Golden Beach and Family

Well Bloggees, my apologies for the tardiness with updates. Our schedule has been so hectic, and in recent times we have found our broadband connection appalling, so we have fallen behind. So here we go............

A sisterly moment over tea and cake

We arrived at Golden Beach in the rain and wind, putting to end the record run of fine warm weather! Yes, the drought breakers have arrived! We got one of the few big sites at the caravan park, and hastily set up. There was little time to waste, as being on the Sunshine Coast, always means a hectic schedule. As most are aware, Carol's sister Chris lives at Palmwoods with hubby Keith and youngest son Kyle, so it is family catch up time. This time we had added to the mix, a visit from our niece Jillian, who was holidaying in the area, and moved to Golden Beach to share our first family week. As an avid shopper and foodie, she blended seamlessly into the group!

After the quick setup, it was off to the Embreys for a welcome feast, and as usual it was great. You see, Chris and Kyle are wonderful in the kitchen, and every meal is an event, from Pre-dinner to dessert and even afters. Carol always puts in her order for Blitz Torte, and as usual, the order is filled, and it is delicious, with just enough left over for Carol to take home for those rare moments in our stay, when other food isn't available.

The weeks events continued on Monday with a dinner at a local Italian, to welcome Jillian into town. Tuesday, was Trivia Night at the Buderim Hotel. Kyle had suggested this as a bit of fun, and boy was he right. Keith came armed with discount vouchers for Dinner, and would you believe we won the night and a $50.00 voucher to spend at the hotel! Looks like so far, the brain cells are still OK!

Wednesday, there was a minor tragedy, with the Eumundi Market Day cancelled due to bad weather, but this was quickly retrieved by the girls, who decided Thursday would be a Buderim shopping day, where there would be no cancellations due to bad weather! Keith & John decided that golf would be a  more relaxing way to spend the day, so planned for around at Cooroy Golf Club, weather permitting. After a quiet day, we all met up back at the Embreys for another great dinner. 

Thursday went to plan as the weather gods were kind, and we finished off with a nice Thai Dinner at Jillian's resort, as first thing Friday, Jillian was heading home, after a fun few days.

The weekend started with a wet trip to Eumundi Markets! Nothing was going to stop us this time! The good thing was that the rain kept the big crowds away, so it was quite leisurely, if not a bit damp, and we escaped without too much damage to the money tree. Another great dinner capped off the day. Sunday we all headed down to Maroochydore's Sunshine Plaza, for a Sushi Train lunch, which was a lot of fun.

The Pizza Truck

Monday was a quiet day, as John had booked the car for service. Chris and Carol headed off to Cotton Tree for a little sisterly time. That night we planned on a quiet night back at the caravan park, but as we drove in we were taken by the sign that said "Wood fired Pizza Tonight". We investigated, and found almost everyone in the park was tucking into pizza! www.thepizzatruck.com.au was at the park for two nights. What a fantastic idea! These guys designed and built this truck, and are living the dream, travelling Australia, and paying their way as they go. They tow a Jayco camper trailer behind the truck, and as well as serving up dinner to caravan park patrons, they do local shows and events. Whilst most of the park patrons did take away, we decided to "eat out" at the tables provided, so with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in hand we enjoyed a great night out.

Tuesday, we were back to defend our Trivia title at the Buderim Hotel, armed with our $50.00 voucher. So another cheap night out was had, and yes we kicked their butts again! Those Buderim folks will be glad to see the back of us! Another voucher, this time $45.00, we could go on the circuit! But with Carol and John moving on Monday, Chris, Keith and Kyle were last seen scouring the district, looking for brainiacs, to bolster the team for a hat trick performance!

Wednesday was another Golf day for the boys and sisterly time for the girls, with more great dinners, desserts and slices thrown in. Our freezer is stocked!

John & Carol with Jersey

Friday was a treat for us. We found out that Darren (nephew), with wife Erin and new daughter Jersey, were coming to Brisbane from Emerald for the day. Little Jersey was born in March, and was born deaf in one ear. She was coming to see the specialist to have a hearing aid fitted. As a surprise, we all drove down to Brisbane to meet up with them. They got a real surprise to see us, and we got to see little Jersey for the first time. As the picture shows, she is a real cutie! That smile never left her face all day. We headed back home and enjoyed a Pizza Night watching the footy.

The week was nearing the end. John decided to play golf in the Caloundra comp on the Saturday, and Carol had a tidy up day, confidently swapping over her wardrobe in favour of mostly summer things, as even though we had quite a bit of rain, it was still warm. That night we all headed out to an Indian Restaurant, to give the Embreys a rest from cooking. The Curry Bowl at Kawana, was excellent, and doing a roaring trade.

Sunday was our last day, and was also Father's Day, so we invited everyone down to our place for a good old sausage sizzle, and a couple of drinks. We had a lovely afternoon, that ended a really lovely couple weeks of catching up. Carol doesn't get a lot of time with her family, so this quality time was very enjoyable for all. It was so good, we will be back to do it all again for Christmas, so start cooking!

Oh Yes, we woke up Monday morning to pelting rain, and again got soaked as we hooked up and headed up the coast for Tannum Sands. Where? I hear you saying...