Swum Out, Rain In

I don't know if it was the diving or the excessive use of the swimming facilities generally, but when we arrived back in rainy Brisbane (it rained all the way from Bundaberg, heralding the recent floods) my ear started to get a little sore and this soon developed into quite a painful ear infection with which I have been labouring ever since.

But I must say it was nice to have a pool and we spent many fun-filled hours there, mostly playing daft five-year old games and throwing children around.

We had a but of a storm on our last night in Agnes Water, the lightning illuminating the whole bay. And with that the rain across Queensland set in.

Our House Frog

This little chappy provided us with literally hours of evening entertainment.

He'd pop out onto the deck at around 8 o'clock and hang around.

There were these stupid creatures, later identifed as cicadas. They were kind of beetly flies that we about as big as this chap was (around four inches long maybe).

They'd fly onto our balcony, attracted by the light, or by some kind of deathwish, and land in front of this guy.

He'd sort of sit there for a while, umming and ahhing about it, before deciding... OK.... then leaping into action, jumping on the cicada and swallowing it whole with just the wings poking out of its mouth, doing a strange contortion to ingest the beasty, then returning to his gently consideration of the world for a few minutes until another of these idiots landed in front of him.

After he'd eaten a couple this cicada landed in front of him but he just wasn't interested. After a while the cicada got desperate, took off and landed on this back. It crawled onto his head, whereupon he took some sort of umbrage and swatted it away,

We found a monster poo in the morning. Cicada-sized, in fact.

Lady Musgrave Island

Our one adventure was to take a boat over to the Great Barrier Reef to see... it.

The boat trip was quite long, of the order of 90 minutes or so, and Eloise did barf, allowing us to try out their nifty sickbags. Interestingly all the barfers were young girl-children. Maybe that's not actually interesting though.

Anyhow we arrived after a while to find a beautifully azure lagoon in the middle of the ocean, a circle of smooth water a couple of miles wide with a little island on one side, walled by coral coming almost up to the surface of the water.

The boat found a little channel through the wall and soon we were toddling over the smooth water which was something of a relief for those with no sea-legs.

The boat docked at a pontoon and in no time we were snorkelling and looking at all the little fishies and the corals and all that. Which was rather nice. Eloise after initial terror overcame her fears and was delighted by the spectacularly colourful wildlife and by the very act of snorkelling. Anne, after initial terror, remained reasonably terrified and was unable sufficiently engage her faculties to see anything. However she did manage to get out there, which was an achievement.

Later in the day Nicole and I sent scuba diving, even though it's been years and years and we didn't really have a clue what we were doing. However the dive wasn't deep and we got on fine. Actually it was really good fun. I'd forgotten how heavy those tanks are though.

Agnes Water

We were up pretty early the next day and off with the larks as there had been no rain in the night and hopes were high that we would get through.

An indeed the previously flooded crossing was as dry as a bell and as clean as a bone and through we cruised and up to Agnes Water to find our house complete with swimming pool which we were soon in.

And so began a few days of swimming in the pool, walking on the beach, swimming in the sea, and eating squanderous amounts of food.

And frog watching.

Miriam Vale

We were stuck in Miriam Vale for another day and night, punctuated by a trip up to Gladstone to a nice beach where we went for a walk.

We took a trip up the road in the morning of the first day to find the road still flooded, though much less than previously, and 4 wheel drives were getting through. But the road was still but further up.

With accommodation all taken in "The Vale" a lot of people were just camping out on the road by the flood and having barbies and so on whilst the water receded.

Later on we went up again to find the first flood had gone leaving no trace whatsoever. We drove hopefully up the road but our hopes were shattered several km later when we found the proverbial second flood was still 80cm over the road and though the heavy people were getting through we stood no chance.

There were those who were talking about more rain to come so we were on the edges of the seats we weren't sitting on as we slept, listening for the rain and hoping that we'd get through the next day.

Water on the road

As we set off for 1770 the heavens opened and are North-bound trip was beset by rain.

