To catch you all the way up for once lol….

Gday I have decided its high time I took my blog seriously and since I am still in the Victor Harbour house sit, I have the chance to do that by bringing it up to date! I will endeavour to journal when not online so that I can remember things not only in sequence but vividly for your ‘viewing’ pleasure lol.
I left off yesterday where my grandson and I had returned from the wonderful meet with my beautiful friend/sister simply because I needed to savour that moment and of course to allow myself the luxury of enjoying the second last day (maybe lol) of my time with Miss Dana, the resident loving and independent moggy here. I was shown the way to the Mount Pleasant Caravan and Showground site by my grandson’s step dad and decided it might be a good place to stay. Sadly it was a bit over what I was now left with so, after spending one night due to the lateness of the hour, I knew I would have to move on. I was lucky that I struck a really nice caretaker who was happy to let me pay when I came back, which I had promised I would and made sure he had my rego number just to put his mind at ease. Being twice the price without power was more than I could afford right then but I would come back not only to pay him but to say thanks by staying on when I had my money in. Its the right thing to do I reckon as folks like him are worth their weight in gold and should be encouraged.
I spent the next week or so finding places where I could pay minimal fees as the times described in my last blog had worked out a tad more expensive than I had planned. However the wealth of laughter, love and discovery more than makes up for any tightening of the belt I have done since.
I had noted on my showgrounds, rec and sports grounds fb page that it was a mere $10 per night at the Tailem Bend Football ground. I did want to see the area and also hopefully catch up with a fellow traveller who had offered me a meet up when I got to the area. I had decided to stay for four nights, camp for one and then see what happens once my money came in. Well things, as always in my life lol, changed in a rather unexpected way a day later! There was supposed to be a couple of power outlets there that one could snaffle if quick enough (there isn’t anymore due to the local caravan owner’s complaints) though that didn’t faze me. I was not averse to being offline for awhile as for me living in the now is the idea of such adventures. Besides, for $10 having a secure and flat site on which to park with trees and vacant land beside it is just what the doctor ordered for nature lovers like me.
Well it was right next to the pound and in my naivette, I posted on my personal fb page that I was tempted to get another travelling companion; a furry friend is how I put it :s Oh my, wish granted but not how I meant! The next morning after I had opened my door, turned on my gas in the blackness (at 6:30am I might add) that is part of being so far south, made my morning coffee and was reclining back under the covers I saw to my horror a mouse swaggering nonchalantly up the aisle…. OMG I am terrified of the bloody little buggers. I jumped out of bed, the mouse realised I was pursuing and disappeared somewhere up the top of my bus!
Well now, I had heard there were more than a few field mice around and realised how silly I had been to park so close to the fields lol.. mind you the alternatives consisted of under gum trees likely to drop huge branches at any time or on the grass near the oval which so I was informed had underground sprinklers that popped up around midnight and watered everything in their path! LOL
I decided to fight fire with fire so to speak, got out my peppermint oil, made up a solution of water and the oil making sure it was a super strong solution and sprayed every part of the bus I could find, finishing off by washing the floor in it too. I love the smell of peppermint oil but from all reports the mice and spiders don’t agree with me!
Well spiders I knew hated it thanks to a David Attenborough Doco on creepy crawlies lol…. seems there is a bug that defends itself from spiders by spraying them with a peppermint smelling liquid and lo and behold I watched in amazement as the much bigger spider backed off and bolted 😀
Mice, I was not so sure of but when needs must …. I reclined back on the bed and tried not to think of my uninvited ‘friend’ or where he might be hiding. I know rats have a nasty habit of chewing the wires in the engine bay, drawn by warmth and that placing moth balls around them when parked up, along with first cooling the motor asap can help eradicate the problem but was not so sure of what mice do or do not dislike!
I had the willy’s good and proper so I decided to move on. While coming through Murray Bridge I had noticed a caravan sign pointing in to the Murray Bridge Showgrounds so I quickly looked it up on that page while warming up the motor ready to leave this place. Where there was one you could bet on there being heaps more and I didn’t have enough money to get the moth balls let alone chance my wiring inside or out!
I had to laugh at my lack of observation not only of the rest of the options on the page but my gut instinct that tried to tell me to go in and ask at the showground before sailing past on my way to Tailem Bend. Turns out its $10 a night there for powered sites and only $5 for unpowered! Sorted! Off I went, praying I had gotten rid of that mouse and not picked up any of its mates in the process lol….
I found a lovely flat park with power in between a couple of caravans thankfully. The showground naturally fills up most days due to its low rates. Mind you if you are not self-contained it won’t suit as you do not have access to their toilets or shower thanks to folks who left it filthy constantly, making it non negotiable for the rest of us who DO the right thing.
I had no sooner parked and gotten out my electrical lead when a guy popped over from the right hand caravan to introduce himself. I smiled to myself; this was why I liked these places more than caravan parks (of course the fact they don’t charge the earth for a site goes a long way too lol). The people generally tended to be more friendly and, as I discovered once again to my delight AND at times chagrin, only too willing to help if you have a problem.
