Clues and Signs ... Everywhere

Clues and Signs

Last Sunday saw our departure from Greens Creek to stay at (what we refer to as) ‘home base’ in Tandur for 2 weeks. It is always like coming home when we stay at this property that belongs to friends. During this stay, we will mind their French Bulldogs for a few days as they take a camping trip for a much-needed break. We love their Frenchies… they are such fun to be around!

When we arrived in Gympie from Mt. Marshall and moved into the property at Greens Creek, the clues of winter’s approach were visible. Ever lowering temps, misty mornings, yellowing leaves. It’s hard to believe how 2 months sped by.

We were aware that we had been called to WAIT! Wait, said Father God. Wait! How many times hadn’t the word come to us that we should take one day at a time, and as we wait, to strengthen our walk with Him. The clues were there that we were arriving at that place of thankfulness under all circumstances: peace that passes understanding; feeling hope, regardless of apparent gloom. Hope! That quiet confidence in His ability to work it all out for our good because we love Him and feel that we are called according to His purposes. Surety, that nothing happens without His consent and that the waiting period we were in had a reason, a purpose. Yes, we finally began to feel at peace, regardless.

However, I can be a ‘Mary’, sitting at the feet of the Lord at the start of my day for an hour or so, but I very quickly transition into a ‘Martha’ who cannot sit still and wait. So, apart from last week when I set up our new bookkeeping system, the entire period in Greens Creek was spent setting up our website store and creating content for it. I’m hoping to turn the love I have for designing stationery on Canva into a form of income that may help keep the wheels turning.

After pouring out my heart to my Father one morning in Mount Marshall, I felt that He was ok with what I intended to do. (Prov 16 v 3.) I leave it in His hands. All set to open a store on Etsy, I noticed that many creators were abandoning Etsy due to changes in the terms and conditions. I felt it best to give the platform a miss. Their problems need to be ironed out. I don’t have the energy to deal with apparent dramatic decisions to close people’s accounts and the withholding of funds on a whim. 

So, to our website I turned my attention. Hosting the store on our website means the marketing falls solely on me, whereas with an Etsy-like platform, it is all done for you. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the secret to making money online, and that part I have yet to learn and apply. But because I can’t pay someone to set this up for me, I DIY and learn as I go along. What do I know about setting up an online store? Diddly-squat! Anyhow, I hope people will look past the amateurish look of the store and check out the content that took hours to create. Perhaps someone will find something useful.

Recently, I registered LibSandy as a business for proofreading services. I then used those registration details to set up payments for digital items created by SBCreative (my pseudonym for the stationery design) on our Undeserted website. 😆This is what happens when you do things back to front! You get tangled in the details. In the end, it was all accepted and payment forms were successfully tested.

Connecting bank accounts to third-party online payment services (PayPal, etc.) was nerve-wracking! Going through verification checks; testing to see if they worked; waiting to see if said third parties had found any problems with my account and/or website. The website must comply with legal privacy requirements, but thankfully it is hosted by the reputable Wix platform which offers good explanations and help towards wording.

While at Greens Creek, AJ kept himself busy around the property. Mowing the steep lawns was a nerve-wracking idea until he began and found that the mower wouldn’t topple and handled very well. 😅 

The van always needs attention, as does the vehicle, and who better than pernickety AJ to correct things and find new ways to load our stuff?  In the interest of safety, AJ invested in and installed a new dash cam that has reverse capability too, as well as a weigh scale for the caravan and car. The scale is a game-changer! Now the guesswork is taken out of the packing and loading each time, so we can travel more safely, and IF we get pulled over by zealous traffic police, we won’t be too nervous, as we’ll know that we are within our weight limit. Weight and balance, weight and balance! That’s the secret to safe caravanning.

Surviving on one’s reserve funds makes you cringe every time a dollar is spent. But we have managed to keep it to a minimum and 10 months on here we still are, by God's grace. For our 43^rd anniversary, we decided to splurge a little and enjoyed a light pub meal at the Kandanga Hotel, originally constructed in 1914. 

Our Children blessed us with a lovely bouquet.

