264. Sunday 22nd July 2012. Still in the Illawarra area but not for much longer…

Monday 16th July

Nothing too exciting happened today. We did get some more polishing done on WWWGO. I climbed on the roof and did parts of where the curved GRP joins the roof and the side walls. Although there is not a great deal more polishing to complete, most of it is difficult and inaccessible without a couple of ladders and a plank. Some of the work will be completed by hand as it is difficult to reach and or dangerous to use a high power polisher. Over the next two days I will make an almighty push to get it completed especially with the news we received late in the evening.

About 9pm we received a text message from the home owners. They are tired of travelling and miss their own bed. They have decided to come home and will arrive about 26^{th July}, almost three weeks earlier than anticipated.

Whoa! That throws our plans askew but we still have 10 days to get WWWGO completed and all other gear we want to pack away at Errol’s house.

Tuesday 17^th July

The TERIOS went in for a 15,000 klm service today. It seems the strange metallic whining sound we can hear at low speed is the warning on our brake pads that they are at maximum use and need to be replaced NOW! It is booked in for 3pm tomorrow when the parts will have been delivered.

While on WWWGO roof preparing to polish, two pre-teen girls on pushbikes stopped to say how much they liked our “caravan”. They also commented how new and shiny it looks. Hmmm! It is nice that the work we have been putting in on the polishing job has been noticed by somebody other than ourselves.

Thanks for your comments girls.

Wednesday 18^th July

I had a visit with a doctor today as I have what I thought are sun cancers. One is on the back of my right hand and the other is on my wedding ring finger. The cancer tingles and itches and feels like an ant is crawling in circles. Of course the wedding ring aggravates the growth. The doctor said the growths are sun spots, pre sun cancer, and will grow into cancer and become more trouble. She treated them with a Cryo Gun, a device which shoots liquid nitrogen onto the spot. This burns the sun spot and kills the root. The area blisters and turns red and eventually the growth falls off and although it leaves no scar, it does leave a small white discolouration on the skin.

As a bit of a diversion I thought I would mention about reading books. As anybody who knows me would attest, I like to read. Usually I carry a book wherever I go and have something to read while having a coffee, or waiting for an appointment or Donnis to do her shopping. If for some reason I have left the book behind then I busy myself reading posters and signs and menu’s or brochures. Anything.

I usually carry a big box of books under WWWGO floor.

This box of books is about half the size I started carrying on this voyage.

This year, to help cut down on weight and provide a bit more essential storage I was leaving books I have read in caravan park camp kitchens. That way I am contributing reading material to other readers like myself who are always looking for something to read. About March this year I started to use the Kindle electronic book library. I do not have a Kindle reader although one would be nice. They are lightweight and come in three sizes and can also be used to download using a WiFi facility. The big benefit of the Kindle is the screen looks just like a book and you can adjust the font size up or down. The small book size Kindle does not have WiFi and is the cheapest on the shelf at around $139. One drawback is they cannot be read in the dark without buying an additional cover for around $50 which has a built in light. Batteries in the Kindle will last for weeks of normal reading. I established an account, free, with Amazon.com and established a user name and password for Kindle. I can download and read any book which has a Kindle file name extension of .MOBI. I established a Kindle App on both iPad and iPod Touch

I have Kindle Apps on the Ipad (above) and iPod Touch (below) I mostly read the books on the iTouch as it fits easily in any pocket and I can take it anywhere.

and have my own library of books most of which I read on the iPod Touch. It is small, can be carried in a pocket and the screen is illuminated so I can read in bed at night with the lights turned off so I do not disturb Donnis. The iPod Touch is a small screen so I turn pages more often than reading a book for example or using the iPad. It suits me and I am happy with it and now all my reading is done electronically. I have a paper book I started to read in March and I am still less than halfway through whereas in the same period I have read eight electronic books. The Kindle books keeps track of where you are up to so even if the battery goes flat, when you recharge and open the book again it takes you to your last page. Another exciting feature is the built in dictionary. If you see a word which you are unsure of, place finger on the screen over the word and a dictionary explanation pops up.

Although I was reluctant at first and always said I was a paper book person, I have now embraced the eBooks concept. Somehow I have to read another two dozen paper books so I can pass them on to other readers.

Thursday 19^th July

As mentioned, the home owners are returning early and we have not put any firm plans in place beyond their return. Yes the CO-PILOT will fly to Canada in September but that is the only fixed plan. We have been looking at several options which all have an appeal but as we have discovered, the Universe has other plans for us. Often what happens is nothing like any of the options we considered. We are waiting on a couple of replies which will decide where we are going next. We have done a good amount of research into house sits as this would be an opportunity for me to sit still in one place while the CO-PILOT is away.

