Burst water pipes, bonfire, bushwalks, blowouts and a big day on the river.

We have recently had another nasty episode with our Laptop. Thankfully the lesson learned last time was a good one and when a RAM stick failed we only lost two days of junk mail. A quick trip to the Apple shop, a diagnosis and some handy advice, provided gratis, meant I was able to replace the $50 Ram stick myself and get the damn thing up and operating again with a minimum of fuss.

This second PC crash prompted me to do a full reconciliation of all our most treasured PC based assests - our digital photos! The digital reliance began with our first digital camera that I purchased to capture Emily's birth. It seems that when the hard drive failed we had about 37 images disappear from our library, albeit with thumbnails of the images intact!? Could have been much worse!

It was a wonderful few hours going through 8500 images spanning 11 years, you quickly forget how much the two girls have grown and changed.

Anyway, I stumbled across quite a number of photos taken recently that had not been saved into our library. They included a trip in the last term break where the girls visited GOMA to see Cai Guo-Qiang's exhibition called Falling Back to Earth.

Falling Back to Earth

Falling Back to Earth

A few short weeks ago we spent a big day traveling the Brisbane River on the Ferries.

Brisbane River

South Bank Ferry Terminal

We boarded at St Lucia and traveled downstream to Newfarm Park which I have to say has the best adventure playground I have ever seen the girls play on. The highlight for me was the enormous Fig trees incorporated into the playground for the kids to climb.

Climbing a Fig at Newfarm

At the top of the Spiders Web

We left Newfarm and cruised down to Portside wharf, where we visited the Eat Street Markets for a feed.

Pancakes, berries and cream

Potato Slinkys

On our return journey I quickly called into the Brisbane Apple store to pick up the Laptop after having the aforementioned dodgy RAM stick diagnosed.

The day after our Ferry rides Karren and I spent some more time in the garden, just a couple of hours to plant a few more additions to the front garden. Now you may recall that we have a hidden fence to keep our beloved Charlie from wandering the streets. Not surprisingly when planting two new variegated shrubs in the garden I cut the wire that keeps him contained, not once but twice. That seems to be my luck of late, in addition to cutting the hidden fence, I have also chopped up the garden irrigation pipework no less than a half a dozen times and just yesterday I holed the water mains twice as well. It seems that wherever I dig a hole I find another service to cut or put a hole in.

Repaired Water Main

There was a huge amount of dead wood, branches, leaves and palm fronds that had accumulated around the garden and it was time to get rid of it. A bonfire seemed like the best way to dispose of it all. A couple of afternoons work to gather, break, cut and stack in to a large pile ready for combustion. I set it alight at about 5.30pm, a very short time later we had a visit from a neighbour who was concerned that our house was on fire, such was the sheer size of the initial blaze. At its peak there was a 10 metre high flame illuminating the whole gully behind our house. I had sufficiently planned and set up the bonfire so that there was never any danger of it running away or causing any spot fires. Needless to say though that Karren was not impressed by its size. By midnight the fire was all but done so we doused it with water before retiring for the night.

After the fire had settled

Nearly done.

Kondalilla Falls seemed like a good place to visit for some sight seeing and bush walking, Kondalilla is about two hours north of our place, so prior to heading off I gave the Hilux a quick once over, you know the usual water, oil, tyre pressures and a quick once over. To my horror I discovered a little issue that had occurred sometime since the brakes were replaced, most likely while we explored Mt Mee. It looks as though a rock or similar had become stuck between the upper control arm and the front tyre of the LHS front wheel. The said stuck stone then set about gouging out a 50mm wide section of rubber from the front tyre. It actually looks far worse than it actually is and I reckon the tyre will be replaced shortly as all four tyres are nearly shot with only a couple of millimetres of usable tread left.

Could have been much worse!

The trip to Kondalilla was great, it was a great day for a walk and the falls themselves are very picturesque. I would recommend a visit if you get the chance.

