A new lease of life!

You just know something needs to happen.  You can feel it in your bones.  Something different.  Something exciting.  Yes!  you just know it’s right.

After our Scout Club (that’s I.H., not the Boy Scouts)meeting this Sunday, we have a new direction for the club.  A BIG trip scheduled.  I think all of us have been needing and wanting this BIG trip to happen.  It’s funny, we missed out on the Canning Stock Route.  It just never quite eventuated.  But then it was so soon after the Simpson Desert Trip, that many of us weren’t quite ready for another trip to the desert.

But this!  this is what we’ve been waiting for!  We have a new lease of life as we prepare for the Cape York Trip in September 2013.  That means we have a little over a year to prepare for it.  Well, THAT should be easy!  4 weeks of camping, right up to the most northerly point of Australia!

I think the hard part is getting Chris to understand that his beloved Amarok is about to get down & dirty.  Is HE ready for that?  I hope so!

We’re already checking out canopies, drawer units, & roof tents.   I’m hoping the Amarok can take the rough stuff as these roads up to the Top End are really rough. 

I have started my bucket list…….

I don’t know WHY I’ve started my bucket list, but it came up while I was surfing the web the other night and I thought “Why not!”.  So I started one.

And after reading what I could put on the list, I realized that I have done HEAPS of stuff already!  So here’s a short list of stuff that I’ve already done:

1. Saw Sydney Harbour Bridge, didn’t climb it or intend to, just photograph it. 

2. I’ve crossed the Simpson Desert.

3. I’ve crossed the Nullabour Plains.

4. I’ve gone through the Daintree. The ocean looked FABULOUS from the Daintree.  ( Even caught sight of a Cassowary & baby)

5. I’ve seen the Opera House and walked around it. (ooh I’ll have to add that I would like to hear a concert IN the Opera House on my new list!)

5a. I have been to the Taronga Zoo, the Dubbo Zoo, and San Diego Zoo.

6. I’ve gone horseback riding. ( major mistake on your honeymoon)

7. I have travelled right around Australia by caravan. (and yes we’re still happily married!)

8. I have motored up the Daintree River with live crocodiles each side of the river.  (Although you wouldn’t know it, because they looked fake.)

9. I have caught a good sized fish that I ate! ( there’s been a few bream here and there)

10.  I’ve seen whales, dolphins, sea turtles, koalas, kangaroos, galahs, rainbow lorakeets, King parrots, Rosellas, cockatoos, wild pigs, emus, sting rays, sharks,  ALL IN THEIR NATIVE environments. ( Awesome sights!)

11. I have been to Hawaii. ( care of Pam & Ron, who happen to live there)

12.  I have been to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. (because I used to live there)

13.  I have been to Universal Studios, and Warner Brother’s Studios (once again the opportunity came up and I grabbed it)

 

Okay, that’s enough.  There’s been heaps more, but I won’t go in to it.  But the one thing I would like to say is, that by writing a Bucket List, it’s like listing your dreams and you can slowly mark them off one by one.  But it also makes you appreciate what you HAVE done and accomplished in your life.  It doesn’t have to be the grandest thing, but something that you have wanted to do, see, feel, hear, etc.

And if you don’t succeed this year, there’s always next time.  You just need to grab the opportunities as they come and enjoy and savour the moment, and with a big smile on your face, cross it off the list.

And another day ends in paradise…….

It’s a typical work day for us.  Hiding out in the office with no windows , me staring at the computer, working on advertising and Chris making phone calls…. and once we’re finished…we head home to take the girls for their evening walk.  ‘

But this evening, the sunset at Gataker’s Bay was particularly lovely.

As you can see, the tide was in and the fishermen were setting up for the evening.

 

 

Despite the midgies that come out at dusk, it was still a lovely spot to be at this time of the day.

Hervey Bay has a lot to offer.  It’s a quiet country town that sits by the bay.  And while I do get itchy feet, I’m not quite ready to move on just yet.  I keep finding new things here in Hervey Bay that capture my imagination.

 

This time around, it was low tide.  The PERFECT time for the dogs as Echo loves to chase the sea gulls and Bella chases the Toad fish.

 

 

 

 

And with promises to my brother to put some photos of Hervey Bay on the web so he can see what it’s like,…I will eventually get around to all those things that I really love about Hervey Bay.  And I can now cross off my list “Sunsets”.

Why is it that when……

Why is it that when you mention that you’re on a diet you immediately get a craving for chocolate cake?

Why is it that when you plan a picnic, that’s the weekend it decides to rain?

