Weekend Adventures

The blog is back….. Well sort of

Hello family, friends & others that read the blog. It’s been so long since we have chatted. This year has been huge for Ness & I, I've been overseas for work & we went to Scotland to catch up with my side of the family. Add into that the turmoil & excitement that our little girl brings each & every day and it has been fun. Brad & Dan are also a big part of our daily lives & even though they are both out there doing their own “Thing”….we still think of them always & enjoy their company when we can.

But you don’t want to know the boring stuff, you want the “Good” bits…..

A couple of months ago I was feeling a bit flat, the overseas travel sucked & I’d been busy with work so I said to Ness….. Lets jump in the van and take off for a week!

So down to the back shed, blow the dust off the Trakmaster (AKA Bart) & the Discovery (AKA Dolly… thanks to Georgia)

After a bit of a clean up & recharge the caravan batteries we decided that Bart needed a new set of tyres, so called around & got a good deal from Fast Freddies (Serious!!!) in Healesville….  So hooked the van up the night before so it’d be ready first thing the next day. Headed off at 730am towards Healesville & got within sight of the town when Dolly lost all power & the dash lit up like Christmas! Luckily I was on a section of road that I could pull over far enough to let traffic past! After several failed attempts to restart her, including a dealer suggested option of locking & unlocking the car six times….. (That is what they told me to do!!!..... I reckon they were cracking up when they hung up saying “Just got another one fooled”)….. I called the RACV. NO Smart Ass comments Pete or Egg!

Went through the whole rigmarole of explaining what happened, where I was…..etc, and then told them I had the van on the back….. he said “We can get your car but your van is too big to tow with our truck!”….. how does that work… I can tow it with a 2.7 tonne Land Rover but its too big for him to tow with an 8 tonne truck?

He said “I’ll just check with my supervisor sir” and put me on hold…… So while listening to the awful on hold music I thought “I’ll give it another crack”…. And pushed the start button!.... started first pop & purred like a kitten with NO warning lights on at all!

I waited for 30 seconds to see if it would cut out….. then put it in gear & headed off towards Fast Freddies!..... Ran like a dream!

Tyres fitted by the team at F.F…… I’d recommend them if you live out our way!.... and jumped back into the “Rig” to head home, but wanted to be sure so took it for a cruise up to Kinglake, Toolangi & back home to see if it would “Malfunction”….. Ran perfectly!!!

So we packed the van on Friday & Saturday, decided to leave Lunchtime Saturday, a little apprehensive that Dolly would S#*t itself at any moment, but she ran smoother than a Swiss watch!

First stop Euroa…… Which was 123km from home!..... Nice short drive just to ease us all back into it, Ness takes 2 or 3 days to warm up to having the van on the back….. Or maybe it’s just my driving?

So we pull into the Euroa Caravan & Cabin park, Ness gets out to check in & we are shown to our site by an ex female jockey (Stay there one day you will see what I mean!)…. And we set up the van, Ness does tea & we just chill….. Or do we?????

Now is it just me or does the sight of a middle aged man with obviously deeply dyed jet black hair & a big gut walking around the caravan park in bare feet holding a Pussy Cat freak you out too?.... But wait, he then started playing with it & throwing ping pong balls at it & it was bringing them back. It was creepy! I double checked the van doors were locked that night!

Woke up the next day & Creepy Pussy Guy was gone!..... Didn’t even hear him leave? I reckon I saw my first real live Vampire!

Ok so after Brekky it was time to go to the Car Show, Once a year Euroa has a Show n Shine. Oh man it was awesome, just on the grassy banks of the creek in Euroa, walking distance from the caravan park…. & it was PACKED!!!.... there was everything there! Aussie muscle cars, Rods, European cars, British classics, Bikes….. Oh & the best Egg & Bacon toasted Sanga’s.

We wandered around for hours, occasionally bribing Annie with a Donut or some Junk Food & she eventually fell asleep! I’m putting out an open invitation for you all to come up to the show next year, we can book cabins, camp sites & make a weekend of it? Let us know if you are interested.

Jumped in the Rig & headed out of town, we had not planned this but as we were only 140km from Myrtleford (where my mum lives) we decided on a detour to see “Granny” as she is known to all!

Hmmmmm….. almost backfired though as when we arrived Granny was no where to be found! We were just discussing whether to stay or to leave when she arrived home from being on a picnic with her neighbors!

Had a great catch up with mum & she tired Annie out so we were glad we went on that little detour.

