Last Friday night I had a vision – of going to dinner at Chenrezig Institute Buddhist Temple at Eudlo! With all of our boys..yeah I must be crazy! I wanted to have a nigh off from cooking, and I wanted David to have a night off from cooking. The Buddhist Temple will not cater for people who turn up – no ifs or buts – you have to book.
I love Going to the Buddhist Temple and Gardens!
It Was Not Meant To Happen That Way
Yep. I booked via email.
No. I didn’t get an email to confirm!
No. I didn’t think to check why I hadn’t received an email from Chenrezig Institute Buddhist Temple! That would have made too much sense…..
We Got Dressed Up For A Night Out
David got home early from work, and I got the boys all cleaned up and dressed in their nice clothes…..we dressed our youngest Kyle at the last-minute because he can never stay clean for very long!
See Why We Dress Kyle At The Last Minute? Never Ever Have We Seen A kid Get As Messy As Him 🙂
I love the temple gardens, I love the feeling I get when we arrive at the place – my boys didn’t get it…they didnt feel anything. Even David didnt “Feel Different” – I think it’s a man thing….they dont feel like us women!
We arrive with plenty of time to spare so we take a walk around, all up the hilly pathways, or over the gardens in front of the Buddhist Temple. We even got to check out the toilets because all of boys were busting! Yeah OK so was I!!
See How Grumpy My family is…..and that is before we found out about dinner!
At least one of my kids are still smiling!
As we are walking past the Big Love Cafe I thought best to check out that our booking was confirmed…after all there is six of us.
Yeah you guessed it – no booking with our name!
They were trying to work out if they could find enough soup for us, so we decided to go for a bit more of a look around. When it got closer to 5.30pm we headed back to the Big Love Cafe. But David and the boys were to embarrassed about the whole situation, and had walked away.
 The Big Love Cafe – Behind these Trees!
I was left standing there while they tried to work out from their list of who was eating, and who was on the list but was away for the evening! It took about 10 minutes of going through the list, and working out that they could squeeze us in, for me to turn around and see that Dave and the boys had walked away. Zac came back to let me know that we were not going to stay, as Dad was too upset about the whole situation – Thanks for letting me know…
Going For A Walk To The Garden of Enlightenment
We walked all over the gardens of Enlightenment, well I walked and the boys ran from place to place. It’s so not the same feeling as going with a good friend, and walking slowly to appreciate the atmosphere/the views/the scenery/the gorgeous name plaques for those that have passed away.
Amazing Pathways – gee the boys ran everywhere!
Its Starting to Get Dark!
Soon it was getting darker so we headed back to the car. Our Car that is older than me….well maybe not that old in age but older in ability (no wise cracks from you!) and she wouldn’t start….David tried every trick in the book, everything that he usually does to get the car going again.
Pathways – Starting to get even more darker!
Nothing
Dead
The Car was Dead!
I even tried rolling it back and tried the Kick Start option (it’s a manual car).
Nothing!
Dave got out of the car, and walked away.
Nicholas got out of the car, and had a huge “Disagreement” with his brothers…so grateful that no-one was around to watch my family melt down. But then that was a huge issue – there was no one around to help jump-start our car!
It was getting darker by the minute.
Then a car come towards us, and I was so over the moon happy – this was not meant to happen this way – but at least we would have some help. We couldn’t call RACQ because we were that far out of town…actually we didn’t even know what street we were on. Can we tell RACQ that we were at the Buddhist Retreat in Eudlo and they would a) know where that is b) believe us?
Then the car went around us, and was gone.
Sugar!
Well I am sure David send more than that….but I don’t think that those words are appropriate for New Life on the Road readers!
Within minutes the car lights were heading back to us…oh She had to turn around to see if we were OK!!! Doing the happy Dance by then….
Trying To Breathe…..Trying To Remember These Gorgeous Flowers That We Had Seen When We Got There!
Yep we get the car jumped started. Yep we say Thank You to the nice lady who either works at the Buddhist Retreat, or stays there a lot because she was dressed like she was part of the place…
We drive off (yeah I am driving because Dave has so much grease up his arms that he can’t touch anything!) and all is good…..or so we thought!
