A night with Carlotta

What a great night we had in Palm Cove last night at the Surf Club where Carlotta was performing! Many would remember the LES GIRLS revue that started in Kings Cross and took their performance to many places across Australia.  Shortly after joining Les Girls, Carlotta became their witty compere.  I first remember seeing Les Girls at the Rolling Surf Cabaret in Caloundra sometime in the 80's.  I remember back then laughing until my sides hurt and it was no different last night.  Carlotta is now 75 and still as witty and politically incorrect as ever.  In fact she opened the night by telling anyone that can't stand her incorrectness to get the F.... out now!
I didn't find anything she said or did to be offensive and as she said, why do we all have to be so politically correct.   We seem to have lost our Australianism somewhere along the line.  As she also pointed out nothing she says could ever be worse than what has been said to her as a Transexual.
Most of the night was spent taking the "mickey" out of people and not one person I saw was offended or walked out.  She spent a bit of time at our front row table and I kept waiting for her to take the "mickey" out of my new look orange hair, but she kindly left me alone however she picked up Jane's handbag asking " Darling is it antique?" (it wasn't!)

Her voice is as good as I remember and I particularly enjoyed the tribute to her good friend Peter Allen. Carlotta now lives on the Gold Coast and just does a few shows here and there.  Up until a couple of years ago she was on Studio 10 with Jess Rowe, who she speaks fondly of.
It really was a great night with a delicious three course meal served to us at our tables.  It was one of the best restaurant meals I have had for quite awhile. Would I go and see her again?  In a heartbeat!

Quiet Time......Finally!

Our life has certainly slowed down after a very hectic October, and we're loving it!  Easy afternoons lazing in the pool have been the order of the day.......... until.... the pool heater stopped working!  You may laugh at this, after all we live in the tropics,  but our overnight temperatures drop dramatically and cool the pool to an un-swimmable (is that a word) temperature.  Hopefully it will be fixed before Christmas!

So what have we been up to.  

We've had a couple of trips to Cairns for shopping AND we did manage to fit in a trip to the cinema to watch Bohemian Rhapsody.  We loved it!  If you are a QUEEN fan you will also love it.  I know that plenty of critics have given it a low score but believe me when I say you will come away a "happy chappy" singing "We are the Champions" or "Another one bites the dust" and you know what, I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard that Freddy Mercury had died.  I was just so sad.  What a great loss to the world he was.

Anyway...moving on....  What else has happened in our lives.  

We made our annual trip to the Cooktown Races with our group of friends.  It's always great to catch 

up with each others "annual" news!  Isn't it great to have friends that you don't see regularly and still pick up where you last left off....

No wins at this table!

Gosh we take terrible selfies!

We have been heads down butts up around the property.  When we are away for any length of time everything falls behind.  Philip had a mountain of garden trimmings that had to be put through the mulcher, the garden was desperate for water, lawns needed mowing, cattle (and dogs) need attention and so much bookwork to catch up on, but finally we are on top of it all.  

Sadly we said goodbye to Fisher and Paykel (our freezer steers).  Paykel went to Mareeba Saleyards where he fetched a very good price and Fisher is in our freezer for twelve months of delicious eating. 

I know it sounds hard and cruel but as my father-in-law used to say....."there is no such thing as a sacred cow"

Goodbye Fisher....

Conquering Cape Belford at Elim Beach.......

.....well attempting to conquer!
Our friend Joan has been obsessed with climbing North Cape Belford ever since she has been visiting Elim Beach.  One of the things that stopped her was actually getting to the base of the mountain as it entails traversing around about 10km of sand dunes.  That little problem was overcome by Philip and I offering to tow the buggy up to Elim Beach.
Elim Beach is an easy drive north of Cooktown and it started it's life as a Lutheran Mission in the early 1800's.  Now the mission is based in Hope Vale.  Elim Beach is well know for it's beautiful coloured sands and hundreds of tourists visit here each year to photograph (and climb) the sands.  The only camping ground is owned by one of the Aboriginal Elders - Eddie - and if you take the time to talk to him he will regale you with some incredible stories.
We arrived at Elim Beach mid afternoon on our first day and after setting up camp we made our way towards the beach and our first glimpse of the hulking Cape Bedford - elevation 300,000 metres - no, not really, but very high!

I had already decided that I would not do the climb at Cape Bedford with the other three.  I know my capabilities and this was way beyond mine!  So bright and early the next day the team set off....

