Kenilworth Day Trip

Hubby and I were having a few wines on Saturday night when he became very interested in the whole cheese making process (could have just been the wine lol). When he mentioned a visit to Kenilworth and the dairy factory I thought it was a super idea. We are usually juggling kids and housework on the weekends, so the prospect of a Sunday drive with Paul (and no kids) was very appealing.

I had never been to Kenilworth before. It is a tiny township in the heart of the Mary Valley, sometimes more famous for the dam issue, than the beautiful Aussie countryside. We pulled over to the side of the road here to listen to the bellbirds. I had never heard them before and what an amazing sound they make - like lots of very loud bells. Amazing and yet dischordant at the same time.

At the dairy factory we got to taste the beautiful yoghurts - Mango and Macadamia - Yum!

There was also about twenty different varieties of cheese to taste - so we had to taste them all...ummm toothpicks please.

There were shelves lined with every condiment you could possibly think of...and many we hadn't. I didn't get a photo but there were pickled onions that guaranteed 1000 farts per jar...we didn't get those :)

Some of the condiments were locally made but many of them were from other rural areas of Australia.

We then took a walk down the main street. It is a popular spot for country weekend bikies - more the Road Hogs movie type of bikies with brand spanking new leather and bikes.

There was local art on display at the Tourist Information centre.

And a very quaint CWA type of craft shop...

I bought these beautiful copies of pencil sketches by local artist John Newman. I absolutely love Queenslander homes and these are just exquisite drawings. They had them framed in a collage frame which looked very impressive so that will be a project one day.

I located John's website (John Newman Artist) and found this lovely watercolour print of the local hall in Cooran, which is our nearest town.

I was very restrained and bought some yoghurt, amazing cracked pepper and garlic cheese...and some lime chutney, just because I wanted to know what it tastes like. It is tangy and spicy and goes really well with chicken...I can see a use for the lime tree coming up.

Ironically enough the place we visited that left the biggest impression on us was the Lasting Impressions Gallery. It is a fine art gallery in the middle of the main street that has been operating for 28 years, with an exclusive range of local and interstate artists represented. If you follow the link you will see some of the art that took our breaths away.

This is Paul's favourite painting by artist Ian Mastin

Wooden Measure with Bottles

And my favourite was this one by Greg Postle:

The Lookout

We were also treated to the exclusive company of the gallery director, Kaye Cathro, a charming lady with a European accent who knew exactly how everything in her gallery was crafted. I was particularly drawn to the blown glass displays and in particular the work of Richard Clements who crafts these exquisite perfume bottles:

This image is from Richard's website http://www.richardclements.com/gallery/small-bottles.html where you can purchase the bottles. They are just glorious and made from layers and layers of various glass designs. If you were ever looking to start a collection of something unusual (yes, that's a hint Pauly), or wanted to buy something special as a gift then I would recommend these. I could have played with them all day...very Aladdin-like don't you think?

The best part of the day though, was enjoying the time with my husband...away from the trivialities of life. It's been such a long time since we did that...and I can see us doing it more and more often.

Do you like to go somewhere you have never been and just wander around looking at things? It's nice to feast your eyes on something new and live in the moment...maybe I am getting the hang of this mindfulness thing :)

Fundraising for Cancer

October has been a busy month for cancer fundraising at our local Curves gym. Last week our trainers hosted a Girls Night In which raised over $300 towards breast cancer research. Approximately fifty ladies attended, bringing plates of food and drink to share. There was a fashion parade modelling Curves workout clothing and featuring members who had lost weight. I never strive to be the centre of attention so when I was asked to model some clothing I freaked out a little but it was all for a good cause and we generated a lot of laughs. We raised money by raffling donated items and by paying $5 each for a neck and shoulder or foot massage. Bargain. My daughter Lauren came with me (purely for the giggles) and thankfully did not take any photos. If you have not already done so, I would urge you to organise a Girls Night In. It does not have to be in October and is a good excuse to get together and raise money for an important cause.

One thing I discovered at this get together is that there is a kit to assist women with their breast self examination. It is called a Liv Aid and was designed with the assistance of cancer survivor, Olivia Newton John, hence its name. These have been around for a few years now and I wonder why I had never heard of nor seen them before. So, just in case you have not come across one, this is what it looks like:

At the Girls Night In the Liv Aid was placed over a few grains of sugar on a plate to demonstrate how you can detect the smallest lump. Amazing that you can detect a lump that small under your skin.

I purchased mine for $10 at Curves and you can buy them from the Liv Aid website. The best thing is...the money goes to breast cancer research.

The second cancer fundraiser event I attended this month was Relay for Life. If you ever get an opportunity to put together or join a team of 10-15 people for this event, I guarantee it will change your life. Basically it is an 18 hour relay where teams walk or jog from 3pm in the afternoon until 9am. We had various shifts based on when people could attend, and three teams participating. I am not sure yet how much we raised (close to $3000) through our raffles and sponsors but whatever the amount is, we have contributed towards the $15million raised for cancer research through this event since its inception.

I was really impressed with the thousands of people attending. Our venue was the One Mile sports ground and our task was to complete laps of the oval continuously for the 18 hours. The event started off with a lap reserved for cancer survivors and their carers, with everyone gathering around to cheer them on. Right from the start I had tears in my eyes. This event was not just a fundraiser, it was also a ceremony or tribute to those who were fighting or who had lost their battles with cancer.

It was a great opportunity to get to know the Curves girls better. The capes were our batons and all three had to be out on the oval at all times. One of the members made them for the occasion.

