HI Revisited - Act 8 - Departure

Opening Scene: The Winds of Change

There is no doubt that we struck it lucky with the weather during our time on the isle. Our chatty co-moater yesterday told us so and therefore it must be true.

Waking in the morning the view across the passage had a distinct smoky look to it. The fires creating havoc up north and inland had been painting the sunsets that particular hue and the change in weather was now blowing it our direction. Time for the rest of the cast to leave.

< queue Logistics>

The packup, cleanup, liftup (the baggage up those stairs) all went well. The script called for luggage collection at the front door at 8:30am and that’s exactly when it happened (Good to see some of the crews are still engaged). It was with happy regrets that we closed the front door of the wing, mounted our obedient beasts and traversed the terraces of the castle one last time, leaving behind a plethora of memories that will resonate through the ages – thanks to digital era enhancing our fallible organic repositories.

Play of the Day Scene: Departing

It all went very smoothly, dispersing across the island and then coming back together. OS.No1 and Companion took the white beast back to its stables (where the stable hands will groom, feed, rest and prepare it for the next set of warriors) and hung around the Koalas, consuming coffee’s and waiting for Blogger to pick them up. As he was riding the black beast and depositing Non-Blogger on the harbor-side coffee outlet and then getting confused as to where he was actually meant to be getting his coffee from. Luckily no-one was in any sort of hurry so it all looked as if went to the original script. With everyone eventually appropriately caffeined the four remaining cast members rode the black beast to the airport, stabled that one, collected their luggage, and waited in the queue to check in.

Great work by the efficient staff in the shed, they realised that our queue was critical (time wise) and processed the next scheduled flight whilst telling everyone else to wait. Fabulous to see people with steam coming out of their ears… we were here before them…we’re in the shorter queue… why should we wait to be processed after them?... just because they’re leaving before us?... so what? What about the fact that I’m here… standing… not being processed…I don’t really care if their plane gets held up as I’m not on that one…. I want to be processed ahead of them so they can see me being processed ahead of them…after all, I was here first… in the shorter queue… and I have my family here as well....we’re all suffering the indignity of having to wait whilst others are being processed ahead of us… aarrgggghhh.

As we dropped off the oversized luggage (golf clubs) we directed the cleaner over to the check-in area in order to sweep up the debris of exploding heads and then wandered casually into the departure lounge, efficiently herded onto the plane and took off only 10 minutes late (thanks to 3 peeps who somehow managed not to board – can’t figure that one out – there was literally nowhere else for them to be in such a small establishment).

3 uneventful (apart from OS.no1 Companion having to sit next to a gin spilling – let’s not make an embarrassing fuss cleaning up the mess – fellow passenger) hours later we arrived back south of the border to become Mexicans again.

Closing Scene: Curtain falls

Melbourne arrivals always delivers some exotic traveller’s surprise, todays was all the luggage being placed on the wrong carousel. Luckily one of hundred or so passengers realised what was going on – otherwise we’d all still be standing there watching two lonely bags do the loops whilst ours were all spinning around behind our backs.

Easy pickup with the carpark bus. Being no 53 was insightful and created a very entertaining conversation with the driver. Melbourne was sunny and almost pleasant weather wise and so the drive back was easy, also missed a major traffic jam thanks to OS.no1 Companion guiding us through the back streets of Royal Park.

Swapped OS.No1 and Companion for OS.No.2 in Abbotsford and an easy hop home to meet the overexcited pooch who then helped with the washing.

As so the curtain falls on the cast as they take their bows – pointing to the script writer in recognition of her efforts - and her dearly departed, which were inspirational in bringing the fam together on this occasion - strengthening the bonds that tie us and give us strength that helps us move forward in our individual journeys.

Footnote:

Poignant words from OS.No.2 as she was departing yesterday “That was the best ever” and then when queried “what about around Aus?”, “what about Europe?”. Reply: “oh yeah – they were good too”

 

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 7 - Breaking of the Cast (sort of)

Opening Scene: Offloading an Offspring

Today the script called for the inevitable cast dispersion. This always happens in any play that leaves a lasting impact on the players and audience. Someone who everyone holds dear to their hearts decides to exit the storyline early, causing distress among the consumers of the tome and thus raises the emotional attachment they have to the piece. This helps bind the viewer to the product and thus increases potential revenue streams through ongoing advertising etc. No doubt OS.No.2 had all this in mind as she decided to exit a day early and become a Mexican again, residing south of the border, eating paella in a wide brim hat whist contributing to the café culture that is Melbourne. Probably frequenting a rave or two was also on her mind.

<queue the Audio Visual dept>

Before she left though, she and Blogger did a round on the island, captured yet again on the latest GoPro – this time to the beats of Rufus in order to provide another level of cinematography without having to bother with studio dubbing.

