Just cause I like it ......
It was very green in the hills and farmland 
A lot of rain all the way to Gisborne 
The forestry industry should me made to clean this up .... Interesting to fossick around in though ....The locals were to the left of the picture collecting firewood by the car loads 
The bridge in the last entry was for a train line between Napier and Gisborne ....
McD told me I should mention that the previous pictures and these below were taken from the car as we travelled around .... hence the quality isn't as good ........
We ate the first lot of baby beetroot fron the garden this evening ....Boootiful :O) going against the moon gardening we planted more beetroot, carrot, green beans, silverbeet, okra ........ potatoes have finally started to grow well....too late for xmas though i reckon....
Market Gardens at Napier NZ.. 
Disappearing Housing on Napiers waterfront.
The day after visiting the tablelands was our last day at the Silky Oaks resort and also our last day in Queensland.
The plan was to head towards Cairns and spend the day around there before going to the airport and catching our flight to Sydney.
We had our breakfast as usual at the resort in the open air restaurant and in typical fashion the sun emerged for us
The Silky Oaks restaurant
The swimming hole where fish and turtle reside
The swimming pool at the lodge
Well fed and bags packed we loaded up the car and set off... Just outside of the lodge along the road through the rainforest we saw a kookaburra on a telegraph post... We stopped (of course) to try and get a last chance shot. We pulled over to the side of the road and McD jumped out camera in hand ....I stayed in the car. . Having taken a few shots McD decided she needed a bigger lens and walked back to the open car door ... AS she went past the back of the car I saw in the rear view mirror a sudden look of horror on her face and then she was gone momentarily as she shot into the air ..... Then down she came landing shouting "Snake !!!! " ....
McD had managed to literally step over a large brown snake to get the pictures she wanted ... then returning saw the snake as it moved amongst the grass and bushes.....
"Well get a picture !" I said
And She Did !!! - can you see it beating a hasty retreat .... Nothing takes McD on :O)
Curtesy of McDinzie
Of course we joked and laughed about it ...But it was a real reminder that we are closer to nature than we often think ....... A reminder that this could have been a serious event ....I was glad we were not too far from assistance ....Also glad that the snake looks to be a python (We don't know for sure)..And probably sunning itself first thing in the morning ...... Who knows .... Pythons in Ozz can get up to around 6 metres by the way ......
And on we went ... Next stop was to drive towards cairns and turn off into the Great Divide to a small township called kuranda...Here was a crafts market and a Butterfly sanctuary. We spent quite a while at the butterfly place ...Eventually giving up on getting the 'perfect shot' and heading off to grab a pie and a drink at the market...It was getting hot .......
McDs new hat accessory 
We tired easily ...The heat of the day hit us hard (mid 30s) and so we drove back down into Cairns itself to have a look around ....
Looking down on the plains around Cairns
Well not really a lot to look at .. .We asked at the tourist information but they had no real suggestions for a few hours sightseeing... We hit the mall for some supplies and coffee... Then we drove along the beach esplanade...Well the beach was a river estuary !! Hundreds of sun seekers lay side to side on a grass strip between the road and the sands .... I was quite surprised by this as advertising always seemed to show the white sand beaches and palms ... Nope ..... We continued our drive around ... The espanade was ok ... not special .. .the rest of the town was just that - a sprawling town....
So having drove through their botanical gardens stopping for a drink, we gave up and headed for the airport .... Next stop Sydney - our last in Ozz
Today's Photo's: Too cold for taking pictures .. .shots from the Botanic Gardens in Wellington NZ ... We visited them a few weeks back but I never posted anything .... I don't think anyway ....
Weather: The weather is pretty horrible and has been since yesterday. Effin cold southerly winds, rain, hail, and snow again in the high country ... Not looking to good for the rest of the week either which is tragic for me as this was the last week I can work on the garden before starting my new job at the bank ... Damned frustrating .... 
Degrees of Separation: Fellow ODer and blogger GypsySpirit started an interesting discussion on degrees of separation between people around the world. KiwiChatter also gave a great example of the connects we have with each other through other friends. The idea that it is only 6 degrees of separation between someone in one part of the work to someone else in another is well known ....Within NZ (and I think with some pride) we believe that there are only two degrees of separation .... It's a cool idea as it does make all kiwis part of a relative close 'extended family' ....
I have a general example of the degrees of separation in the world. I'm on a site called 'Linkedin'. It's a professional network. "LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals."
I maintain contact with people I've work with since joining and have 107 immediate contacts ...People who know me directly ....
2 degrees away from me are 6,300 people ... I know someone who knows one or more of them.
3 degrees away from me and there are 595,700 people. I know someone who knows someone who knows one or more of these people ....
