That was the year that was - Good Bye 2018 - Hello 2019

It would appear our 2018 was "life is a beach", I didn't really think we did that much this year, but when I look back and really think about it, we didn't really stop and most things revolved around beaches, days at Volunteer Marine Rescue, taking our own boat out and then finding new 4WDing beaches to do. I really don't blog that much any more and that is probably due to the fact that life is just life.  We have learnt to enjoy short holidays more often in our own back yard this year and I have blogged about those, and our 4WDing adventures so won't bore you with those again.

I don't feel we have stopped though, it is just different to other years, we have done a lot more family type things this year as well as well as learning and growing as individuals.

If I look back to this time last year, we have changed quite a lot including:

• Loosing weight - we have both dropped about 8 kilos this year - it was a goal we had since we retired, but just never really got around to addressing - me I still have a few to go but I do go up and down a bit but that journey started around April this year and I know we both feel better for it.
• Reducing Dereks sugar levels - it is an on going trip for us but we are trying to keep his sugar levels into a more moderate range - some days are better than others however we keep plugging away at this.
• Changing our smoking habits - it is what we do unfortunately, but I will say we have been able to make advances in changing this habit, from 2K a month to less than  $500 per month so that in itself is a big change for us.

It was a year of leasurely pursuits.

January:  Tennis ( it is our summer of tennis after all), and our first little 4wD trip to the border ranges

February:  North Straddie and lots of beach 4WDing as well as our 14 River Crossings of the Condamine

 

March/April :our 30th Wedding Anniversary and travels to Yamba/Cresent Heads and Mums 86th Birthday

May/June: Mothers Day, D1's Birthday, My Birthday, Foster and Tuncurry plus painting Mums house

July: Lots of boating, Port MacQuarie

August:  Bribie Island and Training for VMR

September:  Dereks Birthday, Rainbow Beach

October:  D1 moves back home and D2's Birthday

November:  We find our little hide away at North Straddie and do several over nighters in the Wallaby tents

December:   Xmas and a nice week at Ballina  

So lots of beachy things, lots of 4Wding, lots of lovely country drives, and we never seemed to lack for things to do.

While these are not big things, we did make a concerted effort to make lifestyle changes which we hope to continue through to 2019.

We tried to learn new things like 4WDing, painting, Derek got a Drone and has been learning how to concur that, as well as becoming a full MSQ Coxswain.

So life is changing for us, it isn't all about where we have been to any more, it is about where we as individuals want to be as people and that is a bit of a different journey.  Yes we could jump on a plane and fly somewhere, do a tour etc but again we there isn't a lot of places we haven't been to , but right now it is about us finding US and the people we want to become, not about the places we want to go to.  WE have leant to find nice little hide aways that provide us with a balance to our lives.

Family is a big focus for us right now, being there for those we love and as Mum becomes older it seems more and more important to spend time doing things for her and with her.

D1 and D2 also now need our support in more ways than they did a few years ago and that fills the heart with so much more than       travelling, helping them and doing things with them gives us so much pleasure right now that being here for them is important to us.

What does 2019 have in store, who knows at this point in time - will tell you same time next year.

Old dogs can learn new tricks

The one thing we have learnt in retirement is to keep busy, learn new things and be prepared to try and challenge yourself.  I will admit there are a lot of things we have done in the last 6 years (yes we have now been retired for 6 years - how fast that has gone)  that I would never have imaged doing much less love doing them, if you have read some of my other blogs camping and caravaning was one example but there are many more.  Our retirement journey has been quite different to what I would have thought it would be, it was not what I had envisaged.

We seem to find new things that keep us not only occupied but learning and taking on new challenges.  Last year we bought a 4WD and I did blog on our I-Venture Club trip to Moreton Island where we learnt how to use a 4WD properly and get the value for money out of them.  So this year has seen us do a lot of beach and bush bashing, it has been a fun new adventure for us as we discover not only new areas but also some old ones with a new vantage point, but it also has helped us to think more about where we go and what sort of driving might be available to us.

I don't suppose I realised just how many beaches there are that you are able to drive on - let me tell you there is just nothing more beautiful than an early morning beach drive it sure beats the motorway run each day!

