Where is Spring?

Even though the weather is glorious and the air is clear and the colours are vibrant, the usual signs of Spring are non-existent this far north of Australia.

It's something that BGWLBH mentioned when she was here a couple of years ago.

In NSW, you know instantly what season of the year it is, just by looking out the window.

In Autumn the leaves change colour and the trees are covered in vibrant reds, yellows and orange.  In Winter, the leaves fall and everything becomes grey and dull. When Spring arrives, there are vibrant bursts of colour everywhere, and everything, including birds and wildlife, comes to life. Summer makes everything golden, dusty and dry - the sun, the fields, the soil, the air.

This far north, everything stays the same.  Well, except my orchids flower in Spring and vegetables are virtually impossible to grow in the heat and humidity of Summer. The change of seasons is almost indefinable.

It was most noticeable for me today because I went triking around town for 2 hours trying to find nests and wildflowers and wildlife.

I found a Butcher Bird nest. Nothing else (aside from the Tawnies and the Bee Eaters).

Disappointing.

I took quite a few hopeful photos but I haven't looked at them yet .. which is an indication that there is nothing there that I'm excited to see!

Here is a lovely pelican that I photographed a couple of days ago..

I had a great phone call with Chicklet and Vegan Chickie today.

Tonight, I got adventurous in the kitchen and cooked some venison,  a whole baked cauliflower and beans and broccoli. The venison was surprisingly delicious. The butcher told us that to prevent toughness, we should cook it on a very high heat quickly, so that's what I did and it was lovely and tender.

The cauliflower was the highlight, with it's deliciously spicy marinade coating.

Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chile powder (I was intimidated by this & only used 3/4 T. It was still spicy enough)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line a small baking dish with baking paper. Set aside.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.

4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)

5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, about 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.

6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving.

Sharing is caring.

Nite all.

Touching Spring

This month's challenge for the flickr photography group is "A Touch of Spring"

I desperately tried to think of something different for this challenge, but the month has been full of study and exams and holidays, so I didn't find the time to put enough effort into it and with a last ditch effort in a moment of desperation, I came up with this ...

... once again, I don't stand a chance of winning, but at least I've contributed and hopefully next month, I can be more imaginative.

Another lovely morning tea with the girls today.

Adoring Husband and I spent a long day in The Bay. What I thought would be a quick trip in for groceries turned out to be quite a bit more than that, so we didn't get home til almost 4pm and then it took a while to unpack everything.

After a ride down to the beach and creating the "Touch of Spring" photo, a quick steak and salad for dinner and then a Big Brother hit, it's now 10.30pm and time for me to sleep.

Nite all.

Birds Have It

Ok, firstly, the Sunbird as promised ..

Sadly, in the ten days that I've been gone, there have been two deaths in town and so a couple of elderly Mums are no longer with us. Condolences to my friends at this time.

Also sadly .. remember the Tawny Frogmouth on the nest that I showed you a couple of weeks ago?

Well, the nest AND the Tawny are gone. Gentleman Jim, from the Seat of Knowledge, found a dead Tawny in the Lions Park last week and the next day when the boys checked the nest, the Tawny was gone and eggs were on the ground.

When one Tawny of a pair dies, the other will toss the eggs, knowing that he/she cannot raise them on their own.

On a happier note, I found two other nests today! I think I have an idea where there are another two nests as well .. and I will take photos of them all tomorrow. Unfortunately, none of them are at the perfect height in the trees for great photos of chicks, but they are there and that's what counts.

I have morning tea with the girls tomorrow morning and then Adoring Husband and I will be heading into town to shop and restock the pantry and fridge now that I'm back.

The final piece of good news for today is that I got the results for my Naturopathic Philosophy exam and I passed! 93.75% is a result worth celebrating! Wahoo!

My subjects for next term are 'Anatomy and Physiology 1' and 'Chemistry'.

Ugh!

I think I can handle it.

I'm confident.

Ha!

