In little more than a blink of an eye, school holidays are again upon us. Whilst I cannot believe how quickly three terms have gone by since we returned home after 12 months on the road, these holidays see us hit the road again with our faithful travelling companions, Rocky and Matilda. With a couple of weeks to go until we get back on the road, it was a good idea to pull everything out and check it thoroughly.
We have only camped once since we have been back. We have largely neglected the camping gear for the past nine months. For the most part it was pushed to the back of the shed and 'stored'. Unfortunately other items have been dispersed or requisitioned for other projects. Reassembling all the various bits and pieces has taken me longer than I thought.
It is a funny feeling pulling out the goods and chattels that we dragged around the country last year. Each item invokes a particular memory, such as the BBQ that made not only delicious roasts, but also baked scones with a roast meat flavour! Or finding the plastic drink cup that was used as an emergency dust cover on Matilda after the wheel bearings failed on the Tanami.
The ferocious dog watches on as I start reassembling the camping gear
Mainly it is amazing how a fresh pair of eyes makes everything look tired. Our camp chairs, held together with bits of wire and fabricated bolts and which we promised to replace once we got home, still faithfully answer the call. Likewise our bench seats with stylish gaffa tape highlights over bottom pinching splits, should have been put out with the rubbish. But due to a shift in priorities, we haven't got around to replacing them.
