Baringa

 Not such an early start, needed to leave at 5.55am and we arrived at 6.30am. Parkrun was around sports grounds and there was a wide bike path that was used as well.

Lucy and I walked out to the furtherest point on the bike path, then made our way back and through the shopping centre, checked out where we could have coffee.

Runners were coming on the path before we made it to the shopping area and to Lucy's del8ght, her boss came past and stopped to give her a pat. Luckily there was a bend a few metres up so once she couldnt see him any more she was content to continue walking with me.

Different spring flowers coming out

Pale bottle brush, usually they are red but this plant has pale lemon flowers

Similar but flowers were a mauve.

We were only twenty kms south of where we had been the week before with the yellow wattle but flowers and shrubs were quite different.

Wattle

 Seeing wattle flowers c9ming out is a good indication of spring on its way. We travelled to Brightwater on Saturday to walk/run around a lake.

First wattle flowers I saw.

I walked over the road bridge while the runners run underneath and up the other side.

A different wattle tree, still with yellow flowers

I know its not wattle but its yellow and pretty.

Met and photographed these two after the run, it rained slightly for most of the run but I was nice and dry as I had bought a puffer jacket a couple of days earlier. I was surprised to see how much/many rain drops were on it and I didnt feel it.

Samford

 Warren needed an S to complete his snakes challenge with parjrun so that meant a trip to Samford to do their parkrun. 

Alarms set for 5.15am, leav8ng at 5.30 or 5.40, down the highway, not the usual way to go but we knew it would not be bysy at that time.

Lucky me, there was an adventure lab just across the road from parkrun, however as sometimes happens, I ended up in the middle of the runners as we ended up using the same pathway.

I did my thing,chatting to a couple of marshalls alo

Breakfast at Harry Potters.

Couple of tables at the cafes, very tired looking,

ng the way only to find that Warren was back before me and looking for his jacket.

Out on the parkrun track, mist on the paddocks, this is about 7.30am.

Chinchilla bush park

 We have stayed in Chinchilla a few times, mostly on our way west to sonewhere else. Furst time we stayed at the caravan park. It was a very small park, probably only room for about 20 vans and they hadfive motels rooms. I remember it as it was the first park that was over $30, at the time possibly eight or nine years ago, it was $40.

The next couple of times we stayed on the same road at the showgrounds. Quite basic but power, water, toilets and showers.

We needed to stay for parkrun and Warren discovered a new park, opened a couple of years ago. Wow, $30 a night, all toilets contained a shower as well and if needed the washing machines were free to use.

The sites were big and although there were quite a lot of vans there, it was quiet and only a couple of kms from town, parkrun and where our Sunday event was to be held.

I was surprised at how big Chinchilla is for a country town.

A seat in the park

Some old farm equipment

Vans were to park on the gravel roads

Warrens first CITO.

Rubbish collected at local park.

New pattern

 I have been making pjs for uniforms for kids, bit over them so I found a pattern online for an all day play dress.

Very simple.

These are four that I made. The pattern is in four sizes so I made one of each, 4,6,8 and 10.

It is stretch fabric so no need for buttons or zips.

I came home from U4ks and cut out four more of them. One has the police blue running from shoulder to hem, a second one has an incert around the waist, the other two will have pockets. 

Going away for the weekend does curb my output but having them already cut out will help.

Rockhampton

 Parkrun at Rocky, Friday night, they were short a time keeper. As we had travelled up to do it, there was a danger of it being cancelled. I said that I was available even though I had not done time keeping before but hey got to be a first time for everything, right!

Sheri ran me thru what to do as she had done it a few months earlier and then one of the other vollies also showed me what to do.

The start point was about 200 m from the gathering point, I had to set my phone and then call down from three and yell Go. Back to end and wait for runners to finish. It was an out and back with a loop in the middle so we saw the runners twice before they came thru the finish race. It turned out quite an easy job, just tap my phone as a runner came past at the end. It was a bit hard when several came more or less together. There were 173 in total, many walkers.

No photos as my phone was in use.

Next morning, Sunday, we were up early to go to a local park and emu bob, only four but between us we collected four large bags of rubbish.

At 6.45am

I had a maggie very interested in what I was doing.

Looking over the river, at the top end of the park was the train line, it was in use but no trains went through.

Pretty tree out in flower, seems a bit early.

Gladstone

 We dived into Gladstone on our way north. There was an old cache up a mountain?/ large hill. Thankfully if had been tarred since S had been there last. It had been raining and was pot holey.

The view was brilliant. We walked out from the road and I am hoping thatcwe didnt need to go over the edge, when I realused we were only six metres away. We saw a largep rock at the same time and yep, it was there with a guardian.

It was an very early cache, 2006 I think.

Next we went to a lookout

Sea view

And a pineapple tree. I think it is a type of cactus with fruit that look like pineapples but these are not for eating.

We also went to  the spit in Gladstone, nice place for a walk along the foreshore and around a park. Have since discovered that there is a new parkrun on that spot starting in August. That will be our August trip as Warren needs a number four in his Wilson challenge.