Five weeks into our stay at Green’s Creek, I began to feel stressed about the level of the rainwater tanks. We still don’t really know what ‘normal’ use is and we seriously try to conserve water. But when you’re using someone’s valuable water source, the responsibility runs high. I prayed a couple of times – Lord please send rain. But I shrugged off the request as fast as I made it since this is NOT the season for rain. Well, the Lord complied. "Look what I can do," I imagined Him saying with a smile. Don’t you just love it when He pulls off the improbable? We received 35 mm of rain over 5 days! The tanks were full again. Praise you, Jesus! With the rain, the temps also eased off, and instead of 1- and 2-degree mornings, we moved to 11 and 12 C. That was a blessing! One can think when it’s not that cold. 😊

Shortly after arriving at Greens Creek, we discovered a delightful walk of about 5 km along a country road winding through dairy farms. What bliss! There were two hills on this route – the kind of steep hill that makes you want to bend your back as you ascend because you can’t remain straight up. Phew! Did that get our hearts pumping. Great cardio! 

After 2 weeks we began to improve in performance, climbing without resting halfway.  On one occasion we were simultaneously discussing a political issue quite animatedly all the way up the hills. 😄 

Sadly, many a morning was just too damp and misty to walk, and by the time the sun burnt the mist away the morning was well underway with a to-do list waiting. 

With only months to go before we will no longer be housesitting but pursuing paid employment, we have also registered AJ’s business name. He will be AJ-unDESERTED at your service. 😊 At this stage, the signs are that we may move into caretaking of tourism properties, aka caravan parks and/or motels, of which there are thousands in this country. We will focus on preparing ourselves for that while we are at our next housesitting in Rockhampton. 

The next step for me is a food handlers’ course which is, thankfully, delivered online. Finally, after 43 years, I might put my Diploma training to good use. 😆 After that, I’ll need to learn to operate a few types of Reservation Software. It’s still going to be a tough walk.

We have a 2-week trip coming up (God willing) to get to Rockhampton for our 3-month housesitting. Because it’s still quite chilly and because we’re planning to divert inland to take our trip north, we invested in a diesel heater for the caravan. Delivered yesterday, it will be a welcome addition for those bitterly cold mornings when the inside temp of the van has had time to match the outside temp when it’s between 0 to 6 C. *Shiverrrrrs* (Queensland’s interior can get c-c-c-cold.) AJ's looking forward to installing it himself. Common consensus is that it is a must-have for quality of life during the winter. After spending a few winter nights in the van, we believe them!

Scriptural clues

Early in May, after the 3^rd occasion of coming across a verse or a reference to Psalm 23, I had the feeling that God was trying to say something. This made me sit up and take notice. A few days would pass, and sure enough … there was another. And another a few days later. The clues were there … God was drawing our attention to Psalm 23. I recalled a book I have in storage, “Treasures in the Psalms”, by Henry M Morris. I dug it out and AJ and I enjoyed a few wonderful reminders:

• The Lord is our Shepherd. We shall not want. (He knows best! All our needs are met.)
• He causes us to lie down in green pastures. (How real that was! There we were, surrounded by green pastures in a lovely home, and at no cost.)
• He leads us beside still waters, restores, indeed refreshes, our souls. (Finally, we were experiencing peace in our circumstances.)
• He guides us along right paths … (I love how the Amplified Bible puts it: [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. Constantly we ask Him to show us the way, and constantly we feel the return reply of ‘Have no fear’. Wait.)
• Even though we walk through the valley, (that deep dark [sunless] valley of anxiety, of fear of the unknown, of facing steep financial commitments later this year …  that valley of shadows that threatens to engulf you at your weakest moment …) we will fear no evil. (Why? The rod of protection and the staff to guide is an ever-present symbol that He is never far off … always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.)

      

Also, what sheep spends hours in anxiety and sleepless nights wondering where he will get grass to eat the next day? No, he knows it's the shepherd's task to lead and that shepherd has never yet failed to lead. 

The writer also pointed out that if a sheep was prone to wandering off, Eastern shepherds of old would lame that prone-to-wander sheep, and then carry it upon his shoulders until it healed. After that, it would never leave, as it knew the sound of his voice, and sought to remain near the comforting, protective presence of the shepherd.

This is where we find ourselves at present … we only find comfort in His presence and His promises. Some days we feel as if we are hobbled. No, knackered! But He carries us through to the next.

