanted the time in Perth to take on a nightclub visit before flying back to Gove for his next 6 week stint.  We called Colleen to wish her a happy Birthday coincides with ANZAC Day and therefore enjoys the public holiday.  It actually came close to raining today, in as much as it drizzled for most of the day and night which on inspection in the morning had penetrated the ground about 5cm.

26^th April 2014

On the morning walk with Foxy to the get the Saturday paper, Barry found a watch lying on the pavement, which according to the internet is worth about $240.  We suspect it belongs to someone from the Eastern states as the time is 2 hours fast by WA time.  We took it to the cop shop in town but to our surprise isn’t open on the weekends, so will make the effort again on Monday.  Barry doesn’t want it as it is too big and heavy and he already has a good watch that hardly gets used.  From about 11.00am it rained real rain continuously (at last) up until 4.00pm with some very heavy spells, especially when we were walking from the car to the shops.

28^th April 2014

Barry took the watch to the police station in the morning and also received some more light rain.

29^th April 2014

Barry Painted the bathroom ceiling and top 30 centimetres of the walls being the only part of the wall that are not tiled.

30^th April 2014

We have made a start on removing the blue metal from the shed floor which is going to take quite a while as it all has to be screened to remove dirt, dead grass and rubbish left from stuff that has been stored in there.

2^nd May 2014

Barry has finished removing and screening the blue metal from the shed and is now ready to organise some form work prior to concreting.  Meanwhile, Merry has sown and planted more veggies.

5th May 2014

Barry returned to the doctors for his blood test results which unfortunately proved his PSA level has increased again and is to have another blood test in a few weeks to see if it constant or a once off occurrence.  He is also being sent for a CT scan of his chest as the x-rays he had showed some unidentified ‘thing’ that the doctor wants checking out because he was a smoker and has been exposed to asbestos at various times in the distant past.

6^th May 2014

Merry had a pre-op consultation with the specialist and anaesthetist in readiness for next Tuesday’s colonoscopy and endoscopy (her routine check-ups).  This will be the last colonoscopy as they have developed blood tests to achieve the same results. We have had the benefit of some reasonable rain over the last few days, with more to come, so it would appear our drought can be considered to have ended.

7^th May 2014

Barry has started digging out the soil that was dumped in the fishpond so that it too will be ready for concreting when Richard comes home for his next break, but we won’t tell him about it until he gets here.  However, it will be smaller than it used to be so some soil will stay where it is at each end and become small gardens, the larger of which will be created as a shrine to our previous faithful dogs that gave us so much pleasure.  Namely that will be Gina who guarded our children when outside in the garden during our period in Zambia, Tara who lived with us for twenty years in Kwinana and Wickham, Brandy and Trixie, who started out with us in Geraldton but unfortunately didn’t survive our stay in Karratha due to health problems.  Fortunately Brandy was still with us when we took Foxy into our care which was like introducing a youngster to keep an oldish person company, but made it easier for us when Brandy departed.  Having her with us on our travels around Australia was a hassle at times as many caravan parks do not allow dogs so we generally stayed in lower  rated parks out of town.  It also meant leaving her in the annex and fenced area when we couldn’t take her with us to national parks, museums, shopping, etc, but we managed.  Now that we are home, which a new home for her, she has become a very settled individual and is a virtual shadow wherever Barry is, just like she was to Jeanne in Queensland and Ashley in Spearwood.

13^th May 2014

Merry had her two ‘oscopies’ today after an overnight admission due to having a drip put in to ensure she had sufficient water intake during the night as she wasn’t allowed anything by mouth.  Apparently they also took a few biopsy samples for some unknown reason which we will discover when she sees her specialist.  Meanwhile we wait not knowing.

14^th May 2014

As a result of the chest x-ray that Barry had a short while ago he has now had a CT scan to identify the unknown thing, and again will have to wait to see the doctor until at least next week.  This is because he also has to have the repeat blood test next Monday to check on his PSA level as the increase may have been caused by some innocuous underlying infection.  Otherwise all is well.

