5 WEEKS TO GO....

The weeks are flying,....
we have only 5 weeks until we leave to complete the big lap...
Part of me is excited,  another part of me is nervous as we still have so much to do before we take off and I don't want to rush time.... I just want to enjoy each day...

We all had a bit of a practice run at Easter and spent a week away in the van with family members also at Tannum Sands....  All it did was make us that bit more keener for our big adventure to start...

 It has been a family tradition to spend Easter at Tannum Sands,  We have been doing this for over a decade now, but this is the second year that Ian and Kathy have joined us...
We had only picked up our van the week before from Brisbane where it had been having some modifications made to it for our big lap.... We put a new awning on, and added an extra water tank along with a solar panel on the floor,  all things done to try and make us a little more self sufficient so that we could free camp more this trip. 

Getting a little help setting up this year...

setting up the annex so the Grandies can stay...

b We usually stay at the Discovery Park at Tannum and up towards the bush end of the park.  It is a great spot to be in as you really don't feel like you are in a park but more in the bush.  We are able to have open fires there also which allows the kids to toast their marshmallows...

All together with a couple of ringins...

We don't starve when we are all together..

The customary seafood feed....

 Our daughter also has friends who come now and their families so it really is a big tribe of us...
We are looking forward to the serenity of just the four of us as we embark on our next adventure..

 We took our Webber Baby Q again this year, but this year we did a lot of practice cooking muffins and cakes.  We don't have an oven in our van, so decided that since we will be o n the road for such a long time, that something to cook like an oven would come in very handy.  These treats were a hit with the many campers camped with us this year..

 Ian and Kathy arrived three days after us,  it was so good to catch up with them again, and we did plenty of catching up and planning and just pain enjoying each others company..

Their van set up next to ours....

It's a good life....

 Often when we camp together like this we usually combine and have our meals together,  this allows us to continue our planning for the next part of our trips...  this time it allows us to plan more for the big lap....

Ian enjoying that early morning cuppa

One thing about going to Tannum is that we usually take the boat as well...
Wish we could do this for the big lap...

 We have something like 35 sleeps before we take off.  I have only 23 days of work left this year..
That time is going to fly....

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON...

The countdown is on... 12 weeks today until we leave on our next big venture....
Lots of preparation happening in all of our lives at the moment.  We have just come back from Brisbane where we have had the caravan in  being serviced, new awning put on, solar panel on the roof, extra water storage and a heap of other little bits and pieces to make life a little easier as we free camp our way around Australia..

Our friends John and Barb Ross are now going to join us on the initial start of our trip especially down through the centre of Australia.  We were all in Brisbane last weekend so it was a good chance to all get together and introduce them to Ian and Kathy. 

Barb enjoying their maiden voyage in their van.

John tinkering and fine tuning for the big lap..

Checking out their van..

We checked their van out on the Saturday night and they all joined us for dinner on Sunday night at Sarah and Colin's.  Lots of excitement and laughter as we talked about and planned our adventure.  The game of Zilch sealed the night.  I think that we realize that if we are camping around people we won't be able to play this at night as we had such a ball, the noise and laughter was pretty loud....
All in all,  it makes for an exciting 12 weeks ahead as we plan and dream about the Lap.

The Ross's and Forwards meet and greet

The blokes

Willow joining us for desert when the others joined us for dinner..

 We are packing now to head away for a week in the van next week at Tannum Sands.  Ian and Kathy will be joining us.  A bit more planning, and some fishing and relaxing are on the cards...
All practice runs for the big adventure...