Riverfire

Each year in early September, Brisbane hosts something called Riverfire. Part of a week long celebration of the Brisbane River called Riverfest, Riverfire is the most publicly anticipated part of Riverfire and culminates in a 30 minute choreographed firework display.

Another element of the Riverfire is the "dump and burn" performed by RAAF F-111s. This spectacle goes somewhat against my green principles, but appeals to the boy in me.

Basically the jets "dump" a large amount of their full payload and turn up to point their afterburners into the fuel, setting it alight. the effect is rather spectacular.

This year we shall be at a BBQ at some friends who have a fancy dan boys pad which has convenient city views. That's if my work finishes in a convenient timescale that is.

Antipodean Update

Well since I last blogged - not long after returning from India - a fair bit has happened.

I ended up in hospital - my first experience of the Oz health system. I had my Gall Bladderremoved, so I am not quite the man I used to be.

It was actually a fairly minor op, all done by keyhole surgery and all I have to show for it is a reconstructed belly button and some triangular entry points!

Beyond that we survived a harsh Brisbane winter - it went down to about 8 degrees at night - and we had to have the duvet out for 5 months. It has been packed away now as Spring takes hold and leads us on the march through to Summer.

On that note it is expected that Summer will be a hot stinky one. Temperatures for today are expected to be up to 31 degrees reaching a high of 33 tomorrow before a possible thunderstorm kicks in and reduces temperatures to the mid-low 20's. The temperatures are OK, it is when the humidity kicks in that it will become a bit unpleasant.

In the winter we had our first royal visit - Em's folks. It was lovely to see them and it afforded us the opportunity to show them around Brisbane a bit and hopefully a chance for them to see why we like it here so much. We also took a long weekend break up to the Whitsunday's, spending 3 nights on Hamilton Island and then two nights on Airlie Beach. It was the first time I had been up there and I can clearly see why it is raved about so much.

We said goodbye to the old folks in mid-September and the weekend after they departed, Em and I went away for a weekend down to an area known as the Scenic Rim. This was in honour of Em's birthday. It was a beautiful relaxing weekend and the place where we stayed also made its own wines - which were surprisingly good. Anyway, in true Big Brother style here are its best bits.

One real change in lifestyle for me has been the purchase of a bike and the fact that I now cycle in to work. I have been cycling for around three weeks. What makes it a great ride is that it is flat and also for the most part avoids roads. There is a cycle path that runs the length of the majestic Brisbane River from Toowong into the city - called the Bicentennial Bikeway. I have yet to experience cycling in the rain, which may - to use a pun - put a dampener on things, but for now I am thoroughly enjoying my rides.

Yesterday I took the opportunity to go out for a ride in the glorious weather. I went out West toward the University of Queensland campus and across the 'Green Bridge', through West End and into the City via the South Bank and the 'Goodwill Bridge'.

One of the many things I love about Brisbane is the installation of a range of public art works. Civic and commercial bodies alike have commissioned works - predominantly sculpture - which lie in various locations around Brisbane. I have longed for a while to take the time to capture some of these works and during my cycle ride yesterday, took such an opportunity.

I share some of the photos here:

You Know You Live in Australia When.....

On your way in to work you notice a group of folks standing around a flower bed in the Botanical Gardens.

Being a nosy fellow I decide to join them and realise the object of their interest is a Python in the early throes of constricting a Possum. Alas I didn't have my camera with me.

You've gotta love it!

Top Five Places in Brisbane

Having just enjoyed the lovely riverside walk from Toowong into Town, and prompted by a conversation between the wife and I, I felt compelled to share my top five spots in Brissy:

1. Front or back of the City Cat (wife will disagree and be adamant that the front rocks);
2. The Jade Buddha terrace;
3. Boardwalk Bistro;
4. Suncorp stadium cheering on the Roar/ the Reds or recently the Feds (aka the Police); and finally
5. My little deck on a nice day; coffee, pastry and paper in hand.

