Another week in Paradise

We really are so blessed to live in this lovely tropical part of the world and even more so when I think about a lot of the folks around the world who are going into a second Covid lockdown.  This insidious pandemic is never ending.  I wonder if we should somehow just try and live with the damn thing and take our chances.  I know the elderly would suffer but talking to my mum about it, well I don't think they are too worried.  And lest not forget that us baby boomers are now also the older generation and even though I have a somewhat compromised immune system I am ready to tackle Covid head-on. Bring it on and let's open up our country again.  Ok, I will now get off my soapbox.......

So what's been happening this past week or so.  We decided, finally, to put the Camper up for sale.  What a drama that's been.  What is it with people that can't make a decision!  We had a huge response to the sale and a couple from Cairns asked for an immediate inspection, that we agreed to.  They said yes they will take it and that they had paid the $$'s into our account.  We were very happy but that was short-lived when we received a message the next day that they had decided against.  Back to the drawing board and more advertising.  So now we have a couple from Victoria (!!) who have paid a hefty deposit and getting a friend to inspect the camper on Wednesday.  I don't have a good feeling about this potential sale though.  The logistics of getting the camper down to Victoria I think will defeat them.

We also sold Philips old Trek Bike on gumtree this week and that was another drama with people "to and frooing".  But it did sell relatively fast so we can't complain.  

So what else has been happening this week.  

We enjoyed our first Connoisseur's Lunch this week at the Reef House Resort. The group get together once a month to enjoy a lunch at various venues around Palm Cove.  They have a guest speaker and this week we were lucky enough to enjoy a talk from Paul Furse who's grandfather is thought to be the original James Bond 007 and yes there really was an M.  Paul inherited all his grandfathers diaries and he spoke for most part straight from those diaries.  The lunch we ate was really lovely with lots of choices.  I chose the Crispy Skin Salmon with asparagus puree followed by Lime Brûlée.  We were given a glass of champagne on arrival and we sipped on a delicious Sauvignon Blanc during the talk.  It was a lovely lunch and we met some really nice people who I'm sure we will meet up with again.  We now know a lot more about the area we are living in and the "things" going on and that was the whole idea of going to the lunch.

My two friends and I went to a Terrarium making course on Saturday.  It was lots of fun and it was interesting to see how different our terrariums where, even though we used identical plants and embellishments.  Mine is sitting in the bathroom under the skylight at the moment.  One of my plants is already looking a little sad so I may have to find another spot.

On the cooking front I was surprised to find a Burrata in the cheese section of my local Coles store this week.  Wow, I had always wanted to try one and believe me I was not disappointed.  The recipe I chose was a simple pasta dish that took a whole 10 minutes to put together and I placed the Burrata ball in the middle of the bowl and then broke it apart and mixed through the pasta.  My husband voted it a definite keeper and I have to say it really was one of best pasta dishes I have made!

Yesterday we woke early to watch the start of the Ironman 70.3.  The swim leg is right along the waterfront here at Palm Cove so we had a birds eye view.  They close the whole esplanade so it was lovely to see people instead of cars on Williams Esplanade!  

Our friends came and joined us for breakfast afterwards and they are always enjoyable company.  Kate sent me some photos yesterday dating back to 1978 just after we were married.  Gee I wish I knew then what I know now......or maybe not....

Take care folks

x Judi

Time flies........

To say that we have been busy is quite the understatement.  Philip and I both commented that we have to somehow stop jamming so much into a week.  For goodness sake we are retired and should be slowing down not speeding up.  I wonder if deep down we are worried that we are going to become bored.  Heaven help us........I wish!

It's been well over a month since I last posted and so much has happened in that time.  Philip flew down to Marco for ten days to help him erect a new fence. When he flew home he brought Mum with him who stayed for two weeks and didn't that fly.  I decided to deliver mum back to Brisbane so I flew down and back in the same day.  It wasn't difficult as I managed to get back to back flights so I only had two hours to kill in Brisbane.

