soulgifts – Telling Tales

We left TRH the Second and his good lady wife on Wednesday morning. Unusual for me, I had indulged in four cups of coffee. I’m normally a one cup gal.  Of course this meant I had to go to the loo sooner rather than later. We had a pitstop in a little country town called Derrinallum.

Having successfully navigated my way across the road, I suddenly found myself flat on the ground. I had tripped on the edge of the drain and fallen face forward into the gutter. It winded me. As I lay there gasping for breath wondering what the hell had happened to me, TRH (The Retired Husband) rushed out of the men’s loo to see what the weird noise was he heard. Needless to say he was rather nonplussed to find his dearly beloved sitting in the gutter gasping for breath.

Being a generously proportioned person, we were next presented with the dilemma of getting me back onto my feet. Everything hurt. Being in a state of shock, I initially couldn’t do anything to help. My legs were screaming *incoming cramp*. Now, if you have ever had one of those, you never want to have another. Trust me.

I was left with the option of bum crawling to the public rubbish bin some 5 metres away and using it as a lever to pull myself up without ending in a screaming heap of cramped agony.

Just as we were discussing what to do, a couple of random strangers stopped to render assistance. With the help of these two angels, I was hoisted to my legs before I could blink. Cramp free. Thank the Lord!

So dented dignity, some gravel rash, bruises and sore bits all over, have left me hobbling around  for the remainder of our trip.

When we crossed the border from Victoria to South Australia on Wednesday, we drove past the Quarantine Station. A system based on trust that people will do the right thing, it’s a biosecurity measure desgined to protect the agriculture of South Australian Riverland in the main  from fruit fly.

It can decimate the thriving $400 million fruit industry very quickly.

Being seasoned travellers, we know better than to bring fruit and vegetables home from interstate.

We’ve spent the last two nights in Mt Gambier with Shalini. On our last road trip we visited all the main tourist sites here. This time we had a leisurely rest, sleeping in, nanna napping, and attending to some jobs like having the car laser washed. And of course me licking my wounded dignity.

Tomorrow we are homeward bound, expecting to arrive late afternoon to a raucous greeting from Tess.

As always, it will be nice to be back home.

Whilst the car was being stripped of dead bugs and road grime, I used the time to snap a series of photos. So this is what you see from the inside of a car when it is being washed by a machine.

 © Raili Tanska

Steps for Peace

Five enemies of peace inhabit us – avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace — Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)