C is for Caloundra - A-Z Guidebook linkup

Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast has long been a favourite getaway spot for Queenslanders. Offering four or five different beaches, there's plenty of sand and waves for everyone. 

When my husband and I first started dating we took a weekend away at Bulcock Beach and it's been a top spot of ours ever since. Facing Pumicestone Passage, there's no surf so the calm water attracts young families and people who just want to float around in the sparkling sea. 

Caloundra itself has changed a lot over the decades with more and more holiday apartments going up, but it has retained a lot of its sleepy seaside town appeal. 

There's not a lot to do unless like me you're a fan of late breakfasts, going for walks, reading trashy novels, eating ice cream, having a paddle and taking afternoon naps like me!

And at only 1-2 hours drive north of Brisbane (depending on traffic), it's close enough to home that you don't have to waste a lot of your precious holiday time getting there. 

Do you have a favourite beach holiday spot?

Linking up with TIFFIN Bite Sized Food Adventures monthly travel A-Z Guidebook 

Sunday Drive

This Sunday, I spent mooching around the house and grocery shopping. But two Sundays ago, I bugged my husband until he took me for a drive. I knew exactly where I wanted to go - the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

We went out through Dayboro (charming town, but I never seem to actually stop there to enjoy it!) and took the Mount Mee Rd up to D'aguilar. Then via a sneaky back road to Maleny.

It rained on and off, which was a nice change from the constant rain that we had had for the past week. Everything was so green! These pics where all taken with my new Nikon DSLR. Out the window. While driving. Because Hubby Dearest doesn't believe in stopping much. So please excuse the glare off the glass!

Having uncovered a herefore-to unknown dislike of of the lovely hinterland towns of Maleny, Montville and Mapleton in my other half, we finally stopped in Landsborough of all places! The cafe there was charming, and served a double-chocolate cheesecake so rich I couldn't finish, and tea in a proper cup and saucer (which I adore).

Next time I'm taking my mum though, so we can go to Montville. I don't care if it's touristy and expensive as all hell, I love it!

New Toy

Since my parents are in Eastern Europe and paranoid about taking things worth money with them, mum has left me with her lovely Nikon DSLR camera. Don't ask me which one it is, all I know is that it has lots of buttons and I yell at it a lot because it won't let me take shots sometimes.

Now, I know some photography snobs look down their nose at anyone who uses a lovely DSLR with all the bells and whistles and continues to shoot on Auto (or the pretty little flower for close up things) but honestly? I looked up some photography stuff and it was all greek to me. I mean, I'm pretty smart but all the talk about aperture, depth of field etc really did not compute.

This weekend I got it out and played with it a bit. I took some stock photos for my Etsy store Little Moments Vintage, then went about the house and yard clicking happily.

 A lonely chair near the back fence. I have no idea where it came from or why it is there.

Playing with perspective.

Shadows - oooh!

 Don't my work shirts look so white in the spring sunshine?

 As you can see, some of my herbs are progressing better than others. you'll be happy to know I have transplanted the rocket in the hope some may actually survive.

I still can't get over the fact this camera has no trouble taking shots of things like flowers close-up on Auto.

Hubby working on a car - business as usual around here, whether it's ours or someone else's!

Today my other half abandoned me to go for a motorbike ride. After moping for a bit and loudly reminiscing about the times we used to go for drives together when we were dating, I pulled up my big girl pants and decided he deserved it after working hard all week. I was glad I didn't put on a sulk about it in the end, because when he came home this afternoon he was all grins and trying to tell me about how he gets a sense of 'calm' when he's riding the windy mountain roads. Bless. 

Anyways, I asked twitter what I should do all day to occupy myself and I got some wonderful suggestions - indulge in a mani/pedi, go window shopping, take myself to lunch, pull out an unfinished craft project. I identified a theme and decided to do something I always feel like doing on the weekend and never do - going to the coast. So I hopped in my little hatchback and drove myself up to Caloundra. Of course, I took the new toy with me.

