Back from holidays

 Last week a classmate and I drove to Caloundra for a holiday which we have done for the past three years. We always arrange a mini reunion with our old classmates at the same time as we are all in our seventies now and some have retired to the beach or the surrounding areas. 

Even the seagulls got out of the water quickly in the cold snap

A perfect holiday

 As a birthday gift to myself I recently had a holiday at my favourite place, Caloundra on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. A classmate and I had planned a class reunion while there as most of us had left school 60 years ago and many of them had retired to the coast. 

One of the beautiful features in the main street.

Home again!

Well, it is back to the routine once again as I arrived back home on Friday after a few wonderful days with my daughter and her family in Townsville where they were holidaying. It was lovely to see my grandchildren once again and, of course, they have grown like weeds since I saw them. The weather was perfect if a tad muggy at times but mostly we were inside in the aircon or walking along The Strand in the shade of all the trees along there. This is the first time I have been to Townsville in summer as normally I would visit in winter when my girl was studying there. I had been warned about the humidity there in summer but it wasn't too bad. 

Going up?

On our recent trip to Melbourne to catch up with family members, we did a little sight seeing on the last day and paid a visit to the Eureka Skydeck in Southbank. I really wish we hadn't left it till then as I found a nice place to sit and look at the boats going up the Yarra River that was reasonably quiet and away from the dreadful crowds in the CBD.

A Heritage Walk

When we visited relatives in Melbourne recently we stayed in the city and were surrounded by beautiful old Heritage listed buildings. So each day I would set off and wander around the city to have a look at them. It was easier for me to walk rather than find out which tram to catch although you can catch trams around the CBD for free which is great for tourists.

Back to the peace and quiet

On Thursday we arrived back from spending a week in the Melbourne CBD and it is so nice to be back to the peace and quiet of regional Queensland. I didn't realise how I missed hearing the birds in the garden here as the only birds I saw in the city were sparrows in the food halls (yes really) and seagulls in the fountain outside the National Gallery of Victoria. In hindsight it probably wasn't a good plan to spend the week in the city and if I ever visited Melbourne again I would be more adventurous and hop on a few trams out to the suburbs. The crowds on the streets there are quite daunting and you wouldn't dare to try and turn a corner in front of the tide of humanity crossing the roads from Flinders Street Station etc. as I am sure you would just be knocked over. I actually hid behind a post one day until it was safe to come out and change direction :-)

A visit to Green Dandelion

I meant to write this past last week but I was laid low over the weekend with an acute case of vertigo and that meant I was unable to do anything apart from lie in bed and try not to move because if I did the result was immediate nausea and vomiting. Thankfully I have recovered apart from feeling really tired from the Labyrinthitis caused by a virus. As my son and I leave for Melbourne in a few days I was thinking that I might have to cancel the trip if I didn't improve. Last week a friend and I visited Green Dandelion which is now in the old Sauce Kitchen building in Station Street, Toowoomba within walking distance from the Grand Central Shopping Centre. So if you were wondering what had happened to Suanne as she hasn't been at the Cobb and Co farmers' markets for some time, then you can find her there in her new shop.

A great place to holiday

Someone from interstate asked me if Caloundra was a nice place to visit so I thought I would write a blog post about what has been the annual holiday destination since our children were born back in the 1980s.

The Elusive Whales

As I mentioned in a previous post I had booked a couple of tickets on a whale watching cruise while we were on holidays on the Sunshine Coast. As the weather forecast wasn't looking too good for the day we had booked for the cruise we were notified well beforehand that it was cancelled until the following day which was not so windy but became quite overcast as the day progressed.

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.

A Visit to Miss Gracie's House

Last Monday a couple of friends and I visited the home of Miss Gracie who was very excited to see us. She actually got so excited she had a slight accident. LOL! However, as the afternoon wore on she became a little quieter and actually sat still for a few seconds so that I could take a quick photo or two to show you. The photos were on my camera and I was unable to get them onto my iPad while I was away as I can't get the Wi Fi option to work so here are some of them.

Before I go...AGAIN!

It seems I have been going away a lot lately but not really when you consider I only fly to Mt.Isa twice a year and drive to the beach in November and that's about the extent of my travelling each year. Not very adventurous eh? However, I don't really have a need to go anywhere else and prefer not to be on the highway unless I have to be. Too many impatient drivers around these days who don't like driving behind grey haired ladies in little cars and I really hate it when I get beeped by one such driver although that has only happened once or twice. My annual trip to the beach has been the source of much amusement to my friends as I have a habit of taking the wrong turn but I think I have nailed it now and shouldn't have any problems as long as the road is exactly the same as it was last year :-)

From the Outback to the South East

I left the Outback and flew home yesterday afternoon and, for the first time, I haven't felt the chilly temperature as soon as we hit the Toowoomba Range. The weather here is still very warm for this time of the year and it was 27C today which is hard to believe as we are usually rugged up by now. Mind you, I am not complaining as I haven't dragged out my winter clothes yet but it does make you wonder what summer is going to be like. I did read online though that the temps will plummet at the beginning of June so I guess things will get back to normal then. One thing I noticed was that the sun rises an hour later in Mt.Isa and it is just getting light at 7am which makes it very easy to sleep in.

From Yowie Country to Flower Country

We made our way back home from the beach on Thursday. It is a three hour drive and the towns we often stop in on the journey home are Kilcoy and Esk. Kilcoy is a one hour drive from Caloundra and has a lovely picnic area with a playground for children to relax while the adults stretch their legs. I have stopped at this park almost every year for as long as I can remember but I can't say that I have seen the Yowie statue before and if I have I have totally forgotten.

The last sunset

We have lots of 'lasts' the day before we leave the beach...the last walk, the last sunset, the last lot of fish and chips and dare I say... the last ice cream till next year :-)

Wild Weather

It has been rather breezy here at the beach and yesterday even the seagulls were flying backwards. The boardwalk was noticably quiet as only the most determined tourists kept up their daily walk from beach to beach. We weren't among them by the way in case you were wondering :-)

Storms on the horizon

Today a number of storms swept cross parts of Queensland. It became very dark and thundery just after lunch so we made a quick dash back to our unit as it looked like we were in for a storm. I headed to the ocean behind the units to take a few quick photos of the approaching storm.

Life in Paradise

We have been in Caloundra for three days now and the weather has been spectacular...not too hot and with a lovely sea breeze most of the time. We are staying in a unit right on the water so it can get a bit breezy here but we don't mind as it is better than hot humid weather.

Queensland ~ A state of extremes

In my last post I showed a few photos of the trip up to Mt.Isa. I never knew you were allowed to take photos while flying and was very happy when I was told it was alright as long as I didn't turn on my camera when taking off. Seeing as the 'old' planes now fly to Mt.Isa which don't have movies showing which used to keep me busy as I watched the kids' films like Happy Feet, I spent my time peering out the cabin window to see if there was any interesting areas we were flying over that those who haven't flown to the Outback may not have seen before.

 

From one extreme to the other

When I left Mt.Isa on Tuesday the temperature was due to hit 41C. When I arrived home it was windy and rainy and as I got out of the car I froze! Talk about extremes of temperature. Yesterday the forecast up there was for 41C again and ours was for 17C. :-) Although it is quite cool I know where I would rather live. If my family didn't live up there I wouldn't venture into the Outback at all as it is so dry, hot and dusty.