The hills are alive...

When the state was being drowned under floods of rainwater this summer, we were lucky enough to be 'trapped' catching up with family who live in the South Burnett region.

The kids love chillaxing in the country. What's not to like? They spend their days playing with their cousins, roaming my sister and brother-in-law's farm, swimming in their pool, and helping Grandma and Pa-Pa with the gardening. (I'm not sure how much they actually HELP, but they do have a ball getting dirty, digging potatoes, pulling up weeds, and collecting snails. We often come home with seedlings they've helped to plant into pots, and loads of Pa-Pa's home-grown produce.)

I also love shopping at Kingaroy, the largest town in the area. There always seems to be way more bargains at the shops there than in the city, and we do our best to support the local economy by stocking up on clothes and other goodies at a fraction of the price we'd usually pay. (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)

The only thing I really miss (and please don't stone me here), is a really good coffee. Until our last visit, I'd given up hope of having a decent coffee in the country. (I know, I'm a coffee snob, but we all have our weaknesses!)

This year, it was even more enjoyable, as my brother and his family were visiting from WA. The kids immediately picked up where they left off last time we saw each other (erm, that would be the previous summer!), and had loads of fun catching up with each other.

My brother had missed Dad's 80th birthday late last year because of work and distance, and wanted to do something memorable for Dad now we were all together again.

Now, when we were growing up, there weren't many fancy places to eat in the South Burnett.

These days, we're spoiled for choice.

 The Booie Bello Vista came highly recommended by family who live in the South Burnett. It was where my nephew and godson proposed to his lovely bride, and where people go for a memorable meal with stunning views.

A bunch of us descended on them one morning (and my lovely big brother 'shouted' the lot of us. For The Win!)

And I am happy to report my skinny mocha was divine. (Yay, I can now get my fix when I'm next in town).

As there were a group of us, and we were too late for breakfast and too early for lunch, the lovely waitress suggested a grazing menu, including breads and dips, seafood spring rolls, and other goodies.

I can honestly say this was the nicest food I've ever enjoyed in the South Burnett. Even better, the wait staff were attentive, informed, and accommodating, particularly for the kids, who kept changing their minds about what they wanted to eat and drink. (Okay, that was just Mr 10, but you get the idea. And they took his food allergy really seriously by checking with the chef that no stray nuts would pass his lips.)

I can highly recommend Booie Bella Vista as a dining venue that successfully combines city food with the charm of the country.

We'll be back!

The Booie Bella Vista. Shades of Tuscany, don't you think?

Miss then-7 loved the archways

And the scenery ...

My Mum and Dad - Grandma and Pa-Pa

Slushies for the kids

Dips and breads

Pancakes for the young ones

And chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice-cream!

A happy diner!

Mr 10 highly recommends the desserts!

Missy Moo having a Sound of Music moment!

A little eye-candy in the ladies' bathroom.

We're back

Cyclones and floods may have knocked us around, but Queensland is back!

Although people in the Tully region, south of Cairns, have been devastated by Cyclone Yasi, there is much of the state which has either remained untouched, or just a little bruised.

Those people in the cyclone's path really need our help, and the authorities are saying one of the best things we can do for our state is to continue to holiday here.

Or enjoy a weekend away. Or day trip. Or even shop at a local market.

 Tourism Queensland has announced most of our most beautiful regions are perfect again, and many operators are offering discounted deals to get the local economies running again.

A quick check of wotif yesterday revealed a two-bedroomed villa - not a hotel room - for just $99 at the gorgeous Rendezvous Reef Resort at Port Douglas. The catch? You have to stay at least two nights. Not exactly a hardship, right?

It's the same in popular tourist areas in the Whitsundays, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, not to mention Cairns and Townsville.

In Brisbane, areas like SouthBank and the famous Rocklea markets are re-opening.

So take advantage of the hot prices and help get Queensland back on track at the same time.
And at my personal blog MaidInAustralia, there are loads of giveaways to help not just the Queensland survivors of our natural disasters, but anyone who has been at the mercy of Mother Nature this summer.

