Out of the frying pan and into the fire…..sort of. More like into the pool. We managed to experience the hottest January on record while we were house sitting in Melbourne and now we are soaking in a 1 in 100 year monsoonal rainfall here in Northern Queensland in February. Perhaps not what we had in mind when we thought, “Lets go see more of Australia”. But hey, it is all part of the experience. What it has allowed us to do is sit back and catch up on planning and paperwork for upcoming trips and once again take time to notice the amazing nature all-around us in our own backyard. Watching the antics of the Willie wagtail, above, as it tried to cope with the rain just made us happy to be in a position that we did not feel we had to head out and see the sights no matter what because we only had one or two weeks of holidays to enjoy our destination. This is one of the many serendipities of a house sitting lifestyle.

Bush Stone Curlews
Just over our back fence in the parkland behind our house we have dozens of these Curlews nesting and walking about. Funny looking birds with their most unique feature being their cry. Check it out here, much like a child screaming bloody murder. Soothing…not!
Kookaburras
While relaxing in the pool these two kookaburras landed on the tree right above me and started serenading each other. Amazing to watch and hear.
Ulysses Butterfly
You may see a pattern here. While cooling off in the pool, this Ulysses butterfly came for a short visit. Absolutely stunning colour to behold.
Peeping Bug
While reading at the outside table I noticed this little fellow keeping an eye on me. I love the detail in its armour.
Nesting Plovers
This pair of Plovers (Masked Lapwings) are keeping our lives interesting. The female has laid her eggs on the lawn across the street and the male patrols the roadway to protect her. He squawks and swoops at all pedestrians and vehicles that come down the cul-del-sac.
Freshwater Crocodile
With the rainy weather subsiding we are looking forward to exploring and sharing the sights around Cairns. Stay tuned for our interaction with some of the more interesting residents of this region.

 

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

1 comment on “Monsoon Season

  1. Mark Beaven

    Interesting as always.
    Much appreciated.

    Thanks for keeping in touch and being so informative.

    Take care

Leave a Reply

%d