The Travels of Mouse: north to the sun #5

Hello again. Today, the report is about the day off I gave the Staff yesterday. I’ll let Mum do the talking…

Mum: We knew at the start of the holiday that there would be a few things where our lord and master would not be able to join us, sadly. Ahem. I have joined an organisation called Mad Paws, which brings together pet sitters and pet, er, owners. This enabled us to find a lovely lady called Vivien in Cairns, one of several people who offer doggy daycare. She has a large and exceptionally dog-friendly house, a big back yard and several doggos in residence, either her own or on long term visits. We booked a day for Mouse and brought along his medical records, his lead, quilt, snacks and some tightly crossed fingers. This is the first visit he’s made without us along, so we hoped he’d be OK. He was, of course. After demonstrating his running skills and seeing off another dog who wanted to boss him about, he settled right down, to the point where she was texting us photos showing him asleep, all through the day.

So, what did we do on our Staff Outing? We wanted to have coffee and cake, to buy cheese and chocolate, to have a good lunch, and to revisit the 900m/3,000ft high Atherton Tableland, one of our favourite areas when in Far North Queensland.

On our upward journey, we travelled south out of Cairns and turning inland at Walsh’s Pyramid, taking the Gillies Range road, 19km of 263 bends offering spectacular views of the valley below. It passes from sea level through dry to wet rainforest on the upward climb and it’s amazing how suddenly the type of vegetation changes. First stop was Lake Eacham, one of the Tablelands’ Crater Lakes. The area is volcanic, and there are several deep, deep lakes in the area. Local legends say they’re bottomless; of course, they aren’t, but being so high up and deep they’re always cold and refreshing for swimming, and blessedly free of crocodiles, unlike the sea-level waterways in the area.

Mungalli Creek biodynamic dairy has been a very enjoyable pitstop on previous journeys. They have a viewing area for the dairy at work, and serve coffee, cakes and light lunches. We had very fond recollections of memorable Devonshire Teas with clotted cream and a particularly squidgy chocolate torte. Sadly, we were disappointed, so much so that we won’t be going back, and I’m not bothering to provide a link. There was no torte, and despite the fact that they make a range of lactose free milk, yoghurt, etc, they didn’t offer lactose free cream so I could have the scones, jam and cream instead. It was perhaps just as well, as the Husband’s scones were dry and hard in the middle and the cream was a bit scanty and aerated to stretch it further. I had a soggy cheesecake of which the less said the better. The one I make myself is distinctly superior. Our coffees were terrible; his was bitter and far too strong, and mine was so weak it was like drinking hot milk. And there was no cheese for sale. We were offered Covid-19 as the reason, but couldn’t see why that would affect cheesemaking. Oh well….

Moving swiftly on, we headed for Gallo Dairyland, another cheese destination. We arrived to find it closed; at present it’s only open for half the week and of course I hadn’t checked, being used to seeing it open every day. I was beginning to feel rather despondent; I’d hoped to buy some of their hand made chocolates as well as cheese, to make up for the cake disappointment. The chocolates are reliably fabulous, and I’ll know to ring and check next time we’re up here.

And then it was time for lunch. Our favourite is the Gateway Hotel in Mareeba; I’ve posted about it before, and despite being much less busy than usual (all the tables are much further spaced, there was no crowd at the bar, etc), the staff are still warm, welcoming and attentive, and the food was, as always, magnificent pub grub.

The beef is locally produced and the steak in front of the Husband was tender and perfectly cooked. I wanted something a bit different, and had a salad of pearl couscous, roasted red capsicum and pumpkin, toasted macadamias and grilled halloumi, dressed with grilled garlicky prawns and a honey mustard dressing. I scoffed the lot, and it was a big plateful!

