IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO SITE NUMBER 27 - THANK YOU
Post 28 - September 2nd 2023
A leisurely drive up the Southeastern Freeway in SA on a sunny spring Friday morning gets you to the Swanport Road exit which in turn leads to an easy cruise into Murray Bridge.
It's moving day. Ruth and I have packed up the Myponga ranch, Camp Green at Ararat is now behind us, and Murray Bridge is the new abode.
Well, it will be for now, have some health things to sort out and need a place to hang for a while so why not take root at the Bridge. Camp Bunyip is home from today.
Good place to set up camp, river just a stone's throw away, the Gifford Hill racetrack is up the road, greyhound racing is just over the bridge, speedway is within ear shot, the Overland and copious numbers of freight trains rumble up through the cutting and the end of the bridge causeway. All that and more, and that's just for starters. Watch this space.
For me, it's like a blast from the past being here. I have history here at the Bridge from my days living at Tailem Bend, not Elvis type history like Port Pirie but gee, my life story would have an interesting chapter on this place.
History, like spending a night in the lock-up for imitating a Bunyip at Sturt Reserve, to winning the A Grade Murray Towns' cricket premiership here in 1976 with Tailem Bend, or the day I simply ran away with a half marathon at Johnstone Park, then missing that goal from 40m directly in front in a Preliminary Final at Le Messurier Oval in the dying minute when 4 points down, or from driving trains through that same cutting near the rail bridge many moons back, and a special memory for me is that this town is where I started my 20-year footy umpiring career in 1977.
Yeah, done a bit here in the Bridge, been a good place for me, sort of, and it is ok to be back.
I am sure that through the passing of time I am forgiven for past misdemeanors and shit kicks at goal in the footy. And one day I will go check on the Bunyip and apologise for my shenanigans that summer day in 1975, a time that ended with me in the local lock-up for a night. I really didn't mean to take the coins off the Bunyip, and seriously what if I did climb in his cage and scare the crap out of unsuspecting tourists who came to see him? I blamed it on the West End Draught but the cops, geez, they weren't convinced and even suggested, well demanded I have a sleepover at their watchhouse.
Anyhow, whatever the past, good or not so good, I am back in the Bridge at Camp Bunyip, and this is home for now. Look, if anyone challenges me about past antics here in the Bridge, I can simply trot out the 'But I've got dementia' line and that will clear me of having to take any responsibility.
Ruth and I have set-up the van and made this home. Has been a big day, a big day indeed. Ruth, well she proved herself to be Da' Girl with her miraculous driving skills over this day.
How good was she, brilliant performance, she got everything spot on, from lining up the ball on the tow bar and hooking up the van, getting it out of the ranch at Myponga working angles through those massive gates that she actually had no right to navigate successfully. Gee, that was such a tight fit. Then 2-hours on the road towing the 16 foot fully loaded and rather weighty van through Kuitpo, Meadows, Strathalbyn, Callington and finally here to Camp Bunyip.
And the driving smarts were not done with yet, far from it. Ruth, at driving, she is the Goat.
But yeah, as said, she wasn't done yet, because then like a seasoned pro she pulled up at our camp site, whacked the motor into R for reverse and in one measured movement she backed what must have looked like a road-train by this time into our designated space and wow, the van was in place, centimeter perfect to quote legendary footy caller Dennis Cometti and that was that.
Ruth, 10 out of 10, magical moments indeed, God is good.
For me with the Lewy Body Dementia journey I have had a couple of twists just recently, seem to be finding some areas really difficult to get a handle on. Still doing good, life moves in an ok direction for the most part.
However, in all honesty I am finding that direction is not a strong suit at the minute. Not North, South, East and West, nope still good with that, the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Nothing new here.
The direction issue is, as example, remembering how to find my way back to our camp when I go for a stroll. I have learned with this LBD thing to make sure I have as many strategies as possible in place to keep myself safe and to generally carry on with living. And it works, it works well.
But direction is causing some confusion. I am prone to get lost if I venture too far from camp. I really have to zone in and make sure I get a good feel for where I am, where I am going and, dare I say, why I am doing what it is that I am doing. Nothing really to see here but an issue I need to address at times. Generally, I can stay ahead of the problem and that means damage is minimal.
Once we had set up the homestead today, had a bite to eat and a rest, I went across to the shower block to have a scrub. It was dark by now and when all clean and washed, I found myself heading in the wrong direction as I wandered back to the van.
I spotted a bon fire in the campgrounds at a fire pit and who knows why but I walked up in that direction. Blank moment, senior moment, or maybe the Camp Green experience at Ararat tricked my mind into thinking I was still there, and the fire was at our spot. Not sure, but I went for a wander.
Now, as luck would have it, I met up with a bloke on my adventure who must have realised I was heading away from our van, he had walked past Ruth and I as we were setting up earlier in the day. Anyhow, we stopped for a chat, he then asked me if I was ok and thankfully, perhaps sensing I wasn't he walked with me back in the other direction towards our van. Once I spotted it, all good, I was cool. Awkward moment averted.
Then as I explained to Ruth what just went down, we had a laugh about my faux pas but talked through how to avoid that happening.
It could be as simple as me wearing a name tag with a note, If found please return to site 27 ... yeah, I don't think so.
But seriously, this evening was yet another reminder of how this LBD journey can have some pitfalls and it will trigger some thoughts for me to work with this issue and to keep the strategies developing to avoid any potential problems with direction.
Wow, sorry, lost track of time there hey, went on a bit.
So, time to finish up this post. Been a long day and now for some shut eye. Ruth is already in her bunk and snoring but hey, what the heck, after her day of super driving and navigating with the van, I reckon she deserves her rest.
And for the record I must add that Ruth has very quickly embraced this Bridge living lifestyle, she has made a request to join 2 Community Chat Forums on Facebook. Love what she learns, surprising in fact what gets posted on the FB forums, Ruth has joined a few over time and knows lots of local news and happenings. Like, she knows about all the missing cats in a number of towns, knows if there is a fox on the run, cattle on the road, sharks in the water, who needs to mow their lawn, you know, good community knowledge.
Thanks as always for checking in, appreciate that. I will leave you though with this JonnyG understanding of being lost, or not ...
I am not lost, because to be lost you actually have to know where it is you are meant to be and hey, I have no idea where that is ...
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So, Murray Bridge, strange happenings in this place and that comment is not Bunyip related, although the Bunyip is strange ... anyhow, once we arrived here yesterday Ruth went up town to get some lunch and on her return, this was a pie she got for me ... now my question, did the bakery worker know it was for someone with dementia because it already had a bite taken out of it, maybe she thought the customer with dementia would not have a clue if they had already taken a bite from the pie ... mmmmmmmm ... Ruth, any imput here?
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