Hello.

I have had no computer for near on 3 weeks.  I have missed it. 
My computer guy has not long left.  He is good but gosh he can talk.
 
I have been away and not been able to tell you all about the exciting places I have been.  
It's bedtime now and I'm away all day tomorrow but come the weekend and I will be on here to fill you all in.  I just know that you are all hanging on to the edge of your seats in anticipation.  Or not! 

East Mt Barren Day 3, Morning.

Because we had left home Thursday night we had managed to get to the worksites earlier than intended and with Hubby having me there to *help* him he managed to get the work finished a bit sooner than first thought.

This gave us the chance to get out to East Mt Barren earlier than planned.  .   Below is a photo taken on my last visit to Hopetoun back in May.  I am overlooking the Culham Inlet, the mountain in the background.

This mountain is in the Fitzgerald River National Park, Western Australia
The park has been closed for awhile due to upgrading of the roads and there are still parts closed so we didn't have to pay the entry fee.  The views from the road, out over the ocean, going up to this hill were fantastic and the closer we got to the mountain the more impressive it looked.  Our plan was to climb it but the closer we got the less confident I felt.
But Hubby is a dear and assured me that I'd be fine and what did it matter anyway if I couldn't, we'd be coming back some other time and I could always try again then.  So we park in the carpark and get out.  I have my trusty backpack on.  In it is all the stuff I wont need...

There is a wooden walkway leading up to the base of the mountain and I go to take a photo...only to find out that some idiot forgot to recharge the batteries.  But I had spares...that didn't work...Idiot!!!!

No non-working camera was going to stop us though so off we went.
The mountain was high, the direction was up, the path was rocky...There are markers leading the way and by the time we were half way my goal was only to reach the next marker and that seemed to make it a bit less daunting.  Afterall, anyone could get to the next marker, it was right there...

We kept stopping so I could rest look at the view and long before I collapsed we had reached the top.  Well, maybe not the top top but it was really really high and the next highest point looked like too much hard work.  We couldn't see any more markers or anything that might be a path...but I don't think we were at the true summit.  I will do some research so next time I know where the top is.
The view though from where we were...absolutely fantastic.  If you are ever in the area, make the effort and climb.  And you don't have to go all the way to see forever...
Coming down was a tad trickier than going up.  Afterall, it was all downhill.  On a windy path with big rocks that needed to be used ass steps.  Nothing for the husband with big strong legs but me with my weak short ones...a different story.  To make the downward trip more dangerous the path was covered in loose stones that slipped away as you trod on them.  I would have gone a header a few times if he wasn't there to stop my quick downward falling..  But before we knew it we were back on the wooden walkway and I was thinking that that wasn't as bad as it looked and we mustn't have reach the top as we were only gone a couple of hours...

It really wasn't a bad climb.  We were stopping often to have a look at the view and there were lots of lizards around.  The wildflowers were abundant and some were so beautiful.

I can now say, in a casual nonchalant voice, "East Mount Barren?  Been there done that"  The fact that I have no photos to prove it. pffft, I have the feeling of greatness and that my friend, is better.  And I will get the photos next time.


OK, I did some web searching and *stole* this photo.  I hope I don't get in trouble for putting it here.  My photo would have looked just the same if I had of been able to take one.  It doesn't look that big does it.
To get how massive it is you really "had to be there"

Hopetoun, Mason Bay Trip. Day 2.

Saturday, Day 2 of Hubby's work-trip and I stayed in Hopetoun while he went off and did more of yesterday.

There was a market in town that morning so that was on my agenda and I had planned on riding out to Five Mile Beach as well as a few more things.

I was up by 6 so went for a walk into town and down to the beach.  Around a few of the streets then back to the house for a coffee with Hubby.
We had seen a sign for a garage sale so went looking for that before he went to work but as we were too early I got him to drop me off at a lookout sign I had seen as we passed..  He went off to work, I went off exploring.  There were paths leading away from the lookout platform so I wandered down one, along a road, down another path.  I was looking at the view and some of the flash new houses but eventually I was ready to go back to the house and...Which way is back?!  Didn't know.  I kinda knew the direction I had to go and after a few dead end steets I found the path to the lookout so I backtracked to that and got my bearings from there.
The photo below was taken from the lookout.  That mountain in the background is East Mt Barren, on my list for when Hubby wasn't working.

