Timberlea Trail

Checked out another walking track not far from school. Again, not sure of the name of the track however it roughly follows Blackfellow Creek from the bottom end of Bicentennial Drive and ends up at the back of Timberlea - so I have called the track "Timberlea Trail". At the start of the year I put a poster up in the staffroom seeking interested people to join our "walking group". There were about 7 (or so) work colleagues who inidcated that they would like to be involved however over the weeks, the numbers have slowly dwindled. I think what might have contributed to the downturn in numbers was the very first walk we did to Behana Gorge - in the midst of a severe electrical storm! I have never been one to be particularly concerned about thunder and lightning however this storm was something else. Some of the lightning strikes were only metres away from the walking track. Obviously some of the group decided that it was all a little bit too close for comfort and they would give the "walking group" a miss.

On this particular walk there were just the three of us, Julie, Liz and myself. We started off at a gentle pace, following the course of the creek and checking out some nice suburban gardens along the way. It's interesting the things you chat about whilst walking with friends. Liz is an absolute travel nut and it was great to hear about all the places around the world that she has visited. Some of these are on my list of "Places to Visit Before you Die" so it was great to get a first hand account from this very well travelled lady.
After about 1/2 hour of fairly steady walking we reached the end of the track. Everything looks so green after the rain we have had and the mountains look beautiful.

On the way back I spotted this fellow sitting on someone's backyard fence.

He seemed quite happy to just sit there and watch us pass by. I have a bit of an affinity with kookaburras and very much associate kookaburras with my Mum. Bizarre I know - however I do get an incredible feeling of "closeness" whenever I spot a kookaburra. I hope we manage to catch up with him next week when we walk the Timberlea Trail with Liz again.

Good News of the Day :    Great to be able to see such beautiful sights so close to home.  I saw a kookaburra!

Remembering Mum

 

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...

28/1/1930 - 29/4/2008
Walk slowly Mum.......

Raining Again!

I had soo much to do today in the garden - and wouldn't you know it - it's raining Again! I honestly don't know what's going on with the weather this year. Admittedly we do get a lot of rain at the start of the year but usually by the end of April we start getting those beautiful clear, sunny North Queensland days with just a touch of crispness in the air. Well, "crisp" for the tropics. Although everything is pretty water-logged, the plants do look beautiful with tiny droplets of rain dripping off their leaves. My Nodding Violet is a picture of tiny blue blooms and has practically multiplied in size over the past couple of weeks.

I can't understand why Alan hates bromeliads so much! My magnificent Aechmea has been in full bloom for the past 2 months and the flower shows no sign of dying. It has rewarded me with 3 pups - 2 of which are still on the plant and the other one I repotted over the Easter holidays.

Good News of the Day :  Was able to get some more work done on my "Breast of Friends" BOM.  It is taking a lot longer than I thought it would.

Remembering

For some reason I have never felt the desire to attend a dawn service or Anzac day march. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the sacrifices made by service men and women over the years - it’s just that (for whatever reason) the idea of formally acknowledging it is not something that has been instilled in me throughout my life. I don’t know why? Today I found myself thinking about my father and trying to remember stories that he might have told me about World War II and his days as a naval seaman. I can remember Nan telling me that he initially tried to join the navy when he was 16. He apparently tried to falsify his age but when Nan and Pop refused to sign the application he was forced to wait until he was 17. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for a 17 year old going off to fight in a war. However this is something he never spoke about. I remember flicking through the piles of b&w photos Mum kept in a big drawer in the sideboard and saw photos of him and his navy buddies at various locations around the world – the Eiffel Tower, London and Egypt. There were also the really gruesome ones of Hiroshima and Nagasaki taken days after the atom bomb was dropped on Japan. Piles of rubble and leafless trees. There were no people in these photos. I wonder why I never asked him where the people were?

Today, 25 years after his death I am wondering why my father never told us anything much about the war. I wonder how he felt as a 17 year old leaving his family; I wonder whether he got homesick; I wonder if he felt scared; I wonder what he thought when he heard bombs for the first time; I wonder if he ever thought he was going to die? These are questions that I wished I could have asked him. It has also go me thinking about how little I really knew about him. It does seem rather odd that it has taken me 25 years to come to this realisation.

Perhaps the experiences he had and the atrocities he witnessed played a big part in shaping him into the man he became? When my children ask me what sort of man he was – I don’t know what to say. He was an astute businessman; a good provider; stoic and resourceful. However as to what made him laugh or what made him cry or what were the best experiences and memories of his life – I honestly don’t know.

So today when I think about Anzac day – I think about how war robbed my father (and other men like him) of not only his youth but his emotions and feelings. I also wish I could have taken the time to have asked more questions because maybe then I might have got to know the “man” and not just the “father”. It also makes me appreciate how important it is to truly connect with those around me and not be left wondering "who" they actually are.