<let the AV dept go (we’ve run out budget)>.

Leaving OS. No.1 Companion back in the castle wing the other four members of the cast headed off in convoy to the airport where we went through the standard farewell scenes …

“I’ve had a great time”

“I’ll miss you much”

“We’ll miss you too”

“See you Tomorrow” was the line that just goes to show how good the delivery was on the previous two.

And so, with one cast member cast away into the wide blue yonder the rest spent the day the best they could making the most of the last few hours they had left in paradise.  

 

Play of the Day Scene: In the Moat

The Castle (as affectionately known in the script) is an amazing piece of engineering, reminiscent of the days of yore when human ingenuity and sheer bloody mindlessness of the elite forced many workers to spend thousands of hours creating fortresses to protect the upper classes from the ravages of the weather, the wrath of the envious lower classes and the ability to lord over the surrounding lands.  Same here thing here, the only difference being the construction methods.

Instead of carving out the side of the steep hill, they impaled hundreds of steel beams into the ground, thus preserving the shape of the land and creating air flows beneath the dwellings. Presumably also allowing the local fauna to wander around underneath the Lorders whilst they perform their lording. We can’t really tell what’s down underneath us as it’s a long way down, thick vegetation and no pedestrian access.

Everyone gets up and down the castle by a terraced road (also perched on the poles) which zig zags through the enclave exactly like in the ancient fortresses. There are no gates at each level in order to defend them from invading armies, this is because these armies have evolved and are now airborne. The road is covered in cobblestones (just like the olden days) – the only problem with these is that instead of being laid to survive the ages, they were laid to trip the aged (as they lift and shatter over time).

The end result of this modern-day engineering marvel is a complex of many single residences (aka Wings) cleverly lining the terraced path, all with private views from the many balconies. We all look out across the hidden cove to the water and islands beyond and (currently) no one looking in at us from the other side of the hills surrounding the cove. The lower section of the view is defined by the roof below, thus obscuring the beach when the tide’s in. When it’s out we can see the sand flats and the jet skiing warriors beyond - snaking their way across the passage, trying to dislodge their passengers whilst showing off how well they can follow their captain.

Inside the wings, the entrance is significantly higher than the living quarters, a grand (i.e steep) staircase leads down to the level where the action happens. Suspect there have been a few mishaps on these stairs as they are vertigo inducing. The quarters are extremely well finished with polished stone everywhere, 3 luxurious sleeping quarters, one with an en-suite as big as an entire inner-city apartment, spacious entertaining area with bi-folding doors opening up to the grand balcony.

This is where the woven throne resides. We are the only wing that has a throne (of this type outside anyway) and thanks to some MacGyver type ingenuity it no longer squeaks as the royalty luxuriate in it whilst performing their royal lording duties.

It’s probably a good thing that the local aerial wildlife has adapted to this environment and thus keeps the inhabitants on their toes by constantly trying to invade an unguarded entrance. Just like the days of yore – all entrances must be guarded at all times, if you drop your guard there’s a good chance you will be invaded. If you are invaded in an unguarded moment, you feel invaded, and have to suffer the consequences of cleaning up the mess and restocking those vittles that the thieves managed to pilfer during the invasion.

Like all good castles, a moat protects the buildings by creating a difficult to cross barrier for the invading hordes, also being a body of water, people used them to cool down. In the modern era the concept is still the same except that as the hordes are now airborne, keeping cool is the main use. The moat in this castle is impossible to get to from the outside so it meets the first historical reference criteria as well. Child proof fencing also provides a significant level of protection.

The moat was therefore the destination for the remaining cast members in the remaining afternoon they had. Blogger was the last to arrive (having penned the above before doing so) and a very relaxing time was had whilst consuming the endless stream of useful information pouring out from a fellow moater.

As it transpires – Deer are on the island, pervasive in the locale and indeed spotted from our balcony only an hour later. A herd of them… go figure. Cute little Bambie sized critters, same colour as the local wallabies and all vying for the same green vegetation – no wonder the hills are bare and the sound of crashing through the undergrowth at night permeates the stillness of the evenings.

The wonders of this castle just go on and on, such a shame we have to leave tomorrow.

 

Closing Scene: Final Fling

In order to tick another sensory experience off the list – the script directed the remaining cast members to the local yacht club for pre-dinner aperitif’s. With our previous visits experience we knew getting in early was vital to a successful scene and thus we did. Luxuriating in the salubrious surroundings of the balcony to the bar we had a fabulous time watching the beautiful people of the world watching the beautiful sun set over them and the world they reside in. Their boats shimmering in the harbor casting a back light to their perfectly matched outfits as they peered in awe at the majestic universal forces being put on show – just for them.