And that's with just 107 contacts .... There must be a huge number more I would have worked with over the years .... And that is only work contacts. Add friends, family, aquaintancies, fellow bloggers and its easy to understand the 6 degrees of separation .....
New Job: While concerned about the new role I have taken on, We can only be thankful that I will soon be back in gainful employment again. While the role isn't as senior as I'm used to, There has been little else opened up on the job market ...Had this not come by there would have been every likelihood of my not getting a role for some many month ahead. That would have sapped our resources far too much. It was also becoming apparent in interviews that being out of work too long was a negative against you .... So really it all worked out well and with good timing... I will have had a 3 months 3 weeks break. and much needed it was too .... I'm generally feeling better, healthier, have a bit of a suntan rather than that 'PC monitor radiation grey' IT workers are prone to have. And while I've a number of concerns about the new role I'm quite keen and full of ideas as to what can be done.......
Of course winning lotto and becoming a bread baking hippy would be better :O) But I still fully expect that to happen over the course of time :O)
Oh - did I say ? - the role is with an Australasian bank as an "ITIL Delivery Manager' ... What the Sam is that I hear you ask ...... well to quote from the job description - the role is "Responsible for establishing the ITIL Service Management capability within (bank) New Zealand and providing governance over the services that fall within the scope of IT Service Management."
But what that really means I'll let you know in the coming months ....
The gardening: Damn this weather ...Anyway, we are now filling up one of the new raised borders ...Pea straw and well rotted home made compost with plenty of horse manure, and a rich 'veggie garden' soil sold by living earth. All of it 'walked' up the hill and steps by bag and bucket....
Another two borders are close to finishing as I've pick axed out the rock/clay and laid flat sections into the hillside. I've another small border to put in and discussion as to adding yet another in the corner that will be a rhubarb patch .... love rhubarb :O)
3-months of working on this and other parts of the garden .... To look at the place you would not believe I'd been working so hard on the section ..... .
We've now got various seedling in pots and trays. some are getting too leggy and need to be potted on very soon ... its a lot of work and a little worrying as McD and I are going away next week for another break .....
I HATE BLACKBIRDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Little sods have raked over my seedlings of lettuce, carrots, and the like ... ruined them ......... I will have to plant again now. And then !!! I spent a while mounding up potatoes (its a pain in raised borders ) anyway - no sooner had I left to get more soil that the blackbirds there scratching feverishly levelling the soil again in search of worms....... They are far too tame of course ...
So now I have netting MWHAHAHAHAH ....MWHAHAHAHAHA :O) Though an air rifle was first in my mind - hell bent on a bloody revenge ........
Another Holiday: Does it sound that bad !! We decided we should have another short holiday before I start work ... It will probably be the last break for a while as I will have to build up my annual leave again ....
So we are going to pack the car and head north and east and visit Gisborne and the east cape - which is on the east cost of the north island. Hopefully the weather will improve. Snowing along the way there at present with people in cars having to be rescued...... Hopefully we will get to see the sunrise in Gisborne... The first city in the world to welcome the sunrise of a new day. Hopefully we will see lots of kiwi-ana and take lots of pictures to bore you all with over the next month or so :O)
The big event!! Of course this break also lets me go away and sulk... I have less than one week to go and then it is the end of my 40s ....Where did that decade go !!! Man, I thought the end of my 30s was bad !! So come Sunday and I will have actually made it to 50 years .... Been very touch and go along the way ... Still have yet to grow up and learn how to look after myself (McD Will vouch for that ....:O) But there you go ..... perhaps I should do a short write-up on this ....from zero to half-century in 10 minutes :O)
Welcome swallow, swallowducks, whip bird, whipbird
Curtain (Strangler?) Fig in the Queensland rainforest ...
Click here and here to hear the Whip-bird described in the last entry ...What we didn't know was the other sound - the Choo Choo Choo Choo - that accompanied the feewww-whip was a female whipbird responding to the male song !! If you are a bird nut like us then there is a whole page of soundbites highlighting the regional differences in song of these birds ..... here
After the Stop off for the fig tree we headed to Lake Barrine for lunch. The lake is set in the forest. The tea house is an old 1920s style house. Very nice and with a beautiful and tranquil setting .. The small cafe was proudly displaying their Multi-award winnings for Scones ..>
Taken from that great site - http://www.lakebarrine.com.au/ A must see for great information and better pictures :O)
Well you have to try them don't you :O) We had a very nice salad and barramundi fish and then their award winning Devonshire Teas. they lived up to their accolades :O) We ate on the balcony of the charming 80+ year old teahouse while taking in the scenic & serene lake views.
In fact I was so taken with the scenery I forgot to take a snap of the house itself !! Doh ...
