254/365: Mar 14 2009. Curls of new growth and vines everywhere. Words like verdant and lush are almost understatements in this environment, in this season.



255/365: Mar 15. Went to a big pool party with the family. Everyone was part of a married couple, everyone had at least 1 kid but most had 2 or more (have you noticed that 3 is the new 2?). Everyone talked about their kids, or people/events I didn't know, or sports. I was relieved that I couldn't stay long due to some work commitments, and I didn't go back after I finished working. But I had fun playing dodgeball with my nephews in the pool while I was there.



256/365. Mar 16. I am doing weekend photographs for the local newspaper, the Mossman & Port Douglas Gazette. I love it. I get to meet interesting people and go into their houses or workplaces and photograph them. This pond was in the open plan living area of a house up past Wonga Beach. The couple have an orchid nursery and a house built entirely by their own hands. To get it past the building inspectors who said the living space must be enclosed to keep it safe from rodents, they built a frame and draped netting over it. The bush rats chew holes in it and get in but they don't mind.

257/365. Mar 17. I love having easy access to a beach. Today was my Dad's birthday so I had a little walk down memory lane as I walked the beach in the morning.

258/365. Mar 18. Am doing some real estate photo work for my brother. We met at the Junction cafe in Mossman for a quick early coffee then headed up to Wonga Beach, 30 minutes north of Port Douglas to photograph a gorgeous house up there. Went for a quick walk to the beach - just in front of the house, and photographed the coming storm. We spent an hour there then drove back to town where I spent the rest of the day at the office where I work most days.

259/365. Mar 19. I worked a half day before Dave drove me to Cairns airport where I jumped a plane and flew to Brisbane, a 2 hour flight south. I stayed at my uncle's place - a lovely old Queenslander style house, full of character. My cousin Anna gave me her room to sleep in. She has decorated this window frame with gems and rocks and it looks great. I adore my uncle's family, they are so welcoming and relaxed, anything goes, nothing is a problem and they go to great lengths to provide support to me and my brothers family in any way they can. I like to think we do so in return. We had a great dinner and drank a little too much wine and rum (yes, rum. When in Rome....)

260/265, Mar 20. An iPhone pic of my dear old friend Elisabeth at The Tibetan Kitchen in West End. This day had been pretty fucked from the moment I woke up but she & I had a great time at dinner and out drinking afterwards, and so salvaged the day.

The day started going downhill when another dear friend, Jackie, called to say her middle daughter was sick and that she couldn't join us for dinner. Then after another dear friend (Elisabeth's sister, Mandy) dropped me off in the middle of buttf*ck nowhere to collect my freight cargo which had arrived from Tokyo - they told me I had to have my own customs agent before I could get my stuff out. Mandy had had to leave me to go to a medical appointment and then got rushed in to day surgery which meant that not only could she not come and get me but that she also couldn't make it to dinner.....(not to mention the worries about her health which is, btw, all good now)

Anyways, I spent an hour with some customs agents who slammed me with an unexpected $1200 worth of customs/quarantine/permits/handling charges/storage fees etc and who told me it would take more than 72 hours before I could get my stuff. A mighty clusterf*ck indeed. I managed to be reasonably pleasant throughout the whole procedure despite being suspicious of all these charges, and disappointed beyond words that I wouldn't be taking any of my stuff back to Port Douglas with me. I threw the towel in on the day and got a lift from buttf*ck nowhere into Toombul Shopping Town with one of the Customs Agents Staff, then caught a bus into the city and went to see the Watchmen at the movies before meeting up with Elisabeth for dinner & drinks.

Fortunately, the rest of my time in Brisbane more than made up for that horrid day. Read on.....

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