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June Update

well we certainly did a *lot* of stocking up for what ended up being a not very wet season.

But we have a lot of frozen and dry goods stocked up so that just saves money now is all.

So...

Ummmm... way back in April. Kyria is away in Darwin and it's just me and the bois holding down the fort here.

3am.... Monty jumps on the bed to wake me up.

I let him outside.

He borks at the fence... so I wander out to the carport (dressed as my wife prefers me... starkers)...

And check the old 105 series out front and the fatbikes under the carport.

All good.

I call the boys back and go back to sleep. 💤

Wake up at 7am... get up wander around the house and wonder why no dogs are chasing my every step.

Turns out I must have not closed the door properly at 3am as it's sitting open and Monty is outside borking at the universe. (as he tends to do)

I wander back and find clothes.

At 11am I get call from the school principal telling me that our car (the 105 series cruiser) is in the community of Kalkarinji about 5 hours east of here...

Seems that I didn't leave the front door open.

No... a teenager came into the house and took the keys and drove off.

The police in Kalkarinji said it wouldn't go into 3rd gear. Eventually had a longer chat and there is a lot more mechanical damage. So it was backloaded on the food truck to Katherine and our mechanic.

Am not impressed with the bois... What happened to my Dire Wolf guard dogs?

end result:
transfer case, gearbox, both diffs (Air Lockers fitted), 4 tyres, rear tailshaft, front CVs and more. (this is just the major items list... there is more)

All up... $25k to repair.

It's insured for $23k.

It has been written off and Club4x4 is preparing to sort the payout.

I want to stress something really important here...

IT WAS NOT A LOCAL KID THAT STOLE THE CAR.

It was a kid from the other community that I've been informed has a history and reputation for theft. He had hitched a ride into Yarralin (after dumping the ambulance, over in WA, that he's previously nicked from his own community...) and decided that our 105 series... being outside the fence... was an easy target and way for him to get home to his community.

probably also worth mentioning that in the 14 years we lived in the Blue Mountains (Woodford and Hazelbrook) that car was broken into 9 times. Three times in the 12 months before we left... so.

I'm sad as that cruiser was a part of our lives for a long time. (since 2003) It got us to Yarralin and this new life. Without it... we wouldn't be here now.

It's "losing" some bits before the insurance picks it up. (assessor was happy with our mechanics quote and pics) But the brand new winch, 2nd spare, Outback drawers, fridge cage and drop slide, ARB compressor and more are *all* coming out. (there's also 180L of diesel in the 2nd tank so that is being pumped into drums)

We still have the VDJ Troopy and love it to bits so the insurance will probably go to a house deposit. (yeh i know... buying a house at 60yo...) at least up here we can afford to buy one. Unlike down south.

and for those wondering?

We still love it here. EVERY - SINGLE - DAY.

LoL!

Good on her

Does that mean she's now qualified to work on her Dad, or is that a task beyond even a Cert IV

Ahaha,
My toes are beyond help, even a seasoned professional  would say no.

You don't use magic to disappear, ya use a 4x4 & Swag.

The last couple of weeks I have been doing blacksmithing demos for primary school kids.  Normal process is make an object while explaining some of what I am doing during the process then when complete take questions.

Had some grade 3 kids last week and they were asking all the normal questions like how hot is the fire, why do you make it hot, what is burning in the fire etc. Then a little girl puts her hand up & her question stumped me for a while.

"Can Santa get down that chimney?" Talk about left field, I could see the teachers behind them holding back their chuckles.