March 18 to 19
Brisbane
March 18
Brisbane
A difficult night as it was so hot and sultry. Cory went to take Holly to her martial arts class. I stayed at home, did some washing, sorted some paperwork and wrote my diary.
Cory returned from Holly's class and we drove in convoy to the centre of Brisbane, to the Hertz office. The handover of the car took some time as we discussed the scratch on the wheel arch that I had spotted in Lithgow.
The man in charge was extremely friendly and helpful but the office in Lithgow had told him nothing. He did say that the photos they had were taken last year so were quite useless for the purpose. I agreed to send him the photo that I had taken and I will have to wait and see how things progress. The man from Hertz was really good. The company's systems, less so! (All worked out in the end but it will be a while before I use Hertz again).
We stopped off in a shopping mall and then returned to the flat and straight into the swimming pool in the garden, my first swim since Cambodia in 2007. In the great heat it was a good way to spend the morning.
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We left about lunchtime and drove for a quarter of an hour to a small brewery cafe. We ate and drank in a beautifully airy room. They made lots of beers, all of which seemed to have fruit in them. I chickened out and had a cider.Holly had fun playing with my camera and produced a decent photo of me. |
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We returned home and chilled out in front of the TV, then went out to buy some beer and chilled out again. Just like yesterday, the evening was incredibly humid. We watched league on the TV, had beer and spaghetti and tried not to exert ourselves.
March 19
Brisbane
A very long night's sleep. When Cory went to the supermarket and then the gym, I stayed at home, prepared my papers for tomorrow morning and repacked my bag.
When he returned, we drove into Brisbane, collecting Ana and Holly en route. We drove into the city, over the bridge and onto the South Bank. There was a demonstration under way relating to a referendum on the future of Kashmir. There was a police presence but all seemed peaceful and friendly.
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On the side of the river is a huge and beautifully landscaped pool. Cory and Holly went in, Ana watched and I walked round the area taking photos. When I was last here, over twenty years ago, the flowering creepers were just starting to grow up the metal arches. Now, they look beautiful.
We drove most of the way home for lunch in a large pub. I had a good beer and a huge Caesar salad, which I wasn't able to finish. We had several games with my camera and then returned home.
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The afternoon was spent at a sixth birthday party for a school friend of Holly's. It was hot and sunny and the "Frozen themed" entertainment was provided by a Russian (or other East European) lady, dressed as Princess Elsa. She was brilliant and had a dozen small children spellbound for a couple of hours. I watched for a bit and then watched the local bird life. I would have liked to take photos of the party but would probably have been arrested if I had tried.
The evening was spent drinking the rather good rose I had bought on Friday and watching Frozen II. I now have some idea what it's all about.