Relaxing retreat weekend

So last weekend I spent a few days away from it all up the mountains for some serious switch off time. Goodness, how quick the week has gone.      

By the time I picked Sibs up from her ballet class and coaxed her away from the chatting that eleven year old girls are so good at, we set off a bit later that planned.

Now there are two ways of getting to this particular middle of no-where spot that was to be our weekend destination- the 'highway and then a bit of mountain' road, or the 'mountain all the way' road. On Friday night I decided on the highway. I hadn't tried this route to get there before.....

Picture the scene - it's dark, really dark, we're a little hungry and a little impatient to get there....

The sat nav only knows part of the way..... (it really is in the middle if no-where!)

So I take the wrong turn....!

Ok, technically I didn't take the wrong turn, I just didn't take any turn!

In my (slightly weak) defence every lake looks the same in the dark! Then after miraculously avoiding an enormous deer in the middle of the road, the dusty 8km dirt track that leads to the property appeared.

The fire was blazing, the casserole was being kept warm and the relaxing could begin!

We made it!

The Saturday morning started with a quick catch up hello with the animals and after a brief introduction to the new goats, off they trotted for a walk like two obedient little dogs!

The weekend was a get together with family to celebrate two birthdays. Two cousins born almost two weeks apart turning twelve in August. We celebrated their tenth birthdays here and they have loved every visit since. It's a place that they can wander and enjoy being outdoors. Apart from my slight paranoia about snakes, they are safe! Even on this winter weekend the daylight hours are all spent outside just exploring the surroundings.

These alpacas always make me smile. They would win any staring competition without a doubt!

Just as I was snapping away at the alpacas these three were watching the action, so of course they had to be included in the photo shoot too!

One of the highlights of this particular stay was to see two koalas close up. The last few times that I've visited I've managed to spot some in the trees in the distance but this time they were so much closer to the property. It's such a reminder that I'm in Australia and not somewhere back in the Yorkshire Dales!

They were so obliging looking directly at the excited woman taking a hundred photos of them!

On the Saturday afternoon Nana had us all in stitches of laughter when she brought out some old family photos. The kids had a real giggle at the fashions and hairstyles. Laughter is so infectious.

Then as the sun set it was back indoors to light the fire, enjoy another comfort food dinner and then curl up under my new blanket with a book.

Of course it's not a birthday weekend without cake and Aunty D produced this fantastic creation on Sunday afternoon for us all to enjoy. 

Presents were exchanged and Uncle S had the brilliant idea of giving the kids the same book complete with a beautiful little message on the inside cover. 

I think Sibs was very happy with this particular birthday present!

All too soon if was Sunday afternoon and time to pack up and head back to reality.

Quick goodbye to Stuart Little and Mr Jones the goats.

Thank you Nana and Papa for organising a lovely weekend.

Until next time....

We stayed at The Hollow Log Country Retreat website link  HERE, and Facebook page link HERE

Escape to the country

Well, well, I haven't been here for a while....

I thought it was a couple of weeks since I last wrote a blog post, but it's actually three weeks...

There's no real reason - nothing dramatic, nothing even vaguely interesting as to why I suddenly stopped. Just one of those things...life getting in the way; a bit of Winter sickness; I think there might have been a few days of Internet connection trouble and hey what do you know three weeks has passed.

So, it's a start to another week, some Monday morning chores have been completed and I just had the urge to sit a moment and fire up the old laptop and check in.

Let me share what we did weekend before last.

We escaped to the country, and spent a couple of nights in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.

It's about an hour and a half from Brisbane, up and down a windy mountain road and then 8km down a dirt track.....but so worth the drive. Talk about peaceful. There were no sounds apart from the wildlife. A fabulous place to relax and switch off - quite literally as there was no phone or Internet connection and no TV...bliss.

The accommodation is a four bedroom, two bathroom cabin style house with predominantly hand made furniture.The dining table is an enormous slab of polished wood. It's rustic but at the same time comfortable. The bed linen, pillows and the towels provided are good quality (which is important in my book, so no mocking!)

There is a well stocked kitchen and pantry with most of the pots and pans that you need and of course an outside bbq and fire pit and acres of space.

The kids had a ball! Whilst it's not quite a farmstay - the owners (who live in a property next door) were so obliging and gave Sibs and her cousin a bit of a free reign to roam and collect eggs from the chooks, pick up the lambs named Tim and Tam, and walk Rusty the pony.

Skippy the little kangaroo came to visit and bounced around and kept a check on us and the alpacas kept a very close eye on the dog.

I have a feeling we'll be returning to Hollow Log Country Retreat. Web site link - HERE, Facebook page - HERE (Their Facebook page actually gives a better idea of the place and you'll see some photos of our weekend taken by Leonie the owner)

So since coming back, Sibs has been away to school camp and Twmff the cat missed her like crazy. He moped around the house whimpering and in the mornings cried at her bedroom door. He's since done something to his leg  and is now limping and hopping around the place so this afternoon he's off to the v-e-t. (I have to whisper - he's lying right here!)

