I knew the day would come...it was only a matter of when. Yesterday the piping, melodic rise
and fall of the morning call of the delightful and cheeky Grey Butcherbirds (pictured later) in the white gums which tower over our van
and the blazing colour of a Carnarvon sunrise over the banana plantations next to our park
both served to remind me that life is good and it does go on no matter what. Grief is a funny thing isn't it? So personal. In my case there was very little 'blubbing in my beer' but rather the descent of a thick, cloying blanket of unreality...Mum's death had changed my life irrevocably forever and there was nothing I could do about it. It left me moribund, locked in an intellectual and physical torpor from which I had no immediate escape.
I did make several futile attempts at the keyboard, only to find myself sitting here looking at a blank screen with an equally blank mind. The situation has been significantly exacerbated by the fact that I have again fallen foul of another vicious chest infection which virtually drained away any last reserves of physical energy and continues to demanded a daily routine of medications and two hourly nebulization just to maintain some limited breathing.
But fortunately I knew enough about the grief process to understand that there was no point in fighting what was happening, and the day has finally dawned. The fog of despair has lifted and it is time to rejoin the real world.
And how our world has changed for the time being. Let me bring you all up to date.
As I mentioned some episodes ago, Liz has landed a job in the office here at the Big 4 Plantation Caravan Park. She has taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. For those who may need a reminder, here she is at the controls, 'mistress of all she surveys'. And believe, me you don't mess with The Matron.
In an odd sort of way Liz's previous nursing experience running both her wards, and the hospital itself, has served her well by way of preparation for her current role. To quote, "after juggling the beds of a 120 bed hospital, sorting out caravan park sites is a doddle". Actually it is quite demanding....Liz is being unduly modest.
The computer systems used by this, and most other parks, for bookings and billing can be somewhat daunting to the uninitiated, but Liz's more recent pre-travel experience as the receptionist at the Eastwood Physio has left her well equipped to manage this part of the job with alacrity.
In fact she was 'thrown to the wolves' after only three hours training and has not missed a beat since. And you will probably not be surprised to learn that in the month she has now been in harness, she has implemented and/or recommended a number of systems changes which have been useful in improving the service and facilities on offer here.
Mind you, as I also think I have alluded to previously, there is nothing like being involved in this type of work to remind one of just how many irrationally demanding, overbearing, self-centred, sneakily dishonest, and just plain incompetent folk there are out there in 'caravanning world'. Fortunately they are very much in the minority....I suspect they stand out to the extent they do because of that fact, but believe me, they can make life exciting from time to time.
The extent to which some arriving travellers will connive and cajole (and in some cases tell downright lies) to become the beneficiaries of a completely minor discount (less than 5%) has to be seen to be believed....their sense of 'entitlement' is staggering.....they are completely foreign to my world.
And then there are those who arrive in groups, without a previous booking, and become agitated when they are told that they cannot all be sited together....what part of 'peak season..bookings are essential' don't they understand? Your scribe has had to place himself on a very short lead on a few occasions.
In a way, Liz's competence has become a double-edged sword. In our original negotiations, she offered to make herself available until the end of August, the beginning of the late year shoulder season and the end of the busy period. Matt, the Perth based owner of the park, on his most recent visit a week or so ago, hinted that he would be very keen to engage her services beyond that to encompass the October school holidays. After a hastily convened round-table 'chez Marshies', we agreed that we could reschedule to accommodate Matt's request.
So, here we are in Carnarvon now until our revised departure date which is now set for 12 October. The only snag, from mainly my point of view, was "when will we be able to see wildflowers?" I am determined that we shall not have come all this way and not do so, and given our plans for next year, we will be long out of the State before next season's bloom.
As I have constantly maintained (ad nauseum?), a compromise is always available. As part of the new deal, we have negotiated a four day break in mid-September when we intend to pop Max in jail and toddle off south to Port Denison where we'll catch up with our good friends Pam and Johnno of the Denison Beach Holiday Park, take a cabin on the beach front, and spend three days wandering through the many local wildflower areas which abound in that part of the country. I am very much looking forward to this....and may even just land a few more herring whilst there.
