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.

Brisbane's steepest street

When Rene was a postie delivering in the Red Hill, Kelvin Grove, Paddington areas, he always spoke of Stoneleigh Street in Red Hill. It is extremely steep, in fact part way up the footpath breaks into steps. He left Australia Post a year ago this week. He doesn't miss it at all. His business is coming together well. Check this space soon for the launch. Meanwhile, the local ABC radio station set about discovering Brisbane's steepest street, and sure enough, Stoneleigh Street Red Hill got the guernsey. You can check it out here
http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s1964613.htm

A walk through Indigenous landscapes

This Saturday Rene and I are attending a one day workshop which is designed to provide an opportunity to walk briefly in the footsteps of Indigenous peoples. The workshop will focus on taking us on a journey to a greater understanding of:

- Barriers that inhibit effective communication with Indigenous peoples

- Three stages of Indigenous evolution - traditional, transitional, contemporary

- Impact of past events and issues on Indigenous Australians today

- Core factors that contribute to their disadvantage

- Diversity of Indigenous Australia people - urban, rural and remote.

I'll report next week on how it all went.

Post Dentist Post

My mouth is sort of itchy, I want to scratch it, but relief is not at hand. Yes, the dentist has had my custom today. In fact I went yesterday after flossing the night before and having something pop into the vanity basin as I rinsed. My dental work from yesterday also popped out as I inadvertently chewed on the tooth whilst eating cereal at brekkie this morning. We're having soft food for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow night it's nearly all soft food. We have five guests for dinner and this time I'm cooking (Rene did it last time). We begin with Chorizo Gumbo, a soup made with the famous Spanish sausage, potato, leek, cayenne and vegetable stock (yummmm!!). Next is my fabulous (modest aren't I) onion and mushroom risotto which has five types of mushrooms in it (including porcini dried mushrooms). To finish off we'll be having a German chocolate pudding served in a Belgian chocolate cup and topped by a single scoop of dark/white chocolate ice cream. I'll let you know how it all goes. I'm not a fan of cooking, but one has to, but I definitely DO like eating good food. If you'd like a copy of the recipe/s let me know.

Rain at last

Brisbane and the South East (of Queensland) has actually received some reasonable rain, the best falls in the last two years. Around 4 inches (100mL) has been deposited across the region, sadly we still need much, much more. With our average dam storage at 18% it will take the floods that are plaguing East Gippsland and the Hunter regions down south to fix our water problems, but at least it has given the community here a sense of hope. Oh, I should also mention that it has been very cold here in Brisbane. Two days ago it was a min of 16C, max of 16C here. Today I think it has been 7-15. We're off next week for several days to North Stradbroke Island just off Brisbane in Moreton Bay. 'Straddie' is my favourite place on the planet. We'll be there with a few friends for a delightfully relaxing mid winter break. Walks on the beach, a roaring fire, the sound of the surf, good food and great wine, friends and conversation...doesn't get much better.

The New Boeing Dreamliner

This week the first Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' left the assembly plant in Seattle for final painting. It looks very smart, especially the enormous powerful engines. This airliner is very significant for Brisbane because when it comes into service next year, this city will get many more connections to many more places with non stop services to cities in the USA that currently need a change of plane on LAX or SFO. Greater frequencies will also come from this airliner since it's smaller than a 747 but capable of flying slightly longer distances.