YES ITS AN UPDATE!!!!!

THE CLOUDS LOOK LIKE THE OPENING SCENE FROM "THE SIMPSONS"......


Well since we last caught up there have been quite a few developments in the Carotone Camp.
Well where to start really....So here goes, and I may just back track a bit as I remember bits and pieces.
After two weeks of still no luck in getting a job things came a bit desperate, although the funny thing was we had applied for some jobs in Melbourne weeks before and they were just getting back to us NOW - bit late!
Tone had spoken to Barry from work about australia and he had organised us a job in Dubbo in the abattoirs - which we really did not want to do at this stage - as we would have ended up only 4 hours from our original starting point after a month on the road.
We got chatting to Neil and Judy (NZrs) over here working for a seed company which is a subsidiary of Wrightsons in NZ - so now Tone is starting his third week there as a seed bag filler - getting fitter by the day lifting 25 kgs bags.  Him and John did 17 ton of seed the other day and the boss said thats never happened before!!!!
So the pressure is on for me to get a job and I go the SPC (Shepparton Preserving Company) induction 11th February.  WOW what a place it is - its massive a 24 hour rotating shift with 200 employees every shift.
WELL I got a job there doing afternoon shifts - started Valentines day - so there went any romantic dinner, but I had left dinner for Tone - Awwwh how sweet.
Bottom line is I lasted two shifts and they can have their bloody fruit plant!!!!
Too boring Too hard on body Too hard for Tone picking me up at midnight (only one car) Too many rules Too bad if you don't get it straight up!!!!
I have decided that I have to go back to what I do best - but of course those jobs are few and far between - and before you all get ideas I mean office work!!!!!!

Suzanne arrived on Wednesday arvo after staying a couple of nights in Albury.  She is certainly settling into "retirement" and enjoying doing what she wants and when.

I will have you know that I have been doing some yummy baking and cooking as you know I love doing in my trusty oven.  Tone has been taking treats to work for him and John - need to make some more today.

There is a real community feel in this park and everyone is so friendly - its a funny place shepparton - it has all you need here as far as facilities but still has the "country" feel to it.

We are getting some walks and now I have anew bike I got yesterday biking as well.

Tone and I went to Echuca on Saturday 19th - what a great day.  Its a beautiful place - we went on the emmy lou paddle steamer and had lunch up the Murray for a cruise.  You can even stay on it over night - rooms are cosy!!!

Sunday was markets day so we cam home with some fresh produce - direct from the farms.  I made this yummy Pear Tart - boy we were all bloated after dinner.....

So thats about all the news from Shepp and hopefully I will get a Temp Job soon.

We are planning to stay here till the end of May as that is when Tone will finish the season at the seed place, and he will get his fork lift licence while there - bonus!


 We will then have a two month break -
We want to plan a weekend to the Coast as it will be Laurens 21st and sort out the storage shed!! - maybe plan to do a round trip to the "Rock" where it will be a bit warmer and come back to Coober Pedy.

Yes you heard right!
Tone and I have a 3 month stint working at the Radeka Motel in Coober Pedy doing housekeeping, maintenance, reception, transfers.  Paid job with accommodation included. Yah!!!  You will have to look up the Motel on the net.  Its an underground Motel.

Till next time enjoy the pics

Love and miss you all

THE HOPPER (SEED MIXING MACHINE)

BAGGED SEED

TONE PACKED AND STACKED THESE.

OFF TO FIRST DAY AT WORK......

SHREK COW AND US

I'M READY FOR WORK

ECHUCA

EMMY-LOU LOVELY OLD STEAMER

GET A LOAD OF THE WOODEN WHEELS

OLD BEAUTY

CHEERS!

CAN YOU SEE WHERE THE WATER GOT TOO....

MY NEW BIKE

THE CAPTAIN AND TONE

Caro and Tone

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM COW

COCKATOO COW AND US

THIS ONE IS FOR CORAL

ANOTHER WEEK FLIES BY.......