As we headed further North the rain intensified and soon we were driving through sheets of water with lakes on either side of the road where they weren't before.

After a while potholes began to appear on the road and driving boredom decreased somewhat as we dodged around them.

There was a little traffic jam as we approached the first stream that was actually flowing across the Bruce Highway.

A Ute was hanging over the edge of the road on a bridge that we crossed.

Eventually we got to Miriam Vale and took the turn off to 1770. After five and a half hours of driving we were glad to be on the home stretch.

However the home stretch didn't stretch very far as 100 metres down the road it was sealed off with Road Closed and Water on the Road signs.

A few enquiries at the shops told us that we wouldn't be getting to 1770. There had been Big Rain and the creeks were all extremely flooded, and the two roads into 1770 were impassable.

We hastily arranged accommodation at the local Motel. Poor Matilda had to sleep in the car.

We went to the pub where we ate distinctly average but nonetheless welcome food before I walked Matilda, being dragged across the squidgy ground with the Frog Chorus going on all around me.

In the morning Nicole and I drive up the road to check the situation. There were three places where creeks cross the road and all were flooded.

When we got to the first one the flood stretched as far as the eye could see. We were told that the second crossing was two metres deep.

No 1770 today then.

Happy Aussie Christmas

Happy Christmas to everyone, there will be stuff about our recent exploits coming soon... there just hasn't been time with one thing and another.

We have been stranded in floods, under the sea, on the road, on the beach, and frequenting shopping centres far more than is healthy.

Anyway suffice it to say that everyone apart from me is very excited about Christmas (bah humbug). Eloise has written to Santa requesting a violin, a pink teddy bear and a Nintendo DS.

Will she be disappointed or satisfied? Will we make it through the day in one piece? Will we need a surgeon with a needle and thread? Only time can tell.

Slimms Arrive. Heavens Open. End of School.

The senior Slimms arrived on Tuesday night.

I had Eloise almost asleep by the time they got here, after 8 o'clock, but they soon had her awake again and needless to say as usual I had to drag her out of bed at 8 o'clock in the morning.

I had to take the car in for a service, so after Eloise was delivered to school I toddled off up to the garage leaving the Slimms with a small task list, one point of which they achieved before falling asleep.

While the car was at the garage I went and saw a film. Skyline. It was crap.

I walked Matilda whilst Eloise was swimming. The heavens opened.

Today I have forced them to walk around Mount Coot-tha and we have taken it pretty easy apart from that.

It was Eloise's last day at school and her class arrangements for next year have been posted. Only one Prep D kid will be in 1A next year so there will be lots of new people for her to meet.

The day was devoted, for her, to a break up party so we took in half a loaf of Fairy Bread (that's the Aussie Treat where bread is spread with butter then covered in sprinkles and served up as a nutritious snack). Party food consumed all day meant manic Yoga and argumentative tea-time.

Deep joy.

Wet

Rain rain rain.

It's the Wet Season! And, unlike previous wet seasons here, it is... wet...

Warm and wet mind you, but it's raining intermittently most days, maybe just a little, usually at night. Sometimes a lot, in the day.

The garden has gone mental with the rain then sun giving the green stuff all it needs to multiply. Unbelievable amounts of garden waste awaiting munging in the compost bin.

Walking the dog is like dodging bullets, biking to school is an ongoing risky business.

It's forecast to continue for weeks. That should go down well with the visiting Senior Slimms.

But we've got it easy: storms have inundated parts of New South Wales.

Crescendo

We're beginning the build-up to the end of the year.

This means things such as:

- The Prep D End of Year Extravaganze where 23 little kids perform a Christmas play (Not the nativity) and sing songs. Very sweet.
- The Rehearsal for the Dance Concert this Sunday during which I walked the dog in the city for the first time ever.
- Birthday parties coming out of our ears
- Shopping for birthday presents
- Oh, and shopping for Christmas presents

We've got two birthday parties to go to this weekend and Eloise is to appear in two performances of the dance concert. Market tomorrow, although the skies here are grey and rain threatening.