"COHUNA MATATTA" *HA HA*

GREETINGS FROM COHUNA WATERFRONT!

A very big HELLO from me to all my followers out there, and a very special hello to all the kids who like my blog too especially Georgia, Harper, Willow, Eli, Izac Jack, Emmalee and Elijah... mum calls Elijah 'her little elf' and he's almost as cute as me! (I guess their mum and dad reads the appropriate bits to them, or just shows them my pics... understandable, I am so cute!)

We all packed up from Nursery Bend 3 and drove past Cohuna and into the twin towns of Koondrook and Bahman, with a bridge crossing the Murray River and we got to a servo that had a jet car wash bay. Dad backed the van in first and mum blasted all the mud and gunk off the van, and dad did the same with his car.. although he did hit mum with the jet spray across her arm.. "Sorry!" dad cried, "yep" answered mum. So all good there thank Heavens! Although mum did give dad one of her "watch it" looks.

We arrived at Cohuna Waterfront Caravan Park and were met by our hosts Marcus and Fiona... wonderful people who helped us set up... and yes, there were frustrations again, but getting used to that now, mum really had it and threw her new sunnies, (yep, another pair) the third pair broke! and no... don't ask. Marcus put us in the best spot for shade all morning and more shade in the afternoon so, in this weather 40+ we don't really feel it. They have a fantastic swimming pool so I hope to go for a wombat paddle later.

We are right on the water's edge here and there are lots of lovely Red River gum, Willow and other shade trees, so mum and I sat dangling our feet in the cool creek water while dad put up the awning. Mum always asks if he needs any help but dad is like "no! I can do it myself!" so, we just leave him to it... oops, back to the trees! There are heaps of them that are totally fantastic for climbing and playing hide and seek, which I have turned into a priority at every camp we make. Mum finally found me first game but she had to look pretty hard, dad saw where I was and took a photo and showed mum later so she sent it to Fiona at the office, so then she wanted to meet me! (getting famous here!) She took a photo as well...of me on the counter looking at the Cohuna Waterfront Brochure and is going to put it on the FB and web page! That's two caravan parks where I will have my presence known... quite exciting, and gaining a lot more followers around the world.

We spent Australia Day at Nursery Bend but didn't do anything so I got upset and told mum, so back into Cohuna information centre where we got some free Aussie flags and mum got me ready and dad took a picture. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! I wanted to know why mum and dad didn't go and celebrate for Australia Day, mum said it was due to the reason that the indigenous people of this wonderful land were not acknowledged as being part of the population for years due to their skin (how awful!) but it is getting better now. And many people both white and indigenous Australians celebrate Australia Day together in harmony which is a good thing. Mum said "Harmony Day" is coming up in March so she will be definitely doing something for that. Don't get me wrong mum and dad are very proud to be 'dinki-di' Aussies... but everyone has a preference I guess. Mum is one to stand up and believe in her principles and I have learned not to cross that line! Last tine I did I got a time out. *sad face*.

A bad thing that happened before we left nursery bend No 3 was a fall dad had and he jarred his back quite badly so he hasn't really been in any mood... except a bad one! So mum and I didn't bother him and left him alone, unless he says, 'you going for a swim', which in dad-speak means "I want to go for a swim, will you come too"? mum always says 'yep' and we grab our towels and make our way through the heat to the pool. Mum does awesome dives... dad half empties the pool with his bellyflops! I laugh.

I think it's funny that dad leaned to float (with mum's help) and mum can't sink! I suppose it's because she is a better swimmer anyway... although mum tells me her legs are hollow.. I think she's joking.. mum has been helping dad in shallow diving into the pool without hurting himself or doing bellyflops and it's funny! But you have to give dad an "A" for effort! Swimming is helping mum's back and neck as well so that's all good. They have a jumping castle here but has been deflated, I would have liked to bounce on it, but now that school has gone back for this year, I guess there's not much sense in leaving it up. It was too hot to cook so dad got pizza for dinner, mum had chicken, dad had a prawn one and I had alfalfa with extra clover... yum.

