Mighty Corpse Flower

Most afternoons after collecting Monet from school she is always asking "can we go somewhere?  Where are we going?" blah, blah, blah.  I actually expected her yesterday to say she wanted to go straight home after school when I said I wanted to visit the Botanical Gardens.  *phew*

I had been following on FB the cycle of 'Spud', the Amorphophallus titanum plant, known also as the Corpse Flower.  It was a major event and I was keen to see it in full bloom, as it rarely blooms and when it does it is massive and stinks!  Yesterday afternoon at 2pm the FB stays read that it was opening up...

                  

The girls and I got to the Garden not long before 3:30 and there was already quite a few people milling around.   I knew exactly where to go….

 

There was a massive pong just outside the Fernery.  A revolting pungent waft… 

But Spud was magnificent.  I'm sure the swarm of flies buzzing around thought so too. 

I am sure the Flecker Botanical Gardens is one of my favourite places in Cairns.  Each time I visit I always see something I hadn't laid eyes on before.

I adore this photo below.  The colours are magnificent...

As we exited the Gardens (after milkshakes for the girls and a *ahem* beer for me), Monet pointed out the Ulysses butterfly fluttering around.  Having my camera in hand I finally (FINALLY) got a photo of one.  After years of living here I have never been quick enough!

A Smokin' Sunday...

With it bound to be a beautiful day we took a drive up to Port Douglas, a 40 minute drive up the picturesque Captain Cook Highway from our place.  It was rather busy (which I expected) with loads of tourists, wandering the market and the streets.  

Our girls just love the Frozen Fruit Salad Icy Poles from a stall, which always keep them both quiet for at least 10 minutes....

After lunch and a Lily meltdown, we headed back in the car for the drive home.  I pointed out to MrL the sky in the distance so we knew we were bound to cross the path of smoke on the way home. Unsure where it was exactly coming from, we figured that it was the forest which was smouldering.  (As we drove up we noticed that it looked like quite a bit of back burning had been happening since our last visit, but there was no smoke nor fire then.)

We did pass some small flames which made Monet all scared in the back seat, but it was nothing to worry about.  We couldn't figure out if it had been deliberately lit again (by authorities) or if it had flared up because of the warm weather.

MrL stopped at the (busy) lookout so I could snap a few photos of the view.  It is a gorgeous view on an equally gorgeous day.

Just down from the lookout, is a tiny hamlet of Wangetti.  We've always talked about stopping at the beach there (not that you can see it from the road, there is only a small road sign pointing the way).  MrL drove the car down the road which was surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly, considering the weather) busy.

It was a lovely beach and one where I could see more smoke where we would have to pass...

The girls had a great time.

One of the girls (the one who previously had a meltdown) did not want to leave.  She's very much a beach gal that one!

Back on the way home, we did pass more smoke and more little fires....

...but we did make it home in one piece.

Early Morning Walks

For over three months now, I have been rising out of bed most mornings, bright and early and going on a 3 kilometres 'power' walk.  I have it down to 26 minutes.  

Each day, I take a photo of the dawn breaking.  I have rarely seen two days the same.  The colours are amazing and every time I think to myself that it has been worth getting out of bed at stupid o'clock for.  

Pretty sure I am considered a local now, seeing a handful of 'regular' walkers.

I see the lady opening up the corner shop every morning and the guy who cleans and organises the outside furniture at L'unico.  I see the lady in the bright pink floral shorts walking her two dogs.  I see the old, very thin lady, who jogs around the place, the old man in his walking gear power walking, the lady who runs with her tiny Jack Russell dog, the lady in specks riding her bike with her reflective gear on.  An elderly lady who I have only begun seeing in the past few weeks, who walks up and down the beach road pushing her walking frame.

I wonder if they all think, "There's that chick in the stripy top"....

Each and every morning I also see one of my neighbours who lives in the same complex as us.  Sometimes we stop and have a brief chat.

I decided in celebration of my 50th morning walk, to get a poster made of my photos.  Most are taken in the same spot each morning.  I swear those two palm trees are the most photographed trees in all of Cairns, especially if I have anything to do with it.

My poster arrived on last week.  I had two printed up.  I gave one to my neighbour, who was very (very) appreciative of it.

Angry Water

The wet season has hit the tropics in a big way.  It has basically been raining non stop since Saturday, bar a few lovely sunny hours on Sunday.  So the humidity doesn't give up along with the rain.  I am addicted to watching the rain radar on my phone...  The screen has been seeing a load of green with flecks of orange. 

