Andrea Rude's Page

Hi Andrea

Yes it was a very amusing fast trip on the way to the airport, can't believe you got there in time!

I get the travel bug too, we are tending to spend all out holidays visiting family in Sydney now we live so far away. However, (as this will be our 10 yr wedding anniversary) Penny and I are going to Vietnam with friends in June,  and Penny's Mum and Dad will come up here to look after the kids - woohoo!!!  We will also try and do a bit more travelling up here in the dry season.

I have dived /snorkelled the GBR before, but not since I have lived here.  It is about 50 nautical miles off the coast, bit far out for my little boat.  When the kids are a bit older we will try and get out there.  No tours go from here because it is too far.

The house is an old "queenslander" style, that has been added onto over the years, also raised up and closed in underneath.  It is all wood, apart from the cncrete slab and the steel roof.  It is great, but lots of work.  I am currently replacing handrails on exterior stairs and painting new doors.  I did not build it, we bought it when we moved up here (after much argument and angst) I did not want a wooden house (too much upkeep) but Penny did.  There is not much benefit other than it does not retain heat like a brick/block home does.  It is strong though, survived Cyclone Yasi with no problems.  The garden was a mess though

We like the idea of being environmentally friendly, we grow some vegies/herbs in the garden, have planted some fruit trees this year.  Thinking about solar panels on the roof, but it is very expensive.  It is hard to prioritise what is best to spend money on.  We want to do lots of things, the list is constantly changing!

Got to go w, I'm at work

All the best

Peter