Wednesday, April 30, 2014

TIME TO MOVE ON

The weather was still hot and humid as we left Brisbane via the Bruce Highway, continuing on Cunningham Highway to Warwick, Goondawindi, we found Coolmunda Dam Caravan Park from our Camps 6 book and it was lovely.  Much cooler, grassy under foot and sloping toward the aforementioned Dam - beautiful - after the Brisbane scramble.  There were five peacocks roaming around, cattle in the next paddock, this girl was at peace in the 24 deg. temperature.
Unfortunately the next day started raining finely, then increasing with associated wind and the decision was made to move on the next day.  We passed lots of paddocks with crops in various stages, passing names such as Coppymurrumbilla (a property) Nee Nee Creek, Gil Gil Creek, lots of prickly pear, wild sunflowers to Moree - chose a C/Park and attempted to set up amidst increasingly heavy rain, did the bare miminum as there were small lakes forming.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

THE HAPPY COUPLE CUTTING THEIR CAKE

CONTINUING IN BRISBANE

While we were in the metropolis of Brisbane we attended to some improvements to the van, organised flu vaccinations and tried to catch up with our family, in between all the work they do in second and third jobs !
They were very busy unfortunately, but we did what we could and then there were preparations for Jessica's engagement celebration.  A blue top for me to wear (as a connection of Jessica's) (red depicted Jason), decorations for the venue etc.
We packed up and moved on the Thursday to Scarborough C/Park where Chris and John had booked a unit to stay in.
It was hot and making it even worse it was humid, hard to live with - J and C turned up as we were setting up and it was a happy reunion. 
We set about showing them some of the higlights of Brisbane that John and I had discovered - including the Sushi Train in Redcliffe - and they enjoyed it too. 
Then it was Saturday afternoon and we were happy to meet up with all the members of our and Jason's family, including our son Michael and Tracy who had flown up from Temora that morning specially to attend his neice's celebration. A lovely time was had by all, the venue had been decorated by our daughter Leanne and her girls and it looked lovely.  Jess and Jason were quizzed on aspects of their life together and that produced some jollity, the odd small speech and toasts.
All my girls looked beautiful in their special outfits and it was really joyous.
Afterward we went to Leanne & Scott's home, more food and some drinks.
Altogether a very lovely day.

FINDING THE CORRECT PLACE TO CUT

THE VIEW FROM MOUNT GLORIOUS

TEARS AND HUGS

Saturday, April 5, 2014

THE BRISBANE BIRTHDAYS

There was birthday gifts to select and family visits - all good, the usual daily chores and shopping. Got two pillow speakers at Jaycar - one for a spare and another as backup, I would hate to be unable to listen to my radio through my pillow.
We celebrated Amelia's birthday on the Friday, she is collecting things for her glory box, so a Royal Albert cup, saucer and plate went down well.  Roast lamb on the barbeque, yum.
At the market Saturday morning at the showground, I mostly bought fresh fruit and vegetables
On the Saturday night we celebrated with both birthday girls and their partners and the rest of the family at a Mexican restaurant in Redcliffe, an area we know well from other visits to our family.
On Sunday it was Leanne's special birthday and we travelled 47 klms to a restaurant at Mount Glorious, it had been raining so we ate inside and the view was not as glorious as it might have been due to low cloud etc., but the meal was lovely.
On return to Gourlay family home there was afternoon tea, I took scones, macaroons, birthday cake.
I gave Leanne the box we had carried so far, containing her baby book, clinic reports, school reports, some of her baby clothes and toys and a lock of her girlhood hair.  The actual velvet dress was red not maroon as the photo depicts, she had the usual trouble of finding where to cut the cake that bore her photo.
Olivia's birthday was on the Moonday and she had work in the morning, uni middle of the day then went to dinner with her beau Dion. 

The journey from Temora to Brisbane

On a warm day we set off from Temora travelling through West Wyalong, Forbes, lunching in Parkes, then through Dubbo, Gilgandra and overnighted in Coonabarabran, cool leafy trees, gravel underfoot.
We left via the Newell Highway through lots of the Pilliga Nature Reserve, Narrabri a surprisingly big Town, and over the Namoi River, Moree, Goondawindi.
We passed through an area marked 'The Long Paddock' and saw cows on the sides eating happily, with a man on a quad bike attending, (careful, toot the horn if they stray near the road). It reminded us of the trouble the farmers are having in this drought.
We noticed the roadsides on our journey from a little after Temora were badly littered with rubbish, so sad that fellow humans cannot dispose more responsibly.  We stayed that night at Warwick, we had been there before but this time stayed at the in a Big 4 Cara/Park.
Our journey after that was on the Cunningham Highway up the side of the mountain and through the gap. A lot of repair work has been completed, magnificent waterways created, huge freight containers placed on a high side where rocks are prone to fall, to protect.
We found our way along North Brisbane highways to Lawnton Showgrounds - usual fee $20 pernight.
That evening we were reunited with Leanne and the family.