What an eventful and rain-filled few days we've had. Queensland was as dry as a chip as there had been none of the usual downpours the state expects in January. That changed at the end of last week! We experienced the tail-end of Cyclone Oswald (Ossie hits Oz??) and boy was it relentless! The rain started on Thursday, got heavier on Friday and then the winds picked up on Saturday and Sunday... quite frightening but thankfully for us: no structural damage, no flooding and no loss of power. Other parts of the country weren't as lucky.
The school where I should be today escaped as it's on a hill, but the town of Gympie flooded badly, with the main route into the town inundated, preventing access. I am therefore at home, with another day's grace for lesson planning!
I have just seen Oli off to his first day at High School (gulp). He's catching a bus for the first time (wouldn't let me drive him!) and has just txt me to say that he's on it: result! His school escaped flooding although power was only restored last night. Jeff's route to work completely clear so all good here in the Friendship household. Hopefully, I am able to get to school tomorrow when the floods recede in Gympie and the main road in is clear of water.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Long Distances...
Driving to Gympie yesterday from here in Eumundi, I noticed a sign stating that it's 1594 kilometres to Cairns... long old trip!
Friday, 11 January 2013
New Year: New Home!
New Year's Eve was fantastic: on the beach at Mooloolaba, watching the fireworks, eating snacks and enjoying the entertainment... great end to the year.
Since then: its been EXHAUSTING! We moved on the 5th of January to the lovely little town of Eumundi, with population of around 2000, just half an hour up the road from Mooloolaba and 15 mins from Noosa :)
The moving day itself went incredibly well with so much help from very good friends: we naively thought that we would be able to do it ourselves: not to be.
We actually kept the other house in Mountain Creek for a week, so I could go in and clean it up, in anticipation of receiving the full bond. I HAVE NEVER WORKED SO HARD IN MY LIFE! I have cleaned, vacuumed, polished, swept and mopped with a vengeance all week in heat-wave conditions... we finished yesterday at 7pm and have passed the keys back, awaiting the inspection with bated breath.
I am unable to find anything just yet in our new home: including my mobile telephone! I have tried 'phoning my number but to no avail. It's definitely not in our old house so I still haven't given up hope of finding it. We haven't had internet access either so it's been like living in the twilight zone! Thankfully, our internet has been sorted today and we won't have to pay any fees for getting out of the previous contract with the supplier either: bonus :)
Loving the new house... we're still renting, although we've already met the owner (whose sister lives one side of us and his parents the other), and he's intimated that he wants to sell it: I am going to persuade Jeff to buy the place, as it means I would get out of the Bond clean at the end of the tenancy.
Since then: its been EXHAUSTING! We moved on the 5th of January to the lovely little town of Eumundi, with population of around 2000, just half an hour up the road from Mooloolaba and 15 mins from Noosa :)
The moving day itself went incredibly well with so much help from very good friends: we naively thought that we would be able to do it ourselves: not to be.
We actually kept the other house in Mountain Creek for a week, so I could go in and clean it up, in anticipation of receiving the full bond. I HAVE NEVER WORKED SO HARD IN MY LIFE! I have cleaned, vacuumed, polished, swept and mopped with a vengeance all week in heat-wave conditions... we finished yesterday at 7pm and have passed the keys back, awaiting the inspection with bated breath.
I am unable to find anything just yet in our new home: including my mobile telephone! I have tried 'phoning my number but to no avail. It's definitely not in our old house so I still haven't given up hope of finding it. We haven't had internet access either so it's been like living in the twilight zone! Thankfully, our internet has been sorted today and we won't have to pay any fees for getting out of the previous contract with the supplier either: bonus :)
Loving the new house... we're still renting, although we've already met the owner (whose sister lives one side of us and his parents the other), and he's intimated that he wants to sell it: I am going to persuade Jeff to buy the place, as it means I would get out of the Bond clean at the end of the tenancy.
Friday, 28 December 2012
Boys Gone Camping...
Jeff and Oli decided to go camping last night as Oli had mentioned last week that he'd never been with just Dad and, 'didn't most boys do that?'... They took off to a place near us which is National Park and the site has boatin', campin', fishin' (and spittin' by the sounds of things'). They promised to telephone when they arrived as they hadn't booked anything. I heard nothing. Then, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't topped up the credit on Oli's mobile. The area they've gone to had a storm warning last night. Nuff Said.
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Christmas 2012
We have just had, what was to us, the best Christmas I think we have ever had! A very different experience...
