Towards the end of last year, because of ‘you know what’, there were still difficulties obtaining interstate border passes which meant we stayed longer in Queensland, enjoying some other towns along the way. In this post last November I mentioned an exhibition we went to in Mackay…..(well The Golfer was persuaded to come along – or choose the option of sitting in the car while I sauntered round for an unknown length of time). I’ll be the first to admit it wasn’t his cup of tea but he did come in and have a look around.
Aircraft museums – Art galleries = give and take. Happy wife – Happy life 😊
This is a little bit more of what we saw – just a few things that took my fancy. The wall plates explain the displayed works – I’ve added some bio info about the indigenous artists that you might be interested in – to see more detail don’t forget to Click/ tap or finger slide to enlarge. (Please note there are photos of deceased artists on some of these links.)
Night and day, you are the one Only you beneath the moon and under the sun Whether near to me or far It’s no matter darling where you are I think of you Night and day
Night and Day ~ Words & Music by Cole Porter (1891 – 1964)
I know there are many staterooms with their own balconies but really and truly the only place to experience the benefit of being close to the ocean is on the promenade deck of one of my favourite cruise ships
Some time or another when we feel it is safe to do so we will return
Nearly 11 years ago – Sunday August 14th 2011 to be precise
Was the first time I saw THIS
Turned into THIS
See below 👇
Seen near the car park at the Cedar Creek Falls between Proserpine and Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays
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Then just one year later – Sunday August 26th 2012 Near the old Cafe on Flagstaff Hill Bowen Far North Queensland
More of the Whitsunday’s Recycling Scheme
Two different styles of the bench this time – the simple one above and this one with formed back and small table structure in front. Perfect place for your cool drink while taking in the view
Did you know
The energy saved by recycling one plastic drink bottle will power a computer for 25 minutes.
Cafe and Lookout on Flagstaff Hill Bowen FNQ (2012)
(2017 saw ex tropical cyclone Debbie pass through)
In 2017, the existing café on Flagstaff Hill was badly damaged as a result of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie. After finding the building was unsuitable for repair it was demolished in 2019 and concepts were developed for the new building.
Sunny not too hot days are just right for a wander round the local park, especially for my first one since getting home from Queensland.
(Photos will enlarge with a tap/click or using two finger spread)
Going in past the decorated toilet block…not too far from the playground. A load off parent’s mind not having to trail far when little ones say all of a sudden ’I need to go Mum’
Round to the fenced part of the ’lake’ where I ’met’ this lovely lady. “She’s a rescue and quite timid” ”She has a name but it doesn’t suit her so I’m thinking about another one” “Yes you can take her photo but don’t come too close”
So I stood at the railings and watched a little unnamed duck turning circles looking for something to eat before I took a couple of quick photos of the dog
But where to from there I wondered Along the sunny straight but not narrow or along to the right and up the windy hill?
Right it was, because I knew as I walked past the wetland area I’d get a view of the hills with the TV masts sitting there on the top. There they are, in front of the clouds
And if you look really carefully you’ll see the (hopefully I’ve identified it correctly) Heron making its way past the pale green grasses near the shoreline. Then I lost sight of it (or thought I had) The bridge in the background is in honour of the person the ‘park’ is named after.
See the Purple Swamp Hens who’d come up out of the water and were entertaining me with their antics – it looked like there was a bit of ’Chase me Charlie’ ‘Hows your Father’ going on….possibly was….I’m not actually au fait with the mating habits of water birds. 😊
Anyway they didn’t seem bothered by me standing there and came right up the bank….and that’s when I saw it.
There it was – the one I thought I’d lost. The Heron it was hiding out in the shade of that scraggly gum tree. Look how tall and elegant it is when on the lookout
And it was about that time when I knew I had to find somewhere to sit down. Sometimes the back plays up meaning my legs tingle and go numb……and because of the vagaries of the condition (spinal stenosis) sitting takes the pressure off the nerves and after a while I’m good to go. Luckily I knew just the place!
A short way on and a turn to the right brings me to the ’old trees’ ……visible in the photo showing the hills (pruned back but left standing for birds to use). Plus a very conveniently placed bench right near the bridge – short sit down, cross over the bridge and I’m there where I began near the car park. A slightly shorter walk than usual – better that than nothing I say!