21^st May 2014

The results of the blood test showed Barry’s PSA has reduced slightly and is now within the upper limit for his age group but above his bench mark and therefore going to have a video conference with a Perth urologist in June to determine whether another biopsy (in Perth) is necessary.  The CT scan only confirmed what the e-ray showed, which effectively is nothing conclusive.  Whatever it that is showing up doesn’t affect my breathing and I am not short of breathe, etc, and apparently the point where the windpipe branches off to each lung (the point where lymph nodes usually appear when there is a problem) is clear so the guess work continues which will mean another trip to Perth for a PET scan and possibly a lung biopsy. Will keep you posted.

22^nd May 2014

Over the past couple of days Barry has been making a three shelved cabinet to fit into the toilet above the system which will house about 18 toilet rolls and a section for the bottles of cleaning agents, etc. It spans the width of the room and is now in place but waiting for a door which will be 95cm X 42cm and will open upwards so that it is one piece rather than two pieces opening from the sides.  It will have two support units to hold it open when necessary, like the caravan or aircraft, overhead lockers or possibly have gas struts. It will require some research as it is intended to have a copy of one of our panorama photographs printed on the front to greet you on entry.

26^th May 2014

We spent most of the day moving from various white goods shops checking out new wall ovens.  Our current one is well over 18 years old requires several new parts such as the LED display and therefore no timer facility, the internal light and its holder have had it and the back plate has only one screw holding it in place, but otherwise cooks beautifully.  It has the great advantage of having a door that slides under the oven base when it is open that saves you having to reach into it and also had a separate grill, but we decided to replace it as no spares are available due to the brand vanishing years ago after it was bought out by Electrolux.  We eventually settled for a Fisher and Paykel double oven which fits perfectly in the original alcove width wise but requires a narrow blanking plate across the top as it is slightly shorter in height.  Another project for Barry.  The toilet cabinet had its last coat of paint today and will be in use tomorrow albeit without a door for the time being.

27th December 2013 to 15th March 2014

27^th December 2013

Richard and Barry managed to carry the two sections of the last of the furniture that was left in the sea container.  Barry had already split the 2 sections and removed the doors to reduce the weight, and it happened quite easier than expected, and reassembled in the lounge.  It now has the old TV mounted in it and the stereo unit on it so the lounge room can now be used as a lounge rather than a store room.

28^th December 2013

We had a day of hanging pictures and still finding homes for other items plus putting up shelving in the garage to help clear the garage floor.    All but one picture now has a home as the largest picture arrived with a broken glass which is not a surprise when you see how badly it was packed by so-called professionals.  The replacement glass will cost around $100 and the insurance only covered it for a short period for transportation and unpacking when moving house under normal conditions. Not with the unpacking happening 7 years later.  Merry has tidied up the enclosed courtyard that is accessed via our bedroom glass door and now looks almost as good as it used to except the fishpond fibreglass surface needs patching before we can fill it, restock it  and turn on its waterfall.

29^th December 2013

Most of the day was spent attacking the overgrown back garden which involved pruning trees and severely cutting back several bougainvilleas, and also cut down one of the palm trees in the front garden.  The other will go when the caravan is not parked alongside it as we dislike palm trees, and especially Cotton Palms.  The back garden now looks almost respectable but the fish pond requires rebuilding and the garden beds need digging over and replanting.

30^th December 2013

We took our final trip to Bunning’s to return the window locks that don’t work with our windows and buy the material for rebuilding a shelf unit in the garage and a few other items.  We also went into town so that Richard could buy some snorkelling equipment and check out surf boards but changed his mind about the board due to excessive cost and the few occasions that it might get used.

31^st December 2013

We hired a trailer and loaded the garden cuttings and old household machinery and took two trips to the local rubbish tip to get rid of it.  The worst part was getting the huge ball of Bougainvillea onto the trailer as Richard had tied it all into a ball with rope to keep it under control which work  but made it very heavy to get on and off of the trailer, plus we were unable to retrieve the rope once it was off the trailer.  In the evening Richard went on the prowl in town looking for New Year action but didn’t really find much although he didn’t return until 3.00am.

1^st January 2014

Barry made a start on replacing the stolen shelf unit in the garage but it will bigger. And also rebuilt his power saw bench ready for action.  Merry has added more plants and hanging baskets in the bedroom courtyard.

2^nd January 2014

Barry finished erecting the shelving unit in the garage and has partially loaded it which has given us a lot of floor space back.  We will eventually add a workbench to it.  Richard has uprooted the clothes hoist and re-installed it closer to the house which is much more convenient and leaves a large clear area that will become our veggie patch.