After mum left it was a quick pack up of the van for a trip to Mission Beach with two other couples who are very special friends.  It seemed that we just got into relaxation mode and we had to once again pack up and return home.  Note to self.....book for at least a week next time.  Mission Beach is such a beautiful place and it was very fitting that we were able to celebrate what should have been Kurt's 41st birthday at Buko Restaurant at Castaway Resort. I highly recommend this restaurant.  We chose tapas that just keep flowing and were both delicious and filling.  Of course they were washed down with cocktails for the women and beers for the men.

In this past week our new lounge arrived and I LOVE it.  We purchased it from UD Furniture in Brisbane. The furniture is handmade to perfection and it is well worth paying the extra dollars to get quality.  They usually have a turnaround of four weeks but as the material from Warwick Fabrics had to come from Melbourne there was a slight delay.  Still, all in all it is much faster than our bedside tables and dresser that were ordered from Harvey Norman in July and are still on a slow boat from China.  We honestly thought we were purchasing Australian Made.  Another note to self.......check origin thoroughly.

We had to hire a crane to take the old lounge away and bring the new one in.  It caused quite a bit of commottion in the street.  Folks just love watching a crane operate and I must admit I couldn't stop taking photos.  The crane operator and his offsider were magicians at manoeuvring that furniture from three floors up!

So that brings us to this week that has been lots of fun with three girlfriends (all ex Julia Creek) rocking up for sundowners and pizza on Saturday night. We had so much fun and laughter as the drinks flowed.  We were quite a noisy lot and I did try to take the party inside but they were having none of that!  We had the obligatory photo shoot before they left at midnight.

Sunday we both hit the road, Philip on his bike and I did the 6km walk to the end of Clifton Beach.  It was probably not the best thing to choose after a big night but it felt good.  After all that exercise we decided to walk down to the Underground Restaurant for lunch and it is another restaurant I can recommend.  I had the pork belly and sides that absolutely melted in the mouth.  Philip chose the garlic prawn pizza that was also "to die for" delicious.

So that brings me to today that is relatively quiet.  We had to move a painting over the lounge and rearrange the lounge slightly but that is about it.  We are still making lunch our main meal and suits us very well.  I like to "go go go" in the morning and relax in the afternoon so lunch fits in well with that plan.  I slow cooked a ragu two days ago that has been sitting in the fridge and developing flavours.  We will have that with gnocchi today and the leftover will go into the freezer for meat pies next week.

My way of relaxing lately has been huddled over the jigsaw table.  I bought an easel style table that certainly makes doing a puzzle a lot more user friendly.  Mum bought two puzzles with her so I have completed them and am now working on a rather complicated puzzle.  It is a photo of Portofino and I love it so much.  I dream about the day that we might be able to once again return to Italy!

Take care everyone,

x Judi,

Just a little stroll

I love walking.  They say that you have to enjoy the exercise that you are doing otherwise it becomes a chore that you will eventually not continue. 

Walking in earnest began for me when we were living in Julatten and we bought Hudson the Labrador.  I took him for a walk every morning and I used to laugh at the way he would "read the mail".  The beauty surrounded me at Julatten.  It was just a breathtakingly beautiful place to live and I am so grateful that we had that opportunity to live there for all those years.

Now, with our sea change, I am experiencing a whole new world with my beach walks.  I  get a little carried away with walking and actually forget how far I have walked, as happened to me last weekend.  I walked three kilometres from Palm Cove to the end of Clifton Beach before I realised that I had walked so far and forgetting for a moment that I had to re-trace my steps!

Anyway it was worth the walk to find this view at my turnaround point.

In other news, we have had a nice string of visitors grace our doorway. Our forever friends from Julia Creek (now Leyburn) visited for a good old chin wag.  We seemed to have so much news to catch up on and the time with them went extremely fast.  Fortunately we were able to meet them a second time for breakfast at Vivo Restaurant, along with their family, before they flew south.  

