HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAGGIE !!!!!

My Special, Special Girl! So proud of you my darling. Have a lovely day!

Melbourne

I spent a wonderful week in Melbourne with Maggie and Sabine came down for a girly sleepover in Maggie's room at Queens. That was great fun... we also went out to dinner at Southbank with Leah Shepherd to celebrate her birthday.

Here we are, posing at Southern Cross Railway Station!

Examining the lights
Very much enjoying ourselves.

Melbourne by night
Leah and Maggie did the Model thing walking down the steps at Crown Casino. Gooooood fun!


Sabine's camera is a dream... and she is a fantastic photographer. You didn't think I had taken any of these did you??? Very funny.

Maggie and Julian Form a Band

Sabine and I tried very hard to visualise these two, nearly twenty years ago, tiny little mites. Now look at them, playing a game as members of a virtual band. It was hilarious.

Catching Up With Sabine at the King River Cafe

Maggie and I drove to Bright for a couple of days. We met Sabine at the King River Cafe at Oxley for a delicious lunch and some big time girlie catch up. Soooper Dooper time.

Quick Visit to the Glasshouse Mountains

We stopped overnight at the base of the Glasshouse Mountains. Did a lovely walk before driving on to Brisbane. Very much want to revisit this special place.

Jackey Jackey

Most definitely our favourite coffee place! And most definitely the most bizarre owner/operator. He was often too stressed to make us a coffee and we would have to wait (Cooktown time) for 3/4 hour whilst he got his act together. But the coffee and ambience and view were worth the wait.

A Vertical Climb To Grassy Hill

Jen is fit. Very fit. She challenges me to climb Grassy Hill, which is (to put it mildly) quite steep. But well worth the view when we get to the top...

I point towards where the boys have gone fishing.

America is the next stop beyond the lighthouse.

One More Walk With Jen

A beautiful bit of wetlands to explore... we took a picnic with us to explore this pretty place

Beautiful example of a paperbark tree

Then a quick trip to a secluded bay for the perfect photo!

Success!!!!

Rod and Sticky returned from yet another fishing trip. With great success. This furious fellow, a mud crab was totally delicious to eat.

Another Walk with Jen ... along the Mangrove Swamp

What is this weird creature??? It is like a scorpion, but also like a yabby. We just could not work it out.

We liked the cone shell creatures...

And the mud scuttlers.

Sticky decides to show his feminine side

A Walk to Fig Bay and Cherry Bay

The boys went fishing. Jen and I went for a four hour walk to Fig Bay and Cherry Bay. We had more success with our walk than the boys with their fishing!

Tiny crabs dig holes in the sand and ball the sand outside the holes. The whole beach gets covered by the little balls of sand, making amazing patterns.

We travelled up and up and up through the forest of paper barks.
We are not sure what this tree is, but it is certainly beautiful. Deep red trunk with spongy bark.

Day 1 at Cooktown