The Rock Pools

Rock Pools

Kondalilla Falls

Bottom of the Falls

Lovely Walk

Clambering over rocks

Kondalilla Falls.

Autumn in Queensland

We are still finding the weather a little hard to come to grips with, normally at this time of year there we were used to Liquid Amber and other deciduous trees changing colours and dropping their leaves as they go dormant before winter. Up here the garden continues to grow, the lawns need mowing and the trees have massive growth spurts!

The Firewheel (Stenocarpus sinuatus) tree we planted seemed to sit a do very little since we planted it in February last year. However in the last two or three weeks it has exploded and grown at least 40cm in height! The photo below clearly shows the newer bright green growth. When it grows a bit larger we might actually get to see some Autumn hues as the leaves of the Firewheel tree change colour, ranging from yellow, orange, ruby-red and crimson! An added bonus are the bright orange and red flowers, we wont see them for another six or seven years though.

 

Massive growth on Firewheel tree

 Continuing on the garden theme, Rosie's veggie garden is also going gang busters, in fact I might need to start taking drastic measure to curb the spread of the pumpkins...

Massive Pumpkin

Beetroot nearly ready to harvest.

The beetroot will be the first veggie we harvest, followed by the lettuce and carrots. We have been using the herbs in the kitchen for a few weeks now. We didn't have a very successful harvest of Mangoes this year, the tree was still in shock after the treatment it received during the pool build. The Oranges and Mandarins didn't fair much better, we didn't water them enough to get the magnificent fruit we got last season, what is on the tree is of acceptable standard however the Deer have enjoyed feasting on the fruit before we could pick it.

We celebrated Nan's 70th birthday in Ballarat a couple of weeks ago, it was wonderful to catch up with the family again. My sister and Aunts did a sensational job of preparing food and Alan did a marvellous job of cooking the roast meats. Nan was blown away by the birthday cake that my sister lovingly produced for her. it was simply stunning and the amount of work that went into it was amazing!

The most beautiful birthday cake!

Nan and the girls from up north

The whole clan, boys heavily outnumbered!

We packed what we thought were winter clothes but unfortunately due to the rapid growth of the girls, and the frigid Ballarat weather they simply didn't have enough warm clothes, a quick shopping trip fixed that. I have a strange feeling that the clothes wont get much more wear before they are out grown.

The Brookfield show is on this weekend and the highlight tonight is the Rodeo, we will head along and have a squiz, provided Rosie has recovered sufficiently from her bout of gastro. The timing of this little illness could not have been worse, right smack bang in the middle of Naplan testing. Rosie will miss her numeracy test. Something she can't sit at a later date, which is plainly ridiculous if the Naplan is as important as the shiny arsed bureaucrats tell us. She wont be alone either as only seven of her class managed to attend school yesterday due to the gastro outbreak, I am sure that there wont be many at school today either.

The netball is going along swimmingly, Emily's team is undefeated, with three solid wins, Rosie's team is winless but the are improving each week. 

Netball, Gardening Birthdays and 4WD.

It is a great time of the year, Easter holidays, and an ANZAC day holiday, so we get to spend heaps of time relaxing with friends and family.

We spent a lovely afternoon 4wding in the North D'Aguilar State Park near Mt Mee,  it was a beautiful day. There was plenty of things to see and do and some interesting 4wd tracks, nothing at all difficult in the conditions we had, but no doubt almost impossible if not impassable in the wet. The A Break track was the steepest of them all, would love to have tried The Hangar track but alas it was closed.

View towards Somerset Dam

The views over the Somerset Dam were impressive and the photos posted in a 2013 October blog update show the D'Aguilar range from which the above photo was taken.

Upstream of Bulls Falls

At the Bulls Falls Lookout

Emily's Birthday ice cream cake

Emily celebrated her 11th birthday during the Easter holidays, it was difficult to organise a party with friends so she is hosting her 11th birthday party sleep over tonight, it is a shame that Nan could not be here for a joint party, Emily's 11th and Nan's 70th.

