We drove from Townsville to Brisbane as we were spending Christmas on the Sunshine Coast, arriving a couple of days before Christmas. The days prior to Christmas we spent cooking and preparing. I baked fresh breads, and marinated a leg each of pork and lamb. The intention was to cook the lamb and pork over coals, but the weather was awful- The rain was simply incessant.
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| The main cooking station for Christmas Day Lunch |
Jane and I drove to Brisbane to pick Jacinda and Jason up on Christmas Eve- so nice to see them again. They were tired after having circled in the air for 30 minutes before landing. On the way out of the airport, we heard that flights to Townsville had been cancelled as storms had closed the airport.
Dessert was a frozen Christmas pudding (chocolate ice-cream with marinated dried fruits and spices folded through it), pavlova, and a mango and pineapple cheesecake.
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| Christmas Pudding! |
The day dawned fine-ish (overcast, but no rain), and we were able to get the fire going.
It was a good fun day, as always with us and the Tickelpenny’s. The rain came in, and never let up, but it did little to dampen spirits.
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| Mary at Christmas- Pick the Hawaiian theme! |
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| Jane with Lee and Cara (or Cara and Lee?) |
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| Summer and Harri |
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| Ken and Camille |
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| Hudson with buddy0 no arachnophobia there! |
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| Welcome to my party! |
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| Tiff, Fred and Danah |
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| The Outlaws!- Jason, Jane and Mark |
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| Ken and Fred |
On the 27th, Jane and I flew to Sydney for Uncle Tom’s 90th birthday celebrations. We weren't the only one's to travel long distances for this celebration - David flew down from Darwin for 26 hours to be there! The difference was that everyone knew we were coming, David kept it a complete surprise arriving on Aunty Betty's doorstep at 7am. It was fantastic to catch up with him (even briefly) before he left for his next adventure. We then went to Canberra for a few of days. The weather was fine, the nights were cool, and there was no humidity. Lovely! We spent our days in Canberra catching up with close friends, and I got on the end of a jackhammer to extend the wine cellar.
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| Phillip, David, Clare, Jane & Quent at Uncle Tom's birthday lunch |
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| Uncle Tom, David and Aunty Val |
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| David "telling it like it is" and Jane |
New Years Eve was a very civilised affair at home. I cooked a pasta dinner, with a cheesecake for dessert (raspberry and white chocolate- especially for Clare!). We were in bed early… must be getting old!!
Our return to Queensland on the 2nd of January meant a return to the wet, and we started to worry about how we might get home, as Rockhampton was flooded.
We caught up with some very good Brisbane based friends and also went to the Eumundi Markets for a look, and to buy some “Zappy Nappy’s”. It was a very pleasant surprise to see John Somerville at the markets. I worked for John years ago in Bendigo, and we have been firm friends ever since.
We had it confirmed that we couldn’t go north on the coast road, and leaving the car behind and flying just wasn’t an option. We found out that we could skirt the water by heading west- way west, and accordingly plotted a route home through Longreach. Instead of a two day drive it would be three, and we would have road trains to deal with.
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| Our very accommodating road trip companions |
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| The open road - Outback Queensland |
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| Longreach - Stockman's Hall of Fame - very much worth the visit but it's still not a day trip! |
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| The only signs of the recent floods we came across - travelling into Dalby |
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| This is the hotel Tyson built in Chinchilla. No visible damage and was open for business when we drove through |
As it turned out, the drive was awesome, the road trains are nothing to worry about, and we got to see the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach. If you ever get out there, dinner at the RSL is a good bet. Because of the number of Kiwi shearers out there, one of the specials is the ‘Shearer’s Fush, Chups & Eggs’ (sic). Fish and chips, with two fried eggs. Brilliant. Jane had the crumbed steak, which should really come with a warning other than "adult sized". It was served on a buffet serving platter, and the meat flowed over every edge of the platter. I think Jane just about gave up before starting!
We did see a couple of amusing things on the journey. At Ilfracombe, they advertise the Wellshot Hotel as being a historic building, with modern refrigeration, and also advertise free town attractions. In Blackall there is a place advertising accommodation with all the usual amenities (what are usual?).
On the Matilda Highway north of Barcaldine, we saw a man running beside the highway at 3:20 pm in the afternoon. He had no hat or shoes, was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with the logo “gifted”. Bloody gifted alright!
We were very happy to be home, and welcomed our nephew, Phillip, for a visit from Canberra. He tried to stay out of the heat/humidity and helped me with another couple of furniture pieces. I had to make another three bookshelves so we could finally get our last books unpacked, and a desk.
Then back to work. A last eleven weeks for Jane before Sparrow arrives, and a new job for me. Until next time…
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