Recycling your old calanders

First open up an envelope and trace a template onto some card. I used the stiff front cover of the old calender. Then trace around the outline onto the back of your calender picture. Then fold in the sides like this.

Next fold up the base and attach to the folded side bits with glue.

Then fold down the top flap.

Your finished envelope. Just stick on a label, address and you have a very pretty envelope for your next letter.

I always struggle to throw out the old calender with its lovely photos. I love this idea and now have 24 envelopes in my drawer.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all. Our day was a relaxing one with family and food. Son 26 came to visist but Son 20 is in SE Asia travelling, so he was missed. My parents and sis and BIL and nephew came and stayed from Chrismas Eve till Boxing Day.
On Christmas Eve we had a roast pork with a mustard pear sauce ala Curtis Stone's recipe in the free mag from Coles. It was VERY nice...We did the pork in the Weber Baby Q our Christmas present to ourselves...
Christmas morning was a ham and egg champagne breakfast, followed by the pressie opening, then Christmas lunch, the usual seafood yum yum pig out.... Grandpa had been crabbing, very successfully, and KISA got a good go at since Son 20 was not here...

What a beauty! Check out Son 26..he is REALLY enjoying that crab!

We did a LOT of damage to that buffet, then had pavlova and plum pudding and fruit and chocs after...

We all had a serious post dinner nap and adjourned to outside for some cricket..well some of us didn't quite get there..

Some drinks and nibbles were put on for the spectators..

Viewed from a safe distance..in case any activity was needed...

Saw the sun down till the sandflies got hungry..there was a nice breeze out..

Soothing the aching muscles in his aging body after the cricket game, Son 26 relaxes in the spa...

A lovely relaxing couple of days..hope you all had a great Christmas too..

Starting to feel like Christmas

This weekend, we had Jdubya from Narooma visisting. It was not the greatest of weather though and was very very hot, so we were kind of housebound a little. That was fine, we all wanted and enjoyed the downtime.
Since we were indoors, I made some chutney. You know it is nearly Christmas when there is chutney simmering! When I went to Mackay to collect John, I stayed over with D&M. They gave us this crab. It was delicious. KISA and I had it for lunch Saturday. There is something Christmassy about crabs too...

There was some spa time while a storm was on...it is the hot and sultry storm season here. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

We ventured out for a drive to Mt Nutt Lookout and coffee at Flagstaff Hill.

There was eagles and young in residence on the next door mobile tower at Mt Nutt. Mother eagle was keeping an eye on us.

KISA had to work Sunday so Jdubya and I hid out in the air con and had computer lessons. It was even too hot to sit out on the patio!

TheTravellers

No real news, but the odd photo appears on his facebook page from time to time. Looks like they have really gone local!

Who remembers this?

Bit of a catch up

Yeah I know we have been missing in action the last 6 weeks or so. Some of it has just been that we have been so busy with our house full of people. That's good. Some has been that someone we care a lot about has been diagnosed with that bloody thief of a disease and is going through treatment. That's bad. I find it hard to write blogs when that is going on. Some of it is a scare of my own that has now been resolved as benign so that is a relief.


So I will try to just do a summary of what has been going on using the photos on the camera as a memory jogger! At least I am still taking the odd snap!


So in the second week of the September school hols, Sandy came to stay. She needed a good rest and we tried to give it to her. So we chilled out learning some mosaicing from a friend of mine here in Bowen. This is what Sandy made while she was here. How cool is that for a first go? All those years as a teacher paid off! You can't see mine as it is not finished yet and is not nearly so good.


We just hung about doing this and talking and in the evenings drank a little wine.

We went to Airlie on the Saturday morning for the markets and some breakfast.

Then a walk along the boardwalk, and we kind of gatecrashed at Coral Sea Resort and had a coffee.

This was the view from our coffee table..tough eh?

We went for a camp at Terrible Creek with G&L. It would be the last of the season. It was quite hot, though pleasant enough in the evenings. It was very relaxing. I was so relaxed I took hardly any photos. I did take one or two of G&L but I would be disowned if I posted one. Not good shots.

KISA is telling a good story here.Or maybe he was reciting poetry??

On the way home we passed a herd/flock/mob?? of emus. After three months of physical work, Anna has put on some good muscle tone. She was gaunt when she arrived, now she looks healthy and strong.

On their last weekend with us, we went with Anna and Elaine to Airlie Beach for some flashpacking. Booked an apartment and went jet skiing the next day

We were doing some yoga poses and the three wise monkeys here. Some wine may have been consumed. Maybe. It was guy fawkes night, so we had some sparklers.

The next day, we had booked jet skiing to Daydream Island. KISA's and my trip was a gift from Adam as a thank you for having him. The girls fancied it too, so got themselves a ski. It was fantastic fun. KISA and I paid a bit extra and got a ski each. Then there would be no squabbling.....

After about an hours skiing we had lunch at the cafe on the island. It was a kind of overcast day.

Once on the island, we did the fish feeding tour. It was quite interesting. This is a sharks egg. It is softish and if you hold it up to the light, you can see the baby inside!

We found Nemo too. Actually a couple of Nemos in the coral pool.

These are the stingrays. Big ones, like the one that killed Steve Irwin. They feel kind of strange and gobbled up their food with their gummy mouths.

We got to hold a baby shark as well. This is as close as I fancy and a good size for me. Any bigger and I will take my toes out of the pool!

The next few pics are of the jetski trip home. They were taken by the guide who had a waterproof camera and we were allowed to lift them off facebook. Then no one got their camera wet. The wind picked up for the trip back and it was VERY wet and bouncy. So much fun.

Standing with the mermaid statues at Daydream Island. With our mermaids.

Anna and Elaine looking very fetching in their jet ski outfits. Not the Paris catwalk but all essential. The life jacket is self explanatory, the hat with chin straps to keep off the sun and to avoid losing it within 30 seconds of starting out, the sunglass/goggles to keep the water and glare out of your eyes, the rash vest so you can get soaked and dry off quickly.

Last day in Bowen for the girls. After here they went to Myella Farmstay near Rockhampton, then off to Byron bay and Sydney. It has been a joy having them, we will miss them.

We stood at the gate to the estate and waved as the bus went by. Then we were two again!

Mackay weekend

KISA had to spend the day at that other coal terminal so we headed off early on Friday morning to mackay. Caught the sunrise. Looked better in real life, they are hard to capture.

While he was working, I ran a few errands, and lunched with my aunts and uncle, sister and parents.

Mostly we spent the weekend socialising with friends and family.

Andd goofballs such as Bec.

They have finally opened the road to the breakwater at the harbour after nearly 2 years, so we went out for a drive. They are going to close it again next April, so will make sure we take a few drives out there before then.

Home again Sunday afternoon, the drive seems shorter all the time.