DAISY HILL FOREST FLOWERS

 I love my morning walks in the forest with my friends. Although it is a bit hard to get out of bed at six in winter it is easy in summer. Now in Spring it is quite pretty with wild flowers blooming. We don't have spectacular wild flowers but some little treasures.

My walking buddies, (L to R) Joan, Helen and Maureen.

Wattle, our national flower.

Hardenbergia violacea

Acacia paradoxa

Solanum seaforthianum

Hardenbergia violacea

Unfortunately I don't know the names of them. I guess I should do some research or get an app that names them for me. Call me lazy. Stop press: My blog friend, Sandra from 'Madsnapper' taught me how to find the names of the plants easily.

Aubriera deltoidea

When I arrived home I was pleased to see the flowers in my planters hanging on the fence hiding the wheelie bins, were looking good. I'm forever planting flowers in these and they are forever dying. Keeping my fingers crossed this time.

DICKABRAM BRIDGE

 While we were staying with friends at Curra they took us for a drive to Tin Can Bay. On the way back to their place we detoured a little to see the old Dickabram Bridge over the Mary River. It was completed in 1886. It stands 23 metres (70 ft) high and is over 200 metres long. It is one of few rail and road bridges in the country. Rumour has it that the name is derived from Dick and Abraham the names of two early settlers in the region.

Recent floods were very bad and the river rose over the bridge and left debris on the fence of a park on the river bank.

See how high the water came.

There were workmen still clearing debris from the bridge. See the twigs stuck on the pylon. The story goes that when the bridge was being built workmen were filling these pylons with concrete. They used wheelbarrows to tip the concrete in. One poor sole went too close and he and his wheelbarrow fell in. Others hadn't seen it and kept pouring concrete in. He was never seen again.

The Mary River today. Its hard to believe the water came higher than where I an standing,

Driving over the old wooden bridge.

We returned to our friend's house where we played cards well into the night and woke to another lovely sunrise. Taken through the window and fly screen.

CURRA FRIENDS

 We drove three hours north of Brisbane to Curra. Our friends, Ben and Lyn have bought a new house in a new estate there. All the blocks are acreages which have been carved out of farmland. It is living in the country. We had a very relaxing few days with them. Ben and Bill migrated from Switzerland together in 1967 when they were in their early twenties. They came for two years to learn English and then go home. They both married Aussie girls and are still here. We have been friends ever since although sometimes long distant friends as we spent time in PNG and Ben and Lyn spent time in NT and then in many different places. We have had fun visiting them in all their different abodes. In the evenings we love playing a Swiss Card game called Jass.

When we arrived Lyn was feeding the Butcher Birds.  She shouldn't really feed wildlife  but sometimes you can't resist their begging.

The view from their back patio was pretty and calming.

The next morning it was even more pretty.

We had breakfast on the patio as Spring is in the air. The old boys enjoy catching up.

They took us for a drive through bushland to Tin Can Bay Yacht Club for lunch. I could see the fish from our table on the deck.

The view from our table.

An old relaxed couple. We had to take our dark glasses off.

Our fun loving friends, Ben and Lyn.

A LOVE STORY

Our monthly dinner at the village had a fun theme. It was a wedding reception, a real one and a pretend one. First I must tell a love story.

Some years ago a lovely lady called Margaret worked in the office of our village. She had to travel quite a distance to get here for work. As she and her husband, Ron, were over 55 they decided to move here so it would be easy to get to work and Ron had just retired. They soon became loved members of our community. 

Unfortunately, not long afterwards, Margaret became ill and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Little could be done for her and after some time she succumbed and passed away. The funeral was held here in our community centre. Ron and Margaret's children were scattered around the globe. There were also some who lived close by. They all came to the funeral.

Ron's son, Brendan was working in Le Hague as a war crime investigator. He was divorced and stayed with his father here in the village. He helped the staff and Chiou See, the managing director, to set up the community centre for the funeral and wake. Naturally, the staff and Chiou See were very involved as Margaret had been a member of the staff.

Brendan stayed on for a few weeks holiday here. It wasn't long before we noticed that Brendan and Chiou See had become very close friends. Chiou See is also a divorcee. We all wondered how this was going to work out with him working on the other side of the world. But it did! 

After some amazing stories of travel and adventures Brendan resigned and returned to Australia and his love. Chiou See went to Le Hague to help him pack up his apartment and accompany him home. Then near disaster when Australia closed its borders at the beginning of Covid. Only very few planes were coming into the country. They had to try many different airlines before they managed to get one from Qatar costing them a fortune but they made it home and ended up in quarantine for 14 days.

So after two years they decided to marry. They organised their children to all meet in Croatia where they had planned to marry and honeymoon. Unfortunately, on the day planned for the ceremony, Chiou See's father died in Singapore. So she cancelled the ceremony but since the reception was booked for the whole family they stayed and had a holiday too.

So some months later they organised to be married here in our Zen Garden and have a reception at our monthly dinner in September. Chiou See's mother flew from Singapore and Brendan's father lives here.

Residents, friends and staff packed the community Centre. 

The entertainment was hilarious. It was a take on the play "Dimboola's Wedding."  The actors mingled in the crowd and encouraged audience participation. It was about a wedding and all the things that can go wrong.

Chiou See, Brendan and Mama

Brendan's dad, Ron and Mama. Just married.

Making it legal.

Everyone arriving.

Here's to another fun night.

Chiou See and Brendan welcome everyone. Our volunteer bar person, Nanette, makes the cocktails.

The actors mingle

The mother and father of the bride in the play

The bride and groom in the play

The best man got high and .........

The groom impersonated Elton John

This is Olivia, Chiou See's daughter, she is the village accountant chatting to Bill. She was given the naughty headwear by the actors.

Entree: Veal & Pistachio Terrine, roasted garlic & herbed tomato relish, cucumber & seeded mustard salad.

Mains: Loin of Pork Roulade, Diced apple and seeded mustard medley, Pork and apple jus, Roasted potato mille feuille, Sweet roasted potato puree, seasonal greens. Our chef Poz and the catering students from Rochedale High School cooked for and served 140 people all at the same time. They are amazing.