We took the scenic route home, descending the Kuranda Range, 11.5km of more wiggly road, coming into Cairns from the north this time. After laying in vital supplies (a hot roast chicken, chocolate, etc), we went to fetch His Majesty. He was pleased to see us, but slightly grumpy at having been left out of the fun. However, walkies, belly tickles and rather a lot of chicken scraps later he recovered his normally sunny disposition…

And that will be quite enough of that, thank you, Mum. A little respect if you don’t mind!

The Travels of Mouse: north to the sun #4

First things first: Happy Birthday to Me!

Mum says it’s my 4th birthday today. She has the papers to prove it, so she must be right. I must say, I don’t feel 4, although I’m not sure how it’s supposed to feel… The Staff are putting in extra effort to make the day special for me. I got treats at breakfast, which never happens, and Mum let me dawdle around a bit instead of the usual brisk walkies.

Then they took me to another two dog parks. The first was, well, nice, but not terribly interesting. It’s very large, not a lot of shade for the humans, and unfortunately I made Mum walk the entire length of the field to pick up after me. I didn’t do it on purpose, honestly… The other was lovely! There were two wolfhounds, a small white fluff of some description, a beautiful ginger and white collie, and an old and rather blind cattle dog. I raced the collie for her frisbee – she was great at retrieving, which doesn’t interest me at all, I just love to race!

Mum and Dad had lovely talks with the other dogs’ Staffs while we all ran around and socialised. I must say, the dog parks in Cairns are rather superior, very well supplied with poo bags, very clean and well fenced and there are lots of them. We’ve bookmarked them all on the satnav. When I say we, I mean Dad. I can’t be doing with all that poking about with my paws… Mum says she is also reviewing all the dog parks we visit on Google, to help other dog families choose somewhere nice for their doggo to run and play.

After the dog parks it was brunchtime. We went to a place in Freshwater which is a garden centre called Limberlost. It has a very nice café there, with tables outside in the gardens, and doggos are welcome and humans are allowed too.

Now normally I don’t have anything in the middle of the day, but today, there was a lovely big warm puppaccino to enjoy. Mum tried to take a photo of me with a white milk moustache, but I have to maintain a bit of dignity and managed to lick it off before she could take a photo. The Staff both had really delicious Eggs Benedict with a salad of baby leaves grown on the premises and lashings of hollandaise. I managed to cadge bits of very tasty ham off the bone from both of them – not a lot, just enough for a taste. Mum says she should have taken a photo, but she was hungry and halfway through by the time she thought of it.

Back home then, for a snooze, followed by a walk around the park and then more snoozing. Mum and Dad are passing the time in their usual strange way. Dad is pawing at his black plank (I think he means laptop – Mum), and Mum is messing about with bits of fabric.

I was shocked and offended to be told not to walk on the attractive multi-coloured rug she had laid out on the concrete. Surely this was for me to lie on? But no, it seems it is too precious for My Paws. I ask you… So I retired in a snit righteous indignation and went to lie on her bunk instead of my own bed. She says she’ll try to get two more rows added by the end of the trip, in case you speak Quilt. Whatever.…

It’s Sunday evening, and new people are beginning to arrive at the caravan park. I wonder if there will be any nice doggos to say hello to… So far it has all been either the strong silent types or noisy white fluffballs with delusions of adequacy. Never mind, there’s always my own reliable Staff to provide cuddles and affection.

More soon,

Mouse

The Travels of Mouse, north to the sun #2

Hello, readers, Mouse here again.

Well, yesterday was a bit dull from my point of view. After an initial bustle about, the Staff pulled out of the drive yesterday at about 9.45, a very late start compared with the usual 8am, but we weren’t in a hurry. I settled down to snooze in the back, my usual occupation on long trips. By lunchtime, we’d reached Bowen. Mum says it’s where they shot the movie Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. From our point of view, it’s where Jochheim’s Bakery is, source of (so far), the best meat pies in Queensland and northern New South Wales. And meat pie there was. And a sausage roll. Even I got a bit and I’m normally not allowed pie because of what pastry does to my insides, but we’re on holiday.

