Out comes the sunshine to dry up all the rain !

Thank you Mariana and Olive for your good wishes, I am still safe and dry but what a stressful few days it has be.

Dr K lives in one of the inner city suburbs of Brisbane albeit one that was above the high water level but as a Mum (you are one for life!!!!) I was concerned and quite relieved when the river reached its peak and I knew he was safe at home.

The Gorgeous Boy was down in Caboolture with Mama and the Princess on the day that it flooded there and they had to evacuate temporarily as the creek at the back of the garden started to rise above road level. Its so hard when you are sitting a hundred or so kilometres away and unable to do anything except sit by the phone. I can empathise with friends and family of everyone affected first hand by the floods.

Here at the Farm the rains have stopped for a while but we are still waiting for the creeks to subside. They are taking longer than usual to go down. I went out this morning to investigate. A neighbour hitched up his trailer to his tractor and five of us rode down to inspect "Joes crossing". It was about a 4Km ride but the damage to the road (a dirt road) was quite a depressing sight with washouts in several places. I am sure that it will be a while before it will be built up and graded as there are so many more roads in the shire that will need attention.

Joes crossing is still underwater by about about a half metre of surging muddy water and the debris caught up everywhere is unbelievable. What is one the other side? No one quite knows at the moment because number one crossing (our last bridge to cross on our way out) is still underwater and no one from the village has been able to inspect the roads. Its definitely a wait and see game but the GB is impatient to come in and "rescue" me. For my part, I am really looking forward to seeing him again.....it seems to have been such a long time since I last saw him :-(

On a brighter note...the sun came out to play and the chooks went out for a scratch around. Tigs was out and about asserting his authority once again by barking at the deer, wallabies and horses and the weeds are coming out soooo easily. Once again....life is good :-)

It is such a shame Olive that now you have decided to sell up....you are having to wait around for a buyer. What's so great about living close to a "stupourmarket"? You can only spend so much time shopping! There is so much more to life than that.....give me life on the Farm any day.

Time for bed now. I think that noise I can hear, is the grass growing after all that rain and it may be dry enough to begin mowing tomorrow. If not I am sure there will be another chore waiting for me. ;-)

Hi Olive

Hi Olive....it has been so long since I have been here I didn't get to read you comment from last time. I have another sour dough brewing on the dining room table at the moment....I wont give up on my quest for perfection....yes ...I can relate to frisby like loaves :-) I am sorry to hear that you are thinking of selling up. It is tough to relinquish a dream because the body cann't keep up. I sometimes fear that is what will happen here at Bellavista. You can only take each day as it comes and enjoy every minute of it :-) I love your garden blooms :-)

Rain, rain go away, come again another day !!!!!

And still it comes ! Will this rain ever end? I think we have had enough this month already! I drove in here on the 9th of December...."Joe's" crossing was over by about six inches but that was OK. I can just about handle that (I am a whimp where running water is concerned). Since then I have made a quick dash to the big smoke (the GB took me out) on the Wednesday before Christmas to pick up the turkey and ham I had ordered and do ALL my xmas shopping.......I had three hours...I was a girl on a mission! We went in to the village on Christmas day to go to church and I have been here since then. Flooded in .......sometimes by my choice as I am not game to drive through flooded crossings but most times because the water is just too high for anyone to get out.

I don't drive through it when it looks like this!

Physically it is no problem, the house is up on a hill and I am "high and dry". I certainly have enough food in the fridge/pantry and veggie garden to keep going for a loooong time. The chooks are a little bedraggled but still laying enough to keep me going and I am working my way through the backlog of chores BUT I have to say ....I am over it! Is it just the "whinging pom" in me coming out? I think I am not alone. About 28 years ago, I complained to my darling and ever patient Gorgeous husband that "I am sick of blue skies". Everyday, I looked out of the window and the sky was blue. (I secretly longed for four seasons!!!)...sigh....I have learnt not to complain! (He took me first to Adelaide and drizzle and then to Jakarta to hot and steamy .....I try to just be grateful for what I have now!!!) I know I am so much luckier than so many people here in Queensland at the moment....at least my home is safe and dry but my neighbour phoned me today for a chat and told me her husband had informed her this could go on until August...talk about scaremongering.....my blood pressure rose in a flash.

To leave here I have two creek crossings and six bridges to get over just to get to the closest village.....we live in the next valley to Borumba Dam and we drive over a crossing that is downstream of the spillway. Yesterday the water coming over the spillway reached over 3 metres.......when.... I do get out... will the bridges still be there? How much of the road will be untouched by raging waters?

Part of the road that slumped into the creek last week.

The village I drive through to get out was flooded in yesterday and possibly still is. I know I am still the lucky one with so much horror on the TV about flood affected areas all around......BUT !!!!

Next Sunday is the Princesses 7th birthday......with gifts and parties and all that it entails. I hope not to miss it. We filled the pool (above ground) for her to swim in over the school holidays....she only made it up for 24 hours over Christmas and had to leave before the waters rose again....said pool now has to be emptied daily to avoid overflowing. My favoured footwear is gumboots (what a fashion statement) and the dog refuses to go out in the rain to pee ! On the upside....when I do venture out, the weeds that grow before my eyes do at least pull out easily. We are well into the favoured moon planting time for veggies and I am busily pulling out waterlogged and rotting plants.......pause for breath.........Thankyou......I have had my rant ;-) I think I can get on with it now. Thank you for your patience :-) I feel so much better :-)

ps. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas...the cards here are still to be posted!!!!! I wish you all the best for a bright and wonderful New Year.

With that out of the way.....here's to a new year of blogging :-)