Our plan of a sleep in was struck with a bout of misfortune this morning when Bethany decided at the ripe hour of 8:00AM that her bladder wasn’t going to hold out any longer. Taking her for a quick walk in the chill of the morning was enough to freshen me up, and any thought of further sleep was cast aside.

Instead, I reveled in the early morning glow of the sun as it rose into the azure sky bereft of any clouds for what promised to be another perfect day in paradise. I even took a short stroll myself, down to the lake, to find that the water level has continued to rise overnight. I made a mental note to find out from whence it is fed, as it has been a couple of days now since precipitation has tumbled down. I can only hazard a guess that it is being filled by distant run off.

Back in the van, as Bec and the two dogs continued to slumber on the bed, I wrapped myself up in blankets to ward off the cold permeating the thin walls of the van, reading a book while pondering the tranquility just outside our condensation drenched windows.

Guess Who Else…

…Wants Breakfast?

With Bec arising somewhat later in the morning, it was closer to lunch time that we set about to prepare breakfast, a delicious feast of bacon and eggs, washed down for me with a litre of steaming hot coffee. Hardly wanting to move at the conclusion of our indulgence, we decided that we really ought to make the most of our day here. We started with a wander up towards the main car park, although we hadn’t made it too far when we gleefully discovered a pile of timber, left behind by another caravanner. It wasn’t a lot, but we cheerfully declared that it would suffice for a small evening campfire tonight as we slowly manhandled it back to our own little patch of wilderness. Only when we returned once more to the van did we face the mountain of dishes that needed to be done. No small chore, I was about worn out by the time we were done.

Our Little Log Pile.

No rest for the wicked though, as we secured the dogs in the van, so that we could take a wander down to the lake again. It was more of a trial, to get them used to being in the van on their own again, hopefully with no further wet and smelly mishaps. They handled it with aplomb this time around, although we were gone for barely half an hour.

While Bec then set about tidying up the inside of the van, de-fleecing our furnishings as best she could of almost enough dog hair to make another dog, I tumbled around in the back of ‘The Beast’ drawing out my little chainsaw. Far from being sizeable or powerful enough to fell even a smallish tree, it made short work of the little logs we had lugged back earlier, turning them into perfect campfire sized chunks of combustible carbon for incineration this evening.

There was just a final chore left for the day then, as Bec sat outside with one dog at a time to give them a brush, hoping to prevent any further influx of wooly hairballs floating about in the van. With our work done for the day, it was well and truly time for a drink. We have found though, that much more alcohol than is usual for us has been consumed over the last few days, as we choose to live by the mantra that we are on holidays and thus will enjoy it to the utmost. In a slight nod to cutting down on the booze, I have decided that from hence forth, not a drop shall pass my lips before 5:00, and I really think that I should be able to live up to this decree as I am rarely up before 5:00 in the morning anyway!

With our tipple in hand, we raided the fridge for some snacks, in lieu of a proper lunch considering the lateness of our breakfast. Chowing down on an assortment of cheese, dips and crackers we worked it off immediately by taking the dogs for another walk around the camping area. All four of us arrived back at the van in varying states of weariness, especially Alvin who I thought I was going to have to carry the final hundred yards or so. This put a vitalizing siesta for one and all on top of the agenda.

Off For A Walk.

By the time we awoke, plans for dinner were put into place, Bec cooking up a storm in the kitchen in just enough time for us to dine alfresco, peering fondly across the lake as the sun began its afternoon show of dipping below the horizon in a display of pink and orange hues that are impossible to describe.

Dinner And…

…Smores.

With dinner consumed and the sun down, it was time enough for us to generate our own light show as I constructed an elegant pile of dried timber, before setting it aflame. With a crackle and pop, the tongues of flame took hold amongst the tender kindling, educing a spectacle like only a campfire can. While I made Smores, Americas favorite campfire treat for dessert, Bec bounced around like the devil incarnate, poking and prodding and adding way more wood than I thought necessary to the fire. I had to remind her on several occasions that it was meant to be a campfire and not a bon fire, while also pointing out that in case of emergency, the nearest hospital was 250KM away, and in the wrong direction.

By Fire Light.

It was fun though, and I have to hand it to her, she had that little fire stoked up to outstanding proportions as we sat enjoying the utmost serenity of the bush as our pile of lumber dwindled to glowing red coals. The warmth of the fire exhausted, the chill night air quickly took hold, thus we retreated to the relative warmth of the van where a hot shower beckoned, before we spent the remainder of the evening curled up beneath the duvet, staring intently at the moving picture box.

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