Yesterday/today/tomorrow

Living in a small town is like living in a time warp.

About a month ago I was in the local supermarket and I bumped into a woman I was acquainted with, when I lived in Gordonvale, before my move to Sydney.
We exchanged the usual pleasantries and she then remarked that she'd not seen me around for a while. I laughed and told her that ' a while' constituted 4yrs.

Time just drifts here, without any really noticible changes. We only have two seasons...Wet & Dry. The Dry is Autumn & Winter. This year even Autumn was wet and Winter lasted two whole days, with a couple of chilly nights thrown in for good measure.

February to April is the time for Cyclones. It's muggy then and the mould grows like it wants to take over the world. The drumming of rain on our iron roof will lull us into a state of lethargy and we'll find a tendancy to 'go troppo'.

We have so many jobs to do before the Wet starts and it's really hard to get motivated enough to even start on them. Our garden has some really huge trees that need drastic pruning. Not a job for the average gardener. The trouble is, tree loppers charge an arm and a leg for their services. We could really use the wood chip for the paths in amongst the trees too. Nothing like recycling!

Yesterday afternoon was spent pulling weeds and raking leaves. This afternoon is going to be spent bundling branches from the mandarine tree and bagging the leaves from yesterday. Well that's what I'm going to be doing. Rob will be painting the dog kennel that my son, Karl, made. It's going to be Shammrock Green with a green colourbond roof. Nothing but the best for Madam Zelda!

Rob's settled into his new job at "The Cairns Post". He's back working to deadlines and keeping track of what the advertising team is up to. He's lost the nervous tic he'd developed working in the Centrelink callcentre.

Being on a really tight budget, Rob and I haven't had a lot of opportunity for social outings. Rob working for the paper has made it possible for us to get out and about to events we wouldn't have, otherwise, been able to. Three weeks ago we had free tickets to the premier of "Look Both Ways" and got to chat with the lead actor (William McInnes) after the movie.
Two weeks ago Rob's name was drawn out of the hat for two tickets to see the Australian Shakespeare Company's Rock production of "Much Ado" set in the Flecker Botanic Gardens in Edge Hill, Cairns. http://www.australianshakespearecompany.com.au.We took a picnic basket dinner and sat on a blanket on the lawn. The weather was perfect for the show and everyone had a great time...including the cast, who obviously enjoyed themselves.
Last Saturday we went to "Food, Wine & All that Jazz" held in the gardens of the Cairns foreshore...again, complimentary tickets. It cost us $20 for a food voucher pack, but we both, surprisingly, ate and drank well for that price. We had a lovely stroll along the Esplanade boardwalk.

It's amazing the work that's been done on the Esplanade while we've been away. Not only is there a fantastic lagoon for swimming (free) but they've put in a wonderful playground for children, called "Muddy's" - in the water playground the main feature is a giant Mudskipper and that's where the name comes from.
There is also a really nice cafe, where parents and others can have coffee or food while watching the kids. http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/tourism/esplanade_foreshore/muddys.htm

While we were sitting gazing out to sea and watching the moon's reflection on the waters of the Inlet, Rob remarked on how lucky we are to live where we do. He's right, it is beautiful. It's even better that we don't have to live in Cairns itself. Time warps have distinct advantages.

Vickie.

Posted by Midus at September 25, 2005 02:11 PM