The next morning we took a long walk around the park, it's huge! There are a lot of permanent vans with aluminium annexes but people don't live in them, just use them for holidays, sort of like dad's fishing cabin but these have really big awnings over the top of both van and annex. Dad and mum both agreed that would make an awesome carport at home, letting the view through while still providing shade and shelter. I added it was good as a BBQ area, dad patted me on the head and told me I was a clever wombat.... well duh!
 

The other really cool thing is that the playground here is super awesome... I put my head through a hole in a sign and mum took a picture and laughed. She showed me and I laughed too. It looks like I am looking out the window of my very own caravan!, I hung upside down on the monkey bars, slid down the slide (as one does) and climbed a rope ladder, played noughts and crosses with dad, and he pushed me on the swing! When we got back? Another swim, lunch and hide and seek... (of course) dad found me pretty quickly this time, so I think he peeked! We kept on walking with many cabin owners naming them like "Frog's Pad" or "Mike's Mansion" some were funny and some were naughty! We even found one that was called "Cohuna Matatta". We laughed.

Dad keeps on looking at the weather on his ipad and it's driving mum dippy! he tells her the same thing over and over (mum told me sometimes dad's like a broken record). She told dad to please stop going over the same 7 day forecast and wait until 5 days had passed by before reading it again. Dad managed a day and a half before accessing the weather site again on the internet, mum mumbled "flog a dead horse"... dad said "what"? mum told him to forget it and went for another swim. All we know for sure is we are in for another week of high temperatures so we are glad we are here. In fact, dad has booked us for another week so we don't have to pack up on the 12th anymore! I am really happy about that as mum was able to send Alexis a birthday message and it's Tammy and Luke's 2nd wedding anniversary on that day so we can send them a message as well 'cos we get great internet coverage here.

Mum was up early the next morning to talk with her friends in Great Britain but the program was mucking up and kept on booting her which made her cranky pants again; In the end she wasn't able to reconnect at all. I went and sat by the water's edge until she cooled down.

Thursday, 6th February 2014... DISASTER! Dad said he would try fishing out the front and mum told him she would walk up to the shops to get a loaf of bread and a skim milk carton (yuck) for dad as he had run out. Mum told me she had a gut feeling about it, and when mum has those feelings she usually listens for the better, this time she didn't... I told her not to go, but she did anyway and went into Cohuna and bought the stuff she needed... but on the way back, she slipped in the clay like mud just next to the footpath and broke her wrist! Poor mum!

A lady who was at the park playground with her little girl saw mum fall and called out "are you alright?" mum said she wanted to yell back "yes! I always like to go a throw myself full tilt into mud to see how much damage I can do" But she called back.. "No, I am pretty sure I have broken my arm". The lady was flustered asked "do you want me to call anyone"? Mum said that would be great and told her we were staying at the caravan park. The lady fumbled with her mobile and said, "I can't find a caravan park!", I looked up to the left and saw the park about 100 meters up the road, "Is she serious?" I hissed angrily but mum told me to hush and be polite; mum told the lady "thank you, it's alright" as mum had by this stage managed to get up pick up her thongs and shopping bag "I'll be okay to walk back" I was scared for mum as she was covered in mud and crying. We walked back and mum went up to dad and said "I've fallen and really hurt my arm". Dad immediately wound in his line, helped mum back to the van, bandaged her arm and we drove to the hospital where mum had her arm X-rayed (yep, she broke her wrist) and the doctor put it in plaster. While the doctor was there talking to dad, mum rolled her eyes and started to giggle, I whispered "What's so funny?" Mum whispered back "look at the clothes dad has on then look at the doctors" so, I look. Hmmm what do I see? Dad checked short sleeved shirt, cargo shorts and sandals, ok I look at the doctor...checked short sleeved shirt, cargo shorts and sandals! Oh my!! if dad had left his beard on they would have been a mirror image, except dad is way taller. Mum can always find something funny even in bad situations... mum's like that. The doctor told mum she would need to be in the plaster cast for at least six weeks, Mum was so disappointed, mainly as she couldn't swim but the doctor said he would write a letter and in a week's time we were to go to Swan Hill hospital where mum would have her review and get a fibreglass cast so she could swim... mum was happy!