This week I’m joining Elephant’s Child and others at Sunday Selections
Also Linking to Life this Week hosted by Denyse at Denyse Whelan Blogs. Do pop over and see what others have been up to this week
The sun doesn’t always shine here first thing in the morning We’ve had a few cool cloudy very windy mornings recently (like this one below) ones where I’ve popped down to Rose Bay on the off chance it might move on early but no joy (or should I say no time sitting reading by the sea) Only thing to be seen there was a tiny bit of sun shining somewhere up above which highlighted the choppy seas and a lone yachtsman moving along in the distance.
So it was off to town to find some newish murals I’d seen around and about…..actually I’d noticed a few of them when we were last here but never got round to taking photos. James Ellis – a young mural artist from Brisbane, came up here in 2017 (plus a few years since) and has put a lick of paint on some shop premises and other places, same as he has been doing all over Queensland.
The top two are on the side of one of the local fish and chip places…..how do you get your fish – off a trawler of course – and the side wall of a local ‘all things outdoorsy’ place received a great big ‘one that got away’
This is what went on the side of the pool shop building Yes GREAT BIG turtles
He collaborated with another artist (Jarad Danby) to give this plain blank stairwell wall a lift. Directly across the road from a beach – one little lad looking skyward. Ready for some time on the sands with his trusty sandcastle building spade
I have found quite a few other ones but I’ll leave them for another day. Best enlarge these for a better view
Linking to Monday Murals hosted by Sami at Colourful World ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He doesn’t seem to have a website but is on other social media
Jude who blogs at Travel World has a new photo challenge for this year (2021) entitledLife in Colour with a different colour chosen for each month. This month (August) the chosen colour has been RED…….lots of it to be seen HERE
I don’t normally have red in the house, and apart from the time I was involved with the Red Hat Society I’m not a wearer of red – a bit bright for me. Some can carry it off but it’s always seemed like a ‘look at me’ colour and you know me…the less visible I am the better 🙂
However there is a time of the year when RED is usually seen around our house…yes at Christmas time. Even during the hot summer days of December the hot colour red gets its traditional airing. The little tree in the hallway is just right for the small red decorations collected over the years – when there were young grandchildren plus various cats/kittens running round the house the big tree always had lots of red unbreakable ones on the lower branches and Grandma’s basket of soft funny red Santas could always be found tucked in a corner somewhere.
And then there was the day we saw all those red hats bobbing round Grandma’s garden
Can you imagine our surprise coming across these – a red hatted snowman plus a very jolly red suited Santa and his very horsy looking reindeer, when we were in hot steamy Singapore one December 🙂
Talking of red hats on snowmen there was the year the grandchildren (Grandma included) made snowmen……..that was when using the inner cardboard roll from the toilet roll wasn’t frowned on. They told her snowmen don’t always have black hats so ours had a big RED one and he had to be displayed on the kitchen window sill along with others she had tucked away in all those boxes out the garage
There’s not so much decorating these days – the red ornamented little tree comes out now and again, so do the little Santas (of sentimental value certainly not monetary) collected from various places round he world. As an aside these are Santa Claus not the Father Christmas I knew as a child- http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-santa-claus-and-father-christmas
Some years the colour RED seems to appear in small doses like on this funny little Santa who is actually a (never used) wine bottle stopper who makes the occasional appearance on the window sill.
And last Christmas (2020) when life was still traumatic, our sole contribution to the festive season was the Roly Poly Santa from Ketchikan Alaska and the Long legged Santa from Calgary Canada
Wikipedia has what I think is a very interesting entry defining the colour RED in all it’s glory plus loads of info about its role in various cultures (as an aside did you know bulls don’t know the cape waved in front of them is coloured RED, they are ‘agitated’ by the movement). If you’re curious you can find it HERE
And I often wonder – how did women cope here in the hot Australian sun all those years ago wearing the ‘fashionable’ layers of clothing deemed necessary in those days
Mural in Bowen Far North Queensland showing early settlers. Painted silos Colbinnabin Northern Victoria showing early settlers
I also wonder if I would have rebelled at fashion trends of the day and removed many of those layers in the privacy of my home 😊
Linking to Monday Murals hosted by Sami at Colourful World
The silos were painted by Tim Bowden – I’ve been unable to find the names of the Bowen artist
Do you remember the post (Afternoon Tea with a Difference) where I told you about the ‘virtual’ events that were held years ago – well here’s another little story along the same lines (this one is from Feb 2011 ) plus the photos that went with it.
