Year off around Australia

Well settled into our house sitting here now. Good routines in place, and enjoying our time with Annie and Benji - they are a delight.
5/11/24 Tuesday. I enjoy some lie in time in bed until 7am - reading a book. Roger up and about before 6.30am. Get up and have my porridge and cuppa, Rog has well and truly already had his weetbix and toast etc.Take Annie and Benji (yes I've discovered his name tag has his name spelt this way - the way I went with originally, but changed as I saw one of the children's drawing that had it spelt Benge💕) for their morning walk 4km. We discuss what we want to do for the day...both in agreement we'll enjoy a day at our housesit. So relax doing just what takes our fancy here. Melbourne Cup day today, so I have some fun getting online and putting on my bets for interest - including my family - good fun! Stacy is my only winner this year, my chosen horse for her comes 2nd. Roger washes the outside of the caravan and other stuff I don't realise. I enjoy reading, smooching with the dogs, make the best scones I've ever made (thanks I guess to using up Buttermilk that was left in the fridge here and my thermomix - too easy!). So relaxed we just have too many scones, jam (Roger ducked to Woolworths to get, along with extra cream lol) and cream for lunch! I end up while reading - having a 'Nana nap' in the afternoon - Rog is relaxing too listening to true crime podcasts. I update my budget books, then we take the doggos on their evening walk 2.8km - highlight is a phone call from Robert, all good and nice to chat. Once back, I organise drinks (a nice cocktail I've just learnt - Limoncello, Prosecco, soda and garnish of lemon slice and rosemary sprig) and cheese and biccies nibbles, while Rog cooks up our tea. Chicken Kievs (oven bake) and vegetables. Tidy up, Roger has his shower, now more relaxing before bedtime. Note - we haven't watched TV at all while being here. Reading and mucking about on our mobiles getting us by lol.
6/11/24 Wednesday. I stay in bed reading to finish my book so get up around 7am. Roger who got up well before 6.30am, has called by to tell me he's ready for us to walk the dogs! So I have my breakfast, then off we go, walk Annie and Benji 4.2km. Once back, I go have my shower, and Roger packs our lunch (meat salad sandwiches, bananas and Anzac biscuits) - ready for us to head out for a drive today. We've decided to check out Mullewa 100km away. Finish getting ready and away we go, leave about 9.15am.
When we return to Geraldton later in the day, we go down the street to the shopping area so I can get some greeting cards and wrapping paper, then we go to Woolworths to get some groceries. We get back to our housesit at around 4pm. Time for scones, jam and cream to finish off yesterday's scones (still good with a heat up in the microwave) with a cuppa. Bit of a rest before we take the doggos on their evening walk 3km. Once back, I make us up a Limoncello, gin and soda while Roger prepares our tea - steak and vegetables. The steak is from a local butcher, and it is superb- Rog has cooked it perfectly. Tidy up, relaxing, Roger has his shower - now just filling in time happily with this before I join Roger with reading in bed until sleep time.
7/11/24 Thursday. Up well before 6am as Rog had intended to pack our bacon and eggs style breakfast to cook up on the Geraldton Foreshore and walk the dogs before we take our ute to its 8am scheduled 'fix up hand brake' appointment. Once up he changes his mind - fair amount of effort involved when we won't have our vehicle, so we have our usual breakfast before we walk Annie and Benji. Get organised and get our ute to Bernie's Brakes & Exhausts on time. Nice surprise - instead of the expected drop off down the street in Geraldton (workshop is quite a few kms out) we're given a loan car to use (oh well we could have packed our BBQ breakie lol). Get into Geraldton and have a nice time out and about - includes some retail therapy. I get some greeting cards, toiletries and leave in hair conditioner, while Roger gets us a pack of 4 Airtags. We get back to our housesit in time for a late lunch. I make up some pita bread mini pizzas, followed by banana and cuppas.
