North Coast Living – Can’t beat it!

There’s nothing like a trip away to make me appreciate what I have at home here on the north coast of New South Wales. Since arriving home from a month’s holiday in Asia, I have been to the beach more times than I have in the last few years!

I made a commitment to myself in Thailand, that upon returning I would make the effort to enjoy all that the superb beaches here have to offer: sun, surf, swimming, strolling in the breaking waves and pure absorption of nature’s beauty and goodness.

We even dragged out our very old surf ski and had a paddle at Hastings Point estuary. We plan to be there again on Australia Day enjoying the afternoon with friends after the crowds have had their BBQ’s and headed home. To just have the time to absorb the magic and beauty the beaches have to offer is a precious experience.

I’ve also been swimming at the new Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre which is impressive and have enjoyed seeing how many laps I can do – but not timing it of course!

I’m so much healthier and happier and intend keeping it that way by regular exercise encouraged by Naturopath Olwen Anderson. She has a great blog full of health tips and information and here’s a post with a question about Our Good Health Intentions Last Year?

For a list of Australia Day Celebrations on the NSW North Coast click here

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Seasons Greetings

I have to confess that I have taken Christmas off this year and left the north coast for an overseas holiday with my husband and youngest son – to fulfill a desire to visit the beautiful beaches of Southern Thailand after 22 years.

Phuket – Krabi area is famous for spectacular limestone rock towers, island out crops and beautiful beaches. We enjoyed a longboat tour of the islands and snorkelling amoungst tropical fish in the pristine waters of the coral reefs and it’s been a fantastic experience for our 13 year old son.

It took a few days to penetrate the heart of the country and find the genuine honest and kind Thai people that we remembered them to be, but I am affraid we have been disappointed by the overdevelopment and greed that has invaded this beautiful region.

The end result is realising what I already knew, that there’s no place like home. The north coast of NSW is a fantastic place to live and for a laid back lifestyle it’s hard to find better. I just have to make time to get out and enjoy the many beautiful beaches we have access to on the north coast – it’s heaven right here!

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year.
Thanks for all the support I have had for this blog and encouragement along the way.
Best Wishes to all
Fiona

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Egg Free Banana and Date Flan

Bananas are in abundance on the north coast when it’s banana season and can be purchased very cheaply as it’s a banana growing region. Often I have peeled over ripe bananas and put them into the freezer to be used in the future for cooking.

Bananas are very versatile and are delicious cooked into cakes, bread and muffins. They can even be used in milkshakes and smoothies after freezing.

A favourite for some is Chocolate Coated Bananas which are made by inserting a skewer into the bottom of the banana, dipped into melted chocolate and put in the freezer for homemade cold treats. Kids love them!

Here’s a recipe  for an Egg Free Banana and Date Flan made with Spelt Flour that was given to me lately and is really yummy!

View this document on Scribd

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Website Design Questionnaire

For all the Web Designers on the North Coast and beyond, I have created a Website Questionnaire with 20 Important Questions for clients to answer to ascertain their needs.

This questionnaire is the first step for clients wanting to have a website created. Web designers need to identify the desired goals of the website and business requirements before planning can begin. Clients need to complete these questions so the web designer will be able to work more efficiently with this information and produce the desired results.

I have uploaded it to Scribd and can be printed or downloaded from here.

For my other Scribd tutorials click here

View this document on Scribd

For a list of 46 Questions for a Web Design Project click here

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Rainforest – The Secret of Life

I just wanted to pass on this opportunity to see the international and award winning film Rainforest – The Secret of Life this Sunday night 1st November at 7.30pm on ABC.

I’m assured by a friend that it is well worth watching, fantastic vision and has really great information. It was filmed right on our doorstep, all around the Mt Warning caldera on the Qld – NSW border, our beautiful north coast, by David Warth of Byron Bay and narrated by Jack Thompson – so I wouldn’t miss it!

Rainforest – The secret of life, intimately follows the life and death struggles of the creatures of the rainforest. This documentary captures footage of extremely rare animals, like the amazing Albert’s Lyrebird, which is found nowhere else on Earth. This unique rainforest is home to many rare and endangered species, and is connected to many of the other rainforests around the world.

The film takes a very intimate look into the life in our local rainforests and then incorporates the latest scientific information on how rainforests are an integral part of the planets air conditioning system.

It has won a Gold Award and the Golden Tripod Award for Wildlife and Nature films from the Australian Cinematographers Society and the Jules Verne festival award for Nature films in Paris. It has recently been nominated for an award at the CMS Vatavaran environmental Film Festival in New Delhi India.
For more information click here

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Surfing Byron Bay

There’s not much my husband couldn’t tell you about surfing as he’s been an avid surfer for over 40 years. He has many stories of his adventures in the early 70′s driving from Sydney to Byron Bay to catch the endless tubes of the north coast.