Taken from that great site - http://rainforest-australia.com/ - A must see for great information and better pictures :O) 
Taken from that great site http://rainforest-australia.com/A must see for great information and better pictures :O)
AS we sat and looked out we watched the Welcome Swallows around the only boat on the water.
I didn't realise what bulging eyes they have !! All the better to see flies with I suppose :O) 
We even got to see a cormorant - Pretty comkon throughout Ozz and New Zealand ... Initially though it might be a Grebe ...Then put my specs on :O\
The boat took people at a slow pace around the 4.5km lake edge... They took you to see a python snake as well as a resident turtle... We had settled down with our devenshire teas so took a pass on sailing ....
However as the boat set off we watched as a number of ducks, all in line, flew one by one out of the water to grab a piece of bread from the boat owners hand .... Each duck awaiting it's turn to fly and feed ....Now are Mallard Ducks everywhere in the world !!!!
As one duck descends the next is already in the air and approaching ... And no Air traffic Control !!! :O) 
Just like the planes landing at Wellington Airport !! :O) 
We took a walk to see the two giant Karri trees in the forest nearby and then walked through the gardens for the car... And then we heard it !! "feeeeewwwwwww-Whip" !!! The bird was right beside us in the garden undergrowth ... Incredibly busy and seemingly in a bad mood he never stopped moving and shouting and all the time right on the ground beside us ...... Well I tried and tried and tried to get a decent shot of him .... he even came so close to me he touched by boot as I stood rock still !!! but these were as good as it got .. Of course McD has a better shot ...I'm sure she has or will share it on her blog ..
dammit - close....
I suspect this is a juvenile
The problem also was that in looking down like that It doesn't show it has a white throat !!! nor its crest !!! :o\
Visit here for a proper picture .......Whip Bird
And that was that ...A day almost gone already and a long trip back home
Atherton was interesting ... We had been given a long list of attractions to see by the tourist information office there, but decided it would be too long a trip for us ...Tiredness setting in I think after many days of travelling.
We decided to take a day trip to Queensland's Tablelands. Inland Queensland that took us into a very rural setting . But not all rural farmland as it boasts its own 'lake district' and a wealth of rainforest and wildlife.
To take a quote from another website
"You can enjoy barramundi and fresh water fishing, cruise and swim the lakes, historic steam train rides and birdwatching.
World heritage rainforests... mountains... rivers... lakes in extinct volcanos and magnificent waterfalls. All this is around an hour from the coast and about as far from where the outback starts.
That's just part of this benign and fertile plateau reaching up to 1000 metres above sea level. Primitive ferns hang from and around giant Kauri pines as they've done for hundreds of years. There's strangler figs with roots hanging more than 15 metres to the ground." Taken from that great site
You could spend a whole holiday in this area which extends as far south as Innisfail and as far north as Port Douglas. We had a single day. Apart from the lakes there are walks and treks around lakes and to waterfalls and into the rainforest. Arts and crafts shops and galleries abound. Small farm type industries with wonderful names such as the "Humpy Nut World", Mt Uncle Distillery, and the "Mungalli Creek Bio-dynamic dairy (cheese tastings and tea house). Too much to cover in a day,. Especially when the bird and animal life was so different again . We decided not to do a mad drive through the area and try and see everything ... So we headed for the main township of the area, Atherton, check out the Tourist Information there (the Queensland Tourist Information shops are the best we've ever encountered... Friendly, informative, and very keen to help you get the most out of your journey).
And so up with the larks (or kookaburras :o) we headed south and over the mountain range known as the great dividing range. As we zig-zagged along with the winding road we were able to see out and across the plains of both sides to the range ... Again the weather wasn't good for the scenic shots ....
On the Tablelands the rainforest left us and a rural farming and more scrub bush land emerged. The land around Atherton is used to grow a variety of crops, including Sugar cane, Peanuts, mangoes, maize, potatoes, avocados and macadamia nuts. All this with dairy and beef cattle being farmed in the area. 
Of course you always encounter roadworks somewhere along the roads travelled
The construction going on revealing how red the soil is in parts of Australia
Here still were some sugar cane fields as well as the Banana plantations ... Each bunch of fruits wrapped inside a plastic bag .... I suspect to keep insects and Bird life off them .... Must be highly labour intensive to do
Various roadside stalls provided interest along the way ..
While the drive was long there was plenty to look at and if we'd had the time we could have stopped numerous times ...However the schedule was tight in that we wanted to be back at the Retreat by dark and so Atherton was to be the 1st real stop ... Atherton is a growing township likely to loose (or have lost ) a lot of its charm as it does so ... However there is still a good deal of the older Ozzie buildings of various styles in place ... 
This wonderful building turned out to be the courthouse.