So far you can win:

- A copy of No Chopsticks Required (My Family's Unexpected Year in Shanghai, by Katrina Beikoff (Finch Publishing)

- Two polo shirts from Stubbies new SunSmart range

- A dream blanket from celebrity baby wear designer aden + anais

- And believe it or not, Finch Publishing has given me a lovely pack of books to give away!  Fittingly, Finch publishes books that change lives! That giveaway is coming up soon, so stay tuned.

An email from the cyclone zone

Throughout Cyclone Yasi's approach, I was terrified for one of my BFF's and her family in Cairns.

She kept us updated via the internet until power died, and you can imagine how relieved I was when I finally got this email from her. (Edited slightly to remove names and places).

Liz Inglis has agreed to me sharing one of her emails with you. She's my first ever guest blogger, so please welcome her warmly.

"I finally got access to my computer today and realised what a lifeline it was during the cyclone.

Thank you for all the messages of support. We were lucky to maintain phone contact (mostly) during the cyclone to let everyone know we were safe.

It has been a harrowing few days and we were the lucky ones, with only minor damage to our roof, and a massive mess to clean up in the yard.

The worst was losing our sewerage system for 24 hours and not realising until raw sewage
started flowing out beside our bedroom!

We started to feel flat yesterday - I think the adrenalin was finally gone - and today was just sheer exhaustion. I can't imagine how people who suffered such major losses must feel.

On the night of Cyclone Yasi, we got the kids to bed at 7.30pm as we would normally. They were pretty hyped, but we read stories and then turned their music up quite loud.

C. fell asleep instantly, but M. took nearly half an hour of pats as she was much more aware of what was going on.

As I was patting her, I heard the croaking of the green tree frog which often resides in C.'s room, where we were all camping. (Bronnie: C's room was judged the safest room in the home, so the whole family camped there.)

We gave M. 15 minutes of sleep before T. and I went in armed with torches to flush him out. The frog happily went with T., and, like the previous two times we had removed him from his hidey hole in between C.'s books, would not get off him.

So T., the frog, and I sat in the lounge room watching the cyclone coverage.

The frog snuggled in to T's shoulder, as we watched  the broadcasts by Anna Bligh and Julia Gillard.

It was the first time we had faced a natural disaster where we felt there was someone leading. Maybe it's just because this was the first cyclone where we still had power. All previous cyclones had been spent glued
to a transistor radio listening to reporters relay information.

We lost power about 10pm just as T. had switched from cyclone coverage to cricket scores, so he was pretty unhappy with the timing.

The howling wind was loud but constant, so we were able to get to sleep.

I awoke at 2.30am when we must have been in the eye as it had gone quiet with just the occasional gust.

I couldn't get back to sleep after that as I was waiting for the other side of the cyclone, which was when we would get the stronger winds. The winds did increase, but not to the extent we were expecting.

Night time cyclones are the worst because you cannot tell what is happening outside and it just adds to the worry.

As the wind picked up, I finally drifted off to its constant howl until 5am, when T. let out a yell.

The frog had returned and decided to sleep on his head! Lucky it picked him and not me or the girls! C.  stayed asleep, but that was it for M.; she was as restless as the wind.

As daylight arrived I saw a large huntsman spider had also sheltered in the room with us.

The news reports told us to stay inside until lunch time, but the wind died down long before that, with just the occasional incredibly strong gust rattling through.

We could hear cars on the highway but we started getting the house back to normal. Most of the day was spent undoing all our preparations.

Thursday night was uncomfortable as a massive thunderstorm came through in the afternoon dumping 300mm of rain and freaking the girls out with constant loud thunder and lightning.

It was then that we realised our sewerage system had failed. When the storm finally stopped during the night the humidity was unbearable, and without fans, very difficult to sleep.

Friday was spent in the yard clearing an enormous amount of branches, and most importantly, fixing the sewerage system.

By late afternoon, we had had enough! We couldn't face an afternoon of work, so visited friends with power
and enjoyed dinner and drinks with them.

They tried to talk us into spending the night in their airconditioning but I was worried about the chooks not
being locked up and (our dog) Tiger, who we had locked in the house.

We went home to discover the power was finally on, but a snake had taken up residence in the chook house.