3^rd January 2014

The automatic sprinkler system in the bedroom courtyard has been tested and proven useless but the pond has been partially renovated by Richard

4^th January 2014

The automatic sprinkler system in the bedroom courtyard has now been updated ready for us to go to Perth for a week with Jack and Rory who are coming over from Canberra.   We will all be staying with Colleen/Craig for that week and then bringing Jack and Rory up to Geraldton for another week before returning them to Perth for a flight to Darwin, and on to their new home in Katherine.  Richard sprayed the area that will become our veggie patch to kill off the glass ready for being dug over when we return from Perth.

5^th January2014

We drove down to Perth, a five hour trip with a lunch break at Jurien Bay, and had time to erect the tent in Colleen/Craig’s back patio ready for Richard and Jack tonight.  We collected jack and Rory from the airport and had a late dinner before returning to Colleen/Craig’s as they were going to be late getting home from Craig’s mother’s in Bunbury.  We slept in Abby’s room and she moved in with Emma and Rory for the night rather than putting up the camper trailer in the dark.  The plan has changed as Richard now has a job interview on Tuesday so we had intending staying down for a week before going back to Geraldton and then bringing them back to Perth for the kid’s flight to Darwin and on to Katherine.  Richard will then stay on at Colleen/Craig’s until he has had his specialist medical appointment with regard to his gall stone problem.  If he is to have an operation soon he will stay for that and then come to Geraldton for the 6 week recovery, but if it is put on hold he will fly out the next day to his job in Gove.

12^th January 2014

The four kids are all having a ball so Merry and Barry have decided return to Geraldton and leave the kids and Richard to enjoy their time together in Perth and we will continue with the numerous jobs we still have ahead of us, and it will also reduce the fuel cost of the repeated journeys between Perth and Geraldton.  Perth is having a heatwave (third day over 40^oC) so moving to Geraldton will subject us to a cooler climate as the heat is heading below Geraldton.

13^th January 2014

Barry has now fitted all of the new window locks, fitted the new wardrobe door knobs and started fitting shelving in the laundry, plus filling numerous chips that tenants have made in the walls and especially on the corners where they crash there vacuum cleaners into them, in readiness for a paint job in the not too distant future. Meanwhile Perth’s heatwave has moved across the Nullabor to South Australia and Melbourne, but has left some of the Perth Hills suburbs with a fierce three day bush fire that has consumed 56 houses and one death.

14^th January 2014

We still have a lot to do in order to satisfy our ultimate aim but the house is now in good shape although the internal walls have yet to be sanded and painted although it doesn’t really require the painting except where it is patched up, but we don’t have the paint that was used before we bought the house over 15 years ago.  The front door that bears the bulk of the weather, both wet and sunny, needs sanding and re-varnishing.  The garden will be a long process as the grass has been without water for a long, as have the trees and other plants, but the roses have been pruned and are reshooting.

16^th January 2014

The garage has been sorted out to an extent but not to the point where we can put the car in there, but there is now plenty of shelving but have arrange brackets high on the back wall to have remove the roof rack from the car if we want to use the garage, which we do as the strong Geraldton wins blow up our street and is usually salt carrying as we are relatively close to be ocean.  When we find a buyer for our sea container and it is removed from the leeward side of the house we can park the caravan on that side with its protective cover and the car in the garage although we may have to remove the dual wheel carrier from the back in order to close the door.

The kids are still happy in Perth with slightly cooler weather until the coming weekend when it is predicted to rise again to the high 30s with hot wind off the desert to annoy the bush fire fighters.

22 January 2014

Jack and Rory should be either in Darwin or on their way from Darwin to Katherine or possibly actually in Katherine which will be quite a change of lifestyle from living in the surrounds of Canberra.   Canberra has low night time temperatures with many being sub zero in the winter and relatively low day time temperatures, whereas Katherine has hot night and day temperatures, and at this time of the year there will be many continuous days around 40 degrees or more and very humid as the wet season approaches.

Richard had his medical consultation with not too pleasant result in as much as he now has a surgical appointment for his next rostered days off in February as the gall stone that he has developed is very large and may require real surgery rather than keyhole surgery.  If that is the case, he will be in hospital longer and here with us recuperating for a much longer period than expected.