We had lunch sitting at the beachfront, overlooking the harbour. Nice memories for me, because it’s where Mum and Dad stopped when they’d just adopted me in Townsville, to let me stretch my legs and, ahem, see to other needs.

We got to Townsville mid-afternoon and got set up. Dad likes the caravan park here, the showers in the en-suite sites are good and hot and strong, and there is plenty of room to walk me without needing to leave the park.

They have set up my private enclosure so I can move around outside the caravan without needing to be tied up (a barbarous requirement as far as I’m concerned, but there are some very noisy, yappy, grumpy small dogs here, so I suppose it makes sense).

Today, we are going to go and find a fenced dog park or two where I can stretch my legs. After a day in the car and no long (ie, over 2km) walks with Mum, I’m feeling the need to do some zooming! After lunch, we’ll visit Miss Nikki, and perhaps a motorbike friend of Mum and Dad if he’s free.

It was cold last night, and was a bit fresh this morning when Mum took me for my constitutional at 7am, but it has warmed up considerably now. The sun is warm, the sky is clear and blue, and it’s going to be a good day.

More tomorrow. Mouse

The Travels of Mouse: north to the sun #1

It’s happening again.

The Staff are taking liberties with my possessions and schedule. It’s an Outrage. For the past day, they have been bustling about with stuff in their paws, scarcely taking a moment to give me strokies or a treat. I grant you that meals and walkies arrived on time and up to standard, but it’s upsetting to have this stuff going on behind my back.

Later: Well, all is explained. They are loading my fence into the back of the car, my travel water bowl and a large bag of kibble are sitting on the bench, the Quartermaster (Mum) has put all my stuff into either the car or the caravan, and only my bed (currently occupied by Me) has not been whipped out from under my nose and taken away. Dad says he has bought extra fencing so my yard is now twice the size, which will be nice.

A solitary lead still hangs from the hook, so I expect there’ll be walkies before we go… Mum says we’re going north, even further north than Townsville, where I was adopted, but that we’ll be taking time out to visit friends at GAP Queensland in Townsville so I can say hello to Miss Nikki and the other greyhounds at the kennels. After that, we’ll go up to Cairns for just over a week, then home again.

I like Miz Lizzie the caravan. My bed is comfy, meals arrive at the usual time, Dad’s bunk is perfectly placed beside my bed for strokies whenever I want them, and there are fascinating new walks and smells to enjoy when we go out. Mum and Dad find fun places for me to run around like a maniac and stretch my legs along the way, and we all enjoy trying out all the dog-friendly things to do when we get there. Mum has printed out a list of cafés in Cairns where dogs are welcome and people can come along too. She says there will be beaches too, in case I should feel like a spot of cautious paddling (well, jellyfish, saltwater crocodiles and sharks permitting, of course, this is Far North Queensland, after all). I’ll have to think about that one…

Now, if only the Staff would hurry up and finish packing stuff, we can be on our way.

Miz Lizzie Adventures: down the range and up again

My word, we’ve done a few sharp corners today.

So far, we’ve spent our time in Far North Queensland up on the Tablelands, where it’s cool and breezy. Today, we decided to head down into Cairns for a spot of retail therapy and a Big Lunch. To get from here to there, we have two choices, both involving steep, wiggly roads. One is the Kuranda Range, which is fairly busy as it’s the main thoroughfare up to the tablelands. The other is the Gillies Range, and it’s awesome. 19 kilometres, over 260 bends ranging from gentle to hairpin, and over the 800 metres of elevation change the landscape goes from lush, wet tropics at the top to dry tropics part way down, to farmland at the bottom. We took this one… obviously! It’s a favourite route when we’re on the motorbike, but even in the car, it’s fun.

There’s a wonderful craft shop in Cairns, a wonderland of all sorts of tools, fabrics, yarns, beads, and canvases. I went in hoping to find a few fabrics to add to my stash. It quickly became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to choose just a few. Just as well, perhaps, since they were almost all $25 a metre and well beyond my budget. But if I ever need something really special that I can’t find elsewhere, that’s where I’ll go. I consoled myself with some crochet cotton for making face-washers/flannels. I love those ice-cream colours in the variegated one, don’t you? And it gives me something to do with my hands now that I’ve finished the sewing I brought with me.