Next was Trudi.....our gardener at "Kuramar" for eight years.  She had so much news regarding the happenings at our former home.  The new owner is going to allow weddings to be held there so that is exciting news and we are just a little bit chuffed that the hard work that we put into the gardens will be able to be enjoyed by many.

Philip is at present enjoying some time with Marco and Suzie.  They have quite a few kilometres of new fence to erect so Philip is very much enjoying the physical work.  I have been enjoying some "me" time and anyone that knows me well knows that is my favourite time.  I never tire of my own company and can always find plenty of things to do.  At the moment the majority of my time has been spent researching my diagnosis of hereditary Hemochromatosis.  My iron levels are in the 500's that are way to high and need to be lowered.  Donating blood would be a relatively quick fix but that is almost impossible for me as my veins are not great after chemotherapy. So diet it is, and gee there is a lot to consider. Calcium is good Vitamin C is bad.

Philip and I have also joined the local gym where we go twice a week for Seniors Circuit.  If you think it is a stroll in the park you would be GREATLY mistaken!  It is very high energy and really gets the heart pumping.  Of course you can go as slow or as fast as you like.  I am more in the slower limit but hope to get fitter over the coming months. I am doing it to try to build bone density as I have also been diagnosed with low level osteoporosis.  What is with your 60's!  Everything within our body seems to start breaking down.

At one of the gym classes we ran into an old neighbour from Julatten.  They had sold their property a few years ago and now live at Kewarra Beach.  Linda and I both did Yoga at Julatten and I am amazed at how great she looks.  She tells me it is all down to Pilates and she invited me to join her in a class.  I'll think about it but not until I get a lot fitter!

Philip will be home on Saturday and he is travelling home with my Mum who is staying a couple of weeks. It has been very cold where mum lives so she will enjoy the warm coastal air here at Palm Cove.

I will leave you all with a photo that I took from our balcony the night of the full moon.  Wasn't it spectacular!

Life is good....

Philip asked me recently if I was happy with my life.  It was a rhetorical question because we are both so very happy with the life we are now living. It.....just...feels.....right.
We are making the apartment our own as we slowly replace some of the furniture in the apartment (or cubby house as we affectionately call it) with our taste in furnishings. It is a slow process but we have all the time in the world.

Our social life is lots of fun with impromptu meals with friends as well as outings.  A couple of weeks ago I had a large rib roast to cook so I invited our friends for a good old roast meal.  After lunch we walked down to Beach Almond Restaurant where a local band was playing in the beer garden.  It was a really great afternoon with the band playing all the songs from the 60s and 70s that we could sing along too.

Last weekend we had another impromptu meal at our friends place.  This time it was Laksa that was just so delicious.  I told our friends to stop setting the bar so high! I am a food tragic.  I just love good food and the thought that is front and foremost in my mind is always "what I am going to eat next and where"!

This time last week we were sitting on the beach at Mission Beach sipping our bubbles and watching the sun go down over a perfect day.  We finally found time to take the caravan out of the shed for its inaugural outing.  As I mentioned in the previous post we wanted to see how long we could run the caravan "off grid" and I am happy to say that we could go pretty much forever if we have sun to charge the solar panels.  Water is the biggest problem.  Although we are very conservative with water, our onboard supply only lasts two days and we carry another two days in the tank under the vehicle. Showers take the most water so I suppose we could shower every second day to conserve water.......not!

Mission Beach is our new favourite place.  We walked each day as there are so many beautiful places to walk both at Mission Beach and South Mission Beach.   The beach is perfect to walk along, in fact it is one of the best we have ever walked on and leaves Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas for dead.  It is so wide and flat and the sand is perfect to walk on.

We spent one afternoon lazing on the beach and trying out our parachute bed.  Honestly, it is just so comfortable as Philip can attest to! We are tempted to buy a second one as they fold up to the size of a shopping bag and are easy to carry.