Early start out of Myrtleford, Filled up with fuel, Packet of Juicy Fruit for me, Fruit & water for the others (trying to make me feel guilty)…..just out of Myrtleford heading to Wangaratta & Guess what?...... Dolly Died again, I was glad Ness was with me this time so she didn’t think I was exaggerating last time!.... But I didn’t panic, Told Ness just to Chill & sit still…. Waited the obligatory 5 minutes with the car switched off, then pushed start….. & it purred like a kitten! (That’s a bit weird after my previous story!)

Hey for those of you into Advertising….. Have you noticed that Mitsubishi are advertising heavily at the moment & they use the music to a song called “I don’t care….I love it I love it”….. well for some reason Annie really likes this tune & when the ad’s come on she waits to hear the “I Don’t Care” & then she sings “I Love It, I Love It!...” Well today we were in the car heading to Mildura, we decided to take some back roads, we went through Tocumwal & headed towards Balranald. We arrived at an intersection where we could take either a dirt road or a sealed road, roughly the same distance. I turned to Ness & said “Which way do you want to go?”….. to which she replied “I Don’t Care”…… Then from the back seat came “I Love it, I love it”…… I nearly couldn’t drive!!!!

We have our CB radio on in Dolly, and for those of you who have listened to the trucking channel (40) you will know there is a lot of colourful language…… But they also are a polite bunch & every one of them includes in their transmission “Thanks Mate”, “See ya later Mate” “How ya been Mate”

Our two year old daughter now receives Teddy Bear biscuits & says “Thanks Mate!”

That’s our weekend so far, had a big drive today but we are staying here for the week….. So gives me a bit more time to write…… Please feel free to comment, gives me more ammunition to write back with

Love from us….. J,V & A….xxx

My thoughts....

Hello to you all.

 It’s been a while since I have blogged or written my thoughts down. Since the trip that Ness & I did last year we have been otherwise occupied with making babies and planning for our future.

 But the events that have taken place in the last 6 months have prompted me to really question what the hell is going on with the world!

 Ok I’ll start with KRudd being given the boot, obviously the labour party have the brains of a Gnat! Sure Julia had the “Wow” novelty factor, but when it comes down to real politics and leadership the Rudster has it in spades. Mark my words and Kevin 07 will be back as PM!

 Oh and can someone just shoot Julie Bishop!.... what a whiney, whingey, sour faced bitch she is! Half the reason Abbott is struggling is because of her angry negativity!.... have you seen her smile, even her smile is scary, she would make a great character in a Steven King novel!

 I have expressed my views on Julia’s Mining Resources Rent Tax..... so won’t go there, but to backflip on the Carbon Tax is just wrong. You know I actually believe that we need an Emissions Trading Scheme, But to backflip like she did is just not acceptable to the Australian people.... Good luck at the polls Julia!

To overseas, and I will start with Egypt. Did any of you take the time to look at how a president could stay in power for 30 years? No wonder the people cracked the shits and took to the streets, here was a president living the life of luxury while his people starved (figuratively speaking) and if you dig deeper you will find that he was there largely due to the support of the World Police (Read USA).... it suited them to have Hosni and his cronies in power in Egypt for so long..... but eventually it bit them on the arse!.... of course they will deny it! and claim that Mubarik must step down!

Hey I wonder if the CIA or secret services will pick up on my blog? If I disappear mysteriously you all have to find out why????

We then have to go back to the NZ mining disaster.... as someone who has worked in and with the mining industry I can only feel for the families and friends of those killed, I’m sure there will be blame, and people will want answers. But that is not going to bring them back..... lets look at what we need to do to make sure this does not happen again!

Colonel Gaddafi is next, he must be sitting in his green cloak with his bad wig on absolutely shitting himself.....  his nurse & his harem have dispersed and he is slowly being abandoned by many of the people that have made squillions from him! Now I don’t know about you but can any of you remember when Gaddafi was a serious threat to world peace? I can! Why did we not take him out 30 years ago? We technically allowed him to blow up a plane over Scotland, and recently sent one of the bombers home because he is sick! If only the passengers on the plane had the same options! Please let me off.... I don’t want to blow up!..... WTF (I’ll translate this for you older readers)

The Japan earthquake is just terrible; I’m not even going to make a joke of it. I just can’t imagine what the country is going to have to do to get back on track. But having been to Japan many times I feel that if anyone can do it the Jap’s can. Best wishes & stay strong.

