Feb 9th – 11th Brisbane
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
Originally uploaded by roupiesontour
We spent a few days in Brisbane just sorting things out. The city is not very exciting but the public transport deserves a mention. The buses have their own lanes, completely segregated from the normal roads into the city, it must have cost a fortune but the journey is very quick. You do feel rather Royal speeding down your own lane. There also seem to be lots of private schools as the school uniforms are out of the 1930’s. Even O can’t believe that all the girls have to wear the same flat boy’s lace up shoes and wide brimmed hats with ribbons on. The holiday park is a welcome sideline and the Inca pool allows Josh to sit under the waterfalls and pretend he is Buddha, well for the 5 seconds that he can keep still of course. The park also seems to have some permanent residents, some who like to always wear a cone shaped sheepskin hat even in the fearsome heat but they seemed pleasant enough. I made sure we all went to the loos together though…………
The final leg of our journey is now sorted. The staff at the Qantas travel centre were incredibly helpful and bless the woman who thought we were all brothers and sisters travelling together. How I like to kid myself that it is I who look young, not that the kids look old!
We actually ventured to the cinema and took in Sweeney Todd which was quite good and Timothy Spall plays the greaseball so well, what a long way from those days in Auf Weidersen Pet! The weather realy can’t decide what it wants to do. One minute it is so hot and the next rain that is nice as it brings the temperature down but not so nice at night in a leaky camper……………
It was also my Dad’s birthday and although we missed him on the phone as he was out playing golf, O was inspired with her choice of present for him. It took us 2 weeks to find it but it is now on it’s merry way to him. I won’t spoil the surprise just yet! It’s at those times of friends and families birthdays that your thoughts return to home and what it will be like when you return. I don’t for one minute imagine it’s going to be easy for me or the kids and I wonder how much our little journey has changed us all. I feel calmer in myself and know that I can cope in a variety of situations. The kids have grown beyond measure and I know their way of thinking has been altered by the questions they are now asking – much more open minded and able to see another viewpoint without being prompted. I wonder what memories they will still have of the trip in say 10 years time?
roupiesontour