Spoiled On St Bees Island

Recently Brian & Lyn, and Brian & I were invited by David Berck to spend a few hours at St Bees for lunch. He came and picked us up in his dinghy and we made the short trip over.

To our delight, Dave had arranged for us to have lunch IN the water, and had the table setup ready with an umbrella waiting for the tide to come in!

Here's how it looked when we first arrived...



Prior to lunch, we were treated to a glass or two of chilled strawberry champagne. Lindauer from NZ (how did he know that was our favourite?) Here's how the dining area looked a short while later...



Dave had been out fishing at the reef the day before with a friend, and caught a pile of big coral trout. So he filleted one and prepared a mouth watering apple & cinnamon trout cooked on the barbie! I must say, it just melted in the mouth, it was that fresh! Accompanied by a fresh green salad, it was a delicious meal enjoyed by all.

Here's Dave in the blue hat, with Lyn, myself, Brian, and last minute arrival Dero. What a great way to stay cool on a hot day!



Here's Lyn & Dave chatting away...



This is the barbeque/bar area outside the main shed. That orange tree was just beautiful!



Brian looking happy and refreshed after a dip...



Isn't this a glorious photo of another orange tree over an old shed?



We went for a short walk looking for koalas, but didn't find any. Probably too hot! But we found some interesting rocks that looked like they were placed there by giants!



Here's Lyn looking pretty as always in her favourite colour -- orange!



Lunch was completed by a shot of 20 year old Zambucca, followed by a shot of Frangelica!



Needless to say, we had to be poured into the dinghy for the return trip! lol! On behalf of us all, I'd like to thank David for a fabulous, most memorable day. We all felt like royalty. :-)

We owe you one mate!

Cheers
EvieB

Spring At Keswick Island

Hi there!

Time for another post before the festive season gets into full swing! I'm going to start off from where I left you last time, in early September.

We had a pizza night here when we first got our italian pizza oven, which is a fantastic little machine that cooks wood fired pizzas in 5 minutes flat! I came up with all kinds of gourmet yummies, but my photographer must've been slack that night, because we don't have any photos... But a good time was had by all.

Brian & Lyn had a visit at the Guest House by block owners, John & Anne Hayler, who flew their circa 1940 Cessna 140 in. Here's a photo of Boo Boo down at the air strip.


David & Denise Bullock paid us a visit with their friends for a weekend, and we had our very first jumble sale! Denise emptied out the cyclone room

downstairs in the Guest House, and the girls had a ball going through the contents! We got some photos of them all dancing to 'Bye Bye Miss American Pie' on the deck, but alas... they were blurry! (Or was it us that was blurry?)

Jessica came up again for school holidays, and brought her boyfriend Denny with her this time. Here they are up the top of the mountain.



Here's a shot of Jess & Brian up the mountain...



A sign was erected in front of the bee hives, which is quite informative. If you haven't tasted our organic honey yet, it's delicious!


The bee hives are located hear the start of the Connie Bay trail.



The monitors here aren't afraid of us at all... In fact, this one was sunning himself as Brian was doing some gardening! He's dug a hole in the side of the hill and moved in now!



Speaking of monitors, it's been so dry up here for the last few months, I was doing a little watering of the garden when a small monitor appeared. I shooed him away, and started watering in the other direction, when he showed up again! He'd run underneath the house and was hanging out for a drink! I found this out when I sprayed him with the water, and he laid in the water lapping away. Now I know what they mean by 'flat out like a lizard drinking!' lol Too cute!


We've also had some lorikeets around, eating the macarenga flowers.



And don't forget the cockatoos...



There are some huge flocks of cockatoos around here. Some with at least 40 birds making a racket!


We've got another nice tree off our back deck that flowers once a year. Nice lilac blossoms, and the lacewing butterflies and native bees love it!


We often get the Kurrawongs in that tree as well... They're notorious for tap dancing on the metal roof early in the morning!



Now that the gate to Connie Bay is open, we can actually go exploring other parts of the island. One day we went to Connie Bay for a swim and passed 2 kurlews pretending to be sticks on the side of the road...



October saw our new island manager arrive, Dale Criss. He's been keeping Brian busy fixing golf buggies, and it's great to see Brian back working again! No photos of Dale to share just yet... But we'll snap him yet! ;-)

Sometimes when it's hot, we'll go down to the beach in the late afternoon, even if the tide's out... with a bottle of bubbly, or for a couple of beers. One time we went down, and then Brock and Dane, a couple of builders working on Kevin Boyle's house, came down and we shared a few bundies. ;-)



Here's a photo of 2001, the boat that might carry out an island transfer service one day. We can only hope! It sure is spectacular!


