Sunday, June 5, 2011

Conclusions

We haven't really had a chance to enjoy being home until today.  It's not that I mind the chores, actually quite the opposite, it's down time for me, the methodical task of pulling everything out of the caravan, restocking shelf items that need restocking, cleaning and checking all is in order for the next adventure.  It's just part of the journey really.  It's a sort of closure to this chapter of our time together.     


It's a little bit sad and a little bit happy for me.  Time is passing, my boys are growing up, a holiday so longed for and counted down for is now behind us, but the memories we carry with us will always be there, there are so many more adventures ahead of us to count down to and plan and look forward to.  Times to share together that will always be with us in years to come.    


This has been our longest trip away in our caravan, and my feet itch, they itch so much more now we have been 'out there', to get back 'out there' and see more with my family.  To create more memories together, to be together in our caravan.  To hear my boys sleeping in their little bunks just down from me in the dark. To hear their breathe so close to me.  To hear the odd sleeptalk from my Eggyman as he dreams his little dreams, I so miss that here back in our seemingly big house.


On our way home we went through Parramatta in Sydney.  We drove past My Map Shop, and just had to find a side street to pull into.  We did, and then we met Dianne and we bought a beautiful big map of Australia that was laminated and framed.  It is perfect, just what we had wanted to get to put on our wall and track our travelling.  We are going to pin all the places we have been to.  Each trip we are going to use a different colour.   


As for this trip, here are some stats that I have collected.


- klms travelled                            x 6,800
- stops                                         x 16
- states                                        x 3
- fuel                                           x AUD$1,622.89
- bog experience                          x 1
- suicidal bird (RIP Larry)              x 1
- photos taken                              x 1960 (approx.)
- turn back for fuel                       x 1
- quarantine fruit gobble quests     x 2
- caravan sleeps                            x 40
- busted wrists                              x 1
- toilet/bathroom cleaning            x 0
- new nicknames                          x 2 (please refer *)
- hours spent in the car travelling  x 64 hours and 30 minutes.
to the next town.  This does not
include day trips, getting bogged
or turning back for fuel.


* explanation for new nicknames.  No matter where we go, it seems there is a new nickname for at least one of us.  
This trip produced two new nicknames.
Eggy has a new nick name of 'Lunchpac'.  Simply because at Dubbo zoo the beautiful cheetah was lazing in the sun as you do in the middle of a cool day and when we walked up to the enclosure to say hello, Mr Cheetah raised his head to our voices and just quietly watched us unmoving other than his long tail flicking invitingly friendly to us.  ha ha ha ha, sorry Mr. Cheetah, we know you only want us for lunch!  Well Eggy, walked along the fence line and Mr. Cheetahs head turned to follow Blake walking all the way along the fence.  Eggy commented 'he is watching me!',  Oh you bet we said, he likes the look of you for sure, what a nice little lunchpac he would make.  So lunchpac it become.


The other nickname belongs to Minnie.  'Mr Apples' - when we got to our quarantine bin disposals we would cut up the fruit (mainly apples) and put them in a plate to munch on in the car as quickly as we could.  One occasion Minnie had the plate and was dishing them out like an apple nazi and counting each piece and how many were left, you had to be there, it was just so funny, this little monkey of ours distributing pieces of apple from the back seat in the middle of nowhere.  So Mr. Apples it became.    


I do have more photos to share, but they are odds and ends that I will collage another day.


Thank you again for joining in on our journey.  Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my family and our time together.  I cannot begin to elaborate on how magical this time together was for us, how wonderful the landscape we encountered and how much fun we had feasting our way through the 40 days and nights of our adventure together.  I cannot wait to do it again, I regret not a single stop, not a single moment, I am in absolute awe of the country we live in and I so want to support our awesome farmers and growers and owners for the produce they presented to us through local markets, restaurants and shops along the way.  


Thank you so much for stopping by my place tonight and have a wonderful week at your place.


Joyce. xx





3 comments:

TK said...

Oh Joyce, I am so glad you are safe home from this adventure, so glad you shared it with us, so glad it was everything and more than what you had hoped for!!!! Happy settling back in to life at 'home'!! TK xx

Sarah - Red Gingham said...

Love that you enjoyed yourselves so much. What a wonderful experience. Loving your new nick names - very appropriate. Coming home is always bitter sweet isn't it? Start planning the next trip I'd say.

Colette said...

So many happy memories for you all, what a wonderful experience.
It made me chuckle that your photos taken number is higher than your fuel bill. I do like some facts and figures!
Hope you settle back to reality happily, x