Reefs, Rainbows and Returns!

Hi!

Well. Here we are! Better late than never, eh? The time was well spent tho on Adventures and what's a better reason for checking in late than being too busy out on Adventures?! But am here now, have a lovely glass of Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc - not too hard to drink at all; a friend of mine always has it in stock by the case and because I trust her implicitly, it's really pretty good! There were a ton of birds out there this morning, but the afternoon has since gone cloudy so maybe they're out running errands before it starts to rain and before bedtime..... But, got the fun jazz tunes from SkyFM, there's a lovely cool breeze, the afternoon is warm for winter - life is good!

So. Work. Yep, has been really good. Still learnin' new stuff with more new stuff to learn next week - I think this is when they start giving me "harder" stuff to do and where I become even more useful - fingers crossed! But all is well, always have something to be doing, the folks I work with are really nice and normal..... but ultimately, what are we always happy for?! That's right - to have gainful employment! Hooray! 

And then there were numerous weekends in there that simply flew by....... The weekend of mah Birthday Mom and I went up to Cairns to visit Glen and Alison, and to sight-see of course! That first day we wandered around town (thank you Glen, ever the obliging tour guide) stopping for some lunch along the Esplanade (where we stopped exactly, the name escapes me. I know, bad tourist, but the service was terrible and the food was average, which could be why I dropped it from mah memory). Then, happily fed and oriented, we headed the 20 or so minutes up to Palm Cove for a wee wander and a reminder why you can't swim in the sea up there, followed by nibbles and wine at Glen and Alison's favorite spot, Apres Beach Bar & Grill before heading back into town to check in at Chez Glen & Alison's and to met their new kitten, Rory (all bounce and tiny claws). Later that night we went out for an awesome dinner at Ciao Italia (again, you might remember we went for dinner there last year), where our friend Dave met up with us as well, visiting from his new job in Townsville (a 4 hour drive south of Cairns). It was a fantastic evening, it was good to catch up, the place was packed and the food was awesome.

The next day, Sunday, saw us up and out early for Mom and my's seaplane flight over the Great Barrier Reef! Ooooooooooooooh, it was REALLY neat! Even tho the day was super overcast, with the right settings on mah camera (some call it cheating, I call it artist license), I managed to get a fair few decent photos. The flight was only 45 minutes (a blessing in a way because it was pretty windy, the plane was tiny (seated 7, including the pilot) and I sat at the very back, while Mom sat in the co-pilot's seat......!), but during that 45 minutes you were able to get quite a good idea of the sheer scale of the reef - it's bloody massive. I mean, I know they can see it from space and all, and when you're flying over it you can't see either end, but it's just simply amazing. I had to laugh tho while taking it all in, I could only imagine those poor sailors in the 1700s trying to get to the land that lay just over there, but not being able to because of that bloody long reef! It's not like you can just scoot down the way a wee bit and find an opening to duck through, oh no, the thing goes for miiiiiiiiiiiiles; and if you do manage to find a way through, chances are another bit of the reef'd rip your ship to shreds). No wonder they gave up and went north and south to "claim" Australia. So, when you get down this a-way, we're totally going on that flight. Yeah, it's a bit $$$ but absolutely worth it. And if our flight was on a cloudy day, imagine it under full sun?! Cooooooooool!