In late October, Brian & Lyn's good friends came to stay and celebrate Tex's 40th birthday. aThere was Tex & Joanne, Groover & Karen, and Wayne & Barbara. We were invited to come along with Craig & Karen for dinner one night, and gladly accepted!





Of course, Brian sang something that he'd prepared a little earlier...



And there were backup singers of course... Groover & Barb.



Here's Lyn & Brian with Karen & Craig.



In early November, we celebrated our 2nd anniversary of being here at Keswick Island. To top it all off, Bob & Shiona Pearson came to stay with their family at Chris Anderson's house for a week to celebrate Shiona's birthday! What a lovely bunch they are. Here's Bob & Shiona on our deck.



Here's their son Ben with his wife Clair, and Ben's sister Kate.



This is Kate's husband Chris, with Bob.



Here's smiling Kate!



Who said there are no lifesavers down at Basil Bay? lol! Here's Brian patrolling the beach...



We've been getting some absolutely glorious sunsets lately... Makes for a great way to relax on the deck at the end of the day.



And how do you get those lovely purple shots? Why sunglasses in front of the camera of course!



We had some fantastic 6m tides in November where the water comes right up the beach. Wonderbar!



No wonder we've had so many boats dropping in for lunch and a swim lately...



This 'poor' guy seemed to be fishing on his own for a couple of days!



And with spring, all the animals get a little frisky on the island...



And so do the people! Here we are with David Berck, who came over to visit from St Bees one day. We had a ball as always!



Karen Cooke's family came over for a nice stay as well! Here they are in the empty spa up at Karen & Craig's house. There's Jeff, Alex, Anna, Glenn, Brian, Karen & Craig.



Here's Karen, Glenn & Anna.



Here's Anna & Alex. Sorry about the red eyes girls!



Glenn & Jeff tried their hands at spear fishing several times, but Craig showed them up by catching some beauties! We were invited around for dinner - delicious of course! Cheers boys!



That's all for this post. I've got another special post coming up shortly. ;-)

Warm regards
EvieB

We're Having A 'Whale' Of A Time Here!

Well Spring has sprung, and we've come out of hibernation... We're almost over the cooler weather thank goodness!

We've been spotting plenty of whales, including a mother and baby that have been lingering around Keswick Island. When Marian and I left the island via Horizon Airlines in early August, Trish was kind enough to zoom us down to take a closer look at mother and new born baby... Honestly, we sounded like a gaggle of geese! It was that exciting! :-)

I made a quick trip to Sydney to visit Clayton, who is now in Afghanistan with the army. He's at point X, and we've been lucky enough to get a couple of phone calls from him. He said he's eating well (crayfish!), and it's bloody hot! (49 degrees celcius!) Well you can have that son! I must be a Queenslander now, because I froze my buns off in Sydney! lol

Marian left for Perth to be with Ron again, and we're hoping to see them back on the island in the new year.

Now onto some photos of what we've been getting up to since the last post in June.

Being the terrific cook that Marian is, she decided to hold a dinner party. We invited Brian & Lyn Kinderman up to join us, and here's a copy of the sumptuous menu.



To top it all off, Lyn brought a 3 litre bottle of 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon with her, which we didn't quite polish off... But we decided on the night to start a toastmasters club, and use the Angelus bottle as a mascot. ;-)

Here's a photo of the bottle below. It was a lovely drop.



We all dressed up for the occasion of course! Here's Brian & Lyn...



Here's Brian, with his tie on, to formalise the event, & I...



We didn't forget Marian... It's just that the photo with all of use at the dinner table was blurry. ("Great!" says camera-shy Marian!) A most enjoyable evening was had by all!

We've still had butterflies around... It seems like every time the sun comes out, there's another hatching. Here's a shot of a tiger blue that Brian snapped on one of his walks.



This definitely isn't something that you want to wake up to after an overnight storm... But that's what poor Steve Backs found the next morning on the beach... Luckily it was light enough for several people to turn over. It's all fixed and back to normal now. ;-)



In early July, we were lucky enough to go on a road trip with Marian to stay at her brother's place in Mission Beach. We'd both been wanting to go there, and since David & Tina were holidaying in France, and it was Marian's mother's 94th birthday, what more excuse did we need to visit? Here's a photo of Marian with her mother Laura on her birthday. We had a lovely lunch at The Shrubbery, and it turned out to be several lady's birthdays on the day!