The snake was dispatched and we had the best night's sleep for a week until 6am when the chooks who had been sheltering under the house awoke.

T. did a head count, and none were missing so we went back to sleep until the girls woke us at 7.30am - a massive sleep-in for them.

The yard clean-up continued today while I washed for hours. We'll have dinner now and hopefully we will all be asleep early.

I'm looking forward to watching some of the coverage on TV. We haven't seen any yet and small black and white images just don't do it justice.

I think the journalist in me is still alive. It's funny, but I still wanted to be out there amongst it just like when I was working in newspapers.

I spoke to another friend who has given up journalism since having children, and she was envious of her photographer husband who was out capturing the news."

This is my friend Liz Inglis's account of her family's experience during Tropical Cyclone Yasi. Liz is a journalist, travel writer, Mum, stylist, editor, public relations consultant, and loads more. She is based in Cairns, and she is awesome, don't you think?

Liz Inglis

Nowhere NEAR where Queensland is

As Queensland reels from yet another natural disaster (Mother Nature must be extremely pissed off with us right now...) I couldn't help laughing when I saw this map of Australia courtesy of CNN.

Erm ... Tropical Cyclone Yasi must have been more powerful than we thought if Queensland has been transported to Tasmania. And what's happened to the rest of our state?

Seriously, my thoughts are with everyone affected by Yasi, which has been our most destructive cyclone yet.

My week of giveaways will begin next week (fingers crossed), thanks to some lovely sponsors. And I hope the week may extend into two weeks or longer ... but I'll keep you posted.

Giveaways are only for victims of Australia's recent natural disasters, or people who are entering on their behalf.

Details next week.

Rocklea Markets Rise Again

We love a good market over at MIA and NLQ.

One of our favourites in Brisbane is the Rocklea Markets.

On Saturday mornings, it's a great place to pick up bargain priced fruit, vegies and other produce. Often, we'll bump into friends to have a coffee or a wander around with, and there is always something naughty for breakfast. At times when seasonal produce like mangoes or strawberries are highly priced in the shops, we always come away with cases of them for small change at Rocklea.

On Sundays, Rocklea turns into a flea market, one of Brisbane's most established and iconic. The stalls change regularly depending on who's there, and what they have to offer. Sometimes you'll come home laden with bargains; other times you'll go home with nothing but an over-full tummy from eating too much for breakfast. (Or maybe that's just me...) But it's always worth a look.

Recently, they started Wednesday twilight markets too, which I'm assured are more relaxed versions of the weekend markets. (I've never actually been, so can't vouch for them myself).

In the recent Queensland floods, the entire Rocklea area went under, including the markets. However, an army of firies, SES workers and volunteers have been working tirelessly and I'm told the markets will reopen to the public on January 29.

Give them a good Brisbane welcome back by turning up and grabbing a few bargains in the process.

The kids had Christmas money burning holes in their pockets, so we went to the last Rocklea markets before they were flooded out. This was the scene as we waited for Miss 7 poffertjes. (Dutch pancakes).

We had to eat our breakfast undercover. (Ignore the Red Fanta bottles. I am sure they belong to someone else's children)

Mr 9 spent his money on a finch he named Cynthia. Mumma bought the cage as an early birthday present. (He's an Australia Day baby).

Miss 7 badly wanted one of these, but I told her the resident carpet snake might like them too...

Instead she spent her $10 on a guinea pig she named Star.

 Dogs like our foster toy poodle Zsa Zsa aren't allowed in the market area, but I couldn't help including a photo of her!

The Rocklea Markets are the best place I know to get cheap but beautiful flowers and roses

See what I mean?

 Fancy a budgie?

Or perhaps a guitar?

See what I mean about big breakfasts? (I haven't personally tried this one.)

Get your German smallgoods. If you look closely, you can buy buttbangers on the lower LHS. I'm not sure what they are, and I don't think I want to find out!

 More sausage goodness

Or some old-fashioned boiled lollies

Brisbane markets are at Sherwood Road Rocklea. Entry $1 per adult, free for children. Or $3 per car including parking. Trading hours 6 am-12 noon on Saturdays and Sundays, and 3.30-8pm on Wednesdays.