The theme this time was to talk about the easiest dessert in your repertoire That was a laugh because desserts didn’t come high on my list of cooking skills Anyway after a bit of head scratching – no….ice cream cake from the supermarket wasn’t what the organisers were after…. I finally came up with something
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Hot humid sticky days in Summer often mean a lack of interest in heavy food So on those days when you just can’t be bothered and fresh fruit just doesn’t do it for you I’ve gone back to one of the nicest easiest desserts (and at times snacks) there is
Good old fashioned Jelly – called Jello in some parts of the world.
Here in Australia it comes as flavoured crystals. but in England I only remember it coming as flavoured gelatin cubes.
So simple to make – dissolve in boiling water – add some cold then pop in fridge to set Takes no effort to eat – it just slides down the throat Just the thing when you are feeling unwell Lovely and cold when your body is hot Fabulous with Ice Cream or Yoghurt Along with Fruit and Custard and Cake (of some sort) you have the makings of a Trifle.
When the children were little I’d often add a tin of mandarin oranges which seemed to stretch it a bit further – we happened to have strawberries on hand the other day So I chopped up a few and added them to the red jelly mix (Our fridge lives in the laundry which means the washing machine is close by A flat lid plus a clear chopping board makes a great handy bench at times)
Gone are the days of the large jelly mould I’d use when the children were little you know the sort with the fluted edges. that also needed two packets of crystals so it was firm enough to unmould. The tupperware one was my favourite, the one with a lid (so nothing ‘dropped into’ the jelly while it was in the fridge) as well as changeable bottoms that became the pattern on the top when it was unmoulded.
These days when there are just us two I use these little ramekins as moulds One liquid mix just fits nicely into the four and they don’t take up much fridge space
We tend to eat it directly from the little bowls A nice little snack together with ice cream or yogurt, tea and a biscuit
If I wanted I could make it look more interesting By placing chopped jelly in a bowl along with the yoghurt Adding a cup of coffee and slightly ‘different ’ biscuits
And then of course for an after dinner treat I could change direction again – make it a bit ‘posher’ – and present it like this
Gosh didn’t that week go by quickly, it just seems like yesterday when I was sitting here in the early hours of the morning, cup of tea in hand chatting away to whoever was listening. Cooking hasn’t been top of the ‘want to do’ this past week. Simple (read comfort type) meals…..sausage & mash is a favourite of The Golfer’s and quick and easy to prepare. My favourite fruit (Imperial mandarins) is back so afters seemed to be quick and easy as well. Mandarins, water melon, bananas, cheese & crackers plus almonds/walnuts…..even hot custard one evening. No jelly though…. need to pick up a packet when I next do a shop!
Now I’m off to put the kettle on and decide on brekky – me thinks porridge, brown sugar and sultanas on top sounds good this morning. There’s a date with a syringe and a hypodermic needle coming up in a couple of days so a bit of housework needs to be done in case I have a reaction, although all should be well seeing as this is the 2nd one and there was no problem with the first. I’d be interested to know if anyone had a reaction to their second AstraZeneca shot.
Oh, and do visit Denyse’s blog to see the latest edition of Life this week – there’s always people to meet over there. Linking to Senior Salon – hosted by Esme
AND…..big thanks to Gigi (gigi-hawaii) for her post that reminded me of this fun easy peasy dessert 😊
And – hopefully – The Golfer and our ISP have finally fixed whatever the problem has been with our internet. If it drops out again I’m going have a hissy fit down the telephone line into some poor unsuspecting workers ear. Also I’m hoping I’ve fixed my ‘commenting on blogger blogs problem’. Had to sign out not just of Google but my old blogger account as well – something I’ve haven’t done for years. Lots of head scratching and looking through ‘notes’ to find the correct p/word.
