Operation Oil Change

It’s a horrible feeling when you are driving along at night and you turn on the light to check your speed (the dash light doesn’t work) and you notice the oil pressure gauge is doing a dance then staying up at maximum, then dropping to normal, then dancing, rising, dancing then dropping.

We drove to the nearest free camp and stopped the night.  Did some research the next day and decided the most likely problem was old oil.

A couple of days later we drove to the nearest town (Gladstone, QLD) and went searching for an oil filter.  Easy task, eh?  Well, no!  We arrived in town at around 10:30 and finally found a place that may be able to order one in by around 5 pm!  That night we did some more sleuthing and found that they were quite hard to get in Aussie, but easy in USA.  Decided to go with the local parts place (Maxiparts) to hopefully get it quicker as we didn’t want to drive the bus much more and risk damage to the engine.

We rang them early in the morning then waited ALL DAY for them to call us back!  Finally on Friday afternoon after several calls to them, we got one ordered – from Darwin. 

And so we waited!  We parked up next to the Junior Sports Grounds and waited for someone to come tell us to move!  (No one did)

Late Monday afternoon, we got the phone call saying the filter had arrived!  We asked if they could deliver it out to us, which they did at no extra charge – or maybe that was included in the $40 freight charge from Darwin!

First thing Tuesday morning we got onto the oil change only to find the bungs were done up so tight they would not move at all!  We spent a frustrating day trying to get someone with the proper tools to come and help.  We thought about syphoning it out, then someone on facebook suggested it too.

So now it’s Wednesday!  We take a walk to the local Supercheap Auto and purchase a hand syphon and set to work on emptying the oil sump. 

We ended up removing the filler pipe to make our job easier.

 

Our next challenge was to remove the old filter.  We banged a screwdriver though the bottom to use as leverage and hit it with the hammer!  It didn’t want to come off at all!  Finally we noticed a minuscule movement!  The cheer brought out some of kids to have a look!

 

Once the filter was off it was a relatively easy job.  We bought some ultra black silicone gasket maker as the old one round the filler plug was shot!

Once it was all put back together, we filled the new filter with oil, filled the sump with oil and hoped and prayed that we’d fixed the oil pressure problem!

After dinner we took The Odyssey for a spin, and the she ran like a well oiled machine!! What a relief!

Meanwhile Jireh ….

Friday the 13th

At least once a year we like to put together a video of a day in our life.  This year we choose Friday 13th June to be that day!

Follow this LINK  or click on the picture to see what we did on Friday 13th!

Humorous Answers to Common Questions

We were inspired by another travelling family when they posted on facebook some answers to questions they regularly get asked.  Here are the questions and our (tongue-in-cheek) answers.

 

1. Are they all yours?  Of course not, we pick them up as we travel.
2. Are there any twins?  Not as far as we know.
3. Don’t you have a television?  Nope! We got sick of not being able to get reception so we sold it.
4. Do you have a house to go back to?  Nope, houses are way over-rated!
5. Did you win lotto? Yes, um, No, actually didn’t even buy the ticket!
6. Do you home school?  Nope, the kids do fly in fly out schooling!
7. Bet the bus goes through some fuel!  Nope, it runs on the smell of an oily rag, oh, hang on, that’s the rag from mopping up the oil leaks!
8. How do you make a living?  Dole bludgers and government handouts and sending the kids to work!

 

Hope the post brightened your day.

A Quick Round Up and a Video

It’s been a very busy few weeks for us.  After the Gympie Show and RSPCA Million Paws walk we headed off to Springsure for the show there.  It was not as straight forward as we’d hoped.

Had a great trip as far as Rockhampton where we stopped for a pantry restock before we headed away from the coast and decent shopping!

We left Rockhampton later than planned but wanted to make Duringa so we could stop for a couple of days before heading to the show.  We drove about 60 km’s before we lost all power to the accelerator and glided to a halt on the edge of a very fast though not busy road.  We put out our warning triangles and then lifted the floor to check the engine … there was fuel on top of the engine and none in the tank!