The power of many ...

Exhaustion. Looting. Bravery. Loss. Sheer hard work.

This week, this blog and my personal one http://http://www.maidinaustralia.com/ will be devoted to the efforts of the army of volunteers and kind strangers who have taken up the challenge to rebuild the areas affected by the floods. Mainly in Queensland, because that is where I am based, and that is where most of my contacts are based. (Update: Actually the devastation is so wide-spread I will be opening up the giveaways to anyone affected by Mother Nature's wrath, or anyone wanting to win something for someone who has been affected.)

If people in other states would like to contribute they are more than welcome by commenting below.

You don’t need me to bash out facts and figures and tales and reports. They’re all over the media, whether it be traditional or social.

Instead I thought I'd use this post to thank the peeps who are showing great strength, wisdom, love and sometimes even humour in doing their bit, often thinking outside the box when it comes to helping out.

Social media, and radio, television and newspapers to an extent, have provided a constant stream of offers and calls for help, putting people in touch with each other.

Here are a few of the quiet achievers who are making a difference.

- Counsellor Karlene Bradley is offering free counselling for anyone affected by pet loss in Qld. As long as you can afford the phone call to her on 0439 002 812, the counselling is free. Leave a message if you can't reach her, as she's still working, and is fitting in the free counselling around her other commitments.

- In the Ipswich area, top Mum Mummatopia Cas is putting together a massive Qld Flood Relief Appeal with a little help from her friends. It will be the 'Mumma of all Flood Relief Raffles', with as many $150 prize packs as they can lay their hands on thanks to Ipswich locals and businesses. More expensive prizes will be raffled off as individual goodies. Every cent will go towards the Premier's Flood Appeal. Tickets $10 each!

- The Purina Advice Centre is provicing information and support to those who have found animals who need help and care, but are unable to get to a vet straight away. You can phone them on 1800 738 238.

- There’s a Facebook page for animals lost and found in the Qld floods, with the aim of reuniting pets with their owners as quickly as possible.

- On Tuesday at the RNA showgrounds, there were free tetanus vaccinations until 10 am for anyone affected by the floods or the clean-up.

- Children haunted by the trauma are receiving special grief counselling at the Grantham State School evacuation centre. A makeshift creche has been set up at the school, with activities and games to try to dlet the children be kids again. Toowoomba ice cream vendor Dave Pemberton, of Toby's Kiosk, helped lift children's spirits by arriving with free ice-creams for all.

- The wonderful @digellabakes has put together an army of wonderful bakers to help get healthy and nourishing meals and snacks to those involved in the floods and the clean-up. Check out Danielle’s website Digella’s Emporium more information. Another kitchen angel @melkettle has been instrumental in the plan and has her own blog The Cook’s Notebook with loads of info too.
The relief effort has been so well-received it has its own baked relief website.

Courtesy of @BrisbanePlaces, who retweeted Brisbane Places @NotQuiteNaomi who announced that Arrivederci Pizzeria. Park Rd, Milton would serve up free pizza to those with ID from 6-8pm tonight (Tuesday January 18).

- Behind the scenes, 4BC producer, twitterer, yummy mummy and all round good person @Annieb25 has been on top of everything, tirelessly tweeting out calls for help and answers. Like a few below....

RT @organiseme: Kids you know lose books in the flood? Riverbend Books will give books to help out http://ping.fm/EvhiG


If u have a PO box at an affected PO u can have ur mail redirected for 12 months free. U can organise at an operating Aust Post

Annie's beautiful website Life and Dandilions has loads more information, and of course you can follow her on twitter too (@Annieb25).

Readers, have you your own flood angels who have not yet received the recognition they deserve? Please feel free to add your stories in the comments form below.

In the next few days, I hope to canvas all my contacts and nag them into ask them nicely to donate prizes for a huge bloggie giveaway for all those affected adversely by Mother Nature recently. Lots of lovely comments will give me the ammunition I need to show them that people will read about their generosity and their products/services by joining my bloggie giveaway.

Stubbies schoolwear have already come on board - thanks mates - and I hope to have more prizes soon. You can follow them on twitter @Stubbies and like them on Facebook. 

