digging around

Back in Broome, but this time we’re staying at the Pistol Club – one of the overflow camping sites, where “shootin’ comes first” and camping is a lucrative sideline.   The Pistol Club is run by a chap from Yorkshire, with an open neck shirt displaying various rocks and chrystals.  A total legend, he knows everyone’s business, and is equally skilled at yelling at grey nomads as they back up their caravans and shutting down binge-drinking backpackers.  His policy is “no-one gets turned away”, and so far only two groups have had to camp in the actual firing range.  I can report that my kids are able to sleep through close range gun shots.

We’re now in the tent, which I’m  told has moved me along the continuum from softcock to “hardcore”.  We have sold  the camper trailer here in Broome….  which has provided further evidence that my life purpose is actually to “sort stuff out”.  I’d sorted stuff into the car with the remainder to go home in the trailer….. and now I have to sort the remainder, to determine what, if anything, is worth paying freight to post back.  Sigh.  Is my resistance to stuff manifesting in this wierd way that I have to constantly deal with it…. until I am reconciled?

In answer to the query on logistics, I provide the following details:

Fuel:  We have 80l in the tank, and two 20l jerries.   So far, we haven’t *really* needed the jerries, though we have emptied them for better weight distribution.  In this petroleum based society, you can get fuel at places where you can’t get fruit and veg.

Water:  With the trailer, we carried 120l of water (80l tank and 2 x 20l jerries)  We now have 110l (2 x 20l and 7 x 10l containers)  Usually there is water around, even if it’s not potable – so in those locations we use our water for cooking and drinking only.   When there’s no water available, I’m astonished by how frugal with water we can be.  Washing up takes only half  a breakfast bowl of water and if we *do* wash ourselves, we share water and use a flannel.

Food:  This is my on-going concern and I will definitely have to carry less food in our new arrangement.  Generally if I have tinned tomatoes and lentils I have the basis for a variety of meals.  Obviously we don’t carry meat, and this is a big space and cold storage saving.  At the risk of sounding like a pioneer, my main concern is being able to carry enough flour.  I can see why stations sold flour to travellers in days gone by…. once you are making all your own bread-type products, you go through it really quickly. 

These are the main things we’ll be carrying from now on, with everything else up for debate.  On the roofrack we’ll have the tent, two double swags, table and chairs and the extra diesel.  In the back we have the fridge, food, water, air compressor, cooking stuff, clothes bags, and guitar.  Amongst the passengers we have  toy cars, lego, books, paper and pencils, tools, spare shoes, laptop and yoga mat.

It’s a challenge now to see how little we can manage with.  I suggested to P that when we get back we could just live in our own backyard and keep renting out the house.  It would be comparatively salubrious, as we would have access to the shed as well.