A Hoist!

Yesterday at work I was invited along with other teachers and aids to see the hoist in operation. We troop along to the main classroom and and there was a lady from Disability something or other and our student who is in a wheelchair.

Luckily for everyone concerned the hoist has not had to be used but it is needed just in case and we need to know how to operate it. Last term the wheelchair chucked a wobbly and refused to work (its an electric one) and so the student was stuck in the one place until a techo came out. He was only there for an hour and the chair was able to move a little and said student was in his element as he was with older kids for a lesson and loved the attention.

It was quite interesting to see it and learn how to put the sling on and then raise him in the air. Poor kid was a bit embarrassed to have so many teachers/adults around but as he was told we need to know how to assist him when need be. He came to the staff room at the end of the day and said that he needed the bathroom, I volunteered to go but didn't want to be the first one to use the hoist, he assured me that that was not necessary at that time.

Shake down trip.

Well, we set off on first trip! Up to Woodgate about four to five hours away. We have been there twice before, six and four years ago. Sleepy little town about 20ks off the Bruce Highway. Warren in particular wanted to go because we had been there before and the sites were reasonably flat and easy to get into.

Got a great site just inside the main gate, the beach is a short walk across the road probably 50 metres from the caravan entrance. He had to back into the site but couldn't do it straight in as there was a cabin opposite so had to do it on the turn. First up, the van was a bit crooked, I was happy with it being one foot the difference between the front and back but not so Warren so he did it again with me giving directions, next time it was probably one inch difference and he decided that was close enough.

We had very little to unpack as most of the stuff was already in the caravan, a bonus! In the camper van we would have the back seat full of clothes and fridge and just stuff.

Got the annex up and out then realised that whoops! we really should have raised the top first but only had to slacken off the annex a little and the top went up no problems.

Time for coffee and check out the wild life or at least our neighbours, lots of people in, mostly retirees like ourselves.

This was Sunday morning after I had done the housework. As it was Fathers day and we were on holidays, I cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast only to discover that there was no egg slide in the van so that was the first thing on our list to add. Thankfully I had taken a non stick fry pan, although not quite as good as my blue stone pans, a pair of tongs worked just as well to get the eggs out.

The other end of the van, there is no permanent table but the extendable one works fine, there is another one the same size that can be clicked together to make a bigger one and there are three different lengths of leg, one in the picture is using all three.

We went shopping for the bits and pieces that we needed, even though it was probably a bit more costly, at least we could get the things and leave in there. So, an egg slide, pegs,foil for the oven, can opener, thought we did pretty well over all.

What a weekend to go to the beach though, it rained particularly all afternoon Sunday, we had read the papers and gone for a bike ride even rode on the wet sand, it was like riding on bitumen. Warren went fishing while I wrote some of my application. Mid afternoon we set off for a walk and afternoon tea on the way back it started raining and we were 15 minutes away from shelter, at least it wasn't freezing.

Teacher's Aide Day

I had not heard of this before but apparently it was today 5 Sept. The guidance officers bought us TA's a big bag of chocolates.  The school put on a morning tea for all the teacher aides and there was a small gift bag with my name on it when I walked into the staff room this morning. Inside was a card with a hand written thank you note for supporting the team and a heart shaped ceramic plate with the word laugh on it, so nice to be appreciated.

Pens!

Working at a High School, you would expect that the kids would come to class with pens, wouldn't you? Today I have been to four classes, one was a computer class of year eights so all computers. Two were English classes with a small number of students, fifteen and eleven, these were year eights and year tens, Year twelve maths was the other class that I help in. I lent out six pens or pencils in the day because students didn't have a pen!
 Not sure what they expected to do or maybe there's a devious plot from those kids, huh, no pen, no work! I am pleasantly surprised though at the end of class, pens are delivered back to me with thanks so that's good.

Heavens to Betsy!

We were off! Our first move in the caravan nicknamed Maggie. I will buy a plate with the name on it, not sure if it will be an actual number plate or just a wall hanging type thing. Number plates cost upwards of $400 and as I am a cheap skate the jury is definitely still out on that that, Warren says no way that we are spending that type of money when it already has a number plate, we will see!

The name is to compliment our Daughter and Son-in-laws caravan, they bought one and named it Dennis and as we will be travelling with them next year, Maggie is/was Dennis the Menace's friend/cohort, so next year Dennis and Maggie will head out into the great outdoor and follow the black tarmac.

Anyway we hitched the Jeep up to Maggie and surprise surprise everything worked except for one side light which Warren took the cover off and cleaned it, it was a bit (a lot) corroded!

We drove it slowly out the road and it towed well, mirrors needed a bit of adjustment and we went around the big block about eight kms. Then the problem was getting Maggie back into the back yard. Doesn't help that we live on a corner but luckily its not a busy road.

My job was to watch the gate and the side of the house and the eaves.

Only needed a couple of up and backs, the driveway is not that wide. The ladder was in place as Warren had washed the top of Maggie before we took her out.

Ha, now to pack it and take it up the road a couple of hours away and really test her out and see what we have forgotten.

Spring

First day of spring today and it is a beautiful day, 25 degrees on the patio. I feel as though I have an extra afternoon off today as we were going to go to the Tennis centre and help out with a mail out, but they rang this morning to say that things were not ready yet so we have the afternoon to ourselves.

I shopped this morning and used my Coles voucher so got $107 worrth of food for $53, I stocked up n some items for the pantry. MY DD say that its not savings unless the money that you didn't spend goes into savings so I took it and added it to the car loan. I reached my own goal for the end of the month so feeling a bit chipper about that. I like to challenge myself to see if I can do it. My next goal is to be under a certain amount by the end of October, doable I think but will need to be on top of things to achieve it.

Anyway, with our free afternoon we are continuing to prepare the caravan for its first trip with us. Warren is cleaning the roof and I am going to clean inside the cupboards ready t put crockery and cutlery in. We also need to check if the lights etc work as it has sat in the back yard for eight months.

I also want to change over my clothes, put away the jumpers and get out the lighter things out.

Returning home

Sometimes the things that one has too do after returning, one wonders if its really worth going away. Unpacked this morning, it was quite late when we got home and ended up doing the washing, three loads as it was nice and sunny, supposed to be showers tomorrow. Its funny but I really don't like washing on Sundays and hardly ever do it.

After the few days in Melbourne doing very little, we had a fruitful day. Three loads of washing, hung out, dried, folded ready to be put away. Shopped for meat, probably won't need any meat for a couple of months, broke it all up and froze it. Dont think I could fit any more in.

Starting to get things ready for our first trip out in the caravan, I know it will be easier but at first we are starting with a blank canvas.