How difficult can it be?

No matter .. it's good to be home.

Nite all.

Home at Last

I feel like I've been away for months.

It's so good to be home.

I even enjoyed the four hour train trip .. it was like savouring each moment as I got closer to home, knowing that soon I would be where I should be.

So I've already unpacked and settled into my comfy spot on the couch, watched the X-Factor and now doing a short version of this blog post before I head off to my beautiful, comfortable welcoming bed.

Aside from arriving home safe and sound, the highlight of the day was finding a Sunbird and actually getting some photos .. which I will share in tomorrow's post.

Can you hear or sense my satisfied sigh of genuine happiness?

Nite all.

Family Love

I woke up this morning realising that I had forgotten to do last night's blog post .. woops!

Tonight I'm posting a quickie.

I caught up with a younger cousin this morning, who lives on the island, and who I haven't seen for 34 years.

I spoke to his mum on the phone. She was always my favourite aunty.

We had 4 hours together and had a lot to catch up on, but it was like no time had passed at all. I really enjoyed our time together and I'm so pleased that I made the effort.

Tomorrow, Woman of Many Talents and I are heading home. I originally wasn't due home until next Friday, but I am well and truly ready to go home and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and also seeing Adoring Husband again.

It's been a nice holiday, but I'm done.

... and now I'm ready to sleep.

Nite all.

In Flight

Look what I got today!!

We drove over to Arcadia today to have lunch at the pub and afterwards we walked across the road to the beach to walk along the sand.

The eagle suddenly appeared above, soared for a little while and then down he swooped!

It was a nice way to end the day.

I had a quiet morning by myself while the others did their own thing.

I walked down to the little coffee van to get my morning coffee and only took my purse with me. As I walked back to the unit, there sitting out in the open on a tree branch, preening itself for all the world to see, was a Sunbird!!

The first one I've seen all week and of course, I did NOT have my camera with me! Ugh!

Tomorrow morning, we are all getting up early for the sunrise. Maybe the Sunbird will be out again when it's time to come home.

The sky was overcast this morning, so we decided to stay indoors, but the forecast is good for tomorrow morning.

We threw together a roast pumpkin and greens dish tonight with parmesan zucchinis and some of last night's leftover rice and frittata. The Reality TV Queen and I make a good team in the kitchen.

A couple of wines later and everyone is in bed and snoring by 8.30pm .. except me .. of course.

Time for me to do the same now.

Nite all.

Not Myself

I felt a little 'out of it' today.

I haven't slept well since I left home, so lack of sleep is not helping.

We four girls have been together for 6 days.  Living in close quarters with three other people, dealing with their habits and taking their individual needs and wants into consideration, compromising and cushioning and sacrificing .. well it can be quite draining.

We've done very well with meals so far. We are preparing our meals in the unit. Everything has been gluten free and we all pitch in together with the preparations. The food has been delicious and satisfying, however, I REALLY miss my own food and my pantry full of special ingredients that I can call on for all of my favourite recipes.

I miss my town and my house and my routine and my Adoring Husband.

Just a little glitch in the middle of a long holiday.

Tomorrow, I will feel better and more myself.

Meanwhile, some photos from the trip so far.

I'm yet to find a Sunbird to photograph.  I've found LOTS of nests, but no birds. That is my mission tomorrow! I've also set my alarm and Di and I are waking early to catch the sunrise over the ocean and the infinite pool in the morning.

The click-clack sofa has been set up in the lounge room for me to attempt to get some sound sleep tonight. The single bed isn't cutting it for me.

A quick pic with the phone tonight at 'wine o'clock' ...

... and now I will watch the last of Big Brother and then hopefully doze into slumberland.

Nite all.

Bay Hopping

Woman of Many Talents and The Reality TV Queen left early this morning, intending to do a decent trek through the mountainous bushland, by following a walking trail to Arcadia.

