Living in a Tropical Paradise

A rare treasure

2009-08-26T12:53:00.002+10:00

Long time, no blogging. Long story why but I wont bore you all with it now.

I want to share a great give-away draw in another blog. Jan has designed this fantastic cross stitch chart and is giving one away to a lucky person. Below is a picture of the stitched design.

I think I will buy this one anyway :)

A short stay in Melbourne

2009-05-24T21:41:00.003+10:00

I flew from Cairns to Melbourne today as I am attending a conference for the next three days. The photo above is the hotel I am staying at but this is not a photo I have taken as the weather today was quite dull and awful. I have a very comfortable king room with all the luxury fittings, its a joy to stay at such a lush establishment.

ANZAC Day

2009-04-25T09:28:00.002+10:00

LEST WE FORGET

A quiet day for Robert and I. We don't go to any services or parades - Robert has been there and done that during his Navy days and does not feel any need to go back and experience as a civilian.

Running out of time to get ready for our New Zealand trip. 9 sleeps to go and we are off. I see that some stores are open after 1:00pm today, I think I need to buy some warmer clothes.

Stitching projects sent

2009-04-18T12:06:00.003+10:00

My first mattress pincushion has been received by my Swapbot partner. The theme was a Lizzie Kate flip it word. I chose "create" for my partner as she is a teacher and I always see teachers as creative types - maybe its because they help create futures. Anyway my partner was very happy to receive the piece.

In another swap I was to put together a green biscornu - my partner for that swap liked deep greens so I chose a dark green aida and used a DMC variations floss. I used a bead in the centre rather than a button as I found a great one with gold scroll work around the bead.

I am quite pleased with both these projects.

Shores of Hawk Run Hollow - progress

2009-04-15T07:55:00.002+10:00

While we are on a lighthouse theme (refer posts below) I thought I would post an update on my progress on the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow. Above is my progress on block 1 of 12. Each block is approximately 5 inches square and I was hoping to get one block per month finished - so far I am running behind but I should have expected that. I am supervising an exam tonight so I will take the project along to see if I can get some extra stitching in.

Windy and squally Easter break

2009-04-13T20:23:00.003+10:00

As predicted, the weather in Cooktown was quite foul for the Easter holiday. Fortunately for us we were staying in a cabin which meant that looking over the rain soaked camping grounds at huddles of wet and miserable campers really did not really place us in any mood to go out and have some fun.

Robert didn't like the look of any of the fishing options on offer so we limited ourselves to a few driving day trips.

Day 1 was a journey south of Cooktown to explore the hidden bays and jungle about. Robert really wanted to visit Archer Point as it was written up in the guide books as worth a visit and wow it did not disappoint. Archer point is an exposed headland with not one BUT TWO cute little light houses! One light house is located on a small island just off the coast and the other is on the headland. You may notice in the background of the photo below the haze - well that's actually a squally storm making its way straight towards us!!

Lighthouse on island off Archer Point

Mainland lighthouse at Archer Point.

The red and green panels in front of the lighthouse globe is meant to convey to ships at sea whether they are in a safe position - if the skipper can see a red light then that's not a good spot to be in and the boat needs to move further out to sea. If the ship's crew can see green from the light then they are in a safe position to pass by the rocks.

I won't make this post too long but I thought I would also share a photo of the crossing over the Bloomfield River which is on the way back to Cairns (via the coast road). There was only about 15cm of water over the causeway but even a simple slip if you walked over could be dangerous.

Its Raining - must be time for an Easter Camping Trip

2009-04-09T11:33:00.004+10:00

In a long held tradition - the Easter long weekend is when Cairns locals try to go camping and traditionally when it pours with rain. This year is no different and everyone in our office is planning a damp weekend away.

Robert and I are planning a long weekend in Cooktown. It's a four hour drive north of Cairns and we are staying in cabins at one of the local caravan parks. Cooktown is a great little spot - its where Captain Cook beached the Endeavour to repair the hull after he ran into the reef on his travels north along the east coast of Australia in 1770.

We plan to do a bit of fishing, exploring and relaxing over the weekend.

Everyone else in our office is doing the real camping bit - hopefully the rain holds off for long enough to get tents set up at least - its really too much to hope for a completely dry Easter weekend :)

Happy Easter everyone, stay safe on the roads and don't eat too much chocolate (your own body's weight is enough).

