That's what my friend from where I used to work said in his refined South African accent when hecalled in unexpectedly. His face is so expressive, adding to the drama and finishing with his usual grin. "I've camped
before- we always had a tent." I protested aloud inside I said - was a
Girl Guide, Chaffinch patrol leader. I can light fires and more importantly put
them out. I remember that badge because I'd cheated a little bit, taking
with me some straw from a Chianti bottle to make sure 2 matches did the trick.
Admittedly lately it's been in a cabin, not a tent, but this was in a friends
caravan at the beach not far away, so not exactly roughing it in the outback with no power and no shower. Besides we couldn't say no, they set it
up mainly for us.
I'd had a chest infection after a cold and it wasn't getting better - worse if anything - asthma. So we raced to the doctor for more magic sweeties. "You can't possibly go camping, you are another 20 mins to Geelong emergency and 20 mins can mean death, the local hospital is near and they have your records," he doesn't wrap it up. "Last time I tried it I ended up in ICU." He added for effect.
'No, Doctor ******** J keeps taking me on lovely hols (usually state capitals for art exhibits or foreign lands for ancient monuments) so we've not been down the beach in the summer for ages and I want to see him in his
environment for a change and that is in the sea." He both glared and grinned,he's known me many years. So he dosed me up told me not to take risks and head for hospital at first sign of trouble and shook his head as he opened the door to let us out. I hate poisoning my body with all that rubbish, but I like living more so I started the complicated regime and next day we headed off. Must admit in Emergency they set you on a drip and poison you in a few hours not 10 days and you feel great and the side effects are over in about 2 weeks, with luck it would take a month to recover from this once I was off the meds.
Nice place, in the sand dunes, a hop and skip from the surf beach, things were looking up, only we'd checked the weather forecast for the days we were down there and it didn't look good. We'd had weeks of perfect beach weather and while we were there...well the weekend looked good but someone else was there for that...Soon there was a northerly gale blowing bringing soot from the bush fires inland, the girls behind us in the tent were in danger of being blown away. And the awning sounded like a loose flapping sail on a boat and kept us awake all night as the caravan shook.
Next morning the gale is still going, my hubby's a practical man so he got rope from the car and using his scouting knots and tent pegs stabilised it a bit so the awning didn't flap quite so alarmingly. All to do that day was a bit of shopping down the Great Ocean Road. At least the shops are great here - all my favourites and its sale time. It was funny Kansas was mentioned over and over, we thought the house would take off the all shop ladies said. One lady in the shower block said she woke up with a black face and her tent was covered in same. Walked to the local pub, a place we use a least once a year on our winter visit to the beach. They'd redecorated it with uncomfortable chairs - a bad sign - eat up and get out, and worse was the food; I'd ordered dips, expecting as you do to be made by the chef, they were from the supermarket and the cheapest ones. As for hubby's hamburger, usually delicious here, it was the same one we'd bought from a supermarket that
we had taken one bite from and thrown away just a couple of weeks prior. This time he'd manfully tackled and ate it and he shouldn't because it made him ill, it was so disappointing another favourite place off our list. That
night it rained as well as windy. J put a cloth under a constant drip on the
roof but we still didn't sleep much.
Next day we went for a nice long walk along the beach to the shopping centre, more retail therapy another favourite shop and early that afternoon another drive, not down the Great Ocean Road this time, but Geelong and oh what lovely shops again worth a day out from Melbourne, only lunch was a problem, we asked a guy in Katamandu for help with finding a good pub, but he wasn't local...and the place he recommended we weren't keen on,
so made do with a pancake. Another grey windy day and walks along the
beach and the next we headed home, longing for sleep.
The cat is always good natured when we get back; after all she has a servant laid on, someone she's known since a kitten but when the bags remained on the floor she started to look nervous. She doesn't go out when we're not here, our friend hasn't got time to go looking if she decides to hide, so she sat on the front porch all that day, her version of a protest. 2 glorious days of course all the washing done and lots of sleep and we repack to go down again. Weather forecast, yes you've guessed it, awful, but we know what to expect and it's for a few more days so we might get lucky....well at least this time the TV's working. The first day we got on the beach and in the sea, it was so warm, I'd forgotten how blissful it was to bathe in the sea and J sat out in it waiting for waves but nothing to body surf. The next day the bad weather was back again..... we longed for home, if not for my kindle loaded up with books and for hubby reading my 2 books we'd have gone mad. We kept laughing. Only good thing was that Aireys Inlet pub was back in the locals hands, after many years in the wilderness serving very odd combinations of food, we could return to good local wine and beers, good food and great music. So on our winter drives down the beach we'll be eating there.....other eateries take note, we aren't the only ones who won't
put up with dreadful food. Locals check out Brown Magpie shiraz, and Otway beers, yum.