Mrs Bucket and I planned on catching the bus later and meeting them there for a swim at the beach and morning tea. So the two of us had a leisurely morning at home. We had breakfast, did some washing, ironing and a little housework.

At 9am, we were sitting in the bus waiting for it to leave the depot, when the girls phoned to let us know that they were actually at Horseshoe Bay .. which is quite a bit further than Arcadia.

You have to realise that any walk over the island is a 'trek' because it is rugged and mountainous and not easily navigated.

To hear The Reality TV Queen tell the story of their trek this morning, is hilariously funny and even though she has told it three times already today, I still laughed just as loud the third time, as I did the first time.

They are both regular walkers and both very fit, so to hear how difficult this walk was and how it affected their bodies, made me grateful that I didn't join them!

I planned on doing a walk or two through the trails with my camera, to hopefully get some bird and wildlife pics, but I am quite hesitant now that I've seen the terrain.

So, Mrs Bucket and I eventually met them at Horseshoe Bay, where we enjoyed a smoothie and I bought a gluten free strawberry cheesecake tart for later. We did a short walk along the main thoroughfare, and then found our way to the bus stop, planning to bus it to Picnic Bay, which is across the other side of the island.

It took a while to get there, and Mrs Bucket left us when the bus reached Nellie Bay. We looked through the shops and little art gallery, took some photos of the big old trees and the bay itself, then went into the pub for a drink.

Woman of Many Talents bought some take away lunch and by 1pm we were on the bus heading back to Nellie Bay.

At one stop, there was a large number of back packers who boarded the bus and very soon, the bus was so full that there was standing room only.

It was heartening to see, that every time an elderly person boarded the bus, a young person, without question, stood up and offered their seat to them. It must have happened eight times and I have to admit that I felt quite emotional and surprised by so many respectful gestures.

Eventually, the fully loaded bus arrived at Nellie Bay and the girls and I made a quick trip to the supermarket to get some supplies for dinner.

We made a great team this evening. Mrs Bucket made her famous fried rice. The Reality TV Queen made kale chips with roasted pumpkin. Woman of Many Talents fired up the barbecue and cooked the chicken that I had marinated earlier in the day and I made a garden salad.

It was all very delicious and we washed it down with a couple of glasses of wine before settling down in front of the TV to watch 'X Factor' and 'Winners and Losers'.

It's been a very grey day, as far as the weather is concerned, but all in all, it's been a fabulous day.

I did take a few photos .. not a lot because I didn't think the greyness of the day did justice to the beauty of the area, but I will take more as the holiday wears on. If I have time to go through them tomorrow, I will share some here tomorrow night.

Now, hopefully, I will have better luck falling asleep tonight than I did last night!

Nite all.

Wish You Were Here

First full day on the island and we are having a lovely relaxing time.

Today is Mrs Bucket's birthday, so we started the day with a "Happy Birthday" song and a small gift, then went for a long walk.

Mrs Bucket and I then stopped for coffee and juice at Peppers Resort, while the other two went on their marathon walk. The two of us had a lovely long chat about all the things that have been happening in our lives lately .. it was a pleasant way to spend the morning .. before heading back to our unit.

When the others arrived back, we all decided to go to Peppers for their lunch time special which cost $25 per head and included a main meal, dessert and a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.

Two of us had salt and pepper calamari and the other two had beer battered fish and chips. Dessert was the choice of pavlova or trio of sorbets. I had the sorbets and it was delicious. The whole lunch was delicious.

Here we are just as we arrived ...

We have a pool on the roof, so after lunch, Mrs Bucket and Woman of Many Talents headed up there for a swim. I did some photo editing while Reality TV Queen lay down and watched some telly in her bedroom.

Right now, it's 'wine o'clock', so we are kicking back with a glass of vino and are definitely in holiday mode.

Yesterday afternoon as we were settling into our unit, we were briefly entertained by a wedding party having part of their photo shoot on the helipad across the water.

The view from our room ..

Now I'm off to enjoy my wine.