Rosie's veggie garden is going great guns, the herbs and pumpkins in particular are thriving!

Rosie Green thumb

Today was the girls netball debut for the mighty Raiders! Rosie's team was up first, kicking the dew of the grass at 8.00am, she played Netta, an abridged game for the youngsters. They were enthusiastic and fired up, unfortunately the opposition were better drilled and skilled eventually defeating the Possums 12 - nil.

Warm ups are super important for elite athletes

Rosie played GD and was fantastic when we had the ball, her attack on the pill was fierce and determined, running to space providing option after option where she gathered a heap of touches and was part of the reason they didn't get smashed 30 - nil. However her execution when in defense was not up to par, she just didn't understand the defensive mindset, and her opponent had pretty much a free run, not ideal when playing GD. You could not fault her endeavour though and we are proud of her first outing.

GD with steely determination

 Emily played at 9.10 in the under 11s, her debut match on court 11 was billed as the must watch game on the card. The crowd was small but vocal and the girls were determined to make an impact in their first game of season 2014!

Emily - Goal Shooter

The Raiders got off to a blistering start, dominating the clearances and making short work of the opposition defense. A four goal lead at quarter time was reward for their hard effort and determination when the ball was in dispute. Emily got a few touches and was credited with a couple of goal assists as she lacked the confidence to shoot from down town.

Go Raiders

The second and third quarters were a mirror image of the first and the Raiders finished the premiership quarter with a commanding 10 goal lead. Emily had found her range and bagged four majors after switching from GS to GA! Late in the third term the Raiders other goal shooting option Charlotte went off after vomiting, her work rate was such that the dominant forward succumbed to exhaustion, either that or a dodgy orange at half time.

The final break saw a reshuffle and even though they were undermanned the Raiders were able to continue where they finished off in the third. The 14 - 2 win a fair reflection of their dominance on the match. Emily finished with six majors. The forward pairing of Emily and Charlotte dominated the scoring, they were ably supported by pocket dynamo Centre Lucy, WA Sophie and WD Emma.

The other defensive players had little chance to impress as possession remained in the Raiders forward half for most of the match. Izzy who played GD until three quarter time, had seen little of the ball and thrived on the opportunity to get her hands on the pill finishing with one goal. She was an inspired selection to replace the exhausted Charlotte who still finished with seven goals even though she missed the final term. The coaching staff are well pleased with the first hit out and the competition have been put on notice, it was a great win but there is still heaps of improvement to be made.

The day was spoiled a little for me by being continually reminded over the PA that no photos could be taken of the children playing netball without the expressed consent of every parent and or guardian of every child playing in the match. It is quite simply ridiculous to consider that a child is put in danger by a parent photographing their own child playing sport. I am absolutely sick and tired of this nanny state PC bullshit! When I did ask all the parents watching if I could take photos they all said that of course I could, their reaction to the decree was the same as mine - incredulity! A number said they had not even bothered asking. I am telling you now the world has gone mad! It is over regulated by do gooder twats only too willing to impose their ridiculous and over bearing rules and beliefs on others. The sooner this stops the better. Rant over.

ANZAC Day 2014

We got up at Sparrow's for the dawn service at the Bellbowrie Cenotaph, it was a beautiful still morning, about 15 degrees celcius, quite a lovely Autumnal morning for us southern types, a pair of shorts and a light jacket kept us comfortable. True Blue Queenslanders on the other hand were freezing, teeth chattering and wearing coats, how would they cope with a Ballarat dawn service?

Sunrise over the Brisbane River

Bellbowrie Cenotaph

After the dawn service the girls marched in the Kenmore ANZAC parade, all the schools in the district were represented in large numbers, along with scouts, guides and the remaining servicemen. The crowd provided them with generous applause. The march was followed by another ANZAC service at the Kenmore "Digger" who is in fact a Lighthorseman not a Digger.