• He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies … (we are not aware of any enemies, except those spiritual ones who wish to bring about our downfall. They are ever snapping at our heels. Eager to scupper the purpose that our God has for us. The enemy of doubt is the worst. Somewhere I read that the opposite of faith is not doubt … it is unbelief! God forbid that we are filled with unbelief. )
• You honour me by anointing my head with oil. (We were "marked" with the oil of His Holy Spirit the day that we placed our trust in Jesus.)
• My (our) cup overflows. (Even as we minimize our spending, we have no shortage of anything. In fact, we have recently been challenged to give up even that which we have – to cast our bread upon the waters, as it were. It’s not ours anyway … everything we have is from His hand and remains His to direct.)
• Only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life, and through the length of my (our) days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my (our) dwelling place. (How we long for that eternal home! Here, on earth, we are merely travellers passing through.)

To wrap up, a quote from AW Tozer: 

“In natural matters, faith follows evidence and is impossible without it, but in the reality of the spirit, faith precedes understanding; it does not follow it. The natural [hu]man must know in order to believe; the spiritual [hu]man must believe in order to know.”

We are constantly aware of the signs of His presence. Of blessings all around. The memory of His faithfulness in the past. The answers to our prayers of last month, last week, yesterday and today. Even the ‘No, not now’ response is still a reply.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55, v 8.

Thanks for reading this far. Until next time. 🧡

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Current update:

The above was written ready for me to post on the blog the minute we arrived here in Tandur 10 days ago.  

Well, we had our plan for this time, but the Lord allowed another. 😢

As we arrived in Tandur on Sunday and AJ exited the car he became aware of increasing agony. An hour later he was doubled over, unable to come upright, and in extreme pain. He had been aware of hurting his back three days before leaving Greens Creek, but we thought it was muscle spasm. (He had lifted a lawnmower and simultaneously twisted his body to put it down to stow it.)

After a sleepless, agony-filled Sunday night, it became apparent that it was worse than muscle spasm. I took him to the emergency department the next morning early. After several tests and investigation, they assured us it was muscle damage and to rest at home.

But after another night where he could neither sit, stand, walk, lie down, much less sleep, we rushed to the doctor on Tuesday. He was sent for a CT scan, and sure enough, the doctor’s prognosis was confirmed. AJ had a slipped disc.

Agony is a meek word for what he was (and still is) enduring. With heavy medication, we were told that all he could do was rest and …. wait! There is a 50/50 chance that he would heal with no lasting pain. If not, a future operation would be the way to go. We are praying for a healing touch from the Lord.

Words fail me for the turmoil of emotions that beset us in the following days. What about work prospects? What about our van life? Will he come right? Why did this happen? If only he didn’t do that activity that day …! All the usual questions and thoughts came flooding in that beset a person after an injury. 

The dogs arrived for 4 days, but they were a welcome distraction that had me running and operating to a routine. After 4 days, their owners picked them up and promptly insisted that we stay in the house until the 2^nd of August, as they were not planning to come up for the next weekend. Speechless, we accepted. This huge blessing will give AJ a chance to remain in bed as much as possible and to heal for a good 3 weeks instead of 2. God is so good to us through this couple’s generosity. 

Many more blessings abound ... the Lord is our Shepherd, right? All our needs are met! 

• We had just recently found a South African doctor, who has been incredibly supportive towards us. 
• We have State Medicare, so we have only paid small amounts for medication.
• We have friend's rallying to support and to pray. 
• AJ was able to load, hitch and tow before the worst pain kicked in. If it happened while we were at Green's Creek things would've been so much more difficult. 
• We are able to stay here where it is peaceful and comfortable, and we have all we need. (Green pastures ... quiet streams.)

It's a week on and AJ still cannot come upright and walk properly. We are assured that it will improve, but only over 4 to 6 months. I first thought that I would need to go on to the next housesitting alone. But he wants to go along. However, the van will be stored for the 3-month duration. We have a friend willing to tow the van to store it at our in-laws' property. AJ cannot drive or risk operating anything mechanical, and the van requires a lot of manual labour. 

Our two-week trip into the western reaches of Queensland will have to wait for another day. Now is the time to heal. Fortunately, the next housesitting is light work with no pets. We are solely there to care for the home. Time to heal indeed.

Thanks for stopping by. We appreciate your prayers at this time. 

AJ and Sandy 🌼

The road less travelled

Green’s Creek

This morning, we woke up to another misty morning here in Green’s Creek … the cooler weather delivers beautiful ethereal scenes in the valleys around us. We are just outside of Gympie City. We are housesitting for friends for a total of 8 weeks, while they are in Greece for missions’ purposes. We have the loveliest views all around because the house was designed with large picture windows to enjoy the views that nature delivers all day long – rolling hills, cattle pastures, creeks, forests dams and more.