Nite all

Food for Thought

Not much time for blogging again, but today we shopped til we dropped.

I got some new swimmers (or togs as they call them in Queensland), a pair of shorts, two tops, some junk jewellery, a new bag, a phone case and a couple of singlet tops.

We came back to the room for a one hour rest stop, then got ready for the casino! We all played the pokies for a little while, then had an 'all you can eat' buffet for $42 per head. I think I ate three plates of seafood and then a big bowl of dessert. We ALL pigged out big time!

Home by 8pm and now ready for a good sleep before we hit the markets bright and early tomorrow morning.

We catch the barge over to the island at lunch time.

Here is the view from our room in Townsville .. the Holiday Inn.

Please excuse the quality of the pics .. they are taken with my phone.

Time for sleeping.

Nite all.

Brief Blogging

I'm just here to say that I'm alive and having a good time!

It seemed like a long long long trip from Mackay to Townsville today, but we finally made it safe n sound.

We spent the evening at the Cowboys Leagues Club tonight, which was very crowded with Cowboys supporters for their semi final game, but unfortunately they lost by one point.

The club was pumping right til the end and then it suddenly went silent, and people left in droves. A sad end to a great night.

We waited for an hour and twenty minutes for our meals tonight, but the meals were worth the wait. Delicious!

While we were waiting for our meal, there was an elderly gentleman looking for somewhere to sit, so the 'Reality TV Queen' invited him to sit with us at our table .. which had the only spare seat in the house! He welcomed the invitation and then introduced himself as one of the directors of the club.

When our meal took so long, he spoke to the kitchen staff to move things along and then organised a free drink for us, which was lovely.

So now, at 10.25pm, we are home and ready to climb into bed.

There are markets on the street outside out motel room tomorrow morning, so we will be up bright and early, ready to spend money :)

We have a whole day in Townsville tomorrow so the Casino will also be on the cards.

Anyway, just thought I'd touch base with any of you who care. Can you tell that I've had a few wines tonight??

Nite all.

Kitchen Antics

I calculate that I spent 8 hours cooking in the kitchen today - preparing meals to freeze for Adoring Husband to eat while I'm away.

Curried Sausages x 2
Chicken & Vegetable Curry x 2
Bolognese Sauce x 2
Savoury Chicken Mince x 3
Potato Bake x 3
Cut and seasoned vegetables bagged x 6
Coriander Lemon Chicken Meatballs x 35
Roast Chicken x 1

I did some washing.

I cleared over one thousand emails.

Wednesday is now available for me to be productive, so I have a list of chores to do, as well as packing.

I enjoyed a lovely morning tea with the girls today. It's good to have Maid Marian back in town .. permanently. I feel as if we are 'complete' again.

It was also nice to have a good coffee. I missed my coffee while I was away.

Tomorrow I plan on making some sweet treats for Adoring Husband. Chocolate cupcakes. Banana and walnut muffins. Chocolate bark.

I guess I'll be doing some photo editing while I'm on holidays! Lot's of Chicklet photos to play with :)

Once again, it's after midnight. Time to sleep.

Nite all.

In Between

Home safe n sound and now preparing for the next leg!

I've unpacked, done my washing and now planning, in my mind, everything that needs to be done before I leave on Thursday .. considering Wednesday is no longer viable for me, I have to do everything tomorrow!

I need to make a list! My time management skills will certainly be stretched.

It was good to see Adoring Husband but it feels weird to be leaving so soon and I'm not sure about spending two weeks away from him. I hope he will be ok. I hope I will be ok!

Despite those concerns, I'm looking forward to having a break. Between my studies and everything else that has happened this year, it will be nice just to 'be' and regenerate, rejuvenate and come back ready to take on the world!

I've just received the new Study Smart format for my study site, so I began exploring that and methodically going through the steps, but time has passed so quickly that I now notice it's almost midnight! I've been in bed with lights out before 9.30pm for the last 3 nights!

