Farewell Aunty Wyn

 

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Some Changes and a New (to me) Car

 As I need to be able to get around independently there needs to be some changes.

I need a car and a drivers licence.

Why don't I already have a licence? 

Part being lazy, part being traumatised by an accident that happened on my Ls in my 20s.

 Back then the Hume Highway was better described as two ⇵ lane goat track in parts and the trucking industry had big safety issues and drivers were using "stimulants" to stay awake.  

 I was on my Ls driving with my girlfriend to Melbourne and just north of Gundagai when around a bend came a truck on my side of the road...... We ended up in a drainage ditch, OK, but the car was not... and I lost my nerve...

 My councillor was unable to help me with the original issue but was able to with driving.

Why a VW Caddy Maxi Crewvan?

I had a criteria for a vehicle;

• Relatively small, but still comfortable for me to drive
• Cheap to buy
• Cheap to Run
• Five seater (Crewvan Version)
• Able to transport stuff if needed... 
• Able to be used as a basic camper when traveling.

The Caddy  is pleasurable to drive, just like a normal car, as from the B Pillar forward it is a VW Polo, with the added advantage of a huge cargo space. The petrol 1.3L Turbo 4 is an excellent performer and is returning 6.3L per 100km in mixed conditions.

Did I say it is fun to drive?

The Beginning

 This is the Beginning of the Paul Anslow Blog

The Big Freeze!

 

The winter of 1962/62 in the UK was known as the Big Freeze where for 10 weeks the Met Office recorded temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees, with blizzards, snowdrifts, with lakes, rivers and even seaports freezing over. The Big Freeze stated on Boxing Day 1962 with heavy snowfalls and deep frosts that continued until the 6th of March 1963 There hasn't been one since, the previous known freeze was in 1740! 

Public Transport and industry struggled and often stopped, along with the supply of food. Farmers lost their stock, unable to access their fields and wildlife froze to death. It took many years for the bird population to recover.

Milkmen suffered exhaustion performing their deliveries under the poor road conditions and the milk would freeze and pop their foil bottle tops!

I turned 5 years old in 1963 and we were living in Whittington. Ice formed on the inside windows and the toilet bowl and cistern would freeze overnight. Dangerously huge icicles formed under the eaves of our home. The nearby canal froze over and I had a homemade sledge (toboggan) which sent me straight through a hedge one time.

Pipes buried 5 feet down in the playground at my school burst! School was closed most days and not all students could get there due to the treacherously icy conditions. At times Dad couldn't get to work by bus and had to walk the 5 miles into Lichfield. The factory then closed unable to deliver and lacked raw materials. The local pubs and co-op store ran low of many items and we were cut off for several days. Our house was completely electric, so we worried when the power would go out. Lucily, it would return after an hour or so.... 

The people back then had memories of the war and were resilient and resourceful. You put on another layer of clothing, another pair of socks and wore wellington boots outside.

Once the thaw started there was water and mud everywhere!

 

The Leyland Brothers

In the mid 1970's Australia TV Viewers watched two poms named Mike and Mal travel around Australia and visit places that many viewers had not seen. The series called "Ask The Leyland Brothers" was very successful running on the Nine Network for 153 episodes between 1976 and 1980. I sure that the viewers dreamed of leaving their dull life in the suburbs behind them and doing what these two families did.

I sure did!

No truckloads of production people following every step in their mega caravans and motorhomes. Production was carried out by Mike and Mal, supported by their wives Pat and Laraine.

By todays standards the production was a bit amateurish and the media used was home movie grade Super-8, but the brothers background in Television and print media in Newcastle NSW, made it compelling viewing. Their pioneering use of Super-8 film made it the new standard used by television of the day!

Later the Leyland Brothers made other TV programming which was equally successful and has paved the way for some of todays TV lifestyle programs.

A later series - Leyland's Australia Episode 1: Brisbane To Rockhampton

I'm sure that the Leylands contributed to todays Grey Nomad movement.

You can read more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyland_brothers

You can also watch more on Youtube - Search on "Leyland Brothers" 

Today you will find that Mal is still travelling and his daughter Carmen also has the travel bug! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063733774809

''Where the hell are we, Mike?" "Buggered if I know, Mal. ''
Paul Hogan Show 1973–1984, Season 4, Episode 5

Preparation for Travel - Houdini Proofing

Before we can go away there are some tasks needed to be completed 

One is to fully dog proof the property to allow for the possibly for a house sitter to manage our older two dogs, Mac and Cody who are not good travellers. 

Mac has always been uncomfortable traveling, unhappy with vehicle motion. 

Cody is now partially blind and becoming quite deaf. 

Our last trip Cody was under the opinion that the Motorhome was in its parking spot at home and would become disoriented at night when he found out otherwise.

Buffy and Bambi love to travel!

There is a gap under the downhill side fence to the adjoining property

Some treated pine logs 150mm x 2.4M works well.
Gap be gone!

The missing panel in our front gates and fence was small dog sized.

The concept drawing.

Some progress shots of the reality. The paint is still wet here and the colour is not a match. Should be Colorbond Pale Eucalyptus. A trip to Bunnings in the future will fix that.

A tad noticeable. At least it wasn't this colour! 

This is a real colour!

Then the last bit

A heavy rubber flap added to the gap on the gate.
It was a battle between the green ants, wind and the odd brief shower but we won in the end. 

Now we can get rid of the ugly rusty portable dog fencing!

Now to have a major sort inside

More to come.....