Saturday, 29th September

The family are here for the weekend so not too much time for writing. Last night everyone came to my place for dinner - we ordered pizzas and burghers from a shop in town. It was a pleasant evening and it was good to have my two daughters and son plus their partners together plus grandson Corey and partner Makaela.

The Grand Final is on as I type and everyone has gone across to Sue and Shaun's place to watch what my grandson described as grown men kicking a ball around a field!










There was a stumpy tailed lizard sunning himself when I went for walk today He was hard to see in the grass.





Just after that I was talking over the fence to two horses and put my hand on the fence. WOW!!!!!!!! - it was electrified. The shout I gave frightened the horses and as far as I know they are running still!

 

Last Friday I won a meat raffle when out for dinner at a pub with friends. It was a 4kg Black Angus cryo packed piece of Scotch Fillet and tonight Shaun cut it into lovely thick steaks. Everyone pronounced it the best and tenderest steak they had ever tasted. All marks for Shaun who cooked it to everyone's wishes and to the meat which was delicious! 

Some of the steaks ready for the barby - there were more in the fridge.

Wednesday 26th September

Today was the day - the day when Yemmy and I were reunited.

Jackie and Dennis took me to Officer this morning - we left Illawarra at 7am and negotiated Melbourne's rotten traffic to get to Eric's place by 10.30.

Eric wanted a picture putting on the Sprinter Forum but his computer used Windows and I'm an Apple person so it wasn't easy and took up a fair bit of time plus I needed to get some cash from an ATM so I didn't get away until nearly 1 o'clock. Despite the lousy traffic and road works as usual I was home around five.

 

All my troubles started when Yemmy was jacked up with the jack under the diff that warped the plate over the diff resulting in all the oil leaking out and the bearings seizing up.

 Eric has manufactured some strengthening pieces to prevent that happening again. Mine is the first one fitted to a Sprinter anywhere in the Universe!

 
He also made a bracket for the light bar for my scooter that is so much better to keep it place while travelling. He is such a perfectionist and yet the whole job including purchasing a second-hand crown wheel and pinion cost me less than a fifth of what the Mareeba sharks charged me. 

No news on the dispute through the NAB but they did ring this week asking for any correspondence with the repairers and I sent them the email to the repairers  that had pointed out the evidence that they had fitted the wrong ratio diff - an email they didn't answer but which alerted them to the fact that I knew they had mucked up.

I now have to get Yemmy cleaned up and ready for a sprint over the Nullarbor starting on Tuesday.

Monday 24th September

Good News!

Yemmy is ready and Eric has taken him for a test run.

Jackie and Dennis will take me to Officer on Wednesday to pick him up and bring him home.

The saga started back on July10th when I was going shopping and suddenly heard what sounded like an expensive noise coming from somewhere in the transmission. I never dreamed that it would be nearly three months before I could drive him again.

Those of you who have been following the sad story will know that the differential ran out of oil due to careless jacking to fit some new tyres a few weeks previously and they had warped the diff casing by a millimetre.

Just a couple of weeks after the tyres were fitted the oil had all leaked out and bearings in the diff had seized up causing damage to the casing among other things. Then the trouble really started as the diff they had obtained from Melbourne had the wrong ratio crown wheel and pinion and was not compatible with the transmission. They fitted it just the same and when I went to pick him up I found he would only run in 'Limp Home' mode.

The RACV brought him back to my trusted mechanic Eric in Gippsland who reconditioned my damaged diff  - putting in many hours of hard work.

I've lodged a dispute through my bank as I'd paid $7,470 for a  job that left me with a vehicle that wasn't serviceable.

This must be my lucky week - I won a meat raffle at the pub on Friday night and the prize was a huge 4kg piece of Angus beef!

Then I got full marks tonight from Jackie and Dennis for the Beef, Bacon and Cheese Pie I made for us today - it was certainly yum.

I managed to break the 4,000 steps mark today and my daily average for the month is 3,233.

Saturday, 22 September

Fed the cat twice, fed the chooks, collected the eggs, watered the vege garden and spoke to the 'pacas.

Sorry no pics, no news and no jokes.

I did go shopping and got a few steps up walking up and down the aisles in Woolies and I left Getzie as far from the entrance as possible and then once around Cato Lake on the way home.

My friends Paul and Christine are calling in on Monday and that will be nice. Yes Christine, the coffee machine will be in action.

I don't usually watch TV in the daytime but I did put on an old WW 2 movie 'Dark Pages' set in occupied Holland and wondered why I bothered as it was disturbingly violent at times.

I've probably told you before but my morning ritual is that I make and drink my wake-up coffee and take my first lot of pills and then go the the telly and programme what I think will be worth a look later. This means I always watch recorded programmes and can watch them whenever I please. If I should be silly enough to record something on a commercial channel I can fast forward the ads!

Having done that I change it to listen to a radio Station coming from the Eventide Homes here in Stawell. Their slogan is 'Radio as it used to be'. Most of the time it's older popular music with no ads, no intros - just easy listening music. They do put on things like Superman and Hancocks Half Hour but that's what the mute button is for.

Chooks to fasten up and then I'm done.

Friday 21st, September.

Farm Manager
Yes - you read it right - I'm in charge of the farm for the next week and in my care are six Alpacas, four chooks and one puss cat. I have to collect the eggs  and feed the chooks, feed pusskins twice a day and let the 'pacas do as they please.

