Pay It Forward

Hi everyone

Firstly, words seem so inadequate for the devastation that is affecting those in Queensland and Western Australia.  All I can think is a "pipe" dream, and that would be fantastic.  To pipe some of that water across to WA.  A great pity it can only be a dream.  My thoughts are with those affected by both disasters.

I do have family in Brisbane, but they are safe and relatively dry.

Luckily, about a week ago, Knit4Charities had already set up 2 lovely members, who are in the area affected, to receive items/donations.  These lovely ladies are able to make sure that the goodies are able to go directly to those who need it, people and animals.  Action I can do.

So eyes wiped and dried, I said I would draw out 3 names for "Pay It Forward".  Rather appropriate at the moment I think, as I believe there will be a lot of that going on in the affected areas.

So into my fishbowl went the names

Hubby drew the names out for me

First name

Josiekitten - The Woolly Adventures of a Knitting Kitty

The Garden Bell

and

Mrs Twins

So lovely ladies, can you please contact me directly with your postal addresses.  Except for Mrs Twins, that is, as I have posted off squares for SIBOL, I have yours.

Bye for now

The Ashes

Well we are back from QLD, tired and totally worn out - lots and lots of walking were done and lots and lots of watching cricket too

Only a few photos were taken as I just did not feel like getting behind a camera - rather be "in the moment" - if you know what I mean.

• So, we got to see Siddle take a hat-trick the first day!!!!!! What an atmosphere in the stadium for that - the roar was unbelievable.
• Doherty made his Test debut for Australia and took wickets!!!!!
• Hussey (Mr Cricket) made 195!!!! He is one of my fave players - so down-to-earth
• and Haddin made 136!!!!!

Not bad for 3 days

Now I have to say that we had lots and lots of conversations with Pommies - Australian Pommies and English Pommies.

Absolutely amazing how many were at the cricket ☺ ☺ ☺

BTW - "The Queen" was sitting in front of us on the 2nd day, but I felt rude grabbing a photo, but "shim" did make the local papers.  She loved to go walking and often was found stirring up the Barmy Army (who were on the other side of the oval from us, a bit hard to find in the photo) when they were too quiet with her graceful wave  ☺  ☺  ☺

Nov 2010 GABBA 1st Ashes Test

And now a thank you - for no particular reason, other than its nice to say when its not prompted ☺

Well done to QLD Transit Authority (I think that's what they are called)!!!!!!

They provided FREE!!!!! buses from various points in the city to and from The Gabba

Very, very handy for us

It was chaotic at the end of the day, but moving over 35,000 people would always cause a problem

And to Brisbane Council who had a LARGE number of double bins (garbage/recycle) strewn throughout the city.  The streets were lovely and clean.  A pleasure to walk.

P.S. - Just noticed that I have over 300 emails and 300 blog feeds to read.  Oops, it will take me a while to catch up with eveyone.  But I will eventually

Bye for now

Aussie Maria's Australian Islands

Around Heron Island, originally uploaded by Aussie Maria.

Hi everyone
If you have been on Flickr you will have seen my recent uploads of a holiday I had in July 2003.

Really wish I could go back now, I really need some of that warmth and relaxation

To get to this beautiful place, for me, it was a flight from Sydney to Brisbane, Brisbane to Gladstone and then we opted for the helicopter ride there, which is about 15-20 minutes, instead of the 2 hour ferry ride.
BTW - Helicopter rider was on my Bucket List

Heron Island is a coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef.
So you are totally surrounded by coral and marine animals which like coral - including reef sharks!!!

The time we were there is the humpback whale migratory season, a few were spotted in the distance, well there spouts were ☺

Heron Island is renown for the turtle's that hatch there, but that was another time of the year.

I will let the photos do the talking ☺

Starfish spotted while reef walking at low tide - no sharks, just booties to protect the feet from the sharp coral

Clams

And just to prove it was me walking out there, not being worried about sharks ☺

Always with a hat & sunnies on ☺

This is our view for the afternoon - cocktails in hand

Watching the sharks and other marine life wander in on the high tide

And after the cocktails ☺

Sunset off the gantry

Boat access blasted through the coral

It wasn't all relaxing, serious work was done on the chess board - and the kids won!!

Bye

Aussie Maria's Sunburnt Country

Happy Australia Day!!!

A poem which I always feels epitomises to me, my Australia is copied out below.

Dorothea wrote this on a trip back to England when she was extremely home-sick.  I think the poem really shows this.  The bit in red is the most often quoted part of the entire poem.  It is also frequently called "A sunburnt country".  It was originally title "Core of my heart".  I was trying to find a video of Leonard Teale reading this poem, as I saw it once and loved the way he spoke, but no luck so far.  The first part is of course referring to England.

MY COUNTRY

by Dorothea Mackellar

written in 1904

The love of field and coppice,

Of green and shaded lanes.

Of ordered woods and gardens

Is running in your veins,

Strong love of grey-blue distance

Brown streams and soft dim skies

I know but cannot share it,

My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel-sea, 

Her beauty and her terror -

The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest

All tragic to the moon,

The sapphire-misted mountains,

The hot gold hush of noon.

Green tangle of the brushes,

Where lithe lianas coil,

And orchids deck the tree-tops

And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!

Her pitiless blue sky,

When sick at heart, around us,

We see the cattle die -

But then the grey clouds gather,

And we can bless again

The drumming of an army,

The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!

Land of the Rainbow Gold,

For flood and fire and famine,

She pays us back threefold -

Over the thirsty paddocks,

Watch, after many days,

The filmy veil of greenness

That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,

A wilful, lavish land -

All you who have not loved her,

You will not understand -

Though earth holds many splendours,

Wherever I may die,

I know to what brown country

My homing thoughts will fly

P.S Key to photos - 1st one is of Uluru in Apr 1988 (dug out of the archives, the old-fashioned way); the 2nd one is Heron Island at the jetty end, Jul 2003 (you can see where they blasted the coral to allow the boats in) Heron Island is totally surrounded by coral and is in the middle of the Whitsundays