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Our Electricity Supply for Several Decades!

4/23/2017

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Solar Power

After much stuffing about - we have our power supply for the next few decades in our container.

The 48-batteries will eventually be connected to 12x250W solar panels and keep us in power for many years.

Our diesel generator is there to top up if we suffer endless cloudy days.

We've lived with solar for many years on our boats - this is a luxury system in comparison to 2-solar panels and 4-batteries!

I love being off-grid - no small bits of paper with large numbers coming through our letter box!
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How to Lift 600 kilos!

4/15/2017

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Time for Ingenuity

Before the tractor came (scroll down for pics), we were challenged with the task of lifting the 600 kilo generator off the trailer and onto the ground - its new home.

Here's our latest ingenuity to achieve this:

What you need
  • Two tonne chain and block
  • Three, C-Section beams from our American Barn
  • One container
  • Lots of rope
  • Two 1 x tonne straps

How
  • One end of beams lashed with assorted marine ropes, some 30-years old!
  • Manoeuvre and park trailer under chain and block
  • Haul away while watching beams bend! Hoping container doesn't tip over, or ropes break, or Chinese block/chain desintegrate, OR generator safely lifted..

Generator was safely lifted (phew!) and we drove the trailer out - generator lowered, job done, more grey hairs grown!
We are off-grid and finally (after months and months and months of messing around) have our system hooked up with no less than 48 batteries - details soon.
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Premier Sailing Event

4/4/2017

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Women Who Sail Australia

I'm home after attending an extraordinary event at Port Stephens.
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Over 100 women spent several days together, sharing, teaching, learning.
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Now I’ve had a good night’s sleep (13 hours), my emotional roller coaster is levelling out, and here’s why it was such a ride…
With an event like this, it’s not just the friendship and camaraderie it is something more:
The primal link of women. The understanding and empathy, the shared tears of joy, despair, hope, and dreams.
The hug.
The smile.
The safe place to be.
Giving time, lending an ear.
Friends, sisters, mentors.
It’s the ‘ordinary’ looking person sitting next to you, that is actually an extraordinary person.
Everyone has a story… I’m keenly aware that those I learned about, I’ve only scratched the surface. Their lives run so much deeper, richer, so much more still to teach me, so much more to learn.
When women come together it’s magic, a beautiful power of authentic souls connecting.
Thank you WWSA, see you next year.
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Bathing in Heaven

3/24/2017

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Nature's Swimming 'Pool'

When it's muggy, it's time for a dip!

Lucky for us, our creek chuckles along even through a drought.

It's here you'll find us taking a moment, enjoying nature, indulging in our land.

It's here where no one can see us, the world stops - just trickling water and contented sighs break the silence.
We need these brief respites - as you'll see in the next blog!
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Tractor Tales!

3/21/2017

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The Tractor is finally here!

After many months of research we selected a tractor to suit our needs.

It arrived last week and has already earned its keep!

I was interested to witness Noel's painful back (pinched nerve/convulsing muscles) disappear the day before the tractor arrived - I'd threatened to not let him drive it until he was completely better!

"It's going to be a 'girl' tractor, not a 'boy' tractor,' I teased!

Still - it worked! Now to start digging!
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Noel looking the part!
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He's really quite chuffed! ;-)

Okay - here's the real one! 

More mad, mayhem antics to follow....  foot eating cat, tom yum, bolshie horses...
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House-Sitting

3/16/2017

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More lovely pets to spoil!

Near Bega, NSW we had the pleasure of taking care of Monty, Bardy, Domino and Candy. Two dogs and two cats.
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Bardy's on the left and Monty on the right - they kept us amused with playful antics outside and sad eyes. They weren't sad of course, just pegged me as a soft touch within the first five minutes, so they could get lots of treats!
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This is Candy (left) and Domino - I wasn't sure if they were allowed on the table, but we'd received no instructions on this - so, yes, they were spoiled too.
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Again, I was surprised how much the cats stole my heart. I adore dogs, but the cats were so adorable. Candy leapt on my lap every time I sat down. And it didn't take Dom long to follow suit, at the same time! The pair were a hefty weight!
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If not on my lap, Dom's favourite place was on top of a cupboard. 
They were all a good excuse to waste-time!

