Digger

We had hoped this week, to take the kids to see the wild Dolphins at Tangalooma which is a resort on Morton Island National Park, about 20 miles out from Brisbane.. You can feed them too and its supposed to be a good craick. http://www.tangalooma.com/dolphins/dolphin_feeding.asp If you go a few weeks earlier than this, you can see the whales beginning their migrate to the South, and cold water. However, to get to feed the Dolphins, you have to book in advance, and that means being organised. If you’re REALLY organised, and RICH, you can get taken out to the island by float plane (see the pic)… http://www.akunaseaplanes.com.au/

....but it costs a fair bit more than we’ve got. Its not particularly cheap by boat, which is the conventional way out, but the plane sounds really good don’t-cha-rek? Anyway, the girls went to Lone Pine Koala sanctuary today, with Daile, whilst I went out to Andrew and Lee’s at Jimboomba, to help move some rocks and lay soil etc at the front of their house. The girls both got to hold a Koala, and as Phoebe was keen to point out later when I talked to them about their day, the Koala has big claws that dig into your neck….(see pic) (Molly and Josh, this is the same place that you went to, with the Roos and the Bats and the snakes etc) http://www.koala.net/lonepine/index.htm

When I arrived in Jimboomba, it was already down tools, cos the little digger (Kanga) hadn’t pitched up yet….so you know…. we had a beer, and a natter, and a beer and a natter…you get the picture. When the machine came we, or more accurately, ‘I’ was a little less focused than earlier. Luckily, it chose that point to rain….see pics.

Its been raining everyday at about the same time for the last 4 or 5 days, and it usually does what you see here….namely come blowing in all unannounced, drops LOADS of rain in a few minutes, and then the sun comes out again. Its fascinating to watch, and you definitely feel

moved by it every time it happens. Another thing is that the vegetation is really reactive to rain….this picture shows the garden behind their house…which last week was very largely soil coloured….and now is green….after 5 days of water. Suddenly everything seems lush instead of dry.

Needless to say, we were still hard at it by dusk, and had to knock it on the head. Tomorrow we're all going to be here for Andrew's birthday party.....

I’m loving it… er so far anyway!