I've got nothing to wear!!

It is so frustrating.  I stand in front of my wardrobe of clothes and complain that I have nothing to wear when the fact is that I have plenty of clothes to wear but can't see the trees for the forest.  There certainly is an issue in having too many clothes so it's time for a de-clutter.  I read an interesting article last week about de-cluttering our lives.....not just our wardrobe.  We surround ourselves with "things".  Things that probably meant a lot to us when we purchased them or were given them.  But we have to let go of some of these "things" or they overwhelm us.......just like my wardrobe of clothes.
I thought I would tackle the wardrobe today and slowly work my way around the rest of the house over the coming weeks.  I have, of course, de-cluttered my wardrobe before and the way I did it then was to take every single item out of the wardrobe and only put back what you really, really love.  Anyone who has tackled this way of de-cluttering would know that it takes a looooonnnnngggg time to do this.  The article that I read about had a much better idea.  It suggested that you work with the number 7.  Choose 7 tops, 7 bottoms, 7 coats/dresses, 7 accessories and 7 pairs of shoes.  This was very easy as everyone knows that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.  I chose these items very carefully however as you MUST be able to mix and match.  I know that I will have enough different outfits to get me through the  autumn/winter months. So once these items were chosen, the rest of the clothes were re-located to the empty wardrobe in the spare room.  I don't want to throw anything out just yet as I think that this de-clutter should be done twice a year.....autumn/winter and spring/summer.  When I do the spring/summer changeover I think most of the autumn/winter clothes will be well and truly worn out.  I must also say that I have kept my "yard clothes" as I will only use my chosen wardrobe  when I have visitors or if I go shopping.

So hear are the before and after photos.

I have been fairly organised with my wardrobe....dresses/coats in one area, bottoms on the top rail, tops on the bottom rail...just too many clothes!

This area has become out of control.....too many t-shirt and tops

Too many shoes.  Some haven't been worn for many years!

The "7" wardrobe.  It looks very sparse but I know that I can work with it.  

What I have noticed is that I still have too many black coats/tops....but good for the autumn/winter wardrobe

It was easy to pick seven pair of shoes because I am not really a "shoe" person.  I just picked the most comfortable!

Winter might finally be here

It's a little cooler here today.  Living in the tropics winter is never very cold but the temperature probably dipped to 15 degrees overnight which is cool enough. The temperature can get down as low as 6 degrees but that hasn't happened for a few years.  Something to look forward to.......not!
We went down to Cairns last night to have a steam boat dinner with friends.  It's such a lovely way to eat, with everyone helping themselves from the large steamer.  We filled the steam boat with prawns, lobster, coral trout, bok choy, baby corn, mushrooms, snow peas, baby spinach, wombok cabbage, noodles and of course the fish stock.  We stayed the night with our friends so that we could have a few drinks without the worry of driving and were back home again by 10am this morning.
The last few weeks I have been enjoying making my own bread again.  There is just something about the taste and smell of this bread that brings back memories of the bakeries of my childhood.  Real bread not filled with preservatives.
I found a fabulous recipe HERE that is so very easy. The recipe is for the Thermomix, that I don't, and will never own, but I just throw everything into my good old sunbeam mixmaster with the dough hooks and "bobs your uncle"!

Love my Sunbeam Mixmaster

Ready for the second rise and then into the oven

 I have made bread rolls , cobb loaves and the high top (Below) and the recipe has never failed me so give it a go.  You will love the result.

Ready for some butter and vegemite!

I've been a bit slack......

.......but also very busy.
The move from "Caleewa" was a huge job, probably bigger than any of us thought but it was 60 years of our life that we had to shift and you can collect a lot of stuff over that amount of time.  All up, there were seven trips, six using both the body truck and gooseneck and the last just the truck. The distance from "Caleewa" to "Evergreen" is 1600 kms.
Our last trip from "Caleewa" was an "all nighter".  Three vehicles departed.  Suzie in the Subaru with  four dogs, the cat and the bird, Marc and a mate in the truck with the remaining 10 dogs and a full load and Philip and I in the Toyota towing the gooseneck trailer.  We started off at 3.00 pm and we couldn't manage more than 80kmh with our fully loaded trailer.  We eventually arrived, after meal stops, at 3.00 pm the following afternoon.  Philip and I shared the drive and I am normally not a night driver but the spotlights on the Toyota are so good that it was almost like driving in daylight but without the traffic!

How we managed to get all these boxes plus the majority of the furniture in the last load was a miracle!

The day before we left "Caleewa", Suzie suggested that we take a picnic lunch to Eureka Waterhole to say goodbye to Kurt.  This is the place that we placed the plaque and spread Kurt's ashes.  It was a glorious day and I'm sure Kurt was with us in spirit.