I had read about the "crystal Caves" shop in Atherton ... We stopped off to have a look. Crystals from around the world as well as locally were on display and/or for sale... What did catch our eye was a pile of unopened Geodes from South America ...geodes are basically round rocks that have various crystals inside of their hollow centres. You can read more on them here ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geode
We decided to buy one and have it cracked open. We would be the first people ever to see the formation inside. 
The shop has a large geode "stone cracker" in full view inside the shop. Having decided on a suitable sized piece of rock we were invited to do the 'cracking' of the rock ourselves ... As soon as we started to prepare a number of spectators formed around us
Safety specs were put onto McD who was to hold the two halves. what effectively was a large chain was wrapped around the rock and I was given the task of pulling on the lever until the rock broke .... With the warning to stop as soon as it does break .....
I pulled slowly downwards .. a couple of small cracks as the chain bit..I stopped immediately.... A louder 'crack' as I pulled harder down. I stopped immediately ....And then a real "CRACK" as the rock split neatly into two and into McDs waiting hands .....
We were given a talk on what was inside the two halves and then they were wrapped and given to us to bring home ....
Something to keep forever... A fond reminder of one of our travels together.
"When one of us dies we should bury one half with us " I suggested. "A connection between us even through death"....
Well - I'll leave McD to tell you about what that started !!! .......
Stay tuned for part 2 (and maybe 3) for tales of giant strangler fig trees, formation flying ducks and whip birds .... :O)
We continued to drive and stop along the road at cape tribulation ...
It was annoying that our days were so cloudy when we were by the beaches. The pictures do not show how special they are ...Here the rain forest came right down to the sandy shore. It was windy but a warm wind and fairly light this time .... 
We had walked a long path through the forest to get to the beach. As we walked back over a strangely coloured stream we noticed there were fish swimming around in it ... 
And around every corner a new plant to wonder at ... 
We drove as far as we could ...A store and turning area marked the end ... Though we did drive a little further the road ended and a gravel track started ....
It was time to meander back home ... Our last stop before the car ferry back was to take in the views from a scenic spot 
We noticed some movement in a tree beside us as we took these pictures ... It was a small parrot ...In fact it turned out to be the smallest parrot in Australia - the Double eyed Fig-Parrot..... And true to form she was munchinmg away on the fig fruits as we watched and tried very hard to photograph her 
A bit of a messy eater isn't she :O) 
None of the pictures came out too well ....Typical ... This one caught the ghost of a noisy myhna ..
Oh well - It was fun trying :O) I wonder if McD did any better ?? 
This day turned out to be one of our busiest days ... We were to take a drive further north to the daintier township, take a boat ride along the crocodile inhabited river there and then take the car ferry across the river to drive through the forests of Cape Tribulation and then back home .... It was to be a photographic feast of sights and subjects .....
We're still at the Silky Oaks lodge ... It's all been very pleasant but too little wildlife around the area. A shame really. We've been to other places where we saw a heap more ....
The bush turkey was always around and always on the hunt for food ... Nice colours but not a particularly pretty bird ... They are notable for their vertical tails ..... 
I've yet to find out what this bird is ... But he does look like a butcher bird - Just the wrong colouring .... 
Along the way we stopped off to get a shot of the egrets with the horses ..A fairly common bird on farm and wetlands .... 
In the distance Sulphur crested cockatoos searched through the forest trees ... 
And a Kookaburra watched from a telegraph pole..
This plant I know well ... My Dad used to grow it for us as kids ....It's a type of Mimosa. We knew it as the sensitive plant...
When you touch the leaves they fold up and droop very quickly .... 
So that was the first stop !! :O) I wish we had had double the time so we could spend more time like this ...just seeing what came up ... 
It was an easy drive to Daintree. We stopped just before the township to catch the river boat .... We were made very welcome and offered a cup of the local 'Daintree' tea while we waited 
The boat was reasonable large holding around 30 people ..but did seem low in the water to be viewing Crocs in ....Having seen how high they can lift them selves out of the water at Darwin ....
The water was a murky brown being close to the estuary and tidal ...We again were cursed with a nice but overcast day for our travels ...Good as the temperatures were just warm and not stifling but not so good for taking photos .... But we did of course :O) 
The river was quite picturesque and the mangroves of various varieties overhung the banks they themselves had created .......
A few white herons had found their hiding spots. Only partially alert to our presence .... 
This croc was a monster ... The river guide told us there were bigger in the river ...This one was getting too old . His teeth were falling out and he was unable to compete with the other males ...
Best though to leave sleeping crocodiles lie... No matter how old they are :O) 
The mangroves were fascinating ..The flowers large on some plants starting off yellow and as they age becoming a red/pink colour ... The roots also form as breathing tubes due to the oxygenless mud/silt they grow in. They also exude the salt which enables them to live in such brackish water... An amazing plant and so important to the fish etc of the river
The guide had been on the lookout for a snake to show ... When he did there was a small frenzy of photographers trying to get a shot .... Me with my eyesight had picked the wrong end of the snake for the head !!! I figured his head would be upwards ...Hence the snake leaving pictures .... 