 

Ok – admittedly that was directly from the script and the <extras>/<Wardrobe dept>/<Lighting dept> all let the <production crew> crew down on that one. <Editing> offered to keep it in. <Producer> had given up by then (stopped being paid) and so it slipped through to production.

We were there as well:

 

Kate Winslet saying hello to the <camera crew> (i.e. going off script)

After that, we headed back to the Castle where we had a pretty good BBQ on the balcony above the deer and started the somewhat deflating task of packing up and getting ready for departure. Still in very high spirits though…..

 

 

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 6 - Jetting around the Isle

Opening Scene: Separation and recombining

The script for the days play saw the cast disperse to various points of the isle in the morning, creating a montage of scenes, joined together by a web of buggy and foot based journeys. First out was Blogger to whip over to the koalas for some decent coffees (old habits returning with strong conviction – despite a machine in the castle). Next was another whip over the hill to deposit Non-Blogger onto Feline Peeps beach where she whiled away the hours enjoying the ambiance of paradisaical view partially obscured by piles of SUP’s. Some time later OS no.2 also got a lift over to the same spot and then sometime later OS no.1 got over there by the guise of her own feet. That left Blogger and OS No.1 Companion in the castle to do whatever they liked. Blogger wandered down the many leveled and twisting terraces to the beach beyond the moat to capture the receding tide on a deserted beach.

<queue the film crew>

In typical fashion of humans dominating the entire planet, sometime later a sole dude decided to wander across the frame, later back into it and go for a swim right in front of the camera. Slo TV at its worst. It did, however, manage to fill an hour or so of rock sitting reading amongst the curious and skittish crabs and lizards. Meanwhilst OS no1. Companion was lounging by the moat, reading, relaxing and getting to know the other tenants. Apparently, the sole dude was looking for a deer. Where else would you find one but on the beach at Hamilton Island.

Slowly the crew reassembled back in the wing of the castle in order to consume more delicious seafood to energise the troops for the pending assault on the waterways.

Play of the Day Scene: Flat stick circumference

Mounting the beasts of steel, the troops headed out of the castle, converged on the township, donned their armour and mounted even more evolved beasts. This time made of fibreglass and steel, powered by the latest and greatest technology Seadoo can do and we headed out to terrorise the local aquatic life.

5 warriors on three 6 week old stallions of the sea, helping make up an battalion of seven craft all together. The instructions were clear:

1.       Go Flat Stick

2.       Follow the leader

3.       If in doubt – refer rule 1.

It took a while for Non-Blogger to get the hang of the craft, Blogger yelling instructions (see rules above) in her ear did not really help solidify the relationship, and yet eventually she got the idea – that being not to be terrified herself but also to terrify everything and everybody around her. Thus the world became a place of extreme pace, heightened panic and exhilaration as we circled the entire island on a tour that none of us will ever forget. Hedonism driven warriors of the seas, set to conquer the world, one tropical island at a time.

A bonus for Blogger was he could focus on enjoying the views whilst capturing the event on the GoPro <film crew contained within>. The only thing missing was a waiter passing over hor dourves <aka Catering Dept.>

Needless to say the rest of the cast had a blast, literally, blasting across the seas at insane speeds, dodging and weaving, trying to figure out whether to follow the leader or take the shortcuts Non-Blogger was making or order to make up lost ground.

We even stopped in the middle of Feline Peeps bay for a history lesson and instruction on how to hob-nobble law abiding do-gooders (just need lots of dosh). Back around the headlands we’ve been admiring all week and as soon as it all began we putted back into harbor like meek mice, dismounted our beasts who were stabled for the night as we headed back up the Castle for yet another debrief and cocktails.

Closing Scene:

Dinner at a salubrious restaurant over the waters in the harbor was a delightful affair with lots of laughs and reminiscing on what had transpired and what the cast were looking forward to once this particular play had run its season.

< Script expertly led by OS no.2.>

<Catering dept financed by OS. No1 and Companion>

Needless to say, once back in the castle on the hill,  the entire cast was off the dorms early once again whilst Blogger stayed up to argue with the film crew in getting them to release still pictures for the promo.

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 5 - A day on the Greens

Opening Scene: Getting to Dent

OffSprings both got up early and for some strange reason ran over to Escape Beach and back before the rest of the cast had really woken up. By now the tide has turned and is fully in in the morning and so the reports of that side of the island being spectacular were unsurprising. Mid week the water ways below the castle are definitely quieter than on the weekend. And thus hold a certain mystique at times when there is no visible presence of mankind on them.

Very little opportunity to fully embrace the serenity though, as the script for the day had a very strict times to adhere to. Leaving Non-Blogger to her own devices (including buggy) the other 4 cast members packed their meager equipment and buggy’d down to the port. Blogger and OS no.2 whipped over the hill to get some take away coffees from the Koala’s in perfect time, as stark contrast to yesterdays shenanigans (after 2 trips to the island we now know this is the place to get early morning coffee’s away from the maddening throngs hanging around harborside).

