Photo above shows the sunset looking west from Sundari towards the mainland. Clear winter skies mean it gets quite cold as soon as the sun sets!

With three weeks to go before we fly off to Britain on the relly trip we have resigned ourselves to sticking around Moreton Bay while we fix our two fridges and Dennis the Diesel. Dennis (the menace!) has developed an unexplained electronic blip that has limited it intermttently to second gear, something that drives the impatient rat race crowd mad on the busy roads around the Redlands. It's currently in hospital awaiting a transplant.

We've been hooked up to our Karragarra mooring for the last month since we returned from Africa, enduring cold nights and mostly sunny warm days. We have avoided winter chills for years, so it's been a bit of a shock. Meanwhile we have taken the opportunity to plant a variety of trees on our section and contemplated the possibility of erecting some sort of dwelling on it.

Building anything bigger than a shed in Australia means dealing with local council regulations. These seem to be designed to infuriate and obfuscate while delivering as much cash flow as possible to the building industry. While we are still healthy and reasonably fit we are quite happy living on the boat but are cognisant of the fact that this state of affairs may not continue. Meanwhile, what savings we have continue to be devalued by inflation, so we will soon have to take the plunge!



Looking along Lucas Drive on Lamb Island towards the western end of the Karragarra Passage. This drone photo was taken from directly above our section.



Looking east along the Karragarra Passage towards Minjerribah / North Stradbroke Island again from above our section.



Despite the cold winter weather, birds have been very active on the islands. Maybe they think it's Spring? Sulfur crested cockatoos and corellas have been busy searching out gum tree hollows for nests, while noisy miners and kookaburras already have young to feed and rainbow lorikeets squawk in large numbers on flowering blue gums. Also, we have noticed large numbers of pelicans in the surrounding waters which are much clearer (but colder) than normal. This photo shows a sulfur crested cockie having a munch on a Grevillea flower head.



Lamb Island, like the rest of SE Queensland, is looking lush and green after several years without drought.