The August 2007 floods

	Thursday night we started to have water pooling in our front yard. This is the drain along the boundary at the gate
	and further up the block
	and there was water draining across the block
	and the pond was starting to overflow
	By Friday morning we had had a lot more rain (over 300mm in the 24 hours to 9 am) - see the gate posts in the distance
	and the view from the front verandah showed lots of water
	and the vege patch was a bit water logged (the water level has already gone down a bit)
	and the shed was getting close to flooded
	and the only way to go down the road would be in a boat (If you look closely you can maybe see next door's trailer)
	By Saturday morning the flood has started to recede and the rain is slowing down (only about 30mm overnight)
	and you can see where the flood went above the letterbox on the gate posts
	and after a walk along the path up the hill behind
	the sun and the brush turkey had even come out
	After lunch on Saturday we were able to walk to the gate
	and retrieve the bin
	though some neighbours found other ways to travel
	and by 4pm the yard looked normal and we should be able to drive out tomorrow

The Whales at Hervey Bay

	For our birthday present to each other we headed up to Hervey Bay for a trip to see the whales on a catamaran named Shayla
	The day was perfect - flat calm and sunny skies, so we motored out into Platypus Bay where the whales came to play
	The whales were in groups of two or three. The boat stopped near the whales, then everyone shouted and clapped to attract the whale's attention, and they came up to the boat
	They were so close to the boat
	even swimming under the boat
	The dolphins came to play too
	The whales continued to play
	and had some close encounters with fishing boats
	finally it was time to go home
	to the Youth Hostel in Hervey Bay after a wonderful wonderful day

Phuket June 2007

	In June we headed off on a Jetstar holiday to Phuket. We got upgraded to our own villa (definitely didn't pay for it) and lived in superior accommodation for our week there
	had a bedroom, living room, bathroom and dressing room
	and there was a very nice pool