OMG........

As you all know I like warm but I do not do HEAT and for three days we suffered through 42C heat which wasn't pleasant!!   I have a sign in the shower that says 0 to bitch in 2.5 seconds which my sis Alison gave me for xmas and my god it reared its ugly head a few times.  Poor Tone......

On the Thursday when it was a lot cooler I was a different person.

Well this week has been a time of job hunting job hunting and Oh did I say job hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Out every day rain hail or HEAT knocking on doors - going to job agencies - sitting on the net for HOURS - making heaps of calls and I think its coming closer to getting there.

We did not take to offer of the mafia fruit picking as we both did not feel comfortable doing that, but we both got offered casual work in a wine bottling plant at Nagambie (45 minute drive from Shepp) - but only one of us at a time so that wasn't going to work - by the time we took off the petrol costs it was not worth it - I know it sounds ungrateful aye - but honestly I don't know where all these people are that make $$$$$$ a week while travelling around OZ coz we haven't met any!!!!!

God I sound so wingy - move on aye!

We got chatting to yet another NZ couple - my god there are heaps of them doing this caravan life from all sorts of backgrounds too - interesting!  Anyway as you know we chat to anyone and everyone and so now Tone has got a job in a company called Seed Force, which is part of Wrightsons from NZ.  He started yesterday and blitzed it of course.  Its packing seed into bags and stacking them onto pallets for distribution.  Today he is 2IC - maybe by next Monday we will GM LOL LOL LOL - taking over from me.
He will be getting some overtime and Saturday work which will certainly help as we both have not worked since December. Oh except for our stint at witlof.  I have not got work yet but have got an induction at spc-ardmona working in the HUGE factory.  I should get work from that - fingers crossed.
We had a bit of flooding on friday night and saturday - so went to bingo and then again on Monday!!  I won both times ($20) got my money back....

Suzanne is on her way to meet us, she stayed at Albury last night so should be here tonight.  Coking a beef curry and after domestics may walk into town to try my hand at bingo again Ssshhhh don't tell Tone LOL....

Not many photos this time enjoy
BEFORE I FORGET DID YOU ALL GET THE PHOTO OF THE CLOUDS - WHAT IT REMINDS YOU OF??????

Love and miss you all

OUR LAKE FRONT (OOPS I MEAN ROAD) FRONTAGE...

THIS HAPPENED WITHIN 5 MINS

AND THIS..........

BRENT AND NATHAN ON SKYPE

OUR SITE IN SHEPP - FIRST CAR CLEAN SINCE WE LEFT!

FIRST DAY AT WORK......

Carolyn and Tone xoxoxox

ON THE ROAD AGAIN................

I finished my first week as a wittler of witlof, only did till 11.30am on friday as we only had a small order - buggar.
Oh and I got promoted from just being a wittler - I was allowed to stick labels on the witlof and at the end of the day I got to wash down the conveyor belt and there is a special way of doing it you know!  I want you all to go to Woollies and look for the witlof in the supermarket and look at how it has been wittled beautifully and the labels stuck even better.
I was a bit tired after a weeks work - oh yeah nearly a week (australia day was a holiday) so had a couple or five gin an tonics to start the weekend.

On saturday did the domestic chores and had a quiet night in - it was a bit warm so we veged.  Sunday was even hotter so after an early morning walk we packed a picnic and went down to Badger Creek weir for a a lovely afternoon next to the creek eating gourmet sangas and sipping champagne.

Tone spent all of thursday friday and saturday chasing work but to no avail - its alwasy I will give you a call and it becomes frustrating as we are bothin willing a able to do anything - except for weeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday night brought about some changes as we chatted to a few people on sunday and decided to head north of Healesville to Shepparton where the fruit picking is starting and OMG we turn up and its 42C - we will melt away picking the plums........

