Mamma Mia, Here we go Again!

Sunday 29 March

It was a quiet night - we didn’t even hear the hunters get back the evening before or leave in the morning! Only three went out on the hills this morning but they came back early and cooked up heaps of venison sausages from the last shoot and kindly shared the leftovers with us!

Meanwhile I finally felt a bit guilty about the state of Banjo housekeeping so set to on a big “autumn clean” - spray wiping cupboards, walls, shelves and surfaces, cleaning all the windows and the dusty dirty bits that collect inside the frames, and then I spotted the air intake on the fridge… frankly I’m surprised it still functioned it was so clogged! Life on the road is VERY dusty!!!

After lunch we packed up and headed to the coast to Oamaru. We parked in the Freedom Camp at the Eden Street Carpark (no charge Sunday day time and free overnight for self contained vehicles - perfect!) Got our laundry done at Liquid Laundromat and food shopping at Woollies then went for a walk down to the Steampunk HQ & the Victorian precinct and back past the Oamaru Opera House (which didn’t know what was about hit it this evening!) for a quick dinner in Banjo… then it was ABBA time! I got all blinged up like a Dancing Queen - fabulous pink fluro top from the Sallies in Cromwell last week, co-ordinating tassel necklace from who knows where and sparkly star earrings!

We’d bought tix for Bjorn Again at the Oamaru Opera House back in November before the Mango Mussolini’s ill advised “military operation” - so it might have cost as much in diesel to get here as it did for the tickets, but we were not gonna miss “the best night of our lives” (said in a dodgy Swedish accent), and these Dancing Queens were gonna dance their hearts out! Please note Louis wearing his ABBA Voyage T-shirt from the holographic show in London - the bar lady spotted it and was most impressed!

Brilliant show as usual - sang along loudly, attempted to learn the 80s aerobics style dance routines and had 2 hours of pure happiness!

So many hits… opening with “SuperTrouper”, “SOS”, “I do, I do, I do”, “Does your Mother Know” then moving on to the break up years - “Winner Takes it All”, "Knowing me, Knowing you" and "What's the name of the Game?". “Money, Money, Money” opened the second half and a wonderful woman stood up in the stalls at the chorus and threw chocolate coins and Monopoly money up in the air!!!

Lots more dancing and a costume change! I led the way with phone torch waving when they sang “Fernando” and the girls got everyone to join in!

"There was something in the air that night

The stars were bright, Fernando" 🎶

During one costume change Benny & Bjorn were left on stage and decided, on the advice of “Angus Young from AB/DC” to play some guitar hero rock!

Revving up to a Dancing Queen/Waterloo finale, they almost took the roof off!

We love you Agnetha Falstart, Benny Anderwear, Frida Longstokin and Björn Volvo-us, and not forgetting bassist Rutger Sonofagunn and drummer Ola Drumkitt!

Thank you for the music, Björn Again - you were ABBA-solutely awesome!

We departed happy, hot, hoarse and exhausted! What a wonderful evening!