We’re preparing for our roadtrip and we’re getting jolly excited. We’ve had the tent up for a spot of indoor camping. Good job too — the first one was badly stitched and had to go back. In contrast to the miniature five dollar tent that sheltered us in Africa, this time we’ve plumped for a larger four-person canvas in which we’ll be able to sit and stand. I wanted to get a bigger one in case the sun and flies are as bad as everyone tells us they are — if they are, at least we can sit inside our zipped-down, SPF 50+ tent and be all grumpy about it.

Last night, we tested out the chairs and the cool box–over here they’re called ‘Eskies’–and the flask. The two-burner stove and gas canister have no discernible leaks and produce a roaring-blue flame. Sick of perpetual sunburn, I’ve bought two litres of suntan cream and after sun lotion.

Don, our supersized station wagon car, is running well and has been given the all-clear by our mechanic for a fry-an-egg-on-the-bonnet roadtrip. The car developed an annoying fast-paced ticking sounds a few days ago, which was related to the cabin air system. Thankfully, it’s disappeared again now–probably a leaf in the cabin fan–but we’ll be listening out for it.

We even squeezed in a couple of rounds of our new board game, “Getaway” which is an Australian-themed Trivial Pursuit with only questions on Sport, Australia, Cricket, Sport, Entertainment, Cricket or Sport. In two games, Squiffy’s answered only one question correctly and I’m still waiting to get out of the starter blocks. Thankfully, it’s also possible to collect ‘free’ chips every so often with the roll of the 8-sided die. And so, in our hands, this knowledge-based game of skill has pretty becomes a matter of luck: who can throw the die to display ‘free chip’ more than the other player wins, we laugh our way through the arcane questions as we go. Examples:

How many tests did Allan Border play for Australia?

• In what year did Big Brother premiere on Australian TV?
• Which short-lived NSW fire service drama lasted only one season on the ABC?
• What was Merv Hughes’ highest score in a test match?
• Which 3 players tied for the Brownlow Medal in 2003?
• In which year did Melbourne Storm join the NRL?
• What does the acronym CAMS stand for?
• What invention is Mervyn Richardson famous for?
• Which Victorian seaside town is famous for its whale watching?
• Who or what is the Fremantle Doctor? (Squiffy answered this one correctly)

Answers in the comments section below please! Winner gets brandished a smarty pants…

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