This is the sight next to me right this moment - Twmff being the little invalid on a pillow in the sun in the study and Modlen stealing his food!

 Happy Monday

Aracnophobics look away!

I know I keep mentioning it - but this time of year is just perfect weather in Brisbane.

It's ideal for walking as you don't have the blazing sun on your head.

However, the spiders are out! 

We decided to go for a walk last week just down by the creek, and this is what we saw...dare you to join me?

Golden Orb,  Brisbane



A common species of local spider is the Golden Orb Weaver.

The males are very small so the ones that we saw guarding their webs were female. Their abdomens were probably about 3-4 cm, but they looked so much larger...Fortunately they are non-venomous.

Golden Orb, Brisbane



One advantage of large spiders is that you can see them whilst walking.

The Golden Orb Weavers have pretty spectacular webs too. It's a really strong web and I have had the very unfortunate experience of walking straight through one. Well, actually walking through isn't quite correct...I got tangled and bounced back! They often weave their webs just at head height so you have to be on the lookout. When you see local walkers ducking for no apparent reason they've spotted one!

Golden Orb, Brisbane



When the sun catches the web it's easy to see how these spiders got their name.

As it was a glorious Autumn afternoon, the sun was just perfect for taking photos.

The next photo is my favourite (If you can have a favourite spider photo!)

and shows off the gold colour of the weave perfectly.



Golden Orb and web, Brisbane



This particular walk was taking quite a bit longer than planned as I was stopping every few metres to take photos. Those spiders were everywhere!

Golden Orb, Brisbane



Some of us weren't quite so enthralled with the spiders...

and decided that messing around on the scooter was much more fun. That is until a tumble occured.

Quick cuddle, kiss it better and we were off again.

All back to normal this week as the Easter school holidays are over.

We have had a lovely couple of weeks just slowing down the pace of life and catching up.

Easter 4WD adventure.

The Easter holiday weeks are great for capturing a little of the outdoor lifestyle that Australia offers. The weather is a perfect mixture of warm sunny days and slightly cooler evenings. No humidity to tackle and we're not yet into cardigan and socks time!

Let me tell you how we are making the most of it.

In our continued effort to induct ourselves and embrace the Australian way, this week we moved swiftly from High Tea (link here) to 4 wheel driving!

A couple of years ago we bought a second car. It had very low kilometres, was in great condition and was apparently driven from home to work. It happened to be a 4WD but the closest it had (and has since) ever been off road is through a few puddles!

That changed this week...

We didn't go through puddles - they were rivers!
The road (and I use the term loosely) was a dry track with what felt like ravines with huge boulders running though it! Okay, I might be exaggerating a little for effect - but it was certainly different...

Sibs was a little subdued in the back seat and then became slightly anxious, so we were careering through the tracks with a nine year old year distracting herself by singing at the top of her voice "The sun will come out tomorrow...!"

About half way up we stopped and once she realised that the other kids in the other cars were having a ball she perked up. There was also the promise of lunch and being Easter that meant chocolate!

These were the views that greeted us as we climbed the mountain.

Miles and miles of nothing but green  - it was breathtakingly beautiful, and the photos only hint at the beauty.

At the top it was picnic time.

The snags (sausages) were put on the bbq, the children woofed down theirs and then tucked into decorated hard boiled eggs and of course plenty of the chocolate variety.

We met a few species of the local wildlife...

The snake had a very distinctive 'I've just eaten' bulge so we were very careful not to disturb it.

Thank goodness for a zoom lens...

Then it was time to descend. Thankfully, not via the same route!

The sun was beginning to set and we travelled through the countryside back to the city.

So last Easter we went olive picking, (link here) this Easter is was driving up tracks...
we'll have to get thinking for next year...

Hope you had a great Easter break.

Wet weather weekend

I just about managed to prise myself out of bed this morning to get Sibs ready

for violin ensemble that started at 7am.

 (What kind of a time is that to start school when you're nine....and on a Monday morning?)

Sibs is oblivious to mornings and can switch from asleep to wide awake in a nano second!

Let's just say I am not at my best in the mornings and when you couple that with the Australian Open men's final that went on until almost 1am, I was most definitely not at my best this morning.

Anyhow, once I'm up, I'm up, so might as well make the most of the day.

We had another wet weekend here and spent the day indoors on Saturday.

By Sunday mid-morning cabin fever had set in so we decided to brave the elements and venture out.

It was on with the rain coats and wellies and then this is what greeted us around the corner...

It looks like a bit of surface water collected on the road - however, this is at least waist high and fast flowing!

Again, this water is deceptive and when Neil waded through it was knee high and quite powerful.

Sibs and I decided that it was best to walk the long way around...

Everything is growing at a crazy pace with all the rain. Unfortunately that includes all the weeds!

