Christmas on an Island

We have just had a lovely Christmas/New Year on a tropical Island in Queensland.  Weather was great (we even had rain on boxing day so we could all have a rest).

Walking on the beach at dusk with those you love is very good for the soul ..

Skippy was living with his cousins at the Gorge.....

Some visitors came over on the water taxi for the day

and the water in the Gorge was the most amazing colour...

All good things must end and so it was back on the barge to Brisbane with a car load of dirty washing and some very happy memories.

a trip to the south

I recently went to Melbourne and Tasmania to catch up with some friends and to celebrate a couple of birthdays, including mine.  It was lovely to see everyone....

firstly the old school friends - we haven't really changed much ....

I loved seeing my niece and her children

and, of course seeing my children and their other halves

We had a great lunch at a vineyard near Launceston

and went to an amazing shop near Develport (perhaps more about that later)

and Robbie and JJ came over for coffee



































and Mikey's 21st was a good night and a chance to catch up with Mike and Rob

 I'm glad Jimmy was able to make it!!

plants and flowers and garden animals

I received a lovely birthday present from the southern relations - a multi bottle flower displayer beautifully screen printed with birds.  As I wanted to take a photo of it and show off, I had to make do with whatever was in the garden so geraniums and gardenias are on show.  Friends who came for drinks last night were VERY impressed.  As you can see, in recognition of christmas, I have two tinsel trees and one stocking on display with a couple of cards.......  My big tree has been lent to a friend and I will take some more tinsel to the beach where we're all going to be for christmas.

It also looks good from the top with my Indian carpet beside it

Marina arrived from the country/seaside with a christmas present - she has been collecting my broken china over the years and has now mosaiced it all into a lovely pot.  sort of like patchwork but with china.  How lovely that I now have some recycled joy!!  It might be worth breaking a few more bits??

and in the meantime, there are a variety of animals (not living and breathing) outside trying to protect me from the possums!  they're not really doing their thing because if you look very closely, you will note that there is possum wee running down the glass wall!

wildlife in the suburbs

There I was last night - dinner finished, glass of wine not quite finished, watching New Tricks and quilting.....

It was quite a mild evening and I had the doors to the patio slid open and was enjoying the breezes and the fairy lights outside.

THEN

the possum who has been wrecking my garden and peeing in my pool came to visit.......  he scurried in and sat under my side table looking happily around!  Forget the sore hip - I jumped up and ordered him to leave but instead of that, he ran up to the bookcase and hid behind our box of Trivial Pursuit!!!!!  Panic on both sides ensued but the Big Pink Broom did the trick - he realised I didn't want to play with him and went outside and tried to climb up the glass swimming pool wall!

One of my Mother's sayings was "the things you see when you haven't got a gun!"   I now know what she meant.....

On the possum's side of things - it must have been a bit scary to be confronted by me with a large pink broom and then to try to scale a glass wall with three elephants on the other side of it!!!!!   Let's hope he doesn't come back.

So I finished the night a bit hotter as I wanted to finish what I was sewing and I didn't want to leave the door open any more..

Saturday lunch

There was a bad start to Saturday morning.  I was expecting 7 for lunch - eating outside and cooking sausages on the Barbq.  THEN at 10am this happened

But - as often happens in the semi tropics, it all stopped and cleared and the sun came out - leaving an overflowing pool and a lot of leaves and branches.

So I set up lunch outside.......

Visitors:

BUT the storm returned at about 8pm, completely spoiling mr veryrichbuilders pool party next door.... oh dear!

eclipse day

In Far North Queensland this morning there was a total eclipse of the sun.  Down here in Briz we apparently had a part eclipse but it must have happened while I was in the shower.  Anyway, it was all of much interest to many people and apparently Cairns had 60,000 extra travellers staying there for the night.
Talking of things shiny, Jana and Ibrahim, the young Bosnian couple who have accepted responsibility for keeping my house clean, came yesterday.  They use a lot of vinegar and soda bicarb but everything looks very sparkly...

I didn't know that this sink could be silver and shine!!!

and, as for the windows, I think I might have to put warnings on the sliding doors to stop people trying to walk through them.....  It's hard to see where the room ends and the outside starts.

I went to the Court of Appeal the other day in our new and very expensive court complex in George Street.  No photos inside of course but how about the outside?   What are all those eyes doing there?

 Perhaps it's the State's way of advising those coming into court, that they are being watched.

 Th inside is very vast and cavernous and in the Appeal Court, there is a very nigh concrete ceiling with lovely to look at timber floors.  The accoustics are appalling - if anyone walks in, you have to stop talking until they sit down.  I think there might be some carpet happening there sooner rather than later.

Went to the opera on Tuesday night and saw this

which I really enjoyed.

Cleaning up

I have new cleaners starting this week.  After 18 years Kris has decided to retire and while i'm working full time, I need some help.
So if the inside is going to be nice and clean, I thought I would make things look a bit better outside and spent an hour or so with the high pressure hose machine yesterday - it is very good but can't get the rusty iron stains off my concrete.....nothing will do that.

I turned this ....

Into this - can you see that I also painted the timber fence purple?  I won't be able to do the side fence but I still like this.

And then continued on with the rest of the pool surrounds

on Friday, I went through my cupboard of overseas delights.  Every time I go overseas, I put souvenirs in this cupboard and when I look through them, I remember all the happy times.  Anyway, I found these two cushion covers I bought in Jaipure three years ago and put them on the front verandah.  They are so pretty and bright, can't help loving them.

My neighbours across the road are adding a family room and a carport where Alan had his sunroom and garage.  It's great to see that they are doing it in keeping with their cottage and the rest of the street.  I wonder if Mr veryrichbuilder is learning anything from living here - perhaps he'll come to realise that he made a mistake?  He lives in his monolith and is completely separate from the rest of the neighbours.  Everything happens behind his very high concrete walls and the electric sliding gate.

I have replanted some baskets for the front verandah - probably not a good idea as I will be in Melbourne/Tas for 12 days later in the month.