THE CRITTERS OF CAMP RECLUSE

Post 48 - Wednesday August 14th 2024

Critters are in abundance at Camp Recluse and that is just the way it should be. They add so much to this off-grid life and the 'Critters Welcome' sign hangs proudly on our homestead door. We love the animal and bird friends we have made here on the shores of Green Hill Lake in Ararat; they number plenty and really; we have a menagerie of these wildlife creatures we share this place with.

What we are experiencing is nature at its raw finest. Ruth and I look out for the wildlife to the best of our ability, and it seems they are all happy to have us living here. We don't bother them, and they don't bother us. Ah, what a way to be living.

And for me with the Lewy Body Dementia it helps in so many ways. My mental health and wellbeing is in a good spot for the most part, this is all really helping in a massive positive way. It is like paradise living here, sometimes the weather gets testing but once the rough moments pass it is back to all things good and as alluded to, for my depression and my need for being reclusive in this awkward life season, wow, how darn special. I feel the peace and tranquility from being out here, this was a great life move. And we are planning on staying on longer than first thought.

Having found this place near the lake and set up Camp Recluse means Ruth and I are living the dream. My health is very much testing in a number of areas so immersing myself in everything positive about our off-grid journey really does make life as ok as it can be. We are feeling so blessed and for now, this is our home. And as mentioned, the critters around our camp area add so much to our feeling of peace and tranquility, and yeah, dare I say, the serenity is mind boggling.

Ruth and I first camped here in March 2023 but stayed just two nights as we were passing through on our way from Warrnambool to Pyramid Hill on a road trip from South Australia and simply needed a stopover and resting point. But it was to be a great introduction to this beautiful area, to the lake, the surrounds and to the wildlife and to Ararat. That two nights was simply pivotal in how things have played out with this Adventure before Dementia journey as we moved forward.

We often discuss how we found this particular spot nestled in amongst the trees and marvel at how lucky and blessed we are to have chosen to be right here. There are hundreds and hundreds of possible camping sites here on the lake, but we know we would not swap our site for any another. It seems we were simply meant to land at this location and each and every day we stand and look and be thankful for what we have.

The importance of our patch can never really be described, look, words do not do it justice, our many, many pics show our Camp Recluse area and surrounds but even then, the true beauty is not really captured. I mean, serenity, how do you capture that? For Ruth and I, being out here, being off grid, being on our own, yeah, simply the best as Tina would say. 

OUR POSSUM COMMUNITY JUST KEEPS ON KEEPING ON

On that March 2023 short visit, we had the most amazing time with a possum we now call Mumma, she made herself known and came for a feed. On night two she found my chocolate on a chair by my camp stretcher and helped herself, I woke to have her staring at me from just a couple of foot away (top pic). Those big possum eyes saying, "Hi John I like your chocolate, Cherry Ripe is my favorite."

That was just a brilliant encounter, and I was only too happy to share my chocolate with this stunning little furry creature. I mean, that was darn special. We then spent 31 days on this site in July and August last year and Mumma was our first visitor, she would call by each night for a feed and a catch-up, apple was her favorite snack, and nope, there was no chocolate for her this time. 

And the most incredible thing happened, Mumma was pregnant, and we watched the development of her baby. First, we noticed the movement in the pouch, then eventually the head would appear from the front opening and finally the baby showed more of itself and one night the youngster climbed out and clung onto its mother's back for transport.

What a sight that all was, stunning and we felt so blessed and privileged to have been witness to this display of nature. It really was magical in every sense.

When Ruth and I came back here to Green Hill Lake on May 4th this year and set up Camp Recluse, Mumma possum (bottom pic) and her offspring were back to visit for a feed. Right from that first night they came back to the same tree, in the same spot as to where we fed them last year. It was like no time had passed but it had been nine months since we were last here. No wonder we love this place and no wonder we love the critters; they make us feel so welcome in their neck of the woods. It just makes so much sense to return to this spot at Green Hill Lake in Ararat.

Now the baby possum was not a baby as such but he and Mumma were still staying together. The young possum we call Baby, he is a young male, so now we have Mother and Son. That added to our understanding of how blessed we were to be a part of this evolution of nature, we got to see possum breeding up close and personal.

Sadly, after a few weeks here at the camp we notice Mumma and Baby don't travel together, from info' we read online that fits because the young apparently go their own way around the nine-month time frame. But in a move of extraordinary luck, Mumma has a new baby in her pouch, so we closely monitor the new bub and hope we are again witness to the birthing process. I mean, wow, just so darn cool. And Mumma is really happy for us to touch the pouch, feel the new bub and to play Vet and Midwife for her next baby. Bring on the birth.

But sadly, for some reason Baby stopped coming for a feed. We were worried as to why but settled on the understanding that he was old enough to venture off and start his own life in a different spot around the lake. As a male, we thought maybe he needed his own territory to explore and settle in. We hoped our thought was on the money and that nothing untoward had happened to him.

However, last night, he was back, just like that, maybe he was gone about five weeks, but he strolled into camp and was happy to pick right up from where he had left off. Baby was happy to be fed, he had his favorite snacks and stayed for as long as it took him to fill his belly. Naturally, we have no idea what happened in that time he was absent, but we were both so super delighted to have him back. Spotting him in the tree last night was just the best feeling.

This year we have a number of possums come visit, some only spasmodically and others regular. And yes, we name them all. The group varies in size and looks, there does appear to be two different possum breeds, some differences are subtle, yet some are significant in areas like paw size, longer ears, more pointed faces and general body color and markings

Both Ruth and I have been drawn to a stunning ginger male, he simply turned up out of the blue and made this his home. And der, yep, we call him Ginger. This bloke has really made an impact on us; he is an older male and sadly is all but blind. He survives on his senses; he looks so awkward in movement and really has a tough time scaling the tree branches. You watch and hold your breath as he attempts to climb up and down, he struggles, so it is a testing time for Ginger.

But we have made him feel at home, he likes to be fed on the ground and has his set areas where he will show up for a feed. He does venture onto the possum platforms, often on the one out the back of the homestead and if left to himself he sits and enjoys his food. Sadly, Ginger gets hassled by some of the other possums meaning he is in extra need of some TLC. But we do that, we protect him as best we can, and we both are sure we have helped make life manageable for him and thankfully Ginger never goes hungry.

Another favorite furry friend is Uncle, he is male, looks to be full grown but on the younger side. Uncle has the whitest color of any of the possums, his inside ears and underbelly are strikingly white, he is timid yet very friendly and will either be hand fed or sits on a platform and takes his time over his meal. While Uncle was a late starter in joining in for a nightly feed, he is now a regular and we love the nights when he pays a visit.

Big Balz and Sister Mumma are two other possums we feed, they are hit and miss with camp visits, but we love to welcome both and share some tucker. Charlie is now one of the regulars, we were not sure at first if this possum was male or female, it was hard to get a good sighting of the, well you know, down below area as Charlie was reluctant to venture too close preferring to grab some food and climb back to a lofted spot in the trees. Hence the name Charlie, we figured it would suit either way. But finally, we got a decent look and yep, she is a female. And she looks like a Charlie, so we did well with her name.

In recent times we have seen an explosion of newbies, we moved one of the possum platforms from over by the Chuck Wagon area to out the front and somehow this has encouraged an influx of homeless possums. They came in droves it seems, but again we put out the welcome sign and happily feed our ever-expanding possum family. The more critters the better.

Two of the new mums that we have fed these past few nights have babies in their pouch so we will be running a maternity ward at Camp Recluse before long. One of the mums we have named Ginger Mumma, she has distinctive ginger marking around her paws and on her neck. She just showed up but is friendly and takes food from our hands. The other new mum is more like our original Mumma, this possum is small and rather frightened but even though she has been around just a short time you can see she is happy having a regular meal at Camp Recluse. For now, we call her the other mum, yeah, no real thought in that but we will give her a handle that suits.

And while we love to feed these stunning creatures, the hours they keep for food time can be testing. Ruth and I often joke that the possums treat this place like a hotel, it seems to them we are open all hours. The saying, playing possum sure works, they can play dead all day long but as soon as the nightly smorgasbord of camp food is on display, nah, they spring into action. But that is cool, we get mega enjoyment from having them around.

Our Ararat mate Hermit Bill made us three possum platforms that we have placed in strategic spots as mentioned. The possums love the platforms, they can sit and eat freely without having to hang on as they did on the tree branches and try to eat at the same time. It has made a huge difference, now Ruth and I can watch up close as our critter friends have their evening meal and this way, we almost feel a part of the nightly feeding ritual. Hermit Bill has been a gem for us, making the possum platforms has helped so much. Thanks to him the feeding time is really manageable having so many possums who call in to eat each night. 

And on food, wow, the possums are fussy and particular in what they like to tuck into at dinner time.

Clearly fruit is always a popular choice for a snack, apple being the favorite. But some of the odd things they like include Milk Arrowroot biscuits and Sao biscuits covered with peanut paste. Yeah, I know! Apricot jam on biscuit also gets a run some nights, this too is a favorite across the whole group.

