Niκη- σαμε

We woke up relatively early,well late by Brisbane standards, and I packed a picnic and in our usual state of under preparedness, no ponchos, or sunscreen but two hats and some water and we set off with Niki in our hearts to conquer TableTop Mountain – No, we are not in Cape Town, this is,the shorter, smaller version just near Toowoomba. We sailed down the Warego Highway with Classical FM. Our eyes turned up to a sky full of clouds, nimbos, cumulus, sirrus metamorphosing, bursting across the sky like puffs from a steam engine.Others bunched together in great three dimensional bulbous forms with their shadows casting dark patches on the hills while the sun shone piercingly behind them. The notice said an unmaintained Class 5 track up the first hillock and then down before ascending steeply to Table Top.

I wanted to escape the heat of the day – it was going to be 32C today in Brisbane – so we drove up the escarpment in the hope it would be cooler. Well not when you arrive at noon and you have a proverbial mountain to climb. 32C here too for Pete's sake. There were three types of paths, An occasional and short dusty flat one with grass as high as me on either side and trapping heat like a sauna, a steep as hell rocky one and a jumble of loose scree path on which to twist your ankle.

Both of us had to use all fours to clamber up. We perspired profusely,sweat dripped off our noses, ran into our eyes and trickled down every nook and cranny on our bodies.There were sheer drops on one side and beautiful views on the other. We slipped and slid,kicked up clouds of dust,landed on our bottoms and touched rocks like Obelix's menhirs, which were boiling hot. But we got to the top and it was magical. There was no one else there and we found one solitary tree under which to have our picnic and to enjoy the panoramic views.

Just that little bit closer to heavenwards today.