Then within a few minutes the car is gone. It dies while we are driving down a hill, with another car coming up the same hill. Now these are not roads as such..more like dirt tracks. And there is not enough room for two cars to pass each other, but some how the other car is about to squeeze past us, when I have to flag her down. I am so telling you this “IT WAS NOT MEANT TO HAPPEN THAT WAY”
Again we get a Jump Start. This time David takes over the Driving. Grease or No Grease, I am not driving!
We make to a Petrol Station where we have to stop. We have no choice, the Petrol Light is on. Anyway it doesnt matter because the car dies as we drive into the drive way…we were so lucky that it was the petrol station.
After putting in fuel, David checks out the Batteries in the store. Nothing for a big 4WD Car!
Then we have to move away from the Petrol Pumps. Of course we can’t get a jump-start next to Petrol Pumps…..or I guess we could if we wanted to have fire works?
This Was The View We Had Arrived – It Was Worth It…wasnt it?
Is There Anyone Up There? Because It Was Not Meant To Happen That Way!
So the nice guy in the petrol station and Dave pushes the car, while I steer. I can do that surely?
Or at least I thought I could until Dave yelled at me for turning the steering wheel “Left” – well I was…even if it was my left, and not his left!!!
We move into a parking spot and we weigh up our options.
Another guy comes over and offers his services. We kindly take him up on this option.
By then we have four hungry STARVING boys in the back, and one tired Mummy who is trying so hard to hold it all together, and one cranky old man..opps meant one Daddy who was just as tired!
The amazing man brings over his big 4WD car, and we go through the whole charging the car thing again…..where I sit in the car, and David attached the leads from one car to another, and tries not to zap himself in the process. I sit and I wait.
I get the go ahead “Right, Lisa turn it over”
so I do.
Nothing. Not even a flicker.
I look back to David – he is wondering why I am not turning it over….but I am!
He tells me to wait for a minute – to see if the Car will charge a bit more before I try it again.
He gives me the go ahead.
Yep I try it!!
Nothing. Its Dead.
We thank the man, and we decide to ring RACQ. At least this time we are near the main highway and we can give instructions of where we are!
While We Wait For RACQ
The boys are not going to wait for dinner so we head into the Diner at the Petrol Station. It looks like good food….and lots of truckers are eating their so it must be good!
We order Chicken Burgers x 5
Fish Burger x 1
We are so grateful to have some where to sit and eat. We are so grateful that they magazines to read while we are waiting. We are so grateful that they have coffee!!
RACQ to the rescue. One new battery, one trip home in the car with four boys eating ice-blocks and one tired Mummy and Daddy – and No I didn’t cry (almost) and we only had one family HUGE melt down….so Grateful that no-one was there to witness that one!
Cheers
Lisa
Lisa that sounds like a terrible night out for you. You know what to do next time, leave the men at home and you go out on your own. I’m glad you got the car started in the end and you had your dinner out, even if it was a servo lol
Jackie Stenhouse recently posted..Thanksgiving Sugar Cookies
Hi Jackie,
Its so funny now!! But at the time, I was asking for anything and everything to make it home – you know what the servo dinner was really good, and the food was a good price!!
Cheers
Lisa
Oh no, that was terrible! Can you laugh about it yet?
Sharon recently posted..5 Benefits of Free Camping
Hi Sharon,
All good now!! It was one of things….we laugh now because its over 🙂
Cheers
Lisa
Oh no! Sounds like what should have been such a calm and trouble free evening turned into a hectic stressful one. Hope you’re feeling better now and can maybe even chuckling a little bit at it all.
Suzi recently posted..Baby, it’s cold outside
Now that is a story. The meal didn’t work out and car trouble. Ouch. It wouldn’t have been funny at the time but it’s something that you will always look back on and laugh at. About 10 years ago I was in a car that died in the middle of the Tasmanian wilderness. We had to camp in the car for the night as no other car came by for the whole night. Now that was an experience.
David Moloney recently posted..What is Fiverr.com
Hi David,
Gosh that sure is an experience 🙂
Cheers
Lisa