Tin corn is another treat it seems, the possums will all have a feed when I open a tin for them in the evening. Most of the crew enjoy rolled oats, they will sit on the platforms and make a meal of the small oats, takes them awhile to eat it all but it looks as if they are thoroughly enjoying this food. The latest discovery is that carrot peel is eaten but not the carrot itself, doesn't seem to matter how small I cut the carrot it's not wanted, even if I dice it's not popular.

And who eats what is always interesting, what possum likes this or doesn't like that, you know how this would be, it is worse than having fussy kids. Some are fine being hand fed while others will sit up in a tree and wait until they have some personal space before getting stuck into the tucker.

Mumma as example loves bread, not crusts just the soft white bread, she likes apple but chopped up small and with the peanut paste, she loves it but just licks the biscuit clean, she will not entertain eating the biscuit itself. Sultanas is something she will have a go at as a snack but some nights she will just ignore them. And she likes her food platform to herself, sure, she will tolerate Baby but generally discourages others from eating with her at her spot.

Ginger, his eating habit is unique, he munches the food so quick. We really have to make allowances for him, he struggles with bread, maybe his old teeth are not the best and he gets glugged up with doughy bread. Ginger is a biscuit man, the milk arrowroot are clearly his top pick, he will eat Salada and peanut paste and loves apple but only in bigger chunks, so I peel and quarter his apple. Apricot jam on biscuit goes well for the old man, and as said, he eats different, he eats like every meal is his last. And if his balance when moving around in a tree gets any worse, he will fall and maybe his next meal will be his last.

Because one night he did have a nasty fall from the tree. Poor guy, he looks really awkward when climbing out onto branches especially when going up. With not being able to see properly, he gets disorientated and really makes life difficult for himself, his balance and sense of direction is poor meaning he gives the impression he could easily fall. And yeah, one night, whoopsie, he did fall. Unfortunately, he was spooked by another possum and as he scampered up and out along a branch in the big tree by the homestead and he just fell. As luck would have it, I was underneath him and he hit me on the way down breaking his fall. It was scary, the fall was from over 10 feet up, but Ginger was fine, and he soon regathered and was back eating after a short rest.

Baby will tackle most things; he looks happy just to get a good feed. Uncle is on the erratic side, some nights he is happy to be hand fed and other nights he fits the wait and see category, he comes onto a platform when everything is clear. No drama, he always has a tummy full either way.

Young Charlie will take food from your hand but generally does not like to mix with any other possum on a platform. She prefers to sit in a tree, on her own but down low enough so as to be fed. She really likes the apple and biscuit with jam.

The new Ginger Mumma is very relaxed, takes food time in her stride, she likes to be on a platform but is happy to share the space with others. She just goes about eating and is not stressed by what is going on around her, she grazes and will eat anything that is placed for her.

Ginger Mumma is easy peezy to feed, and I like the girl. Not sure how far away her baby is from showing and venturing out, but Ginger Mumma is happy to allow me to check the pouch and have a good look at how bub is doing. She seems to feel safe and is comfortable allowing me to check things over, maybe she knows it is fine to let me get up close and personal. It will be good to see her new baby.

So, feed time in possum world at Camp Recluse is rather full on both with time and working out the little food idiosyncrasies of each possum. It takes time to get the nightly feed prepared and then distributed. I like to make sure each possum is well fed and that the pushier ones in the group don't simply take over and not allow all possums to fill their belly. But somehow this system we have developed works and most nights feed time goes without too many hitches. 

Sure, there are some fights, sometimes it looks to be really nasty, but we just figure that is nature playing its part in the possum feeding process. I guess there is a pecking order in the animal kingdom and with our possum family that is no different. Our job is to help not hinder. Most little tiffs seem to be sorted quick, and the possums get back to enjoying the food we offer. But the squabbling adds to the fun of having these loving little creatures around, some nights you just never know what we might be getting from the group.

But this is all so good, it is fun and entertaining, demanding I must say but feeding so many is one of the joys of this life we share with our critters. I would not swap the critters for anything, we are so blessed.

And in Late News just in, Mumma has dropped her next bub, Junior was born (out of the pouch) on August 7th at Camp Recluse. So exciting to have the next generation of possum at our camp area. Mumma came for her feed last evening with Junior clinging onto her back, wow, what a sight. Champagne all round.

Sometimes Ruth and I do wonder what will happen for the possums once we are not here proving them with all this food. Are we doing the right thing or not? We have concluded that we do make the possum world happy by having food on tap, we believe we help regardless of how long this continues. Once we are no longer here then the possums will have to go back to fending for themselves and scrounging for a nightly feed. 

We are guessing that will be a little tough for them, but nature will kick in and things will level out. They will be ok. And with what we feed the possum family, is that the best for them? Again, maybe, maybe not, perhaps the bread is a downer and not the best food source but again, we trust we are making life better for these lovely creatures by providing a great food range that includes lots of fruit and different snacks. It will be sad to leaves these critters here at Camp Recluse.

STUNNING AND AMAZING BIRD LIFE OF GREEN HILL LAKE

Birds of many species also frequent our Camp Recluse grounds. Unfortunately, Ruth and I have made a rod for our own back it seems with the birds. They come at many and varied hours of the day for a feed and can be rather demanding with their thinking on it being food time.

They are creatures of habit. That is cool but it does get awkward some days with keeping them all happy.

One morning in the early days here this time around a bird was standing out the front of the homestead as I ventured out to face the day. The bird squawked and paraded in front of me in a demand for some food. When I didn't drop everything I was doing to run and feed this bird it kept on at me, Ruth thought the bird was a bit rude, but I simply told her, no damage done, it was just a mockingbird.

Ruth has counted and photographed 26 different species of birds in or around the camp, naturally the numbers for each species various but most stop by for a feed. And we do get some very regular feeders, some semi regular and some at rather random times over any given day. But all good, all birds are welcome at Camp Recluse. In groups or on their own, the 'Open for business' sign is always hanging out the front. We have plenty of happy well-fed birds in our area.

Some of the birds in the lake area don't frequent our abode, they live at the lake or in the surrounding bushland. We see and hear them, and they are still a part of the wildlife we look out for.

The other day I did spot a wedgetail eagle in the tree at the back of the homestead, it was early morning as I went to the back fence by the sheep paddock, and I wasn't expecting this majestic creature to be there so sadly I did not have my phone handy to snap a pic. Shame that, it was the only time I had spotted one so close. Maybe it was eyeing off some of the rats that live there or a lost lamb even, but wow, as it flew off across the paddock I just stood and enjoyed the sight. Beautiful creature in flight, massive wingspan, so good.

With the food, we get to know what each bird type will eat and what they don't like to eat. Over the weeks we have worked it out and carry a decent supply of grub for our feathered buddies.

So much so that we even have our own bird processing plant, er, I mean bird food processing plant out in the tech hub. Food is in abundance, and we carry a decent variety. The bird pantry is always very well stocked.

Fruits are a favorite for most birds, bread is popular although probably not the healthiest snack we offer. At the supermarket Wild Bird Seed is available in 8kg bags, it has a great mixture of seeds and birds big and small can find something to their liking. We store the seed in plastic tubs to deter the mice and rats. At feed time it is simply scattered over a few areas and the birds have fun searching for and eating the seed.

Small dry dog crunchies are another popular food, the water swamp hens and magpies love the crunchies, tin corn goes down well, weet-bix, vita britts, oats, they are all popular. Not every species will eat everything but as said Ruth and I have worked out who likes what. Our open-air aviary here at the lake keeps the feathered flock happy.

And by far the biggest flock we have is the waterfowl/swamp hens, this group can number anywhere from a few up to 30. They tend to be early birds and front me at the camp by 7am, they line up at the front of the homestead and well, demand their breakfast. It can be a funny sight with anything up to 30 of these long leg birds standing and staring at me as I head out to face the morning. They watch my every move until I throw their crunchies on the ground and give them a feed of oats. 

They do come over to the camp from the lake area during the day, somedays more than others. As well as that early morning feed they do gather late in the day to get another handout. These birds flock together, one comes over, the flock comes, one leaves to walk back to the lake, they all leave. Sometimes they run. Now that is a funny sight, they sort of waddle and move fairly quick, but their long legs look to go in all directions and the chorography leaves a touch to be desired, yet it is so funny.

Some sounds really scare them, we have noticed if the plovers screech it frightens these birds and they bolt for the lake. And get this, when the kettle boils to make a cuppa' the birds hate the whistling sound and again they hightail it to safe ground over by the trees on the lake. A couple of other loud noises cause some panic, but the birds do seem to recovery fairly quick and regroup.

We have noticed a young chick has joined the group so maybe it's nesting season, and a couple of the larger, we are guessing male birds, have this rather odd dance and squawking routine that looks to be a mating ritual. Maybe we will see more young chicks over the coming weeks, we sure hope so. And the numbers of these birds on and by the lake is much greater than we have seen before so it looks like they had a good year for mating. Last year was a flood time so maybe that assists with the bird population being able to have a bumper season

Naturally the usual suspects of the bird species world do visit our camp. Magpies come and go, maybe a half dozen in number at any one time but they do seem to be well fed by other camp groups here at Green Hill Lake. But when the maggies do feed here, they too like the dog food, oats, meat, bread and the wild seed. Maybe they take the bigger seeds like the dried corn and the sunflower seeds. And as is typical of magpies, they can be very demanding, intimidating even in voice or by their intimidating presence at grub time.