Eureka Waterhole, "Caleewa"

Kurt's plaque

So we are now home and Philip told me that he had driven 9000 km in the past month.  That's a lot of kilometres.  It almost feels surreal that we have finally sold everything and that we can now make plans and lock them in.  No more droughts, no more poor prices for quality cattle, no more government bureaucracy!
So.....bring on retirement....or as close to it as we can get at this point in time.  We won't be fully retired until we leave "Kur-A-Mar" and that won't be for a few more years but it is something to look forward to.
Marco and Suzie are extremely happy on their new property at Gundiah.  It is a lovely property and I'm sure that they will enjoy it for many many years and that they will do well from it.  Suzie is looking forward to harvesting the first crop of Ginger in July so that will be interesting for them.  She already has a prospective purchaser lined up to purchase the whole crop.

Here are some photos over "Evergreen".  I apologise for the quality of the photos.  All I had was my iPhone!

Looking to the cattle yards

Looking towards the house and machinery sheds.  To the far right is the old Gundiah Railway Station building that was moved to Evergreen some years ago.

Looking towards the house and the two acres of ginger.

One of the many springs on the property.

On my way

I am on my way to Julia Creek to help with the final packing at "Caleewa".  I asked Philip how he felt about packing up almost 60 years of his life...he went very quiet.  It can't be easy for him and I have no doubt that when I arrive there I will also feel that same sadness of saying goodbye to a big chunk of our life.  But life does move on and,looking forward, I'm sure we will create many more wonderful memories as we head into retirement.

I am currently in Townsville and  my flight to Julia Creek leaves early tomorrow morning.  I was a little disappointed when I left home that the ankle boots that I had purchased from Frankie4 had not arrived in the mail before I left.  I had packed my suitcase around those boot as I was so sure I would be able to pick them up from the post office on my way to Cairns. As I had a bit of time to kill today I went to the Frankie4 website and found that there was a supplier right here in Townsville. I rang Frankie4 and they apologised profusely that my boots had not arrived and they said that they would ring the supplier in Townsville to see if they stocked the boots that I wanted. They did!  So a quick taxi trip has me know strutting around in the most comfortable shoes that I have ever had the pleasure of wearing. Seriously, it is like walking on air...

Now, here is the amazing thing.  Not only did Frankie4 refund me in full for my online purchase, they also sent me an Australia Post return slip, AND a $50 voucher to use for my next pair! What amazing customer service they have .......Kudos 👍👍👍 and thank you.

I've had a lot of fun this afternoon trying the on boots with the clothes that I have packed.  We are heading from Julia Creek to Gundiah where it is going to be quite cool so the boots will be very welcome and well worn by the time I get home.

A day trip

My friends Joan and Glenda picked me up nice on early on Sunday morning for a day of driving and photography.  Our intentions were to go to Mt Carbine and then on to McLeod River.  Unfortunately we only made it a short distance along the road before coming to a section of road that was completely impassable.  Three giant holes (big enough to lie in) in the sandy road on a very steep section meant that we had to turn back but not before walking a short distance along the road to photograph Mt. Carbine.

These holes in the road stopped us going any further.

Looking towards Mt. Carbine

After the disappointment of not being able to reach our intended destination Joan came up with the idea of heading across to Mt. Mulligan.  So back in the car as we headed back to Mt. Carbine township and then on another 24 km towards Cooktown where we turned off at the road heading to Karma Waters.  We veered to our left at the Karma Waters turnoff and about 8 kms down the road we came to the very lovely and picturesque Cooktown Crossing.  It was crowded with weekend campers (being a long weekend) but we found a pleasant spot to stop for morning tea.  

The very lovely Cooktown Crossing with kayaking a must!

Our morning tea stop at Cooktown crossing.

After a refreshing cup of tea we headed off again towards Mt. Mulligan.  The road twisted and turned and there were many gates.  We stopped at a lagoon to photograph some of the water lilies.  The place was surrounded by gum trees and termite mounds but still had a natural beauty.

A lily filled lagoon

Lots and lots of termite mounds

Back in the car again and after about 30 kilometres we stopped at the Hodgkinson River for lunch.  This place reminded me so much of Eureka Waterhole at "Caleewa"....the place where we spread Kurt's ashes.  It was almost eerie sitting there looking out over the waterhole and thinking back to that time but this place was just as beautiful as Eureka and had the same peaceful feel.

Lunch stop at Hodgkinson River

After lunch we were back on the road to Mt. Mulligan.  It is almost 30km to Mt. Mulligan Station but the road was quite good considering the amount of traffic that used the road.  It didn't seem to take very long before the towering peak of Mt. Mulligan appeared before us.  It is magnificent and we all agreed that if we could photograph the mountain at sunrise they would indeed be absolutely beautiful photos.  It reminded me a little of Carnarvon Gorge with its towering rock faces.

