GO TIGERS!

It was the AFL Final last night. AFL(Australian Football League) is one of the football codes played in Australia. It started in Victoria and it is extremely popular in that state but all the other states play now. However, the final is always held in Melbourne, but due to the second wave of Covid, which hit Melbourne badly, the final was played in our state Queensland for the first time ever so it was an historic match. So due to restrictions in Melbourne, our daughter's family couldn't have friends or family visit to watch the match together on TV and have a traditional Footy Finals Party. It was sad for them.

So when we were invited to a AFL Footy Final Party in the village we decided to go and support Sonya and Bernie's team, The Richmond Tigers. We were encouraged to dress in our teams colours. The Tigers played The Geelong Cats. We watched it on the big screen in our community centre and our CEO, Chiou See and her partner, Brendon provided us with meat pies and chips which is the traditional food at a football match.

It was an exciting and very close game but The Tigers won in the end. After the match Bill won a prize for being the best dressed Tiger supporter. Last year Sonya had sent him a Tiger T-shirt and I made him a Tiger cap.

Chiou See (CEO) and Brendan hosts of the party.

We watched the match on the big screen in the hall.

Geelong Cats scored the first goal.

Bill won a prize for being the best dressed Richmond Tigers supporter.

Richmond scored a goal

Some shots from the sports news

Richmond Tigers are the winners!

COTTON TREE BIRTHDAY

 Cotton Tree is a suburb of Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast 107k from home. My friend, Lyn, was having a 70th birthday there. They were in the caravan park for a week's holiday to be close to family and friends. So we booked an apartment for a few days just opposite the caravan park and we spent a lovely few days with our friends, Ben and Lyn. Ben migrated from Switzerland with Bill back in 1967 when they were in their early 20's. Now they are in their 70's. The weather was perfect and the company great.

We were pleased to see that we had a stunning view of the Maroochy River entering the Pacific Ocean.

You can just see the ocean on the horizon at the right and the caravan park opposite.

I tried a panorama of the river.

I took a walk down to the beach.

Looking south

Looking north

The mouth of the river. The river is tidal.

River on the left, ocean on the right.

Fun in the river . I walked a little further and entered the caravan park and found my friends.

Later in the day we had a celebration lunch with Lyn and her family and friends. It was a Thai Restaurant. I had crispy fish.

Happy Birthday Lyn.

I think it is important to keep in touch with old friends. We have been friends since the 60's.

SWISS DINNER

 It's that time of the month again already for our monthly village dinner. This month the theme was Switzerland. The food and decor were hints of Switzerland but the guest speaker spoke about his travels through the Western Front War Cemeteries.

The residents' committee chairman welcomes the residents and speakers.

One of our local councillors was invited to say a few words.

The menu was alternate drop Chicken Thigh with Fondue Cheese Sauce, Potato Rosti and Vegetables 

OR

Pork Loin with Yoghurt Cheese, Pickled Beetroot and Daikon, Potao Rosti and Vegetables. 

I took a bite before I remembered a photo of the Pork. It was delicious and melted in your mouth.

Bill had the chicken

Making new friends at dinner

more friends

The students from Rochedale High catering course serve and clear the dishes.

 

Our CEO introduces the Guest Speaker.

Col Sutcliffe, our guest speaker.

The dessert was to die for. Swiss Roll with Toblerone Chocolate Mouse and Orange Sauce.

It was the last time these students will wait on us as the school year comes to an end and these lovely young people have to sit their final exams soon. They have had a tough year with Covid Lockdown for three months.

The CEO thanks the teachers for giving up their time to bring the students and allow them to have real hands on experience.

YOU SEE MORE WHEN YOU WALK.

 When Bill and I retired we found that we didn't really need two cars because we did most things together. So when BMW wanted $5000.00 for a service and repairs we decided to trade both cars in on one new one. One car has been fine for the last eight years or so until today when I accidentally made an appointment on the same day as Bill's "Coffee with the Boys Day." Luckily the podiatrist is only about a thirty minute walk from home. So on this beautiful spring day, I walked instead of driving. It's amazing how many extra things you see when walking. We travel this road every time we leave the village.

Come with me :

When I reached the top of the hill the view over our suburb, Springwood, and across to the ranges was uplifting.

On the way down the hill I spotted a monkey in a tree.

In another yard I saw a big grass tree.(Xanthorrhoea)

A splash of colour

Bottle brush (Callistemon) and a parrot but it's too well hidden.