We see two Murray magpies most days, they stick together and call in to grab some camp tucker. The bird social scale is interesting, and these two smaller magpies sit well down in the order. They cause no trouble but do seem to hold back on scavenging for the food waiting for other birds to eat first.

I am a fan of these Murray Magpies; they just have something special and appealing about them. Having grown up in the Riverland of South Australia meant we had Murray Magpies a plenty near the lake and/or the Murray River. 

In the thicker smaller bushes that are scattered all-round Camp Recluse we have a whole colony of wrens. I'm not sure that colony is the right term, but we have wrens in large numbers. Their colors are amazing and range from dull brown/grey to brilliant blues, and many shades in between.

The wrens are ground feeders, they move very quickly and seem to operate as individuals. It is a delight to see them going about their business. Love the wrens.

The most colorful bird we have as camp visitors are a pair of rosellas. These two are regular feeders here and while shy and somewhat timid they do enjoy a good stroll and ground feed. We did try a bird feeder in a tree nearby and the Rosellas would eat there but now seem to be ok coming over to eat from the ground in a couple of areas close to our quarters.

A pair of top knot pigeons would call in most days, often multiple times, they scavenge for the wild bird seed we leave scattered around the camp. They are typical of the pigeon breed and generally will always be here as a pair. I like the pigeons, very happy to have them at the camp.

Crows do come at times to the camp but generally stay up in the trees, sometimes they will come to grab a drink from the water bowl we leave on the ground out the front. Kookaburras are sometimes heard but we rarely see them, for that said they are not something we have heard a lot of this stay here at Green Hill Lake.

Naturally, down on the nearby lake and backwater there are a number of different water birds, but we do not get to see them at the camp. We do however often see flocks of ducks flying past high in the sky, one time Ruth said to me that they're probably flying south for the winter, "I wonder why they do that" she asked. So, I explained to Ruth they fly south because it's too far to walk.

And our camp mate from in town, Hermit Bill has made us up a couple of nesting boxes that are now strategically placed in trees and shrubs around the camp. We hope that the birds are happy to use them in breeding season, how cool would that be to have young chicks so close to our home base. Not sure how this plays out but fingers crossed that we see some action.

Now, for the record, nope, we have not named all the birds. For as strange as that may sound, it is what it is. Why not give the birds names? I have nothing. And finally on the subject of birds, I was chatting with Ruth about an unrelated subject and I said to her doing such and such was illegal, and Ruth said, "Do you mean one of the birds is sick" ... 

THE RAT RACE 

We have a whole world of native rats living on the fringes of the camp. They number, well, plenty, I mean, we have rats and then more rats. Rats in abundance.

Initially Ruth had a catch and release mentality for the rats. she would catch them and go for a wander way down the track and release them but next day, yep, sure as dickens they were all back. She tried to be polite and asked them kindly to leave but that was no good, the rats just stayed. So, I stepped up and suggested to Ruth that she baptize all the rats, now, Ruth did look puzzled and said she was not sure what good that might do, so I told her that way they would be like church folk who are baptized, they would only come back at Christmas and Easter.

But to be honest we love the rats, they have a critter society that is nothing short of amazing, they know how to make life worth living. Their group life is simple, very basic yet very well structured for the most part and it definitely works really well. It is a pleasure to watch them scurry around the rat towns using the well-built road network. And unlike most Victorian roads, the rat highways are pothole free. To them, it seems to be a real rat race, but it is so well orchestrated, and Ruth and I are happy to have these critters so close to our camp.

Look, if we can't actually figure out this rat race story works, we simply make it up as we go and imagine how this might all be working for the rats. We never let facts get it the way of fiction ... so yeah, fact or fiction, their story is one I simply have to tell. This is how The Rat Race rolls.

Around Camp Recluse the rats have a number of towns, Ratsville, Rat Hill and Rat Plains. As the rat numbers have increased in our time here then Ratsville has expanded, and out the back they have now opened a new estate called Ratsville East.

We were first introduced to Doug; he dug a hole just away from out homestead and we made friends with him at that time. We like Doug, he looks to be a genuine knockabout rat with a personality that is friendly and peaceful. He loves just being left to go about his business in an orderly manner and life works for Doug. Well, sort of.

Doug is married to Donna; she is the daughter of Dwight and Doloras and has a brother named Derek. It turns out that Dwight is a king pin in the rat community, he owns a construction company, a massive company and he is responsible for much of the building work and the rat highway network. Dwight has done ok for himself and is a rather wealthy rat.

But he is humble and modest, sticks to himself and does like the finer things in life including a shot of whisky, double malted. He often sits out on the balcony of his condo overlooking Ratsville and is seen sipping a whisky. He loves to observe this township he constructed.

But he does not really engage all that well with his son in law Doug, it seems that way back Doug did get Donna, well, up the duff and Dwight has always battled with that. He seems to blame Doug for his daughter moving away from the family home.

Now that is a bit sad really because Doug has always worked hard, he treats Donna very well, joins in all the family get togethers and is really a decent hard working family rat. But over the years poor Doug knows he can never live up to be the rat Dwight hoped his daughter would marry and now poor Doug does get a touch disillusioned. He gets a form of rat depression. Doug wonders what more he could have done across the years to show Dwight that he is a decent rat.

The family rejection of Doug hurts him, it cuts deep and that does naturally cause friction for him and Donna. The marriage is tested, is ok, pretty strong but tested. Donna is the dutiful daughter and does everything she can to please daddy, you know the type and that of course does not always sit well back at home. So yeah, for her and Doug there is often friction because he feels he is trying so hard to make a difference for the family, but his efforts are never recognised and Donna just drops everything and runs when Daddy calls.

And then there is the Derek problem. He is a silver spoon type rat and gets everything he asks for, he is simply the golden-haired rat in the eyes of his mum and dad, still lives at home in the condo and does absolutely nothing to help. Derek is a mooch, he is a bludger, and simply lives off the fat of the parents meaning he has never gone out to make a mark on the world. He has never had to.

Anyhow, Doug of course can see this, Donna, well she probably can see it but again her family loyalty means she can overlook the douche bag she has for a brother. And you can all see where this is going, yep, it is another source of friction for Doug and Donna.

Doug is over it, Donna, she just keeps on ignoring the situation. Doug cannot believe that Donna just pampers to her brothers every need. And Dwight while very disappointed in his son because he can see he does not have the rat balls to make the changes necessary. Nah, Dwight, he just drains another bottle of whisky from his very well stocked booze cabinet and pretends all is good. Is he disappointed in his son? Well, maybe he is but Dwight just looks for the answer, it seems, at the bottom of the whisky bottle.

And for Doug, he feels every bit of rejection that Donna and her dad, and her brother as well throw his way. Doug could well benefit from some form of rat psychology if he would seek help, enter into rat therapy. We feel for Doug, we know he is not a rat bag, he is just trying to get on in life, be a part of this rat race. And we wish him well as our time here rolls on.

Now, over in Rat Hill things are also a touch testing. Here Dave, a lumberjack rat, goes about his daily business and makes a real go of life.

Hard work and some good business skills have allowed Dave to be the owner of the Rat Logging Company and he has really cashed in on the rat housing boom. (left pic - Lumberjack Dave shows off another day's work) He is one business savvy rat.

He supplies logs to Dwight for use in and around his construction company. It seems those at the top end of town have this rather 'boys club' connection and business is done over a glass of whisky. Rats being Rats, all good.

Nothing wrong with that, just two rats who share a business interest. And we always encourage entrepeneurs.

But Dave comes with some, dare I say, darker life values. He is married, apparently, to either Denise or Debra, mmmmmmmm, see what I mean? Maybe he has a wife, and a mistress, we are not sure. It looks odd from where we see things, but he definitely has these two rats he entertains. Maybe he is just a love rat. Dave scurries around the countryside darting here and darting there, we can only surmise what is actually going on in this part of his sordid life. Each to their own.

And Dave has a sister, her name is Delilha. Now as bad luck would have, she too is a mooch. What would the odds of that be? Anyhow Dave just ignores the clear signs that Delilha is living this simple carefree life at his expense. What is it with these rats? Maybe Delilha and Derek should get together, but yeah, as soon as I wrote that I thought, nope, what a mess that would create.

In Rat Plains Dan and Dana seemed to be the happy couple who were the darlings of the rat social world. They arrived in town one day and looked to have the world at their feet. Nobody knows how this pair of rats made their money, sure, there are allegations that they were forced to flee their previous town after discrepancies were found in the books of a business where Dan was the CEO.

So, who knows, and is everything as it appears? Are they simply this happy social set couple who entertain and strut wealth at every opportunity? Not so it seems, because just last week, wait for this, Dan was found dead, on the road outside his home.

Some say he just died of natural causes, others say he was probably mugged, yet, taking that one step further, the rat rumor mill has it that he was murdered. And it has been reported in The Ratvertiser that police have questioned Dana on the circumstances leading up to Dan being found dead. It is their suspicion, it seems, that Dana may have pushed Dan down some stairs, and he died from a head wound. Apparently, Dana has denied any and all allegations levelled at her by the police and was released after lengthy questioning at the Rat Police Station over in Ratsville. It appears that there is much more to play out in the story, so watch this space.

