I am blessed to have things I am sad to say goodbye to.

Everything happens just the way it's meant to happen, right when it is meant to happen!

Aussie

Aussie loves kisses

Hello from Aussie

We had planned to take Aussie, our noisy Corella with us on our travelling holiday.  We have brought two travel cages, a smaller one for in the car, and a bigger fold up one for when we are set up.   We have contemplated how hard it would be, put were prepared to put in the work, to have him with us.

How quickly things change!

Yesterday I was talking to my work mate Stella about animals, she has many and just brought a new horse.  I'm not even sure how it came about to start with, but we got onto talking about how hard it would be for Aussie, travelling, getting stressed all the time.  I had to agree, he hates change, he doesn't even like it when I move his cage around, how was he going to go with moving house every few weeks?  How was he going to go travelling in the car with the dogs all the time?  Staying in caravan parks with so many strangers?  

Next thing I know we are contemplating Aussie going to live with Stella and Bob.   Bob didn't take any convincing, he liked the idea of having another pet bird.  So just like that it was sorted.  Aussie would go and live on their farm, with them, away from town, so he can make as much noise as he likes, while being surrounded by lots of other animals and getting heaps of attention from his new owners.

Of course it's sad, but yet it feels so right.  Not because of how hard it was going to be for us travelling, but because of how stressful it would have been for Aussie.

Aussie will enjoying the out doors.

We now only have 3 days left till we leave!!!

It's my last day at the Derby Visitor Centre today, and I'd better get a wriggle on, or I'll be late for it!

Packing begins!

This time next week we will be 

living on the beach!

It's now only a matter of days until we leave for our big adventure!  I remember back at 8 weeks to go, everyone was saying 'it will go so fast, you will be gone before you know it'.  That hasn't been the case!  I feel like I've been cleaning, sorting, cleaning, packing, and then cleaning some more, forever!  So it is a relief to finally be into the last week.  All the sorting, selling, storing and cleaning DONE!!

Now it's time for the fun stuff; packing everything we have left into the camper trailer and car.

Johnno's last day of work was Friday, but he spent Saturday morning welding/working.  He has built a Solar Panel rack for the top of the camper trailer.  When we have stopped it folds out the opposite side to the tent.  When we are driving it sits on top of the camper, with solar panels protected underneath, so we can pack stuff on top of it!  Perfect, more room to pack the bigger stuff like Swag, clothes bag, dogs beds!

Johnno's hard work on his first day off work!  Solar Panel rack.

I have decided it's now close enough to start packing the food/cooking boxes.  We can have BBQ's for the rest of the last week! My kitchen is finally looking more like what I expected when getting ready to leave = empty!

I've packed 2 boxes of dried/canned food, plus we are taking fridge in the car, and have coffee/snacks etc under the sink for easy road side stops...sink pulls out when you open back door of trailer.

One whole black box is just dog and bird food!! Fourth box is cook utensils. Last box is warm clothes!  Don't need them yet, but sure we are going to at some stage?

Then on top are all the bits: lights, batteries, snorkels! Hand-lines etc etc.

Most our fishing and camera equipment will go in back of the car.

IT FITS!!  Started packing the boxes!

 I am now feeling much more relaxed!  We have a lot more space than I expected.  Everything fits, we don't need to leave anything behind, actually we can take extra!

So now it's relaxing time!
I had my last afternoon mowing the lawn and pottering in garden, this is relaxing for me, it's not a chore, I love my garden.
We swum in the pool, talking about all the fish we are going to catch, movie's we are going to make, and place's we are going to visit :)
The next week will be slowly pottering around, getting the packing finished.
Johnno has one big job left: renovating the bathroom, but that is why he finished work a week early, so no need to rush it.
I will be enjoying my last week of Boot Camp: this morning was the start of final fitness testing, the challengers gave it there all, very moving!  Could be an emotional week on that front!

I need a Selfie Stick! haha; trying to get family photo after mowing lawn.

Relaxing time!  Making the most of the pool before we are in the salt water

Beer, Banana, Barra Fritters

I used the last of our frozen fish yesterday.  Next week it will all be as fresh as it gets!  Caught  and cooked straight away.  We are taking the car fridge, but not for keeping fish in, that will be eaten on the beach where it is caught!

