Cairns

Feeling a little blue & then we get a call from our lovely travelling buddies, the Richardsons. Another visit to Rusty's market. I'm going to miss all this fresh, cheap produce. I bought mangoes for $4.99 a kilo. 

Michael is in Singapore & homesick so we sent a wave & a smile. Great spot for a swim at the lagoon & a coffee.

Our crazy crew! I think they swam for 5 hours. They certainly slept well. It's time to leave Cairns for our slow trip to Townsville to pick daddy up.

Cairns

So, grocery shopping this morning & then home for a Skype call to the teachers. Nan & pop thought they'd head back to the beach for a swim. 

It was not to be!!!! A crocodile had been sighted & the beach we were swimming at was CLOSED!!!

During our Skype call I found out that Isaac got a credit in the ICAS maths test he sat. It was the only one from SDEPS so good job Isaac. Proud mum & dad. I'm so proud of their work ethic this year (especially the older two). I do get busy with Jeira & Charlotte & they just soldier on :-)

Cairns

Today's the day....entries for Ultra Trail open. I've decided on the 50km option. I think after 12months of no gym, that will be a big enough challenge. The best way to start the day is a shuffle.

After school finishing today, we headed to the lagoon on the foreshore in Cairns for a swim. We managed to find a table & spark up the BBQ for a sausage sizzle. I was watching the kids while pop cooked the BBQ. Next minute a random man came & sat at our table.

You can see him behind Keira & he stayed for our entire lunch. He didn't even talk to us. Very random!!!!

The kids had been so awesome & had been eyeing off the gelateria so I surprised them!

Charley found another treasure. Always a new flower or berry to pick up. 

We found a Lynn sized swing. Look at the size of it. Home time...ready for a cuppa :-) Day 5 of no daddy!!!!

Cairns

I think I really like Cairns...at least until the cyclone warnings start!

How do we lift our spirits after school this morning. We're all missing dad & feeling a little blue. Let's find a beach...with stinger nets...that we can swim in. We pack a picnic lunch & hit the road. Palm Cove was our first stop. I thought it felt like a less fussy version of Port Douglas.

How is this? Beautiful! 

Lunch in paradise. That feels great!

Great Barrier Reef

Wow! What a day. I woke up this morning with a sick tummy. I must have picked up a tummy bug. The weather was expected to be raining & windy so we had everything crossed that something would change.

We headed to our little boat only to find that we'd been upgraded....SCORE!!!

I still managed to get sick. It's very hard to vomit discretely when the sun deck is full.

I managed to get myself together in time to go snorkelling with some very excited kids. They did so well!

This is the Great Barrier Reef on an overcast day, with choppy seas. The camera does not do it justice.

The kids enjoying the sun deck in between dive sites.

Next adventure was our glass bottom boat adventure. Charlotte got to see her Nemo fish & couldn't hide her excitement. She had the other passengers in histerics. She won the captains heart who then took us for an extra long glass bottom boat experience. 

It looks really calm. It so wasn't! We managed to get in the water long enough to get an underwater family photo taken. It was so cool.

My fave photo of the day. The photographer did well to get all six of us in shot in choppy seas.

This is when things started to get tough. I'm done. Time to get out & head back, the 1.5hr ride home was rough. We got very wet on the sundeck from the swell spraying over the bough of the boat!

What an incredibly amazing team on board. They were accommodating & helpful with the kids (the only kids on board). I cannot recommend Reef Experience any higher. 

I look like I've had a rough day. I still feel like I'm inside a tumble dryer :-( I think boats are out for me. 

Cairns

A cold, wet rainy day in Cairns! A great day of school & daddy is at work. We headed into the swimming lagoon for a catch up with the Richardsons who've come into town to pick up schoolwork!

It's not great swimming weather, but that won't stop kids.

It's great infrastructure for a city who can't swim in their ocean. They even have free fitness sessions along the foreshore. I LIKE Cairns!!!

Mossman gorge

What a way to start the morning. Michael & I get 3kms up the beach when a tropical rainstorm hits. Wet now, let's keep going. It just made it a little difficult to look out for the bad nature (lol). 

I needed that run to get my head into the game for school! We had a team meeting last night & it all went off without a hitch. I'd even baked them chocolate brownies for morning tea. 

The weather had fined up a little so we headed back to the beach for some treasure hunting. More shells & more driftwood to create our beach themed rooms.

Check this swing! Three bums at a time can swing. 

Charlotte bag is exploding with treasures. We need a clean up this afternoon.

Mossman gorge was our outing this afternoon. Mum & dad ventured out for lunch so a walk was needed. 

It was so pretty. We did the 3km loop walk but it was quite slippery & uneven under foot. Charlotte wasn't having a great time. 

It's incredible to think how old some of these trees are.

We were on our way back when I saw a lady staring at me. She did look a little familiar but it wasn't until I got closer that I realised I used to work with both of them in my Eagles days...Kevin Beaton & Lani Harrison. Wow...what a crazy world we live in!