Brian's Life: A Belated Update From Tewantin Part Four - A Camping Holiday and More Nostalgia

The Australian Camper Trailer Group had scheduled a camping weekend at Atkinson's Dam for the weekend the 11th and 12th of June and the organisers Robyn and Lindsay invited members to arrive any time from Friday 10th of June and leave on Monday 13th June.

I decided to make a holiday of it by extending the camping trip by staying at the little town of Esk, where Margaret and I stayed with the Caravan Group we belonged to in 1998 to 2001, for a couple of days.

On Thursday I put Louis in kennels where he made his, now, usual piteous whining "Don't leave me!" act only to trot off wagging his tail on the way to the kennels. Back at home I packed my Camper Trailer and little car. I was relieved to see that the CT tent had dried out and there was no mould on the canvas.

Ready to go

I had actually cleaned the Jazz for the trip

On Friday I drove to Atkinson's Dam via Esk to check that I could stay in the caravan park and arrived just after lunch.

Parked in Esk's main street

Robyn soon had me parked in a spot fairly close the the facilities. I camped here last year and commented on the blue loos.

They are still blue!

Last year I got very cold so I erected both my tent and annex and also made sure that I rugged up warm. For dinner I warmed up a tin of chunky beef soup and together with bead and cheese washed down by a good bottle of red wine was ready for an evening around the campfire with the other new arrivals.

Sunset at Atkinson's Dam

My little CT is just left of centre

Chunky Beef Soup

The weekend was a great success and it is written up by Robyn on the CT Group webpage which is worth a look at as it has some photos by Rob showing some of the bird life near the dam. Click on the thumb nail to enlarge the image.

Atkinson's Dam 2016

On Monday the few of us who were left packed up and said our good byes we all hope to meet in September for the Annual Meet in NSW.

I drove the 50 kilometres to Esk and was checked in at the caravan park just after lunch. I didn't put up my annex as I would not be cooking at the CT. I bought some fish and chips for dinner and sat in the caravan park's cosy camp kitchen and lounge which had an great log fire. I drank a bottle of white wine and chatted to other campers until quite late before going back to my CT.

At the dam I had no power and used my solar panels to charge my battery which powered my fridge and LED lighting. Here I had mains power and even had my electric fan heater to warm up the tent but I switched it off before I went to bed.

The next two days I took long walks around Esk in the mornings, had lunch in the town and dinner in the local pub. I spent the evenings in the lounge chatting with the other campers. It was very relaxing and but me in a great state of mind for my next update.

Esk is on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trial.

I walk several kilometres along the Rail Trail each day

My cycling club rode this part of the trail a couple of weeks ago.

Nor for some nostalgia. When we stay at Esk just before Christmas in 1999 Margaret bought statue of a fox cast in plastic resin which sits on the top of my china cabinet till this day. We also took our big black Standard Poodle with us so her are a few pictures of Margaret's dogs starting with the fox.

Margaret's Fox

Old Kim

The first thing Margaret did when we moved in our first house in 1962 was to buy a little dog which was a Corgi Cross mut. He was a lovely little dog but when we went to England in 1964 we put him in kennels run by our local vet. Here contracted hepatitis and died a few weeks after we came home.

Kim


Kim really loved Helen

Margaret, Helen and Kim

Young Kim

Margaret missed Old Kim and we soon bought a purebred Corgi and also called him Kim. We actually showed Young Kim a few times but found dog exhibitors were a bitchy crowd and he just became a pet. In 1968 Young Kim had a nasty ear infection which didn't respond to treatment. He was in so much pain that he became aggressive and he had to be put down.

Young Kim with Margaret

The show dog

Barney

After Young Kim's death Margaret wanted another mut so we went to the Dog Rescue Home where we fell in love with Barney. He was supposed to be a little larger than a Corgi but our vet told us he would become a large dog and was a Border Collie crossed with an Australian Cattle Dog - both very energetic breeds.

Barney was another lovely faithful dog who had a long and happy life. When he was young the Nuns from our local church came to visit. The came in through the side gate, patted Barney and tried the back for which was locked. When they tried to leave he would not let them and herded them into a corner where they stayed until Margaret came home and rescued them. I put a Do Not Enter sign on the gate. He never actually touched the Nuns. He could open the gates and would visit the Collie bitch down the road and she had several beautiful litters before he was neutered.

A the age of nine he has a massive tumour removed from a front leg. We were told that it was very aggressive and he wouldn't last long. Luckily they didn't tell Barney and he died at the right old age of seventeen.

Barney loved playing ball

He was Margaret's most faithful dog

He was also handsome and knew it!

He got quite large as he got older

A few months before he died in 1985 he was joined by Danni.

Danni

Danni was another rescue dog. She was obviously a well bred Doberman who had had a litter then dumped. The rescue home had had her spayed and she came home with her stitches in. Barney loved her and made he welcome. He even played with her. In 1986 Danni developed cancer of the spine and was put down when her pain could not be managed. She was Margaret's favourite dog

Danni settles in - I love Margaret's Afro

A fwe days before Barney died

Danni was a lovely girl

and loved our cats

just before she died - her back is bent by the cancer

Hildegarde

Hildegarde was bought from a local breeder and was a Rottweiler. She was my favourite dog before Louis. She was an energetic puppy who grew into an huge old dog weighing about 50Kg. I never once saw her get angry.

The only time Margaret saw her react was after being attacked several times on her local walk by a Staffy Hildi picked him up by his neck and held on. The Staffy screamed and its owner came out and abused Margaret. The owners father came out and told him that he should control his dog and stop abusing Margaret and rescue his dog. Hildi wouldn't let go but stood perfectly still. Margaret told the owner to hold his dog's rear end and pull when she said so. She then stamped on Hildi's paw and she opened her mouth, the Staffy was released without harm and Margaret continued on her walk.

Hildi lived a happy life and died at the age of ten which is OK for a Rotty.

Pierre

Margaret decided that much as she loved her dogs it was time to get one that did not shed and leave greasy marks everywhere and in late 1994 she bought a purebred Standard poodle which she called Pierre. He was sold as a pet although his parents we both Australian Champions and he was neutered at six months.

Pierre was another lovely dog and devoted to Margaret. He lived a happy life and died after also contracting spinal cancer in 2005. At this time Margaret had been seriously in and he used to visit her on hospital. Margaret took him to be put down one day before she has a relapse and ended bak in hospital for four weeks.