Queensland Love

I'm sure by now, everyone knows about the devastating floods that have been ravaging Queensland. The images and stories have been heartbreaking, and some of our dear fellow bloggers, such as A-M, have been right in the middle of it all, desperately trying to cling to the hope that somehow, all will be well when they are finally allowed to go back home.

Mr. 24 and I have had a love affair with Queensland for over ten years now. We had the great fortune of having to go there for business purposes, he many times...myself twice. We became seriously enamoured with this beautiful and unique section of Australia, from the Sunshine Coast (above) to the Gold Coast (below) and everywhere in-between and around...it's lovely inhabitants, both human and animal...stole our hearts, and we became quite attached.

A couple of Kookaburra....

We actually held one of these lovelies...

Mr. 24's favorite Australian cutie...the Wombat.


This gentle giant of a Roo allowed all of us to pet him...

it was an experience I'll never forget....(yes, that's me...with a few of our very special Aussie friends...hi!).

This sweet Wallaby was very friendly and ate right out of our hands....

And now, there's this....

The image of this poor stranded Goanna really got to me...I hope it was rescued...

along with this guy...it's the absolute helplessness of the animals that gets to me.

But then there is also this.....

and this....

Thank heavens there are brave, kind and generous souls who are helping the helpless, reaching out, not only to the people who are in such desperate need, but also to the creatures who can't in anyway help themselves. Thank you....

The sunny spirit of the Aussies will prevail against this time of tragedy...

and there will be calm once again...it's just going to take a bit of time. Please keep the people of Queensland in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers.

Update: If you would like to give a gift where 100% of your donation will be used in the search, rescue, recovery and treatment of the wild and domestic animals of Queensland...please click here.

Second Update: I had been unsure of which organizations to recommend for donations to help with the cleanup and to supply aid and assistance to those in need...of anything. Sadly, there have been so many scam's in this area of help that there were few I felt comfortable in recommending, but the Queensland Government has a very reliable site to give donations to and they also offer a list of donation sites to be wary of, I believe they will know first hand where these gifts can be best used. The aftermath has been horrendous, but the clean-up so far is going well and the "roll up your sleeves" attitude of the Aussie's seems to be in full force!

(rescue images - bbc and msn / all others - personal)