We are not far from our children, so we can catch up now and then. There are no animals to take care of, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage – we love having a dog around, but it is also fine to have a break. However, now that the morning walks are not mandatory – self-discipline must be employed! But we have discovered a quiet route into the hills, which is challenging elevation-wise, and so peaceful, among cows, pastures, and open forest.

Road trip 

The road trip to Gympie was so enjoyable. In some places we tried taking the road less travelled, and on one occasion found ourselves on a narrow stretch of farm road with only enough place for the caravan. Thankfully, we had no one approach from the front. It was an example of what can happen when, one, you don’t know the countryside, and two, you trust Google Maps. 😆

We left Mount Marshall at lunchtime, and made our way to Clifton, 20 minutes away. We stayed at the Showgrounds camping ground. It was exciting to be in the van again and we enjoyed a lovely, albeit chilly night.

From there we drove through a small village called Nobby, destination Toowoomba, a bustling Southern Downs city. There too, we stayed at the showgrounds. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to explore the local attractions, so, God willing, we shall have to return at some point. In Nobby we spotted a charming old pioneer hotel with a free camp opposite it. However, most people would buy a meal in the pub as a thank you to the town. 

Lots of history and stories associated with Nobby. Have to go back sometime. 

We made our way the next morning to our South African friends’ property in Toogoolawah because we had invited them to a lunch BBQ at the van. The 90-minute drive kicked off with a steep descent into the Brisbane Valley, which we were not expecting. My nerves were frayed, considering we hardly ever drive longer than 30 minutes before stopping for the night. (I must admit the towing gets to me.) I know, I know, I can hear you laughing and saying, "And you want to live in a caravan?!" Lol. 😅

We had it all planned, but our timing was waaaay off. 🥴 Fortunately, our friends were patient, because at the time we were supposed to be serving up lunch we had just started prepping the food. I was adamant that I would stick to what I had planned …a baked potato dish, BBQ chicken, a rice pudding … I got stuck in while everyone chatted, and an hour later we were enjoying our lunch-cum-dinner. 😄 To be honest, you have never seen such a mess in the caravan … I’ll leave that there. 😆 You don't want to know.

The neighbours also came intruding 😅

To top it all, the next morning I had a sourdough bread to bake. They allowed me to use their oven at the house, and I was able to gift them a sourdough starter for their kindness. After tea, we left for the next stop which was also ‘down the road’ at the Kilcoy Showgrounds. 

There AJ discovered he had another repair job to do on the box at the rear of the van as it had shaken loose. This is a box we added to house all our water pipes.

The next morning we were on our way again. I was sweating bullets at the onset of this section of the trip, and AJ was like, yeah … bring it on. 😄 Why? We had decided to take the shorter route to Kenilworth, which involved climbing Maleny’s mountain again. Waaaa!😨 I was like a corpse, so tense I was. 

The cruiser towed like the crocodile that it is, and AJ was a champ, navigating those mountain passes, steep hills, and descents in safety. God was good to us … we had no B-doubles chasing us, and on narrow hairpin bends we didn’t encounter anything from the front.

Maleny ... on top of the world.

Did we breathe a sigh of relief on arriving in Kenilworth? Again, we stayed at the showgrounds. Many showgrounds in Australia offer budget-price camping, with power and water, so they are always a hit.

Our next stop (30 minutes away 😅) was off-grid at a golf course that offers campers a place to stop. It is situated 10 km out of Imbil, in the Mary Valley. We arrived to find a van in the only flat spot, but fortunately, they were just ready to depart. We pulled up when they left, and we had the most wonderful 24 hours in a perfect setting. We aim to go back. 

AJ played a round of golf on the challenging course, more for fun, really, with me, in tow, more interested in the frogs and butterflies, than trying to locate any lost golf balls. 

We loved the natural scenes about us with the sounds of the birds. That night we made a fire in the firepit provided, and baked a pizza to enjoy around the fire.

The following day we pulled up at our in-laws’ property in Gympie, which was only 30 minutes away. They generously gave us a spot to park, with power and water for two days, until we were due to move into this home.

Our favourite low-cost camp in Gympie has closed down. Basically, a private property that allowed vans to stop for a night, right next to the Mary River. The only other option, when you need power and water, is the caravan park; with funds tight, we are appreciative of the generosity shown by friends and family.