Rosie

Emily

 The march was led by mounted Police, I believe the number of school kids surprised organisers as they struggled to fit all those that marched into the area set aside for them at the ceremony. This resulted in some small pauses in the march while they mustered the participants.

Kenmore RSL members

RAAF Veteran

Mounted Police

The ANZAC service that followed the march was attended by a large crowd. The service was conducted by the Kenmore State High School Captain and the young lady did a wonderful job. An army Lieutenant, who looked no older than 20 gave a short address, which included the story of a young soldier who fought and died in Afghanistan at the age of 21. The list of casualties from the war in Afghanistan makes for harrowing reading.

What stories hide behind those eyes

Veteran laying a wreath

Pullenvale kids laying a wreath

The Kenmore "Digger"

I have been reading up on stories in the last few weeks related to ANZAC and armed service. I read of Captain Reginald Saunders, I was again reminded of a video made by the Ballarat RSL about a brave man called Bull Allen, who was remembered in a video that I recommend you spend 10 minutes watching. Many many stories abound about acts of valor and bravery, of servicemen and women making the ultimate sacrifice and may we and future generations prove worthy of that sacrifice.

Lest We Forget.

School Holidays Already

Wow, it seems as though the school year had just begun and its end of term one already! The girls spent the first week in vacation care and didn't get up to much exciting, Karren has the second week of the holidays off work and they will spend plenty of girl time together up until I get a break over Easter.

We have just finished decorating the girls rooms, paint and paint and some more paint, plus some stickers and a new desk and book case were the order of the day.

Rosie's room with her new desk freshly painted in Fuchsia Falls

Feature wall in Fuchsia Falls

Toy box and Book case in Fuchsia Falls

Milly's room painted in Minted with new desk and book cases.

Owls feature prominently, bed repainted in white.

Very green but Emily is very happy with the result.

 When uploading photos to the laptop I found some photos of Emily's badge presentation ceremony. Due to health and safety concerns only parents were allowed to pin the badges onto the kids! We really are producing a generation of risk averse, mollycoddled, cotton wool wrapped kids! I try my hardest to encourage the kids to take risks, have a crack at things and take risks when appropriate. They are not allowed to run at school on concreted areas!! How do they play Basketball and Netball? Gee imagine if they fell and grazed a knee or even worse broke a bone? Don't even mention climbing trees.

Walker House Sport Captain.

Emily turns 11 next week, I can't believe how quickly those 11 years has flown by, scary really.

We spent some more time in the garden yesterday planting some grasses, more Cordylines and Bromeliads. This afternoon we took a heap of cuttings and then replanted them, heaps of Cordylines and Rhoeos planted to fill some more gaps. Rosie's veggie garden is progressing nicely, the lettuce, pumpkin and herbs are flourishing, the carrots and beetroot have just sprouted. The pumpkins are apparently giants, all we need to do is remove all but one pumpkin from each plant and they will become enormous. Time will tell!

Some  more Fountain grass planted down the driveway.

Planting more Cordylines and Bromeliads at dusk.

 I have really found a soft spot for Bromeliads and I am starting my own little Brom garden out the front, I only have six so far and I am trying to get sun tolerant ones to plant in clumps.

Bromeliads

We bought a couple of Elephant ear succulents a while ago, one didn't last but the other has thrived, we took two suckers off the main plant and replanted them today, again trying to clump them up.

Elephant ears with suckers replanted.

These Cordylines are incredible plants, we have managed to get more than twenty plants from two original plants. We simply take cuttings, whack the stems in the ground and wait for them to establish them selves again then take more cuttings. It is amazing what will eventually sprout as stand alone plants. A simple cutting of no more than a stick has sprouted. Even a couple of chunks of the root mass, no more than 30mm square have sprouted as well. Brilliant!

Cordyline cutting taking off.

The above photo shows a stick that was just shoved in the dirt. It has taken off nicely, you can see the growth at the bottom of the stick. Makes it pretty cheap to fill up and establish heaps of plants in a garden. It's not too difficult if I can do it!