Seeing the grass grow . . .

... you really can see it!  We've had so much rain and while it has inconvenienced our family and caused disappointment, we are all grateful that we have been spared the devastation and heartbreak of the many thousands of people, particularly in central and southern Queensland, whose homes and businesses have been flooded.

Before Christmas were returned along the Newell Highway from three weeks down south. At that time huge tracts of land in central NSW were under water.  So very different from the same trip and the homecoming welcome we experienced twelve months ago!

Our trip to Wonboyn was a successful fishing trip but I didn't really enjoy myself as I was pretty housebound, due to the weather, and I got fed-up with being chief cook and bottle washer. I think we knew before we went that this would be the last trip there; it is such a long way to travel and John is now 87 so it is a huge responsibility to take him to a place so remote.  As he will tell anyone who cares to listen: it was 66 years since he first visited the lake for fishing - so it was a very significant trip for him.

While we were away I did read several novels and completed the hand-quilting on my "L" quilt so that was rewarding and I learned so much. Today I embroidered my quilt label and prepared the binding so it's almost finished!

The festive season has passed.  It was so good to have the girls here together plus our younger daughter got engaged shortly before Christmas.  All that's left is for me to take down the Christmas tree.  This time we really are going to dump it; a threat I have made for the last three years.  I feel quite sad because we've had it since the children were little and it's given us so many happy memories but it's starting to look its age (like a lot of things around here) and makes a lot more mess than it used to (also like a lot of things around here!)

I still haven't done much to sort my photos, and now we have a heap more!

Disruption to Plans

This week is not going to plan but is rewarding in a different way because I am having to rearrange my planned activities!

Last week was just lovely.  I caught the bus to Brisbane, went to the Valentino Garavani exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, had dinner with my daughters, slept over and spent the following day at the Craft & Quilt Fair before coming home. The facilites and infrastructure at Southbank are magnificent and I shall return to enjoy them some more.

Over the last couple of months we have been making an effort to walk each morning and we set off bright and early (5.30am!) on Sunday.  I was chattering happily about my trip to Brisbane and demonstrated the "Valentino model walk" - for a very short time only because I hurt my hip doing it!  I'm sure I looked funny but some sympathy would have been appreciated. So: no markets, no gardening, no yoga class, no walking for a few days. I'm sure rest is the best thing but it is hard to turn over in bed at night and I do confess to being grumpy when I don't sleep well.  However, I have been able to attend to a few things that were further down on my "to do list" including writing on my blog so I am feeling good about that. Plus the pain is lessening.

We've had some busy times. After some wonderful rain our block has sprung to life -  you can see the grass & weeds growing - so that has demanded some attention. We have appointed several new staff members and, somehow, that ended up being my job ( and I'm supposed to be retired!)  The QCAT case continues after numerous adjournments over the months although we don't get as upset as we did initially. During August we had a couple of wonderful weeks away at Wooli where the weather and fishing were so fantastic that my reading and sewing activities did not eventuate as planned.

Since then I have attended the Toowoomba Quilters annual retreat at Perservernce Dam and was delighted by the progress I made there.  My "stack & whack" quilt top is completed, although the quilting has yet to begin.  I found our 2010 exhibition (see previous link to blog) very inspiring and have taken advantage of the strong Aussie dollar to buy fabric from the USA with vague plans in mind.

I count my blessings. My poor sister has had her life thrown into turmoil by the earthquakes in Christchurch, NZ, where she lives.  It seems to have dropped off the news radar here but even in the past week they have experienced strong aftershocks.

My next sedentary activity (when it's my turn to use the computer) will be to organise the many photos I've have taken in recent times.  I may even get to load some to my blog. I should also change my profile picture: I have just noticed my red hair, and I've been blonde for over a year now!

Q: How do you eat an elephant?

Answer: Chew one mouthful at a time! ( Words of wisdom from a school teacher.)
This advice has served me well in recent months as there seem to have been many overwhelming times.

We travelled down south on a fishing trip, caught up with family, celebrated a few family birthdays and Christmas, worried about family health issues, immobilised myself for a week by falling over, enjoyed visitors from interstate and have just returned from New Zealand. Over this period I spent days working and arguing with my husband as we prepared information for solicitors for a pending court. Plus, on behalf of residents in our street, I have pursued an infrastructure issue with our regional council. While all this was happening we bought a new computer (we were waiting for Windows 7) and during the installation process an external hard drive, to which I had transferred heaps of data files, crashed.

It's weird that I am now looking forward to some routine in my life. I have for a few years viewed the random opportunities and challenges that presented themselves as manifestations of freedom after resigning from full-time paid employment. Right now, I want my life to be a bit more structured. (I might change my mind next week!)