And so, we find ourselves in Gympie once more. We are again gobsmacked at the grace of our Lord for giving us a lovely home, with a magnificent view, and everything we need for the next 8 weeks. Home sitting is volunteer work, we don’t get paid, but we save much because we don’t have to pay camping fees, or for power, water, or gas. And we get to use Wi-Fi which is always welcomed. This time, the Wi-Fi doesn’t appear to be as reliable as it was in Mt Marshall, but I have just managed to post a ‘Where are we now?’  blog post on our website blog, if you would like to read a bit more about our new home town, Gympie.

Moving in ... again!

Here in Green’s Creek, the home’s garden is very steep. AJ will have to watch out on the mower! (On that day I’ll have to inhale a little extra lavender salts to calm myself. 🤭)  

 

There is a lemon tree and a pink grapefruit tree about to abundantly deliver. Hoping they will ripen before we leave so that we can enjoy a few grapefruit. Who doesn’t love the sweet zesty flavour of pink grapefruit, right?  The tall trees around the property attract a host of ravens (crows) who can be very noisy at times. Other birds are also plenteous.

We had initially thought that, because there were no pets, we would stay in the van so that we wouldn't have to unpack it. But on the day we arrived in Gympie, we found that our gas water heating system stopped working. Fortunately, it held while we were camping off-grid. Cold showers are never welcome. Thankfully, the repair is covered by the warranty.

So, because this house is totally off the grid and we cannot run the van’s battery system on theirs also, we carried everything into the house! Honestly, that is the bane of my life. I was thoroughly depressed on the day… up and down stairs, up and down stairs, up and down … a hundred times. Ugh! After 8 weeks one forgets about it, until you have to carry everything back again. Double-ugh!!!! 😣 

This is the reason, along with the large homes to clean, that I wish we could stop housesitting. But it may not be possible for a while yet. However, by the end of October, we complete our last housesitting agreement. We trust God to show us the path to take after that. Please keep us in your prayers.

His tender care

We think back to Mount Marshall with fondness. Recalling those morning walks now, I picture Christ walking with me while I poured my heart out to Him … Christ tending to AJ in the shed as he tinkered many a day away … Christ hovering over us as we were healing from His discipline and correction, Christ wiping both our tears during moments of anguish. Oh, we came through a refining fire! Someone has said that the dross is never fully burned off, even until you finally lay your head down on the day the Saviour calls for you.

We now have peace about the future that even we do not understand. We are sure of the Lord’s help. We are confident that He won’t leave us or forsake us. 

In an earlier blog post, I wrote how I felt that God was saying that He was 'doing something new'.

“Look I am doing a new thing.” Isaiah 43

When I looked up this verse a day ago (I had forgotten where to find it), Isaiah 43 opened up. I began reading, and then I remembered … upon our baptism in 1989, Gustav’s nursery school teacher handed me a bookmark with this verse,

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour."

Said she, “I felt that this is for you as a couple.”

I still have that bookmark, though it is weathered and torn. Throughout our lives we have turned to that scripture for reassurance. For this reason, AJ often felt that He could replace the name ‘Jacob’ with his name.  And yet here, in these circumstances, we had forgotten about it. I was speechless. Why? Because it continues …

Verse 5, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Italics are mine.)

And verse 10 … 

“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord.
    “You are my servant.
You have been chosen to know me, believe in me,
    and understand that I alone am God.
There is no other God— 

Over the past few months, we have distinctly felt that God is calling us to witness for Him wherever He will send us to work. Work we must, to earn our keep. But it is sad to see how the society we live in is not partial to God. Apart from the people in our church, we have yet to meet a Christian couple/family. Many whom we speak to are openly atheist. But we do not feel that we measure up. We feel unworthy. Unequipped. And yet, are we not all called to be His witnesses everywhere we live and move and conduct our daily business and hold relationships? 

It doesn’t end there, verse 18 and 19 continues ...

“But forget all that—
    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Could this also be symbolic of the wilderness and dry wasteland of unbelief? 

After this, there is a portion pointing to discipline and correction. But also of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. An apt description of what we experienced in Mt Marshall.

So we wait. In confidence. In trust. In anticipation. God, our Father, our Saviour, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, is doing a new thing. He is working within us to equip us, working behind the scenes, and putting the pieces in place for His purposes, according to His will. Even in this, He has us on the road less travelled. We do not know what lies ahead. 