Originally we have bought the Isuzu in case we wanted to do some 4WDing, when we traveled around Australia we did feel there where a few places that we would have liked to explore, but because we didn't have a 4WD could not go to.  It also helped in our reducing our cost of living by getting a diesel, (we are spending significantly less on fuel these days)  however it has turned out that we get a lot more from this purchase and it has given us a whole new interest and reason to get up and go and as I have said, in some instances they are new places we have never been to, and in others places we have been many times but seeing only from a Street view.

It is fun to go back on old maps and see where there are national parks with 4WDing tracks and of course beach drives. We felt very confident after our I-Venture day to tackle these drives and knew what equipment we needed and must say we are loving it.

We did the Moreton Island course in August last year (I-Venture Day) and felt we really wanted to give this a better go, so in September we headed for one of the iconic beaches in Queensland - Fraser Island, having a few lovely days at Rainbow Beach and doing the Cooloola Coast beach drive as well.  Yes at first it was a bit nerve wracking but we started on the small run first - sussed out the area to get on and off and you know we took our time, we probably did look like silly old farts but we checked and then double checked and felt quietly confident as we put our toes into the waters.  That week was exhilarating I must say and of course the beauty of these areas driving right on the beach is so incredible, we all traveled around the world to see beauty, but here it is just a few hours from home and most people in the world would love to experience our vast beaches without a person in sight and nothing but water views. Most beach drives generally include a bit of bush driving to get on and off the beaches and these are particularly lovely as well. We love Rainbow Beach and in the few years since we have started going there we are really seeing change (not sure if that's great but most of it is being done in consideration of the place itself).

After the success of our beach drive we started to look for day trips we could do from the Gold Coast - not a lot of beach drives here but a lot of good national parks on the dirt side of 4WDing, these are great for those beautiful Queensland days where you can just pack a picnic and be back by dinner.  We specifically loved The Border Ranges National Park and the drive to get there was lovely - again places we have driven through and by, but we have never done the national park because you need a 4WD to do so - and of course the views did not disappoint.  These are great to fill in a day here and day there and we have enjoyed quite a few now.

Since we bought our Isuzu 4 others from VMR have as well so we decided to create our own little VMR MUX Venture Club and took off to do the 14 River Crossing of the Condamine - now this wasn't arduous in any way at the time we did it because at that point we hadn't had a lot of rain, but for all of us it was the first time we had done river crossings and it's nice to do things like this in a group, another wonderful picnic by all and we did a little bit of bush trecking through Queen Mary Falls so just a lovely day and the 14 Rivers track was just so picturesque.

Other drives have included North Stradbroke Island - just beautiful, Bribie Island, Foster/Toncurry Beaches and National Parks as well as Port Macquarie region - making it both a NSW and Qld driving experience.  All of these came with a few lovely nights accommodation, and a discovery of new places and beautiful scenery - as one of my friends put on a Facebook post of one of our drives - "So Good for the Soul" and that it is. We have just finished the long beach drive from Bribie Island, Noosa to Rainbow and Rainbow to Fraser which is just a fantastic few days driving and a week or so away. So it has been a bit of a hectic year with many new and lovely experiences for us.

In line with learning new things - Derek has continued on his VMR journey and is now a Skipper - such a fantastic achievement and this has given him so much confidence in both study, learning and mentoring - in a great mateship environment.  At times it was hard and at times we both could have just thrown in the towel, but we hung on and he continued to push himself and now is a MSQ Coxswain something he would never have thought he would do.

After

Before

The confidence we learn at VMR also helped us to realise we can do things we may never previously have undertaken and one of these things is maintenance jobs - you know we work in a Volunteer environment where things have to be done on the cheap - no just calling in people to do things like painting etc (like you do when you have a good income coming in) , but this has been great for us and with some of these new found skills we adventured into painting my Mums house.  We had never painted a house before and this wasn't a small job but again we looked at the job, decided what was needed and gave ourselves 6 weeks (2-3 days a week) and it just looked incredible from the old fashion greens and whites to more modern jaspers and dune colors so this is another thing we achieved through learning new tricks this year. 

