We have safely arrived in Wongan Hills, a pretty town in the Wheatbelt just under two hundred kilometres north of Perth. The last few days have been frantic, to say the least. Every time I considered writing a post about my mad world, exhaustion would overtake me and I would watch the telly or just collapse into bed. Over the next six weeks, I am looking forward to taking lots of pleasure in my blog, recording our latest adventure in the wilds of the Murchison, Gascoyne and Pilbara.
However, I am proud to report that all the tasks set by Alex's LAC (Local Area Coordinator) I have managed to complete. Receive and forward the letter from Alex's respiratory specialist to the LAC - check. Liaise with the fabulous OT in charge of Alex's functional capacity assessment - check. Obtain quotes from a much-loved respite service for daily and weekly rates for Alex to stay - check. Organise a quote for Alex's airconditioning - check. Confirm and email letter from the Housing Authority to the LAC - check. Remind Alex to apply for a Mental Health Plan for him to access psychological assistance - check. This has all been achieved since my planning meeting over the phone with the LAC on Thursday.
I have been also cleaning and packing Digger the caravan for the past two weeks. From feeling overwhelmed to complacent to overwhelmed again finding places for all the necessities of the next six weeks. A fright with the electricity to the caravan that turned out to be a burnt out safety switch - fixed thanks to the efforts of Adam, an amazing friend and Dave, our sparkie. On a Sunday.
Meanwhile, I went to Perth in the middle of a winter deluge for a variety of purposes. Walk Alex through the draft of his functional capacity assessment. Have my Pfizer vaccine at an inner city Respiratory Clinic. Gather last minute groceries at Hills Fresh. Then to my horror, a warning light for a fuel filter came on. And my parking at the Clinic rivalled that of Sandra Bullock in "28 Days". I don't think the neat garden bed that I drove over and parked on will ever forgive me.
I was so fortunate to meet Mick, a fellow stabee at the clinic, who helpfully googled the treatment for a dodgy fuel filter. He advised me to "do a burn" - drive Lily at above sixty-five kilometres an hour for at least fifteen minutes. This I was able to achieve up Greenmount and onto Mundaring and the pesky light magically vanished. With the issues of both the car and caravan solved, there was no keeping us from running away on this much-longed-for trip.
So, today we attempted to leave at lunch time. Except we had left rather a lot to do prior to lift off. I filled the laundry basket over and over again with essentials for Digger. I attacked two loads of washing, vacuumed, moved all the cats' paraphernalia into our bedroom and emptied the perishable contents from the house fridge into Digger's fridge. I also banked monies for our artists, noting who was owed what. I bought another fifteen litres of kitty litter. Michael attended to his tools, important tasks such as checking tyres, making sure we had the outdoor stove, the lamp and the gas bottle for free camping, the camping table and chairs, the dog crate, mattress and bed and a million and one other jobs.
Michael enquired whether we should leave in the morning. I answered with an emphatic "NO". We were leaving, even if we only drove a hundred kilometres. And so, at a quarter past three, we eventually launched out from Beverley.
Needless to say, we had to stop at the doctors' surgery in Northam for a prescription. Michael, having been nauseated with anxiety earlier, was suddenly starving. We detoured for pizza before returning to the road northwards.
We arrived in Wongan Hills as darkness was enveloping the surroundings. The tariff at the caravan park was a most pleasant surprise - only $25 a night for a powered site. We performed the essentials of power connection and then retired into Digger's inner sanctum.
The dogs have been astonishingly well behaved. Fractious whilst packing was underway, they were delighted to be in the car travelling away with us. They have been fed and watered, Pip has weed on every plant and poohed as well, whilst Stella has just had the one lot of waterworks. They are currently very contentedly on our bed, without a care in the world. Me thinks they are going to enjoy this Northern Exposure as much as us.
As we arrived in the dark, new photographs will have to wait until tomorrow. However, we are as thrilled as a couple of school kids playing hookey. We have escaped, for hopefully six weeks of rest, revitalisation and relaxation. Hope you enjoy this ride with us.
What has taken up so much of my time this week!
And no, driving a 4WD doesn't necessarily help with a downpour or parking!
Had my Pfizer vaccine!
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