What grand weather for winter

The Kurilpa Bridge
I know it's boring for many of you, but I just have to mention the glorious winter weather we've been having this past month. It is dry, and not about to change, but the temperatures have been blissfully beautiful. Minimums this week around 9-13C and maximums between 23-27C are crazy, but delightful. We still have a fortnight to go until it is officially spring.





I met an American lass from Connecticut in the US at the airport this morning and she was lamenting the fact that she was returning to her country. She loved us, the Aussies she had met, plus the fact that everywhere looked exactly as she had seen it in pictures. It was clean, safe and the weather was sublime. I asked her how much of her country she had visited, and the answer was; "not very much. It'll still be there for short trips later when I'm older". You have to ask yourself: how much of your own country have you visited? With my eighth visit to the US looming next month, I can quite honestly say I've seen lots of the States; but I have also seen much of Australia, including the interior. I must admit it was terrific to be the latest audience for this wonderful ambassador for Australia who will go back and encourage other Americans to visit this wide, brown land Down Under. Oh, have you been following Stephen Fry's journey around America, the series which began here last Sunday? What beautiful countryside in the New England area. This week, Dixie. Sunday, ABC, 7:30pm, available in wide screen digital HD too! Gorgeous.





'There's nowt as queer as folk' goes the old Yorkshire phrase for describing human activity. Airports do tend to bring out the most positive and negative elements of human character. Just today I had a lovely conversation with an elderly passenger heading back home to Auckland. She had a strong accent, a very lined face, a smile so charming it made her appear younger than I suspect she was, and a sparkle in her eyes indicating good health and a joy of being alive. She possibly was Maori, not sure, but she spoke in a very strong accent; her English slightly abbreviated. We chatted for a minute or so about travel, Australia/New Zealand relations and fishing (yes, I can chat about ANYTHING). I met many New Zealanders this morning - quite like the Kiwis.





Last Wednesday Rene and I attended the annual appreciation dinner put on by Brisbane Airport and Tourism Southern Queensland. It was a cruise down the river on the Kookaburra Queen plus a delicious buffet dinner. The food was excellent, the company fascinating, and all in all a very enjoyable night. Rene networked a bit and is going to have some brochures at the airport courtesy of the manager of Tourism Southern Queensland.





The art market has just this past fortnight seen a spark of life. After quite a dull period, life is slowly returning to interest in and purchasing of art. Hooray!





The Italian teacher at one of my schools has had her hours cut. The Italian Government pays for the language lessons, and it is cutting back as a cost saving measure. Reports I hear is that the Italian economy is really suffering from the GFC. They are closing the Consulate in Brisbane from 2011 (although there are people appealing this decision). We have very minor impacts from the GFC here in Australia compared to the rest of the world. I know this because the finance correspondent on ABC TV News Alan Kohler says so (I love that man).





Social life has been busy, as usual, with a dinner at my brother and sister in law's last Wednesday - the day of the Ekka holiday (EKKA is the annual agricultural show or 'Exhibition'). We also dined at our favourite Indian restaurant with a group of nine. Tonight we dine at West End with new friends recently back from a stint in Qatar. [edit: meal was a superb 3 course Dutch meal, beautifully prepared, totally delicious.] Tomorrow we dine at a friend's house for the first time and it promises to be something lovely. This friend, incidentally, knows our new neighbours who moved in less than ten days ago. They are acupuncturists, and he has known the lady since she was 10. All of Brisbane to choose from and they come right next door. It is a small world.





Mind you, it has not been all beer and skittles this past fortnight. Last week I returned home on Tuesday night after being out from 7:45am until 10:15pm. I check the mail box and in there was a community notice mentioning that in 2 days time the tunnel work site next to us (well, maybe 400m behind us) would be going 24 hours a day Monday to Friday. I was furious that everything was rushed, especially since we were told that 6:30am - 6:30pm Monday to Saturday would be the rule until they began actual drilling, then it would be 24/7 for two years more - but of course, this would be underground and the extractions all taken by conveyor belt far away from the site, well beyond our park area. I felt a conspiracy, and to cut things short, I contacted the company by email, also the ABC Radio and my local government plus state member of parliament. I got to bed at 1:45am, woke up to a phone call at 6:30am from the ABC to do an interview on radio at 7:15. Channel 10 interviewed me on film at noon, and they shared this footage with ABC TV for their news that night, and the local newspaper covered it too. The construction company came and sort of placated me that afternoon, and so far I haven't really heard anything - although I suspect I heard some distant quiet 'tapping' noises for a while around 4:45am this morning. I was in Toowoomba this week and was told people had seen me on TV, and lots of Brisbane friends too, but Rene and I were out and didn't see it, but so far so good. I have a 1800 number to call if ever anything too noisy occurs at night. It sometimes pays to be a squeaky wheel.





Mind you, the final result of all this construction will be truly excellent. The new work on the Brisbane/Ipswich motorway sections (especially at the Centenary merge) is just brilliant.





I'm going on an inspection on September 1st of the new Clem 7 tunnel from Wooloongabba to Bowen Hills. This trip is put on by the Brisbane City Council as a promotion of the new 6km tunnel ready for operation in 2010. This is the first of three road tunnels criss crossing Brisbane. This should be fascinating. The Airport Tunnel beside us is due to be ready in 2012.





Red Tape; don't you just love it? Yesterday I use my only free day in a seven day week to go and get a statutory declaration witnessed by my solicitor for The Netherlands. The translated Dutch says a solicitor or public notary. Well, I get to the Department of Foreign Affairs to have an Apostille Stamp applied (that'll be $60 please!) only to be told I couldn't have a solicitor witness it, it had to be a notary public - and the office closed at 1pm (it was then just after noon). I charge off to get this done at the nearest Public Notary, only to find he was in court. Ready to scream, I left the City having failed miserably, went back to where I had parked my car (near the Fairfield Station) and drove home. I found one in a nearby suburb and went there during the afternoon, and after another $50 I had my witnessed 'stat dec'.



Finally, our new pedestrian bridge across Brisbane River is called the Kurilpa Bridge (top of page), after the local indigenous people's name for that area of the river. It looks fascinating and contemporary, and above all gives pedestrians a short route to the Roam Street railway station from outside of GoMA - the Gallery of Modern Art.