Of course there is the "mafia" way where you go with "Terry" to the farm or go through the red tape version.  You want to get work but you have to deal with sarcastic shitty bitches - who look down on "pickers" - its a real problem we are encountering - but we will soldier on.  We are off to do some serious door knocking tomorrow and if all else fails we will pick for "Terry"!!!!!!!!!


Its so funny but we were playing sequence with Gloria and Barry and the next night they came over and wanted to play again so Gloria wore her aussie apron and pointed to the words on it instead of swearing - what a laugh - but her favurite saying was "Off with your head and on with a pumpkin"
I suppose you had to be there but it was cute - she is 80 next month and her and Barry are still travelling around - good on them!!

Monday we were up early to leave Healesville to get to Shepparton - a really good run - nearly all the way on freeways which suited me.  I don't like the windy roads and hills - scary!!!!!

MARYSVILLE VIC 2 YEARS ON AFTER BLACK SATURDAY

MAROONDAH DAM......

THE DAM

US ON THE DAM

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE??????

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DAM - HOLDING A LOT OF WATER

IAN AND SUE (WORKED WITH SUE)

LAKE EILDON DAM - SEE THE CAR?

PICNIC AT BADGER CREEK WEIR - JUST HAD A DIP.......

Catch you all soon - love you all xoxoxoxoxo

THE WITTLER OF WITLOF SIGNING IN.........

I have just completed my third day at the witlof farm as a wittler of Witlof.  Now for those of you who have been living on another planet is is a specialty lettuce sold to Woolworths in NSW and QLD.  I expect you all to go and take a look and especially take note of the nice shape they have been wittled into.....
Next I have been given new tasks to do which included sticking the labels on the two packs which gets sent to woolies.AND THEN I got the finish of the day job of cleaning the conveyer belt which with witlof go up to be packed - I know I bet you all wish you could do my job!!~!!!!!!!!!!

I am on my feet for about 7.5 hours a day - and I know you are all saying HTFU!!!!  Well I will soon.

The girls are nice and very country up here in Healesville, but we are having fun and spreading the Sequence game to the whole country.  As we get on around we are playing the game and letting everyone we meet into our circle......

No photos today, as we have been a bit busy, but will get some more on the weekend.

Missing all of you and hoping you are all keeping in good health, and oh yes I luvs ya all!!!!!!!!

TONES TURN --

Well a day on the tractor and weed eating on the farm not much more happening as the work on the farm is slow for me Im off to Geelong 2moro to c about another job for both of us and to move on hopefully all good its a bit of a shame as we both like this little country town and all of its surroundings.
But we have to find work (If only we could hang on here for 2-3 weeks we would be guaranteed work here)

WE LOVE YOU ALL xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

CAN SOME ONE COME AND GET US!!!!!

It was up hill and down dale and round lots of bendy bits to get from Sale to Heaseville - which is down the hill from Toolangi where we went to work on the Witlof farm....
We are staying in Heaseville Tourist Park, which is in the Yarra Valley - sorta like the Hunter Valley but much prettier.  There is a lot to see around here and its very quaint and only one hour south to the big smoke of Melbourne - It is very HOT here but a bit cooler up the hill at toolangi.

Its funny you know after we moved from c4 site to c1 site we did some touring the area, but did some looking for other jobs - just in case.

HEALESVILLE TOURIST PARK - SITE C4

WALKING TO BADGER CREEK WEIR

SO MANY BEAUTIFUL FERNS......

BADGER WEIR BUILT IN 1914 TO WATER HEALESVILLE

AT WEIR

MACRO PHOTO OF SNAKE - OOPS I MEAN LIZARD!!

THE WEEDERS AT END OF ROW TWO....

LOOK HOW LONG THE ROWS ARE!!!!!!

AFTER 4 ROWS - DELIRIOUS!!!!!

I AM NOT MOVING ALRIGHT!!!!!!

