Brisbane Floods

I imagine everyone has heard about this devastating event that is unfolding before us all. I am stranded in Brisbane, due to the floods in Rockhampton, so have lived through this. Though mercifully, not directly. We are fine, high and dry and both boys and Divine Miss R are too. KISA flew home last weekend to return to work, so is safe in Newcastle with work.
The above photo was in the news this morning, and out of all the streets in this city, this signpost is of Son 25's street in Fairfield. They live on the high end of the street thankfully, but the water came quite close, within 100 metres.
This post is just to confirm we are ok, and to share the photo. I have some more from Son 24 but they are on my phone and I don't have the cable to transfer it.
I will post about our eventful holiday soon.
Our prayers are with those who are suffering.

Drive home from Narooma

On the 4th January we set off really early about 7am to drive to Coonabarabran. We stopped at Maccas at Batemans Bay for some breakfast and didn't really stop much till we arrived. So these photos of the war memorial and parliament house in Canberra were literally taken as we squealed our tyres around the roundabout. Such is travelling, KISA style.

The restuarant we had been looking forward to returning to in Coonabarbran for the last two years was CLOSED for a private function. We were devastated! We ate at the restuarant at our motel but it was very ho hum. We had an early night and an early start next day.

On the way to Brisbane, we passed through Goondiwindi on our way to Toowoomba. The floods had been through this area and had just gone down. In this shot you can see lots of river grass or hay all over the fences by the road. In some parts there were mounds of it where they had pushed it off the road. The road crews were out patching as well.

Once we arrived in Brisbane, KISA had to let work know we could not get home because the highway was closed by Rockhampton's flood waters.As it was to be at least 10 days till the road opened again, they opted to fly KISA back as he was due to start work on Sunday. The airfares were shocking almost $500 for a one way trip. So I decided to stay with the car. KISA is to fly to Newcastle with work on Tuesday the 11th and is to be away till the 21st. So we decided I would fly home too, once the fares got cheaper and return to drive back with him on the 21st. Hopefully the waters will have gone down by then. We booked me home on Friday 14th, which gives me a week in Brisbane to catch up with friends and family.

So we treated ourselves to a night at Lennons Hotel for old times sake. It was lovely. It rained all the day and night so we just hung out in the room.

I even caught the sunset!

Chilling at Narooma

We had a lovely two weeks at Narooma. The temperatures sit about 22 C or so in the daytime and 15C overnight on average. We had one day where it exceeded 30C and a storm came through that afternoon and the temp dropped 10C in an hour. Most of the time it was sunny, though we had a couple of wet days.
We spent the time doing nothing much. A few walks, a game of golf,squash and tennis by those inclined (not me). A couple of trips to nearby quaint towns to sample coffee, cheese, and tat shops etc. A game of mini golf, at which I am not too rubbish, and drinks with Jdubya's associates.
A couple of meals out but most of the time was spent chilling out and looking at the view. It is a million dollar view.
We watched Jdubya surf one day.

We had lots of visitors to Jdubya's restuarant which opened at breakfast time each day and ran till dark at night. Some of the patrons included this young kookaburra.

And countless rainbow lorikeets. They are the Chopper Reids of the bird world.

"We are just here for the food. We are not, like, together or anything!" Lots of cockatoos. Isn't he a handsome fella.

Some prefer the personalised service.

"Hey, there is a queue!"

There is a definite pecking order, both within a group and between types.

For the meat eaters, bacon fat was popular.

" Don't you know it's rude to talk on the phone during dinner, especially MY dinner?"

Every morning the Blue Tongue Lizard came out to sunbake. He was here two years ago as well.

A shot of the inlet taken on one of our walks. Along the boardwalk there you can hear the beautiful sound of bellbirds.

A tiger ray, it looks like a kind of bottom feeding shark.

A black swans nest in the middle of a swamp along our walk. Those are not the swans, their babies have just fledged. We saw them a couple of days prior.

Mr King Parrot came every day. He had an exclusive table as the lorikeets would not let him eat in peace.

Mrs King Parrot. She has a green head he has a red.

The interior of the Bodalla Anglican Church. This is a pretty old stone church for Australia 1860 ish and all that oak and stained glass was shipped from England.

On another stunningly beautiful day we went to Bermagui. They have this amazing rock pool to swim in. It is changed each day by the sea. Not sure how and I bet it was chilly. There were swimmers though.

The inevitable sunset, of course.

I took a slip down the stairs and hurt my foot. Could be sprained but I suspect a bone might be broken. It kind of grates when you rub it and hurts like anything of course. That kind of curbed my activities a little.

I still managed to hobble to the end of the bar. That is what they call the breakwater in Narooma by the way, not what you are thinking.

Looking north from the lookout near the golf course.

Jdubya lines up for the evening shift.

A beer in one hand and a bird in the other. What more can a man want???? These two Corellas popped in one day. They are not regulars. Must have been their anniversary!

Rosellas were quite regular as well. Quite a variety really, plenty of entertainment watching them all. On our last day in Narooma it was my birthday. It rained all day, so we spent it reading etc and went out to the golf club that evening for dinner. As did the other 9000 inhabitants of the town. We got a good table though. I am a good table vulture and not adverse to switching when a better one comes up...

It's an unbeatable view.

Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve was spent chilling at home, KISA spent time fixing Jdubya's computer so a bit of a busmans holiday for him so far. Santa came by in the rural fire truck, he drives down every street and throws lollies at the kids. Christmas dinner, I slow roasted this baby at 150 degrees C for 5 hours and it was delicious and very tender. Nom Nom...

Cheers..we did a lot of that...guess who forgot the tripod...perched the camera on the back of a chair..

A bit of breakfast, champagne and sunshine overlooking the sea. Hear it rained a little back home...and snowed a little in the island far far away.

A glass of bubbles to start the day off is traditional even if you are "not doing christmas".

The house faces east so it is hard to get a shot that is not straight into the sun if you want to catch the view too at that time of day.

Our pressies...KISA gave me a Kindle and I gave him an iPod. Playing with them took a while...

Merry Christmas to all, we hope it was a lovely day for you too...