On the outskirts of Ratsville over near our homestead there is a rather large and expensive looking estate that is home to many younger rat families.

Dom and Del are two of the rats we know from this area, they go about their lives in a simple way. Dom is a teacher at the local Ratsville High and he is well respected by the rat pupils. Del, she is also a teacher, part-time and is typical of her generation. Del drives an SUV so as to negotiate with safety the speed bumps in the Macca's drive though, she is a soccer mum and appears to make regular stops at Rat Murphy's to pick up wine to take home.

Dorothy is a single mum living in the same estate just a few doors down from Dom and Del. Dorothy does her best to raise her kids, they are little rats but sometimes that is the fallout from single parent families. Dorothy's best mate is Delta, together they do hang out with Dion a rat from the local coffee shop. They are often spotted sitting in the coffee shop near the park and just chilling. Apparently, this new generation of rats have both male and female friends. 

Like any society there is a diverse group involved in the rat race, some smart, some rouges, some just players and some rather ditsy. Dixie is ditsy, she is blonde and just continues to surprise with her off beat manner, hey, nice rat but well, ditsy, and somewhat er-rat-ic. Dulcie and Doreen are her besties, and I reckon they are all a bit sweet, from what we observe on this rather suave and dare I say, rather cool dude named Dylan. Time will tell if a relationship can come from any of the connections, not sure how that plays out, however it is a better watch than Days of our Life. 

But, from what we can see it all happens in the rat race. Some of it good, some not so good, family squabbles, deaths, love rats, what a diverse and interesting society of rats we have here at Camp Recluse. And I will admit it is great fun having these rats as our neighbors. This is entertainment plus. Anyhow, I've rat-tled on a bit here so I will bring the rat world story to a close. That is the story of the Rat Race.

Now, I must finish with this. Not sure how Covid affects the rat community, I cannot find much data on this health matter so don't know how the Rat JAB played out. But Ruth and I heard that Chief Medical Doctor Rat asked his doctor rat friend if he'd had the JAB, the vaccine? "Nope" he said, "They're still testing it on humans so let's see how things go."

SHEEP BEING SHEEP EWE KNOW HOW THEY ROLL

Out the back at Camp Recluse the local Ararat Abattoir run a number of farm paddocks for their sheep. When we arrived here on May 4th the paddock on our side of the ridge between us and the Western Highway was full of sheep and lambs.

It was a magnificent sight, so many sheep. And the lambs looked to range from maybe a few weeks old to newborns. Snow white lambs, so small yet so robust as they ran and played in the back paddock. 

Both Ruth and I loved the lambs, it was an amazing sight, and the sounds were loud and nonstop as mums called their babies and the babies bleated for mum. It was full on. Naturally we hoped to maybe see a lamb being born, that never happened but it was still a sight to behold seeing so many of these lambs in the flock.

If a mum and lamb were separated in the paddock the sounds were unique as they called to each other. Apparently, each mum knows the call of her own lamb and considering there were hundreds of lambs in the flock it was stunning to watch, as mums frantically called out and their baby would run to be reunited. We witnessed this happen many times, nature playing its roll to keep these sheep happy and content.

Watching lambs being lambs was at times funny. They are so full of life, full of beans and they jump, run and bound across the ground. The lambs are just happy, joyful even and watching as this all happens does give a feeling of excitement. It is so easy to be taken in by the lambs and immerse in the joy they show as they frolic in the paddock with the sheep flock.

Sheep are rather boring by nature, I mean they are sheep, they follow each other like, well, like sheep. Now, that in itself is also really magical, maybe that requires some imagination but if you allow yourself to see the big picture then the boring is not so pronounced. With sheep, they stay loyal to the cause, where one goes the others are sure to follow. Sounds like a nursey rhyme from my childhood but as you watch the sheep be boring it can also be fun.

The ewes in the flock are dorper sheep, they do not produce commercial wool and are grown for their meat value and are also used for lambing.

Some of the mums have twin lambs, apparently this is a genetic idea to increase flock numbers each season. It was obvious there were mums without a lamb, not many but enough in number to notice. 

The dorper sheep do have a small patch of wool on their back (left pic), it looks odd and out of place, but it is a characteristic of the breed. Each of the ewes has a different shaped wool patch ranging from a tuft of wool to a larger rug type wool patch. Yeah, I never knew that some sheep do not produce wool for shearing, so it was interesting to get the goss on the dorpers

We have befriended the famer who looks after the sheep paddocks, we know him as Farmer Bill. One day he was driving past as he checked the fencing, and he stopped for a chat. He is a local and lives on the edge of town on a few acres where he keeps horses with his wife and daughters. Anyhow, Farmer Bill is a treasure of info' on the sheep, he estimates that there were around 450 ewes in the back paddock and about the same number of lambs. He is typical of the farmer type, laid back, laconic and talks slow. But, as said, he is very knowledgeable on the sheep and on all things Ararat.

After the first month the sheep were moved further up along the camping grounds to a pasture with better grass. We do notice the sheep are fed hay in the mornings, Farmer Bill told us it has been a somewhat dry season, so the natural feed supply is down a touch and needs to be supplemented. Anyhow, the sheep have been moved a couple of times to other paddocks, all not far from us but further over on the ridge.

Then last Wednesday they were moved back into our paddock, Farmer Bill drove by and in one of our regular chats he told us that the sheep are the ewes from the original lambs and will be kept for breeding stock. There are around 250 sheep here now in the camp paddock, no baby lambs as this flock would be around three months old.

Having the sheep as neighbors has been fun, we like hearing them call day and night and seeing all the lambs in the early weeks of this visit was so cool. Just standing out the back and looking across the paddocks with the sheep going about their business is almost therapeutic, it is just a good time and mentally adds a level of peace to this off grid living. I have never been one to count sheep as a way of getting to sleep, but I can add this, the calm and peace watching these sheep give is huge. Not sure what that is about but it is very very positive.

As a young child back in Barmera I always liked the nursery rhymes about sheep, you know, the Mary had a little lamb stuff, blah blah blah ... so maybe my childhood feelings kick in when watching these sheep here in the back paddock and sub-consciously that connection calms my awkward and depressed mind. Yeah, that is left field but whatever the connection, sheep watching out the back of the camp is pretty cool. Maybe I am just a BIG kid at heart? And on the nursery rhyme thing, this is the Mary had a little lamb favorite of mine ...

Mary had a little lamb

She kept it in a bucket

And every time the lamb got out

The bulldog used to catch it and ... put it back in again

So, plenty to like about sheep. Boring as said, therapeutic as said, interesting as said and watching them just be sheep is my go-to peaceful moment. And as a bonus getting to know Farmer Bill and having some decent chats about our adopted town adds to the overall pleasure of being in this great spot that we call Camp Recluse. Farmer Bill is a decent bloke, happy, friendly, knowledgeable and funny, hey he is a Saints supporter in the AFL but I guess nobody is perfect. My life is better for having met this decent chap, thank-you Farmer Bill.

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CREEPY CRAWLEY UNINVITED AND UNWANTED GUESTS

Before I finish on the critters of Camp Recluse, I must add that some nasty creepy crawly characters do invade the grounds from time to time.

They are uninvited creepy critters who seem to think it's their right to scare the crap out of me. Anyone who knows my history will be able to tell that Elephants, goats, nuns, nuns on bikes, plovers, Adelaide cow supporters, Umpire Vernon, swooping magpies, sharks, snakes, scorpions, centipedes, planes, heights and other life crawlies of the night, and day, have been my arch enemy for a long, long, long, long, long time.

I have no kryptonite to fend off these evil dragons. I am just left vulnerable to their torment and mocking ways. And gee, do they mock, and torment, it's like it's in their job description. And I do think some of them are Collingwood supporters.

Anyhow, here at Camp Recluse there are many JohnnyG enemies who insist on scaring the crap out of me over and over. Plovers, we are surrounded by bloody plovers. I hear them, I see them, and they see me. It is not a nice fit. not nice at all. Plovers and I have history, Lake Bonney again back home in Barmera, bastards. I mean, who would have thought stealing eggs from plover nests on the lake front as a kid would create such a turmoil? Plover over-reaction if you ask me, and now a lifetime of torment from these nasty critters. They hate me.

I haven't seen elephants, sharks or goats here yet but I'm sure they lurk close by, behind trees, over the hill, in many many places and they see me. Yep, I can feel them.

Hermit Bill did bring a brown snake onto the lumberjack area, it was, he said, hidden in the wood. It must have been 10 foot long, what a monster, Ruth said it was just a baby, about 10 inches, not sure about that but we do agree on the 10 bit. All I remember is the snake, me running like Usain Bolt in the other direction and putting as much distance between me and the snake as is humanly possible. Now I'm told the snake was dead. Pffftttt. I take no chances because just like the plovers, snakes and me, yep, we have history and none of it is good.

