July Sketch Challenge at Scraptherapy

Over at the Scraptherapy blog is the July Sketch challenge.  I had the perfect photos to use for this scrapbook layout, so here is my take on the sketch titled "HUSSHH BABY"

HUSSHH BABY

Isabella Falls, Hope Vale

On the road between Hope Vale and Cooktown is a little sign on the right hand side that says "Isabella Falls" - 6km.  You would miss this sign if you didn't know what you were looking for and more importantly you would miss the falls completely if you didn't know where they were! 

The falls are not substantial by any stretch of the imagination but having said that I really loved them.  You drive over a causeway and look to your left and you see what appears to be a waterhole or billabomg.  It's not until you leave your car and walk the short distance towards the billabong and look back to the causeway, that you see the falls!  They are remarkable!

IT'S TWINS!

A kiss from Mum

My husband came bursting through the door this morning yelling "Come and have a look.  We've got twins!"  His excitement was contagious, but twin what?  DH had just come back from mustering the  cows into the yards for their annual Vibrio and Pesti shots.  I walked over to the cattle yards with DH and there they were. A boy (bull)  and a girl (heifer) and one very proud mother.

The bull calf

Mum, without a doubt, is the best cow in our mob to have given birth to twins.  She is so protective and has a huge udder of milk to feed her babies.  She is also very quiet and keeps a constant lookout for her babies.  The female calf is a bit of a scally-wag and very lively whereas the male calf is just content to feed and sleep.  

Sibling Love

What also makes these two calves so fantastic is that their Sire, Craiglea Admiral, had to be put down.  He was young and only running with cows for a short while.  We had those cows pregnancy tested and there were only six cows out of the mob that he mated with before his untimely death.  He was a junior champion bull on the show circuit and we always thought his progeny would be exceptional.  We were not wrong.

The Milk Bar!

Crocodile on the Daintree River

We came home from Cooktown via the Daintree National Park.  It is a truly magnificent drive if you don't mind the dirt road and a few quite steep mountains to climb.  It is most definitely four wheel drive only although we did pass a Wicked Van!  We think he probably only got as far as the first creek crossing.  As we were driving parallel to the Daintree River I glanced out the window to see this monster sunning himself on the river bank.  It was difficult to get a photo as he was on the other side of the river to where we were driving but you do get the idea of how incredibly aggressive these monsters are.  This one was about two metres long and a baby by Daintree standard, but it would still easily take a life.

Daintree River

The coloured sands at Elim Beach

Sometimes you stumble upon something so beautiful that it takes your breath away.  The coloured sands at Elim Beach did that for me.

Last weekend the photography group visited Cooktown.  I've been there before and loved the place even though the wind almost blew us backwards on that particular visit.  This trip, someone in the group mentioned that there were coloured sands north of Cooktown near Hopevale that might be worth a visit.  What an understatement.  

It took us a couple of hours (after numerous photo stops!) to reach our destination but what a treat.  I had been to the coloured sands at forty mile beach on the Queensland sunshine coast, but believe me, these were one hundred times better....perhaps it's because the number of visitors is about one hundredth and you don't run the risk of being run over by
 a four wheel drive vehicle when you walk alone the beach.
Anyway as I mentioned, the coloured sands at Elim Beach east of Hopevale,  are spectacular and well worth a visit if you get the opportunity.


We only drove for a couple of kilometres along the beach but we could have travelled many more had we had the time.  The tide was out....something you have to be very aware of....and you must also have in the back of your mind that this is crocodile country!  We didn't spot any, but you never know where they might lurk.

The $22 shop in Port Douglas......

is fantastic!  After my big wardrobe de-clutter (see earlier post) and getting rid of three garbage bags of clothes I felt the need to SHOP!  After the clean out it was easier to see what I needed in the way of clothes.  I love the layered look and in the chilly weather I love to wear leggings and skinny jeans.  Unfortunately I haven't got the body of a twenty year old so I have to cover the bum area with longer tops.  This is where the $22 shop comes in handy.  I managed to pick up three tops for $66!  One of the tops can also be worn as a dress when summer comes around again (and when I have a bit of colour in the old legs) and the other two look great with the little orange crop jacket that I bought last week.  I was feeling pretty happy with my shopping and made my way to the grocery store.  I had to pass another little shop tucked behind Coles and out the front was a rack of gorgeous maxi dresses for $20!  Of course I couldn't pass up that bargain.  It is a summery dress but goes well with another little jacket that I bought from the $22 shop a few weeks ago.  So all up I spent $86 and have got myself about a dozen new outfits with a bit of mix and match from my existing wardrobe.  A great day even if I do say so!

