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Good changes

13 April 2009

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About eight years ago I was in a minor dispute with the Tax Office and they requested bank statements for the previous five years. Not a problem I tell the accountant, they’re in a box in the basement storeroom and I’ll send them to you by the end of the month. It was not to be. A [...]

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For the want of a nail …

11 April 2009

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For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. At times I felt like I was [...]

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Paperweights and coat button polishers

10 April 2009

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In April 1861, the explorers Robert Burke and William Wills — sick, starving and desperate to survive — abandoned their surveying instruments and other ‘non-essential’ items in outback Queensland and continued south on their ill-fated journey. Almost 150 years later, in a discovery being proclaimed as the holy grail for Burke and Wills enthusiasts, a Melbourne [...]

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The countdown starts

8 April 2009

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There’s one month exactly to go for a rather special birthday, and that’s the day I plan to hit the road. Today was a good one in terms of getting the bus ready for the big adventure … the solar panels are finally in place. Unfortunately, Easter gets in the way and the final wiring will [...]

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Slight change of plan

11 August 2008

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Most of the mechanicals on Madam Plush are now completed, including, new brakes, new steering balljoints, full service, Aussie-sized seatbelts, new drive belts [including alternator belts, air-conitioning belts, and power steering belts], and I’m just waiting on comparatively minor repairs to the awning and dunny. No, I can’t tell you how much it has cost [...]

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Essential stuff

7 August 2008

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The nomad’s mantra is ’save weight’. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. But sometimes a small sacrifice has to be made. Last week I spent half a day cruising the local camping shops for some outdoor furniture to fit under the awning. In the end I simply gave up. Sure a lot of it is lightweight and [...]

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Gales can be a pain

31 July 2008

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I’m not even on the the road yet, but already the weather has me grounded. Tasmania had a typical equinoctial storm early in the month. It was wild enough to wake me, inside my solid sandstone walled bedroom. In the morning I looked out from the back deck and something about Plush’s roofline bothered me. When I [...]

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Honey, I shrunk the stuff!

11 July 2008

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While I’m still in the midst of getting rid of stuff, I have also, for about two years, been accumulating stuff specifically for going on the road. It might sound contradictory, but the process has saved me money, and put a lot of my existing stuff into perspective. I once again have my camping mindset. Packing [...]

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Stuff!

4 July 2008

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Stuff. It’s everywhere. Stuff. Stuff. Stuff. I’m sick of bloody stuff. And I have to get rid of it all before I hit the road. For starters there’s more than 2,000 books, some of them shown above, being sorted on the lounge floor. There’s more, many more, on bookshelves in the office, the bedroom and in the [...]

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Repair, rip-out or restore?

1 July 2008

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Madam Plush had a fairly schizophrenic interior when I took delivery recently. The old consists of fine Japanese carpentry used for an elegant lounge, a kitchen bench with a sink and lovely wood and brass door knobs, and a toilet. The wall and door surfaces look enamelled and everything is solid. There are some touches that [...]

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