We drove back home and dad fussed over mum like a mummy chook, although I didn't quite understand dad soaking mum's feet. Mum said not to worry as the water was warm and it washed the mud off and it made dad feel better because I heard poor dad say "stay at the caravan park... we'll be safer!" I'm not sure but I think dad was feeling a bit guilty as if we had not stayed mum wouldn't have fallen, but mum being mum said "It's all good, and I broke it here not free camping in the middle of nowhere". Mum's friends in my home state of Tassie and Fiona and Marcus teased mum in all good fun with comments "do you need a hand?" and "hello h-armless", "I heard you had got a job in damage control".. even dad asked mum "you want to go fishing?" I thought this was a bit much and mum said some of the other comments went a bit far, but it was hot, mum was hurting and frustrated she couldn't go swimming in this heat, and yes... dad recited the weather again.

Mum and dad decide to drive to Swan Hill the next day, I have copied and pasted mum's FB post so you know what they went through... all I have to add here is that I REALLY like Dr. Barker. Oh and by the way AMCAL is a big chemist here in Australia. Overseas fans and followers? I think you call them druggists or pharmacies.

FB post: "Ian and I drive to Swan Hill, make our way to A&E with letter... ask for fiberglass cast.. "we don't do those", (sigh) "AMCAL keep those", we ask, "do we buy the cast (around $25) and bring here for you to put on?".... "I don't know". We walk to AMCAL ask for fiberglass casts, response? "we haven't had those for years!" Ian said this was turning into a nightmare..."I said if I can't swim, then I can't swim.." Ian said no.. but at least got fitted with a nice comfy sling and a huge rubbery 'thing' that allows me to shower and at least sit in the shallow end of the pool so I can cool off... lady at AMCAL told us they definitely have fiberglass casts at Bendigo hospital. I call Bendigo. Person "assisting" from fracture clinic must have had broom up her backside "you don't decide.. we do and clinic not open every week, it varies. Send through referral if it's still valid.. (about ready to rip hair out and lose it with person on phone) 'VALID? I BROKE MY ARM YESTERDAY... ARE YOU LISTENING?" I get back, "call the hospital and get them to send referral. *hangs up* I call Cohuna and talk to the nurse "oh, I am sorry, we send all the A&E reports back to the clinic" nurse gives me number of clinic, I speak to the doctor's receptionist/nurse who was fantastic... after I told her what had happened he said "wait a minute"... next thing you know I am on the phone with the Doc, apologized for our run around, said he would get a fiberglass cast expressed in and would see me next Friday at the hospital and do the xrays and cast himself! COUNTRY DOCTORS' ROCK! (hoping for fluro yellow but if I get stuck with pink... I won't complain!)"

Now we are back home, dad made us lunch, I've had my nap and now we ALL going swimming, although mum mainly floats on her back and uses her legs to go backwards down the length of the pool to do her laps... I must say she looks like a surfacing submarine so I shouted out "UP PERISCOPE!" mum smiled then made a face at me.

Enjoy the pics and videos of me in the playground! Cheers...and remember "Have a Wombatty day".

P.S. Special wombat hugs to mum for typing this as I told her... I talked slowly, coz she can't type fast.


　
Tahune xx

Dad and me at the boat ramp

"Hello from my own van! umm mum? my head is stuck!"

"Dad did you peek?"

"horsey goes up and down.. I fell off twice"

"No worries... he he he"

"Upside down!"

"One drawback of being famous.. no privacy!"

"Turn this one around and... awww dad beat me

with the top row.. let's go again dad!"

Our favourite place

"I climbed all by myself!"

 

"I made a cameo appearance on their web page!"

 

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! Ouch...... AGAIN!!"