My Nice Ice Queen

“What temperature do you want me to set the air conditioner for?” Tracey asked me last night.

She was standing in the middle of the bus, remote in hand. Seemingly ready to obey my every command.

Seemingly.

Thing is, we’ve been here before. I don’t get to decide things like the temperature in the bus when we go to bed – something I’ve made light of on the odd occasion.

“I don’t care,” I said, adjusting my pillow and arranging the donnas and blanket between my knees so Tracey couldn’t steal it. “Whatever you want.”

For the most part that’s true. I don’t care. I like to be cool enough to have a doona on me. That’s about it.

But if I had my way I’d probably set the temperature lower than ideal so in the morning, when the sun hits the bus, we wouldn’t cook as quickly and might even get to sleep in a bit longer.

Tracey, on the other hand, likes the temperature set warmer than any human would reasonably consider. It’s partly why we can never share a shower together: the perfect water temperature for her is within half a degree of that needed to scold the hair off a pig carcass.

As it is, Tracey still comes to bed with frozen fish fillets for feet, which she always attempts to thaw out with my help. For anywhere between ten and twenty minutes she moves her feetcicles up and down my legs as they leech the warmth out of one spot and then the next.

And because I’m a loving husband, I let her.

By which I mean, because I’m hoping she decides she needs to plug me in to warm up properly, I let her.

Again, methinks a good reason to set the aircon closer to single digits.

Which all meant the idea I was going to get a say in what temperature Tracey was about to set our unit to was, to me, laughable.

But I must have hit a nerve when I mocked her this morning.

“Tell me,” she continued.

“You decide. You’ll just do what you want anyway. I really don-”

“Tell me what you want!”

I could tell by her tone she was half a sentence off changing into her cranky pants for bed and nobody wanted that. There are worse things than trying to get to sleep with cold legs.

Rather than risk an innie from her using my crotch to warm her feet I sighed and sat up a bit to stare down the bus at her.

“What are the options?” I sighed.

Tracey glanced down at her remote.

“Whatever you want. Like, twenty-one or twenty-four,” she said. “It’s twenty at the moment. I think we need it a bit warmer or the kids will wake up cold.”

Our kids don’t wake up cold. They wake up hungry. They wake up desperately needing to pee. They wake up wanting to play their electronics.

Worse, for all of those they wake up me.

“Okay,” I said, playing along. “Twenty-one.”

“Twenty-one,” repeated Tracey. “Twenty….,” she pressed a button and the remote beeped once,”…..one.”

Wait for it, I thought to myself as I turned my back on her and pulled the doona up under my chin. That final ‘one’ was said with much doubt and many misgivings.

“You don’t think maybe twenty-four?” Tracey called up to me, the aircon unit already beeping it’s way up the celsius scale.

Still, I guess it’s nice to feel included in the decision making process.

Macarthur

Tracey took some lovely photos of our kids around the town we’re parked up in for a couple of nights – Macarthur. Love these beautiful little off-the-highway townships. Even better, only $10 a night to stay, including power.

Port Fairy

Lunch today in this idealic little township. Something about boats and water which conjure up the feels. Like I feels so glad I’m on solid ground.
Managed to fit in some play time after lunch

We found this camera on the picnic table when we arrived and decided to make a mission of getting it back to its owner. We drove around town trying to match the five people in the photos with faces on the street and had just started approaching tourist parks when, with the assistance of all our wonderful FB tribe, we were able to track down the owner. Tracey is going to deliver it to them tomorrow. As luck would have it they’re from another little town around here where she’s got a shoot in the morning.
A simple day today. Driving around looking at old houses and boats and enjoying being somewhere new.
This pose is called The Mermaid.

Warrnambool

Looking for whales from Logans Beach, known as overlooking a whale nursery. We even heard a killer whale was seen off Port Fairy an hour before we arrived here. No luck for us though.

Real impressed with the look out. Looks lovely and was a good wind break.

Poser.
Miss5 and Miss7 sneaking off to the beach
We sent Miss14 to round them up
There were words
She’s looking totally abashed. Not

Epilogue: When I woke up this morning the aircon was set at twenty-five! lol

I make it look….easy?

I might occasionally give the trailer a little love tap. You probably can’t tell. 
I think most of these are gutters. Let’s say they’re because of Tracey, shall we? Just to share the blame around.

Raising a family on little more than laughs

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7 Comments

  • Oh, you are in my neck of the woods! Welcome and enjoy your stay! If I had paid more attention that you were coming past I would have invited you for a dairy farm visit! So glad you stopped in Macarthur. If you need any food/things to do recommendations while in port fairy let me know!

    • Thanks Melissa 😀 Staying the night at Port Campbell. Was just going to drive along the Great Ocean Road on our way to Geelong, but how can you not stop?!

  • Absolutely, stop everywhere!! The great ocean road is amazing (and fairly exhausting to drive!) We have a mutual friend in Michael Knowles, when you get home/see him/talk to him, please give that rascal my love.

  • Air con at 25? that;s called heating!!!! Love these pictures, I’ve lived in Victoria most of my life, and haven’t been to these parts, must do it

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