I have always wanted to paint something (no not a house) but artwork, with You Tube now you can sit in the luxury of your own home and taking online painting lessons and while I am definitely no Van Gogh I really have enjoyed learning how to paint, how to create and being creative it's a nice past time to fill in rainy days, days where it is just dam hot and those days when you don't have a lot going on and you get a bit of original works around the place. It is very cathartic and I must admit it makes my dreams more colorful. I have improved a lot over the last 8 months and enjoy finding new art classes to do - these are free and there are some really great step by step lessons so if you have ever wanted to learn but like me not really all that artistic and feel a bit embarrassed by your lack of ability - use You Tube and google how to paint a flower or how to paint a house etc you may well be amazed at how many there are and how good it is to produce something.

So thats our learning this year and it does go to show old dogs can learn new tricks.

Everything old is new again

Our new boat

We started our retirement journey taking out our cruiser for a week of total relaxation and to be out and about on the beautiful waterways of Moreton Bay, it was a perfect way to start our new life.   

Over time we found that the cost of running our beautiful boat was a bit prohibitive in long journeys so about 4 years ago we sold the boat as we went through our "what do we want to do next stage", this included selling our beautiful waterfront home as well and deciding to move to Vision where we had access to boats as a part of the community, it helped to put a lot of bucks back into the bank and we felt that was a great win win situation, we had access to boats, still lived on the water but we didn't have to maintain them, and often not even pay for petrol.  Then of course we joined VMR so here we where out and about on the water 2 days a week so we seemed to be out on the water enjoying our beautiful Broadwater both in a learning/volunteering capacity and in a leisurely environment several days a week.  

The first year was fine, all worked well for us, as there where few in the community who wanted to take the boats out, so we could wake up and go this is a lovely day and get a boat and go, that changed over time as we got more residents in and the boats where booked out more in advance - which is fine in concept but who really knows what the weather is going to be like a week in advance, so we stopped using them.  

Our old boat

So just about exactly 4 years to the day that we sold our big boat, we bought a new boat - yes much smaller and perfect for the 2 of us and Teddy.  Now we have Teddy back full time, we needed something we could do regularly that included him and at the same time give us something we love to do as well.  We had anticipated a bit more travel next year - off road holidays and a NZ driving trip, but now that D1 has moved into a unit, we have Teddy full time and to be honest just don't know what to do with him if we want to go away - the problem with pets.  This however made us stop and think about what would accommodate us all.  We do love the waterways, we love going out on beautiful days stopping on deserted beaches going for walks, having a swim and of course Derek loves his metal detecting.

We started at first looking at jetski's and then small fishing type tinnies (even though we don't fish), but then we saw a perfect little half cabin - the interior was a bit worse for wear, but the hull was perfect for us and it was the right price for us.  We had a full interior refit and now we have a lovely near new boat for day to day enjoyment.  It means while generally it will be a day boat, we can do overnighters (probably in the cooler months) if we want to.

Dereks finds this week - paid for the petrol

We are keeping it in a trailer storage facility at Horizon Shores Marina - their slogan is boating made easy, and it sure does.  Ring up in the morning within half an hour to an hour your boat is in the water on the marina ready for use, come back tie up and they wash and flush the motor and put it away ... so civilised.  They also have a great work area with power, water etc so we can do maintenance, big cleans etc.  Derek of course is now fully accredited to keep boats and engines maintained himself as a part of his Skipper licensing so that saves a lot of money.  He also enjoyed doing all his own splicing of the ropes - saved heaps of money to be honest but also gave him a good sense of achievement.

There is nothing like being out on the water to make you feel alive, those negative ions certainly do invigorate you, sun on the body, fresh sea air and beach walks - love it.  Must admit though we have been coming back a little sore and sorry for ourselves, using muscles that haven't been used in a while even Teddy comes back exhausted and sleeps for about 24 hours after his big beach runs, rolls in the sand, swimming etc, but this is what we wanted something to occupy us mentally and physically while we also got out and enjoyed life.

Isuzu - I-Venture Club: Giving you the confidence to Go Your Own Way

Isuzu certainly deliver on their brand promise of "Go Your Own Way" via their I-Venture Club. Yesterday we joined one of their adventures over to Moreton Island to learn how the Isuzu performs and how to use the vehicle properly via theory and practice, which certainly has now given us the confidence to go out on beaches and go our own way.

