Kat, Duncan & Jen

We had an early night Wednesday on our return from Fitzroy Island, ordering Indian take-away on route home before Kat picked up Poppy the dog from friends who had looked after her during our absence.  The following morning, Thursday, Duncan cleaned all the swimming and snorkelling gear while our clothes were put through a wash, before we went out to stock up our groceries.  Jen and Kat took Poppy for a walk at Holloways Beach while I caught up with writing my blog so as not to forget the recent events.

I sat typing on Kat’s deck overlooking their beautiful garden. Although slightly overgrown due to the rapid growth of things here in the tropics, it is quite spacious, with a rocky waterfall feature at one end of their small pool, which also has a spa seat. After my morning jog, or during the day, a quick dip is a wonderful relief from the heat. In one corner of the back garden is a small chicken run where four chooks roost at night.  During the day they have the run of the back yard, coming up to have a chat, run after you or just check out what you’re are doing in the garden.  They are very friendly, even allowing you to pick them up and stroke them; they are quite characters. Poppy ignores them even when they chase after her. There is a back gate that opens to a track that runs along the back of the houses separating them from the tropical bush and a trickling stream.  Unfortunately it is also the habitat of mozzies and midges so I try to avoid it.  From the deck patio on the second floor of their modernised Queenslander you can also watch the spectacular enormous psychedelic blue Ulysses and Bird-Winged butterflies as they pass through the gardens.

Friday, and it seems every day after that, Jen and Duncan worked on her ute where she wanted to make some alterations. When you have been traveling in a vehicle like this for a while, there are so many little things you see that can be adapted and changed to suit your needs.  We laughed as I recalled that whenever we went out, we were calling into Bunnings, the two dollar shop, a camping or motor shop to get another item.

Saturday 8^th May, Kat was getting ready for her departure early Wednesday morning.  It’s a bit of a stressful time trying not to forget things and getting things in order before she leaves.  She put me on her car insurance as I was borrowing her car for some of the time she is away.  That night was their usual pizza and movie night.  Jen was in charge of choosing a movie that none of us had seen.  We eventually decided on Tom Hanks in News of the World which we all enjoyed, along with the individually made pizzas to everyone’s dietary requirements.

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I had googled to find a church near to me and asked Jen to drop me there at 10am. It was so nice to be around Christians again, having not met any along the way. I stayed on a bit afterwards to have a chat with some of them before walking home.  Jen did say she would pick me up but was in the middle of some serious shopping for the ute. It wasn’t a long walk, but it was hot and humid being the middle of the day, so a quick swim when I got back was a much-needed refreshment. That afternoon Kat took Jen and me to a plant nursery where we bought Kat a cumquat tree for her birthday, which is in November.

Monday 10^th May I was up early for a jog, exercises and a swim in the pool before breakfast, which is becoming a morning routine.  I’m finding the humidity here makes running feel more laboured.  I’m trying out a few routes to see which is about the right length. The first time I got lost but praise the Lord I had my phone on me to find my way back. I was very thankful the battery didn’t die before I found a familiar road. I was also stopping to do some exercises on the park bench but as it was beside the stream, I was attacked by mosquitoes and midges. I have subsequently avoided this area, preferring a children’s playground away from the bush, which is more ideal.

Monday night Duncan picked up his 14yr old daughter, Izzie, who stays sometimes during his swing at home.  She has a bubbly personality and is very chatty.

Kat’s FIFO work is in Broome, working on a cruise boat, which takes her away from home for 10 weeks.  During this time Duncan will also be away for 5 weeks, as he too is FIFO, a skipper working on one of the barges working with the oil rigs. It’s not an easy life for families who are separated for 3-5 weeks at a time.

Tuesday evening Kat took Poppy for a walk to introduce me to Natasha and Peter, whose pets and home I will be looking after until their return on the 2^nd of June.  Both Natasha and Peter are FIFO workers and were very pleased when Kat said I was willing to look after their 4 dogs, 1 cat and two tanks of tropical fish.  Natasha was leaving the following morning, Wednesday, as was Kat, but Peter was leaving on Thursday around midday.  I suggested I come around Thursday around 10am for a hand over.  The funny thing was I forgot what day it was on Wednesday, even though Kat left early that morning and I went around with a car full of my stuff.  Peter wasn’t there so I messaged Natasha as I didn’t have Peter’s number.  Peter rang me and we had a laugh over my mistake.

