I hope that Christmas and the New Year saw everyone healthy and happy. I for one gained all the weight that I’d lost over the last few months (Guess what my first New Year’s resolution is) but apart from that, I can’t complain……………….. well, except for the heat and the flies and the price of outback petrol and the dreaded cats heads (see below) Continue reading “Mirages aren’t always what they seem”
Category: Ivanhoe 2008
Homeward Bound
Ivanhoe’s remoteness from the rest of the LAC means that the boys are allowed a fair bit of autonomy and one advantage is that they do their own rosters (they meaning me). As long as one of them is on duty and the town’s folk are happy and safe, the Command is happy too. This arrangement means that I can sometimes roster five or six days off in a row so that we can get back home every couple of months, to catch up with friends, maintain the house and smell the salt air – very good for morale. Continue reading “Homeward Bound”
Ivanhome!
After a very relaxing holiday catching up with friends and family with the odd glass or four on the balcony we’re back in sunny Ivanhoe. By the way, while the sign says that the population is 350, we reckon that must include all the outlying stations …. and then some.
ANZAC Day Past and Present
Small Town, Big Projects
The last couple of months have actually been quite busy with several projects taking up our spare time. Since we arrived in Ivanhoe, some 10 months ago, Nigel has worked steadily as one of the town’s two full-time police officers. I, on the other hand, arrived fresh-faced and bushy- tailed and determined to take on a bit of gardening, teaching, getting to know the locals, sight-seeing and generally helping out with community projects that took my fancy.
Multiple Hats
Today I was bemoaning the fact that I have spent many, many hours on my DVD slide show for the Back to Ivanhoe weekend and have now burnt 9 prototypes, all of which have failed miserably and I am about to embark on Prototype 10. I should point out that it’s not really my slide show because the idea came from a PowerPoint presentation that the Principal gave me, which was actually done by one of the school’s ex-students – Shell and Rob’s daughter, Janet.
Parcel mail in the Outback
24th October – An email from the online store said that my item had been posted.
4th November – The item hadn’t arrived, so I rang the Orders department (several times) but no one answered. I thought that was strange.
Summer in the Back Country
I’m sitting at the computer with dust storms swirling around the town (see Nigel and Jackson’s amazing photos), contemplating the 48-degree heat. As I commented the other day, you know it’s hot when the candles melt, droop and fall over and no one has actually lit them.
Which Bank?
Considering there are no banks in Ivanhoe (the nearest one being 210 km away in Hay) the idea of re-financing from one bank to another might seem rather daunting. But with a very low interest rate on offer, we decided that it was worth a try.
Jeremy and I had decided to invest in land on the mid north coast and just before Christmas I found a very cheap block. It was being sold as a mortgagee sale meaning “first in first served” so time was of the essence. As it turned out, Jeremy was on an island in Thailand and there was no way to contact him – until he rang to wish us a Merry Christmas. Continue reading “Which Bank?”
Married to a Country Cop 