Mad as a March Hair

Yes, definitely a hair and not a hare. very tenuous title but chosen to reflect that, for me, today is 1st March. Officially summer is now over and we are in Autumn! The hair reference is due to the fact that on March 14th I shall be shaving my head for charity - Leukaemia Foundation. So February left us and the 29th saw me have to work an extra day for no further reward - bah. Also in February, since my last blog, a big group of us went on a boat trip out to the islands in the bay and undertook snorkelling and other aquatic activities. It was a great day and the particular boat we were on was full of history being a former Sydney to Hobart winner, taking line honours in 1958 and 1959. She was called Solo. With Feb passed and March with us, my attention is now firmly on my forthcoming Darkinsons holiday to India. I am very excited about this amazing experience. I am anticipating it being such a cultural awakening with many sights, sounds and smells assaulting my senses. Cannot wait. Other news, the Wakely has actually booked some flights to Oz so April will also be an exciting time. Just got to try and see if we can factor in a trip to NZ to see the H-Meister.

Life's a Beach

Well if 2007 and my first nine months in Australia represented little in the way of exploration - Hervey Bay, Toowomba and Melbourne and Sydney trips with work excepted - then Em and I were determined to ensure that 2008 offered a contrast to and have made a pact this will be a year of discovery. So this fine Australia day long weekend saw some firsts. Well for a start it was my first Australia Day in Australia. This was celebrated at the Story Bridge Hotel where they held the 27th annual cockie races! This was a an event not to be missed in my eyes and I was glad when Em agreed to come along to this, as did a colleague. The races themselves actually are little more than a fringe element of what is essentially an excuse to get thoroughly twatted, and by jove we did. As two of her majesty's loyal subjects (Em wasn't drinking) my colleague and I saw to that we would show our respects to the Australian national day and join in the merriment. It wasn't all just beer and cockroaches, there were also some boobs! Some Aussie girls saw fit to share with the general public their mammaries, some good , some bad but nonetheless they were shared. There's only so much boob and beer two men can take (by this time Em and had left to go to somewhere a little more sober lady friendly with another friend - female - who had shown up) and so my colleague and I decided to move on to where Em was. However, due to said excessive consumption of some of Australia's finest I don't recall too much of this point. Sunday, well that wasn't really worth writing about as I just recovered around the house due to the previous days efforts. As Australia Day itself fell on a Saturday, we were granted Monday 28th January as a public holiday. This day shall be marked in the annals of Robinson history as it was our first proper foray to a beach. We have been to Mooloolaba and to Sunshine Beach, the former was just a sojourn whilst on the way to Hervey and was in Winter and the latter was where we spent Christmas and experienced generally poor weather. This outing was one where I actually lay on the beach and even swam in the sea! The location for this momentous occasion was Bribie Island, about 50 miles/ 80 KMs north of Brisbane. This trip has instilled in me a desire to go more often and to really seek out some nice beaches (it was OK, the water was warm but could do with being a little bluer for my liking!). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable weekend all round.

"So, howdya' like our country, eh?"