Thank you to my lovely Chicklet family for a great 3 days *LOVE* Little Chicklet wore me out again .. but the 90 minute walk this morning was the killer!

So here I end my post, once again without photos. Where does the time go?

Nite all.

Another Visit Over

When will I learn? Walking around in bare feet on a tiled floor all day is NOT good for your back!! Ugh!

I think that if I wore a pedometer while playing with Chicklet all day, it would be interesting to see how many steps I take.

Between my bare feet on the tiled floor and running around with Chicklet, I feel like I've run a marathon.

I got some more photos today of Chicklet with a clean face, but I'm afraid you will have to wait, because my laptop seems to be heating up more than usual and I'm not going to risk overheating it.

Tomorrow, I am heading home again. It's been a quick three days and it feels like it's flown by. I will be sad to say goodbye again to my Chicklet family, but looking forward to seeing Adoring Husband for a few days before heading off to Magnetic Island with the girls for 2 weeks of fun and frivolity.

I also hope to catch up with The Nikonian before I leave tomorrow!

I've now yawned 5 times in the last 5 minutes so I think that's my cue to turn out the lights and lay my weary head upon the pillow. Yup 9pm and I'm done.

Nite all.

Still happy.

Well my little Tassie Devil lasted approximately 20 minutes in my bed!

We did our usual story time and read 6 books. She had her own blanket and pillow in here and lay down to attempt sleep. Tossed and turned. Asked me a few questions. Asked if she could play the muppet game on my iPad and when I told her "No. It's sleep time now." she replied with "Can I sleep in the big bed with Mama?"

And that was that.

Small steps lol.

I took lots of photos today and had intended putting some on here tonight, but because every single one of them has a very messy peanut butter face, they are going to take a bit of work to clean up.

Note to self - clean Chicklet's face before taking 200 photos.

So, instead, I will share a photo taken yesterday, with my iphone, of Chicklet taking a break on the path that we took through the bush.

It's just after 9.30pm and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be woken up early tomorrow morning by a smiley face planting kisses along my arm, so I'm off to get some much needed sleep.

Nite all.

Happiness is ...

Well, after another late and restless night at home, and after 3 hours of sleep, I was awake at 4am preparing to leave on the train for the Sunny Coast. Taking into consideration the other restless nights I've had this week, and how I'm no longer used to that kind of broken sleep, I am feeling decidedly tired tonight .. even though I had a nana nap this afternoon!

This is my new bed and bedding at the new house - it was very comfortable this afternoon, so I anticipate a good night's sleep tonight.

Little Chicklet wanted to sleep in bed with me tonight .. and that's the reason I chose a double bed, specifically because I hoped she would want to do that .. but knowing how restless she is, and knowing how desperately in need of sleep I am tonight, we made a deal that she could do it tomorrow night.

It's been a good day. Chicklet has been like a mini Tassie Devil and it's been difficult keeping up with her, but it's great to be here. The new house is lovely and set in beautiful bushland surroundings that have walking paths, so they couldn't ask for a nicer environment.

It's 8pm and I am about to settle into an exhausted sleep.

Nite all.

A Joyful Day

Retail therapy is always fun.

Today, we bought a bed for me to sleep on at the Chicklet family house on the Sunny Coast and it's being delivered there tomorrow. Then I got to choose some bright colourful bedding, so I'm really looking forward to my first night at the new house.

It's only been a month since I saw the Chicklet family, but it feels like forever! I can't wait to see my little Chicklet. I miss her.

I planned on getting a pedicure today and I can usually walk straight in to any nail salon without an appointment and not have to wait, but today, the first two salons that I tried couldn't fit me in for a couple of hours! I didn't want to hang around, so I declined both of them and then found another salon where I least expected and luckily got straight in.

The young girl was brilliant and she massaged my calves and feet beautifully, in between the pedicure and painting my nails. The chair had massaging vibration in it, which gave me an almost deep tissue massage as I sat there.