Why is it that when you decide you want to read a book, your partner needs someone to talk to?

Why is it that when you sit down to eat dinner, the cat decides it’s time to go outside?

These questions were brought about because I had planned to take photos of Hervey Bay today and rain has settled in for the week.  Another day.

Christmas holiday on the Clarence……

Early in the year, our plans were to go to New Zealand.  However, after due consideration, (and finances),  we opted for taking a cruise on the Clarence River, near Grafton, NSW.  Our plans were to pick Camille up on the way through and we could spend some “quality” time with our granddaughter.

After an hour of catching up with Jen, we packed Camille’s things in and headed off.  Camille discovered my I-Pad and we now have LOTS of FREE games.  

 

We finally reached the spot where our houseboat was waiting for us and we all gathered our gear and with much talking and excitement, we boarded our home for the next 9 days.

This houseboat is the SAME EXACT one we had 20 years ago, when we took Jenny, Rob, & Lizzie when they were little.  A few alterations here and there, but the same boat.  We had a great time in this boat and we were excited about giving Camille a great experience too.

Well after a few lessons on what to do, where things are, and where you can go and where you can’t go on the river, we finally headed off.  We dropped anchor in Coldstream River which runs into the South Arm River.  It was isolated and protected from the winds.  The anchor struggled to hold us, but it finally grabbed and we were secured for the night.                                                                                                                 The first thing we did was throw the fishing line out. First fish of the trip, was a catfish, caught by me.  Camille wanted to hold it, but Papa said no, you can pet it’s belly before I throw it back in, so that started the trend of ‘petting’ the fish bellies, including eels.

 

. 

Camille was VERY impressed that Papa caught such a LARGE fish on the handline!  “Can I pet it’s belly?!” 

 

 

 

After a big breakky of bacon and eggs, we headed back up the river making our way to a little town called Maclean.

 

We stopped at a small sandbank to have some fun swimming and playing.  As we all piled into our floaties, we noticed that the anchor wasn’t holding, so Chris went back to the boat to secure it, and Camille and I stayed on the bank checking out the Pippie shells and small fish. 

Quiet time on the boat.

 

 

 

Camille’s keeping an eye on the ferry that crosses the river at Lawrence.  They were very friendly and even waved at Camille on the way through.

 

 

Time to pickup supplies at Maclean.  This is the same jetty where Jenny caught a huge Flathead when she was 12 years old.  Camille made friends along the river, inviting them in to see where she sleeps and maybe colour in her colouring books together.

 

 

 

View from the jetty at Maclean in the early morning.  The fog was lifting from the river.

 

There are quite a few trawlers that scour the river for prawns which are a popular dish for Christmas.

 

 

 

Papa teaching Camille how to fly a kite.  Once they were finished chasing the kite’s shadow, we stopped into the local pub for lunch, where Camille had her chicken nuggets and special fizzy drink.

 

 

The local rural Fire Brigade doing its bit for Christmas by having Santa toss handfuls of lollies to the kids at the park.  Chris and Camille just happened to be there at the right time.  Camille came back onto the boat with a shirt tail load of lollies.

 

We spent Christmas Day at Scotty’s sister’s house in the hinterland between Lismore and Ballina.  A house load of people greeted us with enthusiasm as we piled people & food into the home.

And as we starting leaving, the last minute photos were taken of the family members.  This one is of Jenny, Scotty, and grandkids.

Soon after we piled everyone back into the car and headed back to the houseboat where we settled in for the evening back on the South Arm River.

 

 

 

The next day was glorious as we headed up the South Arm River for a morning cuppa at a local restaurant while we waited for Scotty to arrive from his workplace.

Here, Cody and Mum are taking in the scenery as we head up river.

 

 

And then there was the incident with the kite being flown off the back of the boat, which then hit a high power line and disintegrated with sparks and popping.  As Chris frantically scrambled trying to get the kite to drop, it dissolved into nothing. Camille was horrified, Jenny yelled at dad to LET GO OF THE KITE!, but laughing at the same time, and Cody watched with dismay saying, “night, night, kite” .  All this being done while the driver of the boat (me) was none the wiser.                                   

Last day.  Early in the morning, Cody and Grandpa are enjoying a cup of coffee and hot cocoa while they watch the fish come to the surface and the ducks silently clean themselves for the start of the day.

 

 

 

Jenny’s excited as this is her first eel she caught.

 

 

 

We had a great time catching up with family and it was just the right amount of time spent too.  But now, it’s time to get back to work and get organized for the year ahead.