The guy on my left was a prime example as he set about trying to solve my mouse problem… Yes you guessed it lol, my little interloper liked my digs and had decided to stick around peppermint or no peppermint. Well I couldn’t get to all the places he might hide so I guess I should have expected that. I was sitting quietly reading that night and lo and behold there he was endeavouring to sneak by me. I gasped with shock and he took off… heading straight for my bed! I had no idea if he had gone from there but my gasp must have been heard by my neighbour who had been hovering most of the afternoon trying to figure out how to deal with such a possibility. You know what those people are like who tell you horror stories? He was a bit that way lol, regaling me with the one who ran over his head and dived under the covers and whom he tried to kill by whacking the covers whenever he saw a moving ‘bump’ lol… oh ta, that sets my mind to rest no end, I mumbled while wishing he would just go away. Honestly I wasn’t sure who was more a pest but I was beginning to feel it might be this guy and not the bloody mouse!
The next day he came up with some sort of home made trap that he swore would have to work, musing that if it did he could make a fortune out of his invention. He further stated that there weren’t any of that type anywhere and he couldn’t understand why. He knew I didn’t want to hurt the little bugger and so he had gone out and bought some sewerage end pipe with one of those little trap things, inserted it into an empty plastic milk bottle and put a smaller white cap under the trap to keep it open. He was pretty happy with his design, I was pretty doubtful lol but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and as I couldn’t afford to go and get some decent ones, I agreed to give it a try. He popped some peanut butter in the closed off end, placed it strategically and finally left me in peace for the day
The outcome was a mouse who had now taken to checking out my stove top (most likely because that was one of the few places NOT sprayed with peppermint oil for obvious reasons and maybe a smidgen of spillage (it happens!) .. the trap wasn’t touched. No surprise there for me but he was amazed lol. He just couldn’t see how any mouse worth its name could not be tempted into that trap. Hmmm lets see…. its huge, white, wrapped now in a vivid green and yellow band of some kind to keep what he had done together so very visible and super suspicious to any self respecting mouse. It was out in the open too and the amount of peanut butter would most likely not have given off much odor. The trap door was hardly open, the cap holding it that way was vivid lol.. need I go on?
I was really angry at that mouse by now; having left little erm mouse nuggets on my stove was the last straw, dirty little bugger! By now my money was in. Off I marched to find out if they had any proper traps in Bunnings despite his adamantly informing me there weren’t any on the market. Heaps of them! All different sizes and prices. I got two small ones, already equipped with a non lethal bait that would trap any mouse inside if they ventured in but not harming them … and one that would. Sadly the mouse had to die but at least now I am mice free. I felt really horrible though and so have vowed to make sure that if I cannot keep them out I will use only traps that do not harm. Oh it hurt to see that sweet little face and know I had taken a life.
While I have been at my house sit I have put cotton balls in every space soaked in peppermint oil, steel wool in any gaps (they hate that too lol) and have caged mothballs to place around the outside of my motorhome to deter them. I do still have those traps but am looking at some I can put outside so that I can get them before they come in and release them somewhere in the bush away from ‘people’ 🙂
Ok so that is now sorted and in the meantime my grandson came for a visit. He had decided he was going to take me to Mannum for the day and I am so glad he did. If you haven’t been, its a beautiful little town and a historic point on the Paddle steamer trail. First stop the Information Centre as you do, which happily was combined with a maritime museum. I happily paid the price in, nominal to say the least, and off we went to explore. This one is interactive with a real life helm you steer while a film of the river with a dotted line you must follow is played on a big screen. It really shows the skill of the skippers and is a lot of fun to boot. Both my grandson and I had a turn at it; might I add we both did well ? 😀
There were many other things to try out and lots of information/pics about the history of the town, its importance to the Murray River trade and the paddle steamers now restored and used for tourists/locals to take cruises down the river. This is something I would like to do before I head home and at only $20 per adult, its do-able lol. We finished off our day by crossing the mighty Murray on a free ferry; imagine my surprise when my grandson informed me he had never been on one. It was a must do though by then I was not interested in more driving around on the other side. We compromised and walked on, enjoying the crisp river air, not to mention the sighting of the Murray Princess as her huge paddle propelled her across our path. She is a massively beautiful lady, perfect for a cruise somewhere in the future. For now, a trip on the no less lovely Marion will suffice I reckon 🙂
I was more than happy to return to my little home after that, its getting really cold down south now and all I wanted to do was snuggle under my doona and veg out with a DVD or two. I thanked my lovely grandson for coming and for sharing such a lovely day with me, waved him off and retreated inside. This was my second last night here and then I could at last head out. I am not overly enamoured of Murray Bridge itself, just another large town with only the Murray as the name would imply to recommend it as far as I can see but I might be being a bit harsh as I really didn’t go out much there. Well am planning a return trip to that area for that cruise if nothing else lol so might change my mind eh?