Is this a Moth Orchid?

There are some things in life that are just too amazing and beautiful for words. 


 I think Mother Nature took her time and put everything she had into creating orchids.  


When I look at this orchid I am mesmerised by its beauty.  It only flowers for me every two years but the wait is so worthwhile. 


The orchid was given to us as a house-warming present five years ago and to tell you the truth I didn't know too much about growing orchids, and still don't.  But I did know that they like dappled shade so I tied the orchid to a lovely old grapefruit tree that we have growing in the garden and I wrapped "Grandad's Beard" all around the roots, and that's it!  No soil, no fertiliser it just blooms.  


I have no idea what this orchid is called and would really love someone to leave a comment to let me know what it is.

Ahhhhh! Breakfast

Breakfast, broken down, means break the fast.  It is the one meal of the day that I take my time over and really enjoy.  As farmers/graziers we have a tradition of eating a hearty breakfast.  Maybe this came  about because you never really know what the day is going to bring when you're living on the land. That big breakfast that you ate might just have to see you through the whole day.  Believe me, that has happened more times than I care to remember.  But, now that we have slowed down somewhat I sometimes question whether we should be eating the "big" breakfast.  With all the talk of cholesterol and fat being so "bad" for us I took myself off to my local GP to have a cholesterol blood check.  Guess what.....it's absolutely normal!  So we still have a cooked breakfast every morning.  
Most mornings its this.....

1 Rasher of Bacon (fat removed to be healthy) and 1 egg sunny-side up!

Some mornings we have our egg with a chippolata or a small steak of even (when we can afford it!) a lamb chop.  We have our eggs many ways, scrambled, poached, fried and sometimes oven baked with ham.  

It is such a delicious and healthy start to our day.

A most glorious full moon

I took this photo last month when the moon was at the closest point to Earth.  What an amazing and beautiful sight.

Just another day at the farm......

DH is mustering at our our Julia Creek station so I get the job of mustering here on the farm.  Actually, I really love the job.  It gives me a chance to see up close and personal how the cows and calves are coming along. 

Even though we live in Paradise the farm is not always the best place in the world to breed cattle....our Julia Creek places are much better for that.  Our farm is in a tick area that brings its own problems plus it is very wet in the tropics.

  

We had a dose of coccidiosis in our calves two seasons ago so we are very aware of it now and keep a good eye on the calves.  The first sign of coccidiosis is diaharea so following behind the calves when we move them gives us a good chance to look for any signs.

Mount Molloy Mine Timber Mill

I drive past this structure quite often and didn't know what it was so I googled it and this is what I found out.

An extract from NORTH QUEENSLAND'S MINING HERITAGE TRAILS
"At the entrance to Mount Molloy township stands a boiler and steam engine, part of a timber mill constructed in1904 by the Mount Molloy Copper Mining Company.  The brick boiler mounting contains an intact Stirling boiler alongside a rare Marshall centre-flywheel compound engine.  The mining company survived on the timber trade after lack of ore placed its future in doubt.  In 1914, the mining company went into liquidation and all operations closed down"

Our Queenslander

I've been practising some night photography and the perfect subject is my beautiful home. 

We moved to Paradise (and our new home) almost six years ago.  To build and design my own home was a dream come true.  After thirty years of marriage I had some very strict criteria.......there should be a large entertainment area off the kitchen and the house should be small enough on the inside to not take me days to clean!  I ended up with two and half bedrooms (the other half became an office) two bathrooms a nice big laundry and open plan living area. A verandah on all four sides plus a rotunda made it just perfect!  

Sunbirds

I had to stand very quietly inside my house to take a photo of these little sunbirds.  They were having a lovely time taking nectar out of the flowers in my pot plant.  The plant is on a glass top table and I love the way the little sunbird is looking at a reflection of himself.  

Further to my post yesterday regarding the scammer I have a feeling of satisfaction that I have reported the scammer to the authorities and have contacted yahoo who will close his email account.  At least it will slow him down a little.  Still doesn't help my wallet but I have put it down to a very expensive lesson.