Jacinta

More matchboxes

2009-03-31T09:23:00.000+10:00

Green matchbox sent to Helen in Canada. I used a metallic finish paint which reflected the light from the flash when I took a photo. I also sent Helen an unactivated geocoin as her Swapbot profile says she is a geocacher. I got to use some excess DMC floss for this creation - its so handy to have stuff leftover from finished cross stich projects laying around.

A Petrol-head kinda day

2009-03-29T21:58:00.001+10:00

IMG_0183
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Fantastic weather up here in Cairns today and so we jumped in the Trans Am (red one) to drive to the car club meeting. Roof off, sunnies on - yes this is the type of day we bought the cars for.

Meetings are meetings...generally very dull but afterwards we had a "shed run" to Brian's place. (A shed run is a convoy of cars converging on a members home to check out his shed, contents thereof and any good cars he may be hiding).

Fortunately Brian's lovely wife Joy was aware of our planned arrival at her home and had put the kettle (urn) on and had organised an early lunch for us all.

Brian's son, Matthew also turned up with the fantastic truck in the photo - its a 37 Chevy hauler (car carrier) - part hot rod, part truck, part American and a fantastic vehicle to see. All of the club members were totally blown away to see it as well as Matthew's El Camino (click on the link to Flickr photos).

All in all a great day out and there were some fantastic cars out and about too.

Catching up with the Bot.

2009-03-28T11:15:00.000+10:00

I have received a number of fantastic parcels over the past week but have been a bit slow in showing them on this blog. Above is a matchbox that I recieved from a Swapbotter in Canada (can you tell). The theme of the matchbox swap was "My Country". Mrs D did a fantastic job in decorating the stuffing the matchbox full of Canadian goodies including coins, mini hockey puck, charms, stickers and ribbons.

Next I have the fantastic parcel received from Liz, an Aussie Swapper who went to a lot of trouble to put together a selection of papercrafts, handmade items and craft items for me all in the colour red. Opening this parcel was like stumbling into Aladdin's Cave as each item emerged from the parce I was increasingly shocked and gratified at Liz's generosity and care.

Finally, but not leastly, this amazing selection of ribbons and buttons was sent to me from Christina in Portugal. Included was a fantastic handmade felt pin/brooch with sequins and beads. Christina makes an stunning collection of handcrafts and she has an etsy shop loaded with heaps of great things. This inspires me to have a go at covering my own buttons.

Brought to me by the letters.. J, D and H!

2009-03-27T08:23:00.003+10:00

I received another fantastic matchbox during the week. Another Swapbot swap... this time the theme of the swap was our initials. My initials are JDH and this beautiful matchbox features Dark blue fabric, Hieroglyphics and a selection of J,D and H goodies inside including Jingle bells, January, June, July (my birthday month), Dogs, Dragonflies, Dinosaurs, Dog prints, Hearts, Hangers, Hat, Hope, Hand milagro, Hello Kitty, House button and letter H.

Breccamerie created this masterpiece and she has a fantastic etsy store.

Close up of the matchbox itself.

Colour me Silly - Red

2009-03-19T08:24:00.001+10:00

Colour me Silly - Red (sent~)
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Another Swapbot exchange - this parcel went out to Jullie (Shabby Jules) in NSW. Jullie has a thing for luggage so I found a little suitcase to package all the stuff into and then searched high and low for fun red stuff to fill it up.

Jullie has received the parcel now and was very pleased with it.

The Chaos Crystal

2009-03-16T07:57:00.001+10:00

The Chaos Crystal by Jennifer Fallon

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
The dilemma that Declan faces is made clear at the beginning of the book however how he is going to achieve his goal is less clear.

However while the climax to the story is quite thrilling the final chapters reveal a number of new twists introduced in the final chapters are the real highlight.

I enjoy the dry wit of the author as seen through the banter between the Immortals and especially in the "one liners" that are part of the conversation whenever Kentravyon is part of the scene or discussion.

This series does not deliver predictable conclusions or twee happy endings. I was left with the tension of wanting to know more after each of the first three volumes. The fourth volume winds this tension to a conclusion and then twists the story onto a new tangent.

View all my reviews.

Buttons and Ribbons

2009-03-15T11:27:00.003+10:00

Buttons and Ribbons #4 - received
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

One of my favourite swaps to take part in is the Buttons and Ribbons series. This fantastic parcel was sent to me by Eadaoin in the UK. Pretty pink, green and crisp white and look out for the cool buttons in the background :). Thanks so much Eadaoin.

