Hahndorf

Ern was on a high after meeting Tony Hadley last night. It was a late night and Ern was still buzzing way past midnight.

Daph and Ern woke blurry-eyed and shattered from dancing the night away. We are not accustomed to partying until late with celebrities. And we had indulged in a few alcoholic beverages to loosen up those dancing feet. It’s a hard slog on the road to recovery when your normal pace is tea and biscuits, and in bed by sunset.

Then we remembered we were having Kombi clutch issues the day before. We had to get the old girl looked at before setting off for Cape Jervis to catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island. We were on a tight schedule.

Daph: “Shit! It’s 7.00 a.m. We need to get to the mechanic by 8.00 a.m. to get the Kombi looked at!”

There followed a mad panic to pack up and set off, getting stuck in rush hour traffic with a dodgy clutch on the way to the rough side of town to find the Volkswagen mechanic. While the mechanic replaced the clutch cable, we went for a walk to waste an hour.

We came across a delightful old lady pruning the flowers in her neat-as-a-pin, Dutch-themed garden. The old lady saw Daph taking photos and invited us in for a personal tour of her front yard. Everything in her model village garden was handmade by her deceased husband. After thanking the old lady for her hospitality, we moved on to mingle with the homeless and drug-addicted at the local shopping centre for a while. They’re a friendly bunch on the rough side of town. But not quite what we had in mind when visiting Adelaide.

The hurried start to the morning and the post-Haddo comedown meant that Ern was a bit testy. He was also suffering from Kombi anxiety due to the clutch issues. Like a scorned lover, he needed to rebuild his trust in the old girl. So Daph navigating him through the middle of nowhere didn’t help.

Ern: “Where the f**k are you taking us?! This is so typical of you.”[1]

The drive was delightful. And once the Kombi had regained Ern’s trust, he enjoyed the drive too. South Australia is just beautiful.

We stopped at the German settlement of Hahndorf on the way. The Kombi felt right at home in German surroundings. Daph and Ern shared a sausage platter for lunch, as you do when in Germany.

Ern: “Your burps smell like cheese Kransky! It’s disgusting.”[2]

Onwards to catch the ferry over to Kangaroo Island. The ferry journey was only forty-five minutes, but the seas were rolling, and we all know how well Daph fares on rough seas. Luckily, no sick bag was required, and we made it ashore without incident.

We have set up camp on the foreshore, where we have the perfect spot for the night overlooking St. Vincent Gulf. Tomorrow, we hope to swim with dolphins!

[1] You can get a taster of the testy drive on “Ern’s Rants” here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2611948689036497 [2] If you like, you can experience “Sausage burps” too, on “Ern’s Rants” here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1051758118523854