23^rd January 2014

Richard is enjoying his birthday flying back to Darwin and on to Gove to start work tomorrow and make the necessary work type arrangements for the sick leave in conjunction with his next rostered off period.

27^th January 2014

Australia Day Holiday and we spent it continuing to fill chipped holes in walls and sanding them in readiness for painting.

30^th January 2014

Finally painted the ceiling in the hallway round to the bedrooms, bathroom and included the toilet ceiling plus through to the meals area and family room.

6^th February 2014

We have been continuing with the painting and have now completed the hallway and toilet ceilings with two coats plus two coats on the family room/meals area/kitchen and laundry ceiling.  In addition to that, there are now two coats on the hallway/toilet/meals area/kitchen and family room.  Meanwhile Merry acquired a strange swelling on her inner thigh which the doctor thought may be a deep vein thrombosis but the ultrasound proved otherwise and it has now been put down to a bite, either by an ant or possibly spider but no perpetrator was ever seen at the time.  However, more than a week later it is subsiding and slightly less painful.

11^th February 2014

The painting continues with all of the above rooms finished and two coats on the guest room ceiling which is the room Richard uses when he is here which will happen again sometime after his operation on the 17^th February.  The exact date will be determined by which type of surgery they use and that will determine the length of recovery time, so he could be here for a couple of weeks or about 6 weeks.  Merry’s leg is still giving her some pain despite a reduction of the swelling but has elected to wait a bit longer before seeing a doctor again in the hope that it will not be necessary.

12^th February 2014

Two coats of paint have now been applied to the walls to the guest room.

14^th February 2014

Mary has seen her doctor and been referred to a general surgeon for a consultation today.  This has resulted in arrangements for Merry to have a biopsy performed in a couple of days’ time as the surgeon suspects it may be a cancer.  We are not convinced at this stage as her PET scans in October showed no signs of any impending cancers, however, we will wait and see what the biopsy outcome is.  The first coats have been applied to the wardrobe doors and frames, plus two coats applied to the linen cupboard doors and frames

17th February 2014

Merry went into the hospital for the biopsy but we won’t get the results for about a week as the samples are processed in Perth.  She had to be at the hospital for 9.00pm, which she was and then had to wait until nearly 5.00pm before going into theatre, having started fasting from 7.00pm the previous night.

18^th February 2014

Merry was discharged from hospital at about 10.00am after telling me to collect her at 9.00am, however, the good news is that our diagnosis of an abscess was correct rather than a cancer but we don’t mind the surgeon being wrong this time.  Merry is now home but enduring more than her fair share of pain but the abscess has been drained and her incision packed to continue cleaning the remaining mess out and allow it to heal from the inside outwards.  Having got that sorted, painting the wardrobe doors and room doors plus frames can be continued.  Richard had also gone into hospital in Perth and his gall stone has been removed using keyhole surgery and is up and about after the overnight stay.

19^th February 2014

Merry attended the Ambulatory clinic to have her wounded leg repack and dressed but attending doctor didn’t like the look of it and called one of the surgeons down to take a look with the outcome being re-admission for 48 hours.  We were taken to the emergency entrance were she had to go though the admission waffle and see a nurse and then another doctor which took us to 3.45pm to wait for the doctor.  At 4.29pm I complained about the wait, especially as other people that had come in after us were going to the doctors’ area before us, with an ‘I’ll see what I can do’ answer.  At 5.00pm Merry told them she was leaving and would deal with her own pain control and suddenly they invited us in and was attended by a nurse and three surgeons and they did there inspection and took blood samples and provided a meal at about 6.00pm.  Barry went home at this stage for his dinner and returned at 7.30pm to find they had found a bed for her in the Maternity ward.  It is a new hospital that was built with half the number of beds than the old original hospital even though the town is expanding.  However, Merry is now more comfortable than she was.  

20^th February 2014

Merry’s leg has improved and she has avoided another trip to the theatre as no new puss is present and the wound packed and redressed.  It is thought that the problem was caused by the nurse who didn’t pack the wound prior to discharge when we thought it had been done.  She is now progressing well but will be in hospital for another couple of days. Both inflammation and pain have decreased, but getting a worthwhile meal or drink is not easy.

22^nd February 2014

Richard arrived by bus in the afternoon and came with me to visit Merry before settling in at home to recuperate from his gall stone removal operation.