We had a trip out to Badger Creek Weir - very pretty!!!!
We were up at 6am this morning -friday 21st  to start our new job - with the Cambodians - we were going to show them how it was done!!!!

OMG - we did 4 rows which took us about an hour each row with one of us on each side of the row which had three rows of plants in it!

We were shattered - I would use stronger language but it may get censored our backs and knees were numb and we have blisters on our thumbs from the knife we used to weed with.

Told ED it was too hard - see ya later - he was not worried but will talk to his brother George and we may get something less physical to do like digging trenches lol lol  lol.....

Oh and the funny thing that made my day was that Ed thought we had done a great job getting the rows done in a good time considering we were "60"...........LOL LOL LOL - he then tried to make amends by saying that I was maybe mid 40s.  He said that Tone looked 40 when he arrived!!!!!!

Oh I can't stop laughing at that one - thats for sure......

We had spared no expense in buying shirts from lifeline to wear to our new job and they have gone straight in the bin when we got back to the van park.  We were covered in dirt from head to toe - we had dirt on our feet which had gone through our shoes and socks - grubs -  we had a bit of lunch and lay down just jfor a wee rest - and woke up 2 hours later - not able to move from the bed - it has taken us 1/2 and hour to loosen up the bones....

God it sound like we are wingers but I can't believe we did that big walk up that bloody mountain and yet can't pull a few weeds - I think we need to HTFU!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy our new pics.....

HITT'N THE ROAD

Tone and I took a drive out to a nice place called Lake Conjola not far from Milton and did a bit of a kayak around the Lake.  It was a nice place with heaps of campers and their boats of all varieties.

After that bit of physical exursion we ventured over the dunes to the beach and took a dip in the "cool" water.  Silly us got burnt on bits that we missed or didn't realise - very naughty!!!!!
Met a couple called Ian and Lyn from Tassie doing a short trip from the small isle and they had done 6 years sailing around the world!!!!!! OMG in a 44 ft yacht.......

Saturday 15th was a quiet day doing domestics - yeah that never stops - reading and surfing the net for jobs again!!!!
We had a nice dinner at the Milton Golf club looking over the beach and listened to some music in the club.

Sunday - Up early and off to climb Pidgeon House Mountain AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Yes I had climbed it over 10 years ago with Cheryl Hill and probably swore then I would not do it again - and I did!!!

It was a great achievement 2nd time around for me and 1st for Tone.  It took 4 hours round trip to get to the top over very steep and muddy and rugged terrain.  We met all sorts climbing the "Hill" on our way down.  a young couple we met suggested going down to the river only 4 kms down the dusty dirty road - yes the cruiser got dirty!!!!!!  We did a skinny Dip in the river which was a welcome cool down after our tremendous Feat.
Very daring for us old coggers.........A bit scary for any onlookers though.

We are introducing more and more people to the game of sequence - I reckon we should get the company to give us spotters fees as we are converting more and more......

Monday morning  brought about a BIG change for us as we called a farm in Toolangi VIC looking for work on his Witlof Farm and fingers crossed it will lead to more and different work for us over the next few months - just to get a bit of a kitty going......

HALF WAY TO THE TOP...

HALF WAY- HAVING A REST!!!!!

OMG - JUST THE LADDERS TO GO!!

YES IT IS THAT FAR TO CIVILASTION

DO WE LOOK AS KNACKERED AS WE FEEL????

THE DOWNWARD TREK

TONE BEING ARTISTIC

AND ANOTHER LADDER SHOT

SCRUBBY CREEK STATE FOREST PARK

OBVIOUSLY........

AND ANOTHER OBVIOUSLY....

TRAIN TRACK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.....

Oh and by the way I am getting better at driving with the van attached and backing is getting easier - but of course I have a GREAT teacher......

Left Milton for Scrubby creek camp area which is in a state forest for free - thanks Jenny!!
Drove from there through Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale to Sale to a show ground which is our stop for tonight - then tomorrow we will be off to Toolangi.