We came home exhausted and I wasn't any better...it'll take time, probably would have been safer and got over it sooner staying home but can we laugh about the worse camping trip we've ever had. Note from our friend; "Mills an angel, very social this second week..." ...she was back on my lap that evening - we are forgiven of course, she's is after all really an angel.
before- we always had a tent." I protested aloud inside I said - was a
Girl Guide, Chaffinch patrol leader. I can light fires and more importantly put
them out. I remember that badge because I'd cheated a little bit, taking
with me some straw from a Chianti bottle to make sure 2 matches did the trick.
Admittedly lately it's been in a cabin, not a tent, but this was in a friends
caravan at the beach not far away, so not exactly roughing it in the outback with no power and no shower. Besides we couldn't say no, they set it
up mainly for us.
I'd had a chest infection after a cold and it wasn't getting better - worse if anything - asthma. So we raced to the doctor for more magic sweeties. "You can't possibly go camping, you are another 20 mins to Geelong emergency and 20 mins can mean death, the local hospital is near and they have your records," he doesn't wrap it up. "Last time I tried it I ended up in ICU." He added for effect.
'No, Doctor ******** J keeps taking me on lovely hols (usually state capitals for art exhibits or foreign lands for ancient monuments) so we've not been down the beach in the summer for ages and I want to see him in his
environment for a change and that is in the sea." He both glared and grinned,he's known me many years. So he dosed me up told me not to take risks and head for hospital at first sign of trouble and shook his head as he opened the door to let us out. I hate poisoning my body with all that rubbish, but I like living more so I started the complicated regime and next day we headed off. Must admit in Emergency they set you on a drip and poison you in a few hours not 10 days and you feel great and the side effects are over in about 2 weeks, with luck it would take a month to recover from this once I was off the meds.
Nice place, in the sand dunes, a hop and skip from the surf beach, things were looking up, only we'd checked the weather forecast for the days we were down there and it didn't look good. We'd had weeks of perfect beach weather and while we were there...well the weekend looked good but someone else was there for that...Soon there was a northerly gale blowing bringing soot from the bush fires inland, the girls behind us in the tent were in danger of being blown away. And the awning sounded like a loose flapping sail on a boat and kept us awake all night as the caravan shook.
Next morning the gale is still going, my hubby's a practical man so he got rope from the car and using his scouting knots and tent pegs stabilised it a bit so the awning didn't flap quite so alarmingly. All to do that day was a bit of shopping down the Great Ocean Road. At least the shops are great here - all my favourites and its sale time. It was funny Kansas was mentioned over and over, we thought the house would take off the all shop ladies said. One lady in the shower block said she woke up with a black face and her tent was covered in same. Walked to the local pub, a place we use a least once a year on our winter visit to the beach. They'd redecorated it with uncomfortable chairs - a bad sign - eat up and get out, and worse was the food; I'd ordered dips, expecting as you do to be made by the chef, they were from the supermarket and the cheapest ones. As for hubby's hamburger, usually delicious here, it was the same one we'd bought from a supermarket that
we had taken one bite from and thrown away just a couple of weeks prior. This time he'd manfully tackled and ate it and he shouldn't because it made him ill, it was so disappointing another favourite place off our list. That
night it rained as well as windy. J put a cloth under a constant drip on the
roof but we still didn't sleep much.
Next day we went for a nice long walk along the beach to the shopping centre, more retail therapy another favourite shop and early that afternoon another drive, not down the Great Ocean Road this time, but Geelong and oh what lovely shops again worth a day out from Melbourne, only lunch was a problem, we asked a guy in Katamandu for help with finding a good pub, but he wasn't local...and the place he recommended we weren't keen on,
so made do with a pancake. Another grey windy day and walks along the
beach and the next we headed home, longing for sleep.
The cat is always good natured when we get back; after all she has a servant laid on, someone she's known since a kitten but when the bags remained on the floor she started to look nervous. She doesn't go out when we're not here, our friend hasn't got time to go looking if she decides to hide, so she sat on the front porch all that day, her version of a protest. 2 glorious days of course all the washing done and lots of sleep and we repack to go down again. Weather forecast, yes you've guessed it, awful, but we know what to expect and it's for a few more days so we might get lucky....well at least this time the TV's working. The first day we got on the beach and in the sea, it was so warm, I'd forgotten how blissful it was to bathe in the sea and J sat out in it waiting for waves but nothing to body surf. The next day the bad weather was back again..... we longed for home, if not for my kindle loaded up with books and for hubby reading my 2 books we'd have gone mad. We kept laughing. Only good thing was that Aireys Inlet pub was back in the locals hands, after many years in the wilderness serving very odd combinations of food, we could return to good local wine and beers, good food and great music. So on our winter drives down the beach we'll be eating there.....other eateries take note, we aren't the only ones who won't
put up with dreadful food. Locals check out Brown Magpie shiraz, and Otway beers, yum.
We came home exhausted and I wasn't any better...it'll take time, probably would have been safer and got over it sooner staying home but can we laugh about the worse camping trip we've ever had. Note from our friend; "Mills an angel, very social this second week..." ...she was back on my lap that evening - we are forgiven of course, she's is after all really an angel.