23^rd February 2014

Merry came out of hospital this afternoon after her longer than expected stay and has now reverted to the daily redressing at the clinic.

26^th February 2014

Still having daily dressing changes but the swelling is going down, albeit slowly, and the pain is greatly decreased.  However, Foxy is now in trouble as a result of going for her annual vaccination as the vet discovered a couple of teeth that are not in the best of health and is now due to have them removed on Wednesday 5^th March, which will cost two weeks grocery bills, but in every other respect she is in good health for a ten year old.

1^st March 2014

Garon and Sue drove up from Perth and stayed with us for the longer weekend (Labour day) holiday and used the caravan as their bedroom/en-suite which gave them the benefit of air-conditioning, if required, as it was in the low 30 degrees during the day but the nights cooled down enough with the breeze for them not to use the a/c.  On the Saturday that they arrived we had dinner out at the harbour side Skeeta’s restaurant which is a pleasant setting and good food although it doesn’t come cheap.  On the Sunday they visited the impressive HMAS Sydney Memorial and later had another fine meal, courtesy of Barry.

4^th March 2014

Richard has made a good recovery and now allowed to do some light exercise and will return to work in about 9 days time.  Merry has also made a good recovery although still having the wound redressed regularly but not for much longer as it has been given the okay by the surgeon, but the nurses want to continue for a while longer.  She has also been to an ENT specialist for her 3 monthly inspection of her throat, which has passed with flying colours so we may be able to settle into a normal lifestyle.  When Richard has returned to work we will be able to move into his bedroom while we paint our master bedroom after which we can move some of the lounge/formal dining room furniture in there to give us room to paint that area.  Then we can start on the outside as it should be a bit cooler by then.

5^th March 2014

We had our solar panels and inverter fitted today so our power bills should be very small or non-existent from here on.

6^th March 2014

Barry did regular checks on the solar system and noted that at 7.30am the panels were producing 0.25Kw but at 8.00am it had increased to 1.6Kw, and at 10.30am it was pushing out 3.5Kw and at 12.30pm it had achieved its maximum of 4.6Kw.  The total produced was 32.5kw hours for the day.  What used to be spent on the power bill will recoup what we paid out for the system within 5 years and also add a substantial amount to the house value if we decide to move.  The cost of power is expected to rise in the next couple of months and also each year at a similar time when the budget is announced so we should stay well ahead and can run our air conditioners, when necessary, without worrying about the power cost.

9^th March 2014

It appears that even on overcast days such as the last two the panels generate between 2Kw and 3Kw so are still exporting into the grid for much of the time.  Merry has just left for the hospital to have her leg dressed again but it will probably be for the last, or next to last time, as her leg has now almost completely healed.  Perth, and therefore Geraldton being a 4.5 hour .drive north of Perth, have now had over 100 days without rain and still no sign of any.

13^th March 2014

Geraldton received 4 minutes worth of light rain followed by 2 minutes of light rain half an hour later.  Just enough to settle the dust for a very short while.

14^th March 2014

Another 2 minutes of light rain fell this morning and dried up almost immediately.

15^th March 2014

Richard departed for Perth in readiness to catch his flight to Darwin and on to Gove to return to work after his recuperation period.  He dug out two large patches of our dead grass to convert into veggie patches whilst he was here and also applied for several other jobs as his current one is going to vanish in the not so distant future as the alumina plant is going to be shutdown by mid-year. 

16^th March 2014

Richard flies from Perth to Darwin and then onto Gove which may be subject to flight delays as cyclone Gillian is also heading towards the Gove area in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

