2015! Here we go!

Well 2014 was pretty good.  No new cancer, still having some side effects from treatment but realistically I'm very lucky and pretty good!     Working in the tin shed is going ok.  It's pretty squishy at times, but it won't be for much longer.  The new building is progressing as expected.  New car is going well too.  Needed some new tyres and yesterday, a new windscreen.   My first ever windscreen after the biggest stone chip I have ever seen!     Started taking a few more photos too.  Something that I have been missing out on in 2014.

Started a new collaborative photographic project with associated blog.  I've been wanted to do this for some time, but couldn't find a suitable collaborator.  But she was under my nose the whole time!  Lauren and I met about 7 years ago and started shooting together.  We are vastly different and 17 years apart in age.  The idea is to photograph the same subject each week and see how similar or how different our shots are.  It's called Westside girls and here is the link!  Westside Girls .

The veggie patches going ok too.   The crops are booming, yet I still haven't got my head around true crop rotation. The original single veggie bed has swelled to 12. For the first time I've grown rockmelons and for the first time I've lost some veggies to something other than insects.   The corn has been stripped and I can only assume that a very smart possum has worked out how to do this and a couple of the rockmelons appear  to have been attacked by lizards.  Still in the grand scheme of things it is ok to be feeding the native animals a share of the bounty!

As for the other Bounty that plays a part in my life,  William Blighs Bounty, I did not spent a lot of time reading about it in 2014.  Although some great new books have been written about the Bounty, and other fascinating maritime history,  I have not been doing much reading of late.  Seemingly a side effect of having some holes burnt into my brain as part of my treatment.   The desire to read is still there, but I find I can only read a few pages before sleep overtakes me and a big heavy book smashes me in the nose.   Hopefully I will get more reading under my belt in 2015.

So what else do I want for 2015???  Well not a whole lot more really.  I'm essentially very happy with my lot.  I am hoping for some relief from the annoying side effects of treatment.   I'd like to be sleeping consistently better than I am.  I'd love to spend a whole lot more time with camera in hand taking some quality snaps and sometime I'll be taking the camper for a spin.  Yep, this is the good life!

I've landed a MARLIN!

No no no!!   I've not been fishing,  I've been shopping!

My MARLIN Cruiser 6 was collected from the manufacturer this morning and it's CHOICE!  The wonderful Josh Stunell borrowed a car with tow bar and picked me up about 9.30.  We hit Erina at 10.45 ish and by 11.30 were registered, insured, hooked up and on the road.  By 12.30 she was home, unhitched and locked up in my carport!

I bought this little diamond after seeing her blue coloured sister opened and closed at the February Newcastle Camping and Caravanning Show.  The ease of set up is what sold me on her and today when Josh saw her opened and set up for the first time he was pretty impressed too!   I elected for an August delivery cos there was NO WAY i was going ANYWHERE under canvas thru winter!  So as spring springs into action next week it was time to collect her.

We arrived at Erina,  parked and walked around to the workshop.  I saw this sexy looking sleek black camper trailer waiting for collection and I hoped she was mine.  She was and she looked fantastic!  Thick black 16 inch wheels and spare, lots of checkerplate and shiny chrome stabiliser leg, handles and jockey wheel.   These awesome units are made by Steve and Chris and are made to suit your specifications.  I wanted a side hinge and extended drawbar and a stand up spare wheel thingy and Steve built her exactly as I wanted.

There was some paperwork to attend to, registration and the like. We opened her up, shut her back down and took some photos.  A not too tedious phone call to the insurance company saw us ready to roll. We hit the road and headed off on her maiden voyage!

I can't thank Josh, Steve and Chris enough.  And thanks too must go to the little old man who dragged me into the Cruiser 6 at that February show and pushed me to open and close it myself.  I have no idea who he was but I bought it because it is so easy for me to set up and pull down on my own.  I am so excited by my acquisition.  Now I just need a car to tow it!

Look up Marlin Campers on Facebook or go to their website at marlincampers.com.au

All photos in this blog are by the totally awesome Josh Stunell.

What to pack? First Aid for campers.

Super excited about the new camping trailer, even though it won't arrive until August.  I've been listing and collecting things I think I need to pack for the first of many weekends away.  Crockery, cutlery, stemware, pots and pans, cooking utensils and bedding are all easily gathered together as I seem to have a multitude of EVERYTHING here.

