Day on the Green

The Kombi is feeling all special after her service and spruce up. She got new wing mirrors so Ern can see out of the side now, though he still keeps asking, “Is there anything on my left?” She got a new starter motor, so she turns over like a dream. And a new exhaust, but now she’s lost her meaty putt-putt sound slightly. She got the clutch, accelerator and brake pedals adjusted, so now she doesn’t sound like a frog croaking on gear changes, or a pig squealing on braking. And she got her rear window seal replaced so that Daph and Ern don’t need to cover the back window with a tarpaulin when it rains. She’s strutting her stuff like a catwalk model in new high heels.

Today we made our way to Yarra Valley, ready for a Day on the Green tomorrow. The caravan park we are staying at is fully booked. Surely, they are not all here for the wineries or the music festival, because there are kids EVERYWHERE!! It’s a cold day, but the invincible kids are loving life, at the top of their voices, in the freezing cold pool... right opposite the Kombi.

Daph and Ern like to revel in their kid-free status. It’s our time now.

Ern: “Shhhhhhh!!! F**king kids!”

***

Yet another concert! This time, Daph and Ern headed back to the 1980s with Rick Astley and A-Ha!

Daph has a deep-seated love for all things eighties and can remember the words to every song from the 1980s, even though she can’t remember what Ern said this morning. Ern has a love for all things eighties, too. But being slightly younger than Daph, he was more into playing with action figures than tape-recording the Top Forty hits from the radio. His wheelhouse is Atari games, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and He-Man.

Ern is more of a heavy metal kind of guy, and before meeting Daph, he would never in a million years have been seen dancing to Rick Astley at Day on the Green. Daph has managed to infiltrate the hard-core exterior of Ern’s music tastes, and now Ern loves Synth Pop, New Age, and the New Romantics scene, too. Ern has a particular fancy for Human League, Gary Numan, and Spandau Ballet, on whose frontmen he has man-crushes. And, of course, Rick Astley.

Ern wore his Metallica T-shirt to the concert, staying close to his roots, but he bought a Rick Astley one from the merchandise desk. Maybe he’ll wear the Uncle Rick T-shirt to a Metallica concert? If they ever come here!

Ern: *Bobbing along to A-Ha, looking every bit the heavy metal dude,

“MORE SYNTH!! These guys are ON FIRE!!”