Darwin update

What a fantastic time Bob & I have had over the last 11 months. It’s almost a year since we retired, where has the time gone???? Absolutely love this life style, could go on forever & the fabulous people we have met along the way, can’t see us stopping for quite some time yet.

As you know we are currently in Darwin, what a great town, just love the place, can’t seem to find the road south again. Lots of dancing to be had, at least couple times week if not 3 times. Have made some really nice friends through dancing & have a good time each time we go out to hit the dance floor!!! The big Xmas dance is on 28th Nov, looking forward to that. Bob usually stirs them up with his flashing teeth, smiles at them & flash, flash & when they look again nothing happening!!! Heaps of fun.
We are house sitting at Howard Springs which is about ½ hr from town, will be here until end Feb next year. Owners are somewhere on East coast, enjoying their caravan & gypsy lifestyle for a few months. This is 3rd housesit, great way to see the place & CHEAP. Power, water & washing machine thrown in for looking after house/lawns/pets/pool etc. Caravan parks are very expensive, since Aug so have saved a heap on accommodation costs. Would probably have moved on, if it wasn’t for the house sits.
We are having our first taste of the WET SEASON today, absolutely pouring with rain, amazing the skies have just opened up & down it came. Glad I’m not out on the road driving. At least I won’t have to water the garden & lawns today!!!
Have teamed up with another couple dancers from Tweed Heads, Susie & Phil, great company & we have heaps of fun when we go out. They are also house sitting, just up the road at Howard Springs. After meeting us they thought they would give it a go & see if they could get one as well & BINGO, couple days later they were in business & have another one to go to when current one finishes.
We all went to a dance about ½ hr south of where we are staying, out in bush at LIVINGSTONE (I presume!!!) Local clubhouse, where the locals are friendly, BUT all the blokes have long (father Xmas Beards) & TATTS. Gals aren’t much better TATTS galore. We had a great night, danced ourselves stupid & joined in with local gals doing DISCO!!! My clothes were ringing wet, every time I went to sit down, got dragged to floor again by one of gals. Fantastic night & best part of all the van was outside in park, already for me to collapse into bed………….pretty hard to sleep all revved up & stinking HOT. Had seen the couple playing at a club week before & they told us they were playing out there & to come along.
OH BOY WHAT A NITE!!! Evie & the Guitar man!!!
Next morning we decided why go home, let’s move on down the track & see what we can find. Bob & I knew just the spot. ROBIN FALLS…..nice relaxing place along nice little creek. Definitely NO CROCS. Each little camp site has its own plunge pool. Rangers have dammed it up along the creek, about room for 5 camp spots. Very pleasant afternoon spent, wallowing around in the creek. Bob’s got a new nickname BUFFALO BOB spent so much time in the creek. After a nice BBQ for dinner & game cards everyone had a lovely time, possibly toooo much vino, but don’t need to drive home, just wobble across dirt to van. LOVELY.
The weather is really heating up NOW & is so humid, I’m just a lather of sweat from time I wake up & to time I go to bed. Thank goodness for air conditioning. We are lucky here as we have a 1 bedroom granny flat with lounge & kitchen, bathroom & 2 A/C to keep us cool, as well as fans. It’s so nice to be sleeping on a proper bed & not in van. Absolute luxury.
Jan & Bob at Melbourne cup luncheon at local Howard Springs tavern. Unfortunately we didn’t win a fortune, maybe next year.!!!!
Poor old LUCY passed away about 5 weeks ago, but she has a nice resting spot out here in the front garden where we are house sitting. In the end we had to make a decision, as she was having trouble getting up & it took about 6 pirouettes before she could get up & the tiled floor didn’t help either. Over the last 10 months Lucy has had a wonderful time, swimming in rivers & at the beach, climbed sand dunes, gone for long walks in bush & was ALMOST DINGO DINNER at Kings Canyon!!!! Who ever thought she would make it to Darwin, but she hung in there & made it to 19 ½ yrs old, not a bad innings yeh????

Who knows where we will be this time next year.
Bob at Dundee beach Jan & Bob by camp fire at Litchfield National Park

The 2 Jew fish that didn’t get away!!!!!!
Bob is still keeping up his golf skills with the odd game here & there. Alice Springs desert course + 3 courses in Darwin.
Not much bike riding up here to damned hot + I only 2 gears left & this makes for hard riding.
In March next year we are going on a cruise from Singapore to KL, Phuket & Penang back to Singapore & spend a few days after cruise, seeing the sights as Bob hasn’t been there before. The back to Darwin & prepare the WITCHWAE van for the next leg of our adventure around OZ. Heading to west, can’t wait to see the lovely long sandy, blue water beaches of WA that we have heard so much about, from fellow travellers.