25th Sept to December 13th

25^th September 2013

Since the last posting of the blog, when we arrived in WA, it has rained most of the time so not a lot has been happening except a few noteworthy events.  Our first Saturday in WA the 14^th, other than the one we arrived on, we watched Emma and Abby play their netball semi-finals which Emma’s team won and advanced to the grand final.  Abby’s team was not that lucky despite playing extremely well.  Their opposing team had some much taller girls in their ranks that gave them a big advantage.  The teams are within respective leagues based on performance, not age or physical size, so Abby’s team was playing against older, taller girls with similar abilities.  The following day we had a re-union lunch with Ann and Ashley Merry flew to Melbourne on the 18^th stayed overnight and saw her specialist on the 19^th who gave her a clean bill of health as far as the cancer, but it will still take some considerable time to get over the after effects.  Which is why have elected to stop travelling, temporarily at least.   Merry flew back to Perth that evening.  On Saturday 21^st we watched Emma’s netball grand final game against a team that has beaten them twice this season.  However, their better mindset and determination helped them beat their opponents quite substantially.  On the following Sunday we had the pleasure of Garon and Sue calling in for lunch with us and Colleen’s family.  The only other vaguely interesting thing is the computer that I normally use has died, which is why you are only getting a summary of the last couple of weeks.  Whilst we are in Perth, waiting for our tenant to move out of our house in Geraldton, it is unlikely that we will be doing much in the way of excitement therefore blog posting will probably be less frequent. 

26^th September 2013

Yesterday was almost a reasonable weather day with sunshine throughout most of the day. However, the weather has now reverted to rain and wind again although the wind is nothing like the heavy duty winds of a few days ago.

 28^th September 2013

We went for dinner with Colleen, Craig and Abbey, Emma was having a sleep over at a friend’s house, at an Asian restaurant called Chatters in Midland which was excellent.

29^th September 2013

We discovered that the caravan hot water system is leaking but can’t actually determine were but are managing to catch most of the water in a bowl and turn the water off at the outside tap when not required.

 2^nd October 2013

We drove out to the Jayco sales yard where there is a ‘Toy shop’ for spare parts and bought a new water heater for the van.

 4^th October 2013

We moved the caravan down to Ann and Ashley’s place in Spearwood, south of Fremantle, to stay with them for a while whilst we get the water heater replaced as we couldn’t use the van to live in and do the replacement job at Colleen’s as there was no sleeping room there without the use of the van.  The van’s bed had to be up to allow access to the inner end of the water heater.

6^th October 2013

Barry removed the leaking water heater from the caravan but couldn’t release the hoses from so-called quick release fittings and had to cut the hoses.

8^th October 2013

We drove back to the Jayco Toy shop to buy two new quick release fittings for the water heater and installed them

10^th October started the installation of the water heater

15^th September 2013

We drove out to Herne Hill and had the gas system on the car serviced as we discovered a while ago that we weren’t using the usual quantity of gas to diesel.  It turned out that the solenoid was gummed up and not opening properly, if at all consequently no gas flow.  It is now cleaned up and retuned and running fine.  It is a pity we didn’t have this done in Victoria as the fuel consumption would have been improved on the four day trek across the Nullabor.

Barry fitted the new water heater into the caravan but has still got to connect the water hoses and gas supply.

17^th September 2013

Barry managed to theoretically finish fitting the new water heater but has found the inlet hose dripping through the new quick release fitting.

18^th October 2013

Merry went with Ann and Ashley to the Perth Concert hall to listen to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.  It was a rehearsal performance in readiness for the evening performance but at a much reduced price.

21^st October 2013

Having had several more attempts at stopping the leak Barry has had no success and the quick release fitting will not live up to its name and release the tubing in any way.  Meanwhile, Merry has gone to the cinema with Ann and Ashley to see ‘Blue Jasmine’.

22^nd October 2013

Barry has finally managed to get the heater tubing fully into the fittings which has solved the dripping problem so we can now return to Colleen’s front verge and life in the van prior to our eventual move up to Geraldton.

24^th October 2013

We used the bus into Perth and met up with Heather who was one of our Geraldton friends many years ago and who has maintained the relationship by email or phone.  The last time were enjoyed her company was about five and a half years ago before we started travelling.  She is younger than us and still working but we managed an elongated lunch break in Miss Maude’s in the Carillion Arcade.

25^th October 2013

We used the same method of travel, but at a later time, to meet up with Sue (our Sue, not Steve and terry’s Sue) outside the BHP building and then entered and met up with Garon for a tour of the building, as he now works for BHP as well as running his own business.  The building is more impressive on the inside than the outside with numerous secured areas that require a pass to enter.  We didn’t explore every floor as many are used by other companies and are work areas that do not appreciate tourists wandering around, so basically we saw his work area on the 39^th floor from the doorway and then went up to the 41^st floor which is available to all personnel in the building as their common rest area for tea breaks, lunch or just relaxing. As the building is virtually all glass, all of the open plan offices have a view out over the city in one direction or another and takes in Fremantle, the ocean and south to the Kwinana industrial strip which is 30 plus kilometres away.   This is not the absolute top floor but not far of it and there is now access to the roof for tourists so all photos hat be taken through glass.  It is many years since we had an overview of Perth from the Legacy Lookout that was the tallest tower block offering views in the 1970’s and is now quite miniature.  The view of Perth and the Swan River from this height is very impressive and comparable to city views from the various towers in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Auckland that we have experienced.  Unfortunately, the BHP building was not built as a general public viewing opportunity, so we were quite lucky with having a relative working there.

