THE GIRLS TAKE US OUT

 On the last day of the girls' visit they took us to a lovely restaurant by the bay at Manly. We were given a super table right next to the windows overlooking the marina.

Sonya and Carol-Ann

So happy to be with our girls from Melbourne. They were lapping up our warm winter weather.

Sonya was excited to have a nostalgic Prawn Cocktail for starters.

We had lovely meals, which I forgot to record. After coffee and a long chat we were driven home. Then we had friends call in for afternoon tea, where we finished the rest of Carol's fabulous birthday cake.

The next morning they packed up and I drove them to the airport It was sad to say goodbye but it had been a wow of a week with them here.

Last day photo in the sun, which made our glasses go dark.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I have just had the best birthday surprise. Our two daughters flew from Melbourne to stay with us for a week as a surprise birthday present. We were not expecting them to come as they came to our eightieth birthdays last year and February this year. As air fares are so high these days we didn't think they would come. But the girls came and left the menfolk behind including the boys.

They have cooked and cleaned and helped entertain friends because we had invited long time family friends, Ben and Lyn, to stay for a few days not knowing the girls were coming, so we had a house full. There was a lot of laughter eating and drinking and fun. Ben and Bill migrated from Switzerland together as young men in 1967. Ben and Lyn have moved around Australia and Queensland quite a lot. They are at Curra now about 3 hours drive north of Brisbane.

Carol loves baking so she set to and cooked a Swiss breakfast loaf, Züpfe, in the evening after Bill and I had cooked a Swiss lunch for everybody, Geschnätzlets and Rösti with spinach pie. Sonya supplied everyone with drinks.

Bill loves his girls enjoying Swiss traditions.

The next morning we had a traditional Swiss breakfast, ham, salami, cheeses, Züpfe, butter and cherry jam.

Sticking with the Swiss theme we had a Raclette for lunch. It is where we have a grill on the table and guests cook their own meal. We boil a load of small potatoes. You cut the potatoes into thick slices and place them in a little shallow pan with Raclette Cheese on top and then slide it under the grill to melt. On top of the grill you can cook a variety of foods.We had little cheese Kransky Chipolata sausages, salmon and pineapple.  When the cheese has melted slide it off the pan onto your plate and add cornichons and pickled onions and whatever you cooked on top of the grill. Then do it all over again until you are full.

The girls washed up because the dishwasher has died, the motherboard crashed. We are waiting for the new parts.

Dennis Lake.

After lunch we took our friends for a walk around Underwood Lagoon and Dennis Lake.

Carol stayed home and baked me a birthday cake. I so love her.

That evening we celebrated my birthday even though it was the night before because our friends were leaving early the next morning.

On my birthday morning we said goodbye to Ben and Lyn and then the girls took us out for a birthday lunch. Oh what a fun birthday I had. The girls are here for another two days.  Sonya has had to work on and off on her computer having zoom meetings with work colleagues but she is enjoying the weekend now.

THE BANKSY EXHIBITION

 A small group of us from the Village Art Group caught the bus into the city to see the Banksy Exhibition in the Queens Plaza. We contemplated using a scooter to get to the Plaza (only joking).

We actually walked through the pedestrian only streets.

It was a cool winter's day.

We easily found the exhibition in the shopping centre. Banksy is a pseudonym for the English based artist, political activist and film director. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti using a distinctive stencilling technique. His work has appeared on walls and bridges throughout the world.

The artwork "Flower Thrower" is indeed one of Banksy's most iconic and widely recognized pieces, representing the convergence of two themes dear to the artist: street fighting and peace. Created in 2005 on the West Bank Wall in Jerusalem, it depicts an activist throwing a bouquet of flowers as a Molotov cocktail in an unexpected and pacifist manner. The juxtaposition of a symbol of peace, like flowers, being used as a weapon against rioters, challenges traditional notions of conflict and resistance.

"Kids On Guns" portrays the familiar imagery of Banksy's iconic balloon girl, but with a somber twist. The silhouettes of a young boy and girl are depicted on top of a mountain of weapons, holding their toys in their hands. The girl's heart-shaped red balloon stands out against the severe color contrasts, adding a touch of beauty to the composition.

Banksy's use of children as symbols of innocence is a recurring theme in his artwork, providing a hopeful element within his otherwise ironic and satirical body of work.

I also hope for a better world for my our grandchildren. There were many many pieces of work but I don't want to bore you. Banksy is not happy about having exhibitions of his work, it should be seen in the environment. He doesn't sell his work any more either but some had been sold and he gave the money to those in need.

