Travel and visitors
Nicky’s job with Education Qld took her on several trips to the Far North, including Cooktown, Thursday Island, Bamaga, Weipa, Arukun, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw. and Lockhart. She flew the plane on the way back from Lockhart.
We didn’t do as much camping as usual – only one long weekend to the Innot Hot Springs; another long week end to the Undara Lava Tubes; and one night at Babinda where we did a Kyaking trip.
Kelley, Simon and their boys came to stay at Easter, and we did some local trips to the Crystal Cascades, and Kuranda, and lots of trips to the swimming lagoon in the center of Cairns.
Nicky’s mother, Winnie, stayed with us for a couple of months in June and July. Our main trip was a week on Magnetic Island off Townsville, which is about 300 kms South of Cairns. The highlights were island walks and snorkelling.
Bettina also came to stay from Brighton during this time, and we all went up to the Daintree for a few days. The highlights were sea kayaking and climbing the tower at the rainforest visitors center.
Celmara visited us from Brisbane to do some indigenous history research.
Movies
Making movies was a real struggle this year due to lack of time and resources, but I managed to make a few and learn a lot.
1) How to Argue with Your Partner - A Howcast video
2) How to Sell Your Home Yourself, - another Howcast video, this time featuring some of my colleagues from work
3) Weather with SconesWeather skit for a Channel 9 weather presenter competition
3) Bats - which I made for Earth Hour
4) Tropical Silver Glam – the Pride Float in the Cairns Festival Parade
5) "20 Questions from Cairns" – which is an interviews doco
6) "Behind the Counter In Admin" – for our work Xmas party
Home Improvements
We started by building some built in wardrobe structures as there was nothing to store clothes when we moved in. Also, there was not enough storage in the kitchen either, so we put in another kitchen counter and tall food cupboard. Then in between building a work bench and acquiring other workshop furniture and tools, we made fly screens for all the windows which has made a huge difference to mosquito bites in the nightNote from Shandy - Nicky did all of the above - plus security screens for the downstairs granny flat.
Garden
We bought a new mower when we moved in. Garden developments were delayed by the possibility that we might loose half the garden to the highway widening project so we only started in august once we had confirmation that the garden was safe after all. So far we’ve made veggie beds, planted some fruit trees: mulberry, citrus, guava, pomegranate and have some cocoa, jackfruit, malay apple and other tropical seedlings on the go. We’re busy building a new shade house which will be finished in Jan. New House
House prices have collapsed in Cairns, so in September it seemed like a good idea to buy a small rental unit as an investment, since our pensions will be pitiful.
But once we started looking we realised that there are lots and lots of units for rent and sale, all very nice, all the same. So you would always be competing against hundreds of the same kind of property whether you were buying or selling. Whereas no 51 Balaclava is totally unique. Its structurally sound but not in very good repair so we can look forward to years of expense on R & M.
Cats
A happy topic and also a sad one, because in April we lost Stinker. She had diabetes and maybe cancer, and hadn’t been well for some time. It was a very dark time for both of us and probably Nicky will never get over it completely. But at the beginning of August we got two kittens, Angel and Jemma, and they are lots of fun. Angel came off the street and Jemma came from the RSPCA.
They are very lively and wake us up ever morning at about 5 am, pounding up and down the passage. Jemma is a tree climber and naughty girl who visits the neighbours. Angel loves rubbing his head on feet and shredding paper. They both leave grotesque lizard corpses all over the workshop.Sports and Activities
Sport is tough in Cairns, because of the heat. But we swim in our pool a lot, and also in the sea. Nicky sometimes rides her bike the 13 kms to work, and I ride my bike along the local riverside paths a couple of times a week. Nicky does dancing once a week, and I go to tennis, and we walk around the park at night, But we definitely need to do more!
Work
* Nicky got her permanent residence. Yay!
* Nicky got a new job with Queensland Health, which she starts in Jan 2011
* My projects seem to be going well, with three buildings finished, two due to complete in January and another $5m to $8m worth to complete during 2011.
Xmas and New Year
Last year we stayed in Cairns, which was great, but very hot. Vyv and Lu came round for Xmas lunch. At New Year we went to various parties, ending up with Seej and Sarah on the Esplanade watching fireworks in the warm rain.
This year we are going to Cape Town and Zim.
Resolutions
* Make more movies – especially dramas
* Eat much less cake at work
* Get fit
* Start making lovely furniture and grow nice plants in the garden
* Try to maintain an uptodate Blog