It was heavenly, it took almost an hour and I was only charged $35! Bonus!

This afternoon, we 'Island getaway girls' had a meeting with a bottle of wine to discuss departure times and plan our drive up north which will be happening next week. I think we are all getting very excited as it draws closer.

So it seems that I have a very busy and full month ahead of me!

It will be football grand final time when I return and my little sis will hopefully be popping down for a visit for grand final weekend.

It will also be time to start the next stage of my studies!

So much happening!

I'm exhausted just writing about it!

There are so many exclamation marks at the end of all of my sentences!

Now it's time to sleep.

Nite all.

Done and Dusted

It's OVER!

The exam is finished and that officially puts an end to my first semester.

Hear my audible sigh of relief!

I would like to apologise to anyone reading this who got sick and tired of my incessant study chatter.

I would like to apologise to my friends and family who I'm sure got sick and tired of my incessant worrying and stressing over my inability to retain information.

I would also like to apologise to Adoring Husband who has been living in a silent world for 6 months, wearing headphones while watching television and spending lots of time out of the house while I crammed.

Now that I know what to expect for future studies, I'm sure that I won't stress so much and it will be much easier for all of you! Thank you for your tolerance and patience and support and encouragement.

Feel the love!

The exam wasn't too difficult. I feel like I may not have given as much detail as they were expecting, so there may be some points lost for my brevity, but I 'think' I will pass .. fingers crossed.

Now I can think about, plan, and look forward to other things like visiting my little Chicklet family and then an island getaway!

Meanwhile in Tawny Frogmouth world .. there is a new nest! This is the same bird that made such a flimsy nest last year that all of the eggs fell to the ground.

This nest looks much more secure, and is in the perfect spot for me to get some good shots of chicks when they hatch. It's quite low in the tree, so let's hope she has better luck this year and we get to see some babies!

Adoring Husband and I went for our barefoot walk along the beach this afternoon. The tide was way out and it was a beautiful afternoon. We only walked half the distance that we planned, because the sand was quite soft as we attempted to walk to the 2nd marker and we were fast sinking deep into the sand, almost up to our knees!

The further we walked, the more broken shells there were, and other partially buried debris to navigate, so we decided not to take the risk

By the time we returned, we were both feeling leg weary!

Anyway, it's been a great day and now I can sleep with peace of mind.

Nite all.

Last Time

This is the last time that I will complain about my studying for the big exam .. tomorrow is the day .. go hard or go home!

By mid afternoon tomorrow, it will all be over and I can relax for a couple of weeks.

If I fail, I only have my old brain to blame .. because I have studied with a vengeance .. it just seems that no matter how much I cover, there seems to be more and more that I haven't covered!!

Today, I looked on YouTube for study hints and ways to remember stuff for tests. Surprisingly, there were quite a lot of videos to watch and I wasted 90 minutes learning to do stuff that I am already doing and which I feel isn't working for me.

HOWEVER ...

One of the teachers on one of the videos described perfectly how my brain is working at the moment and how it feels to me like all the information is flying out of my brain as quickly as it comes in. He said that once I sit down for the exam, I will be surprised by how much my brain has actually retained.

I can only hope that he is right. It gave me the boost that I needed to keep powering on regardless of my doubts.

I think I'll be studying late into the night and then I will squeeze in some more for a couple of hours before I sit the exam tomorrow.

I know that I will be able to say, that no matter what, I tried my best, and have given myself the best chance possible.

On that note ..

Nite all.

Signs of Spring

I always know that Spring has arrived, when the Tawny Frogmouths appear.

This guy was very low on a branch and alone .. which usually means that there is a nest nearby .. so my next trick is to find the nest!

Then there was this pair .. no nest yet for them ..

There is one other, but I don't have a photograph of him yet because he was high in a tree and well obscured by foliage, but I'll keep trying.

By the time I get back from holidays at the end of the month, there should be chicks to photograph!

Still studying. Ugh!

Nite all.