First glimpse of Mt. Mulligan

Mt. Mulligan from a different angle

The road meandered along with Mt. Mulligan on our right.  As we got closer to the mountain it just became more spectacular.  

Mt. Mulligan township ruins were our next stop.  

"Mt. Mulligan was a coal mining town and on the morning of Friday 16 September 1921, an explosion that was allegedly heard 60kms away to the south-east in Mareeba, brought down the coal mine at Mt. Mulligan.  Claiming 74 lives, this was one of Australia's worst mining disasters.  Although mining resumed and continued for some decades afterwards, the once substantial township was all but deserted by the early 1950's" - courtesy Paul Curtis (The Travellers Guide to North Queensland)

Some of the ruins at Mt. Mulligan

We drove and walked around the old ruins before returning to our car and heading towards Dimbulah.  We stopped at the old Thornborough Cemetery for afternoon tea and a wander through the graveyard.  I always wonder about the people buried there and what sort of lives they lived.  This headstone showed only too well just how hard it was.  Five children from this family, the eldest just 11 years, were buried by their mother in this spot.  Just so sad.

From Thornborough it was another 30 kms into Dimbulah.  The road improved dramatically but it was nice to once again be on bitumen from Dimbulah to Mareeba and then home.  We started our journey at 8.00 am and Joan and Glenda dropped me off at 6.00 pm.  It was a very long day but one I will remember for a long time.

New beginnings.

I can now, finally, tell you all that we have sold the last of our Julia Creek properties......Yaaaaayyyyy!
It has taken over two years to sell because of the continuing drought in western Queensland but we were lucky enough to receive a very good wet season that meant we could market the property as "heavily grassed".  It didn't take long to sell!
Caleewa Downs has been in the McCowen family since 1958......58 years and three generations.  It has been a remarkable property rarely missing out on a "wet season" until recent years.  The new owner, we are certain, will also see the value in this blue chip property.
So now the packing begins......58 years of "stuff".  A lot will go straight to the dump and a lot will go with our son to his new property near Gympie.  Our son estimates 5-6 trips to move everything and I intend to go on one of the trips as I'm looking forward to seeing "Evergreen".
So, new beginnings for all of us.  For hubby and I it will mean retirement and lots of trips to visit those places that have been on the bucket list for quite awhile.  Most of these trips will be right here in Australia as there are not too many places in the world that we really have much inclination to visit whilst there is so much unrest in the world.  We love our little camper and always look forward to the next adventure in it.
On a sad note I was gutted to hear that Prince had died.  Oh my goodness, I really loved that man.  I have most of his albums and watched the Purple Rain movie so many times that I wore out the VHS tape!  He truly was a legend and his music will live forever.  RIP Prince and see you in the parallel universe.

Dirt n Dust Festival 2016

The Dirt n Dust has been running now for 22 years.  You would have to call it a success.  It started as a discussion around the bar at the Julia Creek Town and Country Club when a little "live wire" who we will call Mad Maggie said that the town needed an event to liven it up.  All sorts of things were suggested but in the end it was decided that we would run a Triathlon with a Country Music Festival to support it.  Triathlon was in its infant years back then and the first triathlon drew a massive 20 competitors.  We were very impressed with this number.  This year the triathlon had almost 400 competitors from all over Australia.
My husband has competed in almost every one of the 22 triathlons.  In the first few years he competed in the team event with our two sons but it didn't take him long to start doing the individual event.  He loves it.
This year there was quite a few from our little area that drove the 1000km to either participate in, or enjoy the weekend festivities.  The weekend starts on Friday with the Junior Triathlon followed that night by a free concert.  Saturday is the Senior Triathlon followed by the Artesian Express Horse Racing.  Saturday night is the PBR Bullride followed by a concert with a "big name" performing.
We stayed at the Julia Creek Caravan Park in our little camper with our friends Richard and Tracy.  Tracy also competed in the Triathlon.  It is the perfect spot to stay as it is close to everything and a local bus shuttle service running between all venues is available if you don't feel like walking.
We stayed in Julia Creek until Sunday morning before then making our way to Porcupine Gorge for a night of camping.  It is a glorious spot and I wish that we had another day to enjoy it.  Philip and I did the 2.5 km walk to the bottom of the gorge and thank goodness we did!  The little rock pool below Pyramid Mountain is pretty beyond belief.  I just wish that I had packed bathers!
We are now home and looking forward to next years DirtnDust.

Philip "racking up" his bike

 The local mayor (right) is a good friend of ours and competes in many triathlons

Tracy checking her gears are correct

The competitors bikes are transported to the waterhole in the truck if they don't have their own transport

In readiness for the swim leg at Eastern Creek Waterhole

The run leg....a sea of runners the length of the main street in Julia Creek

Tracy on the run leg

It was one of the coolest triathlons due to the lovely cloud cover but the drinks were still needed by the runners

Philip on the run leg.  The knee is well strapped.

