Committed Travellers

We had a leisurely breakfast in our van then drove to Montville to have lunch with our friends, plus two others who live on the Sunshine Coast. The crew had chosen Wild Rocket which is a restaurant with a microbrewery. There is an expansive covered area where we were able to take our dogs. Blue was very well behaved and slept quietly under the table the whole time. The food was good and conversation flowed with a couple of tastings of the brewed offerings. The setting is an old timber building which was originally the Fancy Goods and Lolly Shop. Last night's dinner at the Mapleton pub was also a great night. The seven of us staying at the caravan park were joined by six others who drove here then drove home, about an hour and a half each way for some. There were mixed reviews on the pub's food but we all thought it was very good, although the servings were way too large. Blue had to stay in the crate at the back of the Toyota and Tilly stayed in the van. After dawdling around M

We were warm and cosy in our caravan but our friends did not find their cabin comfortable. Three of us went to Montville for a look around and started with breakfast at the Edge which has impressive views even though it was a bit misty today. The food was acceptable but not brilliant. I fancied the old red car parked outside one of the shops.  We wandered around Montville with the other weekend tourists, stopping at the Clock Shop and nextdoor chocolate shop. The chocolate coated freeze dried strawberries are very nice. Apart from clocks there are beer steins and special christmas decorations available for purchase. These cuckoo clocks are turned off each night and turned on again in the morning. They all show a different time.  Anita stayed in the van with Blue and Tilly while I drove our friends to two of the region's waterfalls that had virtually no water falling, but had lots of visitors and not enough parking spaces. It was pleasant being in the fresh air but very busy on the

We are camped at the Mapleton Caravan Park, which is not very fancy but OK for a couple of nights. One of our friends is celebrating her 70th birthday so several others will join us over the weekend. We ate dinner at the Pizza and Pasta restaurant which served tasty meals. The plates were heated to keep our meals warm in the very fresh air as we dined al fresco. The restaurant is on the main road linking Mapleton and Montville, following the top of the ridge. Apparently the scenery was impressive as we drove up the range, but I was focussed on driving as it has been months since we towed the Bushtracker and concentration is required.  Blue and Tilly were very well behaved during their first drive together in their shared crate. I have to lift him down and he is scared he will fall but that makes him cling to me like a monkey. I carried Tilly in the backpack on the short walk to our friends' cabin then let her loose inside as dogs are allowed but not on the furniture - we had to int

We enjoyed having more visitors for a few days. Blue and Tilly were very happy with extra people to play with them. Tilly keeps winning over people who do not regard themselves as cat lovers. Anita and I took time out for a quiet lunch at Nineteen at the Star casino. We both ordered our regular fish dishes. On Friday we caught up with friends for lunch at Hot Shott. They came back to our place to see Tilly and hear about her latest antics. The worst was climbing the flyscreen on our front security door. She reached the top at 2.5m then one of her front paws landed on the metal frame and she lost her grip falling straight down to the floor. Fortunately she landed on a mat at the door, but I suspect she used up one of her nine lives.  I have been worried about Tilly being able to escape through caravan windows so came up with an extra flyscreen made from pet mesh. Two will cover large windows when open to stop her from pushing through the caravan blinds or flyscreens. I had some screens

I was rearranging the crate in the back of the Toyota when my neighbour commented this has been the longest preparation for a journey - I didn't bother explaining the need to make/modify equipment to suit our purposes as he never does anything like that so wouldn't understand. I started cleaning some of the more difficult to reach areas such as door hinges which still have red dust stuck on whatever lubricant is used by Toyota. I have been trying to buy proper floor mats for the Toyota to trap sand and mud - the manufacturer's product doesn't cover much of the carpet so I have made "extensions" but want moulded mats which are out of stock. Some jobs have been crossed off my list - put up a new pool safety sign, worked out how to lock the Jeep without arming the sensor alarm, culled and sorted the instruction manuals and other documents that must be carried in the Bushtracker, chased the gardner who had failed to appear, and organised a service of the garage do

