Pictures - page 12 * Cairns * July - October 2006

	The reason why we have neglected so many friends lately, aside being lazy in the regular way, is that we have moved house. It happened in the beginning of July 2006. Just a few months before our 4th wedding anniversary, we finally got our first own house. It's not the dream house for us, not a big country property with lots of space for the animals and garden but just a little house in the town. It's very much a compromise since prices have gone up so fast lately. With the money we had budgeted for the house we could have got something great in Townsville region and also in Cairns 2 or 3 years ago. But not any more. Prices are going up and acerages are far too expensive for us. We could have got one far away but too far to commute to town. Well, let's have a look at the map on the left. The Cairns city centre is on the bottom right. Kuranda, the marvellous mountain village that could have been a place of our dreams is marked with the yellow dot. Our old house in Machans Beach, next to the sea and airport is marked with green dot. And our new house is marked with the red dot. The suburb is called Caravonica. It's next to lake Placid and Barron gorge national park. It takes about 15 minutes for us to drive to work in our car. Distance is 15 kilometres. It still bearable for Timo even to ride his bicycle to work. Though he hasn't been cycling much because he rather spends his time with the garden and house.
	Caravonica is in the North-Western corner of Cairns. It's in the border of flat coastal land and mountains and highlands of the Tableland area. It's not an unique village like Machans beach was but more a regular suburb. There are a few thousand people living here. Most of the houses are on a slope of a hill. This is a park with man-made lake about 5 minutes walk away from our house. Our house is to the left from the palm tree in the centre of the picture behind the trees. Where the start of the mountains is, the mountains that you can see in the background. There on the mountains there is Kuranda and there is scenic railway to Kuranda further on the left and Cable car to Kuranda further on the right. In a few years there will be new highway to Kuranda somewhere near by in the mountains.
	Our street is called Carramar crescent. People use our street to access around 10 to 20 residential houses. Not too heavy traffic but still need to be careful with cats Neighbours are very close on both sides. Trees and other vegetation help it a bit.
	First improvement we made for the house was to replace electrical hot water system with a soler one. This Solahart system is supposed to reduse our power bills remarkably since we are using quite much hot water. Timo is replacing his sauna with hot showers. For cloudy days there is automated electrical backup so there'll be hot water all the time without having to turn switches. On the right of the tank there is a skylight, a little roof window that lets light into the kitchen.
	The house was sold with all furniture and even cutlery and garden tools. A fish tank was included too. Though we had to fill it with water and get the fish. We tried to sell our old furniture as well as some of the new too but couldn't get rid of it all. For a long time everything in the house was a bit disorganised. Since the house is smaller than we used to have it feels so small and we need to arrange everthing with time. Kitchen is behind the fish tank. It's very small for too cooks. We both do cooking but here we can't do it the same time.
	We have thought about extending the kitchen toward the former dining area. See the picture up where the table and chairs are. Here the same area in front of the gliding class door. We shifted dining table in the living room and there is another one in the patio outside. We are planning to put overhead cupboards above the existing kitchen bench. Timo of course would like to do it the Finnish way ie. put a cabinet with a built in metal dish rack above the sink so that you can put dishes in without drying them with a cloth. A little kitchen bench with an overhead cabinet might go in the space where the clock is now. In front of the door next to the wall we might place a bench. Even a second sink or dishwasher would go there because there is water point for washing machine right behind that wall.
	Here is a picture of the messy kitchen. We cook at home all the time, and both of us do it as said, so we really need much space. Yep, and we are a bit lazy doing the dishes.
	Landscape near the house next to Barron river and Lake Placid. On the left from the picture there is the river and an old bridge crossing it. You can walk over it or use a bicycle. Then a little sandy road will turn to the left under the big road (Brinsmead-Kamerunga road). From there you can go past a farm with horses and cows and private railway to transport sugar cane. There are sugar cane fields there, speaking about area in the map above somewhere half way between the green and red dots.
	Both of us have our offices in the northern part of the town centre. It means that we don't have to wait in many traffic lights. Though some traffic jams are there during pik hours but not so bad.
