Wood-fired pizza!

We'd made pizza to celebrate the start of the school holidays, on our nifty Cobb Cookers.

I've since run out of heat beads, so have used the outside fuel stove to make hot cross buns, ANZAC biscuits and cakes.

We've also cooked pork chops with roast vegetables and some chicken wings - all with good results, though our roast dinner timing was a bit optimistic and we didn't eat till 10:00pm!  Tonight we made fan-tas-tic pizza.  It was possibly some of the best pizza we've made - and we've made some great batches! 

100!

We've driven up to (or through) Quilpie on a couple of occasions - with a gap of over three years between trips. 

It's a nice drive but I expect the novelty would soon wear off if we were making the 650 kilometre round journey every week, as Col does!

He's been keeping a tally of how many times he's travelled to Quilpie, since taking over ownership of the caravan park - and today was his 100th mission.  We felt that milestone deserved a medal, so we made him one and then performed a quick presentation ceremony this afternoon!

Fueling the fuel stove

It was a cooler day, our third-last before departure. I've been checking the fridge, freezer and pantry - trying to use up as much as we can before leaving, while ensuring we have enough food for the two-day drive home.

I'd already decided to make a chocolate cake but I can't eat that, so I was pleased to see various dried fruit that "needed" using.  The boiled fruit cake recipe yielded enough mix for two shallower tins.

We tasted the cakes this afternoon.  I did good work!

Nick cut enough wood to last all day, so I could make pizza for dinner.

Bluff drumming

When my very dear friend Kerry visited me last year, she and I bought matching long leopard-print dresses. We planned to wear them for our sunset drinks. Sadly the weather changed that same day and we didn't get a chance to flaunt our fabulous fashion.

I brought my dress with me to Yowah and wore it for the first time this evening, toasting Kerry on the Bluff!

Vaughan was a bit puzzled but I'm sure Kerry will enjoy the sentiment (now that I've found a couple of photos where I don't look like a stunned mullet or a spotted sea-slug)!

We took a few nibbles up to the Bluff - and a couple of drums also. 

There was a time when I would drum regularly as part of a dumming circle and when my girls were with me, they would join also. 

I've drummed on the Bluff other times - in 2000 and then again in 2010.  I wasn't expecting my family to drum tonight but it was very pleasant to play together while watching the sun go down, lighting a golden path from it to us.

Paroo picnic

We picnicked on the banks of the Paroo River, just outside Eulo. I don't think we've stopped there before and it was a pleasant spot to sit.

Vaughan ate quickly then spent time at the water's edge while we finished our lunch.  I joined him afterward, to take some photos. 

Eulo Queen (kitten)

After our wonderful bathing and a few purchases to take-home, there was still no sign of Nick and Vaughan. Ian very kindly drove us back into Eulo.

We sat on the verandah of the Eulo Queen Hotel with our cans of lemon squash, watching the world go by.


Most of the cars had left, the BBQ was being packed up and the town was returning to it's usual quiet state.  A young kitten came out onto the verandah and when Nick and Vaughan arrived a little while later, the kitten gained a new friend.

I'd asked the barman if lunch was being served but he seemed doubtful and directed me to pose my question to the cook, who was sitting on the verandah.  At that stage I wasn't sure which lady was the cook - or how much later Nick and Vaughan would be.  Once they arrived we walked the short distance to the Eulo general store but they weren't serving lunch either, though Emily offered to make a sandwich.  It seemed an impromptu picnic was warranted so we bought some bread and cold meat, before heading back out of town.

Mother's Day Mud-bathing!

Do you know the old cliche, as happy as a pig in mud?  That was Erin and I, a couple of blissed-out piggies enjoying our extended wallow at Eulo's Artesian Mud Baths! 

We'd been before, with Nissa, during our July 2010 Yowah trip so knew we were in for a treat but this time we had a room with a view out as well as up! Gorgeous!

I wasn't sure we'd get to go mud-bathing this trip but then Erin had the brilliant idea of treating me to an early Mother's Day present!  What a wonderful gift!

You can see a short (g-rated) movie of our bathing here.

Erin mentions eating mud during the "footage".  She's referring to a mud fight at the nearby mud springs. Of course, bathing is a far better way to experience the therapeutic benefits of the ancient artesian mud!

The bathing process is to soak in the muddy water for 30 minutes. After patting dry, wet mud is applied to slightly damp skin. It takes about ten minutes for the mud to dry. It's then washed off in the bath or under the shower - or both. The finale is to apply a lovely, rich moisturiser, based on date palm extracts.