Another fun swap was themed "You are a Star" and was to swap stash items. The photos below set out the goodies that Joan sent me. In particular look at the little square buttons - they match the fabric very well so I will have to look at my projects to see what is crying out to be finished with star fabric and buttons.

Hamish - the well behaved cyclone

2009-03-11T17:17:00.002+10:00

A couple of days after the initial scare and I can now report that TC Hamish was a well behaved weather system. He did as the forecasters suggested - moved parallel to the coast and looks as though he will fizzle out without making landfall and create any excess damage. Yes the beaches are probably a mess but that's the least of the problems if a cyclone comes calling.

Below is the path of TC Hamish over the past day or so -he is just playing by himself out to sea.

Below is the satellite image of the weather system - you can see a smude of clouds to the east of the continent - that's Hamish playing in the waves :)

Disaster averted, for now.

Swapbot - Brought to you by the letter ...

2009-03-10T17:12:00.001+10:00

Matchbox Mafia - contents prior to stuffing
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

S! I created this matchbox for Sunnysidey (Sam) who lives in Perth. I picked out nice bright colours which match Western Australia's climate and covered it with spots. The contents included stars, stamps, sequins, silver, spots and spotty stars. Sam noted that she thought the package with great :)

More bad weather - TC Hamish

2009-03-07T19:00:00.002+10:00

Another cyclone formed off the coast to the north of us yesterday. However this time it looks as though its going to cause havoc to the south of us. This tracking map shows what the Bureau of Meteorology thinks the cyclone's path will be. Its already a Category 4 storm.

The satellite map also shows just how big the storm is and you can distinctly see the eye of the cyclone. The last time we saw a Cyclone with such a defined shape and eye it was three years ago when Cyclone Larry (category 5) crossed the coast at Innisfail.

Looks like the Whitsunday Islands might cop a direct hit this time - here's hoping for a sharp turn out to sea.

Red biscornu

2009-03-07T15:15:00.001+10:00

Red biscornu - sent to Robyn in NSW
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

This red biscornu was stitched by me for a Swapbot swap and sent to Robyn in New South Wales. I used red aida for the fabric and deep purple and silver floss. The silver was metallic and a total pain to stitch with so it might be a while before I get that colour out again.

January 2009 biscornu

2009-03-03T17:09:00.001+10:00

January 2009 biscornu
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Dee let me know that she received the January biscornu for the Swapbot exchange. I was getting worried that perhaps it was lost in the mail.

Swapbot Tube of Surprises - sent to Michelle

2009-02-25T08:04:00.001+10:00

Swapbot Tube of Surprises - sent to Michelle
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Michelle posted a note to let me know that she has received her Tube of Surprises. Lots of pink and girly stuff for her incorporate into her sewing and crafts. Pleased she liked the package.

Book review

2009-02-21T17:03:00.001+10:00

The Gods of Amyrantha by Jennifer Fallon

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though a large part of this book was spent setting up the scene for future volumes and hopefully and epic finale I really enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot towards the end. I liked the fact that its not certain that the good guys are, in fact, the good guys and maybe there might not be happy endings for all of our favourite characters.
An Aussie author I enjoy.

View all my reviews.

Voucher savings

2009-02-21T14:19:00.003+10:00

Life is good - during the week I received a voucher from Spotlight (chain craft, homewares and fabric store) that allowed me to save $40 if I spent over $100. So I carefully went though my list of things to do and took a long list of things to buy - I knew that it only makes sense to buy stuff you were going to buy anyway and not buy stuff just to get the discount and I watched the total add up to just over $100 (after my VIP) discount so bingo - save another $40!!

Now I am not allowed back for weeks!!

Biscornu - sent to Carol

2009-02-20T16:36:00.001+10:00

Biscornu - sent to Carol (Aussie Swappers)
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Carol wrote today to let me know that she received the biscornu that I sent for her birthday. I used an Aurelle pattern on 18ct Aida cloth and a rich red DMC thread. So pleased she likes it.

Creative Collage - received

2009-02-18T23:03:00.001+10:00

Creative Collage - received
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

I have received my creative collage from the fabulous Niss. This collage is personalised to my tastes including my name in purple (which is a great conicidence because my name means "wearer of purple". Thanks Niss, love it.