At David & Tina's 'shed', which is a temporary dwelling until their new home is completed, it's totally surrounded by rain forest in a picturesque, quiet setting. We were very lucky to see a male cassowary that had been sick earlier in the year, pass by with 2 new chicks! Here's a shot that Brian took before the father took a closer interest in us, and we scrambled back inside to safety! lol! I must say, they're amazing, beautiful birds.



Speaking of cassowaries, look at the tiling job in David & Tina's new poolside shower. Does it remind you of any bird in particular? Fantastic job!


We really enjoyed the wildlife in Mission Beach... So many beautiful birds calling, and butterflies... I even saw my first cane toad. But he wasn't around much longer after that... Here's a snapshot of a stunning butterfly that is attracted to red flowers. I think it's a Ulysses butterly.



After we returned from our week long sojourn in Mission Beach, we had a couple of visitors up from the Sunshine Coast. Marian's daughter, Kate and her boyfriend Martin. What a lovely couple they are! We really enjoyed their cocktail-making prowess while they were here. ;-) Here's a shot of them blow karting, which they thought was a thrill!





Brian took them all for a jaunt up the big hill. Here's a shot of Marian, (who's even scared of heights, but braved it nevertheless), with Kate & Martin up the hill. (I love to see people with energy!) We really enjoyed their company, and Martin did a flare exhibition with fire on his last night on the Guest House front lawn which was very cool! (Or should I say hot?)



The day after Kate & Martin left, we had Christmas in July at the Guest House. Around 17 or so people were there, and we got taste all kinds of yummies that I'd never tasted before... Such as artichokes! Talk about finger lickin' good! I'm hooked. :-)



And who cooked your goose? Lyn did of course. ;-) Here's Peter Morris & Brian carving up the geese! It was delicious by the way, for those of you who missed out.



Here's a photo of Caroline Berck and her son Tyler, who also enjoyed Christmas in July with us.



Here's our local pilots from Horizon Airlines, Pete & Trish, who joined us on the day, with Mike Burnett.



We also had the pleasure of home owners, James & Rayna Asbury's company on the day.



August saw the arrival of Kevin Boyle's 41' Steber 'Mako' to the Whitsundays. He had a character-building voyage up from the Hawkesbury River in NSW. It will be great to see Mako around and about Keswick Island more often in the future.



We also had a fleeting visit from land owners, Jim & Janet Aitken in August. Here's Jim with Mike up at Steve's place where Jero was staying for a short while. Unfortunately we didn't get a shot of Janet with her eyes open, so we can't see her lovely smile today!



We had a small get-together for Lyn Kinderman's birthday, where she cooked up a storm of mussels! (Hey whatever happened to no work on your birthday?) Need I say they were scrumptious? Take a closer look below... Yum!



And that's not all that came out of hibernation at the end of winter either... Here's a monitor we snapped from our NE deck.



Last but not least, here's a binocular shot of 2 whales swimming past. They're really hard to get photos of unfortunately... And sometimes we wish we had night film, because we can hear them flapping their tails against the water at night from our bedroom! It's a pretty loud sound, and you wonder what the heck it is at first. But when you realise what it is, you wish you could see it!



You might notice there's a new poll on the right hand side of the page. We're intrigued to know what your take is on whales who sit still in the water with their tail out... What does it mean? We watched one for several hours, and were stumped as to why?

That's all for this update. Until next time, keep happy and smiling, and DO come visit us soon!

Warm regards
EvieB

April-June -- Fun Times On KI & New Poll!

Hi there!

I can't believe it's been 3 months since I last posted an update... So it really is true... Time does fly when you're having fun! ;-)

Anzac Day was a hit as always at the Guest House this year. The winner of Two-Up-On-The-Deck was Brian Kinderman! Well deserved too! We had a huge turnout of ~20 people who all had a ball. Unfortunately I backed up my photos to DVD, but the particular one with the Anzac Day photos won't read. (Buggar). So I will see if I can get some photos from elsewhere, and add them later on... It's a shame, because I really wanted to show off our own Dad's army marching down the road, and Verna laying the wreath at the flag pole. We even had our own cannon, thanks to Mike! lol. As I said, it was a fun day! :-)

So I've lost all of April's photos at this time, and it's straight onto May.