Crocs are and look so prehistoric ... They truly are an awesome creature.. 
There were a few other river cruises on the water ..The guide was in radio contact with some .. and actively competing with others :O) 
This is the car ferry we were to take later in the day 
Do Not try This on a Croc infested river - would you be doing this ?? A fish dinner might not be worth it if you fall in .....
On the way back (having dropped all but ourselves and another couple off near the ferry..They were part of a tour bus) the guide, who was a remarkable, knowledgeable and open chap gave us some more talk on the river and the wildlife ...It was so much more interesting that the trip up in many ways ....One chap from the other couple asked about the death of a young boy in the river to crocodiles ... The guide explained that the father was in fact a guide on the river ...There had been a huge rainfall and the river was swollen to the point of flooding .... Thinking nothing of it he left the house with his kids playing with their dog in the flood water at the back of the house ..... He said that Crocs were opportunist and would explore new areas where the water had reached ...The kids playing in the water with the dog (noise, vibrations etc) would have brought the croc right to them ... Imagine losing your child that way ....... "o\
True to the fathers passion for the nature in the area he asked that the Crocodiles weren't hunted and killed....
However, also, at the ferry guides had seen crocodiles starting to gather as tourists would walk down the ramp to the waters edge to get pictures of sunsets and the river etc... They were worried that it would only be a matter of time before a tourist was attacked there .... So the authorities culled 5 Crocs in the area .......
Pictures today are from our garden. Spring has definitely arrived in New Zealand..
On the 15th of every month a group of bloggers, headed by Carol from Indiana, celebrate Bloom Day.
http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2009/09/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-september.html
Today is the day that they all display photos of what is currently in bloom in their gardens. I Have opportunistically add this entry to the list as it contains a large number of Spring flowers (being in the Southern hemisphere....
The next morning was a little cloudy, a little drizzly ... We breakfasted at the Silky Oaks restaurant ... Food was fine ... The view from the table of the open air restaurant was fantastic .. Looking across a deep hole in the local stream and seeing fish in the water and some small birds flitting about in the trees beside us was a great way to start the day ... After breakfast (no cameras - Typical) We walked down to the stream for a close up of the fish that came up through crystal clear water to great us ... "look a turtle !!" notes Jill and sure enough a medium sized turtle came out of the depths and had a quick look at us before returning back into the depths of the pool ......
Back at the unit we settled down with a cuppa. The local tea (Daintree tea) and discussed what we should do for the day ... Sunday, and potentially a busy day if all the locals are out as well ....
Jill being ever alert, spotted an unusual bird right at the top of the trees we could see.......It turned out to be a Southern Pacific Baza!! A medium sized bird of prey .....We spent some time faffing around trying to get shots ... 
A pretty bird I thought .....
Right, Port Douglas it is ....And off we set ... Jill driving, I played at taking shots from a moving car .............
Working on the Sugar Cane fields
Sugar cane trains all over the place and often crossing main roads 
We arrived at the outskirts of Port Douglas and drove past endless resorts and hotels ... All very classy looking establishments .... Then the township - very bright and modern the streets lined with already well patronaged restaurants.. >And then we came across the small yachting marina ...Beside the marina more restaurants.. This was the view we took in while sipping orange juice and coffee...
We saw signs for 3 things. One was this train that did a circular route around some of the resorts and back to the marina. 
The 2nd sign was for the Sunday market!! Well you just have to do the markets don't you :O) 
Beautiful looking fruit and vegetables ... mostly what we can buy at home these days but there were a few unusual ones as well 
Anyone know the name of this moth??? Came into the house last week.....
I've been thinking that my diary entries fall pretty much into three categories ...
It's been a while since I've written about the garden..I have actually been working hard. With pickaxe and shovel I'm digging into the side of the hill that is my plot of land and extending the vegetable garden. I'm putting in new raised borders. About 5 of them in toal adding up to about 50 square feet. Doesn't sound much when you say it like that ..But it's taking A large effort to carve my way though either dense wet clay or near rock shale like clay depending what part I'm working on......This then will take me up to some 230 square feet of raised borders dedicated to growing food ..., I must look up what is the minimum area for say 2 people to supply their vegetable needs .....We have way more ...But then we can afford the luxury of growing way more tomatoes And I've aready planted 20 or so potatoes into a border ...That plus the 'dustbin' potatoes and purple Maori potatoes and Yams And we'll not need to buy any of them until the next winter....If they grow of course .... 
