Moving Time

Hands up everyone who likes moving house!

Hmm.. no takers. Not surprising really.  It's not much fun, especially when you have a 3 hour road trip and then have to unpack the trucks at the end of the day, although unpacking was surprisingly easy.

As we moved our things out Kt lost no time in rearranging the lounge at home.

We had lots of willing helpers to load the truck.  Dad was working the lift on the back and needed a hat, so we gave him the one we bought in Longreach.  It was going to be his Christmas present, but he needed one now.  My Dad is very handsome!

Starting to load the truck.

Nearly done.

Once the truck was loaded we all went into the air conditioning to cool down.  Kz showed us her new dress.  She is so annoyed at having to wear a dress.  But it is such a pretty one.

Mum and Dad gave us each a bowl of fruit to have in the car.  It was really cool and refreshing.  Thanks folks.

We had a good trip up.  It took a bit longer than our normal trip in a car because the roads are very bumpy and winding in places.  We were very relieved to arrive at Gayndah about 4.45pm.  Esther and Christian helped us unload the truck.  They think we travel light!

My first task was to put the bed together so we could fall into it.

And then straighten up the lounge so we could have somewhere to sit.

So we are getting there.  We all had chinese takeaways because there is not much choice in a small town.  We were very hungry and pleased to have it.  Esther and Christian started going through some of the things we needed to know but we were too tired to take it all in. 

It was still very hot, but we fell asleep quite quickly.  Today, the sun is shining, it will be another hot one and R has to drive the hire truck back to the Sunny Coast and pick up our car.  He is making a list of things we need.  Like fly spray for that pesky mosquito.

Thanks for reading my blog.  I hope you all have a very good week.

Bye for now

For Loretta

Our friends were recently in New Zealand and left the car briefly to walk to a lookout at Opononi (Northland).  When they returned to their car, it had been broken into and Loretta's handbag had been stolen. 

For you Loretta and I hope your headache gets better soon.

"The rain it raineth on the just,
And also on the unjust fella.
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust hath the just's umbrella.

I loved this quote I found on a friend's Facebook page.  Thanks Ian.

My headache is just beginning when I survey the mess we have created with moving stuff.  Not to mention the fact that we are leaving tomorrow, but the motel won't settle for another couple of weeks and we will be lucky if it settles before Christmas at this rate.  The motel is full according to Esther and Christian and they asked if we were ready.  Is anyone ever ready?

Well I am not ready to shift.  Look at this mess in the garage...

And I can't even lie down on my bed...

Tomorrow is the day.  It is also Mark's birthday.  Well actually his birthday is today the 26 November, but because he lives in the USA, it is still Friday there, so he has to wait another day.  Happy birthday Mark.

I loved one of the blogs I have on my sidebar. "Getting Stitched on the Farm". I love sunflowers and I think she is so clever.

Thanks for stopping by.  When I write next it should be from Gayndah.

Bye for now

Red-backed Fairy-Wren in Eclipse Plumage

That's a great title!  But what does it mean.
Let me explain.  In between serving breakfasts and making lunches at Biloela, I occasionally got to sit down and rest my weary legs.  On one such occasion, I spotted a little bird hopping around in the fence below the lounge window.

I managed to get a picture to show you and I was really surprised to find such a scruffy little bird!

So I got out my trusty Field Guide to Australian Birds and on page 224 found the Red-backed Fairy-Wren which normally has brilliant scarlet and black plumage with brownish wings.  However, in autumn, males moult to eclipse plumage for five or six months, but older dominant males miss the eclipse plumage stage completely, moulting directly to their new colourful breeding plumage.  So now we know that this is a young male. 
He was very cute and I never saw him again so I was lucky to get this shot.

We are still packing stuff and moving stuff and labelling stuff. We have the truck booked and plan on leaving Sunday to arrive late afternoon in Gayndah.

While on the subject of Gayndah, I have to sit a TAFE Course for a Food
Safety Supervisors Certificate.  This will allow the council to issue us with a Food Safety Certificate and we can pepare meals for guests.  Well, I can anyway.  This course involves about 10 hours study and I have to squeeze it in along with everything else on my mind. It's not so much a matter of finding time to do the study, it is remembering the study enough to pass the tests, because my poor brain is whirling around with lots of different threads of information and lists and requirements and schedules.  Oh! No wonder I sometimes feel a headache coming on.

Mum and Dad gave us a farewell dinner last night with family all invited.  They surprised us with a gift of a weather station photo frame which we will put in our reception area as a talking point.  Thanks everyone!

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope all the Sunshine Coasters enjoyed the rain we had last night.  The grass is no longer crispy crunchy.

Bye for now.

Hi. I am back

It has been a busy 3 weeks. I can hardly believe it is that long since I was in touch. 

After coming home from Biloela I was very tired and worn out. I had a sore throat and felt run down.  It is hardly surprising after getting up at 4.30 am to help with the breakfasts and continuing on until the restaurant shut after 9.00 pm.

Here are some of the sandwiches we made one night.

And here they are in the fridge all ready to take down when we do the breakfasts.

We had some interesting requests; like the men who informed us "We are not eating meat!" So we scrambled round and looked on the internet for vegetarian sandwich fillings and after a few days they must have been getting sick of it because they announced " We are eating chicken!"   I know we will look back and laugh.

Anyhoo  back home we are and facing the most tremendous upheaval to get packed to go and live in Gayndah.  We have put everything we want to take with us in the garage.  And then we brought all of Kt and Kz's stuff out of the storage shed and put that in the garage too.  And the dog sleeps in the garage too!  Stuff has overflowed into our courtyard. I hope the rain holds off a few more days.

We are leaving this coming Saturday to manage the Country Roads Motor Inn in Gayndah.  Absolute mountains of paperwork and trying to get to grips with insurance and lease requirements, not to mention banks and finance and plant and accountants and suppliers and ....  Well you get the picture.

I still haven't told told you all about the remainder of our trip out West and shared some of the great photos I took.  I haven't forgotten and will definitely get a round tuit soon.

Love to all of you great people and thanks for reading.
I will be back soon.