May saw Ron Brooks leave for Perth again to undertake some more contract work for the mines. So we invited his wife Marian to come and stay with us for a while. She's such a darned good cook, and great company... I don't think either of us want her to leave -- EVER! haha

Following are some snapshots. Make sure you read to the end of this post to see if you might be able to help us in our latest mystery, and enter the new poll. :~)

By the way! Our last poll asking how people pronounce Keswick Island came up 80% in favour of Kes-wick and 20% in favour of Kes-ick. So there you go! It looks like the locals win out over the proper English pronunciation.

Here's a shot of our friendly customs people who pass by every now and then keeping our waters safe:



There's never a dull moment here at Keswick Island! lol. We woke up one morning, after strong winds the night before, looked out from the deck, and lo and behold! A water tank - of all things - was washed up on Sandfly Bay, St Bees Island opposite where we live! The wind had blown Craig Gilberd's tank, which had been barged out the day before, off the airstrip and into the drink! Luckily Steve Back was out here on the day in his boat, and he towed it back safely! Phew! Goodonya Steve!



Here's a nice photo of Steve's boat that Brian took one day at low tide on Basil Bay.



The first 'State of Origin' footy party was held at our place this year, and we had a few extra guests, which is always welcome. Some friends of Jero's had sailed over from WA in their yacht 'Wild thing'. Kevin & Annette Coote, and Noel & Jenny. We also had a couple of Peter Morris' builders, Rob & Chris, join us. (Thank god one of them went for the blues at least!)



Here's Mike on the deck with, Jero and one of his friends from WA, Jenny.



A bunch of us were invited to go for a sail on 'Wild Thing' the next day! Needless to say, we all jumped at the chance!

Here's Brian & Lyn Kinderman, Marian Brooks & Brian on Wild Thing. They all had a ball on the day on this lovely catamaran. What a treat for us all!



Here's Kevin at the front of Wild Thing. He gave us the full tour, and this catamaran is beautifully laid out with all the modern technology included.




This is the back of Wild Thing with Annette on the left, and on the right is lovely Jenny.



Our gracious hosts, Kevin & Annette, who were most solicitous to the one person who got seasick... ME! waaahaaaa!



Speaking of special treats... At the end of May, Lot owners Bob Pearson & his good friends and partners in crime, Barry & Janece came over for a quick visit. We were all pleasantly surprised to hear that we were invited to lunch, and Bob had prepared it all in advance!

Well I can't begin to tell you what a sumptuous spread of Indian delicacies he served up -- but perhaps the photo will do it more justice than I can... Bob's wife, Shiona, (who was the only
one missing to make it a perfect day), informs me that he's won trophies for his cooking! So to our Award Winning Chef, and Master Wine Tasting Champion, Bob Pearson (front left in photo) -- we raise our glasses in salute to your warm generosity, hospitality and magnificent cooking prowess! Thank you for a most wonderful afternoon on the deck at the Keswick Island Guest House!



This is a closer shot of Baz, who came over with Bob. See that cheeky glint in his eye? lol. And talking of 'Wild Thing'... I hear he does a fantastic rendition of the song on request! ;-)


Not to be outdone by her husband, here's a shot of Lyn Kinderman with Baz's wife Janece. :-) What a lovely kiwi she is! Come back soon Janece!



This photo was taken from up the hill just past Marian's place. Honestly, you never get sick of taking photos of the beautiful views in all kinds of weather here...


One rainy, misty day in May saw The Young Endeavour pass by, then the South Passage, Queensland's only tall ship... In full sail too! What a spectacular sight! You can see what Captain Hook, I mean Brian, saw through his telescope below.



How's this for a glorious sunset? It makes you feel good just to be alive!



May also saw our great friends Glen & Cindy Beynon return to their holiday home for a couple of weeks holiday. We almost didn't recognise Glen, who'd lost an amazing 30kg and was seen dragging Cindy up the big hill every day! lol. ("Not fair!" says Cindy). It's always wonderful to have them here on the island. We all love their bar and games room, and had a terrific night playing mini pool and air hockey. (I'm pretty sure the girls won too! lol). KI will be a much better place when they come to live here permanently... Here's the lovely couple on the deck at the Guest House.



In early June, our security camera on Keswick Island snapped an intruder as they were sneaking onto the island... We've all looked at the photo and can't recognise who it is! Except for the buff, which is a dead giveaway! ... So what we want to know is, "Is it the REAL 'Mingu Mingu' - local legend and hero of many years past? Please help us identify this entity by answering the poll on the right hand side of this page, and giving us your opinion. Thanks!


That's all for today's update. Keep safe and happy, and we hope you'll come and visit soon!

Warm regards
Eva Browne-Paterson

Jan-March & Keswick Island Independence Day!

