Dinner and Show

Philip celebrated has 59th birthday last week.  Hard to believe I know!  I wanted to do something special for him so I obtained tickets for "Legally Blonde" performed by the Cairns Choral Society, booked us into the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino and made a dinner reservation at Tamarind Restaurant that never disappoints.
We arrived in Cairns mid afternoon to check into the hotel.  What a lovely surprise to be upgraded to a suite.  As we walked into the suite I was so overwhelmed by the sheer size and luxuriousness of the room that I completely forgot to take a photo!  We quickly settled into a room, ordered a bottle of wine and relaxed in the coolness of the room.  In what seemed like no time at all we had to shower and dress for our dinner reservation at 6 pm.  The meal, as always, was fantastic.  We both ordered identical meals - that comes from being married for almost 37 years!  Roast Duck salad for Entree and Trio of Pork for Main with Lotus Flowers as a side dish.  Pork and Duck and are two things that we hardly ever eat at home so it is always a treat to have.  I always order the Lotus Flowers as a side dish.  I hardly ever get through a full serve but they are sooooo delicious!

Lotus Flowers with a side of mayonnaise

A trio of Pork

After dinner we were relieved to walk the seven blocks to the Civic Theatre.  The pork, although delicious, was very rich so the walk did us both the world of good!  Just before we arrived at the Civic Theatre the whole Cairns area had a black-out.  It was so strange to be walking the streets without street lights and I was relieved when the power was restored.
We arrived in plenty of time for the show and quickly made our way into the theatre. Right on 8pm the curtain went up for the beginning of what was to be a great performance. I would have enjoyed it more but because of the power outage, the Civic Theatre Air-conditioning took until the second half of the show to cool the enormous cavity.  It was very uncomfortable!  However the performance really was terrific.  We have been to quite a few of the Choral Society Performances and they never disappoint.
After the show we thought about calling a cab for the return to our hotel but once again decided to walk.  It was a lovely balmy night, as are most nights in the tropics so the walk was a nice way to end a lovely evening.

No performance is complete without a box of Maltesers!

It has been so hot....

Living at Julatten we never expect to have a heatwave.  We always seem to have a gentle cooling breeze coming from various directions but the last two days have been the exception to the rule.  We don't have any air-conditioning in our house as we have no need for it and usually the fans are all we need but I found that I was heading to the air-conditioned office/craft room downstairs - numerous times - for gentle relief from the heat.

Yesterday we decided enough was enough and made our way down the range to Port Douglas for a swim.  We swim at the Sheraton Mirage Country Club pool.  It is always quiet and the change room facilities are better than anyone could ever afford in their own home.  Pixie Skase, as head interior designer,  decided that the Sheraton Mirage decor should be marble and gold and that is indeed what you see....everywhere...even the pool change rooms!

The swim was fabulous.  The water just the right temperature for me although Philip found it a bit too warm for his "training".  I was happily lapping away in the pool before it suddenly occurred to me that I had a forgotten to put underwear in my swim bag!  I had a dress but nothing to wear underneath! Damn!  I quickly jumped out of the pool and laid on a chaise to try and dry off the bathers  as I would have to wear the dress over the bathers.  Philip did suggest going "Commando".  Typical male hahahah!   All I could think was that we were going to shop groceries after the swim and it would be freezing walking through Coles in wet bathers!  But fortunately the sun was so incredibly warming that my bathers dried in no time at all.  Thank Goodness.

Relaxing poolside.

