Jack took us for a swim one afternoon. Well, more accurately, we took him to a swimming gala at Perigian 25 km north of base. All the schools round here appear to have Olympic-sized pools!
Jack was, for everyone’s convenience, racing in events 5, 9 and 427. Well, a big number anyway (3 from the end) which meant we couldn’t skive off early. His relay team came in a creditable 3rd out of six.
Meanwhile Phroggy snaffled a coffee and icecream in the attached restaurant.
Hot chips for Jack on the way home!
Then it was Christmas assembly, with the boys in their festively decorated shirts.
Australian schools are very inclusive of parents, grandparents and general hangers-on! We’ve noticed this huge difference between schools here and at home. They are so open here. It’s like it was 40 years ago in Britain!
On previous trips we had found that the Baked Poetry Cafe at Perigian Beach does fabulous vanilla slices. So we went one Tuesday only to discover that, post-Covid, the place is shut Mondays to Wednesdays! Drat, I was committed to eating one with my morning coffee. Never mind. On to Noosa for a walk along the river as the ferry sailed past taking tourists to the posh shops in Hastings Street.
I was hoping to avoid the shops… but…
Anyway the beach is immediately adjacent!
We tried for vanilla slices again a few days later. But this time, while navigating by guesswork through the country roads of Diddillibah, Petrie Creek and Bli Bli (they do have some great names around here), I took a.wrong turning. It’s remarkable how subconciously confusing it is with the sun moving in the wrong direction. I mean, shadows should point north at lunchtime – everyone knows that! Anyway, as we drove under the Bruce Highway it was clear we were heading inland, not towards the coast. A quick change of plans took us for coffee (and no vanilla slice!) to Yandina via Nambour. The Gun Cotton Roasters is now marked down as a great place for breakfast.
Just to complete the vanilla slice saga, on the third attempt, we were running so late that we rang ahead and booked one of the elusive pastries in case they ran out! It lived up to all expectations and we rate it number one in the whole of Australia, just ahead of the version served at the historic telegraph station in Alice Springs! And let’s face it, Perigian is a hell of a lot closer, Alice being 3021 kms away by road!
Actually, the saga continued… The other day, on our fourth attempt, as our coffees were being delivered, the waitress spilt Glenda’s cup all over her. She was so surprised that she followed it up with my coffee. ALL over Glenda’s bran new pale pink dress and, more significantly, all over her right forearm. We spent the next half hour in the cafe’s kitchen with an arm under cold running water. I rushed off and came back with a new dress. The guy sitting next to us was very impressed that I could buy a new dress which fitted perfectly from the local shops. I don’t think we ever told him that we had a spare dress in the car! Luckily, although it was very painful for a few days, the arm didn’t blister and the dress appears to have survived. We now have a lot of credit at the Baked Poetry cafe!
One evening Petra, one of Linda’s friends, came for tea with her two boys. She is one of the only people (over 11 years old) who is actually shorter than Linda. Petra was cooking one of her favourite puddings (cream puffs) by torchlight – I’m guessing the oven light doesn’t work!
While this was happening the four boys disappeared to the lounge. All of them on their i-pads.
“Why don’t you put those tablets away and play a game with each other?” “We ARE all playing together! We are playing Minecraft.” These games have something to answer for!
There has been a fair bit of shopping, for the house and for Christmas! But Jack and Phroggy are starting to respond to this activity in a sensible and mature way!
With Robin and me in charge, they don’t stand a chance of reacting favourably!
Anyway, moving on … We have been very busy. We’ve visited the old caravan park on the beach at Mooloolaba to discover it had been transmogrified into a childrens’ play park. And, even as keen caravanners, we both thought this was a major improvement. To be fair, the park is fairly high-tech for a playground. Super-soft flooring. Exciting climbing structures and good shaded areas.
While we have had some beautiful weather, it does rain here on the Sunshine Coast. And by rain, I do mean RAIN. It can really deluge! (And as I write this, rain has just started!) The highest total rainfall in a 24 hour period in Australia, was recorded at Crowhamhurst Observatory. 907 mm! In one day! It is true to say that this record has stood for a while now. It was established in 1893! We passed within five kms of the Observatory yesterday, and we can confirm that all flooding caused by that storm has now subsided!
In the UK, we would consider 10 mm of rain an hour as heavy rain. Here 200 mm per hour is not unheard of. On the highway driving to Caloundra for a Frisbee game, the heavens opened…
And that picture was taken with the wipers on full speed! But Robin still got his game 30 minutes later with the storm clouds moving slowly off over the ocean towards Fiji!
The Sunshine Coast has been renamed, at least temporarily!
I’m now so far behind! We’ve done so much!
We visited Steve and Marie in their new luxury house in Samford Grove Retirement Village.
… and what an excellent place it is. Less than ten km from the outskirts of Brisbane, but separated from the city by a swathe of National Forest. There are great views of the surrounding mountains and it’s only five minutes walk from the village of Samford with it’s pubs and coffee shops. Like a lot of similar developments in this country, the community has a super exercise suite with pool, a well stocked library, meeting and dining rooms and a private small screen cinema. They do it so well here! We want one in Torbay instead of hundreds of new homes on green fields for people with limited access to employment. But don’t get me started on that!
… but before I end this episode, I have a comment on Australian number plates. If you recall, Norway has a dazzling array of colour combinations. I now discover that Australia has a total of 54 designated numberplate colour schemes for domestic vehicles! However, a lot look the same (blue on white). This still leaves fourteen different colour combos if you include the black on blue of diplomatic plates. I had no idea these things were so complicated. And if you think that’s bad enough, personalised plates can be ordered in 125 different colour combinations. And in different sizes and fonts! Well, it is a big country!
And there’s more to follow – when I have time.
Lovely to see your high praise of Samford Grove Over-55 Village. Not sure our Villa falls into the luxury category, but we love it, all the same. It was a pleasure having you for a couple of nights, and to take you on a little drive around the Valley.