I watched a series of programs on the ABC about the changes to the world, I’m quite a positive person but some of the things I saw on this program were damn depressing! Did you know that the amount of oil we burn in one year takes 3million years to produce? So how much oil is left? and who controls the majority of the worlds oil reserves? This is seriously scary stuff.

I’m currently in Qld at a minesite, they are happily digging dirty great big holes in the ground and mostly oblivious to any damage that is being done. I’m not a greenie but it certainly has got me thinking.

I guess the reason I am writing all of this down is just to get it out of my system, seriously have a think about your life and the lives of your families. We are probably the luckiest country in the world and have managed to so far avoid the many manmade and natural disasters that have happened in the last few years.

With Vanessa being pregnant & Bradley and Dan growing up way too quick I guess it also has me thinking about the future for them and their families?

Take care of yourselves and take care of your families, don’t get sucked in to the way the rest of the world is going!

Speak to you all soon.

James

2010 Wrap Up....

As we approach the end of another year I decided to look back at some of the things that have happened in 2010 & reflect on the year that was!

I suppose the biggest event for us this year was the wedding, many people shared this day with us and I am being biased here but it is the best wedding I have ever been to! The whole day went smoothly, the weather was perfect & no one fought or argued which is often the case during an event where families are thrown together. I must admit that the wedding went well due to the amount of effort that Ness put into it, it was planned, checked & double checked many times, there were spreadsheets, budgets & checklists with every minute detail for the wedding!

We then set off on our “Trip” you will note here that I did not call it a honeymoon or a holiday, many people thought that we were taking time off, but the “Trip” was predominantly for work! Sure we got to visit every state except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, but it was mainly work related. I got the chance to share our travels with others via my blog, this was fun and allowed some people that did not know me to get to know me a little better, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was great to read some of your comments. When I have caught up with people this year they have asked me “When are you starting your blog again?” so I guess I will have to get it going again soon.

The boys are good, 2010 saw Brad out of high school and into TAFE for a while until the lure of “Girls” distracted him a little! Won’t go into too much detail here but scare of the year for me was the (False) news that I was going to be a grandparent!.... Turned out that the girl Brad was “Seeing” had a few problems and sucked him (And us) into a web of lies! Brad then found some part time work before applying for a job at a wholesale plant nursery & getting the job. He loves it.....works outdoors all day & is finally realising the benefits of a full days work and the pay packet that comes at the end of the week! Unfortunately Brad neglected to check the oil on his motorbike for a few weeks and blew the motor up so some of his pay packets will be going toward fixing his bike! Dan too is well, this year saw him in year 8, he is currently going through a growth spurt and has shot up about 12 inches in the past year! He changed basketball teams & went from being in one of the top under 14 teams to one of the lowest under 16 teams! So imagine being part of a team that usually always wins or comes close to winning, and then being in a team that to date has not won a game! Certainly would test any 14yr old’s patience and is probably the reason that he has recently decided to quit basketball and play AFL next year!

Ness is well, she seems to be able to avoid sickness! During the year the rest of us have come down with colds, flu, occasionally feeling unwell.... but Vanessa is immune to these things! I think she has only been sick once this year! Wish I knew her secret! I reckon it is her veggie patch! One of the presents we got for the wedding was Bunnings vouchers, which we used to build three raised veggie gardens, Vanessa then turned them into constantly producing vegetable patches that she loves working on, she has two compost bins that feed the veggies & has recently planted a passionfruit vine to go with the olive tree & the lemon tree that she already had. Her goal is to have every meal contain something from the garden! Her succulent gardens are also thriving, there is a constant cycle of potting, planting, moving from pot to garden, cutting, pruning, there are hanging baskets, pot plants, wine barrels, terracotta pots & plant holders. Then there is watering, feeding, weeding, fertilizing ...Oh and did I mention she also finds time to run the business & keep the house clean!

Speaking of the business, it is growing steadily. I think the combination of being around long enough for my reputation to spread & finally having someone that can run the business as a business has seen Ness & I pleasantly occupied throughout the year and with big plans for the next few years.

I have always had lots of ideas about how I could make what I do really “Work” but Ness has turned some of those ideas into actual “Products” and it is just getting better! We are also looking at employing other speakers, and will look at other options to keep me off planes and at home more!

I am good too, had a reasonably good year health wise, apart from a few UTI’s (Urinary Tract Infections) which are normal for someone that sits down all day! I have not had too many problems. I am really enjoying work, apart from the time I spend in planes & at airports! But I guess I’m lucky I am not stuck in the same place day in day out! We are planning another caravan trip next year so that will be fun.

