Oct 4

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered what it is that makes life so precious for you, 'precious moments' as I refer to them.  I was doing that last night and here is what I came up with:- being at one with nature, sounds of life even if you can't see the makers, being very comfortable with as few 'man-made' items as you can, not thinking about what to do in the next 5 minutes - just soaking up the present, and to top it all, being able to share what makes you so content and 'at home' with the one you love.  I guess we really are 'bush' folks at heart, this is where our love of life is, where our hearts are happiest and where we feel we belong.

It was a wonderful night, not nearly as cold as expected and oh so perfect.  I sleep like one of the logs that are lying around here, I don't think I moved an inch, even the sleeping bags stayed in place (or at least mine did <g>).

A great nights sleep under the stars.

When I eventually surfaced after having been brought my cup of coffee in bed I set to work in the outdoor kitchen.  Bringing the wee gas stove over and putting it on the camp stool I sat in my chair and cooked a whole 'big' packet of bacon which we have been carrying around in the fridge since Darwin.  Most of the bacon will be eaten cold at a later date with the cold sausages.  Then a couple of eggs were fried and we had bacon and egg buttes for breakfast - yummy.  The eggs were a new variety, pre-scrambled in an uncracked shell lol.  I hope Alan does not get the bright idea of buying me a camping stove for a present and expecting me to do all the cooking in the future, that would not be funny :)  Alan has cooked a couple of things but I have done the rest (great way of getting out of doing the washing up).

Alan sorting liquid refreshment

Jane cooking the bacon, all 40 slices!!!

We have decided not to pack up and leave this heavenly spot but to stay today and tonight then make a mad dash to Kings Canyon tomorrow.  We know it will be beautiful and a place that must be visited but we also know there will be hordes of others trying to make the same journey as us and we will have to share. 

Time to get the blog up to date.

Our find for the day, somebody had camped here back in December

The water heating up in the solar shower, do you like our bathroom, what a view.

Oops!!!!!!  After finishing the blog for the day and telling you we were spending another night under the stars things went rather different to our plan.  We had collected the firewood for the night, got dinner sorted and were just enjoying the remainder of the afternoon when we heard thunder, huge great big rumbly tummy type of thunder.  It went on and on for a couple of hours and we debated whether to put up the tent or not.  We decided against putting up the tent in the end, lots of thunder but no sign of rain (at that time), it must just have been way in the distance and with this wonderful silence around us sounds travel long distances.  The night drew in, showers were over and done with, dinner was forgotten as we were not hungry.  Time to enjoy the arrival of the night, the stars and all the other activities going on around us, when, flash - lightening.  OK it was not much, again way in the distance and the thunder kept on rumbling and cracking - it must have been a real 'barney' up there in the heavens.  There were a few spots of rain but nothing that required a tent - yet!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few drops of rain.

We watched the most wonderful light show we have ever seen, lightening 360 degrees around us and still more thunder.  Some of the lightening was so bright it hurt your eyes and left you with night blindness.  I wish I had not put my camera away for safety (just in case it rained <g>) as the pictures or video which could have been taken would have been out of this world.  We decided to turn in for the night and snuggled up under the sleeping bags, still watching the light show and listening to the accompanying sound.  Small drops of rain obsessionally landed on our heads, then they got bigger, then more frequent - should we stay or should we go to the car - the 64 million dollar question.  We stayed for a bit longer but in the end had to accept we had been beaten by nature good and proper, the car would have to be our bedroom for the second time this week.