soapy©

Pauline and I are sitting in the pool about 2.30 pm, both are off work.
Over the last week she has been going on about it being time that she visited her wee sister in Port Douglas. She had been checking flight prices all week to see if she could afford it.
She says to me that she saw a return flight for $189!
So the conversation goes something like this
Soapy – if u can get a flight for that price why don’t u, u have 2 weeks off work. Go for it.
Pauline _ well I’m not sure if the flight is still there (there never was a flight at that price as most of u women will know)
So we both jump out the pool and check flights, nothing like the price she had mentioned.
Back to the pool (then the female work starts)
Pauline – I wonder how long it would take to drive?
Soapy- far too long for you, u have only been driving for about 7 months
Pauline- but it would save us a lot of money if we both made the trip.
Soapy – I can’t I’m working in a few hours
Pauline- cant u just phone in, u never take time off?
Soapy- not just for a trip just to see your sister and the family
Then it turns, as usual (being male I didn’t see it coming)
It went something like
Pauline- so u never want to see these again?
Next thing I know I’m phoning work telling them I won’t be in for a week (family crisis)
15 mins later I’m packing (don’t know why but it’s with gusto)
We had to wait till 7pm for our daughter to get in from work. I’m hoping that she will save me and say something like
Daughter- u can’t go I need u both here, how will I get by without my parents (she is 17)
Daughter arrives from work and I break the news to her as soon as she opens the door (shock tactics, cant fail)
Daughter- what a fantastic idea, u never do anything together, I’m so excited for both of you.
Soapy- (whispering to him self) lets hope the car wont start
By 7.30 we are in the car and off on a 23 hour journey

Where did it all go wrong?

The rest will follow as im too pished to type

Hels Bells

And who said you were an old fuddy duddy and wouldnt do anything spontaneously??


Looking forward to the rest of the story....when you can put your down

JohnandMichelle

You know, Buddy, you're wasted in that taxi cab - you should be writing novels and making a packet - you could be the next Ben Elton...... Michelle x

soapy©

It wasn’t a well thought out plan. We had set off without food, but we didn’t forget the coffee (I don’t touch the stuff). The plan thinkerooter (Pauline) decided that it would be best to stop for food, this would keep us alert!
Eating sand in the middle of the night keep you alert alright, picking it from your teeth while driving is great fun. Nothing is open after u leave the sunshine coast after 9pm.
At one point we drove for about 300ks without seeing a light on!
Fuel was getting low and I was starting to panic. We saw loads of signs with the wee petrol in 20ks logo, but they were all closed. :scared:
Petrol light is on now and im shiting myself ! then we saw a sign 24 hour petrol 10k on the left. Yip you guessed it, it was on the right.
But it was petrol !
So I spat out the last grain of sand so I could eat something warm and have a cold drink.
Pauline decided that she would take it from there; I could lie back for a nap. No chance ! its too bloody hard to sleep in the middle of nowhere. Pauline drove for the next 400ks, I slept for about an hour of it.
I felt the car slowing down and woke like I had seen a ghost!
Soapy- what are u stopping here for?
Pauline- im shattered, I thought I would stop for a while and rest.
It was in the middle of a fekkin desert!!!! I couldn’t see the wee guy with his banjo, but im sure I could here him. :scared:
Soapy- quick lets get the **** oota here before we get chopped up!
We changed over and I sped off with Pauline still trailing a leg oot her door
Before I knew it we were in Rockhampton (where the speed limit changes every ten seconds
I spot a sign for Yeppoon
Soapy- we could nip in and say hi to biggy on the way past
Pauline- its 4 in the morning ya half wit, she would kill ya.
Remembering biggys reputation, she was right. So I thought better of it.
Pauline takes a turn of driving and I get a good sleep this time.
We passed through Marlborough, then on to McKay. I missed it all through sleep. Pauline told me I didn’t miss much.
I took over till Townsville, by then it had started to get light and we could see a bit more around us. Pauline decide to stop for breakfast, I couldn’t eat I was shattered and after driving so far I couldn’t touch food.
We could now take some photos. Nothing much to see in Townsville though.



So we decide to take a few pics on the way up. The next cuppa was at Innisfail. We knew they had been hit bad, but to see so much destruction still around was a shock. U cant help but feel for these people!
In saying that we felt that the town looked more affluent than Townsville, and a lot nicer. It had a really nice feel about it. It was busy and if u didn’t see down the side streets u would never have know what had happened there. We didn’t think it was right to take photos though.
In between the towns all we saw was roads

DebraH

your missus sounds great
i need some lessons in gentle persuasion does she teach this

soapy©

We decide to have a guessing game for the guys in Cairns.
We took a few photos to see if they could guess where they were taken.
But first we came across this wee place, we thought bordy and some of the scots would find this interesting


Now lets see who knows there area?

Who can name the bridge?


Or this point?


What about this place, should be easy?


And where would you find these guys?

soapy©

We arrived at Pauline’s sisters about 4pm. She didn’t know we were planning a visit.
Pauline phoned her as we passed Port Douglas (she stays about 3ks after the right turn to the town)
No one was at home, so Pauline called their mobile (panic panic)
Her brother in law answered telling Pauline that they would be home in 5 mins. Pauline told them she would call them when they got home. By this time we are outside the drive up to their house. I screamed up the dirt track with a cloud of dust in my wake (nearly wrecked the car)
We had to reverse onto their grass or they would have spotted the Scottish sticker on the back of the car. We had just about enough time to jump out the car as they drove in. We were hiding as they got out the car. It was funny watching their faces as they tried to work out whos car was on the grass.
Then the tears started (wumin)

DebraH

sooooooo.....................
did you like Port Douglas?

soapy©

ill get to that bit lol
see what i mean, wumin

soapy©

if she did, i would have been murdered years ago by some strange husband somewhere lol

DebraH

ha ha

and sorry I'm so impatient but dinner is nearly ready

soapy©

well, eat yir dinner, i might be there by then

Ozzidoc

Lovely story Soapy!!!!!

soapy©

Paulines sister lives on a sugar cane farm, they lead a life that most of us could only dream of. They have converted an old sugar can barracks into a home. This guy can turn his hand to anything. He did all the conversion himself. The rent the barracks from the farmer and pay very little in rent. U would all laugh if you knew how much they pay.
Inside the house he has built a sunken bath the size of most plunge pools u see in a garden and a shower that could hold about 20 people.
They grow mangos, passion fruit, pineapples, pawpaw, and most vegetables around the house. Every morning their oldest kid (who is 2 years old) picks what they need from the garden.
But there main crop is vanilla!
2 years ago we visited as they decided to plant it as a crop. It was the first time I had see it since. As far as I am aware it’s the only organic vanilla grown in Australia. Well there’s some, but not the size of crop that they have.
The beans will be ready to pick in the next few months. They are much larger than any of the imported beans sold around Australia.


And a wee photo of me with the crop


When we visit it’s a bit like a retreat for us, I don’t really like going into the Port. Not that I don’t like it. I love spending time with them, but now and again we do nip in. this time I only did it once. We had a nice fish tea with the family and some friends of theirs I will tell u about later. After dinner we stopped for an ice cream. As usual Pauline ended up with it in her face (that photo I don’t have cos her sister is too slow with the camera) wumin. But heres one from that night.

soapy©

while im at it, is this an "only in australia" photo?

it was handed to me while i was in port douglas.
what will the think of next?