Year Long Prairie Schooler Exchange - sent round 1

2009-02-17T20:22:00.002+10:00

Year Long Prairie Schooler Exchange - sent round 1
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

It also seems that the post out of the flooded north is also working! Rebecca reports that she has received my Prairie Schooler stitched piece and I have not embarrassed myself in the stitching or finishing stakes. I am always nervous when exchanging as I am never confident my pieces are good enough. It was nice to receive some positive feedback.

The mail is starting to flow again!!

2009-02-17T19:26:00.004+10:00

Australia Post is working through the backlog of mail and today could only be called a Swap-bot extravaganza!! I received a number of fantastic parcels that I had been waiting on.

Drum roll please...

A magnificent biscornu from Jenna in the US for a Swap-bot Valentines Day Biscornu Swap. Love this one - especially when Robert also bought me a cute cupcake to enjoy with my lunch today also.

...but wait...there's more...

This is from Round 1 of the Year Round Prairie Schooler Exchange - a decorated Altoids Tin. I have always wondered just how big these tins are because we don't get Altoids in Australia. Well know I know how big this one is - its perfect for a needleholder (need to pop a magnet inside). Thanks so much Julianne for stitching this for me.

Don't go away...there's more...

A matchbox shrine from Niss in Brisbane. Another Swap-bot exchange - Niss picked up on my thing for shoes and made this magnificent piece of mini-art. I can't stop playing with it, opening it up and smiling. Thanks so much Niss.

I have also received other things - will post more in the next day or so.

Lizzie Kate Valentine Swap received by Nancy

2009-02-15T10:57:00.001+10:00

Lizzie Kate Valentine Swap.
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Nancy received her Valentine's day swap from me in time for Valentine's day. She said that she didn't know much about Australia so I also included a book of photos.

A helping hand

2009-02-11T21:36:00.003+10:00

This photos is doing the rounds on the internet media sites at the moment. Its a reminder of what a fantastic job the CFA and other fire fighters are doing in Victoria. Its also a reminder that even the animals need rescuing from the fires. I saw this koala on TV this evening - he has been taken in by wildlife carers and has had his burns tended to.

Tea time biscornu

2009-02-10T12:51:00.002+10:00

Jenna has received her biscornu for the Tea Time Biscornu Swap so I can also show what I sent to her. The biscornu has beads on the teapots as well as the centre instead of a button.

Buttons and biscornu

I am so pleased that Jenna is happy with the piece she received - I also included a book on Australian rainforests for her family to enjoy.

Biscornu to Pirjo

2009-02-10T09:25:00.004+10:00

I heard the Pirjo in Finland has received her Valentine's biscornu in the mail so I am able to post a picture. More photos can be seen on my Flickr site (links on the side bar).

The photos below show the contents of the package and the detail on the underside of the biscornu. Long story about the detail - when I stitched the biscornu together I realised that the hearts were upside down - so I unpicked the detail and then stitched it back in without unpicking the sides of the biscornu. Very time consuming but a lesson learned to think things though :)

Package sent to Pirjo in Finland

Detail on the underside of the biscornu.

detail on the upper edge of the biscornu - I was pleased about how this turned out - it was an adaptation of the original Blackyrose Creations pattern.

Updated my Look

2009-02-07T20:01:00.002+10:00

Well I have learned how to customise this blog using a background designed by another. I also managed to work out how to include code for a flickr badge. Not bad for an old dog who is not all that into playing with code (hooray for cut and paste).

I thought that this tropical look would brighten my day up - its been constantly raining here for weeks now so I can guarantee that the water does not look blue and lovely now. Picture brown and filled with debris washed down the river. During the past week our outrigger paddling coach has fished out three large empty drums out of the inlet while we have been training.

We went for a big paddle again this morning - Tuki, our coach picked out 6 of us who he thought must not have worked hard enough during the week and sent us off on a paddle around Admiralty Island - about 18km. He took the remainder of the gang (12 paddlers in two canoes) for a lighter paddle and the idea was that they travelled around the island in the opposite direction to us - when they saw us they were to turn around quickly and it was our brief to try to catch them on the way home. We sneaked up on the other two boats and overtook one of them but the one that we would have liked to catch stayed about 50m ahead of us all the way home. I was wrecked at the end of that paddle.

I have now paddled around the island three times this year. Only three of us have done that - which while is not bad going - is exhausting!

