Tripping Around

Last week some visitors came through town. They had been further north, up at Cook Town, visiting a relative but had decided to stop over in Cairns for a few days before heading south and further south.

They were the excuse to go on the Skyrail in the last post.
A trip to Green Island was also organised for them but I opted for a day at home. Apparently it was an amazing day and they even saw a turtle while snorkeling.
For their third day I offered to take them on a driving tour of the Atherton Tablelands, a suggestion that was greeted with plenty of enthusiasm. If only the weather hadn't been so enthusiastic about showing off some late wet season and a bit of winter. It was a nice day all the same though.

First stop was to check out the Mulgrave Mill. There is just something cool about seeing a sugar mill up close and the smell; sweet, moist and kind of grassy, the smell of molasses. Due to rain the mill hasn't bee running until mid last week. Harvest is up and running with many a sugar cane farmer hoping the rain stays at bay.

Then up the Gillies Range we went. I pulled over before the lookout to check out the view. That turned out to be a good choice because the main lookout was a whiteout.

Next stop, when we got to the top, was Lake Barrine. The tablelands weather had really turned on by then as we got out and wandered in the cool, misty rain. We checked out the lake and the cowrie pines.

Then we checked out the tea house and warmed up with a Devonshire Tea (well with hot choc in my case). Now I have to admit I am not a fan of having scones when out because, not to be big headed but I cook pretty good ones, and often they are a disappointment. These were super yummy ones. Big tick of approval from us.

After filling our tummies the next quick stop was the Curtain Fig. We oohed and ahhed and I wondered at my ability to only see this tree in the rain. Then we quickly made our way back to the car and out of the rain.

Then it was strawberry farm time. I was hoping they had opened and they had. A couple of kgs later, a few kg of seconds as well, and we were on out way again. I was thinking of jam making to come.

We checked out the lookout at Atherton, hoping to see the surrounding countryside. It turned out to be a whiteout as well with nothing to see. After that I decided there was no point finding other lookouts to see.

Then on the road we went, briefly stopping when we could see a nice view.

Next was a quick stop into Ravenshoe and the bakery for some bread (the best bread, so soft) and a pie cause I was hungry. Then it was a short back track to Windy Hill where spots seemed to be the pattern of the day.

We then traveled the Old Palmerston Highway (single lane bitumen) to Millaa Millaa and the well known falls. We again ooohed and ahhhed and commented on the craziness of those going for a paddle. They swore it was warm but considering their nationality and my knowledge, there was no way I was getting in.

At the falls we also spied a handy map that showed a bit of the area.

By then it was about time to head back down to the coast so rather than track back to the Gillies we went down the Palmerston Highway. It is a really nice bit of road to drive. We had a brief stop at Crawfords Lookout that overlooks the North Johnstone river.

Other than that we drove straight on down and then north up the coast. Well that was until just south of Cairns where I pulled over so we could check out the blue sky and Walsh's Pyramid rising into the clouds.

It was a lovely day and very full, although not as full as it sounds written down.
Over at I must confess, everyone is confessing their most treasured possessions and these are mine. My photos and the memories tied to them. Oh, I have plenty of things that have sentimental value but in the end they are just things that can be replaced (although the timber slab furniture and frames made by Mr Sparky would be hard to replicate) if I need to but the photos I take of the places I go, they can't be replaced. And as for the memories that go with, it scares me a little that these might fade a disappear over the years so I guess that is why the photos are so important.
So I hope you enjoyed your slather of the Tablelands and a peek into what I've been up to.

Travel Fails

Over at 'I must confess' with Kirsty, it is all about travel fails. Oh boy do I have a few of them.

Ah, there was that time I went to visit Mr Sparky only to have to turn around and go back home to The Station. I did blog about that one, way back when in 2012.

There was also that time, way back before I was blogging, on the first station I worked on when I managed to get a flat tyre on the trip to town and one on the way back again. That meant for a bit of rushing on Saturday morning to find another tyre before good old Longreach shut down at midday for the rest of the weekend and lead to me ordering tyres on the mail so I always had two spares. I can certainly prove I can change a tyre or two. Why is it that helpful people always come along when you are already screwing the nuts back on?

There was that time Mr Sparky and I decided to go on an overnight camping trip in 2013 to Mount Mulligan and the car decided to not co-operate very well, meaning the overnighter part was off. That one is also a previous blog post.

Oh, I forgot that time when I went to a friend's wedding and then got rained out of The Station in 2012 which resulted in much stressing and then reorganising of flights to get back down south. I only found out I couldn't get back to work when I arrived at Townsville Airport ready for the return drive wet. That bit of a pickle is also a blog post of its own.

Just to finish off I'll take you back to the 26th of November 2010 when my trip off  The Station for the Christmas holidays was a little more eventful that intended. I kind of got stuck after following the advise of sticking to the wheel tracks already there. That set of tracks wasn't a good pick but luckily another lady came along and dropped me a a station a bit further down the road and I was able to call up The Station on the UHF and let them know where I was. They were coming behind me but were a fair distance away. Boss R pulled me out of this mess and we both headed on our ways for the holidays.

Then just to top it off on returning to the station, January 2011, I had some more issues involving wet roads and flooded creeks. That was when a fair amount of QLD ended up flooding at some stage or another and my road choices for the return trip were limited, with many closed heading north. When I got closer to The Station my first choice of turn off meant coming back to the highway and heading for the second choice. It was going fine.

Well, that was until it wasn't any more.

This is from my personal facebook, posted on the 29th of January 2011.