Hi there!

After receiving so many requests to update the blog by interested readers, I thought I'd better put my novel on hold and keep everyone happy by updating the blog again. ;-)

Sorry about the wait... Since January, we've had a ton of rain! The wet season was a bit of a drag -- as usual -- but we did our best to make the most of the visitors we had, and to have fun indoors. We were all ready for Survivor Keswick Island, but we were rained out... So much for the beach challenges we had planned! Well we will be having it some time during the year when the weather's good.

Please make sure you read right through, because there's a news update at the end of this post.

House guests: In January, Jessica came to stay for one week. Then we had Clayton & Kerry up for 5 days, and Derek & Ben for the next 5. February saw the return of rocking Rob Stuart! (aka Robbie).

Here's Jessica clowning around on Clayton's shoulders.


Here's Jess & I at the airport. Little did Jess know that she was leaving via the helicopter... which was quite a thrill for her (and us - just to see her face!).


Here's Derek & Ben arriving in the chopper... They were pumped after that ride!


Brian took Derek & Ben out on the kayaks, and they went a long way out in pretty rough weather. Derek suggested that they paddle to New Zealand!


Derek loved Keswick Island and said he'd come back any day!


Here's our nephew Ben looking very cool in his John Lennon sunnies.


David & Caroline Berck were kind enough to invite us over to St Bees for the day in January. They came and picked us up, including Brian & Lyn from the Keswick Island Guest House. We had a lovely day there.

Here's a shot of David & Caroline (mid right) with some of their friends who were there for the day.


This is the northern house that the family normally stay in. Check out that stone barbeque area! What a work of art!


One of the things I like about St Bees Island is the lovely palm trees that line the beach. It makes it so tropical. And Homestead Bay, where the houses are located, is a beautiful swimming spot.


But what we love most about St Bees is the local celebrity, Peter! He's a great bloke for a yarn or 3, with some amazing stories about the history of the island. If you ever get the chance, pick up a copy of The History Of St Bees, written by his father, Lionel Berck. It's rivetting reading.


We were challenged to a game of boules on the front lawn of the Keswick Island Guest House. Our first time, it was lots of fun... even though Brian & Lyn thrashed us -- as usual!


In early February, our Scottish cousin Robbie came back! (Can you blame him?) He brought up a new guitar for me, and he gave both Brian Kinderman and I lessons. We're very lucky indeed to have such a talented lad showing us how to play.


Even the monitors like the beach and come to see what all the singing and laughing is about!


"I'm determined to catch a fish!" announced Robbie. So Brian took him out on one of the kayaks for a fish, even though a huge storm was brewing... I watched them from the beach and was a little worried about the lightning. I jumped at one stage when I saw a flash of light, then I realised it was their camera! doh! lol (Notice the Mingu Mingu buff he's wearing?) Oh sorry, they didn't catch any fish -- but they had fun. ;-)


Did you know we have a barber shop here on Keswick Island? Well we do, and I'm the barber! lol. We even provide refreshments! Here's Brian Kinderman getting his ears lowered.


It's amazing what you can find when you go hiking around the island or in the rainforest here. Brian & Robbie went for a hike around the rocks back from Arthur Bay and found a frisbee! Here's Robbie & Brian K having a toss!


Who said there are no coral trout here? This is a shot Robbie took while he was snorkelling of a nice coral trout.


We had the residents over for dinner one night, then presented Mike & Lyn with their buffs (right). Mike makes a good pirate!


There were several occasions this year when I wished I had a boogie board here. There were actually waves that we could catch down at Basil Bay! (We've seen bigger ones that these too!)


As always, we often meet lovely guests from the Guest House. These 2 were no exception. Alex & Mariza from South Africa. Mariza had some unbelievably decadent recipes that she's going to share with us! Mariza, where are those recipes you promised? lol (Not recommended for people on a diet).


Ever tried Kangaroo with cashew nuts? Just one of the delectable delights served up at the Guest House. Lyn is an amazing chef, and this tender, lean meat just melts in your mouth!


The island finally sold on the 1st January, and it was officially confirmed in March. So what better excuse for an Indepence Day Party? Newcomer Jerro Andrews invited us up for a shindig and we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Reef Outlook.

Here Lyn K, Jerro, Lyn S & Mike toasting the momentous occasion. Mike even brought out his home brewed apple cider!


Here's Barry and I. Barry's been on the island for a long time now and does a lot of loader and excavator work. This was the first time we'd socialised with him - and hopefully not the last.