This bamboo is slowly being surrounded by water but is holding its ground.



 We managed a short walk, but after a while decided to give it up and came home.

Even the local wildlife looked displeased with the rain.

So we got out of our wet clothes, chose a family movie ,battened down the hatches,

and made a good old Sunday roast.

 I'm off to Ikea this morning.

I couldn't find my list earlier and Neil swears that he didn't throw it away!

I might need a boat to get there at this rate!

Have a great week,

One more sleep....

...and it's back to routine.

Today is the last day of the summer holidays here. The school uniform has been washed, ironed and hung in the wardrobe. The new socks are ready, the books are prepared, the pencils, erasers, etc, etc all packed up.

(My British friends will be interested to know that parents provide everything needed for primary school here - every pencil, exercise book, crayon...even paper for the photocopier and a box of tissues!)

Anyway, enough about tomorrow. I've just been thinking back about what we've done during the holidays.

This year we decided not to travel away and have been enjoying doing some exploring close to home. Apart from the few posts that I have snatched a moment to write about here's a few more highlights of the last couple of months.

Want to have a look...?

There's been plenty of baking. This is a time when we made banana bread and I have to say one of the best that I have ever tasted courtesy of a recipe from Sarah at The Beach Cottage.(link here)

Some day trips including one up to the hinterland.

 I tried out a panoramic shot here to try and capture the scenery.

School holidays are great for catching up with friends and there have been numerous play dates and sleep overs. This is one invitation that was on the doorstep one evening.

The invitation was written on a pillowcase that was then decorated as part of the slumber party.

Sibs had a ball!She came home with a collage of photos of a jam packed time with friends.

Some days were spent indoors when the temperature was a little too high.



There's been some walking and exploring locally with friends including the four legged variety.

You never know what you'll find on your doorstep unless you look!

 One of the highlights of the holidays was the week that Sibs spent with Deep Blue.

A few months ago I took her to watch Deep Blue perform (link to post here) and she was really inspired by the show. We found out that they were offering a Young Blue workshop and she was lucky enough to get a place. The week was filled with instrumental tuition, but on top of this she learnt about confident speaking, stage presence, lighting, sound and recording. One day she came home and announced that she'd been to a seminar and that she's an 'auditory learner'!  

The week ended with a performance that the young musicians had put together - it was spectacular, and her smile at the end said it all (albeit a very blurry photo)

So another summer school holiday has been filled with memories...

I have watched my girl bloom and grow in front of my eyes.

Some slithering companions

Oh, the joys of Summer in sub tropical Queensland.

Before you get envious of the brilliant blue skies and sunshine let me tell of some of the other 'joys'.

We are now sharing the Summer with a few more creepy crawly and slithery critters...

Each year, when the temperature starts to rise, out come the huntsman spiders,

 the cockroaches and the snakes. I can't believe that I now accept this as part of everyday life here.

I'm not saying that I accept it as in I like it, it's just that I know it happens!

This time of year we call in the pest man for his annual inspection for termites.

We live in a timber house and this is just part of the maintenance to protect ourselves from our home being potentially eaten and turned to dust by these horrors. At the same time as the inspection, the pest man will spray our place with magic stuff to keep the spiders and the cockroaches out...what a hero!

This magic dust however doesn't protect us from all the unpleasant creatures...

Last week there were some workmen here doing some electrical stuff outside

and after a little while there was a cry of -

"Hmm, Beth -  we have a bit of a snake issue here!"

"Snake issue? ..... How big a snake issue?"

It appeared that a whip snake had decided to have a snooze under the bbq

where the electrician was connecting some power.

He thought it was a piece of rope and got the shock of his life when the 'rope' moved!

whip snake

I stayed a safe distance away to weigh up the situation and offer my 'expert advice'!!

The young apprentice electrician then did what you shouldn't do and proceeded to bash and stab at said whip snake with a shovel...hmm not too clever. Consequently Whip snake was not impressed with having his sleep interrupted and at this point it was a case of me getting well out of every one's way

- i.e.quick scarper indoors to watch out of the window.

In conclusion - the snake didn't win the battle with the shovel and was placed in a strong plastic bag.

Now don't read the next bit if you are squeamish about snakes...

The plastic bag continued to move for quite some time! I know, disgusting isn't it?

Even though the poor snake was in a few bits - each little bit moved!

Yuck! or as we would say in Wales - "ych y fi, mochyn du, rhedeg lawr i ty mamgu!"

Then a couple of days after the snake incident Sibs spotted a blue tongue lizard in the garden.

They look remarkably like snakes until you take a second glance and notice that they have little legs.

 Blue Tongue lizards are not dangerous and this one was a bit of a baby

even though it is putting on its sternest 'don't mess with me' face!

We just watched it for a little while and let it go its own way.

 A bit of  a reminder to be aware of what could be lurking in the back yard during the warmer months.