Do you all 'chit' or sprout your potatoes before planting them?? I do it ....Because my dad dit it and the "elders say you must. But I don;t see the point in it ...After all, where we grew potatoes last year and missed some they have sprouted abd are already a foot high !!! no Chitting needed for them!! Even deep down in the depths of the compost bin they still manage to strike and sprout healthfully forth skywards....
Anyway, not only am I building borders but I've sorted out the pathways between them. This past year we put up with roughly hewn pathays that had bumps and holes in them and soil and weeds and grass galore....So I've cut them out properly, dug in and built steps and retaining walls and started to lay weed matting and bark on top.....It will look a lot better :O).. Even Sis-in-law K on her recent visit was drawn into helping and laying weed matting for us :O) We'll send down some chutney later on in thanks..:O) Whether she likes chutney or not !!! :O) 
But overall the veggie garden will always look "Wonky" as it slopes in far too many ways and directions....But I can handle Wonky :O) we'll get a pile of junk ornaments and decorate the place as well to add some je ne sais pas. I'm also planting up pots with various herbs ....I'm shoced at the prices they charge in the shops for a small sprig of say sage or mint !!!!!! They Grows Like Weeds !!!! I cannot kill the stuff off in the veggie plot ....mint of 2-3 varieties has been growing up there since before I moved in.....It just grows ..Loves being mis-treated ...The ideal plant really I guess....
I've plans to do more over the next 12 months around the outskirts and look at utilising the clay bank in someway. Also want to clear fallen clay/soil from the base of the band which I think will be enough space for gooseberry and black/red current bushes....On the other side are 'Scrub" bushes and ferns. I will cut them down and remove them. Room then for dwarf fruit trees ...probably in 1/2 wine barrels ....Apples, plum, damson and the like ....
I've also planted Fejoa bushes in barrels in the front yard ...Oh and a pomegranite bush, dwarf nectarine, and a fruiting cherry tree in a corner beside the front gate. Where Cola's ashes are but we wont dwell on that ....She would be happy though as we burried her favourite "Bad" food , sheep pellets with her and promised all deads cicadas will be placed there for her ...She loved them...Ate them alive or dead with a bottomless hunger.......
And now it's seed sowing time. Some direct into the borders others in cardboard or peat pots or seed trays and the warm yellow room of the house will become a nursery for a few weeks ..............Spring has sprung and it won't wait for me ....dammit......Work work work work work..........What would I have have done if I had a paid job as well !!!!
And thats just the vegie garden!!!!!
I've also cleaned up the stone paths in the front as well as the front yard and dug the round border and planted some standard roses that were not happy in other places around the garden, and fed all the roses with rotted manures and started weeding the borders and cleaned up the paths at the back and planted 1/2 a dozen gooseberry and black current bushes in tubs and planted other tubs and not to mention the housework and the cooking and when will it all be done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:O) busy busy busy ...
Sanctuary Retreat turned out to be another highlight of the holiday. Set in peaceful surroundings our unit was set right into the rainforest. The shower had a clear window overlooking the trees. That was an experience !! :O) The centre point of the sanctuary is a large hall that serves as bar / restaurant/ relaxing area (with soft armchairs and books) the view from the ajoining balcony was across over the forest to the pacific ocean. The weather spoilt the view but it was marvelous anyway ... Under the hall way were 'back packer' style accomodation. Following a windy pathway down hill a swimming pool was hidden in amongst the trees ..We were told that nude bathing was allowed there .... And we did indeed threaten to go down there and scare off the yung-uns :O) But decided we had more enjoyable things to do :O)
We ate in the main hall, the room well set out and spacious between tables ... We opted to sit outside under the stars (and clouds) on the large balcony... Across from us but inside a young couple spent the entire evening meal ignoring each other..We had tried to book a time slot that would miss us seeing them having come across them earlier on ...She was over dressed for the retreat and not enjoying herself ....
The meal was nothing short of excellent ... Most unexpected, but it was delicious and so well cooked and presented.. .We both had opted for the Barramundi fish. A local fish with a white, firm flaky flesh... Yum :O) Above us a bird or small animal (possum??) was moving around in the darkness of a large tree...We were glad we hadn't chosen to sit at the table directly below it... As we were finishing the meal a cooling and welcome breeze had picked up slightly and the dark clouds now covered the moon and stars ...
We slept with the door to the decking open bar the insect screen and fell asleep to the sounds of the forest .....
Regrettably the next morning we had to leave, heading for our final stay at the Silky oaks lodge on the southern outskirts of the Daintree Rain Forest Reserve ... Having had to wait for the owner to get himself up, we paid and packed our bags into the 4-wheel landrover to be taken to the carpark .... neither of us had any desire to tempt fate again with the forest walk .... The couple who ignored each other the night before were also leaving. With a number of suitcases in tow .... "have you ridden this before?" the young bloke asked ... "No ! - well you are in for a ride"
It was bumpy...It was hellishly steep in parts but we made it. Packed our bags in the boot and set off leaving the youngsters to decide how to pack their luggage again in such a small car .....