When chopping wood there has been a couple of centipedes hidden in bark and hollows. You don't see them at first but of course once they are out on the ground it is not hard to finish them off. A quick stomp and they are done, another stomp and they are really done and a final stomp just to make sure they are done. Thankfully I haven't had one crawl on me when doing wood sorting or chopping, I mean, now that would be an ugly sight. But I am wary, I do concede they could be there in the wood so I guess I just keep an eye open and take care when gathering up any wood.

Spiders are a regular uninvited guest in all areas of the camp. Now, for all the phobias I have with many of the nasty creepy and crawly vermin, surprisingly I am good with spiders. They do not faze me one bit. I have a catch and release policy, unlike Ruth who condemns to death every spider she come across. She mutilates the poor things; they end up having their head go that way and their guts goes that way. But I'm guessing technically the safe way and best way is the Ruth way.

We did have a mouse issue in the earlier days of this stay. Hey, not a big issue in any sense but we knew they were around, just small telltale signs like mice droppings or food that had been nibbled on.

The little annoying pests did come into the Homestead tent but after trapping nine over a couple of weeks, including three in one night they have never returned since.

Setting traps in the right place was the key and from there the mice were really easy prey. They are suckers for cheese so that was the bait, these mice just cannot help themselves. Snap, got ya'. They were no match at all for JonnyG the butcher of Camp Recluse. I could just launch into another childhood nursery rhyme here, but no. That three blind mice thing never made sense to me, well it did have a farmer's wife but the carving knife thing and slicing meeses to pieces was a touch traumatic. But I did like this one ...

Hickory dickery doc

Three mice ran up the clock

The clock struck two

And the other one got away

Anyhow, at times I still do still see field mice at night racing across the ground on the camp outer areas, but we have had no trouble inside our tents at all. Bit like the flies and the mosquitoes, we are happy to be mouse free. They are evil little vermin.

For some reason that we cannot explain flies and mossies do not exist at all at Camp Recluse. You would think they would be everywhere; conditions suit but no, not a one. Perhaps it is too cold, not sure, but whatever the reason it is all good, happy not to have this annoying problem. So, while we do have some uninvited guests around camp, it seems other creepy crawlies simply leave us in peace.

Flying insects at night were an issue in the first few weeks we were here. They would appear around 8pm and as bugs do, they would gravitate towards the lights. We have a central solar light in the homestead that is really bright so the bugs would flock there. And things like the computer screen and phone screens that were illuminated also attracted the bugs. We would close the fly screen zipper on the door and that worked to keep the bugs out but it was a pain unzipping the thing every time you went in or out. But after the first few weeks the bugs disappeared, sure we get the odd flying insect but nothing that bothers us.

One evening we did have an influx of these massive flying creepy bugs that were everywhere. They had never been a problem but this night, wow. These bugs were massive, giant moth type creatures that infested the homestead attracted to the lights. But it only ever happened that one night. All we can put it down to is that day it had rained for the first time since we arrived and as we were heading into winter is must have somehow disturbed these bugs and they all came out of hiding. It was bizarre, we ended up going to bed with all lights out in attempt to get rid of them. And yep, by morning they were gone and never returned.

Ants are another pest we don't have to deal with, we have no issues at all with them. Sometimes I do see a mound out the back but if the ants live there, they are not visible at any time day or night. We have never had an ant in the tents, they have never been on or around our food stores. I have seen some ants on the wood coming into the camp, ants of different sizes and shapes but they soon disappear, not sure where they go but they do not become a problem. Maybe they simply die or head off to territory away from Camp Recluse.

So, creepy crawlies, none are welcome here at Camp Recluse. The 'Not Welcome' sign hangs for these pests, yep, a couple of intruders and a couple of scary moments with these annoying creepy things have upset us. With that, Not happy Jan.

COLD TODAY COLD YESTERDAY AND COLD TOMORROW

Our latest initiative at Camp Recluse is we have installed our own Weather Station. Yep, we have a state-of-the-art set-up to match any BOM site around the country, and our forecast and readings are very very accurate, not like the BOM who seemingly have no idea. No idea at all. And I laugh at their extended forecast, they try to predict the weather for a fortnight, for dickens sake, they can't even get the next day right let alone 14 days in advance. 

BOM, woke organisation at it's very, well, worst. And the global warming push, yeah, I don't think so. Here at Green Hill Lake in Ararat we work at ground level to get things right. And we do, for a novelty idea we have actual weather measurements. The morning temp readings give us an insight into how cold the mornings are, the temperature reading is well, a true reflection of how things are, none of this 'feels like' bollocks that looks to have crept into the BOM and other weather sites on the net. What is that all about?

Our Windsock hangs in a tree free from all distortion, ok, it has a bit of a footy theme, but we see nothing wrong with that, Go Cats. We know there is no wind when the windsock just hangs, we know it's windy when the windsocks flutters and we know it's very windy when the windsock is blowing widely. And if it hangs down saturated and dripping water then we know it's wet. Simples.

At our weather station we don't measure thunder, and we certainly don't measure lightening, I mean, measuring lightening, that would be a shocking experience. And the rain gauge, it hangs out the back on a sheep fence post and as long as no one piddles in it (John Spriggs - Marnons Hill in Barmera) then all is good. Our 24-hour measurement of the rain is an actual, yeah, 24-hour measurement on the day the rain falls, not like the BOM who insist on a 9am to 9am measurement period.

With so much weather information available in this day and age with weather apps. and the internet, checking the forecast and daily stats and data has never been easier. But is it better? I think not, it looks like we have lost sight of checking actual weather facts, and we are being influenced by things that are new age woke and sadly the long-term weather records are being manipulated to show and promote this global warming lie.

I mean, please, hot is hot, cold is cold, wet is wet, wind is wind and on it goes just like it always has. Things change, that is a given, the weather and the seasons evolve as they always have throughout the history of civilization. So, thankfully here at the Camp Recluse weather station we record the basics and that is how we both like it. 

We do have a solar panel farm on site. We are true Greenies and source our power from nature. NOT. Well, the Greenies bit is true but green energy as a way of life, BS. 

We have power generated from solar panels but on overcast and cool days they are as useful as tits on a bull. They work part time so to keep things ticking along, we have a 12v 300w power inverter that runs from the car, so we use that. And no, the car is not an EV, it runs on good old fossil fuel.

We don't do UV readings, or humidity, or dew point, visibility or any modern weather waffle, nope, just plain old-fashioned weather reporting, temperature, rain and wind. Look, the weather at Camp Recluse can be fun, and/or testing, so many different weather events. I did try to catch some fog one morning, but I mist. And at night, the forecast out here being off grid is always the same, 'dark with a chance of moon'.

One thing I have learned living in the bush is that there is no bad weather, ok, sometimes I understand there is inappropriate clothing but that's it.

And since we have been here at the camp, I did have an awkward disagreement with Ruth about the weather, but it soon blew over. And speaking of Ruth, she did say on one of the really cold mornings, she had planned to actually head outside of the Camp Recluse Homestead and see just for herself just how cold it was outside but changed her mind. She told me she got cold feet.

But we have moved on, we both love all that this life brings on the weather front. We do cold well, we do wet well, and I am sure when the days get warmer, yeah, we will do warm well. It is what it is, make the most of it and even in the tough weather times make this adventure the best we can. I reckon we are both on the same page and we do this well, really well in fact.

Ruth and I have recorded the morning temperature at Camp Recluse every day since we arrived on May 4th. And gee, we have had some doozie cold mornings, freezing cold mornings. We try to take the temperature around 7-30am.

The coldest morning was June 19th, at 7-30am it was -7.5 degrees and that's bloody freezing. Oh my it was cold, bitter cold. The extremities on the body were literally frozen. It was the coldest I have ever felt. Getting warm was a work of art, fires, gloves, hoodies, beanies, hot water bottles, they all came into play that June morning. Everything outside was frozen, the ground crunched as you walked, all water bottles froze, it was a white frost of epic proportion. That was a tough start to a day.

We have experienced many mornings that start as a minus temperature. We have had a -6, a few -5 mornings and a range of starts that were around that mark. Cold is cold and the only way to get through these freezing starts to a day is rug up, crank up the fire and keep as warm as you can until the sun gets up. One thing about the bitter cold morning is that they are often followed by nice sunny days.

However, things are changing. We have now been at our camp 102 days and this morning the 7-30am temp was an astonishing 14 degrees. Go figure. That was so different to what we had been experiencing, in fact staggeringly different. It was almost warm at 7-30am on this day. And as we head towards spring in under three weeks the days are starting to lengthen, it is becoming really noticeable, we get to experience an earlier sunrise and a later sunset.

What we find staggering is that it can be as cold as -7.5 in the morning yet in a few short weeks that changes to 14. Now that is a huge temperature swing. It does seem odd, but it is what has happened.

For the first day ever here at camp we did not have a fire for warmth, we are sitting out in the early morning enjoying the warmth and noticing how the sun is already shining bright over near Mount Cole. This is better, I mean, the cold was fine, we expected that, but this morning warmth is not too shabby at all. 

For that said, I am sure we have not seen the last of the cold morning starts but for now we will allow ourselves to become emersed in the sunshine and 14 degree starts to a day at Camp Recluse. In fact, as this morning goes on the temperature has hit 25 degrees, bloody heat wave!