Wednesday I didn’t sleep well, but heard Duncan taking Kat to the airport very early.  Jen and I later helped Duncan in the garden.  Both Kat and he wanted to clear away much of the overgrown plants and trees which were classified as weeds. It was a mammoth task, taking two days, but it has made a huge difference.  The foliage which was chopped back or removed was later mulched and taken away. Things they classify as weeds here in Cairns, we in Perth nurture as precious house plants.  Maidenhair ferns grow wild along the bush tracks as do the arrow-head creepers and philodendrons.

Thursday was my first night with the menagerie of pets. I was a bit apprehensive, but they are good dogs most of the time. The cat avoided me for the first week, even though I put food down both in the evenings and morning. I did feel a bit sorry for the dogs though, as I didn’t spend much time with them till Saturday evening, when I was exhausted after our day out.

Friday, Jen wanted to give Duncan some time to himself, so we took a trip into Atherton Tablelands. We headed south, turning west at Gordonvale, up the Gillies Highway, which twists and winds through the mountains, where we stopped along the way to check out the view over the river and valleys towards the coast.  We turned off at Lake Barrine for my coffee and a slice of chocolate cake and Red Dragon fruit Kampuchea on tap for Jen. The cake was just like one Mum used to make.  As we were leaving, Jen realised she had not been served her Kampuchea.  The woman was very apologetic. I suggested she pour it into my coffee keep-cup so we could take it with us. She then topped it up, after Jen had taken a few sips. Knowing we were sisters, she said she was topping it up because I would expect a taste, seeing it was my cup. We laughed. As we wandered around the grounds, we admired their gardens, taking some seeds of a couple of plants we thought might grow well in Kat’s garden.

Our next stop was at Lake Eacham National Park where we planned to walk the 3km around the lake and perhaps have a swim. We were quite surprised at how cool it was, so changed our minds about the swim even though it looked very inviting and those already in said it was worth the plunge. The walk was beautiful. Massive native fig trees sending down enormous roots, wrapping themselves around the host tree. Various types of ferns growing along the path and birds calling amongst the tree tops. We even saw a fresh water crocodile basking itself on a fallen log.  We pointed it out to another walker who was a local, however, we were surprised to hear her say it should be removed.  Both Jen and I believe this is their native habitat and should be respected as such.  Unlike the dangerous salty, the fresh water croc is timid and will try to keep away from humans.  It was a long way across from the swimming area on the other side of the lake.  Not far from the swimmers there was a turtle-viewing platform where we saw quite a few turtles coming and going amongst the fish, which we later read had all been introduced and had eaten all the smaller native fish.  After eating our pink pomelo for a lunch snack we drove on to Yungaburra, where we stopped at the information centre.  Looking back, I can see we were led by the Lord. We weren’t going to stop, but I’m glad we did, as here we were told about a local platypus viewing area along a creek, just out of town.  Parking the ute, we walked along the track, wondering if we would actually see one this time.  We did! It was such a special time just sitting quietly beside the stream watching a lone platypus coming up to the surface to nibble on what he had caught in the muddy waters below. We knew when he was about to surface as we saw the little air bubbles rising before he emerged. All of a sudden, there he was just paddling along the surface before doing a duck dive back into the murky waters.

Our next stop was just past Atherton at the Nut World.  Here I bought my second Soursop.  This one looked much riper and when I eventually opened it, it was delicious.  I really do miss tropical fruits when I’m in Perth.  They are so expensive there, except for bananas which surprisingly, for somewhere that grows them, Queensland has VERY expensive bananas unless you buy them from roadside stalls. We also bought some freshly roasted macadamias.  Oh! They were so much better fresh!  That was our last stop before we headed home, as we didn’t want to arrive too late.  When we got back, we ate a quick Asian style vegie soup before I headed to my new abode.

Jen thought she would take Poppy the dog for a quick walk, escorting me part of the way home.  Firstly Poppy wouldn’t leave the carport until I had caught up with my belongings, then walked ok down the road and across to the park where Kat and I had been with her when I came to meet Natasha and Peter.  I turned off to walk up the road to avoid the mosquitoes and Poppy sat down and refused to move.  I came back to help Jen get her back across the road, then turned to go.  Poppy again refused to move, so I came back and made it look as though I was coming with them. She was ok till she realised I wasn’t coming. I couldn’t stop laughing. Jen wasn’t impressed.  In the end I had to walk all the way back to the house with Jen and Poppy, before walking back alone.