Have a lovely afternoon 'in' - Rog setting up Airtags and I enjoy some reading. The house owners have checked and teed up with us - that their eldest daughter, Tully (8) will call around this afternoon with her Grandma, Jen (Alyse's mum) - after school to say hello to the dogs and collect a few items she's missing. Lovely to meet them, very happy doggos to see Tully 💕 - they didn't stay very long, 1/2 hour tops. We take the dogs for their evening walk. Next it's time for tea, chicken kievs and I'm using up some fresh gnocci that was in the fridge - doing it with a creamy Mushroom sauce. Tidy up, Roger works out how to find a movie on the TV, so we watch Green Book - great movie. Roger goes for his shower, I'm writing this up - then it'll be time for bed.
8/11/24 Friday. Roger up before 6.30am I stay in bed reading until 7am. Get up have breakfast, then time to take Annie and Benji on their walk - it's actually cool and abit of drizzly rain on this walk 4.3km. I have shower when we get back. Roger decides to do a stock take on our grocery supplies in our caravan and is keen to go to Aldi for the restock shopping. So off we go and do a decent grocery shop - especially on meat supplies. With our grocery shop done and things packed in the ute so whatever needs to be cold is in the Engel, we go driving to see what we can get up to. 1st we try Batavia Brewery - but it's not open until 4pm today. Then we think we'll check out Geraldton's roof top bar - but it doesn't open until 12 noon (now 11.20am) and we can't be bothered waiting around. Back to our housesit, unload and pack away our groceries. Now lunch time, I cook up some fresh pasta that needs to be used (left in the fridge) for my lunch, Roger makes up meat and salad sandwiches for himself. Spend our afternoon just pottering, reading, I make up a batch of biscuits. Take the dogs on their afternoon walk 3.3km. When we get back I discover our 2025 calendar, that Stacy has kindly forwarded to us, has arrived, so I get busy updating it ready for use. Roger cooks sausages and vegetables for tea. Tidy up, then watch another movie "Hidden Figures" - another good one. Roger showers and heads to bed, I'm just finishing off the calendar and writing this, then I'm off to bed too. My nice news this evening,I got a text from Lisa Sanders - her and Tony are staying at our place in Dunkeld for the next 2 nights YAY - our place finally being used!
9/11/24 Saturday. No real plans today - just up at 6.30am, have our breakfasts and take the dogs for their morning walk 4.4km. Roger going to get milk, so I look up a recipe on Cookidoo to try for tea tonight, so Rog can get other ingredients required. I stay at house so dogs don't have to be put out and I continue my gift sorting. I'm trying to be organised for my friends birthdays etc. Lunch today is toasties for me and sandwiches for Roger. Afternoon spent relaxing, wrapping presents, reading. Afternoon walk with Annie and Benji 2.8km. Next I work on tea with the thermomix Shredded chicken satay pad Thai. It does the job. Roger makes us up some fresh fruit salad. We're on a good roll - now Roger's worked out Netflix on this TV so we watch another movie Oppenhiemer (about the hydrogen bomb 'father') - not so feel good tonight! Roger showers, I do my budget books, then time for bed.
10/11/24 Sunday. Awake nice and early but I happily stay in bed reading until 7am. Roger up shortly after 6am. Once up breakfast and get ready to walk Annie and Benji. 4.3km our 2nd last morning walk together. Once back I go have a shower, then relax for the morning - starting to write out Christmas cards for family. Roger working on the caravan fridge - it's not working properly (cutting in and out). We decide to go to the Geraldton Markets for our lunch - yummy fresh food. Roger does a fresh vegetable shop too. When we're finished here we drive to Geraldtons Roof Top Bar to check it out. Then we head back to our housesit to relax again with the dogs. I continue with Christmas cards and have some good phone calls - Tegz group call this morning, I ring Barry, then Jenny - neither answering, but they call me back later, so nice catch up chats. We walk the dogs again 2.8km. After we're 'home' is when I catch up with Jen - the main exciting news Shannen has just bought a nice free-standing Unit (3 bedroom) in Kilmore. Next it's tea time, Rog and I make up another batch of the Thermomix Shredded chicken satay - this one is better than last night's, has more vegetables and all the 'trimmings'. Tidy up, Roger has his shower, relaxing until bedtime. I'm doing some more Christmas cards, then writing this before I head to bed to read for a while.Les mer