A Sleep Over

Our "adopted" grandkids having been asking for ages if they could come to our place for a sleep-over.  Of course we said yes but finding a suitable time has been a bit of a problem.  Finally we found a night that was agreeable to all, so the grandkids, mum and nanna arrived for lunch on Sunday.  Philip and I talked about the things that we could do with the kids.  We knew that they liked mustering so we made sure that we had a mob of cattle to move and I really needed help to pick and peel the abundant supply of rosellas.
The family arrived for lunch laden with enough food to feed an army!  There was roast chicken, ham, lasagne, cream buns, cream donuts, a BOX of mangoes, packets of chips....I didn't have to cook a single thing!
As soon as everything was unpacked from the car Philip took the kids and mum out to move the cattle.  Nanna and I stayed at home to prepare lunch for the hungry tribe when they arrived home.  We devoured the delicious lunch and promised the kids that we would go and pick the rosellas after lunch.  The weather, however, had other ideas.  A large storm started brewing and before long we had the inevitable thunder and lightening.  We waited it out.  The adults enjoyed the wait with a nice glass of champagne and the kids, well the kids grew more impatient.  However it didn't take the storm very long to pass over.  We hardly received any rain but it did cool things down somewhat.
The rosella picking took quite awhile.  So many rosellas.  I wish I had weighed them but there would have been at least five kilograms.  I ended up with twenty jars of jam and three jars of "Hibiscus Flowers" for adding to a glass of bubbly.  Separating the rosella flowers from the seed pod is the tedious part but with six sets of hands it seemed to be finished in no time at all.
By the time we had finished with the rosellas it was almost dinner.  Philip took the girls for a walk around the garden to pick flowers while we popped the lasagne in the oven.  Thank you Kate and Jodie.  It was delicious with a capital "D".  However I really should not have had two helpings!
The kids were well and truly worn out after their busy day so we were all in bed by 9.00 pm with the promise that Philip and I would wake the girls for our morning walk with the dogs.
As promised we did wake the girls early the next morning.  Nanna and mum also decided to join us for our 3km - half hour walk.  After the rain the day before the track was quite wet but it is still an enjoyable walk first thing in the morning. We were all ravenous when we returned to the house so breakfast went down a treat.  After breakfast it was time to strip beds and pack overnight bags.
It was so lovely to have everyone stay over and we have promised the kids that we will try and have a sleep-over each school holiday.

Waiting out the approaching storm

A walk down to the pond to look for the goldfish.

Nanna and the girls picking Rosellas

So many Rosellas!

All hands on deck.

My laundry tub packed to the brim with rosellas

Rosellas have to have a very good wash to remove all the little insects that hide in the flower.

Time to Party...

What a crazy time we have had over the past couple of weeks.  Way too much food and wine has been consumed but we have been catching up with with friends that we haven't seen for quite awhile so that's a good excuse!
So, where to begin.
Our young friends from Townsville were the first visitors for 2015.  They were having a mini holiday in Port Douglas for Skye's birthday so they asked if they could come and visit us.  We hadn't meet their latest family member....Emmasyn....so it was a good opportunity.  Skye's mum was also with them so we invited them for a casual lunch.  We sat over lunch for hours catching up on each others news.  Their young son....Maddox....is a dream child.  He is just three years old but a real darling.  All he wanted to do was go and see our donkey and we kept him waiting, waiting, waiting!  First it was "after lunch" and then it was "when Emmasyn goes to sleep" and finally "when it stops raining".  That young fellow took it in his stride and when he finally saw the donkey he said "OK can we go home now".  Hahahaha.
On Friday night we had the long awaited 60th birthday party for my bestie, Lynn. All invitees were asked to dress Fifties style and it was wonderful to see so many that took the effort to dress.  I was a bit slack but hubby made a bit of an effort and wore braces and hat.  It was a great night at Sarayi, Palm Cove.  The music and food were excellent and the party went on until the week small hours.  Some did not even go to bed.

Fifties theme for Lynns birthday.

Family Snap

The Birthday Girl

The party continued the next day poolside at the Oasis Resort where we devoured brunch before making our way home.  It was wonderful to talk with friends that we had not seen for years.

Megan, Ada and Poppy Jack.

Wendy and Ada Elaine

Son and his "Little Sister" Nikki.

