I thought I’d share a conversation I had with my 86 year old grandfather on Saturday.

We were talking about a recent caravan trip they had taken using their brand new Navman. I can’t recall the model but it’s on the cheaper end of the scale.
Pa had a fairly good idea where he was going but was pretty excited about using the GPS. Initially everything went well, he was quite happy that the unit was taking him exactly the way it should. I need to point out that to get to this particular destination you first need to take a freeway. Basically, there is only one road you can take.

So Pa was pretty impressed but then the Navman told him to turn left at the next intersection. He thought this was odd as previously he had always continued along the road. Assuming the GPS knew best, he faithfully turned left. At this point my Nan queried the Navman. She spoke to it. Navman didn’t respond. They continued down the road for 20 minutes, alarm bells ringing in my Pa’s ears. Eventually Navman told them to to turn right. It kept telling him to turn right so he did what he was told. My Nan then directed her questions towards Pa after getting no response from Navman. Pa told her that it was a GPS unit and was sure it had found some new shortcut not previously known to him. As he continued down the road, they noticed the vegetation was changing from country to bush and then to their complete surprise, a dead end!

My poor 86 year old grandparents had to turn their caravan around a dead end road that had turned to gravel.

My Granddad’s opinion of GPS units is this:

“GPS units are great if you have no clue where you are going. If you have the slightest idea of where you should be going, turn off the GPS. Better still, if your wife starts to query the direction….listen to her!”

Did you realize EV charging stations are all around us? All you need is an electric outlet. For example, see how parking lot lights could be used for charging electric cars.

I haven’t noticed electric outlets on light poles in Perth, Western Australia but I am going to look a little closer the next time I am out shopping!

Termites, the word alone strikes fear into most home owners.

Destruction caused by these little guys is quite amazing mostly because it’s done silently and usually hidden to the naked eye. Simply scratching to surface however exposes their work. It really can be devastating and costly.

No doubt they are destructive but after a recent visit from my pest controller, my view of them changed completely. Pest Control man is quite an unusual bloke. On the one hand, he is employed to make sure termites aren’t infesting my home and he will kill them if found. However, when you speak to him about termites, it is pretty clear he has great respect for them. I learnt quite a few things that day and I’ve changed my view. That doesn’t mean that they can roam free in my home. On the contrary, any termite found in my home will be dealt with but I do have much respect.

A man who has great respect for nature, David Attenborough shows us just how creative termites can be.

We have had a great response to OurTime. It seems that there are quite a few DIY enthusiasts out there!

We have decided to take the plunge and get our very own domain name. DIYOutback.com will be up and running shortly and we plan on bringing you heaps of practical DIY advice for your home and those with wheels.

We will continue to keep you all updated on the OurTime bus so watch this space!

I found this video on youtube.com from 1937 that Chevrolet produced. It’s all about RV life and is a fascinating look back. I especially like the comment about the wife not having much housework to do.

It is also interesting to note that the premise of living life on the road really hasn’t changed all that much. I find that rather comforting is such a face paced world.

My daughter and her partner have just returned from a short vacation to Queensland and they mentioned that during their travels they heard of women who were traveling on their own around Australia.

This got me to thinking about web resources for women who are or planning to travel. I think it is incredible that women are prepared to give it a go. The safety issue alone is not one to be taken lightly these days and when you think about all the other components that go into living on the road, well, I just think they are incredible.

I will start to add resources that I find that are related to women and rv’ing as I find them.

This website, RVing Women is very comreshensive and well worth a look and a good one to start the ball rolling!

Hi everyone, it’s Brian and Sheila’s daughter here,

Just to let you know that my Dad is going to take a short break from posting on Our Time while recovering from knee replacement surgery.

He is doing very well and is expected home this Thursday. It’ll be a while before he can do any major work on his bus but he is planning on using his recovery time to research some pretty interesting alternatives for their bus.

One such plan is to convert the diesel engine to run on chip oil (waste vegetable oil), he will bring you more information on this when back home.

Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone,

I’m Sheila and Brian’s daughter. Today is a particularly sad day for my parents. Earlier this afternoon they had the very sad and difficult task of having their beloved dog, Monty put to sleep.

Monty was 15 years old and they had a very special bond with him.

During his life, he travelled many parts of Australia with mum and dad including a trip across the Nullabor and across the Tasman. He was a brilliant travel companion and loved putting his two front paws on the dash and looking out the window at the scenery going by. Whenever they went off road or over a bumpy road, he seemed to enjoy it even more. He also knew when they were about to stop. He would watch my Dad’s foot and as soon as he went to brake, Monty would start getting excited and anxious, he just knew it was about time to get out and explore!

They had assumed that Monty would go with them around Australia once Our Time was completed but old age caught up with Monty.

He was a fiesty little guy who loved walking with Mum and really loved going off on his own which always resulted in them both having to scream his name til he eventually decided to come back!

This is a special little poem that is fitting today.

RIP Monty, you were a great little friend.

IF IT SHOULD BE

If it should be I grow frail and weak
And pain should wake me from sleep
Then you must do what must be done
For this last battle can’t be won

Do not grieve that it should be you
Who has to decide this thing to do
We’ve been so close – we two – these years
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

Hi everyone.

I must apologise for the long time between posts. Shortly after we setup our site, our laptop needed to be taken into the shop for repairs. As we live in the country with no local repair shop, it had to be sent to Perth and took just over 4 weeks. I really missed my computer!

It did give me time to draw up plans for our new home on wheels. My daughter has promised to scan the plans for me so I will get them up and put some explanations on how it will work.

I’ve also spent some time looking at GPS navigation systems for the bus. I will also post a detailed account of what I’ve found.

So now that I’m back with my beloved computer, I’ll start posting regularly.

Happy travels!

Welcome to our website!

We are so excited to be doing this in conjunction with the renovation of our new bus, a 1989 Toyota Coaster Bus Deluxe 22 seater.

We will be bringing you lots of information and pictures on the whole process from stripping the bus back to it’s shell, through to design, construction and all the things we learn along the way.

My lovely wife, Sheila, will also be sharing her thoughts and design plans on the most important parts of the bus, the bathroom and kitchen.