Carnival of Flowers

We did a family outing to see the floral displays at Laurel Bank and Queens Park this year. The timing of some displays had not quite worked but it was still a nice way to spend Sunday morning. On the way home we drove by Ian's house and were spotted so we had a look at his almost finished renovations and caught up with Jen, Gary and Ann as well.

May days

The month of May is slipping away and we have had 3mm so far. It is very dry here.

We walked at Stringybark, on hills south of Helidon on Tuesday 13th.

Jim came up for the following weekend and played golf with Dick on two mornings - nice and chilly. I planted out more Xerochrysum seedlings and some lilies I got from Ann. On Saturday night, the wind faded and we were able to have a campfire with roast lamb and vegies cooked in the camp oven. It was very quick, cooked well and tasted delicious. It also used minimal wood, consisting of old garden prunings.

Our tank project is happening quickly. Last week I posted the contract and deposit and the hole is already prepared, and the tank will be poured this week - unless we are washed out!

Last Monday I met up with a Clark second-cousin, Neal Price, who was visiting Toowoomba for work. We have corresponded for a few years.

On Tuesday we walked in the Grapetree creek area, descending below the cliffs into a creek in the reverse direction to our last visit. In the evening we had a sunset/full moon campfire. I cooked chicken drumsticks with vegetables in the camp oven. It worked really well.

On Wednesday I hurriedly cleared the tank site of remaining vegetation and mulch. In the evening we had a Twilight Recital at USQ featuring Collusion and modern music.

On Thursday the hole was dug.

On Friday we had an extra working bee at Franke Scrub.

Yesterday we walked from Peppers Resort to Spicer's Peak, just south of Cunningham's Gap. It was a perfect day. The morning was cool with fog on the Downs. We descended a razorback with nice views of the Main Range to the east, then climbed through rainforest to the western peak, where we had lunch on sunny rocks in a small saddle before some of us continued out to the escarpment above the Cunningham Highway. The views to the east extended to Mt Warning.
It was a long day ending in quite a steep climb back up to the resort and a drive home into the sunset with a hot bath to look forward to at home.

A busy time

Since the last report, when it rained, which seems like quite a while back, life has been busy. Liz flew up from Canberra on the Thursday and I met her at the airport, after dropping Dick at work in the city. We then drove to Scarborough for lunch with Margaret, collecting Dick mid afternoon for the drive home. It is a long day if driving from Toowoomba to Scarborough alone.
The following morning Liz came to tennis with me, which turned out to be most fortunate. We had played one set before our fourth regular player arrived. It was a perfect morning for tennis with some cloud cover and a cool light breeze, and we had some good tennis.
After lunch we packed the camper and headed for Girraween. The planned night walk had been cancelled as there was a chance of rain, but we were not to be disappointed. We got there in good time and walked down to the [creek] Junction. It was a joy to be walking beside the noisy and full creek after years of drought - trying to find a place to cross to the path on the other side.
On Saturday morning we packed up and headed out to Castle Rock to survey the area from above, then on to Mt Norman where we decided that we did not need to reach the top. The weather was perfect, being not too hot and moist underfoot from recent rain, but mostly dry on the rocks. There were a surprisingly large number of wildflowers and Liz's botanical knowledge made up for my book being left behind.
We had enough food left for a third 'meal' after our swim at the day use area. The pool in the creek was deep and very cool.
On Sunday, it seemed like a good idea to rest the legs, but we went out to the Japanese Garden, which has been invaded by flying foxes, then had a look at Laurel Bank before heading home for lunch. Later in the afternoon we drove across to Franke's Scrub then did a loop out to Kingsthorpe where we climbed to the lookout. It was interesting to notice the remnants of dry vine scrub on farms as we drove. We returned via Glencoe and Gowrie Junction for more of this vegetation.
On Monday I took a bus to Brisbane for a meeting while Dick and Liz took a picnic to Ravensbourne, where it was raining. They collected my from the bus at 6pm and we enjoyed a good Thai meal in town.
On Tuesday morning I headed off walking - to Ravensbourne - while Dick and Liz headed for Brisbane and the airport.
We really enjoyed her visit.