Each night we had sundowners at the Tavern right next door to the caravan park, except for one night when we took our chairs to the beach for sunset.  The Hideaway Caravan Park was one of the best we have stayed in with its well kept grassed areas and gardens.  The sites were a little on the small size but that can be forgiven because of the cleanliness of the park.  We highly recommend it and we will certainly return.

So, we are home again for the time being and as I lay in bed this morning I made a promise to myself that I would never ever tire of this view from our bed.

Port Douglas as a tourist

We bought an investment apartment in Port Douglas when we sold Kuramar and settlement for the apartment was on the 30th June.  We decided that we would spend a week living in the apartment to work out where we would start on the upgrade, and believe me it needs it!
The apartments were built in 2002 and in those 18 years I don't think a single thing has been changed including the inevitable spa bath that seemed to be so popular then.  The apartment definitely needs to be painted inside because at the moment it is a nondescript yellow/cream.  White throughout is called for so that is the first thing we will change.  Next will be the kitchen and lastly we will get rid of the spa!

Our trip to Port Douglas had a dual purpose though because Philip had put his name forward for a bike ride from Mareeba to Almaden.....around 140km.  He drove to Mareeba with three other cyclists as passengers and from there they cycled to Almaden.  They arrived in time for lunch at Almaden and then they boarded the train that took them back to Mareeba.  He loved it and he pulled up remarkably well after quite an epic ride.  He said that the majority of the ride he had a tail wind which certainly helped on the long uphills.

While Philip was doing that I did............absolutely nothing!  I had a very relaxing day poolside listening to numerous podcasts.  It was bliss and something I really needed.  Our days in Port were mostly leisurely.  We did have doctor and dentist appointments and I managed to fit in two yoga classes with my old teacher.  Other than that we ate lots of really good food at different restaurants each day.  Our favourite meal was at Mamman where I had one of the best Atlantic Salmon dishes ever.  I almost cried when my meal was finished!  We also ate Tapas and Paella at Seabean Restaurant and delicious Aussie Burgers at N17 Burger Joint.  Paddys Irish Bar was also a favourite because who doesn't like the people watching it affords.

I walked most mornings around the Marina/FourMile Beach circuit.  Philip did a couple of hill walks but too many steps for me! Most afternoons we strolled along Four Mile Beach as it is almost the perfect beach to walk on with its very flat surface.  Sometimes we even grabbed an ice-cream to enjoy along the way.

View from our Balcony looking towards the mountains and our old home at Julatten

It really was great to have a break from moving into Paringa and we have returned to Palm Cove very invigorated.  I have to tell you that as we walked into our new home we both commented on how absolutely it feels like home.  We love it.

My new best friend

During the Covid lockdown we were staying at Coconut Grove Resort in Port Douglas.  It was a lovely apartment and thank goodness it had a decent kitchen because there was not a single restaurant opened while we were there. I do rather enjoy cooking when I have plenty of time and lets face it, time was something we all had heaps of during the lockdown.
I stumbled across a recipe in one of the magazines that was made in a pie maker and it looked so simple to make.  I have often looked at these electrical appliances and thought, not for me, even though I love a good pie.  It seemed such an extravagance (even though they are very cheap) and just another appliance that would probably gather dust in the bottom of the cupboard.
Anyway, I thought what the heck, and I went ahead and ordered one online from Myer.  They have one of the best online shops I have ever experienced because five days later I had it in my hot little hands.  I was completely surprised at how big the parcel was and was slightly disheartened to think that I might have purchased something too big and bulky to handle, but thankfully the box was mostly packaging and the pie maker is only the size of my sandwich press.
I was itching to try it out and ooh la laah, our first pies (Mexican mince) were sensational!  I used store bought shortcrust pastry for the base and puff pastry for the top.  I have never been a lover of store bought pastry but honestly the pies just tasted so good!
Since then the pie maker has been on high rotation in my kitchen.  It is fantastic to use up leftovers and you are not limited to the pastry you use.  I have seen recipes for phyllo pastry that I really want to try and today I made apple and custard "donuts".  I had run out of self raising flour so they didn't rise as much as they should have but they are 100% delicious.
So, my new best friend is the Sunbeam Pie Maker and if you don't own one I suggest you order one pronto. I can guarantee you will love it.
PS
I read later that Kmart also sell them at a very good price

