Glowing

The city was glowing last night.

We headed up to the Copperlode Dam lookout last night and the city had turned on some magic with sparkling and glowing lights. You could even spot people's Christmas lights from afar, adding extra lights and colour.

Way in the distance, along the coast, we could spot the top of the casino and a cruise ship in port.

It was so nice up there with a cool breeze but you could see the humidity reflecting the lights. 

It was a pretty popular idea to head up to the lookout last night. Not only was Mr Sparky there, who I managed to drag up the hill again, but so were many families who came up for the view.

To see the view of the fireworks that heralded the end of the city Carols by Candlelight. 

Mind you fireworks that were meant to be on at 8:30pm didn't start until after 9pm. Gotta love things running on 'Cairns time'.

It is things like this that get my Christmas excitement going. That little fuzz of Christmas excitement that starts small and fills your body with joy and happiness.

It was a great view, although a long way from the fireworks.

It was unforgettable too, not for the fireworks but because of that family beside us whose child had the need to empty the contents of their stomach and then had the very strong need to describe the contents while waiting for the fire works. Gotta love kids. It turns out they had been into the choc chip biccies.

I hope that little story didn't turn you off your food.

Other than that it was a perfect way to spend the evening.

I am still swinging up and down in my feelings about another Christmas away from family but this, this kind of thing helps a little with the cheer part of the season.

Do you love fireworks?

What brings you Christmas cheer?

Neither of us are even slightly organised Christmas wise and have yet to decide what to do. I guess we better decide on that soon. 

Don't you just love the repeated question 'what do you want for Christmas?' It is like a broken record.

We haven't really made any Christmas traditions together yet but that will come with time.

What are some traditions you have?

 Oh, my pet photo stint has lead to assisting with Santa photos close to where I live in the lead up to Christmas. I am excitied to have something else to do. I think I'm just printing photos but that is still fun.

I hope you are finding joy and cheer this silly season ... and a little bit of glow and sparkle.

Cairns from the lookout at night and during the day.

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The first day of Autumn

A pinch and a punch for the first of the month.

Okay so I'm a bit late on that count it being almost 9:30pm. I think the rules are you have to do it before 12pm or was that something someone made up at sometime to stop kids pinching and punching for the entire day.

Today was the first day of Autumn and I have to say it felt just like ... Summer. Not even a smidgen of Autumn in the air. Oh that is right, I live in far North QLD, Autumn doesn't really happen. What do they say on one of those air conditioning ads on the radio. Cairns has two types of weather, hot and hotter. Actually that isn't true, Winter isn't that hot, it is pretty much perfect temperature wise.

I didn't capture the first Autumn sunrise, I slept in instead. I didn't get the sunset either, I was doing something and then there were too many clouds. I did however get Mr Sparky to come up the hill with me to the lookout. This would be the Copperlode Dam/ Lake Morris Road lookout.

It was just a little magical with all those twinkling lights. Okay so no ones lights twinkle really but it did look pretty.

Maybe it looked just a little like part of the Milky Way had landed on the ground. Before you start looking for chocolate I'm talking about the stars. I would have beat you to the chocolate anyway.

My youngest sister, Sis G, started her trip today that is part of chasing her dreams. I wish her love and luck. I know she will find this first step hard especially as it means moving away from home but I am sure she will have fun and many valuable experiences.

 

Watching the lights below and stars above, that is the stuff of dreams and a great place for dreaming. Maybe wishing on a star or two.

Have you been wishing on any stars lately?

Do you feel any changes in the seasons at your place yet?

Eclipse

Remember last week how there was that lunar Eclipse, the night of the blood moon? 

Who made sure they checked it out?

Well I was looking forward to it and then I forgot about it. I remembered on the highway when I saw that pretty big moon which I pulled up to snap. Buuttt then I forgot again.

6:09pm

I did have an awesome reason to forget though as I finally managed to catch up with a friend from my governessing days (wow that seems so long ago). It has been a couple of years even though she is so close to my parent's place. It just seems that we try to plan a catch up and something always gets in the way, usually my lack of organisation in super short trips to visit the family.

Well we did it, we caught up over dinner. I met her sister and nephew. We experienced some fine dining in down town Toowoomba. The company was awesome, I forgot how wonderful it was to hang out together and just chat about this and that. The fine dining is not something I have experienced often but honestly could they at least have put more than a tiny piece of meat, a sprinkle of lettuce and a couple of bits of veg on my plate. I think I'll take home cooked or a pub style meal that fills the plate any day. After picking up my sister I fed her something a little more fast foodish on the way back to the farm (this was great practice for my very rusty night, rural driving skills, no roos, yay!). My mum had ended up making my sis dinner so to save on wastage (not that this would ever happen) I guzzled it down to make my growling tummy happy.

Enough about food and back to food for the soul. Isn't it special when you find the kind of friendships that have build memories together and who despite time and distance can pick up like it was yesterday that you last caught up rather than 2+ years. We certainly had some fun together out in the bush with show balls, rodeos and school events but, well, what happens in the outback stays in the outback, some of it anyway. Thanks for making the effort and making me make the effort for our short catch up, may we have another sooner rather than later.

So I was saying I forgot about the moon thing, that is until my sister messaged me to say they were watching it while I was stuck a road works before picking her up. Woops, goldfish memory. When I got to good old Oakey town to pick her up I snapped a quick shot 

8:45pm

but then I had to wait until I got back to the family farm. Then I took a few to see how the moon changed.

9:15pm

9:28pm

9:40pm

9:41pm

10:05pm

10:05pm

10:18pm

10:58pm

Lighting up the water and the sky

On Friday night Mr Sparky and I headed down to the water front.
We wandered along the wharf and checked out the boats.
We watched the lights on the shore reflect upon the water.
It was peaceful and nice to walk and talk ... a bit of a reminder of our meeting up in Townsville days when I was still on the station.
 

 

 

 

 

We got home and were lucky enough to see fireworks from a close by school fete light up the sky. I watched from our little balcony as red, green and gold lit the sky.
 

 

 

 

How did your weekend start?

 

 

Nightly Beach Tradition

On my way back north I have detoured for a couple of days and am gate crashing the annual family holiday at the Sunshine Coast.

We arrived at our beach side destination after dark ready for a relaxing and fun holiday.

After dinner we headed down for our tradition of a nightly walk on the beach.

It is amazing how from the beach you can see the lights of the city but the beach itself is mostly dark, deserted and peaceful, well not so deserted or peaceful once we arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any beach holiday traditions?