I like early morning drives ...You do see a lot more due to the light traffic .... And true to form this time - in the far distance - we saw one of the infamous Cassowary !!
Not knowing how 'skittish' the bird may be we stopped and took some pictures from a distance and then edged closer
We were pretty much ignored by the large flightless bird ... From this distance we could see that while in full plumage it was still a juvenile and didn't have the famed helment on top of its head
As it crossed the road ( why did the cassowry cross the road ?...I for sure wasn't going to argue about it ...) we edged ever closer...The other couple had now caught us up and I wound the window down and signelled to them to stop ....
We had so much opportunity to get some great photographs as I parked the car directly opposite the bird .... But we didn't .... Poor/low light didn't help.... Me leaving the car running caused a lot of vibration when shooting at low camera speeds... We had no intention of getting out of the car of course ..No way ........ 
But in the end the pictures while showing the bird and its colours proved that we are such bad photographers ............. 
It was time to leave and off we set for the hard drive to Port Douglas and the daintree forest...... The rain was falling quite hard now ... It made for a dreary ride. About 1/2 way the rain was getting heavier and we stopped off at a township called Innisfail. We stopped at the tourist information as we had time to spare and were looking for something to see in the area... It turned out that there was some Art Deco buildings and a nice esplanade alongside the river there.. .We also opted to then drive to a local waterfall north of the town and a few K's off the main road ....
This statue on the riverside and dedicated to the sugar cane workers was striking against the grey cloud 
We took a pass through the township - pretty much a 1 street town..Car parking in the middle of the street. Jill took pictures of the Art Deco so will have to get her to post them ...It was a nice place and we could have done a lot more there .....
The rain had been consistant thoughout the morning. The air cooled down significantly ...Still t-shirt comfortable but cool non the less. 
I was totally unprepared for this and on arriving at the walk through the forest to the waterfall had to concede to getting wet . So with camera under polo shirt we set off into the forest along a well defined and tarmac'd pathway.... 
On arrival at the stream and the water fall we encountered a couple of idiot German blokes taking video shots of each other climbing the rocks. Well old enough not to be doing such things (i.e. older than me :O) they spent a lot of time getting in our and another couples way as we tried to take pictures
So look at these and then imagine two old fools beside me trying hard to get a bone or two broken as they slipped off large boulders onto smaller rocks equally if not more slippery and unstable... 
I vowed if they did come to damage there was no way we were going to help them 
It wasn't as though we hadnt been warned of the dangers at the entrance to the walk...We left them to it ...The rain now heavy it was time to leave ... 
The rest of the journey was pretty uneventful ...Jill and I took turns ... We drove past Cairns but turned off for a comfort break at a beach further north ... A long beach with many classy looking small hotels and restaurants ... Shame about the weather - it would have looked stunning in the sun. But rain, cloud and a now fierce wind proved challenging...And yet people were milling around everywhere ... The rough seas still had body-boarders and the likes in it. The waves though too choppy for true surfers .. The surf rescue however were kept busy. Even as I stood looking on as I waited for Jill to appear, they pulled a young girl out of the waters edge right in front of me ....I hadn't noticed her plight as she had struggled with an over sized surf board in the choppy water ..Just as well they had ... "Dad" appeared out of the water a look of surprise to see his daughter being tended to by the surf rescue girl.......
Then finally we arrived at the Silky Oaks Sanctuary.. Car duely parked a long way from the reception we were picked up by a young lad in an over-sized golf cart .... Having checked in and suitcases and bags stashed away in our unit we settled down to relax .. .The unit was great. A dark wood interior, a large bathroom / spa bath/ shower and a mainroom with a large comfortable bed. A small balcony looking across the forest and with a hammock for the brave .... No TV, No Internet Connection, No Cell Phone access...
We did however have our trusty Laptops and bought some old and not so old movies to watch while in bed ... Films such as "Bridge over the river Kwai" a real classic :O)
When in the bathroom I came across a large moth ....wingspan about the width of my fist !! Having taken a photo or two I beat him up with the heel of my boot .....!!!! No - just kidding - are you still reading this !! Well done :O) Moth was very gently helped out of the unit and to freedom :O) 
Along the journey we had stopped off to get fruit to eat ...This was a Cherimoya or Custard Apple...Very sweet and tastes as its name describes ... We do get these in New Zealand ...Though I think the Qeensland Climate is better suited for it ....
Again that night we were able to sleep wit hthe balcony doors open save the insect screen and listen to the forest sounds ...Frogs abounded here and their distinctive chirping gave that feel of the tropics ......