Look, I found some more ‘pink bits’ from home and away to share 😊. And as its the last day of April I couldn’t let the chance of another posting to the Pink editions of Life in Colour pass by
Always a pretty good idea – don’t you think ?
Pretty pink tulips – a stress relief gift during the long lockdown (May 2020)
Another from the 2019 Leunig exhibition– I’m not sure what he had in mind here – but he does have a liking for the colour pink though.
Plenty of pink thongs on the remaining Thong Tree on the newly renovated riverfront in Echuca ( April 2021)
I have to admit that the pink coloured walls inside the Anglican Cathedral Napier NZ were confronting to begin with. After a while they were less obvious – just blended with the other (cream) walls and the blue painted ceiling (Dec 2011)
There were several of these very fanciful lounge benches in Calgary Alberta at a place called Olympic Plaza. Where all the medal presentations took place for the 1988 Winter Olympics but now its a fabulous water park – a little haven in the middle of a busy city. (Sept 2010) The benches were basic but also very ‘modern’ looking…and very pink 😊
Then there was the delicious pink fronted many windowed house we stumbled upon during a walk on Fogo Island Newfoundland (Sept 2013). You can see more of it here
And in the distance on Waikiki Beach dwarfed by surrounding high rise buildings is the fabulously luxurious Royal Hawaiian Hotel The beautiful Pink Palace We spent a few nights there on our first visit to Hawaii 1988 haven’t been able to afford it since, so now it’s basic apartments for us 😊
Linking an extra (pink) edition to Life in Colour April hosted by Jude at Travel Words. Next month’s colour will be revealed on Sunday – Maybe you’d like to join in some time
Montrose Victoria – nestled below the nearby Dandenongs (above) Croydon Victoria – in the middle of a busy roundabout (below)
I have found elaborate ones on my travels Numurkah Victoria – beside passing traffic (below)
Yarrawonga Victoria – in the town centre (above) Mareeba Far North Queensland – on the main street (below)
And a very fine one in Napier New Zealand (below)
As well as a plain but solid one high above the bay at Twillingate Newfoundland (below)
Then there are the enormous ones Calgary Alberta Canada (below)
Perth Western Australia (below)
There are different interpretations like in Akaroa New Zealand (below)
And Cooktown Far North Queensland (below)
But all are built with the same purpose Not to glorify but to honour and remember
Today is Anzac Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”. Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli Campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918). source
Jude has decided that for her ‘Life in Colour’ challenge Pink is the colour for April. Pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, sensitivity, tenderness, sweetness, childhood, femininity and romance. source
Thinking I was going on a wasted journey looking for Pink in my archives I ended up being surprised with what I found there
Firstly I knew there were some of those little memes and sayings I love to gather. My favourite- obviously 😊
Always something to look forward to
I discovered it around the house….It was there in the bedroom
In the kitchen and the hallway
Window Dressing series
Flowers in the Hallway series
Out in the garden – there were Pink Camellias Roses and Succulents
It was on the deck -discarded after a hard day outside working planting and caring
A colour I usually reserve for littlies but it seems I must have at some time used it for biggies as well. Special made to order cross over scarves and winter slippers!
And of course for the little ones of mothers who like traditional colours 😊
When photographed I’m always surprised that colours never seem to be as they are in real life – the camera has a habit of changing things – here peach/apricot and even brown hues appeared Pink is not always Pink
Joining EC and others for this week’s Sunday Selections There’ll be plenty of pink to see at Life in Colour – check out the comments in her posts for the links Sharing your photos…old and new…black and white or colour Why don’t you join us one Sunday!
Painting or drawing – be it on paper, canvas or walls just doesn’t interest me. Colouring in didn’t appeal as a child and I’ve never considered it as an adult. It’s just one of those crafts I’ve never been drawn to.
Art classes at school were a disaster ‘What do you think of when you hear the wind blowing Catherine? ’My mother yelling at me to make sure the clothes are pegged on the line securely’.
‘What about leaves blowing about – maybe you could work with that idea’ It’s a shame my splashes of red and orange all over the paper weren’t appreciated. The art mistress wanted actual leaves not my interpretation.