Checked in on the ferry, and had the laziest safety instructions even given (i.e “if we get into trouble – read this sign, the lifejackets are in that cupboard, if you need to put them on read that sign how to do so, if the captain is lost – there’s a number to call down the back of the boat”...) and then across the rushing tidal waters to Dent Island we went.

Play of the Day Scene: 18 holes

<Sporting Dept Activated>

Dent has one purpose on the planet (according to first world humans at least), that being a golf course, so of course we golfed. Lots of it. For OS no.2 it was the first time she’d ever swung a club and what a place to do it in. The views are spectacular, the fairways fair to play on and the rough akin to an evil monster that feeds on balls and fear. We were warned not to go into the knee high grass that lines the fairways as snakes are active this time of year – that’s enough for this blogger to take heed. Probably also how they have managed to lose over a million balls since the course first opened. By scaring the beegeebes out unsuspecting tourists to stop them looking for their wayward shots. If your ball goes off the fairway – forget it. And so forget them we did. Lots of them. Blogger was getting pretty stressed by the 6^th as the stock of ammunition bought up from home was rapidly diminishing. And the golf was pretty terrible as well (concepts interrelated of course).

On our side though, was there was no-one else on the course – so we had it all to ourselves (pretty much) and therefore could stuff around as much as we liked, and stuff around we did. Possibly one of the slowest rounds ever played on the course – we were meant to take 4 hours – ended up being 6 ½ and that was with the rush at the end. Ball shortage problem was solved when Blogger and OS no.2 delved in to the forest behind the 6^th green “there must some balls in here as there is no grass” was the statement and by golly there were. 5 minutes later we emerged with pockets brimming and then all the cares in the world were lifted. The lord giveth and then we gave back to the lord – pretty much all of them by the time we finished – balls being sprayed in all directions – sometimes they even went where wanted them to go.

The teams were neck and neck by the end of the first half, stopped back at the rooms for a refresh (for about 5 minutes) and then started on the back nine. There is no way the course can be played by walking – the gaps between the holes are significant. It was designed to make the best of the island and with all the room they wanted – the idea of a 500m gap between events is no issue. The outcome is a spectacular and extremely challenging layout. By now the nice fluffy clouds that were protecting the us from worst of the blazing sun had disappeared and the heat of the day started to take its toll on the weary swingers. As we moved further and further away from the club house, higher and higher we got and the views more and more amazing. By the time we got to the south end of the island, time and distance seemed to be lost in the sheer joy of being there.

Our smart baggies interrupted our reverie by advising we had to be back at the club house in 45 minutes as the last ferry was leaving shortly after that – and we still had 6 holes to play… That shook us up. So the game plan changed to 4 ball best ball and lets keep moving. Crazily enough all of a sudden, shots started going straight and long and balls on greens started to fall into holes (as directed) – so we had a hoot of time blasting our way along the cliffs of the last 4 holes with no care, lots of laughs and new style of game play. These last few holes even had longer gaps between them, the significant placing of them in strategically located spots for challenging holes becoming even more apparent.

Still no-one else on the course. If it had have been busy we would have been totally stuffed, however as it was extremely quiet it was a fabulous event and a hole lot of fun (18 of them in actual fact).

Made it back to the ferry in time and crossed back across the tidal rip (going the other way) with a bunch of very properly dressed folk who’d just gone there for the nosh and grog in the rooms (they would have articulated it somewhat differently of course).

Closing Scene: Exhaustion

What better way to wind down after a day of battle in the fields than with a relaxing dip in the moat back at the castle. It took the four gallant warriors at least an hour to do so whilst the lonely damsel was stuck in her tower, forlornly watching the sun set over the distant hills, wondering if she should let down her hair. Nuh stuff that – have a glass of white instead was the answer.

Entire Cast assembled back in the wing for a sumptuous dinner of fresh seafood with home prepared sides to boot. This totally stuffed us all (really well) and with all the effort undertaken in the days activities it was yet again cause for most of the cast to head to bed in order to recuperate and get ready for the next days battle. <bring on the Wardrobe dept>

As far as memorable days go – that was a ripper.

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 4 - In the Groove

Opening Scene: Splitting of the cast

Today was the day the script writers had decreed enough was enough and it was time to stop all the cast playing in the same scenes. No serious playwright worth their salt would ever consider otherwise and so according to the age old principles of a worthy tome OS.No1, OS.No1 Companion and OS.No2 got up earlier than the rest of cast, cast away their hooks to the prior generation, adorned a buggy and headed down to the port in order to catch a lift to Perfect Beach.