29^th October 2013

Ann returned from her Adelaide visit arriving home around mid day and confirmed a night out arrangement with her friend (another Ann) for a night’s entertainment watching Andre Reiu at the Perth Arena.  Ann was taking the place of the other Ann’s husband who elected not to go. This interested Merry who managed to obtain tickets for us, so we went with the two Anns but couldn’t sit near them as our late booking put us much closer to the back in the third from back row and to one side.  Surprisingly it wasn’t a complete sell out so we moved soon after the start to a more front on area.   It was a spectacular show, and well worth the expense.

6^th November 2013

We used the bus to visit Perth again to take a walk around the park alongside the Narrows Bridge that crosses the Swan River.  This is a very pleasant park providing an easy walk ending by using a bridge over the road to catch a Cat Bus (free) into the bus terminal where we had lunch.  This was followed by another Cat Bus Trip to Harold Baos Gardens in West Perth which is another of Perth’s parks and is often used for photographic sessions after weddings in the local churches.   We then went back into the business district and visited the visitor centre who informed us of the whereabouts of offices of the seniors card suppliers, which turned out to be very close by.  We visited this office and acquired a new seniors’ card for Merry as her current one was falling apart and the timing was good as they produced the new one on the spot.

16^th November 2013

There is still no real excitement happening here, other than Barry changing the oil in our car in readiness for the next big move to Geraldton, in a few weeks time.

17^th November 2013

We used the bus once more to go to Perth and visit several heritage building that were open for their once a year viewing by the public.  We visited the old Law Court which is now a museum and the new law Courts which included a 15 minute talk by one of the Judges on the history and workings of the court.  This was followed by a tour of the chambers, holding cells, etc.  We then wandered back into town and visited the Perth Town Hall before grabbing some lunch, and then headed for the Government House and Gardens.  The tour was a slow wander, in single file, through the ground floor only of the building as the upper floor is probably accommodation that is in use.  The Gardens weren’t as good as we had expected but were still quite nice but much of the lawn was covered with food tent and a stage for various performers to do their thing.  After leaving the Gardens we crossed the road for look inside St George’s Cathedral which coincided with a talk by some woman on the life story of Edith Cowan.  We listened for a while but gave it away after about five minutes as she kept repeating herself and made our way back to the bus terminal to head home.  It was a pleasant day out on a fairly warm day around 35°C with only the faintest of breezes.

28^th November 2013

We did a dummy run to the Sir Charles Gardner hospital using the 920 bus from the Pheonix Shopping Centre to Fremantle Railway/bus station and then the 98 bus, which does a huge clockwise circuit around the Perth outer suburbs), and calls into the hospital on the way.  This allowed us to determine our timing for the buses to ensure being on time for the real appointment. 

 9^th November 2013

We met Colleen, Abby and Emma in the Cockburn Central shopping Centre where Colleen treated us to lunch to celebrate Barry’s 71^st birthday, and in the evening Ann and Ashley took us out for dinner at Flames in the Rossmoyne area for the same reason, and both greatly appreciated.

30^th November 2013

We visited Colleen, Craig and the girls to say goodbye before heading off to Geraldton.  Craig didn’t actually make it due to the previous nights cricket club celebrations, however, Emma made up for that by provided us with a wonderful mini-concert to show off her great progress since Barry started teaching her to play the guitar.  She very ably accompanied herself whilst singing two songs for us.  They weren’t songs that we are familiar with but it was great and Abby joined her on the choruses.  Half a dozen lessons from her Granddad and a lot of hard work from Emma has worked wonders.   She is now working on learning some more songs for their Christmas camping holiday with the families friends.  

2^nd December 2013

We attended Merry’s appointment at Sir Charles Gardner Hospital and were disappointed with both the off-hand specialist and the hospital; however, all is okay in Merry’s throat and she doesn’t need another check for 6months which may be possible at Geraldton hospital.

