Paws and Reflect

Hello Possums,  Reporting to you from a humid and breezy Queensland. Elanora in Queensland to be precise and close to Burleigh Heads. Yes, we've crossed the border from New South Wales into Queensland and the clocks went back an hour so that's taking some getting used to. A trip to Bunnings in Tweed Heads, NSW (B&Q equivalent) means we are officially time travellers. My Smart Watch is being tested ! I'm blaming the delay in blog to jet lag haha.                             So last time I blogged we were about to head to Bostobrick to a Blueberry Farm, which, having baulked initially at the $40 a night for no facilities other than a drop loo, we had to wind our necks in having listened to the farmer's story. Also the subsequent two night stay was blissfully quiet and peaceful and we had the place to ourselves complete with swimming holes, Freshwater /turtles and the hope of spotting a Platypus. ...

G'Day, I'm currently sat with Dennis whilst Von has disappeared into the aisles of the IGA in Nambucca  Heads to restock on provisions. I had originally started this post yesterday evening to the sounds of Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoos, followed by the laughing of the Kookaburras and as dusk fell the arrival of the Bats to their evening branches. An awesome display of Aussie wildlife and the appearance of a starlit sky; this is what we came for...so the blog faltered as, at that point, I soaked it all up instead. Difficult to follow up Von's excellent blog last week so mine will go with the more personal travelogue meander (!)...and also the characteristic exclamation marks unless Von spots them !!!!  (Von Edit, I am fighting a losing battle on the exclamation marks...!) I'm going with sub-headings too..... Tale from the Bushfires So we decided to veer from the usual coastal route yesterday (beaches to follow in separate heading). For those Country & Weste...

It's me, Von.   The reporting of the news out of Australia at the moment might seem a little over the top but those words - cataclysmic, dystopian, unprecedented, thermonuclear, apocalyptic - they are not hyperbole, they are attempting to describe a situation which cannot be described.  An area the size of Wales, or most of North Island, is burning.  It is against this terrifying backdrop that we are starting our sojourn; in itself a bit bizarre and, yes, a little awkward.  And yet, the time we have given ourselves was to 'pause and reflect', to have the opportunity to think and be mindful.   The relationship between a Government and the military has been on my mind this last few weeks.  ScoMo (the Aussie PM) has (finally) formally directed the use of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in support of the emergency and it was certainly heartening to see HMAS Choules conducting Disaster Relief off Mallacoota the other day but, really, having ambu...