Daughter Sue and hubby Shaun plus Jeff dog have gone to NSW to catch up with Shaun's daughter and new baby but get back on Friday just in time for a family reunion - my son Chris and Marijana are coming over from Adelaide, Sue's son Corey and partner Makaela are coming from Pakenham and daughter Jackie and Dennis will be back for the week on Monday or Tuesday.


I'm doing a test on some special insoles I bought - they are supposed to reduce pain though Reflexology and so far they do seem to be reducing my lower back pain. I've done 4,431 steps today and that's brought my weekly average up to 3,585 and for the month despite two 'no show' days, I averaged 3,026 steps. I'll give the insoles more time before making a judgement.

This morning as I walked around Cato Lake I spotted these two Black Swans and their chicks. 

The sun was in the wrong direction for a clear shot

Then while walking this afternoon I took a couple more pics - one of one of our paddocks and the other of one of our two dams.

I must go and check the livestock. See you soon.

Wednesday 19th September

Today's been fairly active because I invite Sue and Shaun to dinner on Wednesdays when I'm home and I like to cook something a bit different. Today's menu was a steak and bacon pie with a carrot and swede mash plus leeks and cauliflower cooked in cream with cheese It kept me occupied this afternoon.

It turned out OK and I've done the washing up. There's a bit of pie left for my lunch tomorrow.

I walked around Cato Lake this morning on the way back from shopping but when I checked my steps at dinner time I was quite a bit short of my target so I went for a another walk after dinner. It did the trick so I've done 3,425 steps for the day. My average for the week is 3,424 (it's a coincidence that today's total was one step different than the weekly average) and for the month it's 2,933 because it was so cold, wet and windy one day that  I didn't venture out!

The sun set while I was walking - here's the picture.

I'll ring Eric tomorrow - hopefully he'll have good news for me.

Tuesday 18th September

Not a lot has been happening since my last post. I haven't heard from Eric so far this week and I don't like to hassle him by ringing too often - if I haven't heard tomorrow I'll ring him. Times getting short for my departure for Denmark - I'll leave a fortnight from today if all goes well.

Despite the cold wind I've managed 3,654 steps today and took this picture of 'Nanny' Goat while walking along our boundary fence.

She belongs to us but has been living next door for a couple of years with the rest of their animals.

She comes to the fence for a head rub - she either rubs on the fence or I give her a rub.

Nearly at the end of the walk I thought you might like to see my house from the paddock. The grass is pretty green these days. It looks better when the sun's out.

16th September

Yesterday was NOT a day for walking! Biting cold boisterous winds kept me indoors most of the day but today's been quite a lot better with some drizzle at times but I was still able to go out to Lake Fyans and do some walking - in fact I've done 4,000+steps so far today.

The walk continues after the boat launching inlet - and then it comes to the canal where the water flows into the lake. There's a bridge over the channel and then you can walk on the raised bank of the lake for a very long way.

Here's a video of the view from a fair way along the bank. Click on it and wait till it loads and then click at the bottom right to put it on Full Screen.

 

I'm hoping to have some news about Yemmy during the week. Other Australian Caravan Club members have arrived in WA and are posting pictures and information on Facebook which is making me very envious as that is where I planned on being by this time.  

I couldn't resist a pic of the night sky just before dark two nights ago.

Day 1 of reactivated blog!

Update
 Well at last I can update the blog with Yemmy's progress and a few things around home.

 During the gap in posting I've been getting queries about how I am and where I am plus questions about Yemmy. It gives me a lot of pleasure to get your mails and they encourage me to keep posting - thanks.

My Sprinter Guru mate Eric has been a very busy boy. He decided to repair my old diff in case the other one has to go back in exchange for my money. That entailed getting the diff casing machined where the seized bearing case had been rotating and worn the housing. He found a crown wheel and pinion with the correct ratio and then he's sourced a pinion bearing that fits the machined casing plus an oversized seal as that housing was also machined. He's fitted and 'blued' the crown wheel and pinion so all that remains is to swap brakes etc from the diff that's currently in Yemmy and then change axles. I'm hoping to hear that it's complete sometime next week.

I've heard nothing from the bank since lodging a dispute but they did say the process can take 45 days. Patience Lionel!

If it works out I still hope to head for the ACC National Muster in Denmark WA - leaving here after we have a family reunion on Grand Final weekend.

My eldest daughter and her partner are down in Vic for three weeks - it only took them three days to get to my place from Alice Springs! They left my place today for more visits but will be back here next Monday or Tuesday week. My son and daughter-in-law are coming over from Adelaide for the Grand Final weekend so all my children will be here  that weekend - great.

Although it's great having my eldest daughter and partner down here visiting, the reason they are here is sad - her partner Dennis has a son who has terminal cancer and is not expected to see Christmas. They will be seeing him next week. 

I can't remember if I showed you Sue and Shaun's new 'Farm Dog" Jeff so here he is again. He's a great dog and runs like the wind despite only having three legs. 

... and of course they had to adopt a cat as well!

Puss, who goes by the name of 'Shadup Cat',  and Jeff dog get on fairly well although he's a bit too boisterous at times and she tells him off.

This has been a long post but I think that brings us up to date.