Having arrived at Townsville we took a while to find the motel. The Townsville Icon is a large rock that juts out in the middle of the town.. An imposing hill that is now a reserve.. But one or two houses had managed to be built on it's slopes so far up .....
The hitch hikers guide to the universe says this of Townsville
As the unofficial capital of North Queensland, Townsville combines the lure of the tropics with the attractions of a city. It is a renowned centre for research into marine life and is home to the headquarters for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Townsville also supports a significant defence presence along with the main campus of James Cook University, so visitors are well catered for with a complete range of accommodation, nightlife, cultural and leisure pursuits.
"Beautiful Magnetic Island is just a 20-minute ferry ride offshore, and a huge drawcard for visitors. Also within reach are Orpheus, Hinchinbrook, Dunk and Bedarra Islands. Inland, the historic goldmining towns of Charters Towers and Ravenswood make a fascinating day trip or overnight stay.
The Strand is the favourite beachfront leisure spot for locals and visitors with four man-made headlands, rockpools, eating places and a play area with waterslides, fountains and a water cannon. The city’s modern buildings have been successfully integrated with 18th century heritage architecture to house the galleries, museums and restaurants that make a visit to Townsville especially memorable.
This is the beach off the strand ..And by shear good fortune the motel was just across the road from where this picture was taken ...
Note the water temperature of 24C :O) Not that Jill would agree having taken feet out of 40C+ tramping boots and paddling for a few seconds .... We were so over dressed on the beach...we're trampers not beach bunnies ..
The motel was not the best.. Dark and well in need of re-decorating..But Clean and the bed was comfortable ... We did a little drive around that evening. The good cafe's were packed and being tired from the travelling we opted for a takeaway..Red Rooster ...I'll say no more :O\
Up early the next morning we made the call to stay another night to allow us the change to take a 20 minute boat trip over to the now famous (to us having heard so much about it ) Magnetic Island...But first we wanted to drive up the hill in the middle of the township and have a look around .....
This was an interesting looking church we came across ...Note the rather 'Dan Brown' sinister URL of 'Spiritus.org'...I was going to go on and make fun of them over it here ..but I googled the site and they seem a rather nice family/charity focussed bunch ...So I won't ....
Blurred Picture of a flowering tree - but it was an awesome plant - must look up the name .. 
Similarly - wonder what this tree was ...The fruit wasn't large 
As we got closer to the rock we noticed something painted on the left bump in the picture 
Turned out to be the icon from the 'Saint' TV series with Roger Moore decades ago...But who the sam decided to put that there off a sheer cliff !!!! 
The day was almost cloudless and clear...The views were pretty damned good 
The island is Magnetic Island in the distance
Plane crash on side of cliff face !!!
Blurred picture again - But this was unofficially the biggest Bumble Bee on the planet !! Huge !!! HUGE!!! how he could take off with those tiny wings he had would be a major physics lesson in itself !! 
Shame about the power lines ... By now the temperature had risen dramatically ...It must get really hot up there as at the carpark there was a drinking fountain with chilled water !!! and very welcome it was too :O) 
We then headed off through the township (Dramatic, large, turn of the century, affluent type buildings ) and back over to the port to grab a ferry... What we didn't know was that between about 11am and 2pm there are no ferries over to the island !! Whoops ... What to do ?? We came across the marine building and the fish displays but as we were about to enter we talked it over (as we do) and decided to pack up and head north a way to shorten the next leg of our travels to cairns and the daintree forest ....
It was sometime around now that Jill asked where the passports were ......Don't know why ... But at that point my heart stopped beating and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead !! THE PASSPORTS !!! They're in my Jacket !!!! Which is still in the hotel wardrobe back in Mackay !!!!!!!!!
As Jill rang the motel I looked up numbers of Embassy's...HOW LONG to get a replacement !!! How long to get my permenant residency Visa re-issued !!!!! It could be weeks !!
The very nice lady back at the 'Ocean International Motel' was very helpful. But she would have to speak to the cleaning staff and find out if they had them ...Jill and her worked out contacting arrangements and then it was a waiting game ... Then - Yes they have jacket and passports !! OH JOY !!!!!!!!!!!... Arrangements for couriering the package to the lodge we were staying at in a day or twos time were made ... ticket numbers would be sent so we could track our parcel ... we had done all we could ....
De-stress - De-stress - De-stress .........
I've never felt so sick ...Stupid thing as normally they would not be in my jacket... We usually check the room about 3 times before leaving etc ..... But holiday back on track we packed and looked for accommodation for the night ahead somewhere north of where we were ...
And we found it - Sanctuary retreat Mission Beach ...and the heart of cassowarie territory !!! 