At brunch, Philip and I invited everyone to lunch at our place the next day.  We ended up with a group of about twenty at lunch and it was most relaxing to be able to sit back in the coolness of our verandah and spin a few yarns.

The "Boys" at Kuramar

and "The Girls" at Kuramar

We picked up our friends from Toowoomba on Friday.  They flew in especially for the party and then came home with us after the party.  They are with us as I write and we are thoroughly enjoying each others company.  We have not caught up face to face with each other for a couple of years so plenty of tales have been told.
Yesterday we decided to head for Cooktown for a seafood lunch.  We had been telling our friends about it being one of the windiest places we had ever visited, but boy oh boy we hit a doozy of a day yesterday.  It was a stinking hot day with barely a breath of wind.  But we persisted in our idea of seafood in the park under the treetops.  The prawns were hands down the best and freshest we have ever eaten.  We knew it had to be fresh because the seafood outlet has it's own trawler!  The only "bug bear" (excuse the pun) was the mosquitoes that ate us alive under the shade of the big tree.  We at our lunch in record time to get away from them.  However, the day was lovely and we all agree that Cooktown is worth another visit.

This is not what you want to see when you don't have much cash on hand!  Check the price of the fuel!

The fuel Monster!

Selfie at the lookout.

Looking out over the mouth of the Endeavour River.

Cooktown from the lookout

Fresh Prawns and a Seafood Basket.  Yummy

Lunch with the gulls.  Can you see the chips that we threw in the air?

On our way back from Cooktown I received a message to say that the Beach family were going to go out for dinner to celebrate Lynn's "real" birth day.  Of course we could not miss that.  Our friends decided to stay at home but Philip and I quickly showered and dressed and made our way once more to Palm Cove, this time to Pullman Sea Temple.  The meal was delicious but best of all was the time that I had to chat to my bestie.  We really did not have much time to chat at her party.  We sat over dinner for almost three hours and enjoyed every minute of it.

So that has been our past couple of weeks.  Busy but fun.

New Years Eve 2014

A very happy new year to you all and I hope that 2015 brings us love and joy PLUS a good wet season.  

We spent New Years Eve at our friends magnificent home at Bluewater in Cairns.  We arrived there mid afternoon and immediately settled ourselves into the coolness of the air-conditioning whilst sipping our PM Champagne.  What a great drop.  It was a stinking hot day....even for Cairns....but the men eventually made their way outside to take a dip in the sparkling pool.  When the sun lost most of its bite our hosts invited us to board their boat for a scenic cruise down the river to the breakwater and Yorkeys Knob.  The yacht club looked like it was gearing up for a big night of festivities and looking at the number of boats that were moored at the marina, it would have been a large crowd.

Once we passed the breakwater the sea became quite choppy so we quickly turned around and made our way back to the peaceful waters of Bluewater.

We cruised up and down the numerous inlets that make up Bluewater and were in awe of some of the magnificent houses AND boats moored right at their door.  It really is a beautiful place to live.

As the sun set we moored the boat and made our way back into the coolness of the home where the women quickly prepared the dinner.  We feasted on Lobster (all the way from Tufi in PNG), prawns, steak, baked rib-bones, sausages and a token salad (just because it's healthy!)  Once again I over-ate....well the lobster WAS sitting right in front of me and it was the best I have EVER eaten....and promptly fell asleep on the couch!  It was probably a good thing as I was the designated driver and I had indulged in a few glasses of champagne.  

After I had my little nap........more food!  This time lime cheesecake and a nice cup of tea.  

We eventually said our goodbyes, well before midnight I might add, and were nicely tucked up in bed just as the clock chimed in a new year.

All aboard with the necessities....Champagne, Beer and Nibblies

Captain Kate

Ooops!

Yorkers Knob Yacht Club and Marina

A look around Yorkeys Knob Marina

My goodness.  I wonder if this father/son know that this is crocodile country!

Voted Number One house at Bluewater.  Yep....I wouldn't mind living here..