It was depressing to return home shortly before Christmas as it had been so hot and dry that a number of plants had curled up their toes. I almost decided to stop trying to keep things alive but am so glad that I didn't because, more recently, we have had some great falls of rain and heaps of trees and shrubs have come back to life! I'm eagerly waiting for the mud to dry so that I can go "play outside".

whales!

Despite getting up early and going to gym at 6am I "lost" today but am determined to fulfill my intention to update my blog.

Our new carpet is down and we were too tired to go away immediately afterwards but we did have a wonderful trip to Hervey Bay last week. We had perfect weather, an awesome whale watching trip, an excellent accommodation deal and a great bike ride. It was the first time we had been away on the bike for ages and the conditions were perfect.

Toowoomba Quilters Club have a wonderful exhibition at TAFE, 100 Bridge Street, this week which is well worth a visit. I will go up there again tomorrow to take some more photos some of which will feature on their blog site. Our next event will be Open Day on Saturday 17 October.

...long time, no post.....

..and the longer I leave it the more daunting it becomes! I've done lots and lots has happened since February - and I've just read my previous post to refresh my memory.

I did visit my old school friend and she didn't appear to recognise me but I'm glad I made the effort. Then in April she died, as did Trish who had endured the ups and downs of cancer treatment for several years, and then a friend's husband died suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack. I suspect that these events contributed to a period of nightmares and bad sleeping (which is not normal for me) as my brain attempted to come to terms with what had happened. For some time I have believed that during sleep the brain attempts to "re-file" the information overload that ocurs during a typical day.

Good things have happened too! We made another trip to Wonboyn in February and have been out on another (unsuccesful) gold prospecting trip. During March I spent a few days in Sydney, went to a high school reunion dinner and visited some more old friends. My sister from NZ stayed with us last week which was wonderful especially for our mother who rarely gets to see her daughters together. And I know how happy it makes me to see our two daughters together!

Our elder daughter is currently touring around Europe. I'm so glad that she eventually made it. It was quite weird to get a text message from her saying "We're in the tube on our way to our London hotel." Decades ago when I travelled around Europe my parents were lucky to get a few postcards! I knew we were in a different world when she asked me what money I took overseas and my response was "travellers' cheques". (Like - what are they????)

I've done a couple of small contract jobs this year which pleases me as my superannuation funds continue to shrink.

My winter vegetable patch is looking good especially after some wonderful rainy days last week. Unfortunately little rain fell over the dam catchment areas so there has been no easement of water restrictions in town.

I have taken some nice photos in recent times. "A frog in my mesclun" is a good one. The discovery was most amusing!

Lucky Bird

A week ago a baby galah dropped out of one of our nesting boxes and into our lives. After several messy feeding sessions in the laundry I placed him on our front verandah and eventually the parent birds came down to feed it. It slept in a box inside at night and I got up at dawn each day to put it out for the parents to feed, which they did regularly throughout the days. After several unsuccessful jumps off of the verandah, and encouraged by its parents, it flew away on Wednesday. I was relieved, and sad, to see it go.


Eight or nine years ago, prompted by sightings of squirrel gliders, "we" built a number of nesting boxes and paid someone to install them in our big trees. The unfortunate (or maybe fortunate?) galah fell/jumped about 40 feet from a box that its parents had used previously. This photo shows the prototype box that was hung about 4 feet off the ground, just outside the workshop door - and quickly occupied by a brushtail possum. Our boxes have been used by squirrel gliders, possums, galahs and pale headed rosellas.

As I was without nursing duties on Thursday I went to Brisbane Craft and Quilt Fair - a first for me. Again I was overwhelmed by the talent of so many people, not to mention the range of products available at the various stalls. I only bought a few small things but will attend next year (if it fits into my busy schedule) now that I have an idea of the nature of the Fair.

I stayed overnight in Brisbane with our daughters and was able to give lots of helpful gardening advice and assistance. I'm actually delighted that one daughter has developed an interest in gardening: roses in particular which are not quite my style but she obviously gets the same buzz as I do when a plant responds to care and bursts into flower!

Since my last blog we have been away on a couple of short camping trips. It's such a nice time of year; pleasant temperatures and no school holiday crowds. We had a lovely time at Cressbrook Dam once I forgot what it used to look like when it was full. We saw dozens of deer at dawn, were entertained by boxing kangaroos at dusk and visited by paddy melons when we sat outside with drinks in the evenings. The wildlife is an important part of my camping experiences!

On one of these trips I read Christopher Koch's "The Memory Room" which I really enjoyed. That's another thing I enjoy about camping; I can sit and read for hours at a time.

I've also made some progress with my patchwork and quilting and have actually done some hand quilting. I am now going to make another table runner as I have decided they are a manageable sized project for me, something that I use, and provide plenty of "learning opportunities" which assist with confidence building.

Spring!