They had packed lunch and said they would not be home until mid afternoon.  I wished them luck.  This is where I end the story and Philip begins...

"It took us about an hour to travel the 10km across the sand dunes before we reached a point at the bottom of the mountain where we stopped as I could not take the buggy any further as it was too steep.  Even at this point the drop off to the right was a sheer cliff drop to the waters edge. Cape Bedford is usually very windy but on this particular day it was dead calm and very hot.  This was not what we wanted.  Joan had mapped out our route on google maps (no tracks here) but it was clear right from the start that what Joan had thought was grass was actually scrub trees that were covered in green ants!  This was not good but we continued our upward journey.  The scrub deeply scratched our legs and the green ants bit continually. It was not comfortable but Joan was determined.  We eventually reached a point where we could not go any further.  There was a sheer rock face in front of us that, with our ability, could not be climbed.  By this stage we were all exhausted and we still had to face the downward journey that is probably more treacherous than the upward journey.  After three hours of climbing we eventually made it back to the vehicle.  Joan was disappointed but we all agreed that the only way we were ever going to reach the summit is via helicopter!"

If you follow the road in the middle of this photo you can "just" pick out the buggy as a tiny black dot.

I could see the disappointment on their faces when they arrived back at the camp but I could also see complete exhaustion.  It was extremely gruelling.

The next day Philip took me back to where they started there climb.  I am completely in awe of how far they got!

There are so many places to explore at Elim/Cape Belford.  We drove across many sandunes and along the shoreline.  I was absolutely disgusted at how much rubbish has been washed up onto these pristine beaches. Plastic.  So....much...plastic.  I don't know how we as a population are ever going to tackle this huge problem.

So much rubbish.  Someone had made a "thong tree" from ones that had been washed up

Everybody always had their cameras ready for a photo opportunity - and there were many.  It's just such a beautiful place but we were told by Eddy that they are planning to mine the sand dunes for silica in the not too distant future.  Bloody mining companies!

Gorgeous foliage contrasting with the sand dunes in the background.

Typical sand road.  They are looking for the tea tree orchids.

Some of the roads we traversed were quite difficult...

 We, of course explored the Coloured Sands.  They really are magnificent and quite different to the ones further south.  These are not huge mountains of colour, just nature at it's very best.  They are still forming and every time we come back to Elim Beach the sand hills have changed shape and colour.

Ah.......really??!!??

Can you spot Beryl on her climb across the coloured sands?

This as far as you can drive along the beach.  The sign says it all!

We took long walks along the beach looking for star fish and the very unusual black sea cucumber also known as the lollyfish.  

Black Sea Cucumber

This is fresh water pushing up through the sand. 

There are crocs in this area but we didn't see any.  We are always aware and careful to take our beach walks at low tide and certainly to keep away from any inland streams or lagoons.  This is a really spectacular unspoilt area of Australia and I know we will return here again and again.

The sun sets on a perfect day

.

Sydney!!!!

Wow.  I still can't believe that we had a week in Sydney.  The time went so fast.  Many months ago I saw Cher being interviewed by Graham Norton and she was talking about her upcoming tour to Australia.  I immediately went to the website and booked tickets.  Of course you can't go all the way to Sydney and just have one night there!  There is just so much to see and do.  As it turned out our trip coincided with the Royals (Harry & Meghan) visit down under for the Invictus Games.  Sydney was abuzz with tourists and paparazzi!
We booked into the Pullman Grand Quay (a recommendation from friends) and it was the perfect location.  It was right on Circular Quay with just a short stroll to the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens and of course we had a birds eye view of all the cruise ships that docked right opposite our hotel.

Sydney Airport was a breeze to negotiate and we decided to catch the train into Circular Quay. Our hotel was a very short walk from the railway station.  We unpacked quickly and made our way downstairs for cocktail hour at the first bar we came across on the Quay.  We ended up ordering bar snacks to go with our drinks and declared this to be dinner!  It was thoroughly enjoyable sitting and watching the crowd pass us by.  If only the seagulls would have done the same thing.  They really are a pest for anyone sitting outside.  Fries are never to be ordered as the gulls literally fly in and snatch them from your plate!  We didn't eat anywhere outside on the Quay again after our first night.
Our first day in Sydney we decided to walk along the harbour as far as we could go.  We passed the ferry terminal, cruise ship terminal, under the harbour bridge and past all the restored warehouses.  Wow. What a great job they have done there!  Onwards to Barangaroo Reserve and finally ending our walk at The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel for lunch.  We were going to catch an Uber back to our hotel but realised that we were not that far away and it was all downhill.  Dinner tonight at a Chinese Restaurant on the Quay -  inside!

