Well year 2021 proved to be almost pedestrian with Australian states largely closed off from each other and capital cities and larger regional centres in occasional lockdown whenever the virus showed itself. Yes that troublesome COVID19 remained with us all year and even morphed into a more infectious strain which introduced the unpopular mask. The trial vaccines were a distraction and proved to offer some protection against hospitalisation for the believers but certainly they were no “silver bullet”. Some businesses thrived but most had a poor or disastrous year and many people were unemployed or even homeless.
Life for us had a certain sameness since long distance travel was largely out and so unpredictable anyway. We decided on a programme of evening sunset watching and monthly short camping trips around the local south-east Queensland area whenever other events like Joyce’s music or Bob’s golf interests allowed. The following map shows the extent of our 2021 wanderings (numbered 2 to 14 – number 1 is home).
December was almost unremarkable being hot and showery, triggering Bob to move with computer downstairs away from the afternoon western sun. We camped in the Bunya Mountains (map 4) for a few days before Christmas, which was cooler and also misty and rainy but we enjoyed hiking in the beautiful forests and photographing the hugely varied fungi. We returned home via a very enjoyable Xmas lunch at the family farm outside Toogoolawah (map 11).
Just after Xmas was Joyce fell on a rock while walking at Whitepatch foreshore and hurt her hip. Scans a few days later showed no breaks, and fortunately the hip healed after a week or so on crutches. Otherwise we have both thankfully been free from medical problems, though Bob had a precautionary colonoscopy in August which found no abnormalities.
Also in January the Butterfly House EFTPOS terminal broke down so much ado getting a replacement and spare terminal amid a COVID lockdown. Bob was also helping Jennifer take over the Treasurer's duties. Meanwhile Janet in New Zealand was making snowman in her yard while we explored the flowers of Bribie's heathlands.
February saw Bob and Joyce bicycle 35km up the Bribie ocean beach (at low tide) to camp for a couple of nights at a National Park campsite (map 2). Unfortunately the weather saw us and sent in a couple of storms so the trip was aborted at lunch on day two. We struggled home with no power on Bob’s bike, pouring rain and a detour past a beach lagoon that overflowed in a creek across the beach too deep and fast for the bikes. A memorable day!!!
March started with a Booloumba Creek camping trip with visits to “the egg” - a remote (couple of km walk from the nearest road) sculpture by the Scottish artist Andy Goldsworthy and Booloumba Falls.
After some Bribie sunsets and photographing some interesting local fungi, the month ended in another camp at Peach Trees Camping (map 6) in the hills near Jimna – walking and lots of bird-watching.
April started with a three-day COVID lockdown and Easter Holidays so we decided to stay near home walking, riding bike and paddling kayaks for exercise and catching up on paperwork and bike and Butterfly House maintenance jobs.
Yes – it is a real live large green tree frog that sometimes lives in a rainwater downpipe near the bike parking.
End of April we camped at Hidden Valley private campsite (map 7) near Yandina with Joyce’s friend Denise. Bob finally found a pair of UGG BOOTS that fit at the Eumundi Markets.
A week into May we took the Cleveland car ferry across to Stradbroke Island to a Cylinder Beach campsite (map 8) lunching at Brown Lake on the way there and the way back to the ferry three days later. We biked along an old road to Amity Point and actually saw a wild koala up a tree by the track and also biked a ways up the surf beach.
In June we spent two nights at the renovated O’Reilly’s Rainforest Camp (map 14) now all very “civilised” and not so much to our taste. However we enjoyed a day walk up the border (with NSW) track getting most of the way bird-watching and enjoying the rainforest and especially the remnant huge Gondwana Antarctic Beech trees.
July saw another week of COVID lockdown, lots of catch-up paperwork for Bob, and a camping trip to Elanda Point on a large coastal lake (map 9). We camped near the lake under shady trees and walking by the lake at dusk ran into an echidna also walking along by the lake, walked inland to Mill Point and the Kin Kin Creek bridge site (washed away by flash flood), and finished up the visit by a very nice Bistro lunch on a patio under trees.
In early August a Cotton Tree Camping trip (map 10) started with picking up Bob’s new Ebike (Merida Espresso City 700 EQ) and setting up camp virtually across the fence from the beach overlooking the mouth of the Maroochy River. We then spent the next two days cycling north to Mudjimba and south to Point Cartwright. Thursday Joyce went to Bli Bli with her recorders and Bob cycled back to 99Bikes for a bit more information on the bike.
September was pretty pedestrian for Bob with paperwork and maintenance at home and the Butterfly House. Joyce enjoyed singing weekly with a Community Choir in Brisbane (Birralee Recycled) which met for 6 evening rehearsals in Brisbane followed by a concert mid-October - a commitment which meant we didn't manage to fit in a camping trip.
October began with a Toogoolawah Showgrounds Camp (map 11) on a weekend bicycle outing with the Bribie BUG (Bicycle Users Group) on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail followed ten days later by a Thunderbird Park Camp (map 12) on Cedar Creek near Tamborine where we enjoyed various walks, lookouts, waterfalls, bird watching, a ropes course (Joyce) and visiting some old memories (Bob).
In November we camped at Goomburra Park Camp (map 13) in the Main Range NP a bit north of Cunninghams Gap. It was an enjoyable visit with eucalypt and Gondwana rainforest including plenty of the rain, cloud and mist as well.
And a more personal note from Joyce. During the year, I have been focusing on deepening my personal connection to nature, including several cycling and camping trips alone up the beach, most often returning at night by the full moon. I am member of, and often, facilitate about 6 usually small groups - musical, meditation and exercise - that bring joy and meaning to my life. Some of my musings about life can be found at Joycesbirdpoems.blogspot,com.
My relationship with Bob(we have now been married 53 years!) remains central to my life, and continues to deepen as we learn, often aided by laughter to negotiate the challenges of living busy lives with aging minds and bodies. We see the 'pandemic' very differently. Bob is happy to accept the public narrative - and is fully vaccinated, whereas I am drawn to very different alternative viewpoints on the nature of the 'crisis'. Out of concerns for my own health, and concern about the apparent low and very short effectiveness, and likely risks of the current vaccines, I am not going to be vaccinated, and will accept whatever (to me completely illogical) restrictions this might entail. For both of us the bottom line is the same as it is for all other Australians: we can only obey the 'rules' as we see fit as we watch the story unfold.
Janet continues to enjoy life and work in New Zealand, where she has now been for 3 years. She had plans to visit us in July, which had to be cancelled at the last moment due to border closures - so has been using her holiday time to further explore her new homeland. Craig (and his partner Karen) are happily living in Toronto despite its many lockdowns and restrictions as they are able to do their computer-based work happily from home.
What will 2022 bring? More civil unrest as people tire of constraints on their “freedoms”? A resurgence of COVID as we attempt to reopen our economies? New more disruptive strains of the virus (e.g. Omicron from southern Africa)? Worldwide supply-chain problems currently predicted to take least a year or two to recover? Moves away from “globalisation” towards more local food and manufacturing? Economic disruption from the huge debts racked up by China’s rapid development and by the world-wide COVID disruptions? Increasing extremes in the weather due to Global Warming? Hydrogen as a viable transport/industrial fuel? We could go on forever and still not solve the world’s problems.
Oh Well. Maybe see you next year! It has been a great time to be alive!
And as a final postscript that probably summarises it all
