Friday was a very hot day and swimming in the lake was the order of the day. Got all dressed up again the second time in two weeks, a definite record, and Patty took me out for a meal at the Stanthorpe pub. I have done lots of jobs around her camper and she wanted to do something for me. Was in for the night when Phillip drove in, he had said he would be here Friday night or Saturday but I thought that it would be Saturday as it was getting late.

Another hot Saturday but didn't get far, Phillip,  Marj and Patty were here then Kevin and Kim arrived so all in all we had a very parochial day. The place is humming with new arrivals, all around there are camps, campers, tents, pergolas, kids, generators and dogs. The lake had many speedboats of various sizes pulling skiers, kneeboarders and blow up chairs and rings, all good for a couple of days. After the Australia Day Public Holiday things will get back to normal when the weekend warriors return to their homes and jobs.

The boat ramp was totally blocked for hours when a late model car stalled and wouldn't start. I couldn't understand why it wasn't pulled out by one of the many 4WDs all around but it was the victim of modern technology. Apparently it had computer on board with a locking mechanism which locked all wheels in gear for climbing steep hills etc. but when the car stalled collecting a jet ski everything locked up. It couldn't be pulled or dragged up the ramp without substantial on board damage, the latest I heard was that RACV had been called and they were hoping that someone could come with a computer and get it started again. My 1980 Coaster is sounding better by the day.

Sunday and another hot one but cooler than Saturday not much doing but loaded the drivers for Phillip's Epsom scanner printer with a view to printing off the itinery and tickets for the cruise. No good apparently it didn't work on his laptop and after 50mg downloaded didn't work on mine either. Richard came to visit, he was here for a day and with Jim and his speedboat but by the time I found out and went up to visit the boat was being pulled out of the water. Missed out on the biscuit ride but never mind there will be another chance next year.

Monday is a public holiday for Australia Day and by the end of the day there were many camping spots on the lakeside. I was having trouble walking after bruising my toes the previous day and trying every pair of shoes without success. Apparently there was to be a sausage sizzle at Michael's place mid day but it was too far for me to walk so I spent the day sitting under the awning taking it easy. Patty went out for the day to a birthday party for her great granddaughter.

Tuesday and still hobbling and decided to start the packing up, by evening nearly everything is packed up and even the awning. Eating up everything from the freezer and found a shepherds pie from previous purchases and fired up the genny for 8 minutes. Patty and I shared it and later she cooked up the rest of my potatoes into yummy chips. Tomorrow we have a big day shopping and Patty is driving me to see a couple of the small towns nearby that I have never visited, Tatura with it's bakery and award winning custard slices plus Rushworth.

Had a great day visiting Rushworth and Tatura, the custard slice was as good as the legend. Went through to Shepparton and spent until 3pm shopping and having lunch. I bought some new sandal type shoes from Ray's outdoors reduced from $169 to $99 never spent that much on shoes before but 13 weeks at Greens has built up my funds. The billy given to me by Michael has boiled it's last cuppa and has been replaced by a stainless steel one the same shape. Found a health shop in Shepp. and bought some raw cider vinegar the last one bought at Girgarre Market is finished and I have been told that raw is best for vinegar and honey.

We arrived back with a length of sail track which Patty wanted fixed to the side of the camper to cover the fridge area with a cover pegged out to shield the sun plus allow the breeze through. We had a big workforce to do the job. Ted, Dennis, Grahame and myself all did our bit to get the job done. It just goes to show that there are usually plenty of helpers when travelling ladies need assistance. My last day at Greens has come to an end and tomorrow I will set off for the Gold Coast some 1600 kms away, I would like to arrive at Stott's Island Nature Reserve by Sunday evening allowing 400 kms per day. Quite a task in the old bus with a top speed of 80 kms per hour and a lot less on the hills so I will take the shortest route with the widest roads, the Hume and the Pacific Highways. Not a camping trip just the overnight stops when I get tired.

Having been at Greens for 13 weeks it has been a challenge to find exciting things to talk about on a weekly basis but have tried to chronicle my life as a grey nomad in the hope that some find it interesting. So where from here? I have previously mentioned that I am taking my wife on a cruise in early February and will spend the rest of the month on the Gold Coast. The plan after is to go north to Wuruma Dam for a few months but at this stage have no plans to do the usual trip towards Cairns.         John