Back to the cold

Last week I woke early to prepare for our annual trip to the Sunshine Coast which has been a ritual of sorts ever since the children were little and they are now both in their mid thirties. The day dawned with a beautiful sunrise which I rarely see in winter as it is too warm under the doona to get out of bed.

We had a good trip to Caloundra with not a lot of traffic until we reached Beerwah. Driving along Caloundra Road is just crazy these days as it is so busy and I brace myself when I come to the big roundabouts on the way into Caloundra.

 It was quite gloomy for a couple of days and the wind along the Boardwalk was very chilly so we had to wear jackets to keep warm.

Going up.

In the complex where we have stayed the last few years 'our unit' on the first floor was booked and the only available one was on the third floor and there are no lifts BUT there are 48 stairs to negotiate. 

Going down.

 I would say we went up and down those stairs about six times on the first day while unpacking the car. If we weren't fit beforehand we certainly were by the time we went home.

 

One reason I like to stay in the same unit is that I know how everything works. One night I just wanted to boil and egg and toast some sourdough which I took with me. Well, the toaster broke and then I couldn't find any knobs to turn the stove on to boil the egg. I had to get the instruction book out and found out that it was a touch stovetop. Whoever heard of such a thing??? Certainly not me! We are very old fashioned in this house and still have an old electric stove that the CEO bought at a garage sale years ago. So there was no boiled egg that night as I wasn't game to fiddle with the jolly thing. I did a few nights later though as I didn't want to bring a dozen eggs home from the beach.

 Pink Poinsettias were growing in the gardens and were quite beautiful. I am only used to the red ones.

 I did a little window shopping but most of the shops are the same as the ones here and I wasn't interested in adding to the 'stuff' that we already have in this house. I did like this tea towel though.

We visited the Bulcock Street craft market on Sunday and there was a bird handler there promoting the Maleny Botanic Gardens and Bird World and he was showing everyone one of the Macaws from there. My friend had her photo taken with this beautiful bird.  It was so tame.

We had planned to walk to Moffat Beach one day and catch the bus back but decided to drive there instead. It is always a nice place to visit and there are some cafes and touristy shops not far from the beach.

I saw a couple of dolpins swimming up the Pumistone Passage two afternoons in a row but when I had my camera with me to zoom in on them the next night they didn't appear so I had to settle for pelicans instead.

The day before we left it was 25C and felt quite warm. Everything was calm and peaceful at the end of the day. 

It was even warm enough to walk back to the unit after dark without jackets on. I just love Caloundra but have decided that I would like to see Tasmania so might look into going there next year as I have a significant birthday coming up then so that would be a good way to celebrate it. 

On the way home we found some yarn bombed trees in Esk. I am not sure if they have a festival on like Warwick's Jumpers and Jazz Festival which starts tomorrow. The trees will need it in Warwick as it will be -2C on a couple of mornings. Brrr! 

So now it is back to 'normal life' (whatever that may be) once again although today was anything but normal.

 

 This little bub, my grandson, made an appearance into the world in the early hours of the morning. As mum and dad thought they were having a girl they haven't decided on a name as yet. They didn't want to know what they were having this time. Nothing like a little surprise eh? I am sure he will be spoiled by the girls and will be a good companion for his big brother who is 2.

I hope everyone is keeping well and happy.