Time to post

Well its time I posted again. Have been very busy with work and home life...no excuse I know!!!
Christmas is here once again. Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy and Safe New Year 2011.
Lots has happened in the last twelve months. Have had some ups and some downs. No use complaining, I think you have to live one day at a time and deal with any problems that arise.
In August Martin and I went to England for a holiday for 4 weeks. We had a fantastic time there visiting his family and friends and for me it was an experience of a lifetime. Martins Mum and Dad are lovely people and first time meeting them, they made me very welcome into their home. I was very sad to leave them and England and had a few tears when it was time to say goodbye. But there is next year to look forward to...hopefully we will be going back for Christmas in 2011. I would really love to experience a "White Christmas". We also spent 4 beautiful days in Dublin, Ireland (I still cant believe I have been there). Most certainly will be returning there for more time next year. The worst part of my trip was the long and tiring flight. All up was 24 hours sitting on a plane cramped up and not wanting to go to the toilet on the aircraft. Little did I know the toilets at Brunei airport were holes in the ground with a toilet seat. Managed to find a "normal" toilet anyway so all was fine in the end.
Martin is now on holidays for 4 weeks and I have 18 days off in January. We are off to Tasmania on 11th January till the 18th January and really looking forward to showing Martin where I come from. I have some family history sites to visit during the trip which I am really looking forward to.
Will post some more on our Tasmanian holiday on our return.
For now, from Australia its goodnight xx

A Long Time

Well its been a long time since blogging anything here.

Martin and I have a very exciting trip coming up in 6 weeks time.
Yes thats right, we are off to England on a long overdue holiday...well for me that is, Martin might not agree there..lol We are travelling to England for 25 wonderful days of sunshine we hope and lots of sightseeing for me. I cant wait to get my camera out and start snapping at everything in sight. Will be really interested in the Castles, Palaces and Pubs along with all the old buildings...well everything really. I am in the midst of putting together some sort of itinery, its not as easy as one thinks but if we can get some sort of idea what we want to do there, then I say we half way there!! Our main focus is family and friends as it will be Martins Mum & Dads 50th wedding anniversary 5 days after we arrive so will be planning something very special for them. Martins friend Dez has offered his cheuffeuring services but havent got quite around to him signing on the dotted line yet...lol
I will be making a special page with our holiday photos and what we did, on my webpage so it be worth checking back around the end of September to see all that.
This is the link to my webpage. http://belle0199.250free.com/bellespage.html.txt
Just copy and paste the link into your main web browser then the page will come up.

Thats about all for this post. Have a nice day.
Belle xxx

Funnelweb Spiders sighted on the Gold Coast.

GOLD Coast residents are being warned to stay away from large black spiders after reports of funnelweb spider sightings this week.
Australia's deadliest spider has begun its mating season and taken up residence in areas around the Gold Coast Hinterland, Mt Tamborine and the Lamington National Park.
Queensland Museum curator Dr Robert Raven warned large black male spiders would be wandering around rainforest areas for the next six months.
Males actively search for females and wander at night, often during rain.
They are large ground-dwelling spiders which are jet-black, long-legged and quickly rise into the attack position.
The mating season can last right up to May.
There have been 14 recorded deaths caused by funnelweb spiders in Australia since 1927.

Gold Coast Bush Fires

PARKWOOD residents banded together to fight a wildfire which claimed about 100ha of bushland and threatened homes yesterday. A row of houses which faced the burning gully were within metres of being engulfed by the blaze, while other fences, backyard swing sets and sheds were severely burnt. Fourteen fire crews and two water-bombing helicopters were called in near Napper Road and Smith Street when the fire began about 1pm and spread to threaten homes on Greenacre Drive. Power was cut to about 1000 homes in the area as a precaution and the Gold Coast to Brisbane rail line was shut between Robina and Coomera while waterbombing was carried out, leaving commuters to rely on buses.

More dust blankets the Gold Coast

More dust covered the Gold Coast on 14th October 2009....just 3 weeks ago the Gold Coast experienced the worst dust storms in 40 years.

LIFFEY FALLS ~ Feature Town in Tasmania

This is a place near where I grew up. My mother grew up at Blackwood Creek so I spent many of my school holidays staying with my grandparents in this country town of Tasmania.

Liffey's falls and forests have received World Heritage listing for their unique natural values.

Liffey Falls are nestled in the Great Western Tiers about an hours drive from Launceston and 1 1/2 hours from Devonport.
For many years the falls were only accessible by track ~ an hours walk from below the falls. The track still exists. There is now a reserve only a short distance from above the falls. A narrow winding steep gravel road links each end of the track.
The walk is very much worth the trip. The track from the upper car park is relatively steep in parts - particularly the final descent to the bottom of the falls.

There are two reserves on the upper reaches of the river, one a forest reserve managed by Forestry Tasmania and the other a state reserve managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service. The extensive picnic and barbecue facilities are in the former, while the falls themselves are in the latter, and both are part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

There are four sets of falls along the 45-minute walk from the picnic ground down hill to the majestic Victoria Falls (commonly referred to as Liffey Falls) and return, all of which can be viewed from sturdy observation decks.



Liffey is located 41 kilometres (25 mi) south west of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It was named by Capt. William Moriaty.
The town is situated in rainforest, on the Liffey River at the foot of the Great Western Tiers. Nearby towns are Bracknell and Blackwood Creek. The most notable attraction in the area is Liffey Falls.

The Liffey River rises on the northern edge of the Great Western Tiers, flowing through dense cool-temperate rainforest of myrtle, sassafras and leatherwood before plunging over spectacular waterfalls.

I AM AUSTRALIAN

Here are the lyrics if you want to sing.

We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.

I came from the dream time, from the dusty red soil plains,
I am the ancient heart - the keeper of the flame,
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come,
For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.

I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chains
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.
I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian.

We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.

I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian.
I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian.

We are one but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come,
we share a dream,
And sing with one voice,
I am, you are, we are Australian.