There's a good reason......

......for my absence as a correspondent this week. It has been incredibly busy and exciting.

Top of the list is the fact that we have sold our town house in Adelaide Street. I'm sort of sad and excited, all at the same time. It happened on Tuesday evening after an unexpected inspection during the day. Just after I got home the agent visited and the papers were signed after a phone call to the buyer. Rene and I sat down to a quick meal then left for the airport to pick up our Dutch visitors. Settlement date is September 21. We are not sure if we'll buy or build, but it'll probably be 'build' since we want modern and two floors on a smallish block of land (little garden to worry about). I'll keep you posted.

By coincidence the very next day saw a letter arrive from our apartment developers saying construction was six weeks ahead of schedule with building finishing late October and settlement late November, so we may eventually end up living in it until the new house is built. I'll do a commute from the Sunshine Coast to work for three days a week. It'll only be for six months, it's very 'doable'.

Our Dutch visitors Geert and Rosemarie were just lovely. Over four nights and days we ate and drank copious amounts, walked and walked, did some driving and generally had a fun time. Rene is topped up on his Dutch and home news and I'm very happy that he feels very happy still about emigrating here to Oz.

On Wednesday night I shouted all four of us to dinner at Manx at Portside. Aspects of the meal were very good, but as a whole experience it was a little lacking, and expensive. I don't mind the money, I just mind when everything isn't as good as I'd like. Nevertheless, the service was good, the wine selected excellent and we enjoyed each others company, but elements of various dishes didn't all add up.

By contrast, Rene and I joined a group of 13 at a birthday dinner in West End and it was only $30 each and it was very good indeed. Yes it was an Asian banquet, but prawns, baked fish and beef dishes in abundance ensured we all dined well and extremely inexpensively.

I nearly forgot, on Friday night we all dined at an Asian fusion restaurant in The Valley. It had no name out front, or street number. It was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide to Eastern Australia. The place was packed (so everybody who was anybody knew the location). Well, it was dark, each dining room was surrounded by sheer curtains, you sat flat on the carpeted floor leaning against bolsters that were fixed. After initially getting over the surprise of the whole place, the food turned out to be a sort of tapas Asian style, absolutely delicious. Memorable and fun. It's called Garuva.

An Aboriginal artist named Clifford Possum had a painting sold at auction this week for a record $2.4m and the buyer was the Australian National Gallery. Rene's new business centred art is coming together with an advertising agency finalising designs for logos, websites, stationery etc next week. Rene is off to Melbourne tomorrow for the rest of the week looking at art galleries and generally doing some networking. In about three weeks time he's heading off to the Centre (Alice Springs) to start making contacts ready to buy art.

The picture below is sort of how I'm feeling this weekend after days of socialising and rushing around. The burn off smoke that's been in the air around Brisbane these past two or so days hasn't made my cold feel any better. I'm hoping to shrug it off by early next week. A long, long uninterrupted sleep will help a lot. That's all for now, expecting another visitor soon (our second for the day). Hope you have a wonderful week.

Better Homes and Gardens

'Better Homes and Gardens' at 7:30 tonight on Channel 7 features our friend Di MacDonald, the principal of Hamilton State School. The school community won a new playground for collecting the most dockets from a shopping centre chain. They won the category for small school. It was a national competition. I think it's worth around $25 000, so terrific for a small school.

Old Clayfield

I was looking for some old pictures of where we live here in Brisbane for someone this week and came across this old photo. It is of the centre of what is now our shopping street in our local suburb. The year was 1908, not the Middle Ages, although it appears really ancient. Today it is one large four lane road, no trams, a major thoroughfare here in the inner north of the city. Streets where we lived in Utrecht in 2004 looked just like they did in 1908, even 1888. Some Utrecht streets looked like they do today back in the 16th century. In two weeks time we see here the unveiling of the new streetscape plans for the terminus area of what is Sandgate Road Clayfield 2007. I'm on the committee and I'll keep you informed of the new plans to freshen up our area. Oh, this picture below is taken from our street corner looking down Sandgate Road towards the old terminus. The awning on the left still survives to this very day. Of the rest I can't be sure. This was taken in 1921.

What a day!

It's Thursday and it has been quite a day. This morning I found out that a police officer had been shot and killed a couple of blocks from one of my schools. This is a really rare occurrence and I was worried for my refugee kids and parents who may have been in the area. Fortunately they weren't. It's bad enough knowing this sort of thing happens at all, let alone near one's home. I know one of my Korean mums was a little startled at the news. Sad for the police officer's family and colleagues. A tragic loss.

I've also today met one new Sudanese pupil from Melbourne who has moved up here. She makes the third in two days. Yesterday I met two Danish children who have come to live here permanently.