Back at the start of September I had taken my parents up to see Barron Falls, not far up the road (about a 25 drive away).   This is what the Falls look like during most of the Dry Season.

Then the other week when the girls and I hit the Kuranda train, which stops at Barron Falls, I didn't even really bother to take a photo of the falls.  More like a little trickle.

Hard to believe that was only a few short weeks ago.

This was the Barron Falls today...

 As soon as the girls and I stepped out of the car in the carpark you could hear the mighty roar.  I couldn't wait to see the water!

Spectacular.  I have never witnessed the Falls like that as I have never driven up during 'the Wet' to see them.  Worth the drive up, that was for sure.

And The Baby Turned Three...

Can't believe my baby turned three, coming up to three weeks ago.  My parents were still visiting which was nice as they got to spend the day with her, on her birth day, something that had not ever happened before, as we were living in Abu Dhabi.  

One thing Lily wanted to do was visit the local zoo.  So we did.  With Monet at school and MrL at work, the remaining four of us went.  

For some reason or another, Lily has decided that she really likes Dingos.  She was rapt to see them animated at the zoo, giving their howls.  I can only imagine how it must sound across the desert in the outback in the evening.  *scary*

And the birthday girl wanted to feed the kangaroos.  It was a pity they weren't really hungry on our visit.

But all the walking around made our three year old hungry so a bowl of hot fries, washed down with some chocolate milk from the cafe, did the trick.

Later in the afternoon, after school pick up, we popped on our party hats and began celebrating...

There is a few things my girl loves.  Besides Dora The Explorer.  She loves Cheese and Bacon Balls, Chicken nuggets, cocktail frankfurts, teddy bears, balloons, Barbie Dolls and skirts, made by me.  =)

She also is still very partial to sucking on her dummy (urgh!) and sticking her hand down my top! Or up my sleeve!  And if it isn't her hand it is her foot!  (I kid you not.)  And when I am unavailable, she comforts herself by doing the below pose...

A hand down her own top!  Nepolian.  =)  She is still very much a Mummy's girl, who loves to give hugs and kisses and cuddles.  It is very sweet.  She's so funny and has a real little personality of her own.  She was a joyous two year old and I am pretty sure she will continue being a joyous three year old.

And of course, every three year old Dora fan MUST have a Dora Birthday Cake.  *heehee*

Views

*I know*  (Three weeks later I decided to do a post continuing from the previous post!)

I love the below photo I took when we (my parents, Lily and myself) were up at Kuranda.  Pretty sure the framed silk painted hibiscus was placed there on purpose....

The drive down the Kuranda Range towards Cairns never seems as slow going, as it does going up.  

Along the way you get little glimpses of the Coral Sea and then there is a spectacular lookout before the final descent, which overlooks Cairns, or more specifically the flat lands of the International Airport in North Cairns (the serious of white buildings in the middle of this photo) to Trinity Park, just south of where we live....

On a sunny day, the view really is something but always difficult to photograph.

Barron Falls...more like a Trickle

During the week I took my parents up to Kuranda.  It's a good 25 minute drive from our house on the Northern Beaches, through the Kuranda range (a 13 kilometre windy road at 60ks/hr).  I detoured to the Barron Falls.  Lily and I had visited there a while back and knew my parents would like the walk and views.  I was correct in thinking so...

The initial view you get after a 50 metre walk is this...

I am positive that during 'Wet Season' that view would definitely take your breath away.  The Falls are quite famous for how powerful it is and how much water passes down the river.  But during the 'Dry Season' it trickles.

Along the boardwalk through the tree tops, you're never quite sure what you'll come across.  A Rhinoceros Beetle for example...

The trail you follow leads itself across a pedestrian bridge to 'Barron Falls' train station.  The railway is a pretty famous one in the tourist industry, due to it leading through rainforest (only accessible by the train - which there are two only) and past waterfalls and the like.

Well, we could not have timed our venture up to Kuranda and the walk we were on any better.   I said to Lily "Oh, I think I can hear the train coming"....and sure enough, two minutes later what do we see coming along...

I'm not sure who was more excited - Lily, Grandma, Grandad or myself! *heehee*

"Wave to the train Lily!"  She did and the train driver waved a big wave back and tooted the train horn.  Pretty special.

The train is really long, I can't tell you how many carriages (seems like at least two dozen).  The train stopped at the station and the tourists piled out for a photographic opportunity.

We stood at a lookout and took some photos ourselves.

That was before we were bombarded with a handful of the train's travellers on our viewing station...

We knew then, it was time to walk the trail back to the car park.  =)