After that visit and a quick purchase of new 2-way radios (walkie talkies) to replace our old and now quite dead ones, we decided it was time to head to our favourite Indian restaurant for an early lunch.

Hyderabad lamb biryani, poppadums, mint raita, chicken korma, basmati rice and plain naan bread. All fresh, hot and quite delicious. I could have done with a large snooze after that, but instead, we tootled back up the range and looked at a couple of waterfalls and I got photos to add to my collection.

It’s our last day here, so I’m glad we’ve managed to do so many fun things. I haven’t even told you about everything we’ve done, but it would start to get boring if I banged on about the hot springs we’ve discovered and will visit next time we’re up here (and have our bathers with us!), or the other places to stay we’ve investigated, or…. I did say I wouldn’t bore you, didn’t I? Tomorrow we’ll be back in Townsville to collect the overlocker and catch up with friends for dinner.

And then home on Wednesday 🙂 

Miz Lizzie Adventures: Townsville to Cairns and the Tablelands

I know, I know, I’ve been neglecting you.

But I have been having such a lovely time. It has been a tad too hot, at 34°C/93°F and about 70% humidity, but that’s what air conditioning in cars and caravans was invented for!

The journey north from Rollingstone was uneventful and we made good time, to the extent that we took a 40km detour to look at Mourilyan Harbour, where sugar is loaded onto ships, but chiefly of interest to us as a place where the Husband did military exercises in small aluminium dinghies with outboards (universally known in Australia as ‘tinnies’). He has not-so-fond memories of constantly grounding the tinny on sand bars and having to get out and push it off. Which doesn’t sound so bad, until you read the signs…

We passed Queensland’s two highest peaks on our way north, which to be honest isn’t saying a lot: the tallest, Mt Bartle Frere, is only 1622m/ 5,321ft high, and the second highest, Mt Bellenden Ker, is only 1593m/ 5,226ft high. Not hugely impressive by European or US standards, but they are thickly coated with very lush tropical rainforest. The area is volcanic, so on the tablelands you see a lot of volcanic plugs, but the climate does tend to erode anything high quite quickly.

We are staying at the Crystal Cascades caravan park in the north of Cairns, in a valley between rainforest-covered hillsides. It’s ‘off-season’ as far as they’re concerned, which means we can enjoy the facilities virtually undisturbed apart from a few people who are also looking for peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings. In the early morning, the tops of the hills are still draped in cloud, while the sun lights up the lower slopes. It’s an amazing sight to see such contrast.  Imagine that sight, with the sound of birdsong and the smell of frangipani and jasmine to round the experience off!

The one downside of coming here in February is that it’s the month when many of the foodie places on our gastronomic trail seem to be taking their own holiday! Nerada Tea Plantation, the Tolga Woodworks gallery and Mungalli Creek Biodynamic Dairy (which I’ve written about before) and Jaques Coffee Plantation (which was new to us), are all closed. It’s a well earned rest, but we were a bit surprised, as there was nothing on any of their websites. Still, it’s made us slow down a little, which is no bad thing… On the upside, we went to Coffee Works in Mareeba yesterday, which was lovely! They grow, harvest, roast and sell their own coffee as well as blends and beans from all over the world. The smell is heavenly! They also have a gift shop which is a twinkly wonderland of coffee and tea cups, pots, chimes, candleholders, vases, etc, and best of all, an almost cold chocolate shop, where they make their own in all shades from white to 85% cacao, in flavours like lime and pepper, lemon myrtle, ginger and jaffa. Well yes, we did buy rather a lot of chocolate, and yes, we’ve sampled a fair bit of it already, but who could resist…?

