The Day After !!

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DAY 358


I awoke in the night and could hear someone’s TV, they are laughing too, a light is on in one of the apartments at the back of us, it is not so loud to disturb us but I am pretty sure that their neighbours cannot be too impressed, I get out of bed to go to the loo, it is 3.30amand can see a few sites up from us a man sitting outside with a light on using his computer, perhaps insomnia has got the better of him, or is he being kept awake by the noisy neighbour?

Her lady ship rose at about 7.30 as I had made her a cup of tea, she seemed fine, and the hangover is just a distant memory for some. Caroline tells me she is feeling loads better, which I am pleased about, but sadly she had lost a day and was disappointed not to swim yesterday, still there you go.

I go and wash the pots and dishes from last night and come back I suggest to Caroline that she may like a swim first thing this morning to revive her, she said she would like this and we get on our swimming togs.

It’s 8.00am but we are not the first in the pool, there are a couple of kids playing on the waterslide being watched over by their parents. Andy is first in the pool, diving straight into the deep end, but as usual I take my slow approach, I knew it would be cold this morning as it will have had no sun on it yet today, so no opportunity to warm up even a little bit.

I step in calf deep, boy it is cold, so step in up to my knees knowing that the next step I will be in above the waist, Andy is awaiting grinning knowing how easy it was for him to get over that initial cold shock. Another half a minute, a deep breath and in I go, the coldness of the water is quite exhilarating, the wind that is whipping across the top of the swimming pool makes it feel colder, but nonetheless this feels great and what a way to get rid of those cobwebs.

I was disappointed that I lost a day yesterday, we planned to do so much but that’s just the way it is, dehydration is a terrible thing at the best of times but it is worth remembering that a hangover in a tropical climate is going to be 20 times worse, drink more water and less wine!

Heather rang us this morning, we were hoping to camp with them tonight in the Paluma National Park, but they are not able to do so, instead I suggest that we meet for an ice cream at Juliette’s this afternoon, as we should have done yesterday. Heather jumps at that chance so we agree to meet at 1.00.

We do a few chores, I hang the washing that I did last night, but of course no sooner than I do that the heavens open, oh well, it is already wet and it will have to stay there the chances are that it will be sunny at some point today so will dry later.

We decide to go out a little earlier as we can do a few things before meeting up with the Coleman family. We fill up with diesel first but we both jump out of the truck and Andy disappeared from my sight. I walk round to the side of the truck only to find Andy just standing up rubbing his back. I asked what happened, he pointed to the ground and showed me the slip marks, when he put his feet on the floor, it was slippery so they just went from underneath him he hit his back on the side steps of the patrol.

It was covered in fuel but of course the now damp forecourt did not help, it was just like an ice rink.

We ventured up to Castle Hill, this is where we should have walked with Heather yesterday, we pass a lot of walkers on the way up, I cannot imagine how punishing this walk would be on a hot day, well actually yes I can, remembering those hikes we did back in Cairns.

We looked across the fabulous views of Townsville stretching out in the distance, this town is bigger than you think, with a fantastic mountainous backdrop (Mount Stuart I believe) the clouds are rolling in across the ocean, one minute we can see the splendid Magnetic Island and the next minute we cannot, the black cloud has lurched overhead and once again the heavens are upon us, we are soaked by the time we jump back into the Patrol.

We sit in the Patrol on The Strand near Juliette’s waiting for the rain to ease off before we wander over the road, we walk to the end of the road just in time to see Heather waving from their car, by now the rain has stopped and the sun has come out to play.

We are confronted by what looks like hundreds of flavours of ice cream, all we have to do to start with is decide how many scoops, pay and then tell them what flavours. I go for my favourite of a single scoop mint chocolate chip, Andy had Macadamia and Caramel Fudge.

We sit outside, after wiping down the very wet chairs, I take a photo, but suddenly George pulls a face and slips off his chair to hide, Heather tells me that he hates is photo being taken, he would not be pleased to see the picture I got of his making a face!

