Where has the sun gone

And what is with this wind? We are on holidays... there is not allowed to be wind......

Very much different weather waking up today. Overcast, windy and much cooler (I know we complained about the heat yesterday, but I didn't think it was enough to deserve this.)
Dylan was gone at 7am, determined to catch a carp. 2 rods and a can of corn in hand, off he went down to the lake all set to get his record haul of the menace of the lake. Somebody forgot to tell the carp his plans however. Not a single bite. He had been there for nearly 90 minutes trying everything he could to get one of the pests, but no luck whatsoever. He almost exploded when the kid 50 metres up the lake caught a good sized one after having a line in the water for only 10 minutes

He finally conceded and gave up with the fishing for an hour so that the kayaks could come out again, this time for a bit of stand up paddle boarding. The stability and core strength is awesome to watch, as they just get up and start paddling, with no chance of  falling in.

We spent another full day in the water, fishing, kayaking, sitting, drinking. The wind was quite blustery and annoying at times... it was almost like having a second Dylan with us....

I spent the late part of the afternoon getting the Kayaks back on to the roof racks, only to discover that one of the support stands had popped out of the roof rack mount and appeared to have stripped the thread of the bolt about halfway up. Unfortunately this was noticed after I had put both yaks on the roof and mostly tied down, so off they came again so I could fix it.
Using my awesome technical knowledge, I dug up a handful of cable ties and the made the screw seemingly tight in the bracket, and they were finally up again, tied on and ready for the trip home. Insurance is up to date, but hopefully I wont be making a claim this time tomorrow night!

Dinner tonight was take-away - Chicken and Chips. This would be my favourite of all times. As well as Pizza. And Hamburgers. And Yiros. And any other take-away.
Home tomorrow - already. Unfortunately I do need to actually work to pay for this life of glamping luxury and the toys we have to play with. Good news is that it is only 2 weeks until the Easter Weekend when we are off again. More on that later.

And the heat goes on

We actually got a sleep in today. It was almost 9am before I started stirring, at which time I was immediately pounced upon by the kids because they are “starving”. It was also very hot already. I hadn’t taken much notice of today’s forecast, however I quickly realised that it was going to hit the maximum of 35 very early.
Perfect weather for spending the day out on the kayaks on Lake Albert. 
It is less than a metre deep for as far as you can walk out, so we have told the kids they are allowed out on their own as long as they don't drown. (trying for the parent of the year award with that one...) 

The real worry with it being so shallow was if there was enough water under the kayak to allow me to sit in it without become stuck in the mud below....... Luckily, the science of buoyancy allows even me to float on a kayak, so I also ventured out a couple of times
The poor kayak was turned into a green iceberg where 90% of it was under water leaving a 5mm lip above the sinking line as I paddled around trying my best to use my awesome core muscles and stay upright (it is not as easy as it looks...... especially with the kayak wanting to come up for a breath of air every couple of minutes !)
I finally mastered it, at which time i stopped so that i could finish on a positive note.
Tracy and her dad went out later on looking the part with their synchronised rowing as they vanished through the reeds.

It was a beautiful night with the weather hovering in the high 20's late into the evening. The mandatory Weber BBQ produced some awesome hamburgers from a mix i made during the week at home, and of course were cooked perfectly.
I was exhausted from a full day in the sun, and trying to stay afloat. A few drinks, some TV and general chit chat rounded up the day.
Looking forward to another day of the same tomorrow.

Meningie - a not so short trip

Yet again, despite all my best intentions, it was after 5pm before we were motoring down the road for our next adventure. 

I had got the car and van packed in record time and even got my special 1st Aid pack sorted, ready for the following 3 days. 

We got an impressive 50m before I noticed how heavy the van was and realised I forgot to plug in the lights and brakes.  Luckily we live on a series of no through roads so I could stop where I was and plug it all in without worrying about other traffic. 

I had heard the the freeway was closed due to a serious car accident near Tailem Bend, so we (ok.... I ) decided to head through Wistow, Langhorne Creek, across the ferry at Wellington and then down to Meningie. Much nicer option than sitting in traffic in 34 degree heat for what could be hours while they clean up   It was a pleasant drive, listening to the kids argue about anything and everything whilst Tracy pretended to be asleep next to me and the dog continuously climbed over us all looking for the best vantage spot. 

We had just reached Wistow when I heard on the radio that the freeway was cleared, but decided to push on anyway as ithis route was only about 5km longer and a much more pleasant drive. 

Before I knew it, we were at Wellington, waiting for the ferry.

Along with about 60 other cars in front of us.

The ferry takes about 10 cars at a time, with a 12 minute round trip. It was at this time I was visited by Grumpy Barry which resulted in the family going for a walk with the dog to the river, leaving me to boil in my own steam knowing that we were here for the next hour to travel 300m. Thankfully there was a breeze blowing which kept me cool as it dissipated the steam coming from my ears, and a few old buildings to stare at and allow me to remember it is the journey, and not the destination that makes the best holidays.

Almost exactly an hour later, I was at the front of the queue and driving onto the ferry. Thankfully the remainder of the trip was less than 30 minutes more. We did have to pull over with about 5km to go, thanks to the sound of a Kayak about to fall off the roof racks. They were still tied on tight, and the sudden realisation that I was standing in the worlds biggest bull ant nest with my best camping thongs, got me back in the car quicker than the million flies buzzing around my head and we were off again. 

We got to camp right on sunset, at which time I could start experiencing the joys of Tracy making me adjust the level-ness of the caravan 1mm at a time until a marble wouldn’t roll off the inside table. (Luckily I am excellent at doing this, so I just smiled and rocked the car back and forth until she was happy.)

A couple of hours later it was all done. The boys swags were up, tea had been microwaved and eaten, a bourbon went missing out of the fridge - time to sit and relax. 

Going to be a hot one tomorrow - perfect for the kayaks.