 The ABC Reporter, is an interesting web newspaper for the gray nomad I just read a story about Sonia Wilke 71 and her husband, a couple of gray nomads, who left the open road for a few months to work in the kitchen at Warrawagine Station in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia. Sonia, 71 says age is no barrier, but she believes that it's all about, 'state of mind' and she really enjoys what she does. In the same magazine there is a picture of dancers in hip hop clothing "busting out" some new moves on the dance floor after taking part in a special Indigenous hip hop workshop. This is followed up with a positive story of a dance troupe that travels all over Australia, particularly remote area communities, encouraging young people to dance and promoting respect, confidence and good health messages. Yes I enjoy positive news stories about out land and it’s people and recommend The ABC Reporter for an informative and relaxing read. Breakfast in the Bush 04/08/2010
 My favorite, breakfast spot. Beside a creek, in the bush listening to the birdcalls. Certainly, no make up now blow wave required for this lifestyle. I love it. This Photo was taken yesterday morning at King Parrot Creek Victoria. Only one small hic-cup on the trip. Reg packed the TV but not the remote control, I have phoned my eldest daughter up to ask her to post it to us. Handy to have a daughter looking after our home while we are gone. Today, Friday, we are expecting a beautiful day here at Lakes Entrance, with my youngest daughter and her family staying opposite us in their caravan, :-). We are opposite the lake, near a bridge to the surf beach. One lovely family day ahead for us. :-).  Silverband Falls, Grampians, Victoria. 03/20/2010
 Today’s walk in the Grampians, took me along this easy track that ran along beside Dairy Creek with a shaded canopy of tree ferns the track ends at the pretty Silverband Falls in the Wonderland Range. Silverband Falls Start: Silverband Falls Carpark Time: Approx. 40 mins return Distance: 1.4 km return Grade: Easy  Follow a gentle undulating track from Silverband car park to the base of these unusual falls, where a silver bank of water moves over mossy rocks, disappears underground and then reappears downstream. Silverband Falls is an unusual waterfall because it tends to disappear into the ground and its stream reappears further downstream.  I heard a loud noise in the trees overhead, it sounded like a creaking Door Hinge and I looked up and glimpsed the striking deep rose pink and grey colours of the rare endangered Gang Gang, Cockatoo.  As I walked back along the side of the creek, a limousine pulled up into the car park. The chauffeur opens the sliding door and out stepped a bride and groom. What a beautiful place to celebrate a wedding and have photos taken. Silverband Falls is a picturesque waterfall, best June. I thought it was lovely, right now, in autumn and I was thrilled by the unexpected additions of the rare Gang Gang Cockatoo and a bridal party. Cuppa Time, outside the Caravan. 03/19/2010
 Cuppa Time, outside the caravan is an ideal time to exchange tips with fellow travellers. It is helpful to hear the, what to do’s and don’ts instead of learning them the hard way, doing it the wrong way. Here are a few CARAVANNING TIPS If going out back, pack extra boxes of lightweight items like tissues as theses cost three times extra, in out of the way places. Do not bother packing extra baked beans, these are cheap everywhere and weigh the car down too much to pack more than your immediate needs. Take packs of cards and only a couple of books and use book exchanges as you travel, also a couple of DVD’s for when there is no TV reception and your wanting to be entertained Pack skim milk powder, it is so easy to use and will store easier than fresh milk. Green tea makes a refreshing roadside stop, drink if you don’t want to organize much more than to boil the kettle. Lol, J, I may have to slow down my man’s drinking of green tea, it’s the basis of green tea diet pillsand my husband, the lucky devil, is now 800 gram below his ideal weight. Take a short trip close to home before your main holiday each year so any problems can be, fixed, before you leave on your main holiday. Reg and I are currently doing this and I am going to do a, re shuffle of the things I needed to pack and those things I did not need, to bring, when we continue on our tour north via a side trip to our summer retreat, home.