We’ve also been back to Gallo’s, a working farm where they milk 200 Friesians every day. Rather than add their milk to the general supply, they have decided to add value and create a niche market and an interesting addition to the tourist offering on the Tablelands. They make their own cheeses and chocolates. The chocolates we bought are long gone, but I can remember the flavours: salted caramel, peppermint truffle, crystallised ginger, chilli, cherry ripe, berry bliss, almond truffle, hazelnut caramel and mandarin creme. And that was just a tiny selection from the huge display case of options. Besides, it was a hot day, and they might have melted… But the cheeses are still with us, and will be featuring on today’s menu, together with linseed, raisin and pumpkin seed crackers and some rather tasty grapes.

Last night it was time to visit our favourite Indian restaurant in Cairns, Tandoori Nights in Sheridan Street. We go there at least once and often twice when we’re staying here, and the food is simple, but great. The Husband had goat curry, plain steamed rice, garlic naan and a share of my subzi makhani, a creamy vegetable curry. I also had chicken korma and plain naan. Not adventurous, but what we both craved, and we left with contented smiles on our faces 🙂 By the time we’d though of taking photos of the food, it was much, much too late!

On previous visits, we haven’t had time to visit the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum out at Caravonica, so this time, with a couple of hours to spare, we turned in. It’s probably chiefly of interest to a couple where the husband is a Reservist of 20 years’ experience and the wife’s father was in the Normandy landings in WWII, landing on Sword Beach on D-Day 2 in his tank as a very, very young 2nd Lieut… We spent well over an hour exploring the vast display of tanks, armoured cars, mine clearers, mobile gun platforms, howitzers, field guns, etc. They had exhibits from Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic and Russia, they had small arms, uniforms, badges… Well, you get the idea. It’s impressive, fascinating and vast, and worth a visit if you’re interested in that stuff. I’d only add that it’s an open-sided building and isn’t air conditioned, so I’d recommend visiting in the cooler months (May – October) if you’re not used to the heat.

We’re giving ourselves a lazy day today. It’s Saturday, and there are more visitors at the caravan park, the ‘sights’ will be busier and the city will be bustling. Time to lie back, enjoy the blue skies over the rainforested mountains, do a bit of handwork, and eat some of that cheese! We might tootle out and visit the Crystal Cascades after which this holiday park is named… or not.

But if anything interesting happens, I’ll be sure to let you know!

Curtains for Miz Lizzie

This job has taken forever to get started. And an eternity to finish.

Somehow something more ‘important’ always seemed to get in the way. Anyhow, it’s done. Miz Lizzie is now adorned with her new curtains, and I love how they’re looking.

To remind you, here’s a before shot, showing the bunchy dark blue (and incidentally grubby and slightly niffy) curtains she came with.

I do love the new fabric, and feel that she looks fresher and less gloomy with them in place. I’ve also greatly reduced the volume of the net curtains behind them. I could probably do without the nets entirely, if it weren’t for the fact that they do stop people snooping through the windows, which is almost irresistible when strolling around in caravan parks…

It’s going to be a while till I get round to recovering those 1980s pinkish seat cushions with blue and white ticking, especially the backrest parts, but the quilts and cushions do a decent job of hiding most of that.

She’s looking smarter now, ready for our summer holiday trip in February. We’re heading back north, for another gastronomic tour: Townsville, Ingham, Cairns, the Atherton Tableland, Port Douglas and Mossman. We’ll be visiting all sorts of places for a taste of the tropics and a chance to sample freshly grown and produced delights. More on that when the time comes.

Now, what shall I work on next…?

The Blue Hour quilt, finished

Here it is at last, all done.

I’m really pleased with it, and so, more importantly, is the Husband. It’s been quick, enjoyable and fun to work on, all highly desirable qualities in a quilt. It has used quantities of my dark blue scraps, and comparatively small amounts of new fabric, mainly for the back and sashing. I decided on very narrow binding for the quilt, which was a bit more laborious to attach, but I love the effect.

