Rain, rain, go away

We’re halfway through our six-or-so-week Lap of the Dogs shakedown trip, camped at the beautiful village of Maleny on the Sunshine Coast hinterland. This is Jinibara country.

We achieved our mission of delivering my father’s portrait safely to family in Noosa. We were very glad to find he’d made the journey unscathed and his face hadn’t melted while travelling in the heat and humidity of Homer’s loft for several weeks. This was doubly reassuring as it meant there hadn’t been a leak, though the roof’s waterproofing has been well tested so far on this journey.

As we write, enjoying a very early cuppa thanks to Queensland’s stubborn resistance to daylight saving (at least the curtains won’t fade), we’re listening to steady rain on the roof. This particular downpour started about 18 hours ago and doesn’t look like letting up for another two days. We have enjoyed some warm sunny weather on this trip but for the most part it’s ranged from heavy rain, to thunder and lightning, back to heavy rain and a bit of drizzle thrown just to change things up a bit. It’s beginning to feel that we attract bad weather wherever we go, so it’s oddly comforting to watch the morning news and see that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in other parts of the country. And although essence of wet Labrador is ever pervasive, we’re glad we’re not making this trip in Loretta.

Despite the damp conditions, one of us had a lovely time with family while the others enjoyed a mini staycation at a swanky local resort (is there any other kind on the Sunshine Coast?). Thunder and lightning aside, over the past few weeks the Labs have had a jolly time chasing lizards, bush turkeys, toads, frogs, chickens and all manner of wildlife that Queensland offers up. Juddy celebrated her 13th birthday with dog beer and a cupcake, and continues her review of country town veterinarians. She hasn’t found a bad one yet, although the quality and volume of treats can vary.

Today we’re pointing southwest (into the purple bits on the weather radar) aiming for Dalby and starting our journey towards home.

Here’s a amixed bag of photos from the past three weeks. Starting in Berry, then Foster-Tuncurry, Southwest Rocks, Noosa, and finally the Sunshine (use the word advisedly) Coast hinterland. There’s one of the hitchhiker we picked up in Brunswick heads (we named him Kermit), and for your enjoyment there are a few of the Labs getting my money’s worth at the resort.