More soft toys to cheer you up during Covid 19. We have good news on the Covid infections in Australia. All States have brought down the number of daily infections to single digit numbers. WA, SA, NT, ACT, TAS and QLD have no community transmitted cases. They have some in quarantine from overseas. NSW and now Victoria have very few cases. Victoria, where my daughter and family lives have had a very strict lockdown after they got a severe second wave of infection, but it worked! They brought the numbers down from hundreds a day to 4 yesterday. It was hard on everyone and the economy. Well done Victorians! Anyway their premier is easing restrictions. The curfew is over and our boys can go back to school on 12 October after months of home schooling.

Our girls went to this Primary School in the early eighties and the podiatrist is just opposite. Luckily I didn't have to walk home back up that hill, Bill picked me up on his way home from coffee. 

TEN YEARS OLD

 Our little retirement village turned ten this month. So for our monthly dinner we had a tenth birthday party. Our CEO, Chiou See Anderson (Chelsea in English) and the very first residents, called the 'pioneers', were our guest speakers. Listening to Chiou See tell us about the struggles she had to get this place going was quite amazing. She sold her house to buy the land and she and her three children lived in a shed on the land at first. She had many challenges with the local council and even took them to court and won. It took seven years of wheeling and dealing before the building started. Part of the deal to get started was she had to have some residents pay a deposit to move in when it was finished. So the pioneers put their name down when this place was just an empty block of land. Due to constant rain and floods, the first  buildings were not finished on time. The pioneers had sold their houses but couldn't move in. One couple bought a van and toured around Australia, others lived with their children.

However, things improved and over the next ten years Chiou See continued building apartments until the village was complete with 123 apartments and 1 house. Not to mention a workshop, community hall and library, offices, gym, pamper room, swimming pool, zen garden, water course gardens and 2 BBQ areas

Chiou See telling us about the story of our village, "Elements Retirement Living"

Many residents attended. We do not have any community Covid transmission in Qld. Some times we get some from overseas but they go straight into compulsory quarantine in special hotels. So our restrictions are easing. The village has an  Industry Covid Safe Plan, which means we have to sign in and out of the centre, and one person for so many square metres and try to stay 1.5 metres apart unless from the same family. We are allowed 120 people in the centre but only ten outside in groups. We can have ten visitors in our homes.

The Pioneers have been living in the village for ten years.

The catering students from Rochedale Highschool serve our meals, clear the dishes and help in the kitchen.

Residents take it in turns, street by street, to help put away the tables and chairs and put the dishes in the 90 second industrial dish washer. The students are holding a pen which was given to them from the Workshop Committee. The pens are wood turned timber pens made by the residents who play in the workshop.We were all given a pen, there were over one hundred of us. The two chefs, Matt and Pozz enjoy coming once a month to cook for us.

 The menu was Asian Fusion, fitting since our CEO is Singaporian. The choices were Beef fillet and tamarind miso, sesame noodles, bok choy, glazed baby carrots and green papaya salad or Chicken breast fillet in kung pat sauce with sticky rice cakes, glazed baby carrots and green papaya salad. Dessert was chai  green tea coconut panacotta with peanut salted caramel, asian pacific fruits and rosewater lychee coulis. I forgot to take photos of the meals but they were delicious as usual.

Late news: A friend sent me photos of the meals.

beef

chicken

dessert

THE RED BRIDGE

We went to Logan River Parklands to take some photos of the newly renovated Red Bridge. It was built as a toll bridge in 1939 as part of the Pacific Highway to cross the Logan River on the way to the Gold Coast from Brisbane. It was decommissioned in 1986 and two new bridges were built one going south and one going north providing eight lanes of traffic. The Logan Council have paid 2.5 million to repair and renovate the bridge. It is now a part of a walking and cycle path through the parklands.

We were hoping to fly the drone and take some aerial shots but it was too windy.

That's me! I can't believe how small it was as part of the main highway to the coast. I can remember using it often in the 70's and 80's.

The present day bridges carry eight lanes of traffic but they are nowhere near as attractive as the historic Red Bridge.

The Logan River has parklands on both sides here. The parks have boat ramps, playgrounds, walking trails, exercise stations, picnic spots and barbeques. 

Love this tree and the person under it.

There are wetlands there too but were a bit dry now but did catch one bird looking for dinner.

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