New Arrivals

On Tuesday 16th July I was grateful for Marie taking me for morning tea at Max and Freda's house, so I could also pick up a couple of things, such as my rather neglected oboe! This was followed by a trip into town to see Toby and Rachael, and a new aboriginal exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). For dinner we ate a tasty takeaway from Marie's local recommended Indian restaurant.

South Bank beach by night

The following day I relocated back to Ralph's abode in Boondall, ready to meet (and surprise!) sister Hester and her boyfriend, Colin, upon their early arrival the following morning. Ralph drove us around some local sights - Shorncliffe to see the sea and Tincha Tamba reserve to see wild kangaroos. Sadly the dreary weather did not make a great morning for walking, and it in no way compared with London's current heatwave... A stroll around town seemed a good idea as Hester and Colin were determined to remain awake longer than I had managed, in an attempt to offset the effects of jetlag. Soon after dark they were flagging and it was time to take them home.

Hester, Colin and kangaroo

On Friday I looked at some sights we had seen, as well as some new ones, with Hester and Colin - although their memory of the previous afternoon's walk was not great! In the evening we met up with Marie for dinner followed by a few drinks with Toby and Rachael.

Late walk around town to offset jetlag

The next day got off to a slow start and I went and watched Ralph's football team in the rain (very British); an excellent performance saw them beat the number one team in the league to take the top position. This was followed by a trip into town to meet up with Hester and Colin, where we picked up by Melinda and taken back to her house in Springwood. After tasty lamb shanks for dinner everyone was close to ready for bed, which came soon after watching the conclusion of Manchester United versus Sydney All-Stars.

Another awesome sunset on return from the footie

Sunday Melinda, partner Ryan, Hester, Colin and I left for a trip to North Stradbroke Island. It was still early when we got off the ferry and we drove north towards some beaches. We bumped into an orchestral group doing a photo shoot for the Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival the following weekend, but felt asking to borrow their instruments for our own pictures may be crossing a line! Back on the road again, we stopped when Hester spotted a koala - the first wild one I have seen! A local directed us to a tree where we could find another 2 koalas... Once we had seen our fill of koalas and beaches we carried on to Point Lookout for a scenic coastal walk, allowing us to spot dolphins and whales out at sea. The remainder of the daylight was spent by an ultra calm Brown Lake, and on an empty beach, before a trip to a pub to view the sunset. We were tired but thankfully in high spirits as we returned to the ferry - the lowest tide in a long time prevented the boat crossing on time. On our return to the mainland we went for dinner with Melinda's parents, Mark and Robin, where we stayed the night and were introduced to "All Aussie Adventures", watching several comic episodes!

Melinda, Ryan, Colin and Hester en route to Stradbroke Island