Once I have enough goodies, there will be one post and one giveaway per day, with about a week to enter for each. This is so the products are not buried in one long post, but given a post of their own each day and the following week. I will also be tweeting about the companies who are generous enough to donate.

I think I have another sponsor on board, so stay tuned. And if you'd like to donate, you know where to find me.

Until, stay safe and be kind to each other ... xo

Qld flood angels

The other night, I dreamt I was being evacuated. (Don't be rude. I mean being asked to leave my home).

There were SES volunteers in a boat outside my house telling me to leave NOW.

All I could think of was that A. I desperately needed a wee, and B. I desperately wanted to grab my laptop.

(Note: Both in real life and in my dream, the kids were with their Dad, and high and dry. Otherwise I would have grabbed them. Obviously.)

Anyway, my laptop is the keeper of most of the really precious things in my life, like my writing, contacts, and photos of my kids and pets. It’s a link to work, friendship, family, information, and it’s invaluable to me.

But no, the rescuers said, there was no time, I had to leave then and there, full bladder or not. (Possibly, in real life, I did have to wee. It is amazing how my bladder manages to make an appearance in many of my dreams.)

But I digress. Before the Dream Bronnie could wee, or grab my computer, the real Bronnie woke up, breathing a sigh of relief that it was only a nightmare.

But for many thousands of residents in Queensland, and now NSW, WA, and VIC as well, my weird-arsed dream has been an incredibly horrific reality.

Survivors had hours, sometimes minutes; to climb, run, drive, or even float to safety. Sometimes they quickly paused to grab something, anything. Sadly, a few people paid for these split decisions with their lives.

Others made it to safety with only the clothes on their backs and a couple of precious things, like their ID or their wallets. Or they died trying to keep their most precious belongings – family, friends, pets – alive.

Can you imagine the terror, the absolute trauma of having, to make split second decisions that could either keep you alive, or not? Or worst, your family?

Some survivors were airlifted, others were pulled and pushed to safety. They found blow-up beds in evacuation centres, where volunteers gave them food, hot drinks, friendship, and shelter.

The survivors queued in an orderly fashion for necessities. Like tampons for the ladies, nappies for babies, milk and sammies for kids, and shavers and deodorant for men.

They were stoic but let's not mince words: It was shit.

I cannot begin to go into the devastation of the Queensland floods, where the raging rivers turned into noisy, evil forces which caused inland tsunamis and dragged the guts out of towns.

As our Premier Anna Bligh said: Mother Nature unleashed something devastasting throughout our state.

And still it continues, with other states going slowly under while the clean-up in Queensland continues.

I was there the other day, handing out water bottles to sweaty, mud-splattered volunteers who were moving debris and washing floors in the stinking mess left behind.

They were all ages, and from all walks of life.  Men, women, kids, and yes, even Generation Y; mucking in and doing whatever they were told to do.

Lining up to register and again for free buses. Sweating in the sun, accepting cold drinks gratefully, barely stopping to pause as they worked, like the volunteer army they've been described as.

And today they're back doing it all over again.

My God they were, and are, awesome.

"Thank you," they'd say, as I handed over a bottle of H20, ironically, the same liquid that has reduced our city to something akin to a war zone. (Well except this water was clean, and safe, and drinkable, and totally not nasty). "No, thank you," I said, and as cliched as it sounds, I meant it from the bottom of my heart.

If you can, find it in your heart to go down and help out. Somehow, some way. Some people are delivering baked goods or doing sausage sizzles; others have eskies of cold drinks. Some are mucking in with their muscles; others are staying home but getting messages out and hooking up helpers and donations to the needy via social media.

If you can't get to the disaster zones, as I've come to think of them, don't go for a look. (The traffic is awful, thanks mostly to the number of volunteers, but also, sadly, the rubberneckers).

Just make a donation online instead. Here is the best place to see what's going on, what's needed, and where.

Meanwhile, here are a few tweets and Facebook updates, which has helped keep the disaster relief on people's minds, while occasionally lightening the mood:

- @girlclumsy: Fisher & Paykel has set up a free temp laundry at 8 Terrace Place Murrarie for any flood victims to wash clothes. 7am to 7pm

- All Brisbane City Council transfer stations are accepting general and green waste free of charge.