Christmas 2015

So Christmas has now come and gone and as somebody posted on Facebook today....

We had a wonderful christmas at Toowoomba this year with Mum and John.  Even though Mum has not been well these past few months she managed to put together a fantastic christmas for all the family.  We loved her Apricot Balls, Chocolate/Macadamia Balls and best of all the PLUM PUDDING!  John always does christmas breakfast and this year we had poached eggs, ham and then to finish we have Johns Special Fruit Salad!  John cuts all the fruit the old-fashioned way into small pieces....the way I love but never have the patience to do!

My two sisters and their families managed to travel to Toowoomba at various times over the Christmas break.  On Christmas Day the Albert family joined us for lunch at the Federal.  It certainly is a mighty feast and I defy anyone to say that they did not enjoy it.  We had seafood (Oysters, Prawns, Calamari and LOBSTER) and then all the hot dishes including Turkey, Ham and Pork and a variety of vegetables.  I must admit that I filled up on the seafood and main and did not get to the dessert table but everyone else said it was a huge variety. After lunch we all went back to Mum's place for Secret Santa and then afternoon tea. We all said our goodbyes late in the afternoon.

On boxing day we had the Coy Family arrive.  I haven't seen my darling little great-neice since she was just a few months old and now she is THREE!  Oh my!  She is just so adorable.  A little shy at first but she soon warmed to us.  Philip and I put together a couple of salads for lunch and finished with my sisters special trifle with mum's plum pudding, custard and ice-cream.  Once again I experienced that wonderful (not!) feeling of not being able to move after a meal!

We all sat around and watched Isabella (Bella) open her christmas presents and is there anything more wonderful than the look on a child's face as they open presents.  If you could can it, it would be worth a mint!

It really was a lovely Christmas break for us.  It was great to catch up on each others news but as always the time seems to just fly out the door.  I look forward to catching up with family maybe a little more often in 2015.  I understand that there is going to be direct flights from Cairns to Toowoomba shortly so that will be welcome.

I hope that anyone who reads this post also had a wonderful christmas with friends and family and that we can all look forward to christmas in just 363 days!

Whatever Happened to Santa Claus?

Santa Claus has gone missing and those at the North Pole are worried.  Could someone have stolen Santa, or worse!
This is the setting for the "party" that we went to on Saturday night.  Twelve players each hard a part to play and as we acted out our parts, hidden clues and messages were revealed as to Santa's disappearance and whereabouts.
What a great night we had.  Our friends Colin and Maree hosted this christmas party with a difference and everyone really got into the swing of it.  The hosts had set the room up to look like Santa's toy shop with presents scattered here and there.  Fantastic. And then there were the costumes.  Everyone had gone to so much trouble in replicating there character.  They really where splendid.  We had the mad scientist, Dr Dee Struction (played by Philip) The Chinese Lady, Lei Ying Lo (played by myself), Italian Mafia Man Tony Mascarpone, Postmaster Patch Elf, The Toymaker, Mrs Claus, The Swiss Banker, a Russian Princess, US Senator, The Irish Leprechaun, Santa's Daughter Calamity and Santa's Son.   Then there was the Security Officer, the Movie Star and the Singer.  Wheeww!  Quite a cast.
During the three part play we enjoyed a three course meal.  Everyone brought a plate so that it was not too much of a burden on the host and hostess and the food was so very tasty and delicious.
I'm not going to tell you what happened to Santa Claus (that was revealed at the end of the night) because you never know.  You might be invited to one of these fun parties one day!

Here is a collection of photos from the evening.

Ulysses Butterfly

I've written before about the beautiful Ulysses Butterflies that hover around our garden intermittently.  They are certainly prolific at the moment with lots of pollen laden flowers to choose from although they seem to prefer the pentas.
They are extremely hard to photograph as they never stop moving and when they do eventually stop to gather pollen they close their wings so that you can't get a photo of their magnificent colouring.
I chase them all around the garden trying to get a photo but have found the best result is to stand in one spot on the verandah and just take photos with a high speed shutter.  Of course I end up with dozens of photos but there is usually one that might be OK.  Here are my attempts today.