Rain has not really been an issue for us this year. A couple of days it has poured, bucketed down and stayed that way all day. To this point we have had 90mm of rain since May 4th, it has rained on 16 individual days but overall, we have been lucky. In fact, much of the surrounding areas are heading into drought conditions. It has been a dry winter we are told. The wet days are awkward here at the camp, no doubting that, you just have to stay inside and do the best you can.

But Ruth and I factored in the wet days when we planned the trip. It is winter, it will rain. Thankfully all rain has been steady, no real massive downpours that cause flooding around our site. We have built levee banks around the homestead; we have some runoff furrows that we dug so we have done what we can to be ahead of the rain. We did monitor the water flow direction after the first rain, so we knew how to position the water levee banks. It has all worked very well.

Some days early in winter would be very windy, it would blow for hours, strong and cold. Getting out of the wind is never easy, there is often no place to hide. Naturally the wind can be awkward and damage does result but again we planned the camp site as best we could using the natural vegetation to provide wind breaks and wind protection. And that planning has been pivotal in preventing the wind being an ongoing nuisance to our structures. But this past couple of weeks we have virtually no wind at all.

As I allude to further on in this post, we did have one Saturday when the wind literally blew our camp apart. All the planning in the world was out the window that day, the wind was gale force and blew from the west right across the lake and yep, damage was done. That was a crap day to be here and we were really tested as the day unfolded.

Again, in the early part of winter the mist would be thick like pea soup in the morning once the daylight shone through. The fog just rolled in, visibility was limited, the mist was damp and cold and annoying. It would eventually lift by around mid-morning but the wet in the trees would continue to fall as the sun thawed things out. It was like rain for the next hour.

Ararat is such a lovely town and despite the cold mornings being here is so good. The pic below was taken early July at the local One Tree Hill lookout. Misty rain covered the entire area, but the view was stunning as you looked over the town with Green Hill Lake out towards the hills in the background. What a picture-perfect morning that was, just the best. 

Adventure before Dementia - Camp Recluse

At the risk of sounding like a cracked record I cannot stress enough how darn good it is to be out here living on the shores of Green Hill Lake in Ararat at Camp Recluse as we navigate the Adventure before Dementia journey. Tough times around health, very awkward times but gee, the rest of life stacks up ok and I wonder if things could possibly be any better.

Both Ruth and I stood and reflected this morning on how good we have made things here at Camp Recluse. We both used words like impressive, surreal, brilliant, unique and I am sure many other words were tossed about. We like our abode; we love our surrounds, and we definitely love the critters we share this patch with.

The cold gets testing at times, freezing cold mornings, cold and chilly winds, some rain but to be genuine, the days have a way to balance out. Cold mornings so often 'morf' into impressive sunny and even warm days.

The balance is ok, cold is cold, no way to sugar coat that but good weather is just that, good weather. Taking a reality check is required most days and we understand this is the middle of winter living off-grid out in the bush.

But gee, the positives are so many in number, we really do enjoy this place.

Sometimes you do have to make fun of the place, sometimes you have to make the place fun. And we both do that; laughs are many and we constantly marvel at what we have as surroundings and then we get to make this into a fun time. And the critters certainly help, we learn their history, and if we are not sure, well, don't tell anyone I said this, but we make it up. We tell critter stories that then become a platform for laughter.

While there is plenty of bravado living out here off-grid, somethings still need to happen. Creature comforts are limited at Camp Recluse but really, what we have is more than enough.

For that said, one thing that is so important here in this park is a hot shower. Green Hill Lake has a hot shower block, it is about 2km from our camp but well worth the short car trip to have a much-needed hot scrub. Imagine, off-grid living with a hot shower block, perfection personified. LG.

The management of Greenhill Lake ask for a $5 a night donation for use of the facilities and that is just fine. For $35 a week we get to stay here in this paradise, I often say we are blessed to have the chance to be here doing life our way. 

The shower block is maintained by the local volunteer group who look after this camping area. The block is cleaned daily between 9 and 10am and while it is not The Ritz in terms of opulence, the hot shower area is always clean and so darn inviting. Someone got this right when they added the shower, now campers like us get to use the benefit of that foresight.

The hot shower is a, well seriously a must but the other odd happening is the weekly wheelie bin collection. I shake my head every Tuesday when the Ararat Council garbage truck stops outside Camp Recluse and picks up our rubbish bin. Imagine that, just amazing on every level. Really, it borders on being bizarre, but it happens, and we love it.

Over the years I have been a bit of a wheelie bin nutter, I mean, I like to keep busy at all times doing an assortment of jobs but one of my funny odd ways is to be the wheelie bin man. I have always made a big thing of bin night and bin day. Ruth and I have had many laughs across the years with my wheelie bin antics. Odd yes, funny, too right.

And now here at Camp Recluse living off grid I get to continue my tradition as wheelie bin man. Monday night the bins goes out and Tuesday it is collected. 

At first, I thought it was somewhat of a joke when I heard about the bin collection out here. Our campsite is about 5km out of town, on the Green Hill Lake campgrounds and we are at the end of the track another 2km up. We really are at the end of the lake. But the Ararat Council truck calls by each week for collection, mmmmmmmm, seriously. And on an added fun note, the wheelie bin outside our camp was a little further up but the driver suggested to me to move it down by our camp. Now that is service, and I get my weekly wheelie bin fix. Living the dream

When Ruth and I would discuss how this latest adventure might play out we did take into account that living off grid would be one almighty challenge. I mean, why would any sensible person head to Ararat to live this way in the middle of winter? We knew it would be cold, sometimes uncomfortably cold and we knew it would totally test our resolve. This was never going to be a walk in the park journey, we would be challenged, and we would find some things really tough. But we did prepare well, and we did think through scenarios of what the tough times would mean.

And we are able to have a share of camp foods and traditional cooking, sometimes using the camp oven, the open fire grill, the jaffle makers or any other campfire cooking item ends with just the best meal. We both cook and we both have our specialties, and we are both learning how to utilise the cooking gear we have. Sure, at other times we use the gas cookers to make our food favorites and sometimes if the weather is crap then naturally using the gas and cooking under cover makes sense.

Ruth is the scone making Queen, she has worked out the camp oven recipe that cooks-up best and we have enjoyed some very filling scone meals. The cheese and bacon scones are probably the best, we both love them, wow, they come up so good, Ruth has just nailed this delicacy to a tee. I do like the fruit scones she also makes at times, they are very filling, lots of juicy dried sultanas and covered in butter, eaten warm, oh my, delicious.

Getting the campfire right is a key to the cooking, learning what wood makes the best coals, getting the coals ready at the right time and covering the camp often with warm glowing coals works so well. The scones cook for about 45 minutes, and they are ready to eat. 

So yeah, good food and having fun with the preparation of meals is helping to make our stay here even better. As I mentioned way back being off-grid and living this reclusive life does come with some difficulties, it can be testing missing some of the creature comforts of home. But Ruth and I have been innovative in setting up Camp Recluse, we have added the things that help us and make living just that bit more comfortable.

Some things we did plan before heading over here to Green Hill Lake on May 4th, previous off grid campouts helped in learning what works for us and what doesn't work so well. There is no exact science but setting things up our way has been a key to making this all work. In other areas we have adapted as we live out this time here, making changes as we see fit.

That works well of course and both the before and after plans work great in unison. We like what we have. Because we have stayed much longer this time around then clearly some longer-term strategies for how Camp Recluse functions needed to be different from any other camping journeys.  We continually add to the camp, or change things around, or just expand on what we already had, it is easy to do and as I continually say, this is what works for us.

But this is camping. Sure, it is off-grid camping with lots of mod cons but in essence, it is still camping out. I mean, we live in tents, we have campfires, we crap and piddle into a porta loo, we are tested by the elements of nature every day. And we love that, we really do.

Some of the things we have here at the homestead are for camping, but I guess, to use the modern term, it is probably glamping. It is amazing what is out there on the market for this type of living, camping is now totally different to way back in the day. So good.

Our stretcher beds are very comfortable, good mattress thickness makes for a good sleep. No sleeping bags on the ground or on blow up air mattresses that deflate during the night. Nope, good sturdy beds, they set-up at a good height and that all works so well in our homestead room.

We have a variety of tables, for storage, cooking, eating, washing up, all types to make things as easy as possible. A large kitchen pantry came as a fold up unit but when fully erected really works well, lots of space and saves bending all the time. Other pantry and wardrobe fold-ups also make things better, it provides better comfort. We have decent folding chairs, almost lounge chairs, but they are able to be folded for easy movement from one camp area to the next. 

Food preparation is easy, again we have plenty of kitchen space and we can either prepare our food under cover or out in the chuck wagon area. The same with eating, we can sit indoors or head out and be together with nature in the outdoors. Naturally the weather does impact, with the cold and the wind it is just better to do things inside, it is no fun being uncomfortable and cold. But again, Ruth and I adapt on any given day to what we get from mother nature, we have set-up in such a way that we can change our plan at any time.

We are hoping that as the season changes and we head towards spring then we can spend more time each day outside. As it sits in winter that is not always possible, even on the better sunny days the hours we can be out are limited. Cold is cold, windy is windy and wet is wet. That is why we did lots of planning on how to work around the not so good days.