The day before Jen left for her yoga retreat was a Saturday. We planned another day out to give Duncan some time with his daughter and a break from the sisters. I had slept better, so went off for my morning run, returning to Duncan and Kat’s place to exercise and swim before getting dressed and walking back to my housesit for breakfast. By 9am, I drove Kat’s car to pick up Jen and together we headed into Cairns central to take a look at Rusty’s Market. These markets are open Friday to Sunday 5am – 6pm and have an amazing amount of fresh fruit and veg produce; it could have been anywhere in Asia.  I felt at home, especially amongst the Thai food vendors. Jen and I made the most of the Thai food available, choosing the papaya salad as well as several treats on sticks. I stocked up with vegetables for the next week living on my own.

We walked to the esplanade where we ate our snacks before exploring the foreshore. People were taking advantage of the free swimming at The Lagoon pool. Unfortunately, we had forgotten to bring our bathers, but at least I knew for next time. Further along was the Muddy’s Playground with water features for children to play in. Here, Jen and I stopped, before walking all the way back along the foreshore, then into Cairn’s Central where we had 3hours of free parking. We had 15mins to spare so called into the Japanese Two Dollar shop for a quick purchase. Unfortunately, Jen had to return just as we were leaving the centre, as she had forgotten something.  Her quick rush back making us just a few mins over our time which meant we had to pay.  Still it was only $4.00.

Stopping to drop off my groceries, we then went on to see if we could find a few more things Jen needed for her ute from Kmart and Bunnings, returning via the nursery Kat had taken us to previously. We were looking for the plants we had seen yesterday on our drive, but were unable to find the specific one we wanted. We had picked up a few begonias and portulacas, another pretty groundcover for around the pool area while we were in Bunnings and which was much cheaper than the nursery.

I dropped Jen at Duncan’s with the plants, then headed off to give the dogs a bit of a run in the park area behind the houses.  I didn’t have much energy to throw their ball.  The Lord was once again very gracious, sending me one of the neighbour’s children and her two friends who took it in turns throwing the ball till they were called home. By then the dogs were exhausted, so I brought them in for a feed.

Sunday I was up early again, heading off at first light, dropping a clean change of clothes at Duncan’s before continuing my run. I was surprised no one was awake, even after I’d had my swim, So I left, planning to return later to say good bye to Jen who is off for a few day at a Yoga retreat and then two days with a friend here in Cairns, before returning to Kat and Duncan’s place.

I put a load of washing out before going to church. Once again I enjoyed the praise and worship time. There was a guest speaker from the Gold Coast visiting who gave a challenging message. After the service I sat sipping on a hot cup of herbal tea waiting for someone to come over to chat.  Everyone seemed to be preoccupied with other members, but eventually someone came and introduced themselves, then excused themselves as other ladies joined me.  It was lovely getting to know some of the locals who had moved here from other states over 20yrs ago.  When I mentioned how cold it was getting and the need for a blanket on my bed at night, one of the ladies said it was minus 1 during the night.  I looked shocked, saying I didn’t think it was that cold!  She then explained anything below 20 degrees Centigrade was a minus here.  We both laughed.

Sunday I cooked my first meal at my housesit from some stock I had made from the prawns heads and shells left over from the fried rice I’d made for everyone earlier in the week. Using the prawn stock, I made Tom Yum soup from ingredients I found in the garden; chilli, Thai basil, lemongrass plus that which I bought from the market and some from the pantry.  It was nice to be back eating early instead of after 6pm, which is the norm at Duncan and Kat’s home.

This week I will be settling into a different routine of feeding and exercising animals. Quite a different pace to what I have been used to, but I’m sure there will still be some adventures ahead.

Photos:  1. Exotic tropical plant    2. Kat, Jen and me    3. Poppy    4. Jen and Duncan gardening    5. Maidenhair ferns growing along trail    6. Multitude of fig roots    7. Stingray sculpture along Cairns foreshore    8. Portulacas and the hens.

Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for providing time with both Kat, Duncan and Jen together. Even though it was such a short time with Kat, it has been lovely.

Praise the Lord for providing accommodation for me while in Cairns and for being able to help someone in exchange.

Please continue to pray for my stay in Cairns, for the Lord’s leading on where I’m to go to from here.

Please continue to pray for Jen and Kat to come to know Christ’s love for them. Pray for Kat working off Broome and for Jen as she and Dave prepare to journey north to Darwin.