The next house-sit is just watering plants - which means I'll get more done, but I'll miss this lot!
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A Container Joins the Family (or menagerie!)

3/11/2017

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A Barn, a Shed, a Caravan, an annexe, and now a container...

"I don't want a container, they're ugly, I don't see the point."

This was Noel's take on these large, lockable, waterproof, safe storage places. I wasn't bothered, what would we need one for?

But I started to think about where to store my latest order of books, and the horse gear. I needed somewhere dry and rat-proof. The idea of a container was circulated again, without much success.

Then, at another house-sit near Bega, there was a 'nearly-new' one for sale. And Noel started to warm to the idea (only because he had tools that needed to be kept dry and safe).
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Money changed hands, MGM Towing (Bega), once again did a fine job assisting us with the move (they transported our caravan too).
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A blue-tongued lizard lost his home under the container.
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The container joined the mayhem.
PictureAnd shares the wonderful view with the caravan.
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It has lots of space, well it did have.
"I don't know how we survived without this!" Noel said, as he continues to hog all the space in the container!
Pics coming soon to show how stuffed full the container has become, including decades of power(!)
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Lose Yourself Without Getting Lost! GPSMyCity

3/1/2017

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Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have your own, personal guide for over 6,000 different walks around the world, and across more than 700 cities?

Well now it's possible!

Blog article apps are a new concept in travel apps for IOS devices.

They are the latest offering from GPSMyCity, and I’m pleased to announce that a few of my posts have been turned into apps. You can download these apps for free, or pay for an upgrade.
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Review: "I am a frequent traveler and travel blogger and can't praise the GPSmyCity app enough. When I find myself in a new destination, unsure of what to see and do, this app is a life saver! It offers such a wide variety of destinations and highlights unique attractions that you won't find in any guide book...."


​What Are GPSMyCity Article Apps?

​GPSMyCity produces city walk apps for over 700 cities across the world.

The walks may be general (like “San Francisco’s Highlights”), or thematic (such as the “Murray Hill Architecture Walk” in New York). They use GPS tracking on your iPhone to chart your progress around the route and prevent you from becoming lost.

Many of the city apps now have links to articles covering different aspects of the area, including places of interest, restaurants and shops.

​You can even access the article offline, allowing you to read it without internet access.

The app is linked to a GPS, so when exploring a city you can access information mentioned in the article.
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Review: "I have installed this app a while ago and all I can say is it's here to stay. The compilation of articles is very useful - a well curated selection of recent writings in one place. I like the UI, it's easy and friendly. I used it mainly as a local trying to find new places to explore. I definitely recommend a try. Good job guys!


​Upgraded Apps Giveaway

There are two ways to access article apps on your IOS device.

1) You can click on the link at the end of a blog post that has been turned into an app (if you haven’t already downloaded the free GPSMyCity app you will be prompted to do so).

2) Once you have the GPSMyCity app, you can browse by city to view the articles available. A FREE download of the article is available - or upgrade to use the offline function and GPS tracking.

For a limited period I am offering a free upgrade on the following article app so you can see how it works (Free upgrade available until 6th March 2017):

​Menin Gate, Ypres - Belgium - follow the instructions below.
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Review: "This is a great app. While it's main use is for walking tours, I have found it great for researching places I want to go. It much easier for me to find the info I am interested in here as compared to TripAdvisor or surfing the web as tours and blog descriptions can all be found in same place! Highly recommend."


​FREE UPGRADE

For a FREE upgraded app:

1) Click on the link for the article(s) you are interested in.

​2) Follow the instructions to download the GPSMyCity app. You will then be taken to the page for the article app – click on Upgrade and the app will be automatically linked to an offline map and the GPS navigator.
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Note: If you do upgrade one of my downloaded travel articles, I will receive a few cents. It helps me offset the costs of maintaining a travel blog…     ​
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The Boys are Back in Town!

2/27/2017

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Reuniting My Family

​I’d been (im)patiently waiting for this moment for three years.

In fact, this event fulfills a life-long dream.

Backstory
A few years ago, we adopted five Standardbred horses and trained them (well, they trained us) into a team and we tackled part of the Bicentennial National Trail together. The full story is here.

The bond between the seven of us was extraordinary. I grew up with horses, but living and relying on each other 24/7 over many months meant a unique relationship formed that would ultimately tear my heart to pieces. We were family.

