A couple of update photos and signing off till 2017

Hi everyone, decided to sign off till 2017 just a bit going on which I will share at bottom of post. Since my last post at the end of September we have been to Brisbane to visit our daughter and other wonderful friends.  This is looking to the Brisbane city form Kangaroo Point.

Just love this photo my husband took of this bridge crossing Brisbane River.

After Brisbane we continued on to Medowie (NSW) to visit my husband's family.  Our brother in law breeds snakes.  Here are a bunch of eggs incubating.

Sorry don't remember the name of the snake and no I didn't take any of these photos as I was standing on the outside of the shed looking in.  :-)  Part of me would like to be able to handle a snake but the part that doesn't want to overrides big time.

However, my husband does not feel the same and as you can see by the photo he is quite enjoying this experience.  Pretty snake.

This is a view of Newcastle from Anzac Walk.

The ocean view on the other side of the Anzac Walk.  So beautiful….the photo doesn't show but it was blowing a gale and we were literally getting pushed along the walk by the wind.

End of October we took a three night P & O comedy cruise on the Eden Cairns to Cairns.  Since we didn't have to pay for airfares anywhere to connect for a change we booked into a suite.  Very nice.

Leaving Trinity Inlet, Cairns.

The marina in Trinity Inlet, Cairns.

This cruise had no ports to visit.  So not much to take photos of other than the ship and the birds.  It is true you do know when you are close to land when you start seeing birds.  Middle of the ocean there are none.

Our half way point where we anchored off for about half an hour.  This is Willis Island which has grown from broken coral and bird poo.  The Australia Bureau of Meteorology has a Weather Monitoring Station on the island which gives us earlier advice of cyclones.  Manned by four weather observers doing six month stints at a time.  As pretty as it looks I don't think I could do six months.  Two months no problems, I would miss my friends and family too much. 

Leaving Willis Island.

Now family stuff.  My Mum had a heart attack Saturday, 6th September but luckily with two stents she is back home and taking life a little slower and accepting help.  Two weeks later my very close girlfriend that I have known since school lost her Mum due to a stroke.  So unexpected.  

This is a photo of me with my Dad on Father's Day as he was staying with us when Mum had the heart attack.  Sadly, Dad went into hospital on the 1st October due to issues associated with his Prostate Cancer and is now in Palliative Care.   I have my fingers crossed that he waits until my sister flies into town and gets to visit him.  Luckily the Palliative care is literally 5mins down the road from me so I can visit Dad often….although it is sad seeing him slowly slip away.  This is the reason, I am not even going to attempt blogging for the rest of this year.  I'll just spend time with my family and friends.

See you in 2017. :-)