Time slips by as we chat for ages about life and the universe etc. We have a coffee but as the kids are getting bored we wander down the Strand to find a park for them to play in. We sit and chat while Emily and George play, then I hear Andy talk of a large bird, Ian and Andy discuss what they think it is, a duck or a kookaburra, well they were both wrong it is a seagull called Sid.

It appears that Sid the Seagull has a suncream dispenser and is going round dishing out freebie suncream for anyone that wants it. Slip-Slop-Slap is the name of a health campaign in Australia encouraging people to "slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, and slap on a hat", sensible advice considering the high rates of skin cancer in Australia and particularly the 1 in 3 in Queensland alone.

We have another wander down the Strand and eventually Emily is talking about free toys that Harold is handing out. “Who is Harold?” Well it turns out that Harold is a Giraffe who promotes Life Education here in Australia, he in fact tours schools and spends a week educating children on different things during that week. The toys turn out not to be free but they buy a toy giraffe each which helps fund the campaign. Harold wanders by looking like the Pied Piper of Hamlin with children and adults alike following him down the Strand.

We sit and chat, there is so much to talk about yet we never manage to finish a subject before jumping on to another, seagulls are flying above our heads, one is sat on a shade sail making a real racket. Heather tells me that one of them has dumped on my black t-shirt, I am only thankful that it wasn’t Sid the rather large Seagull, Andy grabs some serviettes so that I can wipe it off.

Well, that is meant to be lucky, perhaps we should get a lottery ticket for tonight?

Once again time has slipped by, we have spent all afternoon chatting, but it is Halloween today and the kids are off trick or treating tonight, so we part company on the Strand promising to meet up tomorrow for a lunchtime barbecue.

We wave goodbye, but Andy and I stand to watch a couple of people who have jumped out of an aeroplane, not something that I particularly want to do, the first parachutist arrives on the ground quite quickly, he took longer deploying his chute and then seemed to spiral a bit faster before landing, I can see why he came down faster, he is the camerman and thus needed to land first so that he can photograph the person that is doing the tandem jump.

A short while later the tandem jumpers arrive on the beach, almost perfectly at the purple flag marking the spot.

We head out of town towards Castle Hill, the sun is still bright but edging slowly down we slip round the bottom of Castle Hill and head out of the CBD towards the South East side of Townsville where we are camped.

We have both had a great afternoon with the Coleman family, George wanted to come to our house, but I had to explain that we have not got a house at the moment and that the trailer tent is home, he seemed happy with that and said that he would visit our trailer tent.

It was not long before the kettle was on, the dinner was cooking, an easy one of Tortellini in tomato sauce with added spam and bacon, yummy!

Tonight as I type up the blog, we are listening to some music on iTunes and Andy is playing with my Nintendo, I think he is quite getting the hang of it. The mosquitoes are ignoring the Mortein that we have burning tonight and once again being bitten to pieces, I am sure that they mutate fairly frequently to overcome everything that we invent to get rid of them.

Nobody is on Skype so I am going to sit and read todays newspaper then go to bed.

So bid you all a goodnight.

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Photos

Sid the Seagul
Promoting Slip Slop Slap

View over Townsville
From Castle Hill, the storm was coming.

Castle Hill
Aboriginal Art, probably done by Derek the painter from Townsville City Council

The Storm
Magnetic Island disappeared

Starting to Rain
Can you see the Patrol, we were walking down the steps in our flip flops

All having Ice Creams at Juliets
Andy, Heather, Ian, emily and George having a great ice cream from Juilets on the Strand

Ice Cream Faces
George and Emily

Storm what Storm
The Strand in the sunshine, where did the storm go !!

Slip Slop Slap
Slip on a shirt,
Slop on the the sunscrean
Slap on a hat.
VERY IMPORTANT

Harold the Giraffe
Promoting Life education.
Don't go off with stanger, healthy living, sun protection.

Just Dropping In
A tandem jump, the instructee looked ecstatic