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October 13th 2006

Published: October 13th 2006

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Rich Annabet

White Spot

White spot marks the treasure - where is it ?

We were so sad to leave New Zealand but it was excellent to arrive into the
welcoming arms of my dear friend Cath and family in Brisbane. After rushing
around New Zealand we sat still for several days just enjoying family life
in an old Queenslander, sitting on the back porch with tea, listening to
kookabura laughing, bush turkeys scratching, the chickens fussing and
lizards scuttling through the leaves.

We then went further south to the
Queensland, New South Wales border area near Tenterfield with friends Wayne
and Rebecca ( jeweller) to a cabin in the "bush". It was very kind of them
to invite us to share their holiday in a one room cabin, we hope we didnt
snore too much!!

We went for lovely walks in the selection of national parks
in this granite belt region full of sky and wild flowers. Some of our joys were
seeing 60 wallaroos on one car journey, waiting still and quiet and then
seeing a duck billed platypus in the wild, toasting marshmallows on the fire
(richards first time), waking to the fantastic complex songs of the Liar
bird and listening to Wayne play his piano accordion.

We

Puddles

Rebecca watches out for Rock Lobsters

took the bus back up to Brisbane and two days later headed North with
Cath, Isabel and Pia to Noosaville on the Sunshine Coast singing all the way. We
took to the beach and splashed in the rolling sea. Iz & I got fully
'washing machined' twice, the sea trying to steal my bathers and the sand and
water flooding every where it could. It shook me up due to the fear I would
come back up but Isabel, my charge, might not. We enjoyed good food including a farmers
market where we all grazed our way around going home with some choice
sauces. I continued my accident streak by burning my hand whilst trying to
get croissants in to the oven, a mark I shall now see every day.

Back in Brisbane we drank much tea, enjoyed wonderful suppers, drank much
wine and generaly enjoyed ourselves. I visited the university department I
had been based at three years ago, where I caught up with Liz Shaw
a jeweller and now lecturer and Wendy Brookes, both had made me very welcome
during my residency. I took in some of my other old haunts and searched out
THE blonde

Balls

Three big granite balls, but rich can't help it

brownie made at Jocelyns provision which was even better than I
remembered, white chocolate and macadamia nuts and lots of butter, yum yum, rich found it a delight too.

We made a plan for our last week and a half to do very little and travel as
few legs as we could. Bribane to singapore, swap planes, miss out on sleep & on to phuket, stop at lush resort then Phuket to Bangkok for the last two days then home.

Marina Cottages has been lovely but the weather, rainy season has lived up
to its name, although it's been on and off.

We're hoping to make it to Bangkok and home, but there is severe flooding up north and more substantial storms forcast for the next 5 days at least. So it should be an exciting end to the trip.

Additional photos below

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