Christmas 2020 Letter

We’ve love to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas for 2020

It’s been an interesting year.  In SA we have been largely sheltered from the social disadvantages of COVID-19. It has meant less orienteering and walking and more time at home with each other, but we are lucky to have each other and there is nothing like this to make us appreciate that. In a year where travel has been restricted we seem to have managed to do a fair bit in SA as you will read.

The year started with Thom and Laura already visiting from the UK. 

As always it was lovely to have them sharing our home and to accidently run into them at breakfast time and idly chat or share a hug just because we could. Thom returned directly to UK and Laura went via Cambodia, the focus of her current project focusing on prosthetics. Since then they have continued to live in Southampton.  If we had realised then what we know now the parting would have been much harder. They have had a tough year, with lots of lockdown and isolation, but remain safe in their little home as another damp winter approaches.                                                                           

January was also the month to enjoy a day of paddling with the Dicks at Clayton, catch up with Pam and Peter (friends from our European trip in 2019), spend a day at the Tour Down Under and share our traditional BBQ tea with the Carter relatives (Trev’s Cousin Judith and family) at Aldinga on their week holiday from the farm. 

In late February we headed off with our camping gear packed into the Prado. We took the road to Broken Hill and enjoyed some time looking around there, before heading onwards via Lightning Ridge, Bourke, Moree and the Granite Belt, near Stanthorpe.

We dropped in to visit Erica’s cousin Pip (and family) including Aunty Mary and Joc before heading on to O’Reilley’s Retreat (on a mountain top surrounded by Lamington National Park) in the Gold Coast Hinterland for a week of bird watching. We hadn’t really spent any time birding, so we were well out of our depth, but enjoyed this immersive experience, which left us with a thirst to learn more. We were talked into this week by Trev’s Sister Jan and Ross and it was a great experience. They continue to patiently nurture our interest in this activity.

We then headed north again via another night in Brisbane, before travelling a little further to see Trevor’s Uncle Murray and family near Caboolture (half way to the Sunshine Coast). The load of two extra couples filled the house and we enjoyed the catch up enormously, especially since Murray and Ann are excellent tour guides.  They took us touring the magnificent scenery of the glasshouse mountains and to see Ruth and Charlie and their kids.

As the second week of March approached we headed homeward, taking our time. We had intended to take the outback roads but there had been so much rain that many of those roads were closed. Instead we went via Toowomba (stopping at a Motel for a very rainy night) , before camping at Yarrie Lake and deviating to see the amazing Australia Telescope Compact Array just to the west of Narrabri. On the same day we came across an amazing warm spa pool in the middle of nowhere (The Pilliga Bore Bath) and stopped for a refreshing dip before going on our way.

This is the sort of surprise that makes “taking the road less travelled” so worthwhile. We camped our way home, via a number of national parks, finally arriving via West Wyalong, Hay, Tooleybuc and Pinaroo having travelled just over 5000km.

Trevor commenced treatment for his Achilles issue that had lingered since last September, while Erica had her first shot of Cortisone for a troublesome shoulder injury.  Both of these are continuing as I write (though neither is as bad as they were at that stage) – proof that we are ageing I suppose. It wasn’t long before Australia was hit by COVID19 and Orienteering and Walking were cancelled, along with various plans to catch up with friends. Plans to travel to the West Coast of SA also fell apart, so we are saving up a trip to Googs Track, The Gawler Ranges and Hiltaba Station for another time. (Maybe next year?).

Then finally in Mid May we started to be encouraged to travel within the state (carefully) so we took a little time to head to Owen to see our friend Rodney for a belated Birthday visit, and to do a little caching with him, Julian and Janine.

and then go on to Melrose, where we spent time roving around at the base of Mount Remarkable and at the Showground, where we checked out the permanent Orienteering Courses to make sure the markers were in place.

At the start of June we headed to Victor Harbor for a few days, and had a chance to go to Tolderol to see some wading birds with Ross and Jan.  They are slowly teaching us  – but unfortunately we forget almost all that we have learnt between sessions. 

We were finally called up to volunteer for Meals on Wheels.  They had lost more than thirty volunteers from our local Meals on Wheels with the COVID crisis, and urgently needed to have some new people helping, so we had a very quick orientation (one round) and were then left on our own to sink or swim.  This is a fortnightly commitment at this stage and we are getting to know “our people”.  We take a lot less time to do our round now and can anticipate each of their foibles.

In late July we headed for Mambray Creek for a few days camping with our friends Al and Zita.  We enjoyed the beautiful campsite with the large river red gums and tripping around the lower Flinders Ranges, including a loop walk through Alligator Gorge – incredibly spectacular.

Then in mid August we were off again, heading for the mid north for a weekend of orienteering. We took an extra night either side of the competition days, and towed the portable toilets on a trailer from Jamestown to the event and then back again on the Monday following.  This was a dastardly plan as it also meant we had a toilet at our disposal for our whole camping trip. (😊)

In September we were able to head to Normanville for a walking camp . Here we rented a house for the week with Al and Zita, and commuted to walks in the local area (from Myponga,  down to Deep Creek).  It was a pretty intense walking time.  Erica took one day off to rest , but Trevor pushed on through it all.

