gvallee

Well done chris. I might be wrong but I feel that Australian buyers are discovering Alamy. Gen

The height of fashion. When the colour of your eye matches your food. Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes).

Remember Edo, you told me this wouldn't sell, it wasn't simple enough? Well.... sorry to disappoint you. 😂 A more unusual sale: Bunnings sausage sizzle (I actually asked the woman to hold her lunch for me) Another sale of something I didn't prepare, my Qantas lunch box! Now some food shots I would love to license but haven't: A trio burger of buffalo, crocodile and barramundi Now obviously, you can see I don't like food or cooking... Gen

Calendar

How funny!!

Doesn't sound too relaxing!!

Thank you for the tip Marianne. I'll keep an eye for it in second hand bookshops here because one of the consequences of being on the road is that we have no address for deliveries.

Why not? Two years ago I travelled 4 months on my own in a Ford Transit campervan off the beaten track. I loved every minute of it. Lots of women travel on their own in Toyota Coasters in Australia, and they're mechanically savy as well! Admittedly, they seem to travel with dogs rather than parrots! Of course, I can't vouch for safety in the US, I have travelled there numerous times but never in an RV. Last time was to see the sandhill cranes migration at Bosque del Apache, New Mexico. Lift off is a dawn. Travelling alone in pitch black at 5 am, my wretched rented car decided to turn on a red warning light on the dash. Then, I missed the turn off to the reserve and ended up on a dirt road. All at night and in freezing temperatures. I love adventure! Anyway, I'm glad you left bad times behind and turned the corner Betty, life sometimes seems out to test one.

Yes dementia is really tough on carers. Both my father and maternal grandmother died from it. Perhaps that's why I live life to the full...

What we often see in Oz is people who have left it too late in life. They are on the road but some are in a wheelchair (the wife was doing the hooking up and towing the caravan), or have various illnesses or disabilities. We hear very sad stories. 2 days ago, a lone man rolled up with a caravan where we are camped. He introduced himself as 'John. Sandra is on the front seat'. Only she was in an urn and he was scattering her ashes in all the places she hadn't seen in Australia. We were very upset all evening. How sad.

You described it well Betty. I think Australia and the USA are similar in size. I have about 30 books on pioneering days in Oz under my bed in the bus. Wonderful stories of very resilient people.

Couldn't agree more. The only issue is that I am drowning under the number of pictures to edit. We've stayed put a number of days to allow me to catch up. I feel that Australia is discovering Alamy and there is demand for what I call location pictures, what a place looks like. Again because of huge distances, it's not worth it financially for photographers to travel to get them. So for me it's both a pleasure and an opportunity.

39 degrees here yesterday. Ice cubes in white wine and aircon inside the bus. Travel in luxury! On one same day in Oz, we can have snow in an area, drought, floods and fires in others. It happens regularly. In Cairns where I lived recently, it can rain heavily in one part of town and have sunshine in another at the same time. Wonderful rainbows there. As for Melbourne, they say 'all 4 seasons in one day'.

Waking up now, 6 a.m. Watching the sunrise over the river through the huge majestic red gumtrees from my bed - care was taken not to camp directly underneath them as they are called 'widow makers' on the account that they drop perfectly healthy limbs witnout warning. Remember David Attenborough's footage? These are not stupid questions Ian, they're logical. My replies won't apply to UK/Europe as it's very different in Oz, primarily because of the size of the country, so for those into nature and wilderness, nomad life is a dream. There is a growing crowds of Grey Nomads who like us have sold the house and are on the road permanently with all kind of vehicles, sometimes grotesque like a bus towing a double decker trailer with hydraulic system: upper level is the boat, lower level a car. In between there is space for bikes, etc. Anyway, so there are apps detailing where to camp for free, showers, water, etc. 1. Safety: I guess problems can happen anywhere, there recently was a story about a couple whose bus was shot at overnight but it's extremely rare. The rules is to camp at least 60 kms away from troubled towns. The only incident we had so far was very mild. We were camped by a weir in the middle of nowhere and some yahoos came roaring through the area at 4:30 am.. In contrast, there are numerous cattle stations or farmstays experience where the tradition is a Happy Hour around a campfire. Sometimes the owner will bake a damper in the camp oven. You meet all sorts of people and share stories. As for stopping, distances are so humongous in Oz that it's sometimes difficult to find a spot for the night along the road. There has been clashes with truckers when vans were parked in their rest areas. As for drinking, I'm not sure if the rules are the same as in the UK if you had a few but are not driving anywhere. I was once puzzled to be breathalised at 9 a.m. on a very remote road through the Outback. Police told me that the reason was that there was a free camping spot nearby where people tend to drink a lot in the evening. It's still in the blood in the morning. 2. Hygiene: it's different for us as we are fully self-contained. We have a shower and toilets cubicle. We even have an ouside shower for washing under the stars!! For vans without, there are some free camps offering showers. Of course there are rivers but one should not use soap in or near them. And in the north, you would share them with crocs. Right now elsewhere with the drought they're dry, even big ones. I'm aware my experience is from another continent but basic questions are the same the world over. Hope it helps a little bit. Gen

Brilliant! Nifty little van. So that's where you hung your hat... Did you travel in Europe or UK only? Did you find it easy to wild camp or are they crazy regulations? We've installed solar panels on our bus, so we're off the grid. What a great feeling!! Totally independent, except for food and fuel of course. We even have Internet access through a dongle in most places. Currently, we've been staying for a week by a river teeming with birds. Other half goes fishing, I go birding, we open a bottle of cool white wine in the evening and marvel at our lifestyle. We only have to make sure we stay clear from bushfires.