Pencil It In!

OK looks like we'll be arriving in Melbourne on about the 25th of September (Tuesday) and probably heading home again on the following Tuesday. Gary's family live in Melton, but I'm going to organise our own accommodation around St Kilda so we can get away from them and have some privacy, as well as being closer to my friends so we can get together. I'm going to try and talk Gary into doing a side trip to Bali on the way back - some friends of his have a resort there somewhere and have offered us mates' rates on it. Why not?

Anyway, that's the "plan" (ha ha ha) for the moment.

Gary's just headed off to Gero to do his road train test, so I'm in charge of the generator, firewood, poo bucket and ants for a couple of days. We have more storms coming in. Hazel dropped round the other day and we collected some gidgie tree wood for the aged care hostel (we burn it to make ash for Greta's chewin' tobacco...not the usual thing at a city aged care facility!). Crows have descended on the bush camp, trying to steal Ethel's food. Honey chases them off - I found Ethel and Honey sleeping together on Honey's bed outside the other morning! What a good guard dog.

We've been taking it easier for the last few days now that I've got most of George's stuff moved out. Gary brings treasures home from the tip after work so we have a handsome pile of tin sheets and old doors stacked up out the front. It's so peaceful out here, even Meeka starts to feel like a busy metropolis when we've been hanging out at the camp for a couple of days.

This weekend is the big Breathing Apparatus fire course - turns out they're going to hold it here in Meeka, out at Paddy's Flat. We're going to be the regional training centre! FESA are going to build some training facilities at Paddy's, it's fantastic for us as it means we no longer have to do the all-day drives to Gero and Perth for courses. The state fire brigade service really looks after us, we get meals and everything paid for when we do the courses, and they've been sending out all our new uniform gear - my firey boots arrived yesterday, they're like wearing concrete blocks.

I should go chop some more wood and blah blah blah but no! I'm going to have a lovely nap before I go to work - I've never slept so well in my life as I do out here, not having any car or people noise is just blissful!