Staying warm is tricky sometimes, Ruth has found she really rugs up with extra clothing like doubling up on the socks helps her. She often sits with a rug and a beanie for some extra warmth. Me, I don't like lots of thick bulky clothing, so I push the boundaries somewhat although I have learned that a jumper and a jacket do really help. See, who ever said I cannot change? And while I do not generally wear a beanie, I do feel their warmth advantages and I have even allowed a hoodie to become the norm on the really cold morning and later in the evening.

Ruth did well with our bedding, some thermal blankets as underlay and cover works wonders keeping out the cold, they just provide a buffer from the cold. We have a decent warm and thick doona each and some other blankets that can be added on the extra cold nights.

Oh, and water bottles. Being off grid with no electricity for luxuries like electric blankets we rely on water bottles for our nighttime warmth. Gee, how good are they, heat and use, we love them.

Ruth has three at any given time, they are reheated every morning and again at night with even the odd one during the day in the bitter cold moments. I generally use one, did I say that, no actually I have always been a water bottle bloke since way back when my mum would make sure we had warm winter beds as kids growing up at home. Thank-you Joan.

Over the time we have been here at Camp Recluse I figure I fill a minimum of six water bottles a day, and that can be up to nine, so we do really use them to help with staying warm. The water is recycled from the bottles each time I refill so that helps keep our water stocks at a decent level for other use. We have a good billy that gets heated on the campfire so hot water for the bottles is usually readily available. Again, we do what works for us. 

Naturally without power we don't have a fridge, this time we did purchase a large and sturdy icebox that has been a real help. Much bigger than the esky we used on past trips; it is insulated and in this cooler weather a bag of $5 crushed ice last around four days. We did implement by adding some shelving and a wire lift out basket so getting access in the icebox is easy. And it really does keep things cold, nothing goes off. Maybe in the summer months we would need ice more regular, but we will see how that plays out.

One thing I must add is that Ruth has a dishwasher on site, his name is John.

Our laundry is a laundromat job, Ararat has two places for public use. Ruth heads in every 10 days or so and loads up on the washing and the drying. Any extra drying required is done back at camp, we have an outside and an undercover drying area. Probably once the warmer weather arrives then all the drying will be done back here at Camp Recluse.

And we have trains in the close vicinity of the campgrounds. Ararat is on the Adelaide to Melbourne rail line, so some massive goods trains roll through here day and night. You hear the tootin' of the whistle as these monster goods trains head off on the line down to Geelong and then through to Melbourne. That is a great sound hearing the locos throttle up and thunder along as they head out of Ararat. Ah, memories of my rail days past.

And a V-Line passenger service runs from here in Ararat, these trains go across to Ballarat and then on to the city. They run 7-days a week, the first service to Melbourne is just after 6am weekdays so I hear that train each morning and it's my cue to wake and rise. Then the 7-11am service also to the city is the one I hear once I am up and about. The last train back at night gets in around 9pm. It takes around two hours twenty for the trip down to Melbourne and Southern Cross station is the terminus for all V-Line trains. A very handy passenger service for this country town.

There is a third train line leaving Ararat, that heads up North from here and goes out through Avoca with branch lines going to towns further north and to the east. Many of the trains on this line are for grain, this country is farm country, sheep and wheat. It is great to see rail making a comeback and servicing these farming communities. 

We do have a tech hub, out the side of the camp heading towards the back sheep paddock where a gazebo with two sides is used for charging and all thing tech. It is a great place to sit and to write during the day. The large undercover area is ideal, keeps us dry and it is erected strategically to get all the morning sun and to provide a warmer place to sit and get away from the cold wind.

The tech hub houses the animal food processing plant and is a good structure to hang the clothes that need to be dried and also the wet towels after shower time. It is open on the east and west sides as the wind rarely blows from that direction.

But three Saturdays ago, we had a freak weather day, rain, wind and it was really the toughest day we could ever spend here trying to keep things battened down.

The wind blew a gale and simply lifted the tech hub gazebo and blew it back to the fence on the sheep paddock. It acted as a wind tunnel and despite being well pegged down it just took off. The rigid back wall did not help, it would not allow any wind to pass through so that added to the wind tunnel effect. It was a bummer, a perfect storm.

The frame structure was damaged but next day I was able to sort out what that structural damage was and get some repairs done so it was set to go again. This time we bolted it down super strong using star droppers to give extra strength, it will not blow away next time. On that Saturday with the wind as it was there was nothing we could do to prevent the damage; we learn from that day however and we have made things wind proof.

Our tech hub is important in our daily life here at the camp, so it was a relief to have it back in position and providing the cover and shelter we need. Scary what happened but all has worked out ok and we move on. I am just thankful that the damage wasn't greater and that all repairs have worked out fine.

Sitting out in the tech hub now and taking in all the views reminds me that we need this structure. It provides great protection and apart from that awkward Saturday it has been a safe haven. I spend a lot of time there; it is my most central camp space and I get to see all that goes on around our site. It helps me feel relaxed and secure in this beautiful place.

We really do have this place to ourselves, we estimate that there is probably room for 1500 camp sites in the Green Hill Lake camping area but this time of year we count between 65 and 100 on a semi regular basis. So, it is easy to find space on our own, way down the end of the track, we think we have the best spot on the lake. It is in amongst the trees, they provide protection acting as a windbreak, we are almost self-enclosed with the trees and shrubs. And as the warmer weeks roll around, we will have plenty of shade.

We have had some neighbors over the three plus months we have been here but none right in our back pocket thankfully. Being reclusive is part of the attraction for being here and naturally without the noise of neighbors then the critters would feel more at home and not move away or hide to escape the human contact. Having peace and quiet is so darn good. Ruth and I have a plan though if we get nosy, noisy and intrusive camps nearby, we will crank up our Christian music to mega levels and that will sort out these intruders. Or at worse, the other campers might come across to our camp and we could sit around the campfire singing Kumbaya playing our tambourines. God is good.

But the neighborhood camps, to now, add to the place, they do not detract. Naturally, we name the camp sites that set up in our vicinity. We have had Camp Intrusive, Camp Noisy, Camp Block the View, Camp Hawthorn, Camp Blue Lake, Camp Scatter, Camp Annoying, Camp Don't Camp There, Camp Yuppie, Camp Yuppie 2, Camp Yuppie 3, Camp Oldies, Camp Single, Camp Uninvited and some others who stay in those door whiz bangy van things.

For all of that, this place is huge and there is plenty of room for everyone. The scenery and the critters are too good not to share with others. And as written in some previous posts here on the JonnyG Remembers blog, that scenery, these surrounds and the many wildlife critters here on Green Hill Lake at Ararat are just stunning. With the scenery that surrounds us, no two views are the same, every view is different, we are living with an abundance of beauty, of nature and being tucked away here at Camp Recluse we are able to see and feel the serenity.

Physical and mental JonnyG Health check

On the JonnyG Remembers blog it has always been written for me to have a record of where my health is at, how I'm travelling and how I'm feeling within this health journey. It has and still remains great therapy.

With the Lewy Body Dementia there will come a time when I won't remember, when life will mean nothing to me as a person. But having this documented history of how this journey plays out is very important to me. It is my living history recording my story as I see it.

That time is still hopefully some way off and the Adventure before Dementia journey Ruth and I are travelling gives us the chance to make the most of a crap situation. Sure, this does not end well but the journey for now does go well. We have had a lot of fun; we have had some tough times, and we have most certainly enjoyed this journey as best we can. It has not been easy but by staying ahead of the depression and the awkward health setbacks I reckon we have done rather well.

This past 20-months with health have been a tough road. Six surgeries with 21 days total in hospital in that time has taken a toll, the bladder cancer problems hit hard and now pain and ongoing issues dominate. The 260 days since major urology surgery to have my bladder, prostate, urethra, appendix and numerous lymph nodes removed in an eight-hour operation at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide has been a journey of pain. Sometimes chronic pain, it impacts life in an awful and debilitating way. There is no hiding from pain.

Moving away from South Australia to tackle this Adventure before Dementia journey was one that required additional health planning. Would it be smart to move away from my GP, the Flinders Urology team, my stoma nurse, my health network that had looked out for me across the years? The decision to travel interstate was made knowing that if health turned sour then it was likely we would be heading back to SA. We notified all of the health professions we were linked to and made it known what our travel plans were.

With that said, being here at Camp Recluse in Ararat has worked out ok. Yep, some awkward health problems have shown up but the services available here locally have worked well to this point. The Ararat Medical Clinic is right in town, here we linked with Doctor Chris and that has been an amazing connection. He is a great doctor, thorough, empathetic and actually does as he says he will. He will discuss the health issues, offer his advice but only go down a certain management pathway if he knows it is what you want. How good is that, a doctor being a doctor and not pushing medical crap on you simply because it is in their interest.

And from Doctor Chris the local links continue with the Ararat Hospital and now with the St John of God Hospital in Ballarat. Things have played out fine with all the local medical contacts. And that is a really handy spot to be in, and mentally it adds a level of safety.