Magnificent reflections in the rock pool at Porcupine Gorge

Pyramid Mountain

Our campsite at Porcupine Gorge.  Bliss.

Moving right along.....

Gosh, it's been awhile since I last posted on my blog.  We have just had so much on our plate lately and some very exciting news that I will be able to tell you about in a couple of weeks time.
Philip is currently at Julia Creek where the men are busy selling and trucking cattle.  We have had a beautiful wet season at "Caleewa" and "Cathan" but I speak quietly as there are still so many places in western Queensland that have not received anywhere near enough rain.  We hope and pray for a late wet season for them but it doesn't look hopeful.
I quite look forward to my time alone.  Philip and I are with each other 24/7 so it's healthy to have a break away from each other.  For me I like to try out new recipes while I'm by myself and if they are a success I will serve them up to hubby when he returns.  I've made some very interesting things this past week

• Loaded sweet potatoes (filling of Chorizo, Capsicum, Onion, Sour Cream, Paprika etc etc)
• Bolognese sauce (made an extra large batch) and then served it with Zucchini Noodles; next day I topped jacket potatoes with the sauce and lots of parmesan cheese and on the third day I made a Moussaka that I have been enjoying with a greek salad.
• Pork Leg rubbed with Spiced Coffee mix (salt, pepper, cayenne, brown sugar, garlic, smoked paprika, ground coffee) that is slowly cooking away in the cooker ready for me to eat for lunch today with some fresh vegetables
• Coconut Ice Cream (condensed milk, full cream milk, coconut cream, shredded coconut) and peaches that I picked up on a throw out table at the farmers market and have now poached with coconut syrup, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, star anise and vanilla pod.

Pork Leg rubbed with spiced coffee mix for lunch today.

Since we now have our main meal at lunch and very little (if anything for dinner) I have become more creative with seemingly more time to prepare the lunch time meals.  I have always disliked cooking meals in the evening.  It is always late when we come in from the garden and quite honestly I just love to shower and then kick back in the lounge chair and enjoy a little evening TV.

How have your days been?  Busy?

Kidnapped

My friend Glenda rang me on Monday to say that her and Joan were going to kidnap me and take me to Atherton for the day.  I laughed. If that's kidnapping, bring it on!
So on Tuesday morning, nice and early, they picked me up and we made our way to the Atherton Tablelands.  I was told to make certain that I brought my camera because there would be plenty of photo opportunities.  These friends are lovely women and our love of photography has brought us together.  I am inspired when I am with them.  We chatted and laughed in the car on the drive and our first stop was to purchase red pawpaws from a roadside stall.  Then it was on to buy avocados and bananas from another roadside stall.  There is nothing like home grown produce.  It just tastes way better than anything you buy in a supermarket.
The next stop was for a photo shoot.  There were literally hundreds of magpie geese in a pond right beside the highway so we stopped and took some photos.  The reflections in the water at this time of day were lovely and of course being a cloudy day was also a photography bonus!

The main reason that we were heading to Atherton was to visit two photography exhibitions that were being displayed.  The first one was at the Tableland Regional Gallery and was an exhibition by Jane Hopkinson titled Wildlife of the Atherton Tablelands.  The photography was excellent and featured the elusive Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroos that live in the trees around Jane's home.
The next exhibition was at the Chinese Gardens but unfortunately we were told by a rather rude woman that the exhibition was not open yet.  Ah well.  As there was a nursery nearby we decided to go there instead.  I picked up a variety of bromeliads for $5 each and my friends purchased some orchids.
My belly was telling me it was time for lunch so we made our way back into Atherton to have lunch at our favourite place.  Glenda and I ordered BLT's and Joan ordered a vegetarian quiche.  They were all delicious and very filling.
After lunch we decided to head back to Mareeba with a quick stop at the Humpy to pick up our supply of Macadamia nuts.  I highly recommend the Sour Cream and Chives.  They are so moreish!
Back in the car we headed to Mareeba to visit the watercourse in the town centre.   What a surprise it was to see all the lotus flowers!  They are gorgeous and I really must get some for our pond at home.

We wandered around the lake and watched the ducks making their way across the water towards us.  They are quite obviously feed by people so whenever they see humans they think food.  We unfortunately did not have anything for them.

It was getting late in the day but we just had to stop at Lake Mitchell on our way home.  This is a beautiful spot that we visit quite often.  It has a huge amount of birdlife and we were lucky enough to see the beautiful black swans in the distance.  Unfortunately they were too far away for a good photograph but as the landscape here is simply magnificent I enjoyed taking some landscape photos.