5 Days to go.....

Johnno's last day at work!!

Finally it feels like we are almost there!

After another week of just sorting, cleaning, packing, selling, I was starting to feel like we were getting nowhere, that nothing was changing. 

It's hard to believe that after all the 'stuff' I have sold or stored already, that we still have so much more stuff!  I'm still selling, still storing boxes, and my kitchen still looks like it did a week ago!!

I did get a little bit excited during the week when we started packing the boxes into the camper tailer to make sure everything will fit.  It was like 'yah we are packing to go now!', but then we had to unpack them, and I realised we still had two weeks to go!  I want to go NOW!!

This morning, already in a good mood from my invigorating workout, with my boot campers, I realised it is Johnno's last day!!!  Poor bloke had to do a 12 hour shift out in the heat for his last day, nothing like making sure he is ready for his holiday!

Kimberley Sky, Derby WA

Johnno on the job at 5am for his last shift for some time

So now it's all excitement!  Tomorrow will be spent doing a 'proper' pack!  Hopefully Sunday we might even get to go fishing!!  Haven't been to the river in over a month!! Then next week while I am still working, Johnno can finish off all the house jobs.

But really this Blog isn't about Johnno's last day, or the excitement of packing and finally being able to go fishing again.  It's about showing off my 'good girlfriend' moment, so you all know, that I'm not always the 'Bitch girlfriend'!
Johnno as is tradition with finishing a job, is now having his end of work drinks = getting rolling drunk, with his work mates.  While I sit at home, cleaning the house and cooking dinner, SOBER ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, so that I can drive to pick him up later!!  Who said I was a bitch?

....Hope you are ready to be picked up now Johnno!  I don't care if you have only had two beers, you are getting picked up now!! ;)

Reminiscing

Black Things in storage 

I know I mentioned it last weekend, when we put Black Thing (our big black boat) into storage, but it hit home this week.  Our local fishing club, Mary Island Fishing Club, will be holding one of my favourite annual fishing comp's this weekend: The Big Fish Comp where ALL fish (Yes including Cat Fish) count towards your total size.  We have had great fun in this competition in past years.  I got a bit sad with the realisation that all the big boats would be heading out, while Black Thing is gathering dust.

Before BlackThing got it's name.

Heading 'Up the Coast' our favourite over night destination!

Setting up at Cone Bay before the tide goes out.

Stuck miles from anywhere!

Derby is a great place to own a boat.  Our favourite destination being what is commonly called in these parts as 'Up the Coast', which can mean anything from a day trip to Blue Holes, an over night trip to The Inland Sea or Cone Bay, to a few nights or weeks around the Buccaneer Archipelago.

I've spent the last few weeks on FaceBook reminiscing about the great times I've had with my small Boot Camp business Positive Steps, which gave me the 'Reminiscing' theme of this blog: If you can't fish with them, show off the fish you have caught in the past!! ;)

Here's a very quick look at some of the great fish we have caught Up the Coast over the last few years on Black thing, and I mean quick, because we have folders of photos that I could share!

Black Thing was designed with Fly Fishing for tuna in mind!

 Black Thing, GoPro's and a Fly Fishing set up: make's Johnno a happy man!

Great time's with my mad keen Dad!

 Up the Coast might be our favourite over night destination, but day trips close to home are just as much fun and very rewarding....

I'm feeling better now.  Looking forward to hearing the fishing tails down at the club house after the comp, not at all jealous that we will not be out there. Just a reminder that SOON, very SOON, we will be fishing EVERY DAY!!!!!

Cleaning With Beer!

Enjoying our last month in Derby

LOVE THE WET SEASON IN THE KIMBERLEY!!!

We have loved our  10 years living in Derby town, and that is why we say we aren't leaving, we are going on holiday, because 'We Will Be Back'!  

We love our laid back, no stress lifestyle in Derby.  We Love the dramatics of the wet season storms.  But most of all we love ALL our wonderful friends we have here.  Derby people make this town wonderful!!!  Thank-you wonderful Derby people for being so wonderful!!

Build-up Barbie By the Pool = Bliss!

Pot of Gold at MY HOUSE!

