Orion Setting

I would never have guessed that I would get a chance to do some nightscape photography tonight, it’s been such a miserable day weather wise. We’ve hidden ourselves away in the van watching movies all day and of course Winston has loved it!

So bizarrely, the clouds seem to have parted and I got a chance to drag the camera down onto the beach which was covered by water on the high tide and take this shot. It’s the first time I have managed to take a shot knee deep in water – maybe I’m getting braver carrying that equipment out into the sea, maybe I’m getting stoopider. You decide 🙂

Decisions decisions!

Made much easier by an old fashioned thing called a map 🙂 There is something lovely about the tactile nature of a printed map, I’ve always loved the adventures that they offer.

Thanks Dayv, this is the perfect planning tool, especially on a rainy day at the beach!

21st Century Packing Dilemmas

Deciding what to take for a year long trip has been quite a challenge.  We wanted to have a bit more comfort than our usual short trips but you don’t want to overload the van.  It reminded me of a big trip we did a few years ago in our first campervan where we followed in the footsteps of Burke and Wills, the ill-fated explorers.  They planned to forge a new route across Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Their expedition packing list had included several comfortable armchairs, a heavy oak table, a large Chinese gong, a bathtub, a piano, a desk and several gallons of rum to revive the camels.  150 years on and Jonathan was trying to fit in the coffee machine and a telescope.  I had to rethink my clothes selection and shoe container several times.  Winston was stealth packing all his toys by bringing one out to the van each night.

Funnily enough, like Burke and Wills who took four days to get out of Melbourne, it took the 2 1/2 Bradshaws four days to leave their own driveway!

That’s all behind us now – we have sand between our toes and paws and as a result, all over the van and in the bed.

Ah, first world problems 🙂

Pottsville Beach

And they’re off (finally)

The whole process of cleaning the house, packing and heading off was never going to be easy, but we never thought it was going to be that hard!  Thanks partly of course to the ongoing heatwave and to a significant build up of dirt and dust in every crevice of every window in the house.

I did learn as a result  that I am going to be reincarnated as a troglodyte and am certainly visiting my Aussie spiritual home of Coober Pedy where the locals have the good sense to build houses underground with NO WINDOWS!!!!

 

And they’re off (nearly)

Night one of our round Australia adventure  and we have made it as far as the drive outside the house!

The house was emptied today and tomorrow it’s getting a deep clean before handover on Wednesday. Winston was rather anoyed to see his sofa being taken away and is now sulking. Hopefully he will cheer up when he gets to the beach in a couple of days time 🙂