I think we all know people who buy 4x4's or AWD's and they never go off road even though the vehicle has the capability, it is often our own confidence which stops us from utilising the vehicle to its fullest potential.  I must admit I have always been a little apprehensive in exploring too far from the main roads and while Derek had in his early life done a lot of 4x4 adventures with his Dad and Brothers in the outback and of course I trust him no end, it has been a long time, and of course we don't have a clapped out old manual Land Rover that he was use to but a new Isuzu MU-X auto so there is a bit of learning to do.

Going on a Friday, most of the people where in the 50's/60's and all wanting to be a part of a group, learn in a controlled environment so they could get the best value for money from their new purchase, there was probably $1M worth of vehicles in a convoy yesterday and made for a wonderful experience.

I liked the fact that we all had the same vehicle type - yes there where D-Max's, MU-X, LU-X types with all different sorts of accessories but, essentially everyone was on the same page, there was no "my vehicle is better" type thing.  It also made the theory part of the day easier as everyone is looking at the same dash board, the same controls etc.

So how did the day unfold?  I will say after many years of going on tours etc this one was certainly very well organised and the day ran on time, had a great flow of learning, doing and demo's and it seemed to just fly past.

As usual we where there an hour early and I was surprised that the crew from Isuzu where already there, handing out goodie bags (full of good stuff like hats, stubbie coolers etc), ensuring everyone had deflated their tyres (as well as equipment to do this), and installing 2 way radios into each vehicle so that right on time the convoy could drive on to MICAT.  How many times have we all gotten to an event and the organisers are unorganised, running late and using every excuse in the book for that - but not the Isuzu Crew well done guys, you all did an amazing job throughout the entire day in keeping everyone on time and entertained.

After boarding the ferry, we didn't even need to worry about getting coffees etc as our orders where taken and then delivered directly to us along with a lovely plate of hot croissants as we settled in for the journey over to Moreton. 

Enter David Wilson, our Chief Instructor for the day!  WOW full of energy, full of knowledge and able to deliver this in an entertaining manner, but for me this was an important part of the day - not knowing anything about cars in general and more especially 4WDs he explained all the bits and pieces our Isuzu have and explained in an understandable manner their importance, what to do in on-road and off-road situations, how to set the vehicle  into 4WD, tyre pressures etc.  A small part of his presentation with yours truly assisting Entertaining Presentation . I know I now know far more about our vehicle and more importantly it helped solidify our purchase decision. David also has his own website http://www.loaded4x4.com.au/ as well as Adventure 4WD

Before we knew it we where heading off MICAT and on to the beach in an impressive Isuzu Convoy in 4WD mode.  It was an absolutely glorious day as well which made the entire trip just that much better, it is hard to believe that this is winter in Queensland, and of course every time I go over to Moreton I think why do we all go off overseas when this is right on our doorstep. You can read my previous blog on Moreton https://ninker.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/tales-of-tangalooma-moreton-island.html

We stopped several times throughout the day for demo's, talks, food &drinks - all very delicious and just perfect for the type of day we where doing, like nice cold watermelon on the beach it was superbly catered for and while having lunch we where entertained by whales frolicking just off from the beach - does life really get better than that.

The Isuzu crew really provided a fabulous day for us, entertainment, commentary, food, training, photographer and support vehicles and people and I thank them for their hard work to make this day so enjoyable.  Obviously Isuzu do subsidise the day because it only cost us $300 which included everything from breakfast to cheese platters on the journey home and we know at this time of year MICAT cost $200 per car with 2 people just to get over there and back so it's great to know that Isuzu are investing back into those who support them and ensuring the brand lives up to its name.  I know 2 of our other crew members at Marine Rescue have bought an Isuzu since we purchased ours and through I-Venture Club I am sure others on the trip will be recommending Isuzu to their friends, and of course what a statement it made on the beach 15 Isuzus lined up - no doubt had the Prado and Land Cruiser owners on the beach yesterday rethinking their purchase.  What a great way to promote your product, keep  your customer satisfied and providing a very positive message to the 4WD community.

The day finished with cheese platters a few wines and beers and we even got a Certificate, just lovely touches.

There will be copies of the official photos over time so this blog will be updated with these when they arrive.

Thank You I-Venture Club - a fabulous day and more importantly authentic - not enough can be said about Authenticity in a brand and I am looking forward to doing more with you.

Highlight Photos of the Day