  Kelly, waiting patiently for the grandchildren to come home from school, like every generation of family dog, before her. Reg and I are enjoying a couple of evenings and a full day at my youngest daughters home in south east suburbs of Melbourne before heading off down the South Gippsland Highway and enjoying the view of even more rolling hills J. I love that drive. We will follow the South Gippsland Highway along until we reach the Grand Ridge Road. Taking the caravan down to Yarram, then up to Tarra Valley, leaving it there, so I can tour the steeper, curvy sections of the Grand Ridge Road, without the caravan in tow, so that I the driver can enjoy the scenery in a more relaxed way. Not that I even know I am towing the Eco-tourer caravan unless I look in my mirrors, it travels so well behind our ‘troopy’. J. I love the magnificent Strzelecki Ranges in this area. They bring back memories, personal ones, that extend back another generation, stories my mother told me and things I recall of my parents from when I was young, and I will now be revisiting the same area, I visited as a child. The things I will love the most, will not have changed at all. There is an interesting historical park you can visit in the area, called Coral Creek Historical Park. The magnificent, Tarra Valley and Bulga, National Parks. The dense tree fern and tall mountain trees, forest within the park offers some great walking tracks and picnic areas. You can visit the magnificent Cynthia Falls from the Tarra Valley Picnic Ground and follow the beautiful Fern Tree Gully Nature Walk from the Bulga Picnic area. Continuing along the highway you can head south from Meeniyan or Foster to the incredible Wilsons Promontory National Park. East again along the South Gippsland Highway you will pass the pretty Agnes Falls, Reg and I will go there again J, it is dog friendly. Both my grandchildren here, attend high school now and the photo is of Kelly, their golden retriever looking desolate through the window as they head off with mum in the car, the high school being too far away for her to accompany them on the walk as she used to do when they went to primary school. Not much has changed, since I my children went to school, at least the dreaded tie I had to wear has changed to more practical and informal wear but the clarks shoes.and check gingham summer dress uniform for the girls does not seem to have changed in three generations. One of my friends told me she orders her children’s school lunches on line and pays via a bank money transfer, now that is sure different. The internet age isn’t just for the children and grandchildren though, I think most of today’s gray nomad generation are computer literate and like me love to share the family pictures, the images of the children and grandchildren they visit as they travel the country, and yes J, even the family dog J, here, on line, with friends. It is fifty-eight years ago I trudged off to school for the first time in uniform, the main change I see, is that brought about by the personal computer. What do you think has been the greatest change, in three generations?  One Year on, We Remeber those Whom Ran From It, And those Whom Have fallen, The Ones We Loved And Cherrished, One Year on we Remeber those Brave Souls Who fought it One Year on we've rebuilt One Year on We've Changed, One Year on, Victoria Worst Natural Disaster ... One Year on, We Remember..... Black Saturday, 7th February, 2009 copy and paste this if u care R.I.P. gone but never forgotten. xxx  Gray Nomad Life and Changing Priorities. 01/16/2010
 OMG, lol, well I guess it is not funny but in the recent mid forties heatwave here in northern Victoria, my renovators delight summer retreat began to fall apart. Well the timber, facia boards, over the tops of my windows that the curtain rails attach to, fell off. It appears they had only been glued on. Talk about the house that crank pot, built. No problem really, we deliberately chose a low value home for our summer retreat and a top value car and caravan, because our life and interest is one of the highways of Australia, not bricks and mortar homes, being our interest and lifestyle, at this stage of our lives. Thank goodness, for clamps they are one thing that travels with us, wherever we tour. Right now, they are holding the timber board back up until the new lot of glue sets, and then we will firmly nail the board back on, lol, this place might have been built by crackpot but it’s being renovated by a pair of gray nomads have their heads firmly clamped on, with brain in gearJ. Grannys brag blog. 12/28/2009
 Graduation bear and small copy of High Achievers award. Nothing is more important, in my life, than my family. I doubt there are any gray-nomads out there who do not feel the same, even though many of us travel the country far from our families with SKI (Spending the children’s inheritance)CLUB. member, signs, on the back of our caravans. This year the Christmas get together has included watching the videos of two of my grandchildren’s graduation from primary school and going over their plans for high school next year and hearing of their ambitions for the future. In 2010, three out of my four grandchildren will be teenagers. It only seems a few years ago, it was baby announcements, not graduations and honours. TNow David the eldest is a young man with a man’s voice and manner and an aspiration for a career in I.T. The eldest girl has worked hard to be accepted into the high achievers class in the high school and she was the female ‘dux’ of her graduating class and has had her name mounted on a permanent plaque at the primary school as a graduating high achiever. Only one boy and one girl are chosen, from the grade six, graduating group for that honour and she was given a miniature version of the trophy to keep. The two grand children who are moving on to high school this year are both keen writers and one is an aspiring novelist, who achieves academic excellence awards consistently and also artistic merit awards. It is only a few years ago that we would sit and paint together; I treasure the memories of these moments. Now the youngest granddaughter is the little ballerina, and her older brother is keen on his football and both are involved in Cubs and Scouts, (forgive a mere grand mum for not being sure which exactly they are in). All the grandchildren are special to Reg and me, as are our two daughters and two great SIL’s. Christmas was wonderful as usual for us this year, a great catch up with family, share what the grandchildren have done and plan to do, and a time to strive to soak up as much of the wonderful family feeling as we can, to last us when we are travelling North and only have the internet and phone to keep in touch. Christmas is a 'feel good', time for Reg and I as we are fortunate to have family we love, close to us, at this time of year.     Christmas with the family Life gets easier. 12/06/2009