 We left Blue without his collar for a split second and he licked his operation wound causing it to look as though the stitches had been removed. Fortunately it was Saturday morning and our vet was still open so we were squeezed in between other appointments. After reassuring me he had not removed any stitches which are all internal, I was sternly reminded to keep his collar on. We have done so until this morning as it is healed and he is showing no signs of licking the site of the incision.  When first wearing the collar he looked so dejected, but by yesterday he was running with it and playing with Tilly. While they were sitting on the couch she put her paw out to touch him gently. Our friends are leaving today but we had a good weekend celebrating one of their birthdays. Anita cooked a lovely meal and a chocolate almond cake. All was going well until the ganache separated and there was oily chocolate glug. She went to the shops to buy more cream and chocolate but while she was gone

Our friends have returned and parked their motorhome on the road in front of our friendly neighbour's house. Blue has recovered from his nip and tuck procedure but we have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't start chewing at stitches. He persistently tries to play with our friends' dog but so far without any success.  We had an early start yesterday morning as we had to remove all water to make sure Blue couldn't have any before his operation. I drove to Coomera for my first aid training course which was very well run by a former paramedic. I purchased two special bandages for treatment of snake bites, one for the Toyota and one for the caravan. We will have to remember to take one each time we go for a walk. The over riding message from the course is you are highly unlikely to survive if you have to receive CPR treatment - the former yellow Wiggles Greg Page survival after CPR treatment following a heart attack was close to being a miricale. Our trainer once

This morning we discovered weevil like creatures in our pantry so had to part with some affected foods. These little blighters hide in the small holes designed for lugs to adjust the shelving. I cleaned out the holes then filled them with a simple filler. If we need to change the position of any shelf it will be a simple matter of digging out the filler. The trouble with this solution is that it time consuming and tedious. I only finished one shelf so will have to get back to this job. The shovel I had ordered yesterday arrived while we were out having breakfast. It has the option of a long or short handle and comes with its own storage bag. I decided we needed this 4WD accessory after bending the folding shovel we used to carry. It fits in the back of the Toyota whereas a timber handle shovel is hard to carry without a roof rack.  We ate breakfast at Bumbles at Budds Beach and the owner joined us with entertaining stories. Blue behaved himself sitting on his mat with a biscuit. Yester

We took Blue for a walk around the park where the Dog Obedience School classes are held. He seemed to recognise the area and was delighted when we let him off his lead in the middle of the large field so he could run between me and Anita on the command "come". He got overexcited and started to forget to sit in front of us when he arrived so we stopped that game. At least he slept soundly during our lunch at the Salt Cafe. Yesterday I trimmed a branch off the tree overhanging our driveway because it was touching the Toyota. It was too large for the rubbish bin so I had to break it up and take it to the waste transfer station as a donation to the green waste pile. As I was leaving I had to give way to ducks.  Anita took me for Sunday lunch at the Garden Restaurant at the casino. We shared a cold seafood platter and she stayed on to the play the pokies. I went home to continue training Blue to wear his muzzle and boots. I put everything on because the muzzle stopped him removing

It was a pleasantly warm day and we enjoyed breakfast with our friends at Catalina's Cafe overlooking the Broadwater. This is another cafe with a large undercover outdoor area where dogs are allowed. While we were there two very large white standard poodles arrived. They both had classic poodle haircuts with pom pom tops and tails - rest assured Blue that will never happen to you! At home I spent time shaving his back paws and reducing the amount of fur on his legs and face, trying to maintain his teddy look. This may sound weird but I wore a lightweight raincoat because the fur doesn't stick. I took photos of Tilly so I could send a picture of her nose to the breeder to see if she has any idea what might be causing it to be black. She isn't bothered by it except when I try to clean it for her. She has some very expressive looks. I spent some time in the garden digging out weeds and cutting back a murraya bush that was growing too big. Blue was a very reluctant participant

We have a front and rear dashcams fitted to the Toyota but have never been able to connect them to my phone until today. It is amazing what can be achieved when you have time to work through the issues. I drove down the street to test the functions of the device. I doubt it will ever get photos of readable number plates when the one right in front of the car is not decipherable. There are other features such as warnings of imminent collisions and lane departures, but the Toyota has these already and I don't want two devices telling me what should be obvious. The rear dashcam will not be much use when towing a caravan as that is all it will see. Blue's new muzzle arrived this morning - excellent service since I only ordered it yesterday. There is a Budget Pet Supply Depot near Bunnings so maybe it didn't have far to come. We spent some time playing with him, following the instructions to put treats inside it to entice him to put his snout into the muzzle. It was quite amusin