 Once I was at this lookout I knew the way back to the house so went back and had breakfast.
Come 9.15 and I walked into town again.  The CWA was have Devonshire teas and I was planning on having one.  I get there and the markets are setting up close by and the CWA also had stalls but I changed my mind about the coffee and scone.  Wandered around the markets, didn't buy the fairy floss I wanted...I see a trend here.  I haven't had DT or FF for years and was looking forward to both but my *don't spend* mentality keeps stopping me.  I regret not buying the FF, maybe next time.  I did buy a small salt and pepper set though, both grinders so they will be added to my van and a hand beater, the oldfashioned kind with a wooden handle.  The daughter borrows mine quite often so now she has her own.  $2 each and there was a nice yellow fitted sheet for $1 so I bought that as *someone* hadn't put a sheet on the swag and I like sleeping on sheets!  All up I spent $6, all on stuff that was better for me than DT and FF.

After the markets it was another walk to the beach, just because I was there, the beach was close...
The beaches here are lovely, clean clear water and though there is weed along the beach the bare sand is clean and firm to walk on.

 Back to the house to get the bike and ride out to Five Mile Beach.

Started out riding but something had happened to the handlebars, they were loose and kept slipping so after a couple of wobbly km's I thought I'd better not risk it and pushed it back home.  Had lunch and a read of a book instead.  Another walk into town to see if there was anything new at the markets then back home to find Hubby had finished already and was there too.

My first day in Hopetoun seemed to be full of walking.  The house we were staying in is only about 1/2km from town, not far at all but after the 5th or 6th time it did became a bit old.

We fixed the bike handlebars that afternoon, I couldn't do it earlier as I didn't have the right tools and I say "we" but really, Hubby did it for me.

Then fishing out at Culham Inlet. 

Back into town to the fish and chip shop for tea!

I had a great day but am looking forward to tomorrow when we attempt to climb East Mt Barren.  That is that mountain that can be seen in the background of the photo above.  Should be *fun*

BEEn Away.

*nucleus.  Small hive with a new queen bee to requeen some of the weaker hives.  These Apiarists breed their own queens. 

Hubby had to go down to the Hopetoun area to put some nucs (*nucleus) on so I sweet talked him into taking me along for the ride.   The plan was for him to do a few days work then we would have a day or 2 to ourselves for camping.

This work site is a good 7 hour drive from our home so we left the night before, hoping to get an early start and therefore getting more time for ourselves.

After getting to where the nucs were he needed to unload the water tank from the trailer.  Check that there is no water in it, unbolt it...then pull....

 Keep pulling....

 Gently does it....

  And it's off...

Now drive a long way away to where the nucs are and load the trailer with them.

  Get the smoker going as the nucs need to be smoked to calm the bees before they are lifted onto the trailer.


Then drive all around the bush to the different sites and unload 2 or 3, drive some more, unload some more, and so on until they have all been dropped off at the right site.  Some of the sites are only a few kilometres apart but because of the rough roads and the need to go so slow it can take nearly an hour or so to get to the next one.

The bees in the nucs need to settle down for awhile before they can be added to the main hive that needs them.   Usually this is done the next day but we had 2 sites a looong way out that would have added an extra half days work so we decided to wait and do them while we were there.  Because we had his car set up as  our camping vehicle it was just a matter of pulling out the small stove and the smoko box and we settled down to wait an hour or so.

They had marked the hives that needed requeening so it was just a matter of finding the old queen and getting rid of her and then putting the new one in.  OK, not as simple as that as sometimes it's hard to find the queen and they have to put in newspaper before adding the new frame...He did explain it all to me but I was too busy squealing and jumping around trying to get away from the bees that were flying everywhere so didn't really take it all in.   I then go off for a long walk while he gets to work without the SookyLaLa making a racket and upsetting the bees.

I wasn't completly useless though.  It was my job to check the water tanks.  If they were less then half full we/he would have had to put the water tank back on the trailer go into town then come back out and fill the troughs up. That would have been another days work so luckily we didn't need to do that.

Check out the little frog.  Birds and bugs and other things also use these water tanks.  The floating stuff and sticks are so the drinkers can land and be able to get out without drowning.  Apparently bees drink a lot of water and it was only because it had been raining in this area that these didn't need refilling.

This was all a good days work, after which we drove into Hopetoun where we were to stay the next few nights.  The next day he went out to put the remaing nucs on while I stayed in town and did some exploring.


Going with him when he does the bee work is always interesting.  There is so much involved in keeping the hives healthy and getting the honey.  It is very hard work and me being able to see how some of it is done makes me extra thankful for the yummy honey I get to have on toast for breaky.

She is home...

Oh!! Good news.
When we got home this afternoon Wanda was parked in the driveway.  So pleased about that.  She needs to have everything refitted but that shouldn't take long and a trip with her is already planned.

I'm Ba-aacckk.

I've been away and now I'm home
Come back soon to see where I roam(ed).

Clever aren't I.  Or silly, don't matter which.

I have been away, I will write up about it in a couple of days time so if you are interested come back then.  It was a great trip, lovely place...