Serendipity

Serendipity........ a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake.
Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.


I love the word serendipity, it has a lovely sound and a lovely meaning. Out of something that might not be so great often comes something quite extraordinary, life is full of  moments that turn out just like this, if you just wait and trust.

Well everyone heard about our exciting weekend starting with a flat tyre at Ararat, nothing so very bad about this , only the fact that the jack supplied by the vehicle maker, was so appallingly under capable of lifting a big van like this. We scrounged around and found some old tyres lying on the side of the road and thanks to the ingenious of my man we managed to get the van high enough to get the wheel off. Then….to extract the spare we actually had to read the instruction manual, which in itself was useless,

 

 

and after a 2 hour workout under the van, AB manages to break the gadget and get the spare  down...... It is now 4pm Saturday arvo

We were at this stage, trying to get to Hamilton as there was an antiques fair on the weekend, that I thought AB would like to see. A bit off our track, but now that we needed a tyre, would a necessity.

Yes I’m rambling on here but we are getting to the point…......

As its so late now we find the most gorgeous camp spot by a lake and settle in for the night to get an early start. 

 Awake and fed we prepare for Hamilton and me in my wisdom says 'lets just go up here a little bit" to photograph some white birds on the lake.   Welllllllll, we hit a soft bit and went down like a bag of poo and there we stayed. No amount of pushing , pulling, ( with the poor little motorbike)  or placing sticks and sand under the wheels, there we stayed put, not even so much bogged , but spinning on the slippery surface.  At one stage I sight a 4wd further down the lake just heading out, so running down the paddock like a madwoman, arms waving and yelling and whistling, they either didn't see or hear me , or they thought I had escaped from the lunatic asylum at Ararat and quickly left.

Funny story here...while I was running through the paddock trying to attract attention

 of the 4wd, I stumbled on this beauty above. I thought better of stopping there and then to photograph it so whilst AB was away getting help , I snuck back to capture it.

Well and truly going nowhere...............................................................

Finally I suggested AB head off on the bike and get some help or ring the RACV. Upon returning he informed me that although the RACV ute had come out, that as we weren't ON the road, he wouldn't pull us out. But he did call Wally ( yes where 's Wally ) and after a few more hours wait the wonderful Wally did turn up and with the smallest amount of effort we drove out and paid the bill. Wally owns the local tow yard and repair shop so can’t blame him for charging for a Sunday callout. Remind me again why I pay my RACQ bill every year .  Anyway we are now free but its late arvo again so by the time we get to Hamilton, everything is closed and yes ! The fair is over.

On to the story at hand, we decide to camp out at the tyre service and seek assistance first thing in the morning, no worries tyres will be in first thing next day. So we explore this pretty little town, do some washing and shopping and find an Auto Museum just down from the tyre shop. Drop the van off next morning with the very helpful Terry from Grampian Tyre Service and head up to the Campes’ Auto Museum. Now this is where the story turns to serendipity….we meet the lovely Glen . His own collection of vehicles, all of which are registered and  driveable, and memorabilia.  He is such a wonderful host and sits me on bikes ( one a Harley ) and in the most beautifully restored cars and takes photos of us in them.

 

Sitting in a Stutz (1928?) sheer luxury.

Oh yes I want one, and my feet reach the ground

 We have a wonderful morning chatting with him and parked outside the shop is his beautiful 1955 clipper bus, restored and converted into a motorhome. He  has just put an automatic box in it and wanted to take it for a good run so invites us to come on the run with him. Off into the gorgeous countryside, where even at 11am there is still fog hanging around the valleys.

The gorgeous clipper

Glen, chugging along, down the country lanes

After about an hours driving we arrive at his home where his wife has been called and has morning tea and coffee waiting for us. What hospitality, he didn’t know us until that morning and here we are driven around in his pride and joy and sitting at his kitchen table having morning tea with him and his lovely wife Margaret.
What an amazingly wonderful human being , treating us like family. If you ever have the chance to get to Hamilton in Victoria, make sure you look up Glen at his Camps Motor Museum.

 Glen then delivered us back to Terry at the tyre centre and told him to make sure to look after us.  Terry was another genuine person who was lovely to deal with and so friendly. Even gave us a gorgeous pink towel and a lovely black scarf as a token of thanks for using his business. 

So..........if we hadn't had a flat tyre , got bogged and ran late for the fair we would never have got to meet Glen or Terry .  Never got to go for a country trip in an old clipper bus and treated as friends from people that we had only just met. 

 SERENDIPITY.