Photography Club Awards Night

On Saturday the Douglas Photographic Club held it's end of year Awards Night.  This year we decided to try Palmers Golf Club for our annual dinner.  We weren't disappointed.  The two course dinner was an alternate drop of either Roast Pork or Roast Turkey followed by either Pavlova or Mango Cheesecake.  The meals were very delicious and beautifully presented.
The photography club group are a great bunch of people.  Of course our passion for photography is what draws us all together but I love that the spouse's are also included in the outings.  We have a lot of activities planned for 2015 so that is exciting.  Some of the activities include camping so we are keeping our fingers crossed that our camper will arrive early in the new year.
I received an award for "Most Supportive Club Photographer" and "Outstanding Achievement" and Philip received the award for "Most Humorous Spouse".....  not entirely sure what that means!  The gorgeous ceramic gold fish where made by a local.

Cairns Taipans versus Townsville Crocs

On Friday we were invited by Irelands Holden (Cairns) to join them in their corporate box for the Taipans/Crocs NBA game.  As we had never been to a game before, we jumped at the opportunity.  Oh my gosh!  What an experience.  The game was neck and neck for a good part of the game but in the end the Taipans ran away with the game.  The twelve seat corporate box was so close to the side-line that you could count the sweat beads on the players brows!  We were wined and dined and had a great time.
There is a rivalry between Cairns and Townsville that has been going on between the two cities forever and not just sporting.  It goes way beyond that! When we lived in the west Townsville was "The Big Smoke" for us.  We really looked forward to our twice yearly visits where the women could visit all the department stores and the men would find a mans toyshop.  We stayed at a motel and we had takeaways nearly every night.  It was, to us....bliss.
When the boys started boarding school at Townsville our trips became more frequent but our love of Townsville never waned.  The smell of saltwater after the smell of dust was food for the soul.
So when we moved to Julatten and Cairns become our "Big Smoke" our hearts were torn between the two cities for a long time but gradually Cairns has won our favouritism.
I personally think the rivalry began when Townsville was granted an International Airport in 1980 making it the first regional international airport in Australia.  Cairns was granted one shortly after.  But the Townsville International Airport was short-lived as Cairns become more popular with international tourists and the Townsville International Airport was closed.  I don't think Townsville ever forgave Cairns for supposedly "stealing" it's airport.  This is just my opinion.
I tried to take some photos of the basketball game with my iPhone but I am hopeless at using it.  Give me an SLR any day!  Here is one that is just OK.

A sea of Taipans supporters!

Buffalo Flies

The cattle are extremely restless and irritable at the moment and it is all because of the tiny little buffalo fly.  They have attacked the cattle with a vengeance and they bite, they really REALLY bite and they are not fussy whether it is a beast or human.  Some cattle are more susceptible to buffalo flies than others and we cull them from the herd as soon as possible.  The cattle that are badly affected are left with sores where the cattle bite.
The recent rain has brought the flies out in force.  It is not an unusual situation and in order to keep the flies at bay we tag the cattle with buffalo fly ear tags twice a year.  The tags are only effective for 12 weeks so by tagging twice, the cattle are covered through summer and into autumn.
It doesn't take long to tag the cattle.  I have the easy job of keeping the cattle up to Philip and he has the harder job of head-bailing and tagging.  We have three small mobs of cattle on our little block so we are finished well and truly before lunch.  It is such a rewarding job.  When the cattle come into the yards they are continually tossing their heads and tails to try and chase the buffalo fly off their back and within five minutes of tagging, the flies are all but gone.  It all makes for happier cattle.

The flies are in plague proportions and hover over the cattle waiting to attack.

Can you imagine how the cattle must feel with all these little flies biting them!