Swapbot Lizzie Kate Valentines cross stich swap

2009-01-29T22:26:00.001+10:00

Swapbot Lizzie Kate Valentines cross stich swap
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

I received this cute little hanging pillow from Courtney for a swap-bot swap. Courtney also sent some bobbins with floss and she made a beautiful beaded scissor fob (shown on my scissors). I have always wanted to try to make a scissor fob myself - now I have a bit of inspiration to go with.

I sent off four swaps today - three to the USA and one to Europe. Heres hoping they get to their destination without any dramas.

January 2009 biscornu received

2009-01-29T08:08:00.001+10:00

January 2009 biscornu received
Originally uploaded by Jacinta H

Received this biscornu from Doreen for the Swapbot January biscornu swap. Doreen used a Lizzie Kate pattern. Its a nice addition to my collection.

Match box shrine

2009-01-27T09:41:00.003+10:00

Swap-bot has introduced me to a number of new crafts - the latest being matchbox shrines. I created this shrine using the theme "birds and nests" and sent to another Aussie, Julie. The shrine includes an oversized golden egg and a hanging bird charm.

I was happy to hear that Julie received the shrine last week and it was a good fit for her interests.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

2009-01-26T22:27:00.004+10:00

Well Australia Day has come and gone - we did nothing to celebrate as both Robert and I had normal weekend commitments to deal with and I had a few swap-bot things to finish this weekend. It was nice to enjoy a quiet day at home however and both of us were out and about on Sunday and took the opportunity to fly the colours of our flag!

Outrigger padding training is back in full swing and for the past two Saturdays I have taken part in a marathon training paddle around Admiralty Island here in Cairns. The round trip is about 18km and we have been able to do the round trip in record times both weekends because we had the tides working with us.

I now have four new finishes to send off to swap-bot recipients - I will start packaging them up tomorrow and hopefully have them in the mail by Wednesday.

Swap-bot biscornu

2009-01-18T15:19:00.006+10:00

I received another biscornu in the mail this week - from Doreen (spurway) in Canada. The theme was white and one colour and I nominated green as my choice. Doreen also included a stack of buttons which is a welcome addition to my stash and a piece of green Aida for another project - the Aida is particularly welcomed as I can't buy fantastic colours like this locally.

I sent out a biscornu that I stitched over the Christmas break - this one was sent to Marion in Melbourne. Marion won a Handmade Heavenlies Group WTA and while she isn't a stitcher I figured that a biscornu is something a bit different and quirky. The pattern is an Aurelle freebie which was a quick and easy to stitch up and I added selected parts of the pattern for the back.

Swaps sent

2009-01-16T23:48:00.004+10:00

I received word from Liz (redcrystal) that she received the January Colour Me Silly swap box of goodies that I gathered together for her. I really enjoyed collecting all the "stuff" for this swap - it was a simple idea - a parcel of blue things that your swap partner would enjoy receiving. I also found a great blue box to put the stash in so I hope Liz can find a use for the box as well. Liz wrote and told me she really enjoyed receiving the parcel - so pleased you like it Liz.

January Colour Me Silly - blue box

I also sent out a mass of postcards to swappers all over the world - I sent of a heap of postcars that Robert bought back from his trip to Western Australia (he went via Central Australia) so that was a bit different from postcards from Cairns.

postcards sent for swapbot swap.

Soooo much rain :)

2009-01-12T20:56:00.010+10:00

Satellite image of Cyclone Charlotte (12 Jan 09)

Well the first cyclone of the year for our region and what a dumping of rain! Cyclone Charlotte crossed the coast of Cape York Peninsula this morning at the mouth of the Gilbert River as a category 1 cyclone which is strong enough to be a pest but not strong enough to do a lot of damage.

The cyclone quickly deteriorated into a rain depression and what a rainy depression it has been! Cairns received over 300mm before 9am this morning (that's a foot of rain if you measure things in the old scale) and then another 250mm since (its 9pm now). I took these photos of the rain overwhelming the guttering at our house this morning.

the pool nearly overflows as the rain pours in faster than the overflow pipe can remove the excess water.

Lucky for us our house is built on the foothills of Mount Whitfield so the water drained away quickly and efficiently. However that does mean that the water had to find somewhere to flow to and unfortunately for us that place was between our house and our office!!!

Anderson Street, Manunda (the Subaru handled the water levels)

It took 45 minutes to travel the 4km from the house to the office - perhaps this method would have been quicker.
(Brown Street, Westcourt)

never mind, the weather was great for some!