- http://westside-news.whereilive.com.au/news/story/free-ice-cream-for-milton/
from Park Road’s Arriverdeci Pizzeria.
Owner David Silvestri said that while his pizza restaurant was not affected by floodwaters he was throwing stock out because of a power outage. Hot and tired flood victims and volunteers were happy to avail themselves of the gelato before it melted.

- My own nephew and niece-in-law did a sterling job helping those in need in the South Burnett region on behalf of Wondai Electrical Service Pty Ltd. Together, they got generators going, and out on boats to try and get pump stations up and going so the region could have water.

- @CamposCoffeeQLD
Campos Queensland gave free coffee to all emergency services, police, ambos, firies, SES, lifesavers, and army workers this weekend.

- @victorchurchill
Victor Churchill is donating 100% of sales this Wednesday to the Premier's Flood Relief Fund. Every dollar you spend will be donated

- And then there was this, which I took with the permission of one of the girls who put it up on their street as a symbol that Brisbane peeps still have their sense of humour:

Readers, who else deserves accolades for awesomeness during the clean-up? Please feel free to comment, so I can add them to the list.

I'm trying to organise some giveaways for flood victims and I'm pleased to announce that Stubbies (schoolwear for kids) have jumped on board, donating a shirt from their new range. I'm asking all businesses and companies who can afford to help to join in, and I'll then organise a massive (I hope) bloggie giveaway for those in need.

Anyone else? I will post about them regularly with details of giveaways to come.

Beary Christmas

It's not every day you get invited to a polar bear Christmas party, so when a media release popped into my inbox, the kids and I wasted no time in hot-footing it to the Gold Coast.

(Okay, we hot-footed it into the car, pausing only for me to program the GPS. For once it didn't direct me to the middle of nowhere and insist I had reached my fricking destination!)

And so we made it to Sea World on the Gold Coast in plenty of time to join Queensland's version of The Polar Bear Express.

Yes, a team of about seven handlers had spent several weeks sourcing and wrapping and freezing and flavouring presents for Sea World's resident polar bears.

And you thought wrapping kids' presents was tough!

To help mimic behaviour in the wild, and to bring out instinctive behaviours, the staff had frozen treats like toys and dried fruit in blocks of ice, so the bears would have to work for their special gifts.

Some blocks of ice were covered and flavoured - scents like vanilla and curry are apparently particularly enjoyed by the bears.

Other treats and toys had been wrapped in traditional style presents and boxes.

The handlers explained that unlike most animals, polar bears instinctively know what they can and cannot eat, so will not devour cardboard, paper, tinsel or any other product except food, drink and ice. And so we saw them sniff, paw, and tear their way through the wrappings in order to reach their gifts. Aren't they clever?

There were some 120 different ice-block presents, plus an assortment of other treats like popcorn and balls. (Who knew that polar bears are partial to popcorn?)

Sea World is closed on Christmas Day, so the beary merry Christmas was brought forward for visitors could join in the fun.

On the day itself, various staff will visit and interact with the bears, and treat them to a special Christmas dinner - a 20 kg tuna each!

And it's well-deserved. Sea World’s Polar Bears, Hudson, Nelson and Liya,
are ambassadors for their species and play a vital role in rasing awareness of the effects of global warning.

Research indicates that Polar Bear numbers in the wild are declining, with between 20,000 - 22,000 bears remaining world wide.

For the new year, staff have fingers and toes crossed that 2011 may bring the pitter patter of tiny polar bear paws.

Technically, the boys, Hudson and Nelson are ready, but as far as staff know, they haven't acted on any mating instincts.

Liya is apparently particularly fond of Nelson, so who knows what a year could bring?

Readers, what are you hoping for this Christmas?

Hmm, I wonder what this is?

"Ooh, this one looks interesting!"

"This tinsel is nothing to sniff at! Where's the food?"

"Oh wow, clearly I was a very good bear this year..."

Photos courtesy of Sea World on the Gold Coast