In the meantime ...

I am at work setting up a source of passive income via our website. This also serves to keep me busy while we wait out these months until October. And I do love designing documents on Canva. If you visit our website, be sure to look out for the store. Hoping to launch soon. 

We shall see how things progress. Times may still become quite challenging, but this we know, God will not forsake us! He is for us. He is with us.

Until next time.

Blessings.🌼

Home is where you ...

Home is where you ... unpack your luggage! 

image by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay

What was that?!

It was a wet, sniffly, snorting kiss – right across my cheek and nose! I woke up with a start … what was that?! Where am I? I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, it was so dark … and the snorting, grunting monster was still right there next to me…and then I remembered … we’re in Tandur! House sitting 4 dogs. And I had just been kissed by one at 2 AM! 😁

“Yes, Bentley …” I said as I reached out a sleepy hand to find that snout. Instinctively I knew it was he. The teenager … the busy one … he had to let me know that he’s up to go out for the toilet. He can do it on his own as there is a dog flap for 24/7 exit/entry. Lol. I heard him go and come back in again ... strange sounds in a strange house in the middle of a very dark night. And yet, I felt I should pinch myself … perhaps I was dreaming? No, it’s for real!

We feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity. It’s a lovely home in the countryside of Gympie. Tandur is considered a suburb. I’ve had a quick search to find the history, and why it’s called Tandur but didn’t find anything, except that a school was started here in 1924. 😊  We arrived to begin the week-long sit mostly to care for the dogs – 3 Frenchies and a cute little mixed breed. Bob, Bentley, Bonnie and Breezy. The surroundings are calm and lush. It’s a huge property with plenty of space for them to run. We had an early night with the dogs on the first night and woke up to amazing bird sounds the next morning. While we were having coffee in bed a kangaroo passed by the bottom of the garden, in full view of the bedroom window, reminding us that we were in Australia. This time I had to pinch myself. We are so grateful to God for this blessing. 💕 The homeowners have made us feel very welcome; their instructions were carefully typed out and laminated; a laminated photo of each dog at its feeding station so that we can identify them, and the order of feeding was made very clear! Bob is the top dog! 😊

Settling in

We felt general nervousness-cum-excitement as we approached the time to head over to Tandur. We shopped for groceries for the 5 days but to be able to cook a meal you need all the bits too, like sauces, flour, and seasonings, and we had nothing. So, it was shopping for supplies from scratch which made me nervous, looking at the prices of everything. We packed up our belongings, loaded the car and moved on. The initial three weeks at Nadya and Dave’s were over and were we grateful for their support at the start of this new journey! It’s been non-stop go, go, go with daily commitments to get us set up for life in Aus, and to meet government regulations.

One of our tasks was to visit a financial advisor to do our first tax return. Because we had entered the country already in March, the 5 months spent in Doha were taxable. The payment for the last financial year is due by end of September. We have had our first tax bill! 😄😑 We have also opened bank accounts, a Post Office box for a fixed mailing address in case our children ever have to move, and submitted our application for the next stage of our visa – a HUGE step and an even bigger relief that it is done. 

We have submitted docs for medical cover and drafted an updated will. These first three weeks also included shopping for everything we need in the van. Some things are mandatory according to the law, and others are obvious items needed for everyday life. I felt as if I had had a kitchen tea at one stage since there was only that much we could send over from Doha. We needed to stock up with everyday items we left behind. We have also had to invest in first-aid kits including snake- and spider-bite kits (the next 2 months will be in snake and spider territory 🥴😅), camp chairs, a table, kitchen crockery, an awning tie-down kit which can withstand the wild weather in Australia, a variety of tools, storage boxes, water filters, bed linen and more. 

Shopping online in Australia is a breeze, and since Gympie does not have all the items on offer, we took full advantage. It's so fun getting parcels through the mail. 😄 We are not nearly through our list of items needed. Fortunately there is a month before we get the van. So much is needed to live on the road, all the while hoping that we'll remain within the maximum weight allowed for the van and the Ute. It’s a challenge we are only beginning to learn, and it's a rule that Queensland cops relish with glee. 🥴 Our computer gear is part of the load, printer included. However, the towing course last Friday was fun. In the end, I couldn’t stop shaking for an hour afterwards, but we found it invaluable. We both reversed the practice trailer-van into the parking space from the right and the left … reversed in a circle without jack-knifing … and learned tips and tricks that might help us not to be too much of a reality show in a caravan park when we try to manoeuvre into a space! 😆😅 We have lots of practising to do and homework to complete before we start towing. Equally as interesting will be finding ways to set up and take down at each stop without too much fuss.😅