Apple and Custard "Donut"

Just a simple chunky meat pie

I'm still here

It's been way too long between posts my friends and for that I am sorry because I love sitting down here and tapping away.  I can offer plenty of excuses. Moving out of home and into a holiday apartment. Moving out of that apartment because it was sold. Moving into the apartment next door, and finally.....moving into our new home (apartment) at Palm Cove.  There has been so much packing up and unpacking since we sold Kuramar on the 24th April.  I don't ever want to see another packing container.  The packing up is actually a lot easier than the unpacking because you have to try and find a place for everything. Downsizing from a home into an apartment means a lot of trips to Lifeline.  We sold all the furniture with Kuramar that was actually a blessing as the apartment we bought came fully furnished.  Most of the furniture is not to my taste but it will do for the time being until we are settled.
So, apart from that what have we been doing.  Lots of socialising, I can tell you that much.  It just feels so right to be living at Palm Cove and so much closer to our friends.  Some are within walking distance that we tested last weekend when we went to their apartment for lunch.  It took us around 30 minutes to stroll to their place with our esky and we were grateful for the walk home after a really enjoyable large lunch. The lunch was a celebration for some young friends who have just become parents to a gorgeous little boy.  He is such a dream baby.  You know, the one that eats and then sleeps.  I certainly had my share of baby hugs.

Last weekend we were invited to another friends place for lunch.  They are not walking distance so we car pooled and drove the 20 minute drive to their place.  It was another very enjoyable meal that I know I will have to reciprocate when we are settled.  Philip's suggestion that we simply take everyone out for lunch is sounding like a very good idea! We are spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants as most are within a block of our place.
Philip has been going for long rides with our friends and today he is doing a solo ride.  He is still feeling his way around the place.  He will continue cycling with his friends in Port Douglas though, as he loves the challenge of riding with some very fast cyclists.  He has just put his name forward for a ride next month from Mareeba to Almaden.  I think he said it was 140km so that will put him to the test!
I have been enjoying walks most mornings and also have been trying out different routes.  The Cairns Council is very pro-active with their cycling/walking paths and have made progress with a large wide path that will eventually run all the way from Palm Cove to the City Centre.  I am going to my first yoga class this morning.  That will be interesting as I haven't practiced any yoga since Covid lockdown in March.  I'm sure I will have some aching muscles tomorrow......
The caravan is sitting in the storage shed just waiting for us.  We have booked into a caravan park in Mission Beach the second week in July.  We want to test the batteries in the van to see how long they will last off grid.  We suspect not long and we will probably have a trip to the auto electrician to enhance the battery/solar system.  We will have to wait and see. We still plan on heading south in August. It was originally going to be July but we really need to settle completely into the new apartment first.  Settlement for our Port Douglas apartment will not be until the first week in July so we also have to organise to have it put into the rental pool.  Things take time.
Speaking of things taking time.  The NBN connection has been a nightmare.  We have been here two weeks and I first spoke to someone at Telstra about connection the day after we moved in and then heard nothing more.  I have rung numerous times and nobody can find, or couldn't be bothered finding, our order.  It is so very frustrating as we are in a black spot when it comes to mobile coverage so we really need a landline. Finally, yesterday, I spoke with someone who was at least able to give me a time and date for connection.  It is not going to be until the 30th June but at least it is going to happen.
It's almost time for me to head to yoga so until next time, take care my friends.
xx

This is the view from the bedroom in our new apartment

Sunliner Northshore Fifth Wheel Caravan.........

That is the name of our new baby and eventually, when we are free to travel, our home on wheels.