We didn’t have to wait long before a friendly motorist pulled up and asked what was wrong.  When they found we were out of fuel, they siphoned some out of their tank and put it in ours!  They wouldn’t even accept any money for it!

Not knowing how long the fuel would last we decided to make the first safe stopping place and spend the night.

It was not a fun night at all … with road trains driving past about 2 meters away going 100 km’s an hour!  The bus would rock with every truck!

In the morning, Mike hitched a ride to the nearest town to get 20 L of fuel and some drinking water (in case we had to stay another night out of town).  They guy who picked him up also bought him back with a chocolate bar for each of the kids!

After putting the 20L into the tank we drove the remaining 20 k’s or so to “town”.  There was no one  there to fix the issue as it’s a very small “one horse” town, so we put on what we thought was a temporary fix and drove to the next semi decent town (Emerald).  We limped to the Springsure show then back to Emerald.

As soon as we could we booked the bus in to be looked at by a diesel mechanic who spent about 30 minutes, replaced two washes and said it was fixed and charged us $165!!  We dove to the gas station, filled her up and headed to the playground to exercise the kids and dogs.  Mike lifted the floor only to find the leak was NOT fixed, and was in fact worse!  He phoned the mechanic, told him the problem to which he replied, “we are closing in two minutes and as tomorrow is a public holiday we will not be open till Thursday!!”  I forgot to mention we had to be at a show 600 km’s away by Thursday afternoon to set up ready for the show to start on Friday!

We put a call for help out on our Facebook page and within a short time someone PM’d me saying their dh was a diesel fitter and could come round and take a look in the morning for just the cost of any parts needed!  True to their word they were knocking on our door before I was even up!  It didn’t take him long to FIX the problem.

So with just two day to go we headed off to Winton.  It was a great show and people were very positive. 

 

Click on the link below to see the video we put together of highlights from our first performance.  The spectators are a bit thin but there we not many people at the show by then … the last performance on the last day was MUCH better. 

Winton Show Video

Fun times

That was one very busy weekend!  Wednesday afternoon we pulled into the Gympie Showgrounds with everyone on a high ready for the show to start in the morning.  We tried to organise everyone for an early night but with adrenalin running high this was not easy task!  I think it was nearer 9pm before the younger ones were settled … only to be up at 7.30 am wondering when we were going to the show!

 

Thursday was a quite day, getting the dogs accustomed to the sights and sounds of the show (again) and checking out the sights and sounds for ourselves.  The Aussie FMX were a big hit, especially for Mr 4 whose highlight of the whole show was getting a high five from the O G (Old Guy) of the FMX team!

 

Friday we relaxed some of the day, resting the dogs in preparation for the high jump.  As usual they called the dogs in at 4pm, and then they had to sit and wait (and listen to the grating voice of the MC/commentator who over used the words “Thank you very kindly”) and to pass the time the kids counted the times he used those words!  (26 times in about 3 hours).  They are planning on changing the system next year which will hopefully mean less time sitting round in the sun waiting.

 

After waiting almost an hour and a half they called the dogs in to the main ring and the jumping started!  As always there is another dog there (called Dougie) who can jump over 9 ft and is just too good taking out first prize for three years running!  When it all came down to the line, it was between Sparkie and Tess for 2nd and 3rd place.  Sparkie took out third, then the rain started (which is why there are no still photo’s of this event) so they gave Tess one more jump which she couldn’t do it so they called it.  The prize for 2nd place was a ribbon and $150 and $50 for third place!

 

Saturday saw us up early and heading over for the Novelty Dog competition!  This is our 6th year competing and winning prizes, so it was no surprise that the girls and dogs came away with a good portion of the prize pool. 

 

The highlight this year was Suzanna (age 6) who came in third in Best Child Handler running Tess.

Jasmine and Sparkie, Best Tricks, Gympie Show 2014

 

Chana and Lassie, Best Trick, Gympie Show 2014

More results and pictures are up on the Superdogs Facebook Page.

