Our House

For some of you who do not have contact info for us, here it is!
Our address. 129 Russell Terrace
Indooroopilly, QLD, AU. 4068
Stacey's e-mail hengst@sbcglobal.net
Duane's e-mail 1981cougar@gmail.com
Duane's work duane.hengst@toowoombapipeline.com.au
Amy's e-mail amyehengst@gmail.com
Rachel's e-mail oxfay321@yahoo.com
Michael's e-mail mhengst3@gmail.com
Caleb's email is the same as mine (we share)
If anyone sends a letter through the mail, please write air mail on it and pay postage accordingly, otherwise the mail comes by ship and takes weeks to get here.
Our house is pretty neat. It is an old home but has been updated. The floors are all timber except in the laundry room and loo (toilet area) where it is tiled. Amy's room has carpet.
There is a huge veranda off from the dining area and we spend time out there watching all of the beautiful birds. The Kookaburras are the most fun to listen to. They sound as if they are laughing. It is quite contagious. There are tons of Cockatoos also. They are so pretty and very noisy. Both the kookaburra and the cockatoo will fly as close to you as they can. They are not a bit bothered by humans. A Kookaburra landed on some play equipment that Amy was on and she could have reached out and touched it. It stayed there for a long time with her playing all around it. It even began to make its hilarious laugh for us. It flew off once and then came right back flying between Caleb and I and almost touching both of us with it's wings. Cockatoos are also very entertaining. If you can get the attention of a bored Cockatoo, they will perform for you; showing off spreading their wings and hanging upside down on a branch or dancing on a limb bobbing their heads and turning them 360 degrees. The Lorikeets are also beautiful but not as much fun to watch. Anyway, we like to spend time on the veranda. I'll have Rachel post some pictures of our house. We are renting it. The owners put it on the market to sell last week. I hope for their sake that they sell it quickly. It is a nice house. The owners have assured us that they will honor our lease agreement.
Our furniture is still on the ship. It left Italy a couple of weeks ago and is due to arrive in Brisbane on or about October 9th. Customs will have it anywhere from two weeks to a month before we get it. We have been renting beds and sleeping with our sleeping bags but it is nearing summertime here and it is getting very warm. We may have to break down and borrow some sheets from church members who have offered them. There is no central air or heat in the house. There is a ceiling fan in the living room and all of the bedrooms and their is a wall unit in the master bedroom. I suppose that when it gets very hot that our bedroom will be the living and sleeping area.
Rachel's bedroom is down stairs. She has her own bathroom and a huge living area down there. Of course there is no furniture yet. She also has a veranda right out the back of her bedroom. The master bedroom also has a very nice veranda.
Mt. Cootha Forest is just up the street from us; within walking distance. It has lots of hiking and biking trails and some horseback riding trails. I still need to check it out! There is also some Aboriginal art work that is open to the public at Mt. Cootha. Just about six houses up from us and across the street , is the Green Hill reservoir and from the top of it, (at night), you can see downtown Brisbane's lit up buildings and the valley so clearly. We live up a hill but to get to this outlook it's an even bigger hill. Duane asked if i wanted a bike for leisure. I had to say no. It is tough enough walking up and down these hills. I can't imagine biking them although I see alot of men biking. Duane loves a challenge . He is actively looking to purchase a bike so that he can fully enjoy the terrain. I admire his spirit!
I hope this blog helps you to see and know more about where we are. We would love to get e-mails from you and keep in touch! If there is something that you would like to see on our blog, please let us know. By the way, Queensland does not change their clocks twice a year. It is bright daylight here by about 5:10 am. It is getting daylight earlier and earlier as we approach summer. We wake up early and go to bed early!