Skylines

Yesterday morning's beautiful rainbow as seen through the criss-cross of wires on the corner of Hardgrave Road and Vulture Street.

Raining Again

Brunswick Street

Air to the throne

Over the long weekend, I went camping at a friend's property a hour and a half out of Brizzy. One of the things we (they) did to earn our keep was build a new toilet. The ratio of casual advisers to workers was probably about 10 to 1.

It had a lovely view, that's for sure.

If

Little Green Bag

Sometimes, the bag chooses me.

Smile!

When I got my head out of the clouds and realised someone was saying "Smile!" to me, I thought it was one of those comments that I would sometimes get back in London like "Cheer up, love - it might never happen" which always used to leave me scowling and muttering under my breath. I can't help it if my relaxed walking look is a bit down in the mouth. It takes a lot of energy to walk around with a big grin all the time. Anyway. The origin of the "Smile!" comment was this bloke here who was pointing to his face, frozen in a big beaming smile and then pointing to my camera..."take my picture?" he asked. What a gift. I wish more people would ask me. We had a good chat and he assured me that I had not lost my English accent which made me feel pretty good. I thought he hadn't lost his either but then he said he was from Adelaide. In the end, he tried to get me to sign up for regular direct-debit charity contributions and I suddenly had places to go.

That's how they get you. You say no the first time, then you think about it and feel really guilty. Then the next time you get approached a little voice inside your head says "don't be such a tight-arse...AGAIN" and before you know it your bank account details are on the clipboard.

But back to the smile - it's an absolute winner, isn't it?

If Joan Miro Was Into Graffiti...

Get Your Groove On

The Beat. Probably Brisbane's oldest and most famous night club, these days classified as a gay club but has a generous proportion of straight clientele too. And if you go on the right night you get a funky"cabaret" performance on the dance floor (think Priscilla, Queen of the Desert).
As with other clubs in the Valley, there is a 3am "lockdown" which means that after 3am there's no entry or re-entry. If you're already in, you can stay and party until 5am. It kind of reminds me of that mad panic you get in musical chairs when the music stops and you have to find a place to sit.... and then all is suddenly calm. Those few remaining wanderers on the street comprise the ones that peaked "early" and those whose need for a burger or a soirée on someone's balcony outstrips the need for another noisy drink among all those hot sweaty bodies. 

This post is dedicated to a young Parisian, Anne-Laure, who, when she was here, felt the heat of the Beat from her head to her feet! Bonjour Anne-Laure!

Traffic Stopping Art (number 54)

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This cheeky box is on the corner of Brunswick Street and Mclachlan Street. It's called "Monkey Business" and is by Guido Van Helton.

L R Sushi

I've never really understood why people love Sushi Rolls... all that cold squidgy rice... but if ever there was going to be a place to change my mind, I think it would be here. The queues for this take-away in Adelaide Street are there all day and they are looong. They even have a member of staff to keep the doorway of the shop next door from being blocked by people waiting. 

Brolly Rally

Protest yesterday in King George Square against budget cuts to medical research. The rain didn't dampen spirits.

Try-athlon

The Weetbix Tryathlon happens every year across Australia. Kids of all ages get a chance to swim, run and ride in safe, fun conditions with a big, supportive crowd and the emphasis is heavily on "giving it a go". This year's Brisbane event was held last Sunday at Underwood. I couldn't make it so here's a shot from last year's event which was held at South Bank.

Raining On The First Day of The School Holidays

Get the popcorn on standby, I feel a movie coming on.

Taking a break from the kayak, Bribie Island.

River Run

Cat's Eye View of the City

Big Issue Vendor, Queen Street (not Adelaide Street)

Early Morning Melbourne Street

It was a beautiful warm autumn day in Brisbane yesterday.

Rusty Water Tank

This tank sits in a property a couple of hours out of Brisbane. I go and visit it at least twice a year to see how it's progressing.

Ex-Terminus

One thing about the flood. It's forced some of us to do the repairs and renovations we've been putting off for years. And I'm not just talking about my back room. This is West End Ferry stop - well, this was it about a week ago. It's now gone completely. The vague promises before the flood that it had been earmarked for a re-fit at some point seem like a distant memory. The work is in full swing and we hope to have a fully functional terminus at the end of June. Yahoo!

Doorways Of Brisbane

 

University of Queensland, St. Lucia

Avid Listeners

Last night in our local bookshop Avid Reader, some of our local community gathered to tell our flood stories. It was a great night with plenty of funny and quirky stories. The atmosphere was buoyant and there were a lot of laughs. Some people jumped up on stage to say their bit while others just joined in from the audience. I finally got to meet another local blogger, Steve, who had organised the whole thing. He effortlessly steered the evening along, sharing the time out and sugueing between story-tellers like a pro. I brought along a few snaps from this blog to show people. There was even a familiar-sounding song to round the evening up - the chorus of which we picked up fairly quickly... 

Am I ever gonna see my place again?

No way! It's flooded! Mud off! 

And a top night was had by all!

Awaiting Squiggly Bits

"Inspired by an algorithm based on the way plants grow towards the light"

That's how the fancy website for Brisbane's next big tower are plugging it. Right now, it still looks pretty similar to many of the other glass and steel towers in the City. They're going to put some squiggly bits on it that I think will be representative of fig tree roots and should hopefully set it apart a little bit.

Gallery Closing

In the Gallery of Modern Art there is a big neon display at the top of the escalators. Tall animated figures walk through it all day long, striding on and off the screen with a sense of purpose. When the gallery closes at the end of the day, real people join them on their march, shoulder to hip, filing past, heading towards the way out.

Evening Stroll

Squelch!

Paw prints in the mangrove mud, down by the river in Orleigh Park.

Meet Me At Hungry Jack's

For anyone outside Australia, Hungry Jack's is Burger King. I think there was some sort of Burger King out here already in Adelaide when the American hamburger chain made their move down under... so they had to change their name. The outlet on Queen Street Mall is a bit of a landmark and a popular meeting place for people (mostly under 20). Once they've met up, they then might hang out outside the Hungry Jack's. It's riveting stuff.

Through The Window

through the window
through the passionfruit vine curtain
the early morning eastern sun
peeps over our building
warming the tops of the trees
green with a hint of orange

through the boughs of the scant jacaranda
the african tulip is exploding with flowers
crows find something to shout about
then lose interest and mutter under their breath instead
rainbow lorikeets chatter excitedly like kids in a playground
except noisier

time to wake up
the distant sound of the Citycat on the river
and the buses at the terminus
purring and chugging
in readiness for the day
and those other, more muted, early birds

Don't Stop A-Boppin'

April Theme Day: Edges

Today is the monthly theme day for City Daily Photo bloggers and this month the theme is Edges. I've chosen to show you the edges of the Brisbane river two months on from when they became a bit blurred and we all got a bit wet.  Things are still in repair mode with ferry stops and pontoons out of action. It makes me wonder. If it takes months for a city to clean up after a few feet of relatively tame water, how long for Japan?


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