However, because of all the preparations (or as someone once described to me as the ‘rigmarole’) connected with knitting- selecting patterns, choosing colours, deciding which sizes I’ll make, knitting swatches (little samples to check gauge) making copious notes on bits of paper….I do acknowledge how much ‘thought and effort’ artists put into their works. I’ll admit there are times when, a bit like book genres some styles of art don’t always appeal to me….. but I’ll have a look, trying to find something I like in it…and always end up wondering what was going on in the artist’s mind at the time. Where does any artist’s inspiration come from – how do they go about transferring an idea into reality
Along with many different examples of their paintings there were these pieces which show/explain part of the process of producing a ‘work of art’. I was intrigued and spent time a lot of time moving backwards and forwards between each one
The actual painting. Approaching storm with bushfire haze
Then alongside it is this – a study taken of the actual painting. dated the year after (sorry about the strange angle)
It was a similar process for his well known work ‘The three gums’ The beginning of an idea and the execution
And just because….here’s my favourite of the day Droving into the light With a ‘closeup’ of the drover
Unfortunately some things don’t photograph well These ‘will enlarge’ so you are able to see more clearly Hope you enjoy them
Now I don’t normally do ‘picture posts’ two days in a row But that’s the best excuse ever to ‘replay’ and enjoy some photos from 2014 trip 😊
Where we saw many families enjoying the fresh air. Going about their business as normal
As well as those relaxing and enjoying grassy areas in ‘parks and gardens’
There were quiet solitary onlookers content to watch the world go by
As well as those who stood on guard
Or waited patiently
Or who had found comfort in being ‘close to you’
But the ones I liked best were the ones who looked you right in the eye and said “we own this place – respect us and it” The ancient city of Ephesus
So many cats with no obvious home – catch, desex and release was often spoken about but we sometimes wondered if it actually did happen. This little one can tell you it does
(These are just a few – we saw many many more during that overseas trip) All photos will enlarge with a click.
But this is the green I’m really looking forward to seeing again The ‘distance to’ sign at Proserpine telling me that after 4 days on the road there’s only 65km to go until I’ll see the green sign at the front gate of our Winter home 😊
Jude’s (Travel Worlds) photo challenge for this year (2021) is entitled Life in Colour This month (March) the colour has been Green…….another of my favourites 😊. And with St Patrick’s Day having just gone you may even find Sue (EC) and others have shared a belated bit of green for Sunday Selections which you’ll find over at her blog (Elephant’s Child) 😊. Terri at Second Wind Leisure has also chosen Green for her Sunday Stills photo challenge
So with green in mind let’s see what I can find. (In my archives or ‘newly minted) Around the house and in nearby suburbs
A few groceries still to be put away, a little bit of green in the plastics drawer. And a lone wheelie bin on the nature strip (waiting to be put away).
An old photo of our green rotary line – when the garden was fairly new in that spot.
There’s the old green painted kitchen chair we used on the Afternoon Tea Day
A beautiful sea green Italian bowl filled with a collection of seaside mementos sand dollars, tiny bits of coral, shells and green sea glass.
You never know what you’ll see on the back deck. Green tape measure, green grass, green tarp on a chair??? (as well as my much loved, much missed beautiful brown shadow)
Beautiful shades of green at my nearby park with it’s tall trees and windy paths
A wet day in Main Street Croydon – the whole street scape has now been ‘redesigned’. So these green circular seats have been removed Also the green benches on the other side of the street
Down the road in another direction to Montrose where the green road sign tells how far it is to the top of the hills
And lastly the little green jacket that was the cause of so much emotional stress Is now in Grandma’s hands ready for the little one to wear coming home
Jude at Travel Worlds has a new photo challenge for this year (2021) entitled Life in Colour with a different colour chosen for each month. This month (February) the colour has been YELLOW…….one of my favourites 😊 It’s a bit like Sunday Selections (found here at Elephants Child) in that photos can be old or new, taken recently or a while ago, the difference being the chosen colour is featured. Also the use of the tag #colour2021 so she and others can find you. Jude (and others) have been posting weekly on Sundays but I’ll probably keep mine to the last Sunday only. Which is today!
