christmas

Dear Family and Friends

Christmas Day and Boxing Day have been a wash out for us. It has rained very heavily since before Christmas Eve. Water was laying everywhere here and on Christmas day the rain was so heavy we decided not to go into Atherton for church as it is a round trip of nearly 100klms and there are a lot of little creeks and rivers that have been turned into raging torents. Good job we didn't as we probably wouldn't have got through and if we had got through we wouldn't have got home again. Radio reports were saying the road between Ravenshoe and Atherton were blocked by both water over the road and mudslides. Boxing Day was no better so again we did not go to Church. It was very strange not attending a service at all over Chistmas. We have continued having heavy rain here but clearly nothing like what they are getting further south. We couldn't have got to Cairns even if it was urgent as the roads were blocked off by water in a number of places. The further south you go the worse it gets.

We have been thinking of Sharon and Ricky, our friends from Willow Gemfields, thinking they would be flooded in but when we rang there was no answer and we realised they had plans to go to Brisbane for Christmas so they won't be able to get home for a while as the floods are quite severe around Emerald and Sapphire.

We are snug and cosy in the van but it is a different story when we step outside as there is a puddle of water right outside our door that you cannot step over so our feet get a bit wet, especially after it has just rained. Robin and Pauline have a large pond which has been empty for quite some time, it is a good two or three feet deep, and it is now full to overflowing. A good indicator of how much rain we have had.

We ventured into Atherton today and on the way in you could clearly see where the water has been. We were amazed how high the water got in places and the force of it laid flat trees and long grasses right along where the once little creeks flowed beside the road. Our decision not to go in for church was a wise one.

This is only the beginning of the wet season so there will be more to come.

We had a nice day together on Christmas Day but we did miss the kids and the grandkids, and thanks to Skype we got to see everyone and wish each other a merry Christmas. I hope we never have another one where we are separated from all our family, it's no fun.

That's my news for the moment.

So once again love to all and God Bless.

Ken and Lyn

TOBY

Dear Family and Friends.

We have had a hard week as Toby had to be put down last Friday. The vet had diagnosed Toby with a slipped disc in his back. He was in extreme pain and there was nothing they could do for him but dose him up with pain killers. No one knows just when it actually happened. He was well enough on the Wednesday as he had a bath up in the dog wash which he loves. so whether it happened when he jumped in or out of the car or whether it happened when he was in the dog wash when he had to turn around we'll never know but he was unable to toilet himself and he wouldn't eat so there was really no other option. We feel for Craig and Michelle and the girls as they are just as upset as we are. They gave him a great home for this last twelve months of his life and they loved him just as much as we did. We have lots of good memories and we have put some of our photos of him in the blog.

That's our sad news and now onto our holiday activities.

Robin and Pauline's daughter, Sharon, their granddaughter Analeese (phonetic spelling) and grandson Cody visited this week for a few days. As usual we had our meals outside on the Veranda and enjoyed the awakening of the night time animals. On the veranda their is an insect zapper which attracts whatever mossies and insects are around. And it does it's job really well. Each evening their would be a couple of green tree frogs sitting under it eating whatever fell to the ground. They are quite big, about the size of the palm of your hand and Pauline picked one up. Conversation lead onto the fact that it is possible to put a frog to sleep, something I didn't know you could do. Sharon moistened her hands placed the frog in one hand and covered the frog with her other hand. She then twisted her hand back and forth for a few times. Then she opened her hand and the frog lay in her hand apparently asleep. I lent over to look at it and it suddenly came to life and jumped across the table toward me. Yes your right, I got such a fright that I jumped and squealed. Evidently the longer you twist it in your hand the deeper the sleep.

Robin and Pauline have gone now and we are on our own at their place. They headed off to Townsville to begin with and then on to Nambour where they await the birth of another grandchild. We have had such a lovely time with them, they have made us feel so welcome. We may not see them again on this trip as we may have left here by the by time they come home.

Weather reports indicate that QLD have had heavy rains with roads cut off and flooding over a large area of the state. Up until last night here at Ravenshoe we have had very little rain compared to elsewhere. We have had many thunderstorms but no rain, though on our journey's in and out of Atherton we often run into heavy patches of rain. When it has rained it is the heavy tropical rain which passes over fairly quickly and then is gone for the rest of the day. Last night it began to rain about 9pm and has been raining ever since. It is not the torrential rain of the tropics but this seems to be set in for the day. We expect there to be a lot of rain whilst we are here as it comes with the territory and the season. Pauline was saying that last year they had 45 days straight with rain. Hope they don't repeat it this year.