Just before 3 o'clock a parent at my last school today came up to me and asked if we had ever met, I seemed familiar. I found out she was at Gabbinbar many years ago (at least 24) and I had taught her brother. Small world again.

This evening I booked tickets for three friends and myself to see Miss Saigon which opened here last week for the first time ever. I hope it is brilliant. I'm seeing it without Rene (it's not his thing).

Also not his thing are cars. I booked a day trip flying to Sydney in October for the Australian International Motor Show. It'll be me on my own, but I don't mind. Very cheap airfare too, just A$99 each way (incl taxes).

Stretching...................

No, not me, the canvas. Today Rene and I attended a workshop on framing which involved making the frame then stretching the canvas over it. It was held in the Pine Rivers Gallery in Strathpine, just outside the northern boundary of Brisbane. It wasn't all that easy, but with the right equipment and some more practice we should get better and faster. Rene only asked me the other day to come with him, and I'm glad I did. I may be of some real help to him in his business.

Tonight we don't have to cook (great, no time really) because we're off to our friend Karen's for dinner. Several friends we know will be there too. Karen's American boyfriend is visiting from San Francisco. They take it in turns each school holidays to visit each other. Oh, the joys of long distance romances (been there, done that - briefly). Well, I guess they due accrue frequent flier miles. Anyway, we have a designated driver and I have stunning reds to take with us. Isn't life great?

New Trains

There are the first of the 44 new suburban electric trains going into service this month and Rene and I caught one going to the NAIDOC celebrations last Friday. Very smart, very quiet and seemed to have greater power when accelerating from the station. Good initiative.

Brisbane City Council is looking at trialing the super buses as used in Utrecht, 25m long triple units with a capacity of 200. Brilliant idea, they work so well in Holland, they should be superb here in Brisbane.

NAIDOC Week celebrations 2007

This week has been NAIDOC Week, National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration. On Friday Rene and I ventured into the City for the celebrations at Musgrave Park. It was interesting, the dancing from the children of the Cherbourg community was fascinating, as well as having traditional live music. The dust from the wind plus dry conditions meant my eyes and nose flowed like crazy, but apart from that it was interesting. The art on display was uniformly uninspiring. Just as well Rene is going to source his art from further inland.

centredart.com.au

Drum roll please....Rene yesterday registered his new business name and today also got the domain name registered. The name is centredart (centredart.com.au) The website will be up as soon as the graphics are sorted out. Oh, the colour in the name is just something I've done, I really don't have any clue as to what the design will look like. I'm just proud to have been the creator of the business name.

Back to school

In fact back to four schools. I'm glad to say that although I might complain from time to time about work, I in fact actually enjoy it. I'm doing more work this term but keeping Fridays clear. I think at 57 I'm rather over full time work, mind you some weeks it seems like I'm working full time. I love my long weekends.

Did I mention a wet summer in Europe?

This picture was sent to me by Rene, a photo from the palace on The Dam, Amsterdam. Wimbledon was also very wet this year. All I can say is send some to South East Queensland, in fact send a lot.

Holidays over already

Where does Father Time go? It is amazing that the last week has simply evaporated into thin air. I know why, we just have not stopped all week. We had an indigenous workshop last Saturday week, four days this week on North Stradbroke Island plus two days in Toowoomba, where we had Christmas in July at our friend Kay's and another lunch out on Saturday at Rebecca's.

Straddie was excellent with a total of six people visiting and staying with us over the three nights away. We ate well, drank very well and saw masses of humpback whales and other sea life every day. The spotters told us an average of 100 whales a day were passing by Point Lookout migrating from the south to Hervey Bay for the winter.

The accommodation, in a purpose-built B&B, was provided by the owners (our next door neighbours) free of charge, so we've thanked them with three bottles of fine wine and a huge 'THANK YOU'. You can see from the photos that the view warrants the B&B's name, 'Sunsets'.

It was very cold this week and up in Toowoomba (elevation 670m) it was particularly chilly. Luckily Kay's huge home is gently heated and fitted ten guests for dinner easily. Great food, good company and terrific wines ensured yet another memorable event.

The house is still for sale, no lookers yet (that we know of). At least it is very clean and tidy - mind you it usually is. I'm making calls, emailing folk and generally getting my head geared up for the start of the second semester.

A Dutch couple arrive in two weeks time. We'll play host to them for four nights. Rene and I are both looking forward to their visit immensely. Geert and Rosemarie are a great couple and we'll make them feel really at home.

That's about it for now. I was going to BBQ the steak tonight but I think I'll chicken out and just cook it all in the kitchen, a bit cold outside - did you like the reference to two meats in the one sentence? No wonder ESL folk find English a bit of a challenge.