I found some yellow wandering down the street – a lonely looking recycling bin. Must have been a Monday!
Just down the road from the school. No children in sight but I did find a Dandelion and Chinese Lantern. aka Taraxacum and Abutilon
Down the road a bit more and round the corner a sprawling mass of yellow Gazania making its way round another corner
And speaking of children – here’s one from many years ago. Two happy little vegemites enjoying the rain in their yellow macs’. Both now in their early 20s
Then there are these well known signs to look out for on the way to Rockhampton.
There’s also the one you don’t want to see
And you didn’t think I’d not include some yellow knitting. Complete with fancy mother of pearl buttons sewn on with matching yellow wool
Even though daily life activities here in Victoria are being expanded day by day, restrictions eased, doors opened that have been shut for months, we are still not able to travel long distances so I’m still reliving trips away to places far far from home. I’m thinking armchair travel is going to be a way of life for a little while yet.
I once saw the climate in Melbourne described as Temperate but quite variable…known for its changeable weather patterns …lol four seasons in one day isn’t far from the mark. It can be hot and dry, it can definitely be cold and wet but what it isn’t is tropical…..except on some really hot humid days we might get in the summertime 😎
So one of the things I look forward to seeing when we are out and about in Queensland ….because I’ve never seen them growing in Melbourne and they just seem to shout out Tropical ….are the beautiful Bougainvillea which seem to grow like weeds, they are everywhere. Bright bursts of colour climbing over and around anything and everything reminding me of the big climbing Banksia roses that do well down south.
This week I’ve been reminding myself of some seen on a trip in 2009 I hope you enjoy them as well
We saw this lovely pink and white bush in a car park of all the places at Winton. all on its own and looking a little out of place amongst the natives. Maybe self sown
The actual flowers are the little white ‘bits’ in the coloured bracts
But what I did like was the way some businesses used it decoratively. This was a lovely white strain growing up an archwayin front of a cafe in Longreach It had a really nice cool look to it and there didn’t seem to be any thorns on this one. which is possibly why it was placed so very strategically in front of the cafe
You can see the little flowers more clearly here
Now this to me was the most appealing of all Mountains of colour at several spots along the main street of Bowen One side of Herbert Street is higher than the other and there were several of these fabulous covered crossings along the street. (sadly removed during a ‘street renovation’)
A beautifully shaded area under those enormous Bougainvillea shrubs Those bench seats looked so inviting
Thank you Kay (at Musings) for the inspiration……for this post. To enlarge click or use the two finger slide
The warm Spring weather has been playing hard to get so the garden has been coming to life really really slowly. It was so cold and miserable over Winter I’m only just (very slowly) warming up myself so at the moment it’s‘ chaos reigns’ out there I’m managing to do a bit of weeding and general tidying around and about but …strangely I’m noticing things that are emerging from places I didn’t think they were planted. I certainly don’t remember planting those Iris in that spot.
That little piece of white flowered snow in summer (Cerastium) next to the bluey mauve Brachyschome wasn’t there last year but I’m pleased to see it. It reminds me of my Dad, he used it a lot in odd spots. Set and forget he’d say!
The lavender under the washing line has been good this year – shame it’s nearly time to cut it back….The Golfer cut the grass the other day so it looks green and tidy from this angle …it certainly won’t look so green come later in the summer when it gets hot and dry. It’s hard to plan a time to cut when we’ve had rainy days because he likes it to dry out a bit but like in all things nature doesn’t play fair!
And of course there is the early flush of Spring roses to admire. The little ‘blue bed near the line’ as I jokingly call it has been mulched so it’s right to go but there’s still a lot of work to be done on the bed at the bottom of the garden. A Bad Back limits me at times and it didn’t play fair last year so even though it doesn’t look too bad from a distance it’s when I realised what I thought were some long leaves of Iris was actually invasive couch grass that has grown tall I knew I’d be trying for half hour time spots. Rain has stopped play at the moment 😢
The little blue bed near the line 😊
And a few from the bottom bed – names unknown. (everything opens with a tap or a click)
Still Waters 
