Storm season has arrived

After the long winter dry season of almost 4 months of blue skies and sun the summer rains have arrived. Heavy rain last night, almost 70mm so good for the garden and the plants that have suffered with no water. Pretty heavy lightning as well which blacked out 26,000 homes for a day.

Of course this means heaven for the bugs and cockroaches who come out to party and mate when the rain arrives so this morning we had over 13 of them dancing all over the patio...god do we hate cockroaches but at least they keep the cat busy as he seems to have a knack to know they are there even when we cant see them

Jacarandas in bloom

Springtime here means the Jacaranda trees are once again in bloom.
As Inge says they are like "bluebells blooming on trees"
We went to a park in Goodna, about 15km from us to have a walk around the park.

The trees in bloom against a blue sky make a visually spectacular impression.

We just dont get bored of looking at these trees.


It is a nice feeling to look and admire these beautiful trees.

The trees originate from Brazil but can be seen around the world in sub-tropical countries, I remember them as a child in Africa.

Canungra Classic HG Comp - watching only..

Last friday I went to Beechmont to watch the HG competitors launch and go cross country.
I was still suffering from jatlag and flu so there was no way I could have flown in the competition.

This is a photo of the crowded launch site.

There was more than 50 hanggliders competing.

It really is a beautiful spot to fly.

The goal was to fly to a lake near Boonah, some 99kms away. I believe almost 20 gliders made it there. Oh well there's always next year.

Summer is here

The days are getting hotter now, today was 29C and we have been having 32C days last week which means summer proper (hot and sticky) is not far away. The increasing temperatures has had an effect in the garden with the tropical plants and flowers really starting to come out of their winter sleep. Our favourite is the frangipini tree, the one we have has pink fragrant flowers.

This one is called the "desert rose".

My Dad - Rest in Peace

I shut down the Blog early in September as my dad was taken ill and admitted to intensive care.

Inge and I made quick plans to return to the UK asap but unfortunately we were too late to see my Dad and he passed away on 3rd September as a result of pneumonia, we arrived on the 5th after flying non stop.

The funeral was on 16th September and I read out the eulogy which was really hard to do but I felt that it was right that I did so. We spent the next few weeks with my Mum. It still feels really weird not being in touch with my dad, he was an avid blog reader and we talked almost every week. I miss him very much.

We are now back in Brisbane. I will try to get back to doing my usual reports.