New working routine

AJ has completed his first workweek for Gulf Helicopters. The routine will be something to get used to. We have mornings to do things; then at 13:30 Australia time he begins his work ‘day’, it being 06:30 in Qatar. He wraps up at 21:30 having to unwind a bit before he can get his brain to recognise that it’s time for bed.  😆 He’s amazing, embracing full-time TEAMS teaching like a champ! We managed to invest in a new laptop that makes it easier, as he can use a surface pen to do his usual diagrams as he used to on the whiteboard in a classroom. Fortunately, he is a night person, so going through to 21:30 is a breeze for him. I’m the morning person, mostly up with the birds, moving about, making coffee and waking him up when he could be sleeping late. 🥴 Nevertheless, his contract is an incredible blessing from our Father – a helpful kickstart to our time in Aus.

House Sitting

For us house sitting right now involves a lot of packing and unpacking. But once we have the van loaded with our possessions there will be less hassle to it all. There are pros and cons to everything in life, and in the end, it’s what one makes of it. This is the lifestyle we have chosen for our first few years in Australia. Yes, it’s always going to be a strange bed, new surroundings, strange sights and sounds, new animals each time … new shops, new streets, new neighbours, different routines. But right now, we are grateful for a space to call our own in which to be private, eat the way we prefer, and just enjoy our familiar routine, even if it’s just for 6 days.

During our second weekend in Australia, we took a drive up north to meet the homeowners that we will sit for in Oct and in November. We made it an overnight stop as it’s quite far to travel. It was the first road trip in our Ute. AJ enjoyed every minute. Believe me, it was also stressful … merely stopping at a fuel station was a challenge. 😆 Over here you have to refuel your vehicle yourself. You then walk into the store to pay, while everyone waits patiently. We were also hungry, so we moved the car to a parking space to go in and have a bite with coffee. Wow! It was the start of the school holidays, and the place was overrun. You had better know what you want and how to order it!! Luckily, they knew from our accents that we weren’t locals, so they were a little more helpful behind the counter. 😬😅 And I think they saw the desperate look in our eyes as we were trying to figure out how to order and where.

We also saw our first free camp up close and personal – one that we plan to stay in with our van for one night on the way back from house sitting in December, in a small town called Tiaro. (I said Tee-AH-ro, but Aussies say TY-ro 😆. BEWARE if you pronounce an Aussie name incorrectly … you are pounced upon!).  Free camps are exactly that, in Australia, FREE. Well, sort of. 😊 Managed by local town councils, they are areas that one can pull into for 24 hours without payment. Often there is a toilet and shower nearby, but for many one must be self-contained. Some will only have a long drop. 😊 This one at Tiaro has a shower that switches off after 2 mins. And it won't start again before 3 mins are over. 😁 Quick showers will be the norm for us anyway, even in the van, as water is something we'll cart with us and will need to use sparingly. 

Some free camps allow you to stay for 48 hours and some for 72 hours. The general understanding is that you would support the local pub or shops, or at the very least pop a $10 note in the box on the campsite and leave the site clean and tidy. (Pubs in Australia are not dissimilar to those in the UK, where they are the hangout for all the locals and travellers, and where you can get a hearty meal along with your beer and enjoy an overnight stay if needed. Each seemingly has its own story and its own character. 😊) In a week we’re off to our second house sitting further north.

Shipments arriving

We have just been notified that our first crate (from Doha) has arrived in port in Melbourne. It will take a couple of weeks to get to Brisbane. Another is due later in October with items from South Africa. 

We are having to invest in storage space at our children’s home, to store some of our things until it can all be sorted. I couldn’t part with my childhood books, for example. Hoping the grandkids will enjoy them. Andries’ golf clubs are on the way -- he can’t wait. Some glassware items for Nadya that were heirlooms from our mothers. And lots of photos! Oh, and my sewing machine. Who knows, I might be able to take up some sewing again. 

image by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay

That’s us for now. 😊

Thanks for stopping by. We’re grateful for your support along the way in this new adventure. Gus and Cha, we miss you so much, words aren't enough. 😢😞 

Next blog will be from up north in a few weeks … be blessed all. 💕

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