The cost of tarotvaning
Totally worth it...
On the March 14th we ticked off our one year anniversary since buying our van, Nelly. What a ride it has been!
Summer was spent undergoing maintenance on the van (and myself) in Geelong, plus catching up with friends and family. I’ve been parked overnight in a very handy stealthy space, thanks to my sister Jodie :). This in turn gave me the opportunity to look after Sergio the Murray Short Neck Turtle. I’m going to miss him when we leave! And the fish, One, Two, Three and Four and Biggie. I count them each morning to make sure he hasn’t eaten them:-/
I adopt senior dogs. Jodie adopts a disabled Turtle and I love him!
Some jobs that we ticked off are:
$1100 - Re-sealed the roof/fixed leaks and rust repairs.
$1600 - New Aircon.
$600 - New windscreen.
$958.06 - Mercedes Benz Geelong, replace rotational speed sensor, replaced power steering reservoir cap and checked for squeaking sounds. They couldn’t hear any, it’s only me that does :)
$1200 - Service at Mercedes Benz Geelong.
$200 - Replaced external water cap, checked grey water tank, electrical wiring check (shout out to Geelong Caravans for fantastic service, very helpful with insurance details, they went above and beyond).
$160 - Replace 3rd Brake Light. HUGE shout out to Lee from Howard’s Auto Electrical, Grovedale. This could have been an expensive fix but he made it so simple and effective.
That all came to $5,818.
Fuel
Diesel for Jan, Feb, March - $666.50 @ 179.9cents per litre
Utility bills
The last time I filled my gas bottle was back in Tumut, late April 2024. That investment was a staggering $20. And it’s still going! When I lived in Daylesford (2009/10?) I started having cold showers because in its own crazy way it kept me warm. So when I shower it is cold most of the time and only heats up for the final rinse. And I end up boiling the kettle when I want hot water at the sink, as it takes too long to run before it gets hot enough.
And power, well that’s gratis solar, thanks to the Sun Gods Ra, Helios, Surya,Sol. Et al. Thanks everyone :).
Water is a deal between me and my sister :). Back in Nambour it was $2 for 200lt and I think my tank is only 120lt. A tank can last between 6-10 days.
What have I spent most of my money on since being here? Coffee and cafes! A ridiculous amount. Once we are on the move that slows way down as parking becomes more complex and I’m more than happy sitting in the middle of nowhere brewing a homemade cuppa in the van. Tachi napping in the front seat, spending the majority of our time on our own.
As for my service…
I was about to head off to Daylesford to visit a friend when it happened. I called Kim and told her the news that I wouldn’t be able to make it (thankfully we got to catch up the other day), then jumped in the van and drove to the Epworth, Waurn Ponds (Victoria). I left Tachi at Mum and Dad’s (they were away at the time). Turns out that the nurse on duty was my folk’s, neighbour’s daughter, who I had met briefly. Grateful! She noticed that I wasn’t coping too well and ushered me straight into a bed to be seen to.
Keeping this short, I now have a diagnosis of Atrial Flutter with a variable block, both my brothers have it, my Dad, and Auntie Earlene has a version of it too. It’s not a pressing issue. They prescribed a medication but I took a look at the side effects and thought I’ll give that one a miss. So my final service before we head off will be with a Heart Doctor but I’m guessing there will be a queue that is years long before anything can be done. I’m more than fine now :), so I’ll just wait and see.
A month or so before the above adventure happened I had heard a mantra:
“I believe that something wonderful is going to happen to me today”
It might sound crazy to some but I feel like the timing for going to the Epworth was the ‘Something Wonderful’. To have a diagnoses on a piece of paper and not just in my head.
It happened about a month or so before too, but that time I went to the public hospital in Geelong waited 4.5hours with no sign of being seen. I met a human angel there who told me about the Epworth (Something Wonderful). I kept that in the back of my mind and went back to the van that time.
Another day after saying it…
I was at the petrol station when I helped a guy with his flat battery. He filled up then couldn’t start his ute. I had recently bought this jump starter battery with no idea how to use it. He did, and now I do. It took less than 30 seconds to jump start his ute and we didn’t even need to join cars. Brilliant!
There have been so many times where something wonderful has happened and a lot of those times things haven’t happened for me, they have been when I can help someone else, which in turn … feels wonderful.
If your younger self was sitting across from you today, would you try to make them proud or would you push them away?
- from the book, The Moon will Shine for Us by Jennae Cecelin
Until next time. Thank you for reading this far and thank you for driving along with us.
We will probably be on the road when we chat next. I love hearing from you, please feel free to ask any questions or drop a line x
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Oh I LOVE reading your Tarotvan musings! My favourite blog. Your writing style is entertaining, authentic and contemplative. Yes the cost of Tarotvaning has been totally worth it. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. Loads of love to you and Tachi
Hi Tania
I have really enjoyed reading about your travels with Tachi. I found your Tarotvan tour very interesting, isn't it amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Our farm is in between Grenfell and Forbes NSW, if you're heading this way in your travels you are very welcome to park here on our farm, although we have met via zoom, we would love to meet you and Tachi in person. Much food for thought in your musings, thank you.
Have a beautiful day, Toni T.