Still here!

 We are still in Echuca Moama, well Moama really.  

Why have we not moved on to Tocumwal?      On the Friday, the day after the very hot day, and Piper's drama with the electrical storm that seemed to last all night, Walter developed a really bad eye infection, and then twisted his ankle.    As if this was not bad enough, he developed a urinary tract infection during Friday night.    Talk about things happening in threes.   He was definitely feeling very miserable.

So at 7 am on Saturday morning we arrived at the Emergency Department at the local hospital, a very modern and at that time of the morning, a very deserted department.   He was attended to immediately by the most wonderful staff, who listened sympathetically to Walter's previous experiences with UTI infections.   They quickly tested his urine, gave him two antibiotic tablets, wrote a prescription for more tablets and put an ankle support bandage on his ankle.   He had been to the local doctor the day before about his eye.

We were back at the caravan by 8 am!      Now that was pretty impressive.

He has nearly fully recovered and is looking pretty good.   Still hobbling a bit but the ankle support bandage is certainly helping.

Now having to stay on here for two more days has had a silver lining, for me anyway.     

On Friday evening the caravan park filled up with people coming here for the weekend.   This included the women's football team from Footscray in Melbourne.    They looked a very fit lot, with plenty of muscle, and tattoos.   The place was buzzing.    Party time.

I was generally impressed with the high number of people running or power walking in the mornings.    All decked out in their fitness gear, and looking equally fit and healthy as well.  

On Saturday morning the park opposite was full of rally cars, the Ford Falcon Club.    All the cars were beautifully presented, and not how I remember them from the 1960s and 1970s.    

We owned a Ford Fairmont, one up from a Ford Falcon, bought in 1974 when we lived in Singapore.   Lee Kuan Yew brought in a law that meant all large cars were taxed at an exorbitant amount of money, as he wanted only small vehicles on the roads.  We managed to purchase a Ford Fairmont at a very low price and shipped it back to Australia. 

 The tyres were perished though as we found out when we collected the car and tried to drive it away from Melbourne!    It was a luxury car, but we were always poor so did not look after it.   Slowly over the next few years parts wore out, first the air conditioning no longer worked as we had not regassed it, then the radiator boiled every time we went up a hill, and all the seats split.     

 A line up of the red Ford Falcon cars.

                                      

More Ford cars.

On Saturday morning I went for a walk on the High Street which runs parallel to the street by Echuca Wharf.   It was very busy.    Plus lots of touristy shops.    I was fascinated by the name 'Opa" on the Greek Taverna, but not sure of the connection, as Opa is the Dutch name for grandfather.     

The street looks empty but it was mostly crowded, perhaps at that moment people disappeared into the shops.   I bought a book at a second hand bookstore, and toilet fluid and another small 'ubolt or 'dbolt' at the camping shop.    There were three camping shops next to each other which was quite amazing as they all sold the same things.    I spent some time browsing in all three shops.

I found an amazing dog park which was about a 5 minute drive from our caravan park.   As well as being huge it was beautifully landscaped with grassed areas, a huge sand pit, bark chip areas and plenty of trees.  The best dog park I have ever seen.    It was part of a large sports complex, council buildings and a small botanical garden.   I love country towns for their imaginative planning of parks.

On Sunday morning I walked out of the caravan park to be greeted by a large market being set up on the park opposite the caravan park.    The same park which held the Ford Falcon rally cars on Saturday.    Impressive.    

I was very restrained and only purchased some treats for Piper, a Turkish bread loaf for us and non performed soap bar for Piper's planned bath that afternoon.    I also lined up to purchase our morning coffee.    This was by far the busiest stall.   Australians love their coffee.

Two people sat in the sound shell and played music for all the shoppers.

The one luxury was the purchase of 12 poffertjes from the Poffertjes stall.   Poffertjes are little Dutch pancakes.   And they were delicious.  

I started this blog last night, and this morning we left Echuca Moama, as did everyone else too.   The caravan park was deserted this morning.  The fun was over, it seems.  

We have decided that we would not visit Echuca again,.   The last time we were there I had to go to the same Doctor's surgery as Walter went to, for his eye infection.  I had a splinter in my hand and it had become badly infected.   There must be something about Echuca. 

So for us it is not 'au revoir'!