We finally found a camping vehicle that we think will suit us very well and bought it.  It’s a Hilux (two seater) with a box on the back, which contains a huge king sized bed (big enough for us to actually sleep) and a sink, seats, table, fridge and storage.   Outside there is a flip down bench that has a built in stove to cook.  It’s still a 4×4 that we can take on the rough tracks, but is sheltered and a bit more private.  It’s great to be able to hop inside and make a cuppa or eat a meal when the weather is lousy, and we can still sit out and enjoy the outdoors when it is nice.  

We immediately took this vehicle off for a week or so in the Flinders Ranges to coincide with  a long weekend of camping and orienteering, taking a few days beforehand to camp with friends Craig and Evelyn,  and then a couple of days afterwards with the Dicks in Port Pirie to help with some work on their kitchen.  The vehicle worked pretty well for us, given the fact that we had virtually pulled out our camping gear from the Prado and put it in bags into the new camper in a haphazard fashion wherever it would fit. This will slowly get organised over time (but hasn’t had much effort put into it yet). Somehow I need to find plastic boxes to fit the spaces.

At the end of October we were heading north again.  Erica managed, at last, to attend a quilting camp at Melrose, while Trevor spent another weekend with the Dicks in Port Pirie.  Erica managed to virtually complete a fleece backed quilt for the camper over the weekend (the most quilting that she has done for a long time). This one was completed and a slightly larger twin was put together in the following few weeks so that we at least have covering to keep us warmish in the camper when it is colder.

Late in October, at lunch with Ben and Jasmine they told us that they are expecting a baby in May next year.  Yes – we are going to be grandparents at last!!!!  This is very exciting news and it has been great to share in the expectation and planning that goes into making a place for a child.  Not to do things by halves they have also brought a puppy into their family – a shaggy cutie called Molly (she is a Groodle- a Golden Retriever/ Poodle cross) and is learning quickly. She is going to be a big girl.

The start of November saw us heading for Victor again!! This time we were there for a whole five nights.  We spent the time catching up with friends and relatives, making the second quilt and also went on another bird and orchid spotting jaunt with Jan and Ross.  We’ve been enjoying spotting native orchids and learning about them in the last couple of years, and have a chance to keep an eye out and see some as we do our Tuesday walks in the bush.  On this trip we managed to see a rare duck orchid that we had heard about, but never seen. We were extremely happy with that.  About a month later with Ross and Jan, in another area we managed to see a small duck orchid (much smaller and harder to spot) . 

In mid November we had a brief lockdown after a cluster of virus took off in the SA community.  This again put paid to another planned trip to the Wilmington area  and cancelled some planned talks and walks that we were hoping to go to along the Coorong area.  We still ended up going camping there for one night along with Jan, Ross and another of Trev’s sisters, Raelene.  In our three camping vehicles we braved mighty winds in exposed campsites at Parnka Point.  Not the most restful of nights, but another experience to chalk up.  The views across the Coorong were still lovely. This was also the trip where we discovered the Pangarinda Botanic Gardens at Wellington East.  Very impressive native gardens with lots of paths and lots of birds (including some very cooperative Rainbow bee eaters).

We have one more planned trip before Christmas arrives – on the 21^st of December apparently Venus and Saturn will be converging and will be providing the experience of seeing “The Christmas Star” like the Kings and Shepherds did so long ago.  We are planning to camp the night in a dark spot near Cambrai in order to get a good look at this phenomenon. We are hoping for clear skies that night.  

Trev’s Mum continues to live happily in her retirement unit, and Erica’s Dad continues to travel all over the country with his partner Peg, while maintaining two homes of his own and helping with hers as well. 

Thom and Laura are in the UK until about November 2021 at least and we hope that they will then be able to come home, but who knows?  Ben and Jasmine remain at Paradise with their growing family.

In March next year Erica hopes to leave the Secretary post for Orienteering SA which she has held for seven years.  This will free up some time for other activities (including coaching)  and reduce stress levels.  It also means that we can take off in June and return in September without the need to be focussed on getting to some coverage so that Orienteering business can keep on going.  We are planning to head north with the other Grey Nomads in our camping vehicle with friends and finally see the Bungle Bungles, Broome and Karinjini National Park as well as revisiting Ningaloo Reef . We hope to make it to the Stirling Ranges in the South West of WA in time to coordinate with the blooming of the remarkable Queen of Sheba orchid.  Then we will come home and take up Grandparenting and the next phase of life more seriously.

How thankful we will be to share Christmas with some family.  This year we truly feel that we are fortunate, with the ability to meet together, move freely, and enjoy exploring together.  We wish you a very Merry Christmas as we think of all our friends and family spread across the world.

Summary of 2020

Biggest News:

• Baby Diment arrives in May 2021
• New camping vehicle
• Meals on Wheels volunteering

Trips in 2020:

• Birding at O’Reilleys in Qld and the drive up and back
• 2 Holidays at Victor Harbor
• May trip to Owen and Melrose
• Mambray Creek Camping
• Four days near Whyte Yarcowie (North of Burra) camping and orienteering
• Normanville Walking Camp
• Flinders Ranges camping and orienteering
• Melrose Quilting and Port Pirie
• Coorong trip
• Dark Skies for the Christmas Star near Cambrai

Next Year:

• Venture to North of WA and a loop down around the coast
• Hopefully Tasmania in September/October for National Orienteering Champs (Bay of Fires)
• Learning to be grandparents
• More walking, orchids, birds and (or course) orienteering.

If you would like to keep up with what is happening for us, or read more about these trips – you can also find our blog at https://luvapuzzle.travel.blog/