Following the devastating storm which hit The Gap in October last year, the council has been cleaning up the debris. This week it was our turn. Several trees in the land around the creek at the back of our house were broken off. Many had started to regrow but it seems this was not enough to allow them to escape the chop. Here we see a council employee chain-sawing a tree which is clearly alive. In the background you can see another trunk being mulched - that is one mother of a mulching machine!
We went to Lone Pine with Karl and his three children. It was hot work walking round all the cages and enclosures for a whole day, but fun.
Saw this large butterfly in our garden. It is a female Orchard Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus)
On Steve's birthday we went for lunch at Mt Nebo Cafe and then a bush walk near Mount Glorious. All this within half an hour's drive of our house.
Ruby and Deirdre went to an outdoor concert where there were about 30 bands on throughout the day like Arctic Monkeys, Prodigy, Ting Tings and some Aussie bands - what an exhausting day - but lots of fun!
Ruby turned 16 this month. To celebrate we had breakfast at Kangaroo Point cliffs on Sunday. This is where we watched RiverFire in 2006.
On her actual birthday (Monday) we went for a Thai meal with Kerry and Steve. We gave her some "L" Plates for when she starts learning to drive (which you can do at 16 in Queensland!).
Mick, Deirdre's uncle, arrived from Mackay with an injured arm to have an operation so Deirdre drove him to his therapy sessions and visited him in hospital - and her Aunt came up from Sydney to attend the 21st and see her brother after his op so that was a lovely weekend although we missed out on going to see a load of bands with some free tickets that weekend too. Here are some pictures at Michelle's 40th.
This butcherbird (and two others) pop round occasionally to see if we've got any food for them.
Olivia took her Brownie promise. This actually made the local free newspaper because one of the other new Brownies was a descendant of Baden-Powel. Click here to read it. Note that the ceremony took place outside!
Ruby has now clocked up over 7 (seven) hours driving - only 93 to go!
We had quite a bit of rain over the last few days!!! We decided to spend the night at Kerry & Steve's in case we got cut off - one end of the crescent was impassable - and the kids couldn't get to school (that is if the schools can open!)
As it happened the water subsided before it got into the house and life has returned to normal after just the one night away.
Olivia went away on school camp. This entailed spending the night in the Underwater World aquarium tunnel!
Steve managed to get two weeks' work. The weather is geting pretty chilly - well down into single figures at night! Brrr!
This butcherbird is now getting quite brave. He (or she) turns up two or three times every day to see if we've got any scraps.
Olivia went on a two-night camp with Brownies to commemorate 100 years since the rally at Crystal Palace. Girls from all over Australia were there. She dropped her camera and the screen stopped working, but here are a couple of shots she managed to take. The tent in the photo isn't where she slept - the brownies actually stayed in a scout hut nearby.
On her return she had a bowl of porridge and the butcherbird came along to share it!
We all went up to Rainbow Beach for Deirdre's cousin Timothy's wedding. The ceremony was held actually on the beach. It was hot waiting for the bride, as she was about an hour late! Steve (a.k.a. "Pop") did the photography, and took over 500 pictures! Afterwards we all went back to a house on the resort just yards from the beach. It was a lovely setting, surrounded by bushland. The food was excellent too. We especially enjoyed the two sweetlip which the groom's father, Mick, cooked, even though it turned out that one was a cod and the other a coral trout. It seems the fishmonger saw him coming!
Olivia bought herself a rat with some of her birthday present money from last year. She called it "Cookie". Despite our initial doubts, she turned out to be really cute!
On the nearest Saturday to Bonfire Night we had a party. Guests were encouraged to dress in costume, and Steve brewed a barrel of bitter which was delivered through his handpump. Everyone appeared to have had a good time - the barrel was empty by the end of the evening, anyway! For added atmosphere we took the big TV into the kitchen and played old Cliffe DVDs.
Olivia's birthday was the first Monday of the summer holidays, so we held a pool party for her on the Sunday. We bought her a trampoline which is popular with the local wildlife as well as the kids!
