I must say I'm happy to see the end of the year that had a 13 in it. Happily I won't see another one.

As this year ends we find ourselves in Onslow and what a week and a bit it's been.

Having arrived on Sunday 22nd December we've started work, had Xmas, expected a cyclone and the year cames to an end........wow!!!

Starting work was a big shock for me as it's been a long time since I've had to put my back into it so to speak. We started on 24th December (Xmas Eve) and it was a baptism of fire. I survived my first day as a check-out chick and I didn't suffer RSI from scanning. Phew there might not be many people in this little town, but they sure know how to shop!!! The shop has a turnover of $1million/month which I find extraordinary. We had a semi arrive yesterday so it was all hands on deck as we unpacked pallet upon pallet of perishable and non-perishable goods and then stock the shelves. Who needs a gym membership? All the staff have been generous with their help and assistance. I must admit to coming home after the first couple of days being totally exhausted.

Xmas Day was spent on the phone a lot and we also enjoyed time with the other "orphans" in the caravan park, a nice get together organised by Karen. Nice to meet some of our neighbours although a lot have travelled south to cooler climes.

The weather can only be described as HOT.   Barely a day has been under 40 degrees, apart from today where thanks to TC Christine we've had a cool change and it's only 33 degrees today with a lot of cloud and the obligatory wind that's always a part of cyclone activity. We even had the opportunity to switch off the aircondtioner albeit only for a few hours, but it has been on 24/7 since we arrived.

Speaking of TC Christine we were placed on Blue Alert on Saturday as she made her way down the Kimberley Coast. Onslow is a cyclone magnet, which we knew before we got here, but thought we'd have time to settle in before we had to pack up and possibly leave. We decided to do all the right things and made ourselves ready should we need to evacuate, the biggest concern for us would have been a tidal surge as we're right on the beach. Thankfully she decided to leave us alone and crossed the coast on Monday between Port Hedland and Karratha. Sadly for us we only received a total of .04mm rain. The locals have told us the only time it rains here is during a cyclone. So I guess there won't be any more rain for awhile. To say it's dry here is an understatement.

I mentioned in my previous entry about the cost of things. Fresh fruit, veges and meat are outrageous but the majority of non perishable items aren't too bad. Coming from the Riverland fruit bowl growing area has made it doubly hard to accept. Sadly our monopoly online grocery shops do not service Onslow so no opportunity to ease any pressure there. The closest shopping is 300km away so don't expect we'll be doing that any time soon as a lot of the locals do.

ULP is $2.09/litre and diesel $2.10/litre. Both "service stations" are owned by the same person so no competition there. I'm grateful that Dan Murphys, Nespresso and Chemist Warehouse offer an online shopping service for us.


We have a day off on Thursday so will take some more photos and get out and about a bit.

Happy New Year to you all. :-)