Kayaks

After years of thinking about it, we have decided to join the worldwide community of paddlers. This is not something kinky, but a fine way to enjoy the outdoors, explore little known parts of the local geography, spend time together, get great exercise, live longer, and just enjoy life.

So, for Christmas this year, we decided to forego the normal presents and buy each other a kayak. For safety, for the local conditions we will be using them for, and for the cost, we have chosen to get sit-on-top kayaks. They are very stable, easy to paddle, lightweight, and affordable. We shopped around and found a local company that designs and makes them right here on the Sunshine Coast (www.vikingkayak.com.au), with a very friendly and helpful staff. We bought our kayaks three days ago, and yesterday, after weeks of rain, had a perfect day to try them out.

The State Government recently completed a 'canoe trail' on a river nearby, so we went to the pontoon/wharf they just opened and put our kayaks in the murky brown water. Lake Dunethin, really not a lake at all, but a small cove off the side of the Maroochy River was where we tried them out.

Here is the setting, taken from atop Mt Ninderry. The Maroochy River flows from the right down to the Pacific Ocean, on the upper left. Just above the centre of the screen you can make out Lake Dunethin.

You can see the Pontoon/Wharf in the lake, centre. Also, note the line of trees on the right sided of the image, heading off the side. We explored this small creek...

Amanda, new Paddler. You will have to ask her why she decided to wear her life jacket under her top.

 The three hours we spent in the sun, on the water, relaxing and getting exercise, exploring and being together was so much fun. And no, there are no Crocodiles in our local waters. At least that is what we have been told...

Here I am, up a creek...this time with a paddle!

Look forward to many more posts about our new adventures on the water. The Solstice was a great day for us, Down Under.

A Recent Visitor

Cleo loves to hunt. Mostly leaves and flowers, but this time she came home with something a bit bigger. 
Believe it or not, this is a small version of a Water Dragon, a local lizard that can be 30 inches long, tail included. We even sat in an outdoor restaurant one time and watched the resident Water Dragons climb up trees, out onto overhanging branches, and leap off into the water.

This one was about 18 inches long, including that long skinny tail. We let it go, quite unharmed.

Alvaro and Enea's little family

Alvaro, Louise and Stephan. 
It's hard to get all four of them together, but Alvi is often in Mummy's arms.

Enea says "Hi"

Alvaro 10 months

Yes, he has been eating the grass.

Standing with something to hold on to. 
He's preparing for walking. Life will look quite different then.

Enea Rose the Pirate at her Pink & Purple 4th Birthday Party

'Down the back'

Looking up at the house from down the driveway

Reverse view, down across 'gardens'...semi-wild nasturtiums, mostly.

Stairs down from house to lower gardens. The upper section I rebuilt (with help from a local bloke). The property is level at the top where the house is, then descends steeply 'down the back'.

Some more house interior

The kitchen was temporarily clean, so here is a bit of it. We love the new cabinet doors and spiffy new handles, mounted horizontally. How chic. Sorry about the focus...

A few of our abundant lemon crop, and just beyond them the green ones....those are 'chocolate sapotes' which, when ripe, taste like chocolate pudding. Beyond you see part of the sitting room, on the right, the dining room on the left. Oh yeah...the flowers in the vase are volunteers we find in the garden...pretty things, randomly appearing.

Looking toward the kitchen from dining/entry. Like we told you, it is a tiny house...

Our new Hobby: cat companions

Ok, we admit it. We have a full time hobby now. Cat watching, cat caring, plus cat rubbing, feeding, brushing, and cleaning up after....we love it...them...

 Cleo hunts flowers. She will bring them home, one after another, all afternoon long. She favours camellias...

Funny girl, that Ziva

Ziva, up close

Ziva, even closer

Computer cat...Cleo. See the white whiskers?

Scenes from the student's life

Scott/Dad/Poppy in office 17/9/10

Wildlife on campus

Kangaroos on campus

There is a healthy population of kangaroos on our campus. I believe there are 16 of them living as a group. They wander the entire property, but like to spend afternoons on the mown grass, amid the students. They will not really tolerate being touched, but they do come close, and often can be found lying in the shade, resting on an elbow, munching away.

Veranda and Water Tanks

Whoo hoo... the rest and relaxation zone, plus our wonderful rainwater tanks.

Aren't you jealous?

Out the back door, off the living room

Looking away, with Kumquat tree just off the railing

House rainwater tank, about 8 feet diameter

Looking back up past large tank to small tank at house

Main tank, 3 metres tall, and about 16 feet diameter

 

So you can tell how big the large tank really is

 More to come, soon....

Beginning a tour of our place

Here is a view of our front path, looking from the end of our front path nearest the office toward the driveway.

Looking from the driveway back toward the front door and the office door....

More to follow...

S and A

Ziva and Cleo, our new family members

We were delighted to be able to "rescue" these two cats from a life in a pet store. Abandoned with the rest of their litter, they were all sick and tiny, about 8 weeks old when they arrived at the doorstep of the store. These two took longer to become healthy and by the time they did the others had been adopted. These two could not compete for the affections of potential new families, against the charms of younger kittens, so they gradually became the '"Store cats', living their days in a cage.
We feel in love with them and their gentle natures and offered to take them on. The store was happy to see them leave as a pair, but were sad to lose the friends they had had, for almost a year.

They have adapted well, and are now quite happy to wander our property, sleep beside us in the evenings, and generally have the life of pampered cats. We are enjoying them very much.

Can't tell them apart? Sometimes we can't either. Cleo has white whiskers, and Ziva is thinner, with a gold patch on half of her chin....

Cleo

Ziva

Their favorite place in the evening

Cats are delightful companions, independent, adaptable, not into endless appeasement, as dogs are. We love dogs too, but cats offer something special as companions. Since more cats live with human companions now than dogs, around the world, it seems the majority of companion animal relationships are in agreement with this.