Well That Didn’t Go as Planned….

I haven’t got my Coasting Back Home blog page going yet so I’ll post here for now.

I took off a few days ago with my bus full of brand new equipment, heaps of excitement and anticipation. Hurtling down the highway towards my destination for the next few days, I accompanied Leonard Cohen, Michael Franti, James Brown, Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye, John Smith and the Lake Poets… full throttle and happy as a 🐷 in 💩.

I was meaning to make a movie and be all “professional” but I kept forgetting and I don’t have photos of me waving goodbye on the maiden voyage, proudly filling up the petrol tank or stopping by a billabong for a ‘tinkle’, a ‘pee’ or to spend a penny (whatever you call it). Probably just as well as it involved a rather nasty encounter with prickly bushes and a rather uncomfortable onward journey.

We did well although the old girl (the bus, not me) doesn’t like hills. she crawled up through the mountains and I could almost hear her puffing and out of breath like me on the Camino.

My app and reference books promised Tannum Sands as ‘stunning’, ‘unforgettable’ and ‘perfect’, but I soon discovered they were not really honest and after manoevering the bus into its shady and dusty resting place, I set out to explore. True, the beach is nearby and it is set in a very quiet area…. but I had just unpacked and unlocked everything, when I discovered the supermarket and any sign of life was a 45 minute walk in the heat , mostly uphill. I had left the chicken behind and I needed it for dinner.

So sweaty and weary as I’m quite unfit, I lumbered along, and purchased the said article. “Better get a bottle of wine too I guess”, the devil on my shoulder whispered. Forgot about the walk home again, but it was downhill😃

Mission accomplished, I showered and then decided that I didn’t want chicken after all, 🤦🏻‍♀️ setting about just boiling some pasta instead. Of course the wine was much appreciated and my mood slowly melted. I was feeling lonely, but with scanty wifi, I didn’t want to ring anyone. Those phone calls are annoying. For some reason, I was thinking about how my life had changed from the one I envisaged when I got married. It was not meant to be like this. Steve would have loved this lifestyle. He should be here with me. Probably a good thing that I didn’t ring anyone.

Tannum Sands was not what I was hoping for, although it was nice to get away on my own and fun to see how the bus went. … “what was that noise?” I thought as I pulled into the park. Sounded like I had rats scratching under the passenger seat.. I’ll just ignore it for now😳 oops

I had a very relaxing time at Tannum Sands but I won’t be returning. I packed up this morning and eagerly jumped into the drivers seat, put on the sunnies and put the next destination into the GPS. People around me were packing up and I saw them all pause momentarily, look up and stare, at the bus that was not starting and sounded like a dying hippo. Uh oh! Then Lovely Arthur wandered over with his starter thingy and came to rescue me, much to the amusement of everyone else. “Crikey” he said (thought only Steve Irwin said that) “*+¥%# old battery love! Think you need to fix that situation”! Oh my. … ever so grateful, the old girl and I slinked out of the park and headed for Bundy and Batteryworld.

We made it safely and I pulled in outside the shop behind two other campers with the same problem. Jim, the shop owner, was very flustered at the sudden onset of battery desperation, although I swear I saw him rubbing his hands together as we all drove away! So, no! That did not go to plan and my pockets are feeling much lighter as I needed not one battery but TWO! Holy crap!

The rest of the journey was a wonderful drive, albeit punctuated by several long delays with roadworks. Note to any of you who have not driven a manual, don’t drive up my arse when I’m stopped on a hill. Handbrake starts are tricky things in a heavy vehicle.

I’m now settled into a beautiful site at Woodgate Beach. Stunningly beautiful place and my soul is singing. The smartly dressed Janelle, my neighbour, has a camel farm in NSW and she and Peter are grey nomads for much of the year. You meet the nicest people when you least expect it.

You may be happy to know I ate the chicken tonight and went for a sunset walk on the beach. Settled in now and ready for bed. So, although it didn’t go to plan, it has been an adventure. I will stay here two nights and return home on Thursday.

Thank you for persevering and reading my epistle!🥂😃😴

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