A member of my (human) family was poorly and I felt I needed to be in the UK. Reluctantly the five horses were split. Stevie and Spirit went to one home, Charlie, Ned and Dom to another.
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(l to r) - Stevie, Spirit, Dom, Charlie, Ned. This is only a few months before we departed company.
Fast-forward three years.

During during those years not a day went by when I didn't miss those boys.

Returning to Australia, it worked out that we could have Charlie, Ned and Dom back. I counted the days.

Nine days ago today, we picked them up. Charlie needs more food than most. At 16hh he is not only tall but bulky, his big thick legs show no breeding of daintiness – whereas Neddy is a ‘good-doer.’

I fretted over Charlie on the eight hour trip back to our place. He’d not fared well and I thought he’d break.
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‘Horses are far more resilient than that.’ Noel reminded me.
Here are the boys on their first day home.
Charlie hadn't fared too well
Charlie's last foster home didn't have enough grazing for him - the hay didn't do much either.
Dom had done a little better.
Ned had fared really well - he's a good doer.
I thought Charlie would break on the journey home!
Dom's a bit boney.
I watch Charlie eat every mouthful.
Neddy-boy
Charlie's lost his beautiful round shiny bottom!
The boys took a while to recover from the journey.
Their forever home.
My cowboy!

Amazing Transformation

The pictures below were taken nine days later.

We have great grazing and the speedi-beet is working wonders. After worming, grooming, feeds and loads of love – their eyes are bright and I’ve caught them doing the odd buck and head-toss with pure glee.

Do they remember us?
Yes. Ned has already rested his head just above my tummy and sighed with relief –  he used to do this on the trail after something scared him. He can be quite nervous can our Neddy-Boy.

Charlie talks to me. He only ever chatted when there was food. Now I call him, or just walk down to say g’day, and he says hello. Gently he rubs his head against me and breathes his own sighs of content.

Dom, well Dom loves everyone and everything. He’s the first to come to us, ears up, with the kindest face. He’d play with butterflies if he could. I call him little Dom, but he was a baby when we let him go and he has grown!
They are all so big – how did I ever hop on board Charlie!

They are at their forever home. Everyday, I hope to receive a message to say we can have the
other two back and reunite our complete team. I’ve asked and asked….

My life-long dream has been to own my own land with my horses. Of course, I share this with Noel who is just as happy to have our boys back. A good man, lovely horses, and a beautiful home - life's pretty good!

Everyday I smile, I’ve fulfilled a life-long dream and have my family back.

I need nothing more…
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Another Shed And Man-Eating Spider Dramas!

2/13/2017

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Serial Building-Dismantlers

We have another shed!

The theory was to put the battery-bank and inverter for the solar panels inside this smaller shed. I say 'was' as that has already changed and we now have a .... well, you'll have to wait and see.
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First we dismantled the American barn - it's sitting on our land still in bits.
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We took apart the hard annexe on this caravan - hefted down bit by bit with our trailer - then put the caravan on a truck and that now sits on our land - annexe is waiting to be reassembled as well.
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This was the latest idea (to house the batteries etc). We managed to convince Noel's brother, Colin (left) that dismantling this "tiny-weeny" shed was a good idea in 30 degree heat!
Colin was wonderful help and also defended me when confronted with a man-eating spider!

A rather large, hairy, heavy lump of spider was clinging to each wall as it was removed. Until finally, the last piece was lifted and Col and I warned Noel of this tenacious crawly!

As Noel lifted the last piece, the spider fell onto the floor and galloped towards Noel, how he didn't feel the vibrations on the concrete slab I just don't know.

Col and I tried to shout a warning, but we tried to yell as fast as the spider was moving and so we squealed incoherently. The spider leapt up Noel's leg and it was all too much for me. As Noel did the spider-dance, I jumped behind Col's back and more-and-less climbed up his back under his t-shirt!

After a few minutes we all pulled ourselves together and Colin and I gracefully took on board Noel's advice, 'it'd be helpful if you could yell a warning coherently!'

This shed is now waiting to be reassembled, but it maybe sometime, as we have another trick up our sleeves....  an item that is great for storage and part of our home-made crane!

That's all coming soon....
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