Whew glad I missed that one!

gday again lol, yep its a bit quicker than the last. Apart from feeling more social now, I find myself in a lovely and cheap little caravan park in Nathalia… a little place between Echuca and Yerrawonga, which is where I had planned to make my next stop lol…

Isn’t it funny how the Gods decree where you go, well if you listen closely to their wise counsel they do. I did not get on the road all that early yesterday morning, around nine thirty I would wager give or take 🙂 Anyway the night before had looked very stormy and the winds were howling in a way that reminded me of the ones we have been getting lately at home. A tad milder to be sure but with that spooky sound you hear in the movies lol, always guaranteed to ‘put the wind up me’ if you will pardon the pun 😛
The night was passed safely and I slept quite soundly to my surprise. I had been looking nervously up at the huge gums near me and wondering if they were gonna do their dropping branches thing.. ahh well I felt ok so I went on my gut feeling and stayed put. Early the next morning I ventured out to take Alex for his obligatory walk so he could relieve himself. As I may have mentioned before, he won’t do it near the van, even a piddle LOL…I noticed how dull and dark the sky was, the wind still blowing strongly though not quite as bad as the night before. I debated whether to stay put as it was raining on and off though not heavily. Still after such a long dry period I knew the roads could be very slippery.

I felt ok about travelling so I made up my mind to break camp and head out regardless. Alex is really loving the travel now. I only have to gravitate to the driver’s seat for him to bounce up the steps and perch rather regally on the middle section between the two seats; eyes glued to the oncoming road and poised with his front paws up, his hind ones down lol… I wish I could show you how he looks but words fail me. I will try though by sharing the words that pop into my head as he does it. If Alex could talk he would be saying to me: ‘Come on mum. I’ve got your back … lets get on the road and drive! New Adventures are waiting for us to arrive …lol, yes fanciful but it feels that way to me 🙂

Anyway we got on the road and yes, it was a bit slippery so I made sure my speed matched the conditions. The wind was buffeting the motorhome constantly and if I had been the type to become seasick I would have had a nasty case of it then lol… The sun came and went many times on our little journey but the winds remained.. it wasnt too bad actually and I turned up my music and sang along. After a bit Alex laid down and I often reached behind me with my left hand and gave him a gentle stroke as we travelled along.

Despite the weather being only a little iffy, I got the jitters about going further when we reached Nathalia. I pulled into the centre parking bay and sat there a bit, wondering if I should obey that feeling or dismiss it as silly nerves. No matter how I tried to convince myself I was just being a bit of a girl about it all lol, I could not shake a sense of foreboding so finally I decided to look for a place to stay.

I checked my navman for a nearby caravan park. I fancied topping up my electrics and besides I wanted to do some girly stuff and beside the road doesn’t always cut the mustard. I rang the one that felt right but the manager was away for the day so I decided to go back to a street I had noticed when I came to the roundabout that had a sign on it letting caravaners etc know there were long park bays especially for them. I rather fancied a barbecue and I had bought some lovely sirloin steak early in Echuca so I decided to see what it was like.

Oh perfection! Toilets, a dump site, lovely shaded picnic areas beneath big old river gums and a barbecue. Yay! In I went to the one nearest the barbecue, let Alex out and watched as the ducks swam serenely on the river…ahh you know this really is the life! I had to laugh when I spied some geese further up, their honking making Alex stop in his tracks (he was on a lead for his safety lol as they would have won I reckon). He did not know what to make of them lol and they for the most part, displayed a reluctance to approach him! Ahh some unexpected entertainment as I watched Alex try to figure out what these new creatures were and more to the point,if they would play LOL…
The sky in the meantime had become quite threatening, the winds picking up until they were hassling the leaves and branches of the gums, wildly swaying to its tune. Hmmm.. I thought I should have an early barbecue and maybe move to a safer spot lol… well I grabbed Alex’s lead and together we went to investigate the barbecue, though not before I cut the onions and the mushies in anticipation lol; the lovely steak on its own little plate ready for the barbie.

OH Gods, this barbie had not been used in a very long time. It was rusty, wouldnt open and whats more the top was sodden with rain lol.. ahh well never mind then. We trotted back to the motorhome, Alex’s obvious dream of pinching the steak thwarted at least momentarily lol. I waited awhile,kept an eye on the trees and finally cooked my lovely steak etc in the motorhome; all the while I kept a weather eye on Alex. I knew he would want to try to stick his nose up where the meat was cooking and I couldnt really blame it.. the smell certainly tantalised my taste buds lol… I whipped up a little salad to go with it and leisurely enjoyed my dinner, making sure Ileft a little for my beloved pup. When I finished I washed everything up, got rid of the rubbish and assessed the safest place by the river to spend the night. Well it was not the prettiest part of the river but not too shabby either where I moved us to. The river was still on the same side as the door opened with lovely green grass for Alex.. its just that the public toilets were a bit closer than I would normally have them.

Never mind, it would have to do I decided, the safety aspect was more important right now. Well it was not all that bad a spot though I did not get to sleep for quite some time. For some reason all sorts of niggling worries had decided to invade my mind, making sleep an impossibility. In the end, I just simply lay there and meditated, allowing myself to be restless rather than fighting it. Somewhere after one I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is Alex waking me up LOL…

That wind had howled for most of the time I was lying awake and there was some rain though not a lot.The light show was magnificent but in the end no damage to anyone thankfully…Later I found out Yerrawonga and the small towns surrounding it had suffered a Mini Tornado.. so much damage and had I been there as I planned Alex and I may have been another casualty. I swallowed as I saw the pictures of caravans whose roofs had been smashed in by falling boughs, still laying on top.. petrol stations and houses ripped asunder… I am so thankful I listened to my guidance. I am planning on maybe staying another night here.. we will see. The caravan park I have now booked into is relatively cheap and its friendly too! K so thats enough of me for the moment ..thank God its Friday eh? hehehe Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe wherever you are!