MIRANI

We moved camp on Sunday to be a little closer to Pleystowe, where Chris is working. Our new home is a caravan park ajoining the local pool in place called Mirani, a half hour west of Mackay. At the moment the pool is closed for winter but we have been told that we can be the first ones in when it opens in September! As soon as we drove into the park there were people there giving us directions on where to park and coming to say hello. It was very nice. It's a small town and everyone knows everyone so I'm sure we won't have any trouble making friends.

Everywhere you drive there is sugar cane as far as the eye can see. It blocks a lot of the landscape, but not for much longer. Monday was the first official day of the cane season so there were tractors getting started with the harvesting and trailers loading it on the wagons for the trains to take to the mills. Need to be careful now of all the rail crossings, the trains are very long but at least they go quite slow. Chris started his new job this week, and according to the stories he tells me it's not too bad and he's quite good at it. Unfortunately the weather has slowed work down and according to the locals it is "unseasonally wet" at the moment, which makes it hard to get on the paddocks to harvest the cane. What a surprise! Everywhere we go it's "unseasonally wet"!!!!! Starting to think we have created some kind of black hole which dumps Victoria's rain on us wherever we are!!! But it is nice and warm still, so that's a bonus.

Chris, I've lost the kids!!! Can anyone see them?

The kids decided to go dunking for apples. Here is Laura's attempt...and then the camera goes flat before Will can get it.

Finally VICTORY!!

There are lots and lots of green tree frogs around here. I had to chase one out of the shower cubicle yesterday before I was game enough to close my eyes and put my head under the tap! Chris also found this lovely little gecko who we thought might like to eat some of the ants and mozzies we get in the bus from time to time, so we put him up near the bag rack and every now and then we see him. Much to my disgust he has been named "Norbert", a very ugly name for a very cute little critter, but he doesn't seem to mind.

NORBERT, our resident gecko!

Well my windows are grotty and I am heading out to give them a scrub. Hi to you all and if anyone wants to write you can send mail "c/o Mirani Post Office, Mirani, Qld" (not sure of the post code) and they tell me it will find us! Chow for now, love the Stevenson's x x x