I can't believe I was out of bed at 6.10am this morning to accompany Mike and John to the golf course...that's just wrong! I did manage to squeeze in a caffeine fix prior to departure which helped as did the three slices of toast so by the time we arrived at Kennara I was pretty much with it!! It is a very nice course actually, I played two holes and scored a 7 and 10 which included a beautiful chip shot into the creek...and spent the rest of the time either taking photographs of wildlife or climbing through bushes seeking wayward [View Full Entry]

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I surfaced eventually at 10am, Mike had gone off to work and Ella stayed out for the night so all was quiet in the house apart from the sound of the rain falling down outside and the birds singing in harmony with each other. I had the usual toast and coffee for breakfast before spending pretty much most of the day devising a game plan for the next few weeks and downloading my camera to the laptop...taking a break to have lunch and waffle to Cari in Florida who is 15 hours behind Oz time...that's insane!!! Ella cooked dinner once again [View Full Entry]

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G'day yall, Happy Aussie Day...Mike dropped me off at Mitchelton Station so I could catch the train into the City Centre for the first time of my Brisbane experience. Having just missed the 11.37, I sat on the platform and quietly awaited the 12.07 to arrive. However, the temporary peace was subsequently shattered by a single airforce jet screeching across the sky...causing me to both duck and then wonder where the hell it went before the sonic boom arrived a few minutes later desperately trying to catch up!! Now suffering partial deafness, I boarded the train and journeyed into central Brisba [View Full Entry]

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I woke up under my own steam this morning at nine o'clock, not a lawnmower to be heard. Having cleared up the kitchen, with three coffees and breakfast inside me...I embarked on one of those jobs I have been putting off for ages but one which needed to be done...editing pictures and blogs. I managed to get a fair bit done, unfortunately, more than a fair bit still remains...I will get there in the end, he said with more than just a slightly resigned sigh!!! This evening Mike, Ella and I ventured off to Eric's house for dinner where upon I [View Full Entry]

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I surfaced at 8.45 and started the day in the now traditional manner of coffee and four slices of toast. I slept really well last night, though my sleep was disturbed at 6.30am by an enthusiastic gardener mowing the grass somewhere...that's dedication for you!! The first few days of the Brisbane leg of the trip are going to be recuperation days, I have been on the go now for fifty three days and I just need to take a short time out to both reflect on what I have achieved and refocus on what I want to do. I had my [View Full Entry]

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Seven hours after the event, I still haven't got the slightest clue as to what that film was about last night...this worries me!! After saying my goodbyes to Tracy, Andy and Byron...the airport shuttle bus arrived and I plonked my case in the trailer and clambered in. It wasn’t until we reached the next collection point that the driver realised that he failed to shut the trailer door and my case was half hanging out, he informed me of this fact when he got back into the driver's seat. I am sure the Australian customs officers have me down as either [View Full Entry]

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It's my last full day in Cairns so what better way to spend it than a spin up to Port Douglas. It's a gorgeous place, four mile beach just goes on forever with its endless sand (well it would wouldn’t it), the scenery is very pleasant and the locals as ever are very friendly. For lunch, I frequented a waterside restaurant where I sampled the delights of fresher than fresh fish and chips which tasted superb...and a nice cold pint of Carlton Draught!! Unfortunately, I had a mini misfortune in that my pocket camera battery died before I even had time [View Full Entry]

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Today must go down as one of the funniest unplanned days so far where upon after a very normal start of toast and coffee and a trip into the town centre...I met Byron coming out of a shop before somehow embarking on his 'Unofficial City Tour'. We started off at the Casino and having never set foot in such an establishment in my life was very curious as to what I would find. It actually looked pretty much how they are portrayed on television...fruit machines spread around everywhere, poker and pontoon tables in the centre with female dealers handling chips and [View Full Entry]

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Nope, no sign of the Dengue Fever which apparently is running amok in Cairns right now though it's absolutely chucking it down with rain again so I used the morning to catch up with my travel blogs and postcards. As the weather failed to improve much in the afternoon, I took this temporary lull as the chance to nip to PJ's Bar have lunch and 'Run the Pumps' from left to right taking down pints of Carlton Draught, Stella, Carlsberg, VB, Carlton Mid and finally Pure Blonde!! Mission completed and very satisfied with my performance...I went back to the hostel and [View Full Entry]

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This morning, I found the big shopping mall that everyone has mentioned to me but so far had failed to locate. Upon entering, there was a magician on stage with a very cute flexible assistant whom succeeded in separating her top half from her bottom half. Having a beautiful assistant is obviously part of every magician's repertoire though not quite sure what Paul Daniels thinking was with Debbie Magee...she would look better on countdown or as a 'Tweedle' on Its A Knockout!! I disappeared upstairs and found myself a barber (or Barbara if that's what you call a female stylist) and [View Full Entry]

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