I came to the conclusion that day-trips to the beach aren't as fun without someone with you. I was all self-conscious and a bit lonely with nobody to talk to. It reminded me of when my friend B and I used to pack some nibbles and go up there for the day, walk around, take photos and eat chips at Bulcock Beach. Maybe next time you're home from freezing ol' Blighty hey B?

What did you do this weekend? Do you think these pics are pretty good even for someone using Auto?!

Sun and Rain

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I’m beginning to believe that I run on solar energy. When there’s no sun, like today, I feel drained and lethargic. I feel like staying in bed under the covers and just daydreaming the daylight (or more accurately, murklight) hours away.

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on the roof – good, steady rain of the sort that we need. The garden and lawns have been crying out for some moisture for some months now. The sky was grey and has remained so all day. Sitting in my little office block, I am periodically peeking out the window, hoping for a patch of blue. But the sky remains steadfastly dark and forbidding. I have a good view across the Brisbane River and south towards Logan, and I can’t even see the suburbs today for the mist of rainclouds.

My mood is as gloomy as the weather. I know I should be grateful for the life-giving water and the wonderful greening effect it will have on my lawn, but I can’t help it – I just crave the sun. Sunlight warms my bones, recharges my spirit. Sun is life just as much as water is, and a hot summer’s day reminds me of my childhood and holidays at the Gold Coast filled with sand, the ocean, ice cream and afternoon naps.

Sometimes on a hot day when I’ve been sitting shivering in my (too old, never working properly) office air-conditioning for a few hours, I escape. I burst out of the elevators and propel myself forth, out onto the concrete footpath and into the light. I immediately feel better. I love feeling the warmth seeping up from the concrete below my feet, and basking in the sun’s rays shining down from above. My feet will inevitably take me to the nearest corner store, to get a cold iced tea or frozen slushie to enjoy back at my desk.

With the weather forecast predicting quite a few days of rain, I also have this strange sense of foreboding that I’m finding hard to shake. It’s this vague feeling of dread that when I really examine, I have to admit to myself is related to the Big Wet. The January Floods left an indelible mark on our state, and my brain is trying to remind me that all started like this. With the rain. The unrelenting, unforgiving, never-ending rain. It rained in December and out West flooded. It stopped for a few days over New Year but then it started raining again with a vengeance. And it didn’t stop for two weeks. What happened after was just so terrible, it must not, CANNOT happen again.

Here’s hoping it won’t rain like that again this year. Here’s hoping the sun will come out again soon and we have one of those long, hot summers that I remember from my childhood. Besides, I want to swim in my pool… and eat ice cream… and go to the beach… and nap in the afternoon…

Date day

Since the boarder moved in, my fiancée and I have had very little time together. I’m working when he’s at home, he’s working when I’m at home. When we are both home, the boarder is there too. As a result, I’ve been sulking about being neglected and generally not paid attention to and resentful of evenings spent with the boarder rather than my other half. Weekends lately seem to have been filled up with separate activities so I resolved that on Sunday we were finally going to spend some time together, a “date day”.

I gave C some notice and asked him to think about what he would like to do. He wanted to go to the movies, but as this was not what I wanted to do I tried to steer him towards something where we could actually talk to each other, thus creating some “quality time”. In the end he just told me to pick something and he would go along with it. I am a genius.

I suggested a drive, like we used to do when we were dating. I pointed out it was a gorgeous day and I wanted to see the ocean, so off to the Sunshine Coast we went.

I have really missed cruising along in the truck with C. It was off the road for so long, and there is nothing quite like driving down the highway looking down on all the other cars from a great height, with the magnificent stereo blasting and the wind in my hair. I looked like Bridget Jones on a mini-break when I got there, but I didn’t care.


We had burgers and chips at Dicky Beach, but a walk on the beach itself was not on the cards due to inappropriate footwear (and a refusal to take off sneakers from one party). We decided to go for ice cream up at Maroochydore, but the lack of parking along the main strip meant a diversion to Macca’s for a McFlurry. Have you tried the new McFlurry? It’s terrible.

And then we went home. Sometimes you just need to get away from your own place and spend time actually talking to your partner. And for me, sometimes I’ve just got to see the ocean.

What do you do for quality time? Do you have “dates”?

*all images mine