Saltbush is great, it is such a nice place to live, I really look forward to coming home here and can’t see myself not having a “Saltbush” ,Ness loves it too, I sometimes see her with her veggie patches, succulent gardens & potted plants and think “Wow...she used to be such a city chick!” We have had plans drawn up for an extension, which we will eventually get around to.

Bert died!.... My mum’s husband had a heart attack and passed away in July. He is missed by many, especially mum. Which makes me think that my mum really has had a crap couple of years, the fires, Bert, and Now Damien and Brad are sometimes living with her...... Dunno how she copes!

Panda lost an eye, we think she was chasing a rabbit or something and she ran into a pile of sticks, one of them ruptured her eyeball and the could not save it. she is now a one eyed border collie & you would not know the difference, she still chases birds, rabbits & the occasional car.

Dan got his old ute going, he has a 1968 HK Holden ute that is full of rust, Ness & I agreed that he can drive it around the property. But it still cracks Ness up when she is sitting in her office and this yellow (Yes bright yellow) ute drives past with Dan at the wheel, usually with Lee Kernagan on the CD player.

Well that is about it for now. I just wanted to let you all know we are well. Looking forward to next year for family, work & fun reasons, I hope we catch up with you all at some stage.

Love from James, Ness, Brad, Dan, Panda & Saltbush

Goodbye 2010 & other News...

Hello Bloggies!....

Wow that brings back memories!

I hope you are all well and have had a brilliant 2010. We have, it has just been a blur since we returned from our trip.

Did you all get the gifts you wanted for Christmas? Have you caught up with family & friends over the festive season?

I got the bestest present ever for Christmas & my birthday this year...... if you are receiving this email there is a good chance you will have been part of the Blog that we did while we were on our trip.

Well Ness secretly schemed to put them all together in an orderly fashion and put some pictures into appropriate places to make a book. It is 316 pages long...... What The!!!!!

Anyhow it cost a fortune as it was done overseas, but it is a hardcover book with good quality paper & printing. The good news is that if you really enjoyed the blog you can purchase your own copy of the book! But the bad news is it will cost you a few bucks!

I’m biased but I reckon it is worth every cent! Up to you if you think I am worth it?

Here is the link to the web site that prints them, there is also a preview section that lets you see a small (15-20 pages or so) preview of the book and also the front and back covers.

 http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/1406057/a3fe6a030e8299fa2e3b3afc960784f7

So go ahead, order a copy and Ness & I will sign it for you!

When you view the book make sure you put it on full page view...looks very cool!! We have a real life hard copy of the book if anyone wants to check it out.

But breaking news..... we are planning the 2011 trip, we enjoyed it so much that we will do it again in 11, but this time we will have more photos & better technology, so be prepared! How about some suggestions for the 2011 trip? Last year it was the J&V Caravan Of Love Tour, this year can be?????

Take care Bloggies, I’ve missed you all and I know you have all missed me! :)

Love from James & Ness

I'm a Snob!!

I’m a Snob!..... Ok so I admit it. I reckon most of you know yourselves quite well but how many of you can admit to your faults?

 We all are proud of our strong points, some of us even boast of our achievements & abilities. But how many of us admit to our faults & bias?

 You know what I mean, for those of you who travel.... do you get disappointed when you turn up at your accommodation & it is less than what you expected, what about ordering a meal & it just tastes or looks worse than you had imagined!

 What about ever being on public transport & someone you just don’t want to sits next to you, or stuck on a plane with a smelly person (Breath or B.O.).... C’mon admit it.... you are a snob too!

Most of us are worried about what others think of us, so we try to stay “Neutral” in all matters personal, political or sensitive. We are supportive of those of a different colour or race, we are sympathetic to those less fortunate, and we blame governments for their lack of initiatives in supporting minority or oppressed groups!.... this is in public & what we say to our friends!

 But is this what you really think?

 In reality would you like a house full of drunk, lazy, smelly, dirty, trashed cars in front yard, out of control people next door to you (Irrelevant of what race, colour or nationality they are)..... NO!... I wouldn’t.

 I am also picky about where I eat, I like nice food & good service.... if I go into a restaurant & it is dirty or the customer service is crap... ill leave!

 So therefore I am a snob!

 I’d like to ask the board members (YOU) what you are snobby about? Give me your example of where it could be taken that you were being snobby!

 I’m the chairman and this is MY blog!