Needless to say, their sense of drama was on display for the entire boat load of impatient peeps as they held up the launch due to a delay in getting their coffee from a café across the road. Pretty sure this is a fabulous example of the apple not falling far from the tree. As the apples eventually headed off to experience the delights of Whitehaven Beach the tree was luxuriating in the peaceful bliss of a vacant castle wing.

Play of the Day Scene: On the road

<Video Dept engaged>

After pointlessly waving at the passing tourist cat carrying the younger generation cast members from their exalted position in the castle terraces, Blogger and Non-Blogger got into the mode of having a few hours to themselves. Non-blogger headed down to the moat for a soak whilst Blogger spent the time toiling with tech. Needing to source forgotten connections there was a couple of trips into town working through the complexities of trying to buy electronic cables in a place where the only things available retail wise are clothes, food, drinks and clothes for those other occasions. “Sorry sir, we don’t stock USB cables – would you like a hat instead?”

Sleuthing to the fore – and yay for the obscurely placed Post Office and Aussie Post’s perchance for stocking more than envelopes and stamps. Problem solved, GoPro and boom box charged and the connected Blogger can continue in his happy space of creativity. All this whilst hooning around in the buggy, foot flat to floor wherever you go, stuff the speed limits - I’m gunna go as fast as I bleed’n like mate !. In a controlled society everyone can have this attitude if they like – it makes no difference as the governors in the machines mean we all go at the same infuriating slow speed.

We did have two distinct road instances today worth calling out though:

1.       Blogger actually passed another buggy going up the hill. Geebers that felt good.

2.      Later on OS.no1 and Companion actually saw a kid fall out of a buggy in front of them, hit the road, rolled and dad turned around and said “get back on”.  Ah boys…who’d have em?

Back to real-time accounts though, Whilst Non_blogger luxuriated by and in the moat. Blogger went on a road trip to capture the entire road system on video. Same as last year (we’re revisiting remember) except this time instead of leaving the GoPro behind he was armed with a new version (thanks to the fam) and all the bits required to do it properly. Every road. Every Vista. Every type of vehicle. Many aspects and a few new locales not previously seen. The equivalent of scouring a whole country in minute detail. Took all of 1 hour and 15 minutes. Really this place, whilst being interesting to visit and holiday in, would wear pretty thing pretty quickly if this was all you had.

Still, it is paradise and it is now captured. Blogger happy. Slo TV consumers in the future may also wonder in the magic of the place. Or they may wonder why anyone would bother. Who knows – what we all do know is that it was a day on the road.

Captured a view of the jet skiers hooning around in the water as if they are in ungoverned water buggies. How dare they be so ostentatious in such a controlled environment.

 

Closing Scene: Reunition

Eventually the cast assembled for the closing scenes of the day. The original script called for a restaurant scene (with a waiter called Garcon of course) however as all the venues were booked and the yacht club balcony closed, we snagged the prime table on the pub balcony instead for a couple of hours in order to consume bevies and deconstruct the world of people (no point in discussing science or nature – as we’ve nicely managed to use the first to destroy the second). Curiously our table service dude was called Ben…. As the sun continued its relentless journey to the far side we disbanded (albeit briefly) as OSNo.1 and Companion shot over to IGA to get BBQ stock (and avoid buggy ejecting kids on the way) whilst the rest went back to the castle terrace to consume the awesome vista in the rapidly fading light.

Once again, a great evening in. Fabulous food and terrific company. Rufus vibes painting an aural background and then most cast members off to an early kip as the sun had sapped all their energy and was depositing it over the other side of the orb. Blogger stayed up to blog. Noun to verb, verb to noun. In the groove.

 

 

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 3 - Sounds of H.I.

Opening Scene: Morning

<Sound Dept engaged >

Monday morning and the whole island quietens down. It seems a significant amount of the touristy hordes have left after the weekend’s festivities and as consequence the senses become attuned more to those who have stayed and (even more enjoyable) – the background noises of the place. When these are noticed the enjoyment of being lifts a notch or two. Layered on the side of a very steep hill, the castle exposes every noise made in the hidden cove to the astute listener, some you have to be attuned to, some are forced unwillingly into your consciousness. The crew of the Sound Department worked overtime today, the soundtrack cleverly woven into the fabric of the script in a seemingly effortless expression of a day in the life in a human manipulated tropical paradise.

n.b. The most important (and thus most repeated sound) over the whole island is the persistent “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”…of a buggy moving backwards. Whatever situation the cast is placed in – there is aways the sound on the ““Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”….” of a buggy moving backwards. 