	Back to home. This picture is taken from driveway towards the front door. On the left there is the bedroom window and to the right the carage. Front yard is cats' are and backyard belongs to the dogs. Before purchase of the house was finalised we did building and pest inspections the same way we did to the old log cottage on machans beach. There it appeared that the house had so severe termite damages that we used our right to terminate the contract. We did it because the seller, old lady, didn't want to bring the price down at all and it would have been costly to fix the damages. Though many people there just don't care but enjoy their old houses as long as they stand. We were looking at some other houses on Machans beach but were not very happy with their condition related to their high price. We thought a block house would be a better choice than a timber house. That's not completely true since there are some wooden parts in a block house too like the structures supporting the roof. So we did a structure and pest inspection to this house too. Everything was ok except termites.
	The inspector told we have to get rid of all the gardens next to the house walls, remove this corgeous fan palm and dig up the roots so there won't be places for termites to hide this close to the house. So sad was to get rid off this huge fan palm next to the living room window and the carage. We thought to grow a new one further away from the house. In tropics it takes only a few years for a palm like this to grow. One day in August a tree feller was hired to fall this palm and lots of other palms in the front yard. There were huge bushes of golden cane palms everywhere. Timo tried to destroy them with his hand saw but it was a hopeless project. Instead he dag up plenty of other plants so now in September all areas next to house wall are empty. Many of the bushes and small trees have been transplanted next to the boundary fence.
	At first we wanted to build a cat enclosure in the yard. Though later we gave up the idea. The cats love the front yard because dogs can't see them. They walk freely also to the road. We have started the process getting a high fence around the front yard and a gate here in the beginning of the driveway. Timo's idea is to build a green tunnel on the driveway to protect us from the noise that comes from the highway and other areas that are lower than us.
	The cats have been adjusting extremely well. Even Lolitha that hates changes has taken it very well here. On Machans beach she almost moved to a house opposite us. There was living Una, a psychiatrist there, and she loved cats. Though se didn't like Lolitha spending time there because her own cats were afraid of her. Anyway she didn't chase Lolitha away but let here stay outside on top of the rainwater tank. There Lolitha was staying also during the time in March when Nancy's family visited. Here in Caravonica we didn't build a cat enclosure even though we planned to. We just mounted a cat door in the bedroom window. In Woodstock Lolitha had a bad accident with a hard flap door. Her paw got stuck into it and she needed help to get away from it. Luckily we were at home at the time it happened. Since then we had a soft flap door for the cats. On Machans beach it was just fly screen cut so that they can go through and the hole will close itself after them. Here we got security screens everywhere so had to get a separate cat door. A friend helped to cut the hole in the security screen. There we mounted an aluminium door with soft flap. You could the the flap off and replace it So Timo did. He just cut stripes of security screen and fixed them to be even softer and lighter flap. Works extremely well and the cats are happy going in and out every day. Even Kitti who didn't go out almost at all on Machans beach is spending lots of time outside here. And Lolitha, who was almost never at home is spending lots of time indoors here.
	The back yard is dedicated to the dogs.
	and the ducks We still are having the ducks Elvis and Mavis that we got in Woodstock in June 2004. At first they were living in a cage that was snake proof. There are some pythons here that can easily eat a duck. Timo started building a pen with a pond for them behind the cage. Now they are still sleeping in the cage but in the morning door to the pen is opened and they can go swim in their bond.
	And Misu cat is comfortable everywhere. Often he likes to go sleep with the dogs. When he isn't home he is roaming on the road or neighbours' properties.
	View in the front yard. The window with air conditioner is our bedroom window. There is a cat door mounted on it, and the ladder is for cats to climb up and down. Lots of potted plants have been dug out from the garden and they are waiting for re-planting elsewhere.
	View from the roof of the house to the back yard. Some trees need to be planted to protect our yard from the neighbour's views.
	Another view in the front yard. The fence needs fixing and more needs to be built. We like our property to be fully fenced.
	When we moved out from Machans beach we were having a garage sale.
	View from Innisfail on May 2006. Cyclone Larry has been ripping of leaves from these palm trees.
	There were still plenty of damaged houses after the cyclone.
	On May we visited Woodstock. The dogs were enjoying themselves running free and looking at cows. This old yard horse belongs to Cavills.