'here is the lovely "creek" I sat beside for a few hrs on the way back ... hmmm not my most intelligent moment .... apparently you can't use the shortcut anymore, I just didn't want to turn around and go back ... I have come to the conclusion that when the thought crosses my mind that it might not be a good idea ... it REALLY isn't. At least I wasn't like the person who was bogged there before me, they went back for a second go this week ... same result!'

 

Further up the road

Sunset

My 'creek'

'The bosses came to my rescue ... they smartly deducted where I was as there where only 2 passable ways into the property and this was the only one someone had been bogged on ... Boss H scared the jeebies out of me when he woke me up with a torch and his face at the window. Oh by the way, my lovely new white recovery strap is no longer white but is did a great job!'

 

Basically, I got bogged and did it with style (if you can that is). I tried to call up the nearby stations on my UHF (new addition after the last bogged incident) but they were all away at the Australia Day cricket in a nearby town which was very inconvenient of them. I got sick of waiting so went to sleep in the back seat. Boss H and Boss R found me at about 9:30pm. They tried getting my car out but their recovery strap broke so my new one, a present, got some use. They got my car unstuck and we all headed back to The Station which was an interesting drive on its own account with darkness and all that really tall grass. I certainly slid in to the new school year with a bang. 

And that my friends was the infamous story of the day I went missing and it does the rounds of our family every now and again. It is also a good reminder of why I do call people and let them know where I am, that way they notice I am missing sooner.

Oh I am sure there are far more I could share, but maybe I forgot them or maybe I have buried them in my memory or maybe trips where underwear or pillows have been forgotten just didn't rate. By the way the underwear one isn't my story to tell but rather one of my sisters. I am sure the longer the think the more I would think of.

Have you had any spectacular travel fails? 

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Catching the Sun

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go near a shop this evening. Holy cow it is crazy out there. You'd think the shops are going to be shut for a week rather than a day.

That was not the planned start to my post but I just had to put that community announcement out there, for your sanity.

Now I may or may not have first hand experience with this and I may be dreading the craziness that will hit us for the two hours of night shift before the shop closes and we will get two hours of peace. Actually I have found an upside to working Friday night too, the fact that I'm not. Ah public holidays and the related pay. 

Many are gearing up for a weekend away or crazy family time or holidays but some are not. I am one of those some who is working every night over Easter, well except for Good Friday. So that means we are having a lovely time at home, going nowhere and seeing no one and doing, well, nothing while I toddle off to work Sat, Sun and Mon night followed up by Tue and Wed as well as tacking Fri on the end. I think this Easter will be exhausting. This is of cause all being said in the happy voice in my head, just to add tone for you. Maybe I am faking it, maybe I am not.

So now to how this post kind of was going to start. It went something like this ...

Some mornings the thought of bothering to chase the sunrise is just a bit much. It is just all too much effort even though I've been waiting months for them to be at a better time. I felt like this the other day, I felt like this today. I try to though, it gives me a reason to get going in the morning, especially when I haven't had enough sleep. It makes me happy so it is something I need to keep doing.

Yesterday, so didn't feel like it, was soooo pushing it to make it anywhere in time to see the sun rise. Then got stuck at traffic lights for ages, getting more disappointed as each second ticked by watching the pink leave the clouds, ugh. But do you know what, it was sooooooo worth it.

I did still get to see that magical fingers of light look and even cooler was the fact that it seemed to be net fishing day. This isn't something I've really seen and the other time I saw it they stopped using the net too soon to get pics of them throwing it.

I just spent the whole time being so glad I made the effort, so glad I got my butt down to the Esplanade. So glad I didn't put it off.

 I am a procrastinator, I put things off all the time right until the last minute. That is unless I am really into it, whatever it is.

I've been putting off writing this blog post, okay so not this exact one as I had one in mind for Tuesday and it is now Thursday and these photos are from Wednesday. You get the point. Not because I didn't want to blog but I just didn't know what or more importantly the computer is just being painful.

In school I left assessment pieces until the last minute to do. I always pack to go away right at the last moment, often shoving that extra thing in the bag just before walking out the door.

I certainly put off dealing with confrontations until I really have to deal with them, head in the sand, hoping it will go away.

 I am currently putting off putting in holiday paperwork which I really should do so I can meet my next niece when she makes her way into the world.

A wet fire

We are putting off setting a wedding date. What is with that? It just seems like too much stress, effort and money right now I think, it isn't that we don't want it and we don't want something big either.

We are putting off deciding where to go next. We half discuss it but get stuck on deciding what it is we actually want. I think most of the big decision things are on the back burner until Mr Sparky finishes his apprenticeship. Two weeks, fingers and toes crossed. That will again lead to the where to next question.

We are putting off starting a family but that goes back to me being stubborn about marriage first and that what next question.

I/ we put off so much in our lives. 

I need to stop putting things off and start just doing them. Just making that choice, just doing that thing I want to do (just let me work out what it is first).

So to start the 'stop putting things off' I am going to choose photos for the show down in my home town and send them off, I am going to do that craft I want to do (when I see one), I am going to go to that place I want to go (if I can make it in a day trip) and most importantly I am going to put in for those holidays so I can meet niece number two.

I also am going to take photos of anything new or old along the way.

So now I feeling all passionate about doing things, I wonder how long it will last.

Catching the sun

What I am most definitely going to keep doing is heading out of a morning when I can because even if it is the same places over and over sometimes they become something extra special.

So, now I can smell the lasagne in the oven, something I most definitely better not procrastinate about checking. Crunchy is good, burnt is not.

Then what I'll do is leave you in peace to view the rest of my Esplanade shots of birds and nets and water and sun.

Are you a good procrastinator? 

Are you also good at swapping topics all the time?

I hope you keep trying to capture the sunlight, that your days are filled with things happy and bright.

Enjoy your Easter weekend, whatever it brings.