It all started on Christmas Eve, with Oli and I watching an exhibition tennis match at Palmer Coolum Resort... very hot (35 degrees) but brilliant tennis: the girls arrived by helicopter :)
We then moved on to Noosa where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our good friends, Sid and Betty. Great apartment with pool/tennis court and our own spa: which Oli wasn't out of and where we sat watching the stars!
On Christmas Day, we all went back down to Cotton Tree, Maroochydore until 3pm to help with the Community Lunch organised locally for anyone who's alone on Christmas Day. Our job was 'meeting and greeting' and it was an incredible experience as well as being quite an eye-opener. There were around 500 people who turned up: very sad actually, with some elderly people whose families were 'too busy' or 'doing other things' but we all made sure that a good time was had by all and there were many happy faces: brilliant. Oli was playing and helping with the cricket and he had a fun time with the many kids who turned up.
Back to Noosa at 4pm and then out again with Sid and Betty to an AMAZING restaurant in Noosa for Christmas Dinner... fabulous food and company and the pianist played 'Summertime' for me: result. Back to the apartment and a glass of wine in the spa: what an fabulous end to a wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone! :)
It all started on Christmas Eve, with Oli and I watching an exhibition tennis match at Palmer Coolum Resort... very hot (35 degrees) but brilliant tennis: the girls arrived by helicopter :)
We then moved on to Noosa where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our good friends, Sid and Betty. Great apartment with pool/tennis court and our own spa: which Oli wasn't out of and where we sat watching the stars!
On Christmas Day, we all went back down to Cotton Tree, Maroochydore until 3pm to help with the Community Lunch organised locally for anyone who's alone on Christmas Day. Our job was 'meeting and greeting' and it was an incredible experience as well as being quite an eye-opener. There were around 500 people who turned up: very sad actually, with some elderly people whose families were 'too busy' or 'doing other things' but we all made sure that a good time was had by all and there were many happy faces: brilliant. Oli was playing and helping with the cricket and he had a fun time with the many kids who turned up.
Back to Noosa at 4pm and then out again with Sid and Betty to an AMAZING restaurant in Noosa for Christmas Dinner... fabulous food and company and the pianist played 'Summertime' for me: result. Back to the apartment and a glass of wine in the spa: what an fabulous end to a wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone! :)
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Spiders... and more spiders... and even more of 'em...
Poor Jeff! I woke this morning at 5.30am to the sound of the vacuum cleaner. Very unusual to hear anyone else using it in this house, particularly at that hour of the morning, so I decided to investigate... I could hear Jeff cursing and banging around in the bathroom and it transpires that he'd opened the door, walked sleepily in and stumbled straight in to a large spider's web. On glancing around, he realised that a huntsman spider's eggs had hatched: around 200 tiny little spiders were scurrying and jumping around the bathroom... thank goodness it didn't happen to me: I would have been on the first bus out of here! Jeff then proceeded to vacuum them all up: no mean feat as they're fast movers! Jeff's my hero.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Summer Hols
Oli has now completed primary school! He starts High School on the 29th of January. I start in my new teaching jobbie then, so now we're kicking back together on our summer hols. Jeff has 11 days off over Christmas too so we're planning on what to do. It will be lovely to spend some time together.
Jeff's mate and his two sons from Bideford came over and stayed with us for a few days en-route to New Zealand. We have caught up on the gossip from the UK and they caught up on their sun-tans and surfing! We went to Noosa one day when the surf was ENORMOUS and we were also lucky enough to see a koala in the wild too :)
We're moving on the 5th of January to Eumundi. When we leave a rented property, we have to get the carpets cleaned as well as cleaning EVERYTHING so that we get our bond of $1500 back. I thought I may get in a cleaner to ensure I didn't miss anything, but when the quotes were coming in at $450-$475 dollars, I decided to do it myself: that's several pairs of shoes.
Jeff's mate and his two sons from Bideford came over and stayed with us for a few days en-route to New Zealand. We have caught up on the gossip from the UK and they caught up on their sun-tans and surfing! We went to Noosa one day when the surf was ENORMOUS and we were also lucky enough to see a koala in the wild too :)
We're moving on the 5th of January to Eumundi. When we leave a rented property, we have to get the carpets cleaned as well as cleaning EVERYTHING so that we get our bond of $1500 back. I thought I may get in a cleaner to ensure I didn't miss anything, but when the quotes were coming in at $450-$475 dollars, I decided to do it myself: that's several pairs of shoes.
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