LOVE A FAMILY VISIT

 We had a visit from our eldest daughter, Carol and her husband, David. They flew from Melbourne last week to visit us, celebrate a birthday and to do a job.

Carol has had two years off work and she is now getting back into the workforce. She has a consulting job at the Sunshine Coast Airport, so she had to come to Queensland for a few days. David had his birthday at the same time so he came to celebrate with his family, who also live in Brisbane. So we were lucky to have an unexpected visit from them.

Carol baked us a custard tart:

David cooked us dinner:

Carol did some work preparation:

But she had time to bake us a Swiss breakfast loaf called a Züpfe:

She also cooked David a beautiful Birthday cake and took it to his parents home:

Then it was time to say goodbye as they set off to the airport to fly home to cold Melbourne. They enjoyed the warm sunshine while they were here.

Bill hasn't been feeling too well lately and it was early in the morning.

I LOVE DAISY HILL FOREST.

 Ever since we moved to Springwood 52 years ago, we have been walking in Daisy Hill Forest. Over the years it has changed its name and now it is called Daisy Hill Conservation Park but I still call it Daisy Hill Forest. Daisy Hill is the name of the suburb next to Springwood where we live now. We lived in two different houses in Springwood before moving to Daisy Hill, where we lived before moving into 'Elements Retirement Living' village which is in Springwood. So as you can see we haven't moved far since we settled down after a whirlwind time living in Papua New Guinea and Switzerland when we were young.

So we have been living close to the forest for a long time and have seen a few changes. Here is a little history of the area.

The Dennis family were the first Europeans to settle in Daisy Hill. In 1870 they acquired 800 acres. They named it Daisy Hill because their daughters had seen  daisies (Olearia Nernstii) growing on the hill.

Olearia nernstii in a nursery.

 Daisy Hill Forest was declared a timber reserve in 1874. In 1917 it was declared a State Forest. The first in Queensland. In 1901 part of the forest was used as a rifle range but mantles and targets were destroyed in a bush fire in 1908. The land was reinstated to the forest in 1952.

In 1986 it became a State Forest Park. The forest was used for timber, honey, gold mining and grazing. In 2006 it was gazetted as Daisy Hill Conservation Park for habitat conservation and recreation.

When we first started visiting the forest it was just bushland with a small picnic area and children's playground. Later a ring road was built through the forest and a big recreation park made with toilet blocks, shelters and BBQ's installed. There were walking and bike trails made. 

In 2018 there was an upgrade made for the Commonwealth Games expected tourists and now in 2023 we are getting more improvements.

They are making a wheelchair access from the end of our street, making more mountain bike trails, additional parking and new amenities.

Consequently, the access from our street is closed but we can still access directly from our village but we can only go one way we can't do our usual circuit. So we walk through a different park close by until the work is finished. There is another entry point in Daisy Hill which is open but we would have to drive there. The Conservation Park covers 1500ha/3706.5 acres.

Closed this way.

Open this way, our village to the left.

Our local state member of parliament, Mick de Brenni (left) and one of our residents, Rex are turning the first sod at the start of work on the improvements. Our Managing Director, Chiou See is next to Mick. The other people are locals who use the forest regularly and many belong to "The friends of the forest", a volunteer organisation that helps maintain the Park.

Soon we'll be able to do this again.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US.

 Last night at our monthly village dinner we celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary, We celebrated with the people on our table and a few others who came up to congratulate us at the end of the dinner.

54 years ago in Pt Moresby, PNG

A BIG BIG CORK TREE AND AN OLD OLD STATION

While we were in Tenterfield we heard about a Cork Tree, which was supposed to be the biggest in Australia. We looked on a map where to find it. It is actually in a residential area. It was brought from England by Edward Parker and planted in 1861.

My friend Val and the big cork tree. I couldn't move any further back to get the whole tree in the photo.

Then we went to see the old Tenterfield Railway Station. The trains no longer run through Tenterfield since 1988. The line was moved to a new route from Sydney to Brisbane.In 1991 it was opened as a museum.

The station was opened in 1886 by the Governor of NSW and officially named "the great Northern Terminus. It was described as one of the most extensive and handsome buildings on the Northern Line.
130 years later the building still has its charm.

Each of the rooms housed artifacts and old photos. Val and I took in the exhibits. Peter was interested in the role the station had helping transport soldiers north during WW2.

I found these two old farts in the Waiting Room.

Val and I passed this lovely house walking home. Typical of country homes. Next morning we drove home via a different route. We passed mountains. We passed farms. We passed Sugar cane fields. We passed rivers.

This one is the Tweed River, which forms part of the border between Queensland and New South Wales. Then home sweet home.