Moffat Rocks!

I just love this pic taken on my mobile phone's camera of "Rock Star" (!) Banx standing on the jagged rock pools at Moffat Beach last weekend.. We took time out from furnishing the little beach pad to get back to Nature.. the waves were about 4 metres high, the weather was dramatic and thunderous and it somehow brought back many childhood memories of spending hours at rock pools at the seaside, time just slipping away, imagination running wild as to whom or what lived in each little salty pool. The strata of the rocks is fascinating, years and years of water wearing away stone, producing a stunning natural slate floor! Soon enough it was time to get back to assembling flat pack bedside tables and we had to tear ourselves away....

Caloundra

As we strolled towards Bulcock Beach early on Sunday morning in search of coffee and breky, I was reminded of one of my favourite poets, Emily Bulcock. Her poetry is so visually stumulating, she was prolific, her love of the region easily recognisable in so many of her poems. What a wonderful woman too..kind and generous of spirit and very helpful on a practical level to young writers and children.. Below is an excerpt of one of my favourites of hers entitled simply 'Caloundra', it makes me see the place through new eyes..

She has dawns of wonder, and flaming sunsets!
When soft strange lights on the waters lie.
I have no words to paint the marvel
Of opal colours of sea and sky,
When the ocean chants to the day "Good-bye,"
'Ere back of Beerwah the last rays die!
The weird Glasshouses catch the glow,
Then dark with mantling purples grow!

If a painter stood at the gates of Heaven,
And caught the gleam of the streets of pearl,
Then, as they opened, glimpsed the vision
In the radiant eyes of some ransomed girl,
Watching the banners of beauty unfurl:-
He then might picture with artist hand
These rare rich colours on sea and land!

Dive Right In!

We got the keys! We have a stunning beautiful little beach bungalow at Moffat Beach on the stunning Sunshine Coast about one hour north of Brisbane - proud new house owners of a little place in a magical part of the world, where the sea glistens and they make the best soy cappucino's I think I have ever tasted!... and it's all ours. It is just too exciting for words! It's furniture-less, but who cares, the main thing is it will have a few beautiful select Banx original artworks (along with a card table and fold up chairs, after all, we had to get our priorities right!) We have been looking for such a long time, but wow! this has been worth the wait.. stay tuned for some pics as our beach project progresses from dream to reality..PS This pic is a Banx original that I just love, first painting to be hung in the new little pad called 'Dive Right In'... what a great lesson in Life.. just Dive Right In!! We did! I can thoroughly recommend it!

The Boys

How lucky are we... although we don't have a pet, we have a 'share' dog.. my niece's gorgeous black labrador Rocky comes over to stay and play most Wednesdays if we're free of client appointments. Rocky's a hit wherever he goes; he's even had a starring role on the Channel 10 weather report in the past; everyone loves him wherever you take him and Banx is no exception. Banx and Rocky are best mates and obsessed with each other. It's like they have some secret code language, half dog half man language, sometimes it's just in the wink of an eye, I've seen it! Last Wednesday was one of our hottest days on record in Brisbane so Banx took Rocky to the Brisbane River for a swim and cooling off, these pics are the results, love the shaking off water one! Aren't dogs and pets just the best therapy if you're feeling a bit flat, they take you out of yourself - Rocky keeps everyone thoroughly entertained with his antics!

The Simplicity of the Beach

I love the simplicity of the beach more than almost anything in the world (besides chocolate). Remember when we were little and someone said 'Come on, we're off to the beach', and all you needed to grab were your togs and a towel and if Mum could catch me as I flew out the door, a splash of sunscreen on the nose.... well now it's half an hour preparation time just to walk across the road to the surf! Check list.. sunscreen? hat? towel? extra t-shirt? thongs? book? spare change? mobile phone? spare undies? keys? beach umbrella? chair? By the time we collapse on the sand these days, groaning under the weight of the beach bag and its items, the sun is almost setting ha! well, not quite.. Even packing for my glorious week with Mum and sis at Coolum last week was bigger than Ben Hur. I have travelled and worked around the world with small suitcases, but last week needed our mini van to take everyone's "stuff" to Clubb Coolum!! And you know what... MOST, no in fact, nearly ALL of it remained untouched... books unread, CDs not played; DVDs unwatched (no TV watched at all); unfinished art pieces still not finished.. no jewellery worn; no make up put on for the entire week; no pretty flouncy dresses worn out at night (way too over-dressed), we three just sat mesmerised by the ocean view right across from our balcony (see pics above from our balcony) listening to the loud crashing waves.. we were literally drowning in the ocean's chant.. absolute sheer bliss! Who needs all that STUFF! I have to remember this as we start to excitedly decorate our new little beach bungalow at Moffat Beach.. the KIS principle.. Keep It Simple! A true escape from the mind clutter of our daily lives.. want a sneak preview of our bungalow's website.. www.moffatbeachbungalow.com Stay tuned!

Show and Tell

What did we do over Christmas.. well we had a wonderful family Christmas lunch, then we escaped to the coolness and serenity of Seaview Farm Retreat up at Mt Tamborine, sheer bliss, where the only visitors were the friendly kookaburras and alpacas (one alpaca was called Jamie... Jamie Paca of course!) and the view from our private deck was spectacular - the full length of the Gold Coast's distant shimmering lights could even be seen from our spa bath too! Local wine from Witches Falls winery completed the getaway, not to mention all the delish local produce.
But there is just one other thing we did over the Christmas break too.... mmmm, veeeeeery exciting, we bought a beach bungalow at Moffat Beach! Stay tuned....as it will be available for holiday lettings - it's GORGEOUS!

Two Loves

I definitely have Two Great Loves... I wonder if that means I have a split personality? I LOVE Paris and all that European culture has to offer but I also LOVE Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland... could you get more polar opposites? In October we were walking ten hours every day in the City of Lights and last weekend we were swimming in the Pacific Ocean, feeling sand between our toes (and everywhere else!)and wanting to live at the beach forever! Mmmm, now there's a thought.. 6 months France... 6 months Coolum... I will work on that one!