Happy January and Blue Skies

It has been an eventful month and I've felt guilty blogging about our new house when so many people in my city and State (and country) have lost their homes and belongings. The good news for us is that despite having a riverfront property in Brisbane the water didn't reach our current or new house or any of our client's riverfront properties. It was a huge relief... and perhaps a combination of goodluck and good management?

We had a very chilled Christmas day at the Sugarcube and then Christmas Dinner and Lychee & Cranberry Martinis with a few other families at a friend's house. On Boxing day we received the best present of all... a new nephew called 'Bowie' and he is divine. We spent the day driving (13hours!!) to Airlie Beach constantly checking the BOM site and driving through floodwaters... who said that an X5 wasn't a real 4WD?

We spent 7 lovely days on Hamilton Island drinking Moet with friends, playing frisbee (and drinking Moet) on Whitehaven Beach (LOVE), snorkelling at Chalkies Beach and catching up with my cousin who is a skipper on the island. The drive from Airlie Beach on our return only lasted a few hours and we ended up having to fly home from Mackay and leave our car there until the flood waters subsided and the roads were re-opened (a few days ago). We saw some sights and met some very unfortunate people. The thing that I have been really impressed with are the positive attitudes of people who have lost so much.

The kids and I were in Sydney for 2 weeks while the floods peaked in Brisbane. Adam (with the help of some mates) had to move all of our furniture & belongings upstairs and board up the house until it resembled an ark. We had no power for 4 days and our street was evacuated. He then spent 4 days helping friends and strangers clean up the mud. There's still a long way to go and it is heartbreaking to see our beautiful city so damaged, but everyone is staying very positive.       

I haven't "moved back in" to our house yet. It looks like it's been strip searched, so I'm sorting through it, spring cleaning & filling charity bags as I go.

Pick the Builder's House

The park a few doors away went under

 This is at the start of our new street

 This is the boardwalk at the back of our house

 Our fence and steps from the boardwalk

Thank God it didn't peak at the expected level (1m higher)!!

Our city cat terminal

The old ones stayed where they were & all of the new ones ended up in Moreton Bay

The Jetty

No water is getting into our house!

Helping clean up and rescue wine at Jellyfish Restaurant in the City

Grange Anyone?

Somewhere down there is a carpark!

January 22nd and the cleanup continues. 

Our new bedroom is a good vantage point to see the tugboats in action

This is another section of our beloved bikeway being towed away from the city

Our bedroom.

The hardest part of this has been deciding on (and agreeing on) where our bed should go. It's going to be built in with lights/electrical, flip down roof mounted tv, facing the river and off centre to allow for a sitting room to the right. Once it's there it'll stay there so it has to be just right!)

These windows are huge and will capture the morning sun and that valuable northern light. There'll be large helical fins angled north-east for light and privacy.

The kids are getting very skilled at ladder climbing

 Kitchen, living room and dining room taken from the deck

The scrap pile is like a pile of treasure to the kids. They made aeroplanes out of these scraps

The front of the house has black tinted glass windows which look like a mirror from outside. Adam's idea & I really like it!! We'll get morning sun without too much heat.

Oh Hi!!

This is my new camera. I can't tell you how much I LOVE it!

 The kids are up on the roof again

 Brown river/green pool.... noice!

No swimming just yet peoples!

 Another king tide

 All of this scaffold & ladder climbing has left me parched! 

Down to our local for a Pinot Grigio or 2 and some snapper.

       J xx