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Sunday was another early start as we headed off for our first Superdog performance of the year at the Gympie RSPCA Million Paws Walk.  As it was raining off and on we didn’t get any photo’s of this event either.  It was a success though and everyone enjoyed it and the dogs all got a free hydro bath so smell great now too.

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Next up is the Springsure Show at the end of the month.  Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and we can get some more pics!

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Ever tried to write a blog when your three young children are watching a movie (in this case Tangled) right beside you?  Sorry if this is a bit disjointed.

Life as we Know it – Guest Post

Hi! I am thrilled to have this opportunity to swap posts for a day with the fantastic Wheel Education. Reading through their blog was fascinating and painted a vivid picture of a lifestyle that would be unheard of on our little island. I am slightly envious of their opportunities to explore and to learn as they travel!

I am a 40 year old married mum of 4. We've had a tough few years, battling serious illness and accidents which has resulted in a total lifestyle change for us. I started blogging as a way to document our new life.

Circumstances have forced us to move to a more rural location and as an unexpected result we have changed our general outlook on life considerably. Despite our initial fears we can honestly say that it has been a change for the better.

In some ways the way our family live now is reminiscent of my childhood in the 70s. The children have much more freedom to play and explore than they did in our previous home. I've always loved the idea of 'free range' children, of letting them play outside and explore. To allow them to make their own entertainment. Sadly as times and attitudes have changed it seems that these ideas are now somewhat frowned upon.

​ The nearby forest

We now live near to a wonderful forest. The 3 elder children go out and play in the street, at the park or in the forest. Exploring and building dens, quite often free from the beady eyes of their parents. All the children in the neighbourhood play out together and look out for each other. If any of my brood do something naughty one of their pals is straight at the door to report the misdemeanour!

​ Off on an adventure!

​Of course I worry that they will hurt themselves but I have to balance that against the opportunity to learn that this freedom gives them. How will they know their limits if they never push their boundaries? How will they know what amazing things they are capable of if they don't have the chance to at least try? It is sad that so many children today live sedentary lives, glued to their games consoles and not exploring their surroundings.

We love to get out and about at the weekend and to explore our surroundings. We all pile into the car with the dog with no particular end game. it adds to the excitement when we don't have any set plans and see where our mood takes us.

​Enjoying the great outdoors

Arts and crafts also play a large part in our lives. It is a great way to explore their creativity and to learn through play. I personally use paper craft and sewing as a way to express myself and to relax. There is nothing like the satisfaction of knowing you made the art on the wall or the bag your children is carrying. We like to do projects as a family and the children often have a part in any larger projects.

​ Making pom poms

Our next project is to start growing some vegetables for ourselves. It is very much a case of stabbing in the dark but we will have fun learning and discovering what works and what doesn't.

Life is very much for living and gaining new experiences. I would hate to look back in a few years time and say that we hadn't tried something out. Life is an adventure!

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For more post from Life as we know it … check out her blog at LifeAsWeKnowIt

Two weeks to go

Till the start of the winter show circuit and most of us have colds, it’s wet and there are not many suitable places to rehearse!  The stress levels are rising in both the parents and the children!

We don’t have far to drive now to get to Gympie where we start our circuit competing at the Gympie show then the following day (Sunday) performing at the Gympie RSCPC Million Paws Walk.  

Chantel and Freya at the Million Paws Walk 2013

When it rains we often cannot train and travelling up the east coast there are not many free camps where we can pull up for a couple of days and set up the agility equipment!

I’m sure it will all work out, it always does.  I remember a few years back a few days before our first of the year show telling the girls that their routines needed a lot of work, in fact I just may or may not have told them that their routines sucked!  BUT on the day, they shone!  I know this year will be the same.

We did train/rehearse this week after spending time at the beach, when we found an amphitheatre.  Some of the locals/tourists enjoyed a free show.

HERE is our newest video :  Playtime at the beach with the Superdogs

Playing at the beach was a good stress reliever and the girls did well with the rehearsal, but need a bit of polishing before the first show in two weeks!