Good News of the Day: Another day off tomorrow - hopefully the sun will come out so I can brushcut the remaining paddock.

Medallion to commemorate the 60 year Anniversary of the end of World War II

Master Chef

I am so pleased that "Master Chef Australia" is back again for another season. I absolutely LOVE this show! An interesting observation I have made is that during the Master Chef season my cooking skills RISE to a whole new level! Each night I find myself transfixed by the various Master Classes and have a whole new appreciation for skills like "separating eggs"; "filleting fish"; "making creme brulee"; "chocolate gnache"!

I look forward to any opportunity to put my culinary skills to the test and as I tie the apron around my waste, (secretly, shhh.......) pretend to be one of the contestants on Master Chef!
As it just so happened - I had a friend's birthday party to go to tonight and typed boldly at the bottom of the invitation was "bring a plate". My brain went into overdrive as I excitedly flipped through my 4 Donna Hay magazines looking for that special dish with real "WOW" factor. I finally decided to settle on a lovely Orange Tart called Aunie Sadie's Orange Tart from a local cookbook "Recollections and Recipes of Riverstone". Here's the recipe :
Ingredients :
2 cups SF flour
125g butter
1 egg
2tabs cornflour
1tab sugar
1 orange
1/2 lemon

Pastry :
Beat butter and sugar and mix in egg. Add sifted fours. Press into a tart plate. Bake inhot oven 180 degrees till light brown. Cool.
Filling :
Bring to boil 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar. Mix 1 tablespoon each of custard powder and cornflour with the juice of 1 orange and 1/2 lemon. Stir into sugar syrup. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring all the time. Take off heat and stire in 1 dessertspoon butter. Pour into tart shell. Chill. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut and serve.

Unfortunately (as luck would have it) - it wasn't SET in time to take along to the party so I was FORCED to leave it at home! Interestingly, when I arrived home from the party at around 10.30 there was already a slice missing. My own "Matt Preston" aka Alan was forthcoming with his critique - absolutely delicious although the pastry was slightly thick on the base. (Mental note for future reference : remember to press the pastry thinner on the base!")

Good News for the Day : There is still 3/4 of the Tart left in the fridge!

New Walking Track

 

Decided to check out a new walking track this afternoon not far from work.  In fact it is the mountain directly in front of the school.  Not sure of the name of it but believe it is part of a group of mountains called Isley Hills - so we have called it the Isley Track.    One of my work colleagues has been regularly walking (part way) up the track every Thursday afternoon and suggested that we might find the steep inclines a good challenge.  Never a truer word!

 

The track actually starts off gentle enough but before too long starts to rise quite steeply and after about 15 minutes we found ourselves scampering up a narrow, slippery  track.

 

Fortunately we were able to use some exposed tree roots for footing however it was pretty tough going. 

Finally, after about 25 minutes of climbing we got to a tree called "the turn around tree" and that's exactly what we did!

No surprisingly we didn't pass anyone else on the trail. 

It is apparently a 3 hour climb to the top however somehow I don't think I will ever get to see it.  There's something to be said for reaching a destination point - I guess that's the reason I enjoy the walk to Gorge so much. 

Good News of the Day :  A new challenge completed without injury!

Somewhere New to Snooze

Dixie Chick and Dolly P are always looking for new places to snooze!  With a fine, sunny day forecast I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to wash the sofa covers and put them on the line to dry. I absolutely LOVE my cream linen sofa - so shabby chic!. However from time to time I question the sensability of choosing this colour. "Oh, says Dixie - this is somewhere new to investigate!"

It didn't take her long to tire of that spot and decide to check out the upturned chairs on the table. In my mad cleaning frenzy this morning - I placed the chairs on the dining room table so I could vacuum under the table.


Hmm..... "Not sure if this is a good spot afterall".....

"Ah yes..... this is much better. I'll just turn a little this way to get myself into the perfect position."

"Now... this is more like it!"

Dolly P (being a bit of an outdoorsy girl!) likes nothing better than perching herself on the bonnet of my car particularly if it is still warm after a drive. "Ah, such bliss......"

Good News of the Day :  It's Saturday and I got to sleep in.

New Blog Background

Since commencing  my blogging journey I have been fascinated to check out other people's blogs, particularly travel blogs.  I love travelling to new places, both in Australia and overseas and love reading about other people's adventures.   In this journey of blogging discovery I have been totally amazed by not only the fantastic stories and photographs  fellow bloggers have shared but also at the the efforts they have gone to in making their blogs so "eye appealing".   When I originally started blogging I was more than happy to use the default templates available on the Blogger.com site.   However after viewing a myriad of elaborately designed blogs I have come to the realisation that a Blog is not just a series of words and photos.
It is a complete visual experience!   So, in my quest to make my Blog more eye appealing I have searched through the huge array of backgrounds/headers available online and voila!  This is the result.   Being an avid Shabby Chic fan it only seemed fitting for me to have a background from ShabbyBlogs.com.  The heading was a little more intricate and involved the use of a fantastic photo editing program called FotoFlexer - this is sure to become my new "best friend" in photo editing.   I am indeed quietly pleased at what I have achieved.  Can't wait to check what other "add-ons" and "extras" I can find!