We finally received the nod from Queensland Health to travel to Bennets Green in Newcastle to pick up our long awaited caravan.  We ordered this baby way back in October and it was completed early March, just as the Covid lock down commenced.  **sigh**.  The company that we bought it from was very obliging and didn't push us to get down there to take delivery but we really wanted to!
So after numerous emails back and forth we finally received the nod from Queensland Health to make our journey into NSW.  As we were not going near any Covid "hotspots" we did not have to isolate when we returned to Queensland so that was a relief.

We love our new van so much and can't wait to start travelling in it.  It has everything we need and more.  The only extras we included were a washing machine and an outlet in the bedroom for the TV!
Our stops on the way home at various caravan parks were just overnighters and we never even got to put up the annex.  We travelled 5000kms in 10 days, something we would never normally do.  You don't get to see too much travelling that distance in such a short time.

 It was very cold in NSW on this trip and silly me found out (too late) that I had not packed the doona!  So we slept the first night rugged up in as many clothes as we could find with just a light travel blanket over us.  The next night I realised that the air-conditioner was reverse-cycle!

Our first planned trip when Queensland opens, is Toowoomba and Gympie to see the family.  It will be the middle of winter unfortunately so I will have to pack lots of warm clothes.  Our next trip (if the  State borders are open) is to cross the Nullarbor. We will meet up with friends in Adelaide sometime in October and then we will possibly stay away until Christmas.  I'm excited already.

Here are some pics of the van.  I chose the colour scheme and was then a little worried about the blue but turns out that I adore it!  It is such a bright splash of colour.

New Digs.....

What an incredible journey it's been but we have now said goodbye to "Kuramar" and hello to retirement and the next exciting stage of our life.

I can say to you that it was a huge job to pack up our belongings and put them into storage but anyone who has been down that path knows that already. But, it has been more than 14 years since our last move and we have accumulated a lot of "stuff".  Everything non essential is now stored securely and the irony is that I don't think a lot of it will ever come out of storage.  I think a garage (shed) sale will most certainly be on the agenda down the track.

Our life now in Storage!

So where are we and what are we doing.
Our plan was to become grey nomads once we took delivery of our fifth wheel caravan that is waiting for us in Port Macquarie but obviously that ain't gonna happen!  I have written to Queensland Health for an exemption to drive to NSW to take delivery but after a week I still have not had a reply.  I will give it another week and then try again.....
So, at the moment we are staying at Coconut Grove Resort in Port Douglas.  It is lovely here and the unit we are staying in is for sale. I love it here and can honestly see myself living right here.  It is light and airy and the beach and shops are all within easy walking distance.  We have taken to going for a leisurely walk along the beach each evening and have now also incorporated a swim in the stinger net.  It is such a lovely way to end the day.  Philip has been getting up early most mornings and finding lots of different roads to cycle.  He likes to get his 40km in if he can.  I have also been finding different paths to walk.  I am constantly checking out what apartments are for sale!

The Marina - dead.....

Our new view

On that note we have a couple of apartment inspections lined up but are not hopeful of finding exactly what we want any time soon.  It seems all the good ones rarely come on the market and if they do they are snapped up very quickly.

So how are we filling our days.  Well so far it is all a novelty for us.  Philip tends to go to the shed most mornings to potter around.  This morning he has taken the Senator to the car wash for a good clean and vacuum. We really need to purchase some shelving for the shed but we need to go to Cairns to have a look for that but as Cairns is more than 50km away we will have to wait until restrictions are lifted.

I am still doing exactly the same things that I have always done.  Do women ever really retire?  Cooking, Cleaning, Washing & Folding are always on repeat. I am still trying to limit the amount of food I have in the pantry so I am thinking up lots of interesting recipes.  I walk to Coles nearly every day for the staples and a bit of a sticky beak.  It will be wonderful to see some of the shops opening today.

Well that's a wrap for me.  Has everybody downloaded the CovidSafe App?  Please do folks.  Do not be taken in by scaremongering about the app.  If you use Facebook, Instagram or Google and you have a tax file number, believe me there ain't nothing anybody doesn't know about you already!  So be selfless and smart and just download it.