I have a lot of friends and family in Victoria that have no idea where Atherton is, and what it's like, so I thought I'd do a Blog and shed some light on those things. Atherton is greener than I remember as a child, and about 75 minutes drive from Cairns. It's usually a couple of degrees cooler than Cairns (thank goodness LOL!), as it's up on the top of a plateau called the Atherton tablelands.
Atherton is a thriving metropolis, with some spectacular architecture, as demonstrated by the contemporary angles of the magnificent dwelling below.
LOL! Only joking . . . but seriously, I walk past this place every time I walk the half dozen or so blocks down to the main street, and I do love the character of this, and several other old queenslanders around the town. My home at the moment is with my Mum and Dad, and as well as one of the verandahs of the unit, you can see, in the photo below, that Atherton is actually quite modern with bitumen roads, line-marking, modern cars, and everything LOL!
What else can I tell you about it? Well, it has a shop in the main street called Crystal Caves that boasts the largest amethyst quartz geode in the world at 3.5 metres in height and 2.7 tonnes in weight. The town has a swimming pool (that I am hoping to take advantage of and start doing laps again soon), and a bowling green with a roof :)There's another shop here, called Mystic Body Mind Soul, that holds DVD nights every fortnight, which is just great for me, and they are hosting the screening of "The Moses Code" (you can view the trailer by clicking on the link to the video of it on the right side of the page), but that will be the subject of my next Blog :)
It's Easter, and because Mum had improved remarkably by Thursday (20th), she was discharged from hospital on Good Friday (21st). This meant she was able to join us for lunch (below) at my brother Phil's place in Walkaman.
My other brother Pete arrived last Tuesday (18th) from Melbourne because Mum was rushed by ambulance to hospital the Friday before that (14th) having great difficulty breathing, and all the doctors feared the worst. What had begun as a simple chesty cough had rapidly deteriorated into a very serious, life-threatening, heart/lung condition. It's amazing what some good old family support (below) can accomplish :)
In addition to this, it was Mum and Dad's 56th wedding anniversary yesterday, so Pete and I prepared a special anniversary dinner for them using mostly fresh and/or organic produce we found at the Yungaburra market (below) that morning.
Thankfully, the government has recognized the importance of my new role of looking after these two wonderful people, and has approved my applications for a carer allowance and carer payments for both of them to demonstrate this, which is very much appreciated :)So . . . Mum is home again now, and feeling much better, though we do have an medical oxygen system on the ready for her if/when she needs it. Dad seems to be getting used to his new job of resting and doing things that are enjoyable, and letting me do all the chores around the place, though it seems old habits die hard :)