The next day we decided to go to Darling Harbour.  Last time we were there - 1996 I believe - we really enjoyed it here.  Our walk to Darling Harbour took us through the city centre - thank you google maps. Sydney Tower Eye was our next stop.  We made our way to the top but it was quite an overcast day so we probably didn't see Sydney at it's best.  The staff kindly gave us free tickets to return but unfortunately we ran out of time to do this.
It was only a short walk to Darling Harbour and after walking the circumference we stopped at Blackbird Cafe for a delicious brunch.  From here we caught the ferry back to our hotel and had a deserved nanny nap and decided to order room service for dinner.  It was a big day.
The next day was Chers concert and also the day that Harry and Meghan were going to be doing a walk at the Opera House.  Of course we had to go!  Unfortunately for us it was 11am when we decided to make our way to the Opera House (the Royals were going to be there about 12.30) and the crowds had started to arrive at 7am!  The crowds against the barriers were six to eight deep and we knew it was a waste of time.  We headed to the Opera Cafe for a quick lunch before heading back to our room to ready ourselves for the concert.
It was an hour and a half ferry ride to Sydney Olympic Park and then an Uber ride to Quodos Bank Arena so we gave ourselves plenty of time.  We also, on advice, decided to eat at the restaurant attached to the venue and it was also advised to get there early.  We were at Quodos Bank Arena before the doors opened and, indeed, we were first in line!
There are not enough words to describe Chers concert.  It was simply fantastic.  Cher is 72 years old and when she sang "Turn Back Time" she wore the same outfit that she wore in the original film clip sitting on that cannon on the war ship!

Three concerts in Sydney and all were sold out!

We caught the train back to Circular Quay.  Fortunately for us (and hundreds of others) Sydney Rail ran an extra train to get everyone back to the city.  As it turned out the last train from this station had already departed before everyone could board it! We climbed into bed well after midnight but could hardly sleep as we were still buzzing from the concert.
The following day we decided to do a tour of the Opera House and then walk around the Botanic Gardens to have lunch at the Poolside Cafe at Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool.  Another great meal!

The main theatre inside the Opera House.  What a magnificent building!

Another view.  This one from the Botanic Galrdens

We were home early enough to make reservations at Rock Pool Bar and Grill for dinner.  Chef Neil Perry has certainly earned the reputation as one of Australia's top chefs.  The meal could not be faulted and the service was impeccable.  10/10
Our time in Sydney was drawing to an end but not before we boarded the Hop-On Hop-off Bus.  We travelled out to Bondi Beach, disembarked and had a light lunch at one of the many eateries along the foreshore.  We actually think Bondi Beach is overrated but that is just our personal opinion.  I guess we are spoilt with our beaches in the north that stretch for many kilometres with barely another person in sight.
Anyway that's a wrap.  I know it was a long post but there was so much to tell!  Next stop Elim Beach.  Stay tuned. xx

KIND Jungle Ride 2018

Philip has been doing a lot of cycling over the past six months and its all been to ready himself for the Cardiac Challenge and the Jungle Ride.  They are both gruelling rides but the Jungle Ride is an extremely difficult and challenging ride.  Over two hundred cyclists registered for the charity ride from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation and return.  The Ironman distance is 180km and half Ironman is 90km.  Philip was hoping to do the full distance but unfortunately severe cramps pulled him up at the 116km mark.
The ride started at 6am at the Port Douglas Sports Ground on what was an overcast and drizzly day.  The rain cleared but the residual humidity was a killer for the cyclists.

 The ride passes through Mossman where the cyclists stop for the first drink stop then on to Wonga Beach for the next stop.

Mossman Drink Stop

Wonga Beach

Onwards to the Daintree River where they board the ferry and then travel over the very long and arduous Alexandra Range into Cape Tribulation for lunch.

Daintree Ferry

Reaching the top of Alexander Range

Cape Tribulation at last

Lunch!

And then, after lunch they do it all again!
This is the third time that Philip has ridden for in the KIND Jungle Ride.  KIND stands for Kids in Need Donations and it is a wonderful organisation and it's great seeing so many cyclists supporting the organisation.  It is certainly a challenging and gruelling ride, but everyone who rides it feels a great amount of satisfaction at the completion.