Becoming self sufficient….

After two great weeks touring the Northern Highlands of New South Wales we returned to our home in Lake Manchester just  in time to celebrate our son Ben’s birthday. 

It was really good to be with Ben on his birthday for once as we have missed so many celebrations over the years while living on a boat or travelling in Europe in our camper van. 

Soon after the birthday celebrations we were very excited as we were going to install solar panels which would make us self sufficient in electricity. 

Ben had the excellent idea of installing them on the shed by the front gate. This was to be a great move as the orientation of the shed meant we would have exposure to the sun throughout the day.

Squeezing a total of 18 panels on either side of the roof meant we would make enough power to run everything including our air conditioner. 

Also, the power pole with the meter box – into which the electricity would be fed – was only a short way from the shed which meant that Jonathan would only need to dig a small trench (his first ever experience of trench digging!)

Being self sufficient in both power and water has made so much sense to us – the next thing will be an electric car!

The day after the birthday celebrations we went with Sarah and her Mum and the girls to Scarborough, a little seaside village in the northern part of Brisbane. 

It was a trip down memory lane for us as we often used to take Ben and our daughter Hannah there when they little children. 

The special thing about Scarborough (apart from the sea and sand) is the grove of gnarled Cottonwood Trees located inside the Beach Park.

The twins are too little to clamber over these beautiful trees just yet but they were nevertheless very taken with them and I’m sure one day before too long they will be scrambling along the intertwining limbs with great enjoyment. 

For now they had to be contented with a nearby playground!

When we moved our house onto Ben and Sarah’s property it arrived on two low loaders. The rigs were so massive that we had to take down the big gate that Ben and Sarah had installed when they first moved in. That gate was never  reinstalled – mainly because double gates were needed to allow our caravan to travel in and out. 

One weekend at the end of June Jonathan and Ben travelled three hours west from Brisbane to pick up the very well constructed custom made hardwood gates. It was a long way to travel but well worth the six hour (plus) round trip to collect them. Now all we have to do is find time to install them!

One installation we did get organised quickly was the conversion of the table in our caravan into a bed/play area for Ben and Sarah’s twins in time for their first camping trip. 

Ben and Sarah measured up and organised a mattress to be made and Jonathan took the table down and constructed an excellent bed that could be be installed quickly and then removed without too much drama when we wanted to put the table back. 

The girls loved their new bed and they all had an absolute ball on the camping trip – all except their old cattle dog Ozzie who decided he’d rather stay back with Granny and Grandpa. Of course he got thoroughly spoilt!

The rest of the month was filled with family time, spending time with friends, book club, shopping with the twins, a children’s party and walks with the dogs (photos below).