My tomatoes are planted, my ponds are clean and lots of plants have been repotted! I have happy fish, croaking frogs, baby galahs, a baby possum and feeding magpies.

I've been busy this week trying to get things done before Ross has an arthroscopy on his knee tomorrow. He has been quite grumpy; partly due to the pain and reduced mobility and partly because I've been requesting help for jobs that have to be done at this time of year. (And now he is complaining about backache too! The joys of ageing!)

Previously we spent nearly a week with my sister in Airlie Beach and on their boat in the Whitsundays. How lucky are we to be able to spend time in that magical part of the world!?! We saw lots of dolphins which always adds to the magic for me and as the ocean was calm it was wonderful to fall asleep at night listening to the gentle lap of the waves.

I was home in time to attend the opening of the Toowoomba Quilters' Club exhibition on Saturday. What an inspiring occasion - but also somewhat intimidating for such a beginner patchwork/quilter. I'm surprised at how much my tastes have changed over the past year; possibly because I have a much better of idea of what is actually involved in producing the different types of finished quilts.

I didn't make it to the Carnival of Flowers parade this year and neither have I visited any of the gardens, despite having good intentions.

Back on Deck

I've just spent a couple of days in bed with a virus/cold thing. I was extravagantly kind to myself and reflected that in a previous life I would have drugged up and dragged myself off to work! Obviously I'm getting soft!

However, that is no excuse for my not blogging for ages. I know I've had trouble getting my fair share of access time to the computer in recent weeks. Well, personal time - I've learned a lot more than I intended about MYOB as my husband deviously involved me in the end of financial year work he was meant to do.

We did have a wonderful and unique trip to the Northern Territory, spending most of our time at Daly River. It's a beautiful spot - completely wasted on the many crocodiles that frequent it. This causeway near the Daly River pub was 4 metres under water during the last wet season and during the dry season it is favoured by sizeable crocs that wish to sun themselves.

This is a photo of our friend and neighbour with one of the barramundi caught last month. (My husband is shy!) We froze a few fillets to bring home with us.

We met some interesting people including some dental technicians who do the rounds of the indigenous communities helping the children to look after their teeth. They were a good source of information about the dynamics of the communities in that area and certainly prompted me to read a bit about the "NT Intervention" which has now been in place for just over a year. (The "Crikey" website is worth reading.)

Since we've been home I have caught up with friends and family, including some of the wonderful people at Toowoomba Quilters. I've also been to the Empire Theatre (Toowoomba) to see the Queensland Ballet's performance of "Carmen" which was simply wonderful and another example of Francois Klaus' brilliant choreography. Our daughters took me to see the "So You think You Can Dance" concert and my husband took me to see "Shine A Light" in Brisbane. (I'm a Stones fan from way back!)

Plans for the coming months are under discussion and now that I am no longer "unwell" I feel a lot more enthusiastic. A return to yoga classes and gym sessions is required!

Back from NZ

Back home to my Spartan lifestyle (for a short time anyway) to compensate for the extravagances and indulgences of my trip to New Zealand. I had a wonderful time and again extol the virtues of New Zealand as a holiday destination. I hadn't been to Queenstown for decades and it it a beautiful place although changing quickly, I'm told, as it attracts increasing numbers of international tourists.

My niece's wedding was beautiful and a delightfully extravagant affair. (She was heard to say "Just because Mum and Aunty Ruth had hippie weddings doesn't mean I had to !") I was sorry that our daughters were unable to attend the wedding but it may have been a good thing; the bar was set high! I can share the view from the hotel room and the delights of the autumn leaves on the balcony.

Back in Christchurch we enjoyed some old favourites: a visit to the Botanic Gardens (I'd never been there at this time of year) and a walk in Victoria Park. Lunch at the restaurant in the Gardens is highly recommended! As usual my sister also produced some wonderful culinary delights.


The weather was great while we were there: cold, but clear and sunny. We were lucky because it clouded over on the day we left and was actually raining as we flew out of Christchurch.

Failed Trip

On Friday we planned to go away for a few days this coming week but yesterday, when we started to prepare for the trip, the 4WD wouldn't start. The RACQ couldn't get it going either so it's to be towed to the workshop on Monday. The consensus view is that the computer is sending an error message to the motor. We were very philosophical about it all; eg lucky it didn't happen while we were away because we do like to camp in remote places.
I took this photo when we were away last month because I loved the colours of the lake - and no other people!

So, the 'to do' lists had to be rewritten. (We are great list writers!) I was a bit too grumpy to be creative so didn't start work on my new bag. (The pattern arrived on Friday.) However I did sort through some "stuff" (thanks for the motivation Di) and will soon have another box ready to take to Lifeline. We have so many things that we don't use - and are unlikely to - and it makes me feel good to clear the clutter every so often. (I can't claim to be motivated by philanthropy.)