Following that, we quickly stopped in to Alison's work (at the hospital, she's a Doctor of Pediatrics) to give her and her students a hand with preparing for one of their major exams - all that Glen, Mom and I had to do was stand in a doorway and move to another doorway when the bell rang - it was about running through the student's test consultations and rooms the consultations were being held in - very important to get the room and time correct. Then, students happily coached, the 4 of us headed off along the lovely seaside drive up to Port Douglas for a look around and a spot of lunch at Lure (again, Glen and I went up there last year for nibbles.....). Unbeknownst to any of us, a massive cruise ship had just landed and unloaded it's cargo all over the waterfront, thus clogging the few seaside restaurants with tubby tourists all carrying Princess Cruises "tourist" bags. We finally got a table (and some pretty good lunch, yum) and I have to say, those folks run on a time schedule that Hitler would be proud of, because no sooner were we delivered our lunches, they were gone - scattered to the four shopping winds. And you could tell they were all pros at the whole cruise thing because they were all gone at pretty much the same time. Wierd. But, once quietly and happily fed, we had a quick drive through town before heading back down to Cairns. Really, you go up to Port Douglas simply for the drive to get there - it's beautiful. Now, granted I haven't been along Highway 1 yet (started to once, but bailed out just after Big Sur.... most of you know that little story.....), but this has to take the cake as far as beautiful seaside drives go. From Cairns to Port Douglas there're no gas stations, shops, houses (that you can see), absolutely nothing to spoil the views. Only shaded driveways leading to fancy-pants resorts (and probably a few equally fancy-pants homes). That's what makes that drive tops in my books. Again, if you ever head down this way, we're totally going!

And then, first thing Monday, while Glen and Alison unfortunately headed back to work, Mom and I were off to ride the Skyrail up and over the rainforest to the little rainforest village of Kuranda for a wander through the Butterfly Sanctuary, Birdworld and Koala Gardens before stopping for a much-needed lunch at the little Rainforest View restaurant tucked within the markets just next to the rainforest. It sounds tacky but it was actually quite lovely. Reminded me a little of the San Diego Zoo in a way...... Then, happily fed and rested, we wandered down to the cute little historic train station to meet our cute little historic train where we boarded and settled majestically into Gold Class (you might remember I did this exact same trip last year on mah birthday - so good I had to do it again and show someone else how cool it is!). While the train and the scenery is awesome in every respect, the service in Gold class impeccable, the same can not be said for two of our fellow tourists. I won't get into a long detailed account of the events that sullied our hour and a half-long train ride down the hills through the rainforest we'd drifted soundlessly over a few hours previously, all I will say is that two American tourists certainly lived up to the embarrassing reputation. They were in our tiny car of maybe 40 people and, well, they were drunk as skunks (due to the endless glasses of beer and champagne showered on us Gold Class passengers) and ever so loud and horribly obnoxious. Nonetheless, Mom and I did our best to tune them out (tough considering they were sitting directly behind us) and gazed out the windows and whispered anything we thought had to be pointed out, thus successfully avoiding detection. Thankfully, the two obnoxious drunk Americans disembarked at the station we considered disembarking, but quickly changed our minds once we saw them stand unstably up. The instant they left the car the volume dropped markedly. You could hear the remaining few folks breathe a long-held sigh of relief. Then the chatter and inevitable ridicule started. I managed to let it go for about five minutes before I had to chime in and remind the locals that not every American tourist is like them, etc etc etc. Fifteen minutes later, the trip ended on a happy note with everyone friends, shaking hands goodbye, faith in both American and Australian tourists restored. Whew!

Later that evening, once rested and restored to our old selves, we headed out with Glen (Alison, pediatrician-in-demand that she is, was detained at the hospital, saving lives of all things, as if that's a good excuse to miss one of her favorite dinners) to a very lovely Moroccan dinner at Mecca Bah (again, you might remember it from last year's trip). Man the food there is so good. I wish we had one here in Brisbane.........

Tuesday dawned bright and sunny and saw Mom and I entertaining Rory the kitten and Alfie the Patriarch kitteh while we packed to fly back to Brisbane...... Ahhhhh I quite like Cairns. And with the right job, I could probably live up there........... But for now, it's a happy place to visit with good friends, fantastic food and spectacular scenery! I can highly recommend it!

