Hello from the land of butterflies & little geckos that hang around on the windows in the balmy, tropical evenings. Port Douglas really IS as beautiful as the tourist brochures make out. Palm trees, hibiscus & mangos that fall right out of the trees at your feet. In fact if it were possible to O.D. on mangoes I'm there, & I didn't pay a cent for any of them! We've been in the water every day & have been working on a synchronised swimming routine coached ably by Damon Davies. We do need to work on our last move where we all do a hand stand into the centre & supposedly fall out gracefully like a waterlily. It tends to end up in a giggling mass of tangled limbs & water erupting everywhere.


The gig has gone really well, getting the thumbs up by tourists & locals alike. One of our staunchest supporters is our new friend Clancy who presides over the Ironbar Cane toad races 3 times a week & who also plays in the pub next door on Wednesdays in a band called 'Better than a Chook Raffle". He comes in after his gig & dances wildly to 'Steal my Kisses' & then staggers home happy. My injured hand has managed to handle bass duties so far which leaves Damon Davies (who came along to take over on bass if it became necessary) on the snare & kick -board most of the night, & he's really good! In fact, I'm starting to think of him as a drummer! One of the funniest things to observe is the reactions on the dance floor whenever he starts one of his famous mouth-trumpet solos. People looking around, puzzled by the absence of a fifth member until the awful truth slowly dawns on them. Damon also inspired my newest song with a casual comment made over dinner. "The Stronger the wind, the stronger the tree." Thanks bro!

We are lucky to be able to renew a connection which was originally made in Adelaide 2 years ago. Melissa Robertson, lives up here near Cairns & kindly took us all up to Mossman Gorge for a day to frolic in waterfalls & stroll through the rainforest. This place is truly magical! Melissa also arranged for us to gate-crash an environmental festival at a place called the Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns. We played a couple of sets, made some new friends & had a ball. This also led to another extra-curricular activity: gatecrashing the Tablelands Folk Festival in Yungaburra. Our blackboard spot in the afternoon was fantastic! A wildly enthusiastic crowd & even a few dancers got in on the act. It was also great to see friends at the other end of the country like the Sommers family, Barb Dwyer, Steve Gilbert & even Pablo from The Horses Leotard who was just visiting the festival incidentally.

Now I have to get back to our plans to celebrate Greg's birthday tomorrow. It's hard to be away from home on your birthday so together we're all going to make it special...

See y'all soon & remember handy hint No.4. Mangoes are best chilled suspended in river water while you are swimming & best eaten with your bare hands while you are still in the water. Go ahead & let it dribble everywhere, it's great! (& they even automatically floss your teeth for you)
~liz