I find myself being asked this question often, and maybe it is a mark of how I am settling in to life here in Brisbane that I often ask it of myself and/ or Barnes. I am certainly loving living in Brisbane but find it often hard to articulate why. Bris itself is like any other city, well it has the facilities of any city that I have been in. It has a climate (insofar as I refer to climate meaning the weather experienced to date) that enables its self proclaimed title of "River City" to be something that is enjoyed. Rather than just being a geographical barrier, although it is with only something like four bridges traversing it, the river becomes an enjoyable backdrop to a weekend coffee and it also serves for me as a means if transport- but I have spoken of the River cat enough in previous posts. I spose what I am really trying to say (remember I have said that I have trouble trying to articulate myself) is that Brisbane is lovely as a city to live in. It is no London in that London is vast and has so much history and a vibrant cultural scene, nor is it a Sydney which has those global icons in the Opera House and the harbour bridge, nor is it San Francisco with its bayside location and Golden Gate Bridge. For me Brisbane doesn't need those things. I think three things have happened in the last 24 hours that have, for me, brought home why I like Brisbane. The first was that I was walking through the Pedestrianised shopping bit of Brisbane, the Queen Street mall. The mall has at its top end an area where performances of various kinds regularly take place. On this occasion I think it was a High School band competition. As I was walking past, the school playing at that point was just launching into their rendition of Led Zep's Stariway to Heaven. Oft overdone (as anyone who has seen Wayne's World will no doubt recall), this particular version was unique in that it was mainly performed by a brass section which added some real depth. Yes you're never going to get Jimmy Page's guitar sounds from a group of 15-16 year olds but the warmth from the brass added a little something else. It wasn't just the performance that may me feel a sense of pride, it was the fact that so many people had stopped and were standing watching and apreciating the performance. The second "moment" I had occurred later in the evening. Em and I went to look at a potential suburb for living in called Paddington. Nothing like its London namesake (at least I didn't see any whores touting their wares, no taxi office that I could see and only one Middle Eastern restuarant), Brisbane's Paddington is a delightful area that I would be pleased to call home. In retrospect this particular "moment" came in two parts. The first was that such a lovely little suburb could be found only 3 kms from the city centre (and be affordable to a couple of immigrants!), the second was that when it came time to getting back into the city we decided to hail a cab. There was another young Australian girl who also wanted to do the same and she then asked if she could share. Not a problem for us, and also it worked out nicely for all in terms of shared cab fare. The cab journey itself was pleasant, a three way conversation between passengers and cab driver on the merits of Brisbane and also on the UK where our Australian co-habitant was headed in November of this year to do that OE that so many Australian's do. The third moment for me occurred this morning whilst Em and I were having a morning coffee at the Plaza on the Riverside (one of our fave Brisbane things to do that I must surely have mentioned previously). Just sitting there in the glow of the morning sun, I saw what I thought was a rather fashion conscious young lady with her black brazier glaring from underneath a white top - a bit of a no no I thought. As the young lady continued to walk towards me it transpired that she was pop-Princess (I think Madonna is still queen) Gwen Stefani accompanied by husband Gavin Rodssdale and small child. So you get famous folk the world over. What I am really saying is Brisbane is big enough to attract these performers, yet small enough that I can be in the same place as them, and it be safe enough for them to feel that they can just stroll around with other Brisbanites and not need an entourage to accompany them. Wes, cheers, I too love Brisbane. To go back to my title post, I am going to borrow from the late great Douglas Adams: "The only correct answer to "So, howdya' like our country, eh?" is "Best{insert your own regional swear word here} country in the world!". It certainly is great from my perspective of living here. Just need to see some more of Australia's icons starting with a trip to Sydney on Wednesday.

Evening All

Nah, I haven't been arrested....just it is the evening here. Well it has been a while, and also today marks the first anniversary, in weekly terms, of our arrival in Brisbane. It has been interesting - in a good way. Have completed my first week in the office - just. Information overload has been the oft used phrase this week. The company are certainly a good bunch - which is nice, just lots to get to grips with: new processes, new language, new way of doing things around here. No room for complacency and still much to learn. However things are possibly looking up and I may have my first client based assignment. Not counting ones chickens so more about it should it come off. Other news: Brisbane is a great city. I really cannot say much more than that. Compact enough to get around and yet big enough to really feel like a city. Folks here are friendly (couldn't imagine a Londoner offering you directions, then again I couldn't imagine a Londoner accepting them - as I did!). No hoodies - nice, just plenty of Emo/ Goth dudes (why you would cake your face in make up in temperatures of 20+ degrees I do not know (considering this is Autumn I wouldn't like to consider whether they do this in summer. Many of the restaurants here have a BYO policy so you can take a decent bottle of wine in with you and only get charged $1.50 (yes I have to think in dollars now) or so corkage. That segues nicely into the subject of my earlier blogs: the noble rot. I came here not necessarily expecting to see some of the same Aussie producers that you get in the UK - how wrong was I as were those who had informed me of this. Recent samples: Kangarilla Road Shiraz but not enough jam and fruit for Em (I quite liked its understated approach , so obviously a Shiraz yet smoother than others). Another wine, although not sampled, that I was pleasantly surprised to see was d'Arenberg's Feral Fox Pinot Noir a wine that I had the fortune to sample in the UK, but was rather difficult to get hold of - not so here: three cases just sitting unopened in a little bottle shop we went to last night. Tonight's wares: Battle of Bosworth Shiraz, lovingly being decanted in a plastic jug (all we have before I am branded a philistine!) I'll try and let you know how it is soon.