Day 12 and 13. July 1 and 2 2022. Let's get this party started

Friday we go and get the van. We have 5 nights booked in a caravan park to be able to work through everything we need. We have planned to stay at Liz and Ross’s for the first night, but hoped to stay in the van on the Saturday night. The van is again waiting for us in the driveway, and we back in and hook the little trooper up to the car. Lights all work, final checks that everything is connected properly and we know how to work out what to do. Off we go, and as we come down the driveway, the noise from the van on the ball was quite loud and a bit worrying, much more that what I am used to. Down the street, and it isn’t any better, so we do a loop and talk to the man. With some nut tightening onto the ball, it is a lot better and we head to the caravan park.

Did I mention that it started to rain? The first drive is only 20 minutes, but the rain had started and for the life of me, I have not got the hang of google maps and which street I should go down. Siri’s definition is like the engineer in The Games where he said the 100 meter track is about 100 meters. Well “miss”, there are three opportunities to turn in these 100 meters and you seem to like the sound of your own artificially created voice as I continue to take the wrong one and you make me go down 15 streets instead of saying take a U turn which would be a lot easier. Merging onto the freeway, we have a near miss with someone unfamiliar with the zippering technique, but as I am on super spidey senses, I manage to avoid the collision.

Arriving at the caravan park, Linda has a booking but it isn’t as expected, so the tensions rise. Getting the van to the site over some lovely speedhumps, it is time to do the inevitable. Back this baby in. Now, I can back a trailer and this has come after many years going to the tip and getting the cold sweats when it is my turn to show others how the jackknife is done. It has been a while since I needed someone to do it for me, but this is the first time I have had to do it in three years. I have a mate who drives trucks and many years ago I went on a run with him to get his semi-trailer to the shop for some adjustments. He went down a wrong turn and ended up in this narrow lane that he had to back out of. To this day, it is one of the most impressive feats I have seen – and here I am getting nervous at backing a small trailer into a wide spot.

Linda had asked the manager to come and make sure we were OK, and he gave some useful tips and we got it in, right next to the slab without too much fuss. Whew, that was good. In the rain, we lock it up, check that we are happy with what is there, double check some measurements and leave it on its own, on it’s first night out of the shop.

For the next two days, Linda and I are on a mission. It is all about the getting the van ready to get going. We need almost everything. Chairs, tables, stove top, gas bottle, collapsible stuff, mattress topper, blankets, pillows, kettle, toaster, stuff to get the mattress off the floor to prevent condensation and mould, padlocks, tools, chains, things to fix other things that aren’t quite right. This isn’t a quick trip to Ikea to sort stuff out, this is carefully planned and managed purchases, but from many places and still with decisions to be made. Back and forth to the van, and to our lovely hosts as we transfer and set up what we need. The rain is relentless and unseasonal. It is so cold for Queensland, that even the hardiest of short wearers were wearing boxer shorts instead of briefs.

The rain is forecast to continue for a few days. Our Saturday night, our first night together was not looking like an attractive option, and the great meals and hospitality from Liz and Ross did seem very attractive, so we spend another night in accommodation that when we stand beside the bed, we are actually in the same room.