Ever had the feeling that you needed a holiday after a holiday? That’s exactly the feeling we had when we arrived at Tracy’s in Busselton (aka Busso). After all the travelling and running around over the past few weeks and months the only thing we had on our to-do list was getting our camper trailer Prinney checked at the mechanics and getting her ready for the big trip. For the rest we focussed all our attention on Piet, who had been such a patient little boy.
He duly made up for lost sleep with some very long midday naps and absolutely loved running around the various playgrounds and beaches in walking distance of Tracy’s house. We got him a balance bike to try out, but so far he is more fascinated by the small rugby ball (AFL ball…I know Kim!), although he’s not quite gotten the gist of kicking it. “Ahh, this is more like it…!” I thought as I sat on a beautiful beach looking at a deep turquoise ocean, cold beer in my hand, next to my babe and bub on our 7th anniversary. Consider this itch thoroughly scratched!
On our way down to Busso we encountered a fair amount of roadworks, as was the case in Perth and Broome. Piet absolutely loves his earth moving equipment, which are all enthusiastically summed up by him screetching out; “Bagger! Da ist ein Bagger! Noch mehr Bagger!!”. This confused most of our Aussie friends because all they could make out is a small child continuously yelling “Bugger!”, which is slang for “Sh*t, something is wrong!” Unbeknownst to us they were both right, as we were about to encounter some Baggers, I mean buggery ourselves!
It had been a while since I had last towed a trailer, which became evident at the mechanics, who kindly offered me a tiny spot close to the road to park Prinney up. Ireen tried her best to direct me in whilst I slowly reversed “…more to the right…right… RIGHT!!!” The parking sensor was beeping incessantly at me, matching the state of my nerves whilst I watched Prinney veer ever closer to the car parked next to her…bugger! Ultimately, I gave up and went inside to try and find some help. The mechanic walked out, had one look at the situation and concluded “Mate, I’ll just go and get the keys to move that car shall I?” I was pretty sure that was the best decision he had made all week!
The aftermath of our COVID infection a fortnight ago manifested itself as a sort of hazy brain fog which resulted in some really unhelpful and unnecessary situations. During the inspection the mechanics concluded that Prinney needed a new parking light and some new tires. The next morning I took her back into town to get the tires fitted, only to realise that I had forgotten to take the handbrake off the trailer. After leaving such a competent impression with the mechanics the day prior, I pulled up rather sheepishly with a set of hot rims and the undeniable smell of burnt rubber…luckily it had only been a short drive and no real damage was done.
I picked up a new parking light from a store aptly named “the Caravan Doctor” and had a crack at installing it myself, only to find that the old light had two white cords and two brown cords, whilst my flash new LED light came with a single red and a black cord…bugger!! Admittedly, I have two left feet for hands when it comes to electrics, so I decided to let somebody else have a crack at this little project for us, before I really buggered things up properly! With this wise decision taken and Prinney’s new wheels fitted, I drove her back to Tracy’s (yes, yes, double checking the brakes and chains and cables).
It was finally time to pop her up and start installing all the gear we had acquired for her. Once we had made the beds and found a spot for all the pots, pans, cutlery and everything else in her many little drawers, cupboards and storage spaces, we concluded that we were still short two extra storage boxes and mozzie repellent. We were ready to head to the shops when we noticed that my wallet was missing. We turned the house, the car and Prinney upside down, but couldn’t find it anywhere…BUGGER!!! In a desperate bid we drove back to the restaurant and beaches we had gleefully visited that morning, but the only good thing to come out of that trip was Piet’s first sighting of a couple of kangaroos. Coming home and inspecting the same backpack for literally the 5th time, Ireen found the wallet in “that really handy side pocket.” After reactivating our cards and taking stock, all we could do was shake our heads and move on.
You could perhaps imagine how much we enjoyed Tracy’s foodie tour around the Margaret River region (aka Margs) the next day. We wound our way through the rolling hills surrounded by lush vegetation, characterised by ferns and iconic grass trees. The tall eucalypts and marri trees closed the canopy above the road, giving you the sensation of driving through a natural sort of tunnel. This feeling was even more enhanced by our first wine tasting at 10am sharp. Driving past vineyards and green pastures, we tasted our way through wineries, chocolate factories and breweries. Very full and content we finished the day at the world famous Prevelly Beach, where the Margaret River runs into the Indian ocean (and the Margaret River Pro is held). This really is a foodie heaven with a stunning back drop.
The next day we drove to Bunburry (aka Bunners) to catch up with my old colleague and friend Gaz, his wife Becks and the kids. We were treated to some excellent company, cold beers and a delishious BBQ (featuring a huge crayfish that Becks had been given by her colleague, as you do! Love this part of the world!). Gaz ducked into his shed and helped us get to know our Prinney a bit better, whilst helping to install the parking light and charging up our battery. We spent our first night sleeping in Prinney that night and I was a very happy camper, but Ireen decided we were definitely a blanket short! Ah well…all is well that ends well. On the way back from Bunners to Busso Piet enthusiastically yelled “Baaaagggerrrr!!!” and we looked at each other with an understanding smile.
For this episode’s song, enjoy yourselves with some ‘Margs’ inspired The Cat Empire – the Wine Song
A lifestyle literally carved out in wood @ Abby Beach, Busso ©️ Jasper Kruse
Jasper, thanks for your entertaining stories. The ‘brainfog’ one with ‘lost’ wallet is a story that I fully recognize from having personal similar experiences. At my age: Am I getting demented or is it COVID brain fog? Question: are there no crocs in the rivers south of Perth? Is it possibly too cold there ?
Have fun and stay safe! Johan
What a fantastic tale. Your story telling is marvellous. We could easily picture all these events unfolding just as you described them. Glad these little hickups occurred at the beginning of the trip without too many messy consequences. We also loved the video you send of your rig and setup. We hope you had a chance to meet with Kylie. We look forward to the next instalment of your adventures. Love to you all xxxxx