Without the distractions mentioned in my last post, I’d have had it finished a week ago, but it’s done in good time for our next trip, which is next week. I think it unlikely in the extreme that I’ll have mine done in time, but I plan to make a start!

Now, I wonder what that one will decide to call itself…

Flitting (and riding)

I love that word.

It so beautifully describes the butterfly motion of darting from one thing to another. Which is what I’ve been doing the last week or so, only less beautifully and gracefully 🙂

We’ve been spending some fun time with ST motorbike-owners-club friends from south east Queensland, who are passing through Mackay with their caravan and their Honda ST1300 on the back of the ute. Now that’s a sweet setup! Deep envy, to have both their big motorbike and their caravan along! We’ve done a couple of half day rides with them around the local sights, which has reassured me that I can cope and my back won’t fall apart under the strain when our own time comes to do the big ride south for the bike rally later this year in October. No lavish Miz Lizzie caravan comfort on this trip, it’ll be Rolling Thunder towed behind the Scarlett Thunderbolt, and a tent for a few nights.

We had part of the back yard landscaped and a hard surface put down. We can now get Miz Lizzie under cover without the need for 25-point reversing to get her between the posts of the patio roof. Straight in, bish-bosh, no messing about. Bliss! We can use our new turning circle to get the car in and out in similar style. I have a hard, dry surface to stand on when I hang out the laundry instead of being ankle deep in wet grass and green ants. It will not turn back into a swamp the next time we get a serious amount of rain. Oh my word yes, I love that new surface! And the Husband, let’s face it, is not heartbroken about having less grass to cut…

A few days before the work commenced, Sir Horace and Lady Laetitia Bush Stone-Curlew went off somewhere for several days. We rejoiced in a slightly guilty fashion, but it was very pleasant to have quiet nights, unbroken by their harsh screams. We thought they’d moved on, finding the modest bustle of our back yard insufficiently tranquil for raising this year’s family. Regrettably, they have now returned from their vacation and are back in their original spot, glaring at me every time I set foot outside the back door, and in full song at night. Oh well. At least we didn’t drive them off with the landscaping work…

I’ve been doing some secret sewing for a friend who is visiting from the States. As it’s a secret, I won’t be posting photos till she has it, around the end of the month, but it’s fun, pretty and useful, so I hope she likes it. I’m sure if she doesn’t, she won’t feel compelled to tell me so!

And finally, I’ve got the Blue Hour quilt two thirds assembled, just one big seam and the binding to go, so I’ll be able to do my ‘tah-dah’ post for that soon. And yes, start thinking about my own! I haven’t forgotten that I also have the Sea Glass quilt to sandwich and start quilting, but it’s a big job and as usual, I’m procrastinating furiously…

So while there’s been scant news from Chiconia recently, as you can see, I have not been idle!

L’heure bleue

The Blue Hour is one of my favourite times of day.

It’s that time between twilight and full night when the sun is below the horizon and the world is coloured a soft shade of deep blue and other colours start to leach away. It’s a time when I often find myself in my sewing room, pottering about; it’s not long enough to start anything big before I have to go to the kitchen to make dinner, but it’s too good to waste doing nothing.

I’ve at last begun, appropriately enough, a mostly blue and white quilt for the Husband’s bunk in Miz Lizzie. So far, all the blocks are from my sorted scraps and smaller stash pieces, but I suspect I’ll need some more fabric soon, some bits of dark blue.

Also included in the line up are pieces from Granny Maud’s Girl; she sent me leftovers from the quilt she made for her father from his old shirts, and I’ve made entertaining use of the patches featuring pockets! I’m getting along nicely, a couple of blocks here, a couple more there, and making good use of my Blue Hour time. This early layout is most of the dark centres with light out-sides. Coming soon are the light centres with dark outsides…

And because of course all colour has a sound track, I leave you with Acker Bilk and the marvellously and appropriately named Bent Fabric, playing The Blue Hour.

What do you do with your Blue Hour?