Walkers Wanted

There was an ad from the paper in amongst my online job search it said 'Walkers Wanted'. It detailed a job delivering fliers ... just go to this site and sign up. So with nothing better to do and getting rather frustraited with the lack of job responses, I did. Something is better than nothing I thought.

 

I heard back right away. Yay for me a positive response! I rocked up at the allocated address and and time to find out what this 'Walkers Wanted' ad was all about. It turns out my first run was ready to go ... piles of catalogues ready to be sorted, folded and delivered. It is right about now I was thinking 'whoa what have I got myself into'. But nevertheless I (and Mr Sparky) loaded this massive stack of catalogues, not fliers, into his car and headed back home all the while telling each other it would be okay, its not that bad. After unloading them and dumping them inside the pile looked no better.

 

Most of the catalogue pile ... scary!

 

We got to work sorting 13 different types of catalogue from Woolies and Kmart to Bob Jane T-Mart; oh and I mustn't forget Dick Smith, wow did this one create some humour after a couple of hundred piles "Yay I get to play with Dick again ... I got Dick ... Have you done Dick? ... No, I want to do Dick." Okay, so you can see how that went. 306 piles with 13 magazines in each pile urgh. That's when I really began to regret saying yes to two runs. Oh no another 374 piles with 12 magazines in each pile to go. (This could turn into a bit of maths problem fun).

 

4488 catalogues ready to be folded into a box in the car.

 

We headed to bed laughing our heads off about the smiling ladies or some such thing and then something occurred to Mr Sparky. He went around double checking the locks and knowing he had seen me do them I asked what he was doing (duh). His reply "Checking the locks, don't want anyone to steal all those catalogues." (Did I mention I love him?) As you can imagine that started us off again, a pair of chooks laying eggs is what I think we probably sounded like. We then digressed again into "ah well no need to buy toilet paper for a while, we've got catalogues" and "We don't need to buy another mattress, the guests can sleep on catalogues, they could make a nest" and yes it got worse than that. Who'd have thought a pile of 8466 + catalogues (we had leftovers) could create so much gaiety.

 

 

Monday morning saw me trolling the streets of Cairns delivering all that lovely 'junk' mail until it got too hot to have even the slightest incentive of getting back out of the car again (10:30am). I then finished sorting and folding the remaining 214 catalogues for the next suburbs run.

 

I do have to say wow do some of the houses in this suburb have great views.

 

 

This morning was the same deal, finishing one suburb then heading back home to get ready for the next. My deadline is Wednesday, midnight. I think I might make that.

 

There is a definite upside to this though, not only do I get to know Cairns and occasionally talk to people while getting exercise that I am paid to do (great incentive), there are plenty of pretty things to see out there as well.

 

Beautiful gum flowers, one day I'm going to plant some of these.

 

Getting ready to bloom.
I think I am going to have to raid for gum nuts, they are great for craft.

 

Mushrooms/ fungus growing on the footpath. They are so delicate.

 

Massive gum leaves, about as long as two of my hands.

 

More gum tree flowers blooming against clear blues skies.

 

Have you ever gotten yourself into something and wondered 'what was I thinking?'

 

Note: I have decided not to lose my sanity and Mr Sparky's patience and am cutting back to one run. Also Mr Sparky thinks this is all great fun and would be a great story for our kids (YEP he said that).

Totally Missing It

I am totally missing being on the station so this morning I have found some photos of 21/02/2012. It looks like the day wasn't anything exciting just the normal schoolroom happenings. The day before there was mustering happening and the day after were storms.

On this day in 2012 Year 1 were doing counting patterns,

 

Year 4 were doing problems and fractions,
 

 

 and Year 7 were also looking at fractions.
 

The paints were pulled out in the afternoon for a bit of fun.



Then the day finished with a beautiful, cloudy sunset.



I then looked back another year to around this same time (imagine that, I actually had no photos of this day). It was mustering time. The patterns of living on the land, of station life keep going year in year out.
 

Then I decided to look back through the archives another year to 2010. It was green and grassy and there had been very recent rain by the lack of wheel tracks on the road. I know this wet was a relief from fires, dust storms and lack of water.

 

No wonder I miss the station like crazy, its rhythms and changes have been part of my life for so long. I wouldn't change where I am but I can still look back and think on what it would be like to be there now.

Little Hoppers

We arrived back from our weekend on the Tablelands to find the back garden filled with these little, cute in their tininess, ugly, interesting fellows.

 

 

Some were barely bigger than a fingernail.

 

 

 

Then while I was watering the garden I discovered this tiny little hopper.

Call me crazy but I love a frog especially a pretty, green, miniature frog.

 

 

 

 

Peek-a-Boo

 

What little creatures are living in your garden?

 

Wet Willy

 

 

 

 

We spent the weekend on the Dairy Farm up on the Tablelands. On Saturday morning I just happened to walk past the yards at the right time ... the right time to catch the line up waiting for their breakfast.

 

 

Aren't they cute.

 

 

 

 

These babies were good posers and also up to a little mischief.

 

 

I think this little one has annoying its mate down to an art. Go away!

 

 

Argh fine then I'll just sit here while you 'chew my ear off'.

 

 

Yuck! Wet Willy.

 

We won't mention what this started (WAR) when I had to tell demonstrate to Mr Sparky what a wet willy was (you know, lick your finger put it in someones ear ... yeah I know very grown up).

 

 

Totally Thursday Link Up

 This Thursday I was totally loving my handy Mr Sparky and these lovely, rustic frames he whipped up while I was away down south.
 

 

 

 

Linking up with Jacana for Totally Thursday.

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?