As the day starts it’s extremely quiet – even though the birds have earlier sung their dawn gratitude chorus they have since reduced their song to the occasional cry which echo with a forlorn yet somehow uplifting resonance around the valley. “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”. The pumping throb of the big diesel engines of the ferry slowly work their way into the consciousness as it creeps towards us from over the distance waters. By the time its nearby and heading to the harbor around the corner it dominates the aural landscape for a brief time and then disappears. Some minutes later the quiet beach turns into a cacophony as its wake washes over the low tide sands – and for a brief time it’s like we are next to an ocean beach. As quickly as the washing sound rises it fades away leaving the cove and its inhabitants to speak to themselves. “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”

A cockatoo or two cry out, chased away by the dominating currawong and quickly disappear back over the ridge. The helicopter over at the rich people’s haven comes and goes, sometimes out to the reef, more often though to the airport as the occupants are far too important to spend 10 minutes on the road as compared 2 in the air, besides those pesky buggies with their open windows may dislodge an expensively manicured hair curl. “Fair enough” the crows cry out as they circle and wheel in their constant arguments with each other… and the universe in general.“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”. The breeze slowly moves the drain chain back and forth along it's guide, sounding like a koala calling for a mate.

OffSpring No.2 got up early and left the castle wing with barley a bump, performed an early morning marathon to the other side of the island, narrowly dodging a snake on the track and left an amorous couple to themselves on a secluded beach on the far side of the island.  The toaster ejects its contents onto the bench with a spriong. Non-Blogger left Blogger snoring in his “nose driven into the sheets” posture to walk down the hill to the town whilst OSNo.1 and Companion eventually arose to use and then clean out the coffee machine – repeatedly.

<sound check – do we have a bite of an espresso machine going “glug, glug, glug..” ? yes ?Excellent – just put it on repeat for a while please>

“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”

Blogger then decided to continue to collect slow TV video, capturing the view from the private balcony of the perfect ambiance of the glistening waters with the purposefully moving watercraft slicing their ways across the perfectly shimmering waters under the graceful blue skies, the warm tropical sun beautifully accentuating the distant islands glimmering in their magnificence as they have done for many a millennium. A vacuum cleaner starts next door.

“Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep”

The rest of the cast was down at the moat at this time luxuriating in the warm waters and enjoying the lucky horizon ambience when the young family arrived. It was around this time the baby at moat decided that it was time to start demanding something. Not sure what it was. Neither did the rest of the cove. We all did know however, that whatever it wanted it didn’t get it. For well over an hour (possibly more). The cast had led a retreat up the castle terraces (akin to that described in the Two Towers by Tolkien) only to find that the wailful cries were echoing up the valley and into the wing as if the source was in the next room.

The acoustics of this place are amazing. Every conversation held outdoors is heard by everyone else in the castle. People arrive (we know about it). People leave (we know about it). People buggy past us below our terraces wing (we know about it). On top of that – there are the “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps”. There is always a “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep” somewhere.

Play of the Day Scene: Beach To Peak

Of course, being a cast of 5 highly opinionated players ourselves we are want to be making our own amount of contribution which makes up the cacophony of noise permeating throughout the valley, blameless we are not, participants we are. All adhering to the script – that’s why we’re here – just actors in the game of life and make our noises we do.

And so it was back to Feline Peeps beach in the afternoon for a spot of water frolicking whilst the tide decided to fill up the bay. Blogger, OSno.1 and Companion managed to snatch a rig without booking and went sailing. The breeze was not the pervasive Sou-easterly, was less persistent than yesterday and as was a bit trickier to control, however being the skilled mariners we now are, we had no problems getting out and coming back in exactly as we wanted to (unlike those less unfortunate/skilled peeps who needed the roundup kelpie boat to bring them back in). From an acoustics angle the sound crew really did their job well here with a high level of background white noise whilst tacking and then turning the volume down to almost zero whilst we were running with the wind. Also – this is the place to escape the “Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps”. No buggies reversing out here!

The sound of the occasional SUPer falling into the water, the squeals of delight from the kids splashing around was a great soundtrack for this scene. Even the victim of the reef shark being taken away was kind enough not to make a fuss – so one even knew about it. Cinematography at its best.

The cast then headed back to the castle (yes there were Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeps in there) to get back to Wardrobe and Catering in order for the next scene which involved a hike up to the lookout which overlooks the resort and exposes the southernmost vista aspects of the island for the first time. It was a hot and sweaty trek up the gravel paths to the top of the hill. Upon arrival we were greeted with a 360 degree vista – if you bothered to walk from one side of the plateau to the other. Spectacular views, thoroughly enjoyed whilst the cast earned their keep by promoting a local beer companies’ product.

Blogger managed to capture some of the sunsetting over the passage whilst totally capturing the conversation of the lone Argentinian tourist’s conversation she had on her phone whilst she was up there. <Note to Sound Department – override audio recording of that scene).