	As said before the house came with lots of furniture and appliances. The things were not brand new but very well kept. This picture shows corner of the living area as we were inspecting it the first time. Ie. everything you can see here was sold together with the house. Later we were told that the owner moved to Western Australia. Hiring a moving truck would have became very expensive so selling it together with the house was the best option. Through experience we also had learned that arranging a carage sale wouldn't have been worth it. You waste one weekend of your time and make very little profit.
	View on our street. The mountains belong to Barron gorge national park. Behind the mountains there are Mareeba and Kuranda.
	Our street again. Our house is the yellow one.
	Some more of our street.
	Bluey dog having look at the chickens and stepping on my newly planted Luffa plants.
	The back yard patio.
	Border to the neighbour is waiting to get a fence.
	Duck pond is covered with shade cloth to prevent mangoes and leaves to drop into it. on the right there's Timo's digging project to remove some palm tree stumps and plant bamboo instead.
	Lolitha cat sleeping on top the computer monitor.
	On the border of the chichken and duck pens there is this fence and high compost heap.
	Not far away from our house is this country landscape. Our house would leave about 2 kilometres behind the trees.
	Misu cat wants to follow us for a walk. Unfortunately we can't take him because of the cars. When we come back he is there on the road waiting for us.
	Re-using the aviary. It has been devided between ducks, chicken and gardening item's storage.
	Ducks house is on the up left and chickens is down right. Up right there is timber storage. The chicken have their separate pen and that little door leading to it. At night we close both ducks and chooks in to protect them from snakes.
	End of October 2006 we got 3 chickens: 1 black and 2 white ones.
	Tomatoes in the front yard are growing well. On the left there are chilli, basil, bay leaves and Basil plants.
	Ugly timber fence towards the neighbour was covered with brushwood fence made in China.
	The chooks had grass growing in their pen and lots of compost to dig.
	Maxi's corner has yellow kannas and one red canna with purple leaves.
	This is what is left of one of our big palm trees in the front yard. The plant is called staghorn (Platycerium). That's an epiphyte plant, i.e. one that grows attached to another plant. It's not a parasite so it can grow around dead peace of tree trunk or you can mount it on any post, wood frame or even wall.
	Timo is vegetarian (actually vegan by diet) but rest of the families eat meat. Even some of our garden plants are carnivores like this one. Those "cans" in the end of the leaves attract insects with a sweet nectar. Then the insects get stuck into it and the plant will slowly consume the victim. We bought that plant in the local Smithfield market. The label says it's "Red leopard, climbing pitcher plant". We put it hanging in a pot above our fish pond. That's full shade.
	On his way to work Timo uses a shortcut through a park and footpath under the highway near the river bank. And then across a farm that has private train tracks for transportation of sugar cane. On the way he can see some horses and donkeys. Earlier there were cows too but now they have disappeared or moved further.
	Sugar cane.
	Bamboos and luffa next to the chook pen.
	Trying to get bamboos growing in our yard. The first one we tried, giant buddha belly bamboo, died.
	We would need a monkey to get the coconuts down from the backyard tree. We don't think monkeys are allowed as pets here so just have to get big enough ladder.
	This is the closest train station, located about 3 kilometers from our house towards the city centre. Unfortunately it's just a tourist train that goes to Kuranda in the morning. In the picture it's afternoon and the train is coming back. It had come down from the mountains we see in the background. Our house would be somewhere on the right behind the trees near the base of the mountain. From our house We can hear the train up on the mountains, and from the nearby park we can see it.
	Finally we are going bananas here. We'd been looking for a banana tree for months. Then we learned that banana is not a tree but a grass. We got a few from a friend near our former rental house on Machans beach. Those bananas we planted next to the duck pond. Excess water from the pond is coming here and the ducks hang around here fertilising the plants.
	After waiting for long time we finally got our fence done for christmas.
	Quality of the work was ok but there were some problems with honesty of the carpenter.
	In October/November we had nice tomatoes growing next to our backyard patio. In December it was too hot already and all the plants started dying. Even putting a shade gloth over them could not save the tomatoes. Have to start earlier next year. This year was a bit too late because we bought the house in July and it tooks several weeks to prepare the spot.
	Our Christmas was so slack. Santa didn't visit us. Instead a Green tree frog did. It was sleeping on our pond pump.