Another wonderful afternoon relaxing with friends = why I love Derby life!

Am I making it sound all Beer and Pool Party like?

GOOD!  Hahaha, that be like how I want you all to envision my life!  Um, but really... Well really, I've come to realise that, well my life really IS like that!!!  I REALLY DO have a wonderful blessed, stress free, beer drinking, pool party life!!  You know when I worked this out?  When all the fun stuff, like, telling people we were going on holiday, selling all the big items (getting the cash in my pocket), were over...then it was time to start cleaning the fucken house !!  This is when it hit me how wonderful my blessed life is/was!!  

Don't get me wrong, I have a VERY clean house, I pride myself on it! I complain all the time about having Inside dogs who drop sand and hair everywhere, a messy Corolla (Parrot) who chucks his seed everywhere...and we will not mention the other ;)

So even though I complain all the time, out loud!  It's not that big a deal, because I keep on top of everything.

But suddenly the realisation of a 'proper' clean, after TEN YEARS of living in the same house, started hitting me as we finished our Storage packing.  With only the items we were taking camping left in the house, sudden the walls looked dirty, the cupboards needed cleaning, window, floor, oven, air-cons....like WFT!!!

I had a little Can't be F, feel sorry for me, moment...week!!   

Turns out if you turn your music up load and drink Beer at the same time, cleaning isn't really so bad!!

My Kitchen tonight: CLEAN Cupboards!! Nothing going back into them!!

Empty living room; only our computers left to pack!

1/4 of the items we expect to pack into the Camper Trailer.

 But after a week of feeling sorry for myself, because I'm the only person in the world who has ever had to clean cupboards just because they want to be living on the beach for a couple of years; I finally realised that we are almost there!!!!  
We have sold all we need to sell!  We have packed and stored all we are going to store!  I have cleaned 'most' of the cupboards, walls, ceilings, blur blur blur.  So again we are back to the FUN stuff!!!!  PACKING!!!  OMG,  We Still have SO MUCH stuff!!!!  How is it all going to fit in??  Stay tuned, that is this weekends mission!!!

Despite all the above, one thing never changed....

Charlie relaxing to my tunes, while I clean!

One Month till Departure!

In only FOUR WEEKS time we will be hitting the road!!!

Excited Much is an understatement!  We are READY to be sitting back on the beach, thinking only of how we are going to catch the next fish, or capture that best sunset photo!

Yesterday was a full on day.  Gardens were weeded, lawn mowed, pool cleaned, more packing.  

Charlie saying goodbye to Windmill in garden, one of the last things to go.

Then the decision was made: Little Thing (our tinny) goes into storage :(  After a bit of back and forth debating we both agreed that it was going to be easier without taking the tinny.  I'm sure there will be times when we sit back and say 'it would be great to have Little Thing here', but in the bigger picture we don't really have the room for it!!  Two big dogs take up half our car space.  Leaving the tinny means we also get to leave the anchor, ropes, life jackets, saftey equipment, fuel tank and motor!  That's a lot of extra space!  But of course once we decided that we had the fun (heavy) job of getting tinny and trailer squeezed into storage next to Black Thing! Earned my beer yesterday!!

Wet season moment, enjoyed in clean pool, after HOT day of packing and gardening!

Great thing about Derby life = after a hard working morning, being able to sit back in our pool and watch an amazing storm roll in with a nice cold beer in hand.  Bliss! ...making the most of that, not taking much beer on holiday with us ;) 

I'm feeling a lot more organised today. Looking at the tidy garden has eased my mind a bit, not so much work left to do in the last few weeks.  So with only a month left till we leave I can relax a bit, and that's just what i'm doing!!  A slow start to this wonderful Sunday, with plans of doing very little with the rest of the day!!  Maybe some window cleaning, and some packing, we still have WAY TOO MUCH stuff to fit in our car and trailer, so some more sorting.  On that note:  How do you know when you have too many clothes??
Answer: when you wear a different workout shirt everyday (sometimes two different shirts per day), for  four weeks, and still haven't got to the bottom of the pile!!!!  And that's just my Workout Shirts!!

My workout shirts!!  Trying to wear them all once more before I finish Boot Camp!