The sunset was fabulous, didn't make a sound and so we bid it farewell as it continued its journey, the refreshments perfectly delivered and justified and the walk back down in the fading light tricky, yet we got through. The half moon was sort of lighting our way at the end of the track and was totally resplendent as we were floating on our backs in the warm waters of Feline Peeps beach afterwards. In the dark. No one else around. Just we cast members and the silence of nature around us. Lay your back, put your ears under the water and all you can hear is the water swishing around and your heartbeat. Ca-thump, Ca-thump….. Ca-thump, Ca-thump.....

Refreshed and now hungry we headed back across the grassy grounds surrounding the SUB, ignoring the noises of the cries of the egrets protecting their stupidly placed nests and headed back to our wing in the castle for the next scene to play out.

Closing Scene: Rufus over dinner

Dinner was put on by OSno.2, was thoroughly delightful and was accompanied by Rufus Du Sol soundtrack. From the visually awesome experience of the Joshua Tree NP to the Sydney Harbor we spent the evening giving back to the valley a sound track that befitted a fabulous script. Hope they enjoyed it. We did.

And as this entry is finalized the wailing cries of some feathered creature echoes throughout the stillness of the night. Not sure what they are after, hopefully they’ll find it. Also not sure what the beast is that’s crashing its way though the foliage under wing, just hope it stays in the foliage and not into the premises… as it seems significantly large.

Hi Revisited - Act2 - Settling In

Opening Scene: Morning

The brilliant starscape blazing across the still waters below which was spotted only by a few of the cast (those that had to get up for a pee in the middle of the night and were awake enough to look out the windows) slowly gave up their dominance of the skies to the all powerful sun as we spun our way into it’s influence. Assuming that’s what happened as this blogger slept though the whole event. It was extraordinarily relaxing though, glancing occasionally out the window between slumbers seeing the world get brighter with each peep taken.

Offsprings went for a soul destroying run up to the top of Passageway Peak whilst the cast members with blogger in their title went for a walk down the ramping steel structures that make up the roads of the complex, by the moat and down to the low tide exposed beach of Hidden Cove. It is an eery landscape with the skeletal remains of large mangrove trees defining the view to the turquoise waters beyond. Being hidden from the prevailing winds the day was starting to show signs of being too hot, however we soaked up that minor discomfort easily and thus thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance.

From down on the water level we could see all the castle in its resplendent engineering glory.  Even to the detail of seeing a cockatoo on our balcony railing, then on the balcony table and then …. dunno – lost sight of it. As it transpires the thief had flown inside and decided to feast itself on the contents of the bread packet on the kitchen bench. Much fun for the Offspring when they came back in from their run. OSP1 Companion was oblivious to the event even though he was in the adjoining room. From now on we know the keep the doors shut, otherwise these marauding creatures will learn too much and end up doing an Alfred Hitchcock on us.

After lounging around in pool for a while (having no idea of the carnage going on up in our wing of the castle) we walked back up the seemingly endless ramps whilst the Blogger tried to sarcastically wheedle his way into getting Non-Blogger to go ahead and get the buggy for a lift up the hill. Needless to say – that didn’t work. And so, with pedometer count well up we arrived back inside the castle, got dressed and headed into town to hit up the IGA for some lunch ideas.

Play of the Day Scene: Catseye beach

Fed and fulfilled the two buggy convoy then headed off over the hill and down through the green canopy covered roads to Catseye beach. Not sure why it’s called this, one can guess it’s maybe named by a pilot the first time they flew over it or its somehow related to one of the component parts of the last feline ever seen here. No one seemed to be concerned about the name of the place though – too much fun to be had. Same here. So we strolled past the table tennis tables, the pool and lounges, the swim up bar and straight to the beach hut where the good looking youth distribute happiness through participation in various water based activities. 

Whilst Non-Blogger and OSno.2 had a go at SUP’ing (no it wasn’t dinner time), Blogger, OSNo.1 and Companion headed out into the wild blue yonder under the powerful force of a wind filled sail. Hobicats dotted the waterways as we plied back and forth across the consistent Sou-easterly. A couple of highlights ensued … one was a blownoff cap which was expertly retrieved by a highly skilled crew performing an abrupt about face and accurate pick up and the next was a sighting of a green sea turtle  - which was also seen by OSno.2 as we’d collected her along the way as well.

After being herded back to shore by the cattle dog dinghy we all headed over to the SUB (Swim Up Bar) for cocktails and debrief. End of another successful mission. Spottswoode would’ve been proud of us. After an hour or so of people in water watching we jumped back in the jalopies and headed back up the Great Northern Highway to get back to the castle to refresh and get ready for the next scene.