Medically, the time here at Camp Recluse has been testing. Physically testing. Mentally as I write in my posts, I am in a better spot than I have been for ages. I feel at peace here living this journey off grid and it has worked wonders for clarity of mind and has definitely lightened my depression.

Physically I think the problems I continue to have would be the same no matter where I was living so being here is awkward but no better or worse than being in any place.

The past month has been tough. Blood tests showed I was very low in iron suggesting to the GP that I was probably bleeding someplace internally given my health record with cancer. On the scale for iron measurement, I was a 5 and again, given my health status I would ideally be near 100. Nope, no idea what that scale really means but I do not think the iron reading is in my favor.

I was given an iron infusion at the Ararat Hospital, the procedure only took about 45 minutes, is done as an outpatient procedure and from what I was told, it went as planned. Apparently, it takes a few weeks for the infusion to have an impact.

My leg pain had been getting to a point where it was causing me issues. An ultrasound at Ararat Hospital showed I have a number of small blood clots in and around the right calf area. For now they are just needing to be monitored, and if things play out ok, they should not be an issue for major concern.

Back to the low iron count, my Ararat GP discussed that he though some bowel tests were best to see if there was bleeding present, and then depending on what the outcome might be a decision would then be made as to what, if any surgery and treatment was needed. But I was able to discuss with Doctor Chris what that actually meant for me personally and he suggested to go away from his rooms for a few days and think about what I would want to do given the details he was able to share. From that I decided not to have the bowel issue investigated.

For as odd as that may be, I know for me, I could not face the surgery that might follow and then live with the repercussions of that surgery. I am dealing with so much from the bladder cancer surgery including this hideous and annoying pee bag I am stuck with. So no, any surgery that added to my pain and discomfort long-term is off the table. I mean, for any quality of life then I know any further major surgery is not in my best interest.

I do value life; I know how lucky I am to still be around when so many others have battled and lost their personal cancer battle. Sadly, they do not have a choice anymore. But for me, I will take my chances and let this play out how it does. Doctor Chris was fine with my decision; in fact, he was really supportive once I was able to verbalise my thoughts about where I am at physically and mentally. He explained his job was 5% cure and 95% care. I like that, I appreciated him being so open and yeah, so understanding.

My pain levels are ordinary at best. The pain from the bladder area, the thigh, the back and the groin regions is nonstop. If there is nothing new medically going on with this area of my body, then maybe it is time for me to understand that chronic pain from the surgery will be chronic pain. That is not ideal, that is difficult emotionally to grasp but at least I have been heard, I have been tested and despite all the relevant tests showing no new medical issues, I can accept that the pain is surgically related. That helps my mental state.

Medically my pain management can be updated, I will try some different forms of prescribed pain relief to see if anything helps. But with the pain as described, the issues with excess fluid, the blot clots in the right leg and the awkward cramps it does add even more pain, so yeah, some pain relief is most welcome.

Doctor Chris has prescribed a new drug that has an opioid base, even though it be a small dose, but I am very reluctant to head that way for now. The possible side effects includes constipation and confusion. Now, I am not heading down the 'no poo' road again, after the bladder surgery and forming the stoma that included cutting my bowel and removing around 15cm then constipation was horrid. 

I had one stint in December of nine days constipated after the November surgery that became catastrophic, and I was eventually taken by ambulance to the Flinders Medical Centre ED and a procedure had me crap out a 3.5kg, well you can guess what it was. I will not go down that road ever again. The pain after nine days of no poop and that came coupled with post-surgery pain, so it was anything but a fun time. My tummy and bowel pain were horrendous for a few days and in the end, I had to give in and take the Christmas Day ambulance trip to Flinders. I could not handle any more of the excruciatingly painful problem. So never again.

And with my LBD then sorry, confusion runs rampant as it is, so again, no, not headed in a direction that may make things worse. I could not cope at this point with added confusion. People will have an opinion, ill-informed I might add and say, well, if the pain is that bad blah blah. But these folk do not live my life so really, they are, dare I say, full of it. Mind your own business.

At this moment I will do what is best for me overall, what is best for me both physically and mentally. I have to deal with plenty right now so, for me, I will not add any further chance of making things harder. Hey, down the track, who knows, I may well be happy to get any pain relief available but for now, I will do this in a way that is right for me.

My stoma and attached pee bag have become another cause for some concern. It looks that I have developed a hernia around the stoma, the area is enlarged and tender. With a stoma like mine the hernia is common, around 70% of people with a stoma develop a hernia. I did have an ultrasound at Ararat Hospital, that shows filling but no hernia in the area so not sure what is going on. The Ararat GP is not sure either, he suggested maybe we head home and consult our urology/stoma team back at Flinders or the other option is he could link us to a clinic at Ballarat Hospital.

Yesterday a stoma nurse from the Ballarat Hospital did call up in regard to the referral received from Doctor Chris, she made an appointment for me to see the team down there and that is scheduled for next Thursday. The stoma nurse asked about the hernia and did add that depending on how the ultrasound was done then the result could differ. She suggested it gives a better result when done in a standing position, mine was mainly done lying flat. Maybe that is the hernia answer?

Whatever way I hope things can be resolved because it causes pain around the stoma, it is uncomfortable, very unsightly, makes fitting a pee bag awkward because of the tummy shape and it is also bleeding. It is just an issue I do not need right now; I hope it can be an easy fix whatever the issue is. 

To further complicate the health issues, I have had some recent heart pain and discomfort that needed to be investigated. Having had two heart attacks and cardiac arrest events in the past I am always aware that I need to pay heed to any heart pain. In particular crushing chest pain and any left arm pain that can be heart related. I do have some Arterial Fibrillation as an ongoing health matter, but this pain was different to AF.

Doctor Chris was concerned when he knew what was happening, he sent me to Ararat Hospital ED after a consult at his office. A 20-minute GP appointment turned into a six-hour hospital stay. During those hours I had a chest Xray, 2 ECG's, had 3 lots of blood taken for testing and endured 5 needles. Wow, fun day. But I did get two hospital sandwiches and two cups of hospital coffee as I waited in between the barrage of tests. Boom.

From that day with some of the heart test results I was linked to a Cardiologist in Ballarat but also needed to have an echocardiogram and heart stress test. Last Friday Ruth and I went down to the Ballarat Private Hospital Clinic for the tests and now we wait the results before the Cardiologist appointment later this month.

Headaches are also prevalent at the minute, they come and go but really, they are awkward. The headache is general, it is not specific to any particular part of the head. I am finding them annoying as they just keep on. And another ache is in my man parts. Having my prostate and urethra removed means my manhood is gone but my testicles still get very tender and sore, especially the left side. Because I have the pee bag then I do not urinate, but I get the feeling of needing to go and that is very odd. Not sure how to work with that.

So, the health check for this post really highlights some awkward and rather painful medical issues that I am experiencing. With the LBD slowly getting more pronounced in some areas, these medical problems do make life tough. This pain really eats away at your wellbeing and dampens the spirit. But with the Camp Recluse benefits of isolation, calm, peace, nature, the critters and the serenity I am staying afloat.

And Ruth and I still enjoy many moments of fun and laughs. We do see the fun in this, everyday my LBD tosses up funny little faux paus that I somehow manage to produce, and they are really worth laughing about. And we do, with the health gloom there is a lot of good times still, and I am so glad we have never stopped the laughter being a part of this journey. Tough is tough but as sure as that is true, fun is fun. We do laugh often.

Naturally as I become more reclusive the road trips, the race days, the footy days, the social gatherings become less. Sure, we still do these things but on a more limited basis than we have in the past. The good times are so great, enjoyably great but the days that follow can be awkward in recovering from the activity and the social interaction. It is necessary to assess the after issues when we plan days out and away from camp.

Big crowds are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, I am not at my best when crowd numbers are excessive. I do try to limit the days out to venues with not so many people, that recent Friday race day at Ballarat is an example, it was much more manageable and enjoyable being with a small group and smaller crowd. These days are still all good. Thankfully, even allowing for the LBD issues I can still really enjoy such outings.

But seriously, I am so glad we still get to experience great days, naturally picking and choosing when and where to go has sort of become the norm. But we push on, we still do all we can when health permits. And I know in myself that I struggle with some social interaction, as mentioned in previous posts my ability to converse is still firmly intact but I also notice the blank and forgetful moments creeping in. For me, it is embarrassing to have moments like this when I simply forget what is happening, what I am talking about, and I draw a mental blank.

Even here at the camp I limit myself on what I do, things like trips into town, I stay close to home. I do go at times, sometimes I have to, but I do avoid trips away from camp as best I can. Motivation is not an issue, but having the physical desire and ability to do things is a problem I notice. Sometimes I just need to sit and rest and work through the pain. Mentally, yeah this also plays a strong part in ability to get things done.

I cannot say life is good, it isn't. But life is manageable, life can still be fun and entertaining and with some managed outings away from the camp then this is not so bad, I guess. With my depression, that has most definitely improved in the time here and on the health scale that is a massive plus. For the most part, my head allows me to be at peace with my surrounds.

I mean, what can you do but push on. At this time of life as I head towards my 70th birthday in November I would rate life overall as a four out of ten.

The End