The other day we took a drive out to see Tully Falls. It was a lovely drive except most of it was on dirt road but it was worth it. It was too steep of a slope for us to get to the main falls but we were able to go part of the way to an area where their were small falls where the water gushed over the rocks. it was lovely and serene as we were the only people around.

That's about it for now

Love to all and we hope you have a safe and happy Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

with lots of love

Ken and Lyn

toys

Dear Family and Friends

A big hello to everyone.

First up we are still sorting toys ready for Christmas. Atherton don't have to prepare the hampers for Christmas, that is organised by others and paid for by the Mayor's Christmas Appeal.

On the other hand Atherton do the toys covering a huge area, anything above the mountain range comes here. That includes Mareeba, Walkamin, Kuranda, Atherton, Herberton, Miscellaneous ones and I think Innot Springs and Mt Garnet are in this area also.

We have toys donated by the public including what were given from the the Bikie run, We also recieve toys from Cairns and to fill the gaps with difficult ages toys and other gifts are purchased for the teenagers. Its a mammoth task but an enjoyable one and the range of toys is amazing.

Lots of little stocking fillers and a lots of stuffed toys, enough that we pretty much put them in all the Christmas bags. It's a happy time for every one but also a very tiring time as you are on the go all day.

In and around the Atherton area there has been a large Chinese influence over the years. China town actually existed as a town before Atherton was first explored in 1875. The chinese moved from the Palmer River goldfields to this area and are known as the pioneers of farming and agriculture. The soil here is either a rich dark colour or a deep brown colour depending where you are on the tablelands. It is said that as the population of Chinatown grew, small shops appeared and cooks, herbalists, doctors and merchants settled in the town and by 1909 the population was around 1200.

The Hou Wang Temple was built in 1903. It is the last surviving example of a timber and tin temple left in Australia made even more rare by the fact that many such temples in China were also destroyed during the cultural revolution. It's original furnishings remain in tact and include carvings, painted metal wall panels and furnishings import . Id from China in the late 19th and early 20th century. It's rareity not just in Australia but in the world bring tourists from all over the world here. China town was short lived as it was all but abandoned by 1920's, the temple being the only surviving building. It was used as a Temple till 1970's when its owners the Fong On family donated it to the National Trust of Qld in 1980 to ensure its conservation for future generations. It's just another great tourist attraction that brings people to this area.

Atherton and surrounding area through to Mareeba tell the story of the impact that the second world war had in this area. Prior to being sent overseas the army used this area as training grounds for their soldiers. The hunidity and dense jungles found closer to the coast acclimatised our soldiers for the tropical jungles they would fight in to keep our country safe. The bombing of Pearl Harbour impacted on Atherton with many people fleeing the coastal locations thought to be unsafe. Hospitals were set up to take the injured, many of whom didn't make it. There is a war cemetery at Atherton which bears rows of identical white headstones as a silent tribute to those who died for their country. There is also another war cemetery, an old army igloo, an airport with planes used in the war and a navel museaum all in and around Walkamin.

Well that's our history lesson for the day. What's next? Another great day on the tablelands. Thre is always something to see and do.

That's it for now

Love to one and all.

Ken and Lyn

innisfail

Dear Family and Friends

I'm a bit lazy with my blogs. Another week gone by and another week closer to Christmas.

We led the service on Sunday and all went well with good feedback. Our theme was the incarnation of Christ.

Peter and Erica asked us to join them on Monday and go to Innisfail with them. Friends of theirs, Joe and Dawn, purchased an Apple Mac computer and they were having trouble getting it hooked up to bigpond. Peter and Erica tried and tried to set it up but they also failed. Joe and Dawn are going to get someone professional in to fix the problem as the same thing happeneed to Erica and Peter as was happening to Joe and Dawn. They would get to a certain point and could get it to go no further. Half a dozen phone calls were made to bigpond but still it couldn't be fixed.