Those were the days when there was a wharf at Belongil where a waste pipe pumped blood from the Abattoir into the ocean, and surfers had to be ever vigilant on the lookout for sharks!

Just last week we were in Byron Bay and my husband was recognised as a big wave rider from Cronulla Point – which was pretty amazing as my husband left Sydney in 1979 to enjoy the great surf on the north coast.

Here’s some YouTube video footage of cyclone swell at Byron earlier this year.

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Bangalow Markets

I have found that the Bangalow Markets are the most aesthetically pleasing markets as people enjoy a leisurely stroll around the beautiful grounds taking in all the sights and sensations that the market offers. The large Camphor Laurel Trees create a lovely atmosphere and provide shade, which is a pleasant relief from the heat of the day.

The Bangalow Markets have been on the 4th Sunday of the month since the early 80’s and are still very popular for locals and tourists alike. It’s also pleasant to stroll into the historic village of Bangalow and explore the unique and boutique shops.
For information and Bangalow Markets website click here

A website has just been launched to provide an online business hub for market stall holders near and far, and promote the alternate market place as a viable growth industry. Byron Bay Market Place enables Stall Holders to exhibit their product profile and source other stall holders. It already has an eclectic range of stallholders products profiled and more will be added.

North Coast Markets - A Great Day Out for the Family

The website contains individual market stall profiles, a chat room, and a blog for stallholders to publicise their stalls, which includes a comprehensive local monthly market schedule. It even has a link to the Bureau of Meteorology to check the weather – which is very important for outdoor markets!

The north coast is renowned for its monthly market circuit which has been established for over 30 years so it’s fantastic that a website has been gifted to the community for the huge amount of stallholders to connect and share resources.
Byron Bay Market Place now online  click here

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Byron Bay Community Markets

The next Byron Bay Community Market is on this Sunday 4th October and is a fabulous day out for all the family.

For anyone who has lived on the North Coast for a long time knows, that the 1st Sunday of the month heralds a glorious day trip to beautiful Byron Bay and the Byron Bay Community Markets. It’s certainly a ‘must have’ experience for visitors and globetrotters too.

The Byron Bay markets have evolved into a showcase for the many talents of the region. People flock from near and far to enjoy the festive atmosphere, fabulous food, entertainment and the many handmade and unique items for sale.

Byron Bay Markets are run by the Byron Community & Cultural Centre and is an important event on the social calendar, and a great boost for local charities. Two charities at each market benefit from the Charity of the Day fundraising.

For more information about the Byron Community & Cultural Centre, and Byron Bay Market click here

Does anyone remember the busker in the 80’s that wore a hessian bag and a shower cap? He couldn’t sing or do anything, but he certainly kept the crowds mesmerized by his ludicrous acts!

A new site with listings of Byron Bay Market stallholders will be launched soon, and I will keep you posted about when it comes on-line.

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The Day of Dust

It was only yesterday I had noticed my car needed a wash, but my dirty car is in good company after a freak dust storm travelled from Australia’s Red Centre causing havoc across outback towns and Sydney, before sweeping over the East Coast.

Sydneysider’s woke to a red dawn which caused major disruptions to commuters, with choking dust affecting asthmatics and people with lung complaints. It’s also a tragedy for farmers with thousands of tonnes of top soil blown away. To view some amazing images of the red dust over Sydney visit the flickr blog

The morning started off like any other, and I was enjoying my friend’s exotic garden taking photos before the dust descended on the north coast, which turned the sky an eerie yellow.

From a sunny morning

to this eerie scene

By the late afternoon the dust had dispersed a bit, but there will be alot of people washing dust from everything for several days!

Afternoon Sun

Dust Choked Sunset

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Uses for Twitter

As a student of web design we are encouraged to explore the net and keep up with the dynamic and constantly changing world wide web.

Being involved with the web has taken me out of my small environment (being a wife and mother for over 20 years) into the larger sphere, where everyday there is something new to learn, something of interest to explore – click a link here, click a link there – I never know where it will take me!

Even though this blog is about living on the beautiful north coast, the net is our interface that brings us together, and I hope people will find some web related posts interesting also.

Yesterday I saw an article about Twitter changing it’s terms of service, and I didn’t know you could do so many things on Twitter until I found an interesting blog post about 13 Things to do on Twitter Besides Tweet.

I also updated my profile in Facebook where I noticed a friend had twittered about having over 200,000 visitors to his Acoustic Guitarist Blog in 2 years – so it certainly is a quick and effective way to get your message out there.

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