Shopping was next on my way out, no big supermarkets in Mount Pleasant though the gentle nature of its natural beauty more than made up for that. I was really happy to get there and settle in, again enjoying my ‘neighbours’ if not the rainy weather that had reared its head. If I thought Murray Bridge was cold, it wasn’t anywhere near the icy conditions I endured over the next few days. I love the area but maybe in spring or summer lol…. I met a nice man whose little rescue dog just melted my heart. The man was a bit more into things than I was though so am thinking I will give the park a miss in the near future lol.
Onwards we go, grandson in tow as I head for my house sit. I had decided to go early as I wanted to give my grandson the gift of that horse drawn tram ride I had gone on my first time round. I had also asked him if he would like to spend a day or two there so he could come on the steam train which made an appearance on Sunday (Wednesdays that are not in the holiday periods are strictly diesel) He was very keen and so followed me in his car, sleeping bag and an assortment of clothes at the ready!
I joined him for the tram ride, knowing he preferred to share things rather than experience the fun on his own. Not that it was a sacrifice, I just loved my trip over and now that I knew what to expect I found myself standing up on the top and taking pics, comfortable in the knowledge that yes I was not going to fall off or over lolol.
We went to the information centre to find out the exact price of the train. I nearly died when I realised it would cost $30 per person and that now they were saying they could not guarantee the steam engine would be pulling it rather than the diesel. Well my grandson didn’t mind either way, had never been on either and was so excited that I couldn’t let him down. A promise is a promise; I swallowed hard and tightened that bloody belt of mine yet again. In the meantime the idea of going to the Whale Centre had gone out the window but I was determined to take him out for dinner. I had insisted he bring a good shirt for the occasion. He is a good looking young man but often forgets to showcase it.
We had an amazing dinner at the Anchorage and the staff was just wonderful. Camping just up the road meant we could walk back and enjoy the crisp night and the beauty of the ocean at night! I really wanted to give him a great little holiday and as it turned out, I did according to him 🙂 The next day after the ride on the tram carriage, we headed off to the house sit I was due to start and I informed her that I would be having a guest for a few days. I stipulated that he would be staying in my motorhome but she insisted he use the spare room bless her. We did stay in the motorhome while she got ready though, there is nothing so distracting as people chatting at you when you are trying to be sure you have everything lol. With a hug and a thank you, she was off and we went inside to feed Dana the cat, a gorgeous tortoiseshell who I have to say has been a joy to spend time with.
Sure enough on the following Sunday the Diesel pulled into the Victor Harbour Station but by then we had been informed that when the carriages were brought back it would be with the steam engine and my darling grandson was almost beside himself with excitement! The way over to Goolway was stunningly beautiful as one side of the train’s viewpoint was the ocean and the other the rolling hills. I decided not to get pics of the ocean on the way because my grandson was sitting on the opposite side so he could see the engine 🙂 Well I had decided on doing this for him more than me and I am forever taking pictures of the ocean views so I put away my camera and joined him, listening patiently to his enthusiastic monologues on the diesel engine and its capacities. I am not into such things, I don’t have the mind for it but am happy to lend an ear to someone who is.
I did enjoy that trip, it brought back so many memories of when I used to go from Sydney to Hat Head on one with my dad who snored all the way, and my siblings and I in turn regaled my grandson with it lol. Oh but the trip back on the steam train eclipsed it all! We were told we could stand out on the little balcony between the engine and the first carriage as it did have a safety gate on both sides, of course we promptly obeyed!
What a magical ride back! The tooting of the steam train as it neared each crossing and the huge puffs of steam that accompanied them; the chugging of the motor as it wound its way, especially uphill, took me out of this world where people, places and wonderful inventions are often unappreciated to a time where travel had a mystery and magic that enchanted all the senses! Certainly it did for me, despite the dirt and ash that clogged my hair and layered my scalp lol. I can only imagine what my hair looked like when I got off, the wind behind the engine was cold and so very strong… none of that mattered. I floated off, wishing I could get right back on and fantasized about falling in love with a steam train driver so I could do this often LOL…
Ahh well all things must come to an end and that included that fantasy. To date I haven’t found anyone of my vintage and enthusiasm but where there is life there is hope….
My grandson headed home that afternoon, both of us now broke but happy with all we had shared on his stay here. The next 10 days were to be devoted to Dana and it was time I went back to the gym. The problem with enjoying everything so much, particularly the food is the weight that creeps back. I had gained a little over a kilo; I know that doesn’t sound much but I wanted to nip it in the bud. Besides, I needed to keep my core strong to ensure I could continue to enjoy my time away and, yes I have to admit I love my time in the gym despite it all.
So that is where I am up to now. I did keep that belt tightened, have now baked two of my paleo breads and am awaiting Dana’s owner who is due either today or tomorrow. I knew it was now or never to catch you up as I won’t be online anywhere near as much until my next house sit. I have been very fortunate you know. I may not have reached the Bight this time around but the memories I have gathered and given are pure gold. As I type this I realise that my trip could not have been better though the mouse was a bit of a challenge lol. Keep smiling and enjoy the adventure of your life. Many blessings from my heart to yours