Regardless of computer problems we all had a lovely day together. We had our lunch at a local Brothers Club before setting off later in the afternoon to come home. Storm clouds filled the horizon but we didn't hit rain till we were almost home. Robin said that they had had well over a hundred mls in just over an hour here at Ravenshoe so it was pretty heavy. We are surprisingly dry here considering what Sth QLD, NSW and VIC are getting.

Thursday we drove to Innot Springs where you can sit or lay in the creek where the warm comes up from the river bed. It is just off the road but next time we will take our bathers, towel and a shovel. Robin tells us you pick a spot (it can be quite hot in places) then dig a hole and sit down in it and let the water wash over you. We continued on down the road to Mt Garnet and had a little wander around there before coming home.

Robin has had quite a nasty accident. Robin decided to put new blades on the mower. He accidently dropped the blade whilst trying to screw the new blade on and has cut through his nails and down to the nail bed on two of his fingers. A third nail is bruised and sore but not actually cut through like the others. They thought they might have to take his nails off but the doctor decided to leave them and see if they will repair themselves. As you can imagine they are quite sore though Robin weathers through it without saying too much about the pain. Unfortunately that means that the maintanence on the plane is put on the backburner for a few days. You can't work with your fingers all bandaged up.

Then on Friday Pauline was taking a neighbour down to Cairns to see an eye specialist so she asked if I would like to go along for the ride. So naturally I said yes. We had a really lovely day. The day was hot and relatively steamy but nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. After Heather (Pauline's neighbour) saw the specialist we then had lunch and went to do a little Christmas shopping. Again no rain untill we were between Athertan and Ravenshoe where we drove through a very heavy shower to clear weather for the rest of the trip home.

We went to one garage sale in Ravenshoe this morning and Ken picked up a car fridge for $12 which cost the owner $140 so he is pleased with his purchase.

You may remember me telling you about the possums and the Kookaburras coming in to be fed each evening, here are just some of the photoes we have taken.

That's it for today. Hope every one is well.

with love Ken and Lyn

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Toy run

Dear Family and Friends

The toy run I mentioned in my last blog took place on Saturday morning. We arrived at a little Park in Tolga at 10am and by that time some of the church people had everything set up and ready to go so it wasn't long before we were soon put to work. Ken and Robin were on the BBQ. Four hundred sausages were waiting to be cooked so that kept them occupied. I was on the gravy, others set up the serving area and the coffee and tea from a trailer.

Last year they had around 250 people turn up. They were hoping for similar numbers this year but only 150 turned up. A truck was taken out to Lake Tinnaroo where the toy run was to commence. A group of Bikies were waiting for them and from there they set off on a route that took them through a number of small places, including the main towns also like Mareeba and Atherton. At each stopping place more joined in.

It was quite a site to see the truck lead them through the gate and into the park. The back of the truck was opened and the bikies brought the toys up and they went into the truck. Their was also three or four vintage cars that I spotted that had come along for the ride. There was storms predicted and some rain and they believed that was the reason for the drop in numbers.

Once the toys were safely stowed in the truck it was time to feed everyone and that took some time but it all went very smoothly and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The toys were taken back to the church and sorted out ready for distribution. Not all of them were new so the second hand toys were put aside and will be used at some later time.

We enjoyed church on Sunday and as the C.O.'s will be away we have been asked to do the service next week. We regret leaving the printer behind and we wish we had brought a commentary with us.

We had plans to go to Innisfail this week but had to postpone it as one of the people going with us wasn't able to come so we will probably do it next week all being well.

Robin is an avid pilot and has one of his own small aircraft here. He has been working on it since we arrived. Today the motor has gone back in it and he and Ken wheeled it out of the shed, tied it to a tree and started up the engine. Robin spent 7 years in New Guinea and did a lot of flying over there. He is also a helicopter pilot as well so he spent a lot of hours in the air.

Did I say that we voted ?. The voting papers only arrived on Friday and I was getting a bit worried that they would not get here in time. Our votes had to be in the mail by closing of trade that day so I was very releaved that they came when they did so we filled them out straight away and put them back in the mail.

I also got another letter to say I was called up again for jury service but soon got my name taken off the list when I said we were in far north QLD. I want to know why Ken's name never gets picked.

That's about it from me for the moment

Love to one and all

Ken and Lyn