Mike finished nights this morning and it's now 12:54, 10°C, 277948kms. Filled up with diesel earlier (277936, 47.51L) and now off to the Coast - grey and gloomy here and hopefully the weather forecast is right and it's sunny on the Coast! Shopped at Cromwell and had smoke/stretch stops at Albertown and Cameron Flat. Filled up with water at DOC Haast and pulled up into "our spot" (YAY, no-one else there - the big puddle at the start of the track hopefully puts everyone else off. Hey, we know Maggie can go through fords, so what's a decent puddle?!?) at 16:26. 13.5°C and sunny!!! 
18:38 - have spent most of afternoon on the beach and built a bonfire - YAY we're on the Coast! Now a mild 10°C. JD now knackered and Roxie just wants to go play some more - little does she know we're here for at least another day and 2 nights! Had Mike's meatballs and spaghetti for tea and hit the pit at about 21:30. Not bad going for someone who only had a couple of hours sleep this morning!
18 May 2010
Up at 08:00 (after a brief time up as JD was whimpering again and needed to go to the loo) - glorious morning, 7.5°C and not a cloud to be seen. Had coffees and decided to go back to bed - the early morning wake up call was just too early! Then had showers and now it's 11:10 and in T-shirts! Admittedly, lots and lots of spray needed as the black bitey bastards are plentiful! Mike is cooking an omelette for brunch and then we'll go for a walk along the beach. 13:00, been for our walk - it's WARM! Only a short walk as JD really has got old in the last week (in a hurry!) and is struggling.
Spent the rest of the afternoon reading (and the obligatory nana-nap for Mike!) and playing with Roxie - JD too tired to really move much. Collected firewood for our baked spud tonight - had to walk quite a way as there's not much around - certainly a lot less than usual. 
Built an awesome fire and had an equally awesome baked spud, plus crappy New World steak well disguised (almost!) in Marielle's mushroom sauce. Need garlic salt on board though! Now 21:04 and have just watched the moon set, orange and a real sickle shape, in pretty much the same spot as where the sun set earlier on. Went to bed at 21:30.
Spent the rest of the afternoon reading (and the obligatory nana-nap for Mike!) and playing with Roxie - JD too tired to really move much. Collected firewood for our baked spud tonight - had to walk quite a way as there's not much around - certainly a lot less than usual. 
19 May 2010
Up at 06:00 as JD woke us up (again, and for the second time tonight) with his whimpering. Only, this time he's wet the bed and he's so obviously unhappy. He's managed to wet his jacket, seats covers everything - poor old bugger. So we have no choice but to pack up and go home. Poor JD is whimpering and crying and obviously in pain, so we have to take him to the vet - we have no idea why he's so uncomfortable. His front paws are hurting him, but no lumps or cuts, and it's a bit of a worry that he's drinking heaps and pissing everywhere too. Bit of a bummer, as it looks like it's going to be another glorious day - not a cloud in the sky (starry night at the moment!) and 5.5°C. Left at 06:56 after a couple of coffees and stopped a couple of times on the way home as JD desperately needed another p-stop, but basically just went. Home at 10:00, 278388kms (440kms this trip).
PS - we took JD to the vet (having discovered that he also peed on the carpet during the night) and he has diabetes. Explains his lethargy, and his in-ordinate amounts of drinking and pee-ing. Poor old bugger, but we'll get it under control and be able to have many more happy trips in Maggie!
