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Morning. Yep, much to my (and I am fairly sure Damien's) surprise I have woken up once again ready to face the challenges of the day in a happy and easy going manner. Damien is also in a good mood, so we know now that we are finally in a good place in our marriage no matter what!! and that puts a smile on our face. I will be honest it was mixed with a little grimace each as we moved due to he fact that we slept on a marvelous lean down so technically all our blood was in our feet :-) on a fairly hard floor covering (sort of grass) that had worked uh hmm wonders on our backs. In a tent. In Boonah. With our car in the car park of the local mechanics awaiting diagnosis (optimism is much like adrenalin, the mind subconsciously knows when to kick it into overdrive!!).
So, as we are awake before the mechanics are open I will give you a quick fill in of what happened after I left you yesterday. Sorry I didn't say much, but after a long day on the road (damn driver nazi) and honestly we were both just talking about how nice it was going to be to crawl into the spa with a glass of Moët, to suddenly find ourselves stranded in Boonah was a little overwhelming. However, I do give great thanks to Wally, who much against his will (remember he only had a little while till X Factor started) came and picked us up, took us to Boonah and dropped us off at the caravan park after we found out that there was no other accommodation available in Boonah as it was fully booked??? Kevin at the motel did try his very best though to find us something after he heard our plight. See, the problem was our car wasn't going AT ALL. So whatever we were going to do, it was going to have to be done by foot. Anyway, Wally dropped us of at the caravan park where we were hoping to get some sort of onsite accommodation, otherwise we were going to have to unpack a load of the car. In the mechanics car park. And then take it to the caravan park. By foot. In a small town yes, but it was dark by now and we didn't know which was up. Anyhoo, I rang the caretaker's number (maybe I should let you know now that the caravan park is actually just the town show grounds) and explained our plight. Well god bless Lorraine. Although she couldn't give us any sort of onsite accommodation (there was NONE) she did assure us that staying there would be no problem and came out and drove us to our car so we could get our tent and some belongings and not have to carry them back. She also said she could get us a job each picking onions (apparently it is onion season) if we needed it We both lightened up a lot a that moment. Mostly because of the kindness that these people were showing us. So we put up the tent, unfolded the sleeping bag and doona (we forfeited the mattress as it is big and would have been a little harder to get out of the car and Lorraine had already been so kind we didnt want to cut too far into her park happy hour!) had a quick wash and did what any respectable person would do at this time. We put the leash on Bailey, held hands, smiled at each other and went in search of booze!!! Mission successful we sat on a log near our tent and with glass of wine in my hand, can of Bourban in Damien's we toasted our arrival into QLD :-) Not quite the start (or the night) that we envisioned, but we were here and that deserved celebration. 4740km we had travelled so far. Everyone of them an adventure. Suitably relaxed (there was dual purpose for libations though - remember no mattress!) we climbed into the tent and slept.
Right, off to the mechanics, hands held and fingers crossed with a nervous smile on our faces, here we go.......
Ok, we thought the night was long, the hour walk around town and getting breakfast was one of the LONGEST hours we have ever lived.
Right, just as we were about to start our second lap of the town, the phone rang. It was heartbreaking to hear that it was pretty messy and we should get back to see the mechanic. Smile firmly planted back on face (we both knew in the back of our minds it was going to be bad so there was no surprise) we head to the mechanics. As I am sometimes prone to over emotion and knowing I may not cope hearing the actual cost of repairs, Bailey and I sat on the stairs outside. When Damien came out the look on his face said it all. OMFG THE CAR IS F@@@@D!! So a couple of deep breaths and I ask "how bad is it". I should have taken more breaths "new motor - $8-9 THOUSAND DOLLARS.... Ok on the inside my heart stopped pumping and some kind organ (not my kidney or liver though coz they were still recovering from the night before) obviously performed CPR on it coz I am still here. On the outside I must have remained serene somehow though because I don't think Damien noticed the mild heart attack I just had!!
So as I am trying to calculate just how many onions we are going to have to pick to get out of Boonah Damien informs me that the magic mechanic man believes he can do some zip tie and duct tape repairs for the bargain price of $800 and that will get us into Brisbane and should suffice for a little while. I think Damien told me worst case scenario first because $800 is actually A BLESSING after you hear $8/9000 :-) he is a smart man and knows me very well :-)
Anyhoo, downfall was that it was going to take all day so we faced a full day and possibly another night in Boonah (remember we had already seen the whole town this morning) with no vehicle, in a tent in the show grounds.
Once again da da dabdahhhhhhh a shining beacon. The hire/hobby shop next to the mechanics is advertising a ute for hire. And we can see it in the driveway so it is there Yes. Yes. Yes. One look at each other confirms it. We are hiring that ute and heading to Brisbane today. NO MORE MESSING ABOUT :-)
And that is exactly what we did. We hired he ute. We told the mechanic to ring us if there were any major problems (ha ha ha ha ha that's funny considering) and that we would be back the next day to pick up Big Red. Damien packed the ute with the belongings we needed while Bailey and I walked back to the show grounds and packed up the tent.
Within half an hour after thanking Lorraine and well all of Boonah fir their kindness and hospitality, we were back on the road to Brisbane. Yeah in a hire ute knowing we would have to come back to Boonah tomorrow to collect the car (hopefully!) but that didn't matter. I will be honest, as we were driving out I likened our situation a little to the Jamaican bobsledding team in Cool Runnings - they walked over the line - but they still went over the line and held their head high and were champions. That was us. Little smile and giggle - strange look from the driver nazi (yay he was a driver nazi again) but hey he always gives me strange looks!!!
So, turns out we were say 40 minutes from the end of our journey when we broke down. How do I know that??? Because wonderful friends and family that have shared this trip with us - we have made it!! I am updating this blog sitting outside next to the pool with a glass of wine in Underwood , Brisbane 4119 :-) across from my husband (who is positively beaming while he rings his daughters and lets them know we are here) with Bailey passed out at our feet sunning himself having a much needed sleep (ha).
Ok, I think I will I give myself time for this to sink in and enjoy this special moment with my husband before I try and sign off for good. Plus, damn that spa looks mighty fine and the weather is absolutely perfect.
Well, it is the end of one journey, but for us the beginning of another very special and exciting one. Damien and I will now share the lives of Tyler and Jamie, not just hear about it over phone calls. I will never forget the look on Damien's face when he told the girls we are here and hearing Jamie's squeal of joy.
We left Perth 2 people and have arrived in Brisbane 2 completely different people. This trip has been amazing. We had no idea what was in store for us and therefore no expectations as it was Ms Destiny at the helm, not us. We just had to take the leap of faith and trust her And WOW, what a trip she has given us! This country we live in is truly beautiful and holds some amazing treasures, and should you ever get the opportunity to explore her -DO IT - I promise you you will not be disappointed.
So family and friends, thank you for sharing this with us and being part of our extraordinary experience.
Glasses in hand a toast,
"To our new life in Brisbane and hurrying up and finding a house so you can all come and visit. Love you all xx"
So for the final time
Lights out......goodnight x x
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