3^rd December 2013

We left Ann and Ashley’s at about 7.00am which didn’t beat the congestion on the Kwinana Freeway but it wasn’t too bad and where well north of Perth soon after 7.30am and the traffic on the Mitchell freeway soon became quite in the northerly direction.  We didn’t envy the people on the southbound lanes as they were virtually at a standstill.  We stooped in a layby for a drink break and rest after two hours travel, and again in Leeman on the new Indian Ocean Drive for lunch.  The new Indian Ocean Drive is much easier driving than the Brand Highway.  Other than the right turn at the end of the Mitchell freeway, at Burns Beach road, and the left turn onto the Wannaroo Road, it is a straight forward continuous drive to the Brand Highway just before Dongara, with some ocean views.   We arrived at our house at about 2.30pm and dropped off the caravan and crossed town the back way to the real estate agents to collect the keys.  This didn’t allow much time for unloading the sea container in the hope of at least getting a bed so that we could sleep in the house.  That didn’t happen as the padlock on the sea container was so badly corroded that the keys wouldn’t turn and the local locksmith was not available until the next day, so we settled down in the van again, but in our own front garden this time.

 4^th December 2013

The lock on the sea container was cut off by the locksmith at great cost for five minutes work and the unloading began, but not at a particularly fast pass as some of the first pieces of furniture happen to be the heaviest, which we choose to work around.  This meant that we didn’t extract a bed yet and spent another night in the caravan.

5^th December 2013

Having now had a good look at how the tenants have treated, and neglected the place, we have been out shopping for Fridge, TV, microwave oven and washing machine and doggy door plus replacement toilet, laundry trough and cupboard

7^th December 2013

Barry has now fitted the doggy door through the laundry door and Foxy has learnt that it is available and takes advantage of it.  We have also now unpacked the corner pieces that made it possible to assemble the base for our water bed, fit the foam and water bags, fill and use the bed.  This has added supreme comfort to our lives along with our rocker/recliner chairs.

8^th December 2013

We have now moved much off the furniture and packing boxes into the house, which included the benefit of a bed, but have still got a lot of sorting to do plus work out a plan for getting the last 4 pieces of furniture into the house.  One of them in particular will probably require burly removalists.  Being back in our home with plenty of space compared to living in the confinement of the caravan for nearly 6 years gives a feeling of freedom but is not yet fully realised as much of the space filled with boxes waiting to be unpacked and then the problem of finding homes for everything.  We have brought back much more to this house than we took out of it when we left to move to Karratha.

10^th December 2013

The new toilet has now been installed which not only improves the look of the room it also saves a lot of water as the old one poured about ten litres of water away with each flush whereas now there is a choice of 3 or 4.5 litres, subject to requirements.  Meanwhile we have been unpacking boxes and finding homes for some items and producing a pile to go either the Red Cross or a garage sale.  We still have 15 large boxes out of 67 and 4 small boxes to bring into the house to unpack which will be done during the earlier morning hours from here on as WA is about to enjoy its first heat wave of the year, and Geraldton’s temperatures are slightly higher than Perth’s.  

12^th December 2013

We are still unpacking boxes and moving furniture into the house.  The is only one piece of furniture to come into the house now but it is way too heavy for us to move but Barry have has found a way to separate the top section from the bottom section and removed all of the doors so we may be able to manage to bring the sections in when the lounge has been cleared of boxes and homeless items.

13^th December 2013

Today’s temperature reached 43°C but we spent most of our time in shops to aid our home improvement and comfort.  This included having the track of the kitchen vertical blinds overhauled and buying a slide-out unit for the bathroom cupboard.  The cooler part of the afternoon was used to fit new lever type door handles to all of the rooms in place of the round knobs.  This is recommended for older people whose wrist and grip aren’t too great but it also allows the door to be opened with an elbow if both hands are full, so long as the door swings away from you.  It is a costly exercise but worth it in our case as the old knobs were scruffy and the replacements look good.   We have also discovered that the locking pins of every window have been removed so we can’t lock any of the windows in the either the closed or slightly open positions.  Just part of the joy of having tenants that steal or damage  as required and useless real estate agents who charge for inspections but notice nothing despite having an inventory and photographs.