I love the colours that seep out after sunset at the beach. This afternoon we walked along Coolum Beach as the sun was going down. Even though it’s winter, the water is still quite warm, and there’s always something interesting to discover on the beach!

Congratulations Harrison on climbing Mt Coolum with me this afternoon.

There were some pretty steep rock faces to scale. Well done, my boy, for making it to the top, and back down again.

The views of the Sunshine Coast were spectacular.

Today I took Liz and the kids up there so they could enjoy the views too.

Someone who visited prior to us left this impressive rock sculpture looking out over the farmlands below.

Liz captured this fascinating perspective looking down on a farm, which illustrates how high up we were.

It was really sweet to watch Harrison help Lilly get back down the steep track. Liz took this picture and suggested they looked like Hansel and Gretel in the woods.

There are some beautiful fern meadows at the top of Ninderry. As Liz and the kids walked back down the hil, they seemed to disappear in a sea of ferns.

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Some of the clouds were amazing.

The Headland

Some tracks on the sand

This is the mythical sandman of Coolum Beach who helps all kids want to go to bed early. Thank you Mr Sandman!

Crikey! Lilly tames a savage crocodile

Harrison and I took advantage of the trip, brought our bikes and explored the Boondall Wetlands while Liz and Lilly saw the show. It ended up being a real family affair because Lachlan phoned us and asked if he could join us.

Harrison and I were having so much fun that we asked Liz if she could drive home, and we’d ride back.

As you can see from the photos, it was a glorious day.


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There’s something spiritually regenerating about walking through a forest. I feel like I’m “soaking up” the peace as one of the trees would soak up the rain. They seem to live at a different rate from us. Our lives come and go many times over while they’re still growing, reaching up to the sky and sighing in the breeze.

A majestic example of the strangler fig growing at Mt Nebo along the Boombana boardwalk.

This specimen is approximately 400 years old.

These trees begin life as vines, taking root in the crevices of other trees. They grow and slowly envelope the host tree, “strangling” it, and growing up to 50 metres in height.

The view above as we walked through the Boombana rainforest walk at Mt Nebo this afternoon.

We went out via some old stock routes and came back along the shoreline of one of the local lakes.

He kept up pretty well. I’m aware that sometime in the next ten years our roles will probably be reversed and I’ll be keeping up with him pretty well.

For now I’m content to show my boy some of the fantastic tracks around our area that you never see when you speed by in a car.

We have to slow down to enjoy beauty.

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We received a Toy Voyager in the mail recently. Carla is a cute little black bird all the way from cold Siberia. She’ll be staying with us for a few months and going on some adventures with us.

I introduced Carla to Lilly this afternoon, and the two of them instantly became friends.

Lilly showed Carla around our slightly overgrown but very green sub-tropical garden, and Carla obliged by perching on Lilly’s head.

If you feel like indulging your inner child, why not host a toy voyager for a few months? It will change the way you look at the world.

He’s doing pretty well on the hills too!

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For someone who hasn’t ridden more than 10-15km at a time, Ken handled this 60km ride really well.

I think all the nice food at the picnic might have helped too!


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