We have been taking the opportunity, on Liz's one day off per week, to wander around Carnarvon and its environs. There is limited sightseeing here but it is important that Liz at least knows what is on offer and what visitors (sounds as though we are locals already!) can expect. For those of you familiar with SA, if you can imagine Port Augusta picked up and plonked holus bolus on the west coast, that's Carnarvon, but the town does hold one or two real surprises.
More of this in the near future. For the moment, I'm off to walk to the end of the Carnarvon 'One Mile Jetty' (it is actually a mile long) with a mate from the park where we plan to catch a small shark or two.
As I mentioned some episodes ago, Liz has landed a job in the office here at the Big 4 Plantation Caravan Park. She has taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. For those who may need a reminder, here she is at the controls, 'mistress of all she surveys'. And believe, me you don't mess with The Matron.
In an odd sort of way Liz's previous nursing experience running both her wards, and the hospital itself, has served her well by way of preparation for her current role. To quote, "after juggling the beds of a 120 bed hospital, sorting out caravan park sites is a doddle". Actually it is quite demanding....Liz is being unduly modest.
The computer systems used by this, and most other parks, for bookings and billing can be somewhat daunting to the uninitiated, but Liz's more recent pre-travel experience as the receptionist at the Eastwood Physio has left her well equipped to manage this part of the job with alacrity.
In fact she was 'thrown to the wolves' after only three hours training and has not missed a beat since. And you will probably not be surprised to learn that in the month she has now been in harness, she has implemented and/or recommended a number of systems changes which have been useful in improving the service and facilities on offer here.
Mind you, as I also think I have alluded to previously, there is nothing like being involved in this type of work to remind one of just how many irrationally demanding, overbearing, self-centred, sneakily dishonest, and just plain incompetent folk there are out there in 'caravanning world'. Fortunately they are very much in the minority....I suspect they stand out to the extent they do because of that fact, but believe me, they can make life exciting from time to time.
The extent to which some arriving travellers will connive and cajole (and in some cases tell downright lies) to become the beneficiaries of a completely minor discount (less than 5%) has to be seen to be believed....their sense of 'entitlement' is staggering.....they are completely foreign to my world.
And then there are those who arrive in groups, without a previous booking, and become agitated when they are told that they cannot all be sited together....what part of 'peak season..bookings are essential' don't they understand? Your scribe has had to place himself on a very short lead on a few occasions.
In a way, Liz's competence has become a double-edged sword. In our original negotiations, she offered to make herself available until the end of August, the beginning of the late year shoulder season and the end of the busy period. Matt, the Perth based owner of the park, on his most recent visit a week or so ago, hinted that he would be very keen to engage her services beyond that to encompass the October school holidays. After a hastily convened round-table 'chez Marshies', we agreed that we could reschedule to accommodate Matt's request.
So, here we are in Carnarvon now until our revised departure date which is now set for 12 October. The only snag, from mainly my point of view, was "when will we be able to see wildflowers?" I am determined that we shall not have come all this way and not do so, and given our plans for next year, we will be long out of the State before next season's bloom.
As I have constantly maintained (ad nauseum?), a compromise is always available. As part of the new deal, we have negotiated a four day break in mid-September when we intend to pop Max in jail and toddle off south to Port Denison where we'll catch up with our good friends Pam and Johnno of the Denison Beach Holiday Park, take a cabin on the beach front, and spend three days wandering through the many local wildflower areas which abound in that part of the country. I am very much looking forward to this....and may even just land a few more herring whilst there.
We have been taking the opportunity, on Liz's one day off per week, to wander around Carnarvon and its environs. There is limited sightseeing here but it is important that Liz at least knows what is on offer and what visitors (sounds as though we are locals already!) can expect. For those of you familiar with SA, if you can imagine Port Augusta picked up and plonked holus bolus on the west coast, that's Carnarvon, but the town does hold one or two real surprises.
More of this in the near future. For the moment, I'm off to walk to the end of the Carnarvon 'One Mile Jetty' (it is actually a mile long) with a mate from the park where we plan to catch a small shark or two.
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