 I wondered if it would help any of my mid life friends who are having a rough time, to say, 'life gets easier'? It has, for me anyhow, I think being mid 60's is a heck of a lot easier than mid life. You work just as hard and have just as pushy a boss, but the boss is you ;-) LOL J, so you can tell the boss where to go, any time you want to. :-). As a senior, the money tree (if there ever was one), seems to be drying up, but there seems to be less need for money, less endless drain on resources. Money is not like water any more, it does not slip through your fingers and it does not seem like your now working flat out to fill the bath with several drain holes seemingly emptying it faster than you can pour it in. Then there is the family. J. Senior years is the ‘reap the rewards’, years. We can be there to support the children and grandchildren if we have them and I am off to clean my daughter’s house today to help her though a busy time. I also get to be able to step back and leave the major responsibility to the new parents, our children and trust that each generation learns from both our good qualities and our mistakes and is doing a better job of parenting than we did. We have time to travel, time to pursue self funded hobby business, do creative pursuits, volunteer in rewarding ways and lol, ever start a new family again if we still have the energy and the positive spirit to start afresh. I was chatting to a senior widower about a life insurance lead and at an age where some people are planning their cemetery plot, he is making plans to remarry and live life to the full. . There is a saying about positive living in senior years that I love:- ‘He who laughs lasts’ Life ‘still happens’ to us as we age, but the responsibility for extended family lessens. Of course, many of us become carers, as I am for a loved one, but most of us do have less overall responsibility and pressure on us. I don’t know about you, but for me and I think my man, J, even while we deal with the effects of aging, we are more relaxed, and able to plan our days the way we want them to be and as an independent spirited person, I love that J. So to all my mid life friends J xxx. If life is tough at times, hang on to your seat for the ride, the gray with an a for active nomad years are ahead of you and they are wonderful years to look forward to J Research shows that Life appears to be harder for people in the mid life. According to research data collected on 2 million people in 80 countries, happiness follows a U-shaped curve in which people are happy in their 20s and get miserable in their 40s. Contradicting earlier studies that said well-being remained flat throughout life, new research found that in 72 of the 80 countries studied (the only exceptions were reportedly in the developing world), "people slide down a U-shaped level of happiness and mental health throughout their lives." Andrew Oswald from Warwick University in Britain, who co-led the study with David Blanchflower of Dartmouth College, told reporters, "It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children. Nobody knows why we see this consistency." I can guess: mortality, illness, career disappointments, dreams that are not coming true. Your parents get sick and die. Your kids grow up and leave home. Your professional life hits the brick wall of reality, as you realize that, no, you aren't going to be president or CEO, or have your own show or that house on the beach. The good news from the research study on middle age is that better days are yet to come. The academics found that if you make it to 70 and you're still physically fit, you're likely to be as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year-old. Positive news to share with any stressed out mid life friend. Tell them ‘hang on, it gets easier’.  I am in awe at the courage of and have an admiration for, the men and women who serve the community as fire fighters. Have you ever volunteered for service with the Country Fire Authority, or considered a career as a professional fire fighter? Volunteer CFA members are not only those who fight the fires, there is an extensive range of interesting jobs, volunteers can do. There are many ways that Volunteers can make a valuable contribution to the community. CFA welcomes different people with different skills to meet a wide variety of community needs. Firefighting Roles Firefighter Incident Controller Pump Operator Crew Leader Communication roles Special skilled roles including chainsaw operation and breathing apparatus Non Firefighting Roles Brigades In Schools presenters & other community education programs Brigade administration roles Administration support roles in Incident Control Centres Leaders for Juniors program Media and public relations Fundraising activities Community events I once was part of a crew who went into a valley community threatened by fire coming down the mountain towards them, to collect all the dogs we could fit in an ambulance so we could take them to board in fire safe areas. I played a small role, in the bush fire management, but one that gave me enormous satisfaction Often volunteers wish to move on and become professional. Career Fire fighting. The Country Fire Authority in Australia is currently seeking applications from people interested in becoming career fire fighters. Australia and the USA have a cooperative agreement to share fire-fighting resources. Experienced firefighters over 24 years of age may be interested in Fire Service Training, the online Bachelor of Arts in Fire Service Administration through the Lewis University in Illinois, U.S. Lewis University has been named one of the “Best Colleges “by U.S. News and World Report for five consecutive years. The online Bachelor of Arts in Fire service Administration from Lewis University is an ideal way for career fire fighters to advance their careers by gaining management skills specific to the field. Training is available to international students, with students from thirty different countries, represented on campus. | Kathy Shell on Facebook  Advertisers, This 160 x 160 advertising space, could be yours. See our advertising page above then contact Kathy to arrange your advertising package. Kathy Shell,
|
RSS Feed
| Blog: |
| Gray Nomad. |
Topics: |
| Travel, seniors, downsizing |