Trust me, you will read about it here, first.

I have been researching using a jockey wheel on the Hitch n Go A frame and a Couple Mate to hitch TERIOS to WWWGO. The hitch can sometimes be difficult as we find it does take the two of us to get it hitched. The jockey wheel would make things easier but as I discovered when I called Hitch n Go, the engineering principles in the design do not allow for any holes to be drilled into the frame nor any welding. Both would create a potential weak spot and would be a cause for a declined insurance claim at least or possible traffic charges at worst should the A-Frame fail causing an accident. The only permitted method of attaching a jockey wheel is by clamps. The other clever device is a Couple Mate is a V shaped metal plate which guides the tow hitch precisely over the tow ball. Hitching can be done by one person. I have a bit more research to do but will advise on the outcome.

Friday 20^th July

Bit the bullet and bought a jockey wheel, a Couple mate and clamps. The first test will be the day we leave here.

We finished the polishing, cleaning and detailing of WWWGO today.

YeeHar, Hip Pip Hooray and all that jazz. I may be biased but it looks pretty good. We started packing a few items aboard and should be ready by Wednesday.

WWWGO and TERIOS outside the house at Horsley.

Saturday 21^st July

Tonight we went to the movies with Errol to see The Dark Knight Rises the new Batman movie and the one which sparked the massacre in Denver Colorado this week. Our thoughts go out to all the families affected by this atrocity. Donnis niece Jessica and her husband John live just two blocks from that movie theatre and were thinking of going to the movies that night.

We arrived at the theatre and after joining a long queue were fortunate to buy the last three tickets. Unfortunately they were only four rows back from the screen and we found ourselves tilting our heads back to be able to see the screen. Within about the first 10 minutes of the beginning of the movie I commented that I thought the movie would be in English. Honestly the producers try to make the voices sound so much more threatening and in the process make the words unintelligible. Well at least to me. Donnis too. The movie is violent and if you thought the last Batman movie was violent, think again. Regrettably there is no Heath Ledger to steal the movie this time around. Michael Caine delivers his usual fine performance as Alfred the butler. Commissioner Gordon was again played by Gary Oldman with his character role flair and was wholly believable. Apart from those two I have no idea who the other actors are. Oh yes of course Batwoman was played by Anne Hathaway.

Sunday 22^nd July

We went to church with Wayne and Narelle M today then Wayne drove us over the mountains to Bowral and on to Berrima where we had lunch. Berrima is very old historic town being on the main road from Sydney to Melbourne.

The original Berrima Bakery Established 1850.

There was a toll office ,located in town and a fee was collected by anybody wanting to use the road. The weather was not kind to us and it was typical of Southern Highlands. It was not raining so much as a heavy clinging mist which left moisture on everything which then dripped. Even humans were wet and dripping after walking a few minutes in the mist. We walked over to the old Berrima gaol which is now closed.

This was the administration building for the old gaol. Strangely public are not allowed on the premises or grounds…except when the downstairs section is being used as a craft shop. Today the gate was open but the craft shop was closed. The only way to find out was to enter the gate and walk the path, illegally, to the front door to find the little, Craft Shop Closed, sign!

Sign outside Berrima Gaol. Despite what the sign might say about being “fully operational” it is not. It is now closed. Wayne was involved with a committee to try to obtain government funds to re-establish a market garden outside the walls which was once tended by inmates and is now overgrown.

We walked onto the grounds and was about to photograph the front gates when a security door opened and an Indian looking man stepped out and pointed at me to tell me no photos were permitted. Huh! The place is closed and I can see the gate from the street. No matter he told me, no photographs but step back onto the street and you can take all the photos you want. Huh! Are you kidding me? This is an historic Australian Gaol on Australian soil and an Indian man tells us to move along and not take photos! He did point out a sign, which can only be seen when you are on the property which declares, no photographs. As quickly as he appeared he was back through his little door and was gone.

Front entrance to historic Berrima Gaol. Photo taken from the street. The sign declaring no photographs can be seen to the left of the entrance gates.

Berrima Courthouse. Despite a sign at the gaol declaring the courthouse is open 364 days a year, it was closed.

As the weather was miserable and a walk along the nearby National Parks was out of the question we drove to Moss Vale, Bundanoon, Kangaroo Valley, Berry and back home along the highway.

Historic sandstone turreted Hampden Bridge at Kangaroo Valley.

It was a long day and despite the miserable wet weather we enjoyed the trip.

Next week we should be somewhere new away from the Illawarra. Who knows what the Universe has in store for us?

Tags: Berrima, Bowral, Bundanoon, Hampden Bridge, Kangaroo Valley., Moss Vale