Then it was back to work for the remainder of the thankfully short week before packing up again that weekend to head up with Mom and my friend Jan to her little beach house up at Rainbow Beach! Rainbow Beach is a good three-hour+ drive north up the coast - just far enough away that most Brisbanites won't make the trek (most usually bomb out at Noosa). Her little place at Rainbow is the first place she ever bought, and her Dad and his friends, big fans of Rainbow Beach and all the fishing it presents, helped her add on to it and finish it off. It's a lovely, cozy spot for her and her brother and family to relax. It's a beach house, so not fancy-pants or ostentatious, but you can feel the fun she and her family have had in it over the last 30 or so years. It was a real pleasure to spend the weekend up there. And Rainbow Beach itself is a perfect little vacation spot. It's not a very big village but it has all you could want with superb, unspoiled beaches (until you drive on them that is, which we did!) and nice, easy sea to swim in - and you can swim in the sea there, they're far enough south of the tropics that the jellyfish don't hang around - bonus! Plus there're a couple of nice, easy bushwalks that lead to wonderful views of the sea and shoreline. Rainbow Beach gets its name from the colored sands that make up the surrounding cliffs. It's simply a fantastic spot and if I thought I could afford even a little tiny place there (nowadays) I'd have a wee beach house too! Until then, will content mahself with visits......!

Then, sadly, it was back to work (already?!). But somehow the week flew by and we were at the weekend again. With nowhere super exciting to go or Important Sights to see, we ran errands, which included trips to both Bunnings and Ikea, hooray! And Sunday was lovely, not only that we had perfect weather but that we met up with my friend Kim (who's off on a 3-week trip to the US as I type) and headed up to Mooloolaba for lunch (one of our favorite spots to lunch near the sea) at a new place we discovered called, creatively, the 4th Floor Restaurant. We usually hit one of the cafes along the esplanade there but somehow while we were scoping out sidewalk menus we decided to chance this place. And boy did we score! It's amazing! It's, as the name gives away, four floors above the sidewalk cafe riff-raff with the most wonderful panoramic views out across the sea and up and down the coast. The food was fantastic and fresh and the service highly attentive. What a good find! And bonus, while the cafes street-side were jam-packed and noisy, this place was nearly dead and serene. I think we've found our go-to Mooloolaba lunch-spot! EX-cellent!

And then, sadly again, it was back to work for a couple days before Mommy headed back this past Wednesday. It was wierd having her head back mid-week, because that morning when I went to work she was there, yet when I got home she was gone, like, gone, and then I trotted off to work the next day, etc...... It was sad after having her here for a while and then nothing. Boy the place sure is quiet and empty! And while I like to think my teeny place got a little bigger after she headed home, no, it's still small. So all-in-all it was a great visit, chock full of Adventures and more sightseeing than anyone could shake a stick at. Now I'm just going to lay down and have a nap for a couple weekends.......!

Wait! One more weekend before signing off..... Unfortunately, nothing at all happened this weekend that was nearly as exciting as what we've been up to these last couple of months. It was back to the same ol crap routine of chores and more chores. This weekend was extra tough in the chores category as my local charity deposited a donation bag in my mailbox...... Well, standing up to the challenge and not stopping with just my donation bag, I took an extra one from a neighbor who I know won't use it and after the dust settled, I managed to fill not one, not two, but three donation bags full of stuff. Wow. For such a little apartment, who knew I had three charity donation bags to fill. But, like new agey magic, I feel lighter, less cluttered. It's a great feeling and I like to hope my crap becomes someone else's, dare I say, treasure?! 

Whew! And that brings us to now.......! Apologies for not checking in.... These last few weekends, while we've gotten home most Sunday evenings, I was way too pooped to check in. I did think about it every Sunday tho. After 6 years it's become my Sunday afternoon ritual and when I miss it, I do think about it (and sometimes feel guilty). So, for all two or three of you out there following along at home, am sorry for the delay but I hope it was worth it......!?

Otherwise, I hope you're all well up there! Drop a line if you have any questions or need planning advice!

BYE!

J!

P.S. As you may have noticed by now, this new Blogger template isn't exactly kind to how the photos are laid out, and that's if they even get uploaded...... Will study about how to fix the layout issues......... For now, apologies for the gangliness........