(ducks on the bank of the Barron River)

Tomorrow is likely to be just as wet and uncomfortable so its off with the good shoes and on with thongs and bare feet for work - typical Queensland.

A sign of things to come?

2009-01-03T17:14:00.005+10:00

I wandered through our undercover entertaining area today to discover that we now have automotive parts hanging from the roof. They were accompanied by the telltale aroma of freshly sprayed paint and looked suspiciously like an extension of Robert's work space in the garage! I am wondering what else will be hanging from the ceiling next time I walk by.

We must have had quite a bit of rain while we were away - the water level in the pool is up to the overflow outlet and the garden has gone mad. Mum's Garden at the front of the house is looking good despite the fact that Mum is not here to look after it and the plants are quite small still. Mum planted this area while she was staying with us last year (2008) and I expect that it will take off over the wet season and be totally established by the time Mum gets back next year for another instalment.

Mum's Garden

The gingers in the back yard have gone mental and are all flowering at the moment - it was difficult to get a good photo of them as the space that they take up is quite large. However there are at least 3 full blown flowers and another 3 or 4 budding.

We dont really spend a lot of time in the garden except to do a major cut back and tidy up once or twice a year. Mother nature takes care of the rest.

Swap-bot treats received

2009-01-02T18:03:00.010+10:00

When I returned home this morning I collected my mail from the post office and took receipt of a number of swap-bot treats.

First there were two post cards from swap-botters in the US. These will be included in my ever growing collection received via swap-bot.

Next I unwrapped this fun biscornu from Cathy in Canada - it was for the winter newbies biscornu. Cathy included some extra little buttons as well - always handy for stash. The photo doesn't really do the biscornu justice as the grey stitching you can see is actually a sparkly silver snowflake. There are also sparkly bits about the edge. Well done Cathy.

Next there was an envelope with three ATC's (artists trading cards) sent from autumnrain another fantastic swapper. The idea of the swap was to make up three ATC's, two with set themes and one with an open theme. The two set themes were "Fruit" and "Nature" and the photos below show the results of the artists interpretation of this theme.

Fruit Salad.

Nature's Seasons

The third ATC was an open theme and my swap partner checked out my profile and noticed that I have a bit of a thing for shoes. This is her interpretation of my fixation on footwear which makes me laugh every time I look at it.

For the love of shoes.

Thanks postal service and my swapping partners, your parcels were a great treat to return home to.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! BRING ON 2009

2009-01-01T07:51:00.002+10:00

Happy New Year to all!

2009 will be a simpler year as I try to declutter my life and take on less stress. However I believe that we will have a great year doing our thing in the Tropical Far North!

Hope 2009 is kind to everyone else

Frying eggs on the bonnet of the car

2008-12-31T20:48:00.002+10:00

Well today's drive has us in Mackay...possibly the most dull city in all of Australia. Its at the end of Australia's most dull drive (Rockhampton to Mackay) and both Robert and I are fighting the urge to give up the will to live :)

... do I sound a bit grumpy? Well its probably on account of the fact that we have had two days of hot hot travelling in a hot black car. In a twist of logic we discovered that it was cooler to sit directly in the sun with the roof off the car rather than with the roof on - go figure.

I reckon we could have fried an egg on the bonnet when we pulled up yesterday.

Last night we enjoyed the delights of Biloela (yep Aussies will know this as the place where the Biloela Sheila comes from). We ate out at a local club and delighted in watching to locals play up (yep there were some Sheila's doing their thing last night and they will have been rather sore and sorry for themselves this morning).

Anyway two more days on the road and we will be home.

Still on the road - however now back in Queensland

2008-12-29T18:32:00.005+10:00

Our road trip continues and today finds us in Toowoomba in southern Queensland. At the moment we are experiencing a fantastic storm. Its windy and rainy - a potentially very damaging storm. Its cold and windy outside which is a big change compared to the 32C we experienced when we drove into town. We are safe and snuggled away from it all in our hotel room.

Our accommodation last night at Moree was possibly the worst motel I have ever experienced. Robert thinks that he has stayed somewhere worse but in his opinion the motel was pretty awful. We picked this one because it had favourable reviews on Tripadviser.com so I have put in a review myself which was not so generous.

