Whilst we did luxuriate in yet another sleep in this morning, the day was to be far from relaxing. With our first couple of visitors due to arrive in Darwin this afternoon, and due not too long after their arrival at our place for dinner, we had to give the van a once over, making sure that everything was neat, tidy and just the way Bec likes it.

So once I had hidden out in the annex for as long as I dared to upload another few photos to Flickr, while having breakfast, it was straight to it. After living in such a small space for so long, you tend to throw things wherever they seem to fall, and live with it. Piles of junk seem to accumulate on any flat surface, and cupboards require careful opening to ensure a cavalcade of bits and bobs doesn’t come pouring out of its own accord.

By the time we were done, apart from being exhausted, the van was spick and span. All of our little piles had been put away properly, the floor had been swept, benches had been wiped and I am almost certain I even caught Bec vacuuming the ceiling, although she claims she was just sucking the dust from the air conditioner vents.

The annex too, needed a quick spruce up, as this is where we will have to dine this evening. Our van dinette is a strictly 2 person affair, so it will be an al fresco evening tonight. That meant reorganizing all of the stuff we have stored beneath the canvas, to allow us to set our little camp table up to suit four bodies crowded around it.

You would think that being a living space of not much more than 20 feet in length, it wouldn’t be too time consuming a job to get it all cleaned up, but you would be wrong. It took us the better part of the morning to make sure everything was straightened up and that we were in good stead to host our visitors.

As well as the van, I took the vacuum outside to have a go at removing the bulk of the dog hair from the interior of ‘The Beast’. It hasn’t been done for a few weeks, and the leather upholstery was beginning to look like it was covered in lambs wool.

While we were in the mood to be knocking off tasks from our to do list, we pulled out the clippers, and gave the babies another haircut. Their coat has grown back quicker than what we had expected, so in an effort to protect them from the brutal heat, a trim was in order. Even with their already reasonably short manes, it was still a tedious chore, as we sat outside on the concrete to shear them. Alvin loved it, rolling onto his back and nearly falling asleep as his hair parted company from his body. Bethany still wasn’t too sure, shaking a little as the clippers coursed through her fine hair. It probably didn’t help that I might have gotten a little too close on occasion, leaving her with a couple of stripy bald spots, and a grazed knee. I’ll be lucky if she lets me near her again when I’ve got the clippers in hand.

It was worth it though, as we found out when one of our neighbors asked if we were professionals, probably hoping to save some of the $75.00 he has been quoted to get his own little pooch trimmed. The way I see it, even taking into account the purchase price of the clippers, we’re in the black to the tune of $250.00 already. The chiropractic treatment we might need tomorrow as a result of bending over to do the actual trimming may well eat into our savings though.

Given that the dogs were now sporting a new sleek profile, I was next in the barbers chair, as Bec ran the blades over my scalp. My hair had begun to become a hot and unruly mop, so it was good to be rid of it. As much as I tried, Bec wouldn’t go for the same, short back and sides hairstyle for herself.

By this stage, we had just enough time to get cleaned up and head to the shops. As well as picking up my camera, we needed to buy supplies for tonights dinner. Due to the limited storage space we have available in the fridge, it wasn’t an option to have picked it up any earlier. In fact, the relatively small sized fridge and freezer is the reason our grocery runs have become an almost daily ritual.

Getting what we needed at the supermarket, I collected my camera on the way out. It wasn’t until we got all the way back out to the car park that I thought I had better check and see what sort of job they had done on the camera. As it turned out, it was a job and a half, and not in a good way. It was in a worse condition than when I had dropped it off. I was furious, storming back through the centre to give it back to them. I am now left in the hope that they can actually make a decent recovery and get it cleaned, because I stand to lose $70.00 on a shoddy job at best now. At worst, it will render the camera unusable. To say I wasn’t too happy would be an understatement.

There was no time to dwell on it though, as we took the call that the plane had landed safely and our visitors were on their way to check in at their accommodation before heading to see us. I know Liz from work, and we have travelled with her and her husband, Greg, previously, so whilst I don’t particularly care to be talking about work while we are away, it will be great to see some familiar faces from home.

Having been on a plane for over four hours to get here, I knew that it probably didn’t matter what we fed them, they would be happy regardless, although funnily enough they didn’t want sausages. Something about being worried about eating bull willies. Between Bec and I, we cooked them up a barbeque feast, with side salads aplenty. For dessert, if you ignored the box it came in, the cheesecake could have almost been home made.

It was a great night had by all, as we caught up on some of the gossip from home, and Liz and Greg were treated to some of our anecdotes that haven’t been worthy of inclusion in the blog, but can still raise a giggle if told in just the right way, with just the right amount of embellishment.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.