Closing Scene: Dinner

<Wardrobe dept steps in here>

<Makeup dept steps in here>

<Cast Assembles>

Suitably adorned, the buggy convoy heads back up the road to get to One Tree Hill. Snatching the last available balcony table, we then spent the next ensuing period table hopping to get closer and closer to the best perch until we finally snagged it. The corner table. From here we command a 270 (ish) degree view of the wonders of the passage, the islands, the boats lazing in the late afternoon sun and the myriads of visitors in their buggies who arrived later than us and had to suffer the ignominy of consuming their cocktails whilst not sitting where we were.

It was a most splendid Pre’s.

We then headed back down to the feline’s peeps beach for dinner over the sand watching the scene of water surrounded hills slowly fade away as we whirled ourselves away from the influential orb in the sky.

The restaurant was a delightful evening – with great food, good wine and fabulous company. It doesn’t get better than this. Needless to say though at the end of such an eventful, full on script to adhere to it’s not surprising the cast is exhausted and were all in bed well before the Broadway matinée’s had even started.

 

 

HI Revisited - Act 1 - Arrival

Cast of characters:

• Blogger (you all know so well)
• Non_Blogger (source of inspiration for all this content … past and present)
• Offspring No.1 (first addition to the cast)
• Offspring No.2 (second addition to the cast)
• Offspring No.1’s Companion (being introduced to the cast and this tome for the first time)
• Extras (to be introduced when appropriate)

Opening Scene:

Being the well-honed unit we are – getting up early, preparing the house for the dog sitters and hitting the road whilst the rest of the ‘burbs wallow in their blissful slumber seems to be almost second nature these days. Collecting Offspring No.1 and her Companion was easy due to the almost vacant roads. Car drop-off and shuttle to the port was seamless, the hour and half take-off delay was due to the flight manager calling in with a drunken hangover resulting in a backup needing to come down from Brisbane to cover for the other's misdemeanors.

During the mean-whilst..., Offspring No2. was dealing with her own delays at port terminals due to staffing issues … must’ve been a big night before throughout the Jetstar community…and we were the lucky recipients of their consequences. OS No.2 managed to hop her way through Brisbane and landed in HI an hour before the rest of the cast, collected the buggy, circumnavigated the island, getting the vibe as she did so and magically appeared whilst the rest of cast was hanging around the carousel pondering the nuances of human behavior.  

Play of the Day Scene:

As the entire cast (including the 1,867 “official” extras on the island) are now in holiday mode the delays in getting here counted for naught and were indeed forgotten as they happened. Being seasoned travelers to this green dot in the turquoise waters we knew that we had a few hours to spend before being admitted to our castle and so we whiled away the time by visiting the bakery, sitting on the harbourside, consuming their fares whilst shooing away the currawongs and encouraging the cute colourful parrots. It may be a human based prejudice thing – one is a big thieving brute with evil yellow eyes whilst the other shimmies up with a plaintive peep asking for attention (with no threat of being pierced by an extraordinarily dangerous looking beak). Neither got any food – the pretty ones got some good photo’s taken though.

Given the lack of theme parks on the island, we chose instead to drive around a bit. 5 cast members, 2 jalopies – it seems like a good balance. Except when one runs out of battery. We limped from the top of the hill back to the (yet to be checked in) castle and made our base in the moat whilst logistics were sorted.

The moat is pretty impressive.. actually the whole castle is and as such will probably deserve a whole scene description in this play just on that subject. Needless to say, somehow the pool has a “lucky horizon” (it took a bit of working through to get that one sorted).

Stress no.1 – Driving a golf buggy through a town full of golf buggies to get the airport which is well over 4 minutes away to get the keys to the castle. All the whilst suffering with the balmy tropical warm air washing over and drying your slightly damp bathing clothing.

Stress no.2 – Once having access to the Castle having to drive the golf buggy back to the supermarket to stock up on vitals for the troops… A famous general once said “you can’t fight a war on an empty stomach” we decided to extend this philosophy to the next level “you can’t have a dinner of seafood tacos without aperitifs”. Feeling confident that whilst reaping the benefits of past glorious heroism we were keeping the historical lessons learnt well and truly alive.

Stress no.3 – Dinner on the castles terrace was fabulous. The family being together in luxurious accommodation, watching the sun settle over the golf course island and slowly the light faded away as the waters shimmered in spots whilst in other areas became smooth mirrors reflecting the brighter sky above. The occasional vessel heading back to the harbor in what light is left, carving its way through the patterns only enhancing the picturesque vista as its wake strikes a bold line, lingers a while and then the memory of its passing fades away into the all-consuming seas.

Closing Scene:

As the rest of the cast head off to an early AEDST shuteye catchup the sounds of booming explosions echo across the waters, bounce off the distance islands and hills, coming back to reverberate the balcony structure and making this blogger wonder if the troubles in Gaza are getting closer to home. Seemingly not… maybe it was just some fireworks being let off by some rich dude on a yacht in the harbor around the corner.