Our motel in Toowoomba is delightful - our room is very comfortable and clean. There is a restaurant attached to the motel also which is probably just as well with this storm swirling around.

Our drive was pretty dull - I grabbed the camera and took some photos to pass the time. Most were pretty awful and blurry but at least it passed the time.

Straight roads in Queensland.

Robert is unimpressed with my photographic experimentation.

Tomorrow we are off to Biloela. Its a long days travel with hopefully not another afternoon storm.

Echuca - West Wyalong - "there's not a lot out here"

2008-12-26T19:35:00.004+10:00

Our road trip takes us through south western NSW today and there is a lot of wide open spaces down here.

Yep, plenty of wide open spaces!

It was a hot day and just kept getting hotter with 36C at 5pm! There was a report of thunder storms and hail to the north of where we were travelling so we will need to keep an eye out for the weather tomorrow.

Christmas in Echuca

2008-12-25T15:20:00.006+10:00

Robert and I are on a road trip and Christmas Day finds us in Echuca on the Victorian/NSW border. We decided not to make any bookings for Christmas lunch but rather enjoy a quiet picnic somewhere about the town. No traditional food, just light summery fare which makes a lot more sense than European style wintery Christmas meals.

We discovered that while Echuca has a lot of really charming spots there aren't a lot of places for a picnic. The river bank is very dry and gravelly and not really inviting for a picnic and we found only one nice park where there was good shade from trees. Notwithstanding our picnic was all I hoped it would be - quiet, good food, relaxing and not too hot out of doors.

As you can see Christmas lunch was a very un-traditional informal affair.

Santa was very good to me this year with some Pandora beads and two great new books. The photo above is actually a shot of me with my head in one of my new books. Robert also received a new book and his spot on the blanket next to me was where he was laying back reading his book.

Its a hot day today - maximum temperature about 33C but we didn't really feel uncomfortable as the humidity was very low. The morning was nice and cool and crisp and we hope that it stays that way as we plan to continue our trip in the morning.

We plan to enjoy dinner out tonight at one of the local RSL club at Moama which is just over the border.

Having fun in Melbourne

2008-12-23T06:52:00.005+10:00

Melbourne put on her best "four seasons in one day" for us yesterday. Hot winds pushed the temperature up to 36C and then a cool change came through to cool things down. Last night a bit of rain and this morning a cold wind. The hot weather didn't bother us so much because the humidity was very low.

Yesterday morning Robert and I went over to the storage facility to inspect our new (old) car that has been in storage for the past three months. The battery of the car was flat so we contacted RACV for a jump start. The battery needed a full recharge so this was done overnight.

After Robert attended to some tidy ups on the car - a few screws and connections needed tightening and that sort of stuff we realised that there was nothing left to do with the car. So Robert agreed that some shopping was in order.

I managed to get a whole lap of the DFO without Robert asking if I had bought enough yet so that was pretty lucky. I got Robert out of the centre before he lost the will to live and we returned to the storage facility to check that the car's battery was charging nicely. The car turned over first time but the battery still needed more charge so we left the charger going.

Later on Robert mentioned that he had never been on a tram before so we determined to jump on a tram to go into the city for dinner and then return afterwards. Melbourne CBD was busy last night - plenty of people shopping, dining out or just catching up for a drink afterwork. This time of year is lovely in Melbourne - the city enjoys long afternoons and twilights and it doesn't get dark until 9:30pm.

We had dinner at Federation Square where there was a concert going on and masses of people enjoying the Melbourne evening. We went for a wander about the streets but I wasn't allowed to shop anymore.

We have photos of our time yesterday but our internet connection is quite ordinary at our hotel. We will try at hotspot later on today to try to load up some photos.

Our holiday starts today

2008-12-21T08:11:00.002+10:00

Today we are flying to Melbourne to start our Christmas adventure. We are driving a new (old) car back to Cairns. We are calling the trip our Bandit Run as the car we are bringing home is a 1976 Pontiac Trans Am similar to the model used in the movie Smokie and the Bandit.

Our flight leaves at 1pm so I had better get myself sorted and packed!

Swap-bot treasures

2008-12-21T07:28:00.009+10:00

A few months ago I disovered Swap-bot.com! What an amazing distraction! It all started out because I wanted to take part in a cross stitch exchange for one of the Yahoo groups I subscribe to. The group uses Swap-bot to manage the exchange. Now I am involved in a number of Australian groups on Swap-bot and have completed a number of swaps with international partners as well.