We had a close call at the Guest House in March, when their generator blew up and burst into flames. Luckily it's located outside away from the house and not underneath. Brian's quick thinking put that situation under control. A new, bigger generator is on its way...


One of our local characters, Peter Morris, brought out his new boat which has more room and more grunt! Isn't she a beauty? Aptly named Sirrom. ;-)


Speaking of boats... here's Craig Gilberd's yacht, Sidewinder. It was made in NZ and he's sailed around the world in it several times now. Peter Morris is currently building Craig & Karen Cooke's house on the top of the island. We all think it will be the 'crowning glory' of the island when it's completed.


Here are the 2 boats together, so you can see their real size. Taken from our deck.


The wet season often means no work for my Brian, so he applied himself in the back garden and did some clearing so we could sit under the magnificent fig tree. (Don't the bats love that tree when it's in fruit!) He did a great job and really opened up that bushy area so we can see even more beautiful water views from our bedroom.


Down at the beach at Easter with some guest from the Guest House. From the back left, Julian and his wife Robyn sitting at the front in the middle, then another Julien and his girlfriend Nina at the front left hand side. With proud host, Brian Kinderman.


Here's Jerro & Brian at an impromptu get-together at our place... Doesn't it look like they're wearing one big t-shirt?


Well we're up to April already... The wet season's over, the butterflies are out -- and so are the orchids. Look at this splendid specimen that bloomed outside our bathroom window for about 3 weeks! (Yes of course I love the colour!)


If Jerro isn't riding his mountain bike down the hills (because I haven't seen him peddling up them yet haha!), you'll see him riding on his blow cart. Well it beats walking! Now you need a lot of hot air or wind for this sport... and blow carting has quickly become the new rage on the island. This is just a snap of him riding it down the hill without the sail on. But at Easter time, around 13 people had a go, (including guests from the KIGH), and they all report that it's a blast! I even heard that Lyn Sunderland had it up on 2 wheels on the beach at low tide. What a thrill seeker! So windy weather... watch out. It's blow cartin' time!


But wait... There is more news of course!

• Ron & Marian Brooks are coming back to the island today. Yay! We've missed them.
• Trent isn't coming back to finish Ron & Marian's house unfortunately... But for very good reasons! His wife Kim is pregnant with their first baby. (Congratulations you two!)
• We had a meeting this week with Scott & Edward from Keswick Developments P/L, the new developers -- and the future of Keswick Island is looking very positive.
• Yes there was recently a plane accident at Brampton Island, but none of us were on the flight and no one was hurt, thank God. The new owners of the island were very lucky, as they had taken the previous trip before the incident. Many thanks to all who enquired to make sure we're safe and sound. (Horizon airlines is still looking good - fingers crossed!)
• B1, B2 & Mike have launched their new business K-I-L-M (pronounced "killem"), and they've secured a contract to clear all 38 blocks of land down near Basil Bay. (Congratulations boys & many thanks go to Karen Cooke!)
• Kevin Boyle is leaving the island tomorrow, and his house is much further along after a heavy work schedule over the past 2 weeks with Brian. (Bring Loretta next time Kevin!).
• Things are looking bright for Kevin to bring his Steber, Mako, in survey, up to the Whitsundays in the near future. (Yippee! More ways to travel!)
• I'm off to Sydney this Sunday unexpectedly to do some contract work for Modular Mining! It'll be great to catch up with my old work mates again, and check on our house at Gorokan. (Not sure about driving a 'real' car again though! lol)

Well, I think I've covered everything today... If not, I'll include it in my next post. Until then, take care, stay healthy and happy, and most of all --> keep smiling!

Feel free to leave a comment so we know you've dropped by!

Warm regards
Eva Browne-Paterson

Happy New Year to you! I know many people keep checking back here to see what the latest happenings are... Firstly, there's word on the bush telegraph that the island's been sold -- but we can't confirm that as true just yet. We'll keep you up-to-date on that though.

Much has happened over the last month, and we've had a most enjoyable festive season. I can't recall exactly how many times the Mingu Mingu Coral Choir has sung the 12 Days Of Christmas! But it's always fun. Without further ado, let's get into the latest crop of snapshots below...


Brian went over to Mackay for a couple of days with Brian & Lyn, and went out for Thai dinner. Here's Lyn, Bob Pearson, Brian, Brian K, Peter & Trish (our favourite pilots!)

Unfortunately we had to farewell Marian Brooks and her builders Trent and his cousin Alex in December. We held a farewell party for them at our place... Ron & Marian are now in Perth and should be back around April for good (we hope!).