Each car has a small emergency first aid kit, but I did want a dedicated one for the trailer.  I've looked at some commercial kits, but none seem to be suitable for my needs.  So I decided to assemble my own.   Once again the net supplies great information so I made a bit of a list and again found I already had the majority of the contents on hand.   So far my first aid kit is fairly extensive with creams for burns, antiseptics, itches, a tube of Paw Paw and a bottle of Aloe Vera which are both good for just about everything.  Plasters, non adhesive wound dressings and tape are for any broken skin with scissors, bandages and butterfly adhesives for more serious hurts.  Also packed are latex gloves, safety pins, antiseptic wipes and a digital thermometer.   Drugs included are antibiotics, antihistamines, rehydration tablets and the usual suspects... neurophen, aspirin and codeine.   The drugs I take to replace my mankey cancerous thyroid need to be refrigerated so they will be kept separate, but an esky will work just fine.  I have one esky, but might purchase a second smaller version for the drugs.

I'm not sure what else I might need, so the first few trips will be very close to home.   Facebook offers some good info and I joined a Caravanning and Camping Groups which seems very friendly and helpful.  

It will, no doubt,  take a few journeys before I get fully organised and know what I need and what is excessive, but surely that is part of the fun of it.   I like the idea of GLAMPING.  That little bit of luxury.  Perhaps a candleabra, recliner, maybe a spa?  Ok, maybe a bit excessive for a 6x4 camping trailer, but I will be pursing the more comfortable end of the camping spectrum.

So what am I missing here?  What else do I need to make my first aid kit complete?  Any ideas, tips or tricks  most welcome.

I should have stayed home!!!

Yep, I shoulda stayed home this morning.  I even worked out a shonkey plan to keep busy to stay home, but it didn't pan out so at 9am I was standing at the entry of the Camping and Carvanning show waiting for the gate to open.

Back in 2012, just before I got crook, I bought a new tent.  It had been many years since I spent my weekends sleeping under the canvas... but the time had come to get back into it.  I was spoilt in the 90's and the 00's by Rod who will only sleep under 5 stars, not a galaxy!  I always liked the camaraderie of the caravan park,  something sorely missing from your 5 star resort, so my mind was turned to prepping for retirement and canvas was again considered.    But as you know I got crook and the tent has never been unpacked.  After due consideration I decided I wanted a higher level of comfort and began to consider my options.   The pop up Avan is most likely my ultimate purchase, but with a base price of about $24K ($32K when optioned up) and a new car needed to drag it about, it is not an 'now' option.

After doing a lot of Gumtree and Carvansales dot com type research I warmed to the idea of a camping trailer, especially the hard floor camping trailer.  Weighty, but still able to be towed by a Laser and reasonably easy to erect.  They seem to hold their value well so I headed to the Show to look at new models.  PRICEY was my first response and as I used the winch to open and close one I thought it was probably something I could do on a regular basis.  $12k was beyond my immediate budget and half the price of the base Avan, so I wandered the aisles of the show looking for alternatives.   Manufacturers and retailers had their best on show and the prices reflected that.  I just wanted something simple and reasonably priced for travelling alone or with one other, but couldn't seem to find what I sought.

Then I lucked across the "MARLIN" brand camping trailer.  I watched a demo of one being set up and thought it looked very easy.   There was a few "older" people looking at them.  When I say older, I do mean my age, but no one wants to admit that!      As I was standing inside the screened room of the larger unit a fellow prospective purchaser pointed out that there was a smaller unit.  He all but dragged me over to see it and it looked pretty good.   In fact it looked too good to be true!   I listened as the salesmen talked to others about their product and the old bloke pushed me to try and open one.   One handed and 40 seconds later it was open ready for the floor to receive 4 pegs.  It was done!!!  One pole inside needed to be extended and slipped into its holder, the awning was already attached. I could reach everything easily and I was super impressed.

I hung about for a while, but eventually headed off with a lot of info and a credit card burning a massive hole in my pocket!!

Once home the research began.  The net is amazing for this stuff.  I sought independent reviews and found a couple of blogs where people were travelling using this camper.  I also read trade reviews and comparisons and read nothing negative in any of them.   In fact all reports were very positive.  I asked my blogging mate Rebecca Hamby for her opinion on camping trailers in general and this one in particular and she, as always, gave top shelf advice.  Having read all the net material, Rebecca's comments and and knowing they are produced in Erina I hatched a plan to hang off till another camping show in May and one buy then.  But that changed and I was back at the Show this morning waving the EFTPOS card about.

Again there was no pressure.  The sales dudes were both lovely.  They offered advice and answered every question easily.  After a bad night, I wasn't at my best so I headed for some shade, a cold drink and a bathroom, but I came back and paid my deposit and elected for an August delivery date with the ability to add more options between now and then.  You see I don't know if I need the extended drawbar or the Treg hitch or the vertical bracket for the spare wheel?!?!    I need to find out those answers and let them know BUT as they are at Erina I can zip down and ask more questions, seek more advice and change the specs.  

So here she is, my newest toy.  Just need a name for her now!  Any ideas?