This past week I have received a number of fantastic pacels in the mail.

The first parcel I received was from Mona (sunshinesuperman) who crammed a mass of ribbons and buttons into a little Christmas stocking and sent it all the way from Kansas!

I was totally gobsmacked as each little treat was extracted from the stocking - so much!

Mona also packed a sachet of Hot Chocolate Mix - yummy. I haven't used it yet as its really not Hot Chocolate weather here in Cairns but I will find an opportunity to sit and enjoy a hot chocolate very soon. Thanks so much Mona.

I received another parcel from Laura in Melbourne. Laura sent me this set of water colour pencils. I have been trying a few new arty/crafty things since I found swap-bot and I discovered that having some drawing kit would be handy.

I have already had a lovely time using these - it was almost like revisting my childhood and have colouring in homework to do!

thanks again Laura (and William and your fur-kids)!

Lastly (but not leastly :) Carol sent me a little package of ribbons and buttons. I always have a use for these for finishing small needlework projects. I already have my eye on two of the buttons to finish a biscornu that I am working on.

Thanks Carol and to you and yours have a great Christmas.

Of course I have also sent things out to others - but do you think I was organised enough to take photos? No! Two biscornu and a package of buttons, ribbons and treats have been dispated to the USA and Canada. Some embroidery fabric has been sent to the UK and I sent a bunch of treats to the Aussie swappers who I have met this past few months.

Woohoo last day at work before a Christmas Break!

2008-12-19T00:46:00.002+10:00

Yeh! Only half a day to go before we shut down the office for a Christmas Break. One or two important things to get done before lunch and then we will shut down and take a long lunch and don't go back until the new year.

The weather has been typically tropical - hot and humid. We haven't had a lot of rain as its too early in the season for the rain to start so lunch may be an indoor affair. Love that aircon this time of year!

We gave the team at work their Christmas presents today - hampers full of Christmas treats. The hampers were beautifully prepared and presented by a local lady here in Cairns. She always creates nice packages. The girls at work also gave Robert and I gifts in return - I have a nice shiny new Pandora bead for my collection and Robert received a Trans Am souvenir number plate and an 8 track to play in our '76 TA.

Matty (my son) phoned me today to let me know that his Christmas gifts made it to him in the mail. He has lined up vacation work to commence in January and is pretty excited about it. This will be his first job in his professional field (electrical engineering) and its our understanding that he will be working on a great project that links in with his current interests at university (satellite technology). He also likes the idea that his rate of pay will be more than he could earn in retail!

Life is good.

Ok lets give this a go.

2008-12-19T00:21:00.000+10:00

Well I do enjoy checking out other people's blogs so I thought I would give keeping one of my own a go. I hope to share some of my thoughts and musings about our life and experiences living in tropical Far North Queensland.

Living in a Tropical Paradise

A rare treasure

A short stay in Melbourne

ANZAC Day

Stitching projects sent

Shores of Hawk Run Hollow - progress

Windy and squally Easter break

Its Raining - must be time for an Easter Camping Trip

More matchboxes

A Petrol-head kinda day

Catching up with the Bot.

Brought to me by the letters.. J, D and H!

Colour me Silly - Red

The Chaos Crystal

My review

Buttons and Ribbons

Hamish - the well behaved cyclone

Swapbot - Brought to you by the letter ...

More reading.

My review

More bad weather - TC Hamish

Red biscornu

January 2009 biscornu

Swapbot Tube of Surprises - sent to Michelle

Book review

My review

Voucher savings

Biscornu - sent to Carol

Creative Collage - received

Year Long Prairie Schooler Exchange - sent round 1

The mail is starting to flow again!!

Lizzie Kate Valentine Swap received by Nancy

A helping hand

Tea time biscornu

Biscornu to Pirjo

Updated my Look

Swapbot Lizzie Kate Valentines cross stich swap

January 2009 biscornu received

Match box shrine

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

Swap-bot biscornu

Swaps sent

Soooo much rain :)

A sign of things to come?

Swap-bot treats received

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! BRING ON 2009

Frying eggs on the bonnet of the car

Still on the road - however now back in Queensland

Echuca - West Wyalong - "there's not a lot out here"

Christmas in Echuca

Having fun in Melbourne

Our holiday starts today

Swap-bot treasures

Woohoo last day at work before a Christmas Break!

Ok lets give this a go.