Here's a photo of Trent and myself (with purple hair! What was I thinking? lol)


Alex and Brian at the farewell.


It's a well known fact that Marian HATES having her photo taken... so I thought I'd spice up my blog by adding this shot of Marian on her last day. Nice cleavage Marian! (I think she'll probably kill me for this one!)

December also saw our landlords Jennie & Nat arrive for a short stay. It was lovely to finally meet them!


Here's Nat after rediscovering one of his father's hats. We loved listening to him playing jazzy tunes on the piano...


Lyn and Jennie behind the 'screen of invisibililty at Mike & Lyn's place.

We also had a few honeymooners visit Keswick Island Guest House from Europe...


Here's the first Dutch couple from left to right: Eric, Lyn, Sabina & Brian on our deck bat watching at sunset. The other couple had actually eloped from The Netherlands -- Mel & Sabine -- and they got married on Cronulla Beach in NSW. No photos sorry... We did take a video of them singing a lovely song for Brian & Lyn though!


Coming up to Christmas, Mingu Mingu gets frocked up in a new buff!


We had some lovely 6m+ high tides during Christmas. How's this for stepping straight off the grass into the water?

Christmas day was the first where we really felt the wet season taking hold. Talk about hot and humid! That night it bucketed down and has rained every night since! It's nice and green here now though!

We had Christmas at the Guest House again this year, (lucky us!), with 11 people in total. Here's the table before we started. The little table presents are always a lovely touch.

Here's a couple of the guests who stayed over Christmas.


The female contingent, Janey and Glen.


The male of the species, Glen's husband Ray, and Janey's husband Peter.

Now I'll show you why we love having Christmas at the Guest House! The delectable food (not to mention the great company!)

The first course was a lovely refreshing prawn salad. 10/10 for that one!


Second course was a delicious smoked salmon and potato terrine. Beeooodiful!


Third course was a stunning warm duck salad with peaches and orange. Bellisima!


Our host with the most... Brian.


Our gourmet extraordinaire and taste tantaliser... Lyn.


Dessert 1 was concocted by yours truly. Chocolate pavlova with cherries in balsamic vinegar.


And the peace de resistance... Traditional Christmas pudding with silver coins! All in all, a wonderful feast to behold and to eat!

Just before New Years Eve, we had an influx of people arrive for a break and to party...


Here's Karen & Craig from Mackay, and Karen's daughter Anna from Perth. We had a bit of a deck party in their new home which is still under construction.


Here's the whole gang at Craig & Karen's place: Bruce, Nicole, Louis & Amanda (guests and friends of Brian & Lyn's), Lyn, Anna, Karen, Craig, Evie & Brian.

Then there was the New Year's Eve party on the beach... Typically, we had to have the New Year's Eve punch of course! And we only got rained out just before midnight this time.


The girls looked lovely on the night in their long dresses. Here's Karen, Nicole & Anna.


We even had the 'yellow lawn chair brigade!' Peter & Julie Morris, with Mike & Lyn.


We were also lucky enough to have John & Kim Kleidon over from Mackay. Here they are with Brian.


Here's Brian cooking up a storm for his guests.

After New Years, we had a bit of a rest, until the next guests came to visit the island at the Guest House!


Here's friend's of Brian K's, John & Leslie, plus newcomers Toni (Crumbs) & Andrew (Darce). Really lovely people. We had some great laughs with them. ;-)

Of course, we had to try out the cool new Chrissy prezzies that Brian & Lyn gave us... I shrieked like a 10 year old when I opened mine. A blow up lounge chair! Just what I wanted! Woohoo. :-)


Brian in his lounge chair, which we clipped onto mine...


Me in my chair. Brian went out of the water to get some champagne, and his chair unclipped from mine. I ended up having to do a full on swim to catch it! I think we'll need to use an anchor in future... otherwise we'll need eperbs in case we float away to Mackay! lol


Lyn, Brian & Jeff whiling away the hours... What a life we lead here!


Here's Brian & Lyn's friends, Laurie and Jeff trying them out. Do you like the little buddy floaty for the esky? Ingenious!


In fact, it turned out to be the perfect size for Jeff! He really moved along with flippers on too! lol


New guest Loretta from Brisbane had a relaxing stay.


Here's her sister Sarah, who was visiting from London. Both lovely girls.

Well that's all for this update! We've got 3 lots of family staying for the next 3 weeks starting tomorrow, and Survivor Keswick Island coming up this Saturday night for all the Capricorns -- so there'll be more to report soon!