Good News of the Day :  Walked the circuit again this afternoon with Kendall.  Reduced my time by 5 minutes.

 

Back to Work

First day back at work after the holidays! It's always tough returning to work after a break however this morning I had a real touch of "Mondayitis". Set the alarm for 5.45a.m. with the full intention of doing a circuit walk. The alarm went off, I looked outside and then promptly hit the snooze button! It's amazing just how dark it still is at this time. Decided to give Micky and Buffy a walk this afternoon. With the wet weather it has been quite a few weeks since their last walk and they were SOOO excited to be hitting the trail. Unfortunately they find it impossible to contain their excitement and for the first 200 metres pull,bark,yelp and carry on like crazy-dogs! Everyone in the Estate knows when Micky and Buffy are going "walkies"!

They look so smart in their harnesses

Good News of the Day :  The days are getting cooler which makes for more enjoyable walks with the dogs.

A Beautiful Day in FNQ

Today was one of those beautiful North Queensland days - bright and sunny with a slight crispness in the air. Perfect opportunity to get down into the paddocks and try and get everything under control. With the rain over the past couple of weeks it has been virtually impossible to do any mowing or brushcutting. I have been itching to get into the garden and with today being my last day of holidays I was determined to get (at least) half the paddocks cleared.

Looking back up towards the house and the mass of colour. Both the white and pink Bangkok roses are in full bloom!

Looking down towards the corner paddock. I managed to get both this and the middle paddock cleared today. Three hours solid brushcutting - but the results are worth it!

A Beautiful Day in FNQ

The holidays have been quite productive - I managed to repot quite a few bromeliads and reposition a number of others to take best advantage of the dappled sunlight coming through the thick foliage of the Poinciana trees.

Good News of the Day : The garden looks a picture and I am so pleased that I have been able to achieve most of my holiday jobs.

House Signs

Finally finished painting the Kookaburra sign I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. Cairns Regional Council have decided (in their wisdom) that our address will no longer be "Lot 20 Golden Street" but instead we will be "29-31 Golden Street." This change from Lots to Numbers has caused quite a bit of confusion in the neigbourhood with some properties still displaying their "Lot" numbers and not their street numbers and vice versa.
I had the idea that I would like something a bit original rather than JUST a couple of numbers on the fence. This is how I came up with the "Kookaburra" sign. I officially nailed it to the fence this afternoon and planted a row of marigolds in the garden bed under it. I know Mum would have loved it.
I also decided to refresh our previous "A House is Not a Home Without a Dog" with something a little more "serious". Although not quite sure whether I have succeeded?
Micky looks quite angelic with his tongue hanging out and a smile on his face! Perhaps I might need to paint out the tongue and show some teeth! Hopefully visitors will get the message?


Good News of the Day : Finally managed to get all my towels dry after days and days of rain.

Together

Watching Micky and Buffy this morning reminded me of that old song "wherever you go -whatever you do - we're going to go through it TOGETHER."
They are such good friends and being home with them for the last week makes me realise just how much they look out for each other. They are also incredibly naughty together!

They just love me being home on holidays and especially love being able to access the front garden when I'm out there gardening and trimming. This morning I repotted a heap of bromeliads which I have been wanting to do for weeks. Some of them were so water logged from all the rain we have had. Buffy decided that she was going to dig a HUGE hole in the driveway. At one stage they were both there digging away together. Would have made a great photograph!
All the exercise must have made them pretty tired because they spent the rest of the afternoon snoozing. They love the cooler weather and at last Micky has stopped shedding his last year's winter coat. Thank goodness - only a couple of "tumbleweeds" a day now!

Whilst on the subject of "snoozing" - Dixie has the art of relaxation all sewn up! Which is the cat and which is the chair?


Good News of the Day : Have finally finished painting my new kookaburra house sign.

Emails from Alan

Received this cute email from Alan today. He rang to say that he was sending it and how much it reminded him of us. Attached to it was a story about a lady who, on her wedding day, was told by her grandmother that she should never argue with her husband and that if ever she felt compelled to argue she should just crochet a doll! 60 years later on her death bed she asked her husband to bring her an old shoebox which she had hidden on the top of her wardrobe. Inside the box were 2 crocheted dolls and $94,000. She recounted the story to him and he was so overwhelmed that in 60 years of marriage she had only wanted to argue with him twice. He then asked where the money had come from and she replied that it had come from all the dolls she had sold!
A Prayer.......
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death,
Because I don't have time to crochet.



Love the cat!

Good News of the Day : Made a start on my quilt and almost finished one block. Thirteen more to go!