Ahhhh...That's Better!!

Back together - at the Singing Ship monument to James Cook outside Yeppoon.

After all the weeks of sitting at home with the broken foot and talking to Captain G on the phone as he described the azure waters of the ocean and beautiful Queensland its more than nice to finally be here! 

And what a great first day it has been!  My Captain was there at the Rockhampton Airport when I arrived.  It was so good to see him again....lots of hugs and smiles from both of us!

I haven't actually been to the boat yet.  I've just seen the marina for a few minutes when we stopped by there long enough to collect my other shoe - which was left unceremoniously when my left foot was wrapped in a cast in Port Stephens so long ago.  Then we went straight to Megan and Brian's house.

We are staying with our wonderful friends Megan and Brian who have a lovely home just a short drive out of Yeppoon.   We don't get to see them often - in fact we hardly see them at all because they've always lived somewhere outside of Sydney - so when we do actually spend time together it is precious and always memory making. 

They have a lovely home in a tropical setting on top of a hill.

On the front porch looking out through the trees to the hinterland hills in the distance.

Last night Brian made a fire in the chimera in the back yard.  We drank champagne - and enjoyed a "nibble platter plate" of cheese and dips then talked, laughed and watched the moon come up over the trees.  The feast then moved inside where we sat down for a spectacular dinner with reef fish and roasted veggies from the local growers...and more wine + laughs.  The big Australia vs UK/Ireland Lions rugby match was due to start after dinner so we moved to the sofa to watch the game.  Megan made a killer dessert of mixed berries, Cointreau and ice cream just to top off the night.  We all went to bed stuffed with food and glowing from a lot of hugs and love and laughter. 

The morning sun was bright and warm....such a welcome change from the Sydney weather.  Megan and Brian made a spectacular platter of Queensland fruit with Yogurt and a big pot of tea to start the day.  We sat outside again and they pointed out paw prints from the wild dogs that checked out the fire site once we had gone to bed.  This is quite an area for animals we were told.  As we had our drinks last night there were 4 bush turkeys roaming the perimeter and they told us there were lots of kangaroos, wallabies, dingos and snakes all around in the bush. 

Brian and Megan out the front of their house after coffee and muffins!

After breakfast and a lovely morning B & M took us on a tour of the area for a look at all the inlets, homes and beauty of the area.  You can see island after island from the shore...its a tropical paradise!



The marina 'Southern Belle' is in with islands in the distance.

Time to stop ... its time for champagne again!  Tomorrow Captain G and I will have an audit of the supplies on the boat and start to restock for the rest of the trip up to Cairns.