Take care and keep smiling!

Warm regards
Eva Browne-Paterson

November Update - We've Been Here 1 Year!

Hi there!

I can't believe it... we've already been here a whole year. Well they do say "Time flies when you're having fun!" and how true is that? Very! Not a month goes by when we don't have guests and new friends to meet on Keswick Island. There's never a dull moment here I assure you. But it does help that we all know how to make our own fun!


Here's Trent and his mum Faye at a special dinner that Trent arranged at the Guest House for his parents who came for a visit. What a lovely couple they are. We hear they might be bringing their family up for Christmas in 2008. We look forward to seeing them again. :-)

A Day At The Races...

Melbourne Cup day was enjoyed by all who were here on Keswick Island this year. I had asked my son Clayton, who was in Melbourne at the time, what he was doing for Melbourne Cup... and he said, "Nothing. We've got a public holiday though!" So I suggested he come up here because we always have a Melbourne Cup Day do at the Guest House. Typically, he said "I'm there!"

As it turned out, Brian's cousin Robbie came up with Clayton at the same time. So we had a lovely visit from the pair, who got along very well!

Here are some shots from our 1 Year Anniversary Beach Party held the night they arrived, and the Melbourne Cup Day bash at the Guest House:


Robbie and Clayton on their first day acting the goat... I wonder if Clayton's ever practised that pose in front of the mirror? lol (Probability = 100%!)


Clatyon giving Lyn one of his big hugs! Hey, where's mine?!


Good grief mon! It's Robbie the Scot with his singing hat and sporran... And we know what's under his kilt! ;-) (Sorry, they're boardshorts!)


Here's Shiona & Bob Pearson who came over on our first anniversary and joined us for our beach party. It was also Shiona's birthday! We really enjoyed their company while they were here and look forward to the day when their house is built up on the hill!


The lads on Melbourne Cup Day. From left: My Brian, Bob, Brian, Clayton & Robbie.


I was starting to think that I'd never get a shot of Verna! But I snapped her on Melbourne Cup day looking pretty in purple as always. Verna is Lyn's 85 year old mother, who lives in a self-contained unit below Mike & Lyn. She's a very cheeky thing when she gets going...


The girls on Melbourne Cup Day. From left: Lyn, Myself & Shiona. We did get shots of all the girls together, with Marian hiding as usual... but we were all in the shade and you can't really see us clearly.


Robbie the entertainer... sitting on the beach playing Brian Kinderman's guitar. He kept us entertained on many occasions with his beautiful singing and guitar playing. Lyn's hat looks pretty good on him too! lol


We do get rain sometimes, but not often outside of the wet season!


Robbie and I on his last night before dinner at the Guest House. Hey, blonde hair! Well there's no shops here, so what's a girl to do?


See what we get up to on very hot days in the water? Here's Lyn raising her glass in a toast to warm water! Some days it's just like a bath... Oh no, I think she needs a refill! "Briannnnn!"


Good friends of Brian & Lyn's, Catherine & John Crannie, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary! We had lots of fun singing and making music that night.


Beach cricket even! What next? Beach golf?


Thanks to Jean Paul in The Netherlands, the Guest House has had many Dutch visitors this year. What fun loving people they are... and Brian & Lyn often bring them up to see the bats passing by our deck at sunset. Above we have Ingrid and Leo, who were real characters. I never thought you could fit real coconuts into a bikini top, but Ingrid did! That was funny. ;-)


Here's Leo again with Ingrid's sister Karen. Always laughing!


Here's Lyn with Karen's husband, Wim, who fell in love with chardonnay... Join the club!


You're probably aware by now that there's all kinds of wildlife on Keswick Island... and here's one I can do without! Normal huntsman spiders are ok... They eat flies, and if they get in the way, Brian will pick them up and put them outside. Then we had this huge version appear all of a sudden... The Sydney Huntsman we're told they're called, and if they fell off the roof onto your head, they'd be like wearing a furry cap! I had one run up my leg in the middle of the night once! Scary stuff! lol.

I really couldn't concentrate on working while I had this one sitting on the wall above my desk, then lo and behold -- it grabbed a poor little gecko and got him! Eeek! (I made Brian get him with the broom in the end. Sorry nasty spider!)

That's all for November's roundup. I've got lots more to come for December, but will wait until the New Year to post all the festive season excitement for you. Stay tuned for more fun and kapers on Keswick Island in 2008!

Warm regards
Eva Browne-Paterson