Inflatable Fun

What a great day. Remaining in pyjamas until sunset, I repacked the roof stuff with help from Smokey, refilled the water tanks and made some excellent additions to the rear racking system. "What a day of frenzied excitement!" I can hear you thinking. But there was more, much more. As all this industrious pyjama-clad activity was underway, there were frequent amusing interruptions.

Mid morning I am suddenly overwhelmed by an ex-hippie couple with their little girl, dog and 4WD. If you can imagine the actor Adam Sandler with extreme ADHD and wired on meth, that's what Dad was like. Emerging from the 4WD with a beer in his hand, he hails me with a loudly cheerful "Gidday! We used to camp here on the bare bones of our arses in a bongo van years ago it was freakin fantastic we're visiting with our little girl here Ruby that's our dog Tamar you wanna smoke some weed?"

I decline politely and there is a sudden awkward silence. "Look! My cat's on the roof!" is all I can think of saying. This makes everyone happy and I return to my obsessive-compulsive bus packing disorder.

While taking a short break consisting of standing on the beach thinking contentedly about nothing, Michael & Marg emerge with the kayak, so we all have a go (me still in my pyjamas, Honey in her lifejacket). This is so much fun I decide to get my inflatable boat out of the sealed package it arrived in via the internet & try out my schmancy air compressor. Hindered by wet pyjamas, I have trouble with the fiendishly Japanese-style instructions (incapsulating clockwise part A while search futile is of part C), but my production manager instincts remind me that there is a perfectly good cattle farmer within 100 metres.

Soon I have all my camping neighbours cheerfully engaged in operating the air compressor, inflating the boat and assembling the oars. After only a few near-death incidents with air compressor the boat is set and everyone has their You-Tube settings ready on their cameras.

The boat ("SeaHawk II"), which cost $99.99, is great! I take Marg for a spin, we get a solid performance of "Row Row Row Your Boat" going for the cameras and there is much merriment as we disembark ("Here, you hold the oar and I'll balance you as I"---kersplashhh).

That evening we have a big bonfire on the beach and I bring a big jug of Wagatini cocktails & chips to thank the launching crew. Marg, Michael & Mark are all lovely people, very open and caring with a fine sense of silliness so we have a good ol' campfire time; even Smokey joins us. We can tell when the vodkatinis are working when Mark tries to teach Michael a northern aboriginal Brolga dance. Foolishly I suggest a round of ghost stories; Mark's is so scary that everyone's too terrified to go to bed.

Nothin' like good ol' fashioned fun with a 12v air compressor