We all bought a length of Ribbon for $3 each and every time you did a lap you added a bead. In four hours I walked 27 laps of roughly 400m each. That's 10,800 metres or 10.8km! Wow, now wonder my legs are sore.

The highlight of the night for me was the lantern ceremony. We all gathered to light paper lanterns which were a paper bag with some soil in the bottom and a tea light candle. The bags had HOPE printed on them and you could write the name of a loved one you had lost.

It was the most moving experience, a beautiful ceremony with a choir singing and slide show of cancer victims in the background.

We then did a lap holding our candles and placed them around the oval. The end result was spectacular and many people were in tears, including me who chose to honour my beautiful step-mother Robyn who died of bowel cancer.

I am so glad that my journey is leading me out into the community. This event has been going on for several years and I have been missing out on something truly magical and very special. Thank you Gympie for being such a beautiful community and not only raising money for a worthy cause, but stopping to take the time to appreciate the battles being fought, survived and lost.

I feel truly blessed to have been a part of it and will for many years to come.

Have you ever attended an event like this?

Gympie Gold Rush Festival

I love my home town, Gympie. Even though I wasn't born here I can't imagine living anywhere else, and certainly would not want to. A true Gympie-ite will be the first to boast that the Gympie goldrush saved Queensland from bankruptcy. The influx of miners boosted the economy and turned the fate of Queensland around. It's hardly surprising then that we have a Gold Mining Museum and celebrate the goldrush every year with a festival. The Bendigo Literary Awards (where I received a Highly Commended certificate...couldn't resist the boast haha) are part of this festival. There have also been art exhibits, rickshaw races, the Great Art Debate, and the culmination...the Goldrush Parade.

This chinese dragon was popular with the kids

Belly dancing is very popular in Gympie

No parade is complete without bagpipes and drums

This couple conduct historical tours of Gympie in full period regalia

Colourful Tribal Belly-dancers

Clever High School Projects

The parade was lovely to watch and reminds you just how proud people are of their town and their community. The streets were lined with thousands of waving citizens, and kids chasing after lollies thrown from baskets. Despite being a little older now, the boys still enjoyed themselves...and the ice creams we bought at the supermarket.

During the week I did a mindfulness (see my post What is Mindfulness ) tour of Gympie, keeping my eyes open to recognise and appreciate the beauty of this town. Here is a pictorial of some of my favourite parts of Gympie, and its history.

The breathtaking colour of Jacarandas

The beauty of the Heritage Railway Station

Stunning architecture

Beautifully restored buildings

Distinctive and well-preserved Queenslanders

I love these miners cottages - this is two joined together with a walkway

We have had many picnics and bbqs at the Duckponds

I absolutely love lilypads. These would look awesome on my dam.

The beauty of stained glass, heritage green and natural wood

I hope you have enjoyed my pictorial tour of Gympie. I love reading people's blogs and seeing the images of where they live, especially those from far-away countries I have never visited. If you have done a pictorial of your home town please leave a link in the comments below for me to see....pretty please :)

Does your home town have a festival or annual parade?

Fitness Fun With My Boys

Fifteen years ago when I first discovered that I was going to have twin boys, I must admit I was a little freaked out. Initially because of the fact I was going to have two babies, and then because those two babies were going to grow into boys. OMG! I couldn't imagine having two hyper-active beings like my little brother Mark. Because I had a four year old daughter already, I really thought I was more suited to being a mum of girls. Silly thing, isn't it?

Last year when the skater dudes started high school

As you can imagine, the boys have certainly been adventurous. We used to call them Search and Destroy because they demolished everything in sight...on purpose. Now that they have grown into teenagers I have tried to find common ground with them, things that we can do together to bond, despite the fact that I am their Mum...and female. Last year the boys joined Little Athletics and I became an Athletics Mum, cheering them on at tournaments and taking them to training. This term I will be a gymnastics mum...just watching mind you. The boys are getting stronger, growing up and trying out new sports....and I can finally join in on some things with them.

With the flooding downstairs we eventually gave up on having a lounge room. Lounge suites are big and heavy things to cart upstairs, and they take up too much space. When we are all camped upstairs during a flood it is pretty squishy.

We had a ping pong table set up until we got bored with it, and now our lounge room is a home gym. 

                                     

The boys got this gym set from Santa a few years back. It has flooded twice as we can't readily move it, but it is still operational.

We all have bikes to ride around the farm. I am not really confident on the dirt road yet but have been for a few small rides down to the bridge.

I picked up this Elliptical Trainer secondhand and it usually gets moved outside to enjoy the view while training.

Last weekend the boys and I drove into town (Gympie) to check out an interesting area to train. Not sure if too many towns have one of these. I have not seen one elsewhere.

Interestingly enough, it is set up in the grounds of the Senior Citizens centre, but as it was 35 degrees we had the gym to ourselves.

Lachlan on the cross-trainer

The boys make great models for the gym equipment, I think. No bias there at all, ha. There are no weights. Most of the machines use perpetual motion and your body weight to function, so there is pretty strong resistance.

Cameron lifting his own body weight

It was lovely to spend some quality time with my boys. It's been several years since we have mucked around at a playground together. I used to love those moments when they were little and happy just to swing...hang on, that was Lauren....oh yeah the boys used to go nuts climbing to the top of things and scaring me half to death. Maybe it is much more fun now they have matured :)

Anyway, I am glad I was holding the camera and not them because no 46yo Mum looks great after working out in the heat...unless they are supermodel material.

What do you and your family do together? If you have teenage boys, where do you find common ground?