Yesterday's Birthday Lunch at Pearl Cafe (and Animal theme day!)

My thanks to Joanna. I had completely forgotten about the theme day but she pointed out in the comments that as today's City Daily Photo theme day is "Animal" I could still enter! (apologies to my vegetarian readers)

Being that a friend and I share the same birthday, we felt like we should make a bit of an effort so we trotted off with a few of our frocked-up mates to the Pearl Cafe in Wooloongabba. I had the ploughman's lunch because I am a bit sentimental it reminded me of home.... except it was much fancier than any ploughman's lunch I've ever had in England. There was smoked Wagyu, leg ham, homemade pickles, pommery mustard, cornichons, sourdough, French butter, mature cheddar and a mouthwatering dark brown pickled onion which I think was preserved in balsamic vinegar and a watercress salad. It was glorious.

It probably should have been washed down with a mug of real ale if I was being a purist. I plumped for several glasses of ice cold sparkling wine instead. You need it in this heat, really.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants and hopefully to see pictures of animals more alive than this one.

Shady Characters

Here's another look at these street lamps in Woolloongabba. Smart!

Light Entertainment

Right near yesterday's traffic signal box is the top end of Logan road. One of the things that sets it apart is that it is a no through road and so, in this really busy area of town, it is a bit of an oasis (although I haven't really captured that calm in this shot, I realise). There are several fancy restaurants and some antique shops and the cars park down the middle of the road like in country towns. But the best thing about it for me is the lamp shades. Aren't they great??

Traffic Stopping Art (number 57)

It's been a while since I showed you another of our traffic signal boxes. Today's artist is Pen Donovan who has been very busy around town - she's painted 44 traffic signal boxes so far! See them here. This one is called "Footy" and as you might be able to see is controlling traffic outside the 'Gabba football/cricket ground.

Grillside at The Norman

 

 The Norman Hotel in Woolloongabba bills itself as "Brisbane's Worst Vegetarian Restaurant". True to form,  last night they would have had about half a cow on the grill at any one time. The line-ups were out the door.

Starting the weekend nicely...

Two flat whites and the paper. Bliss.
Desmond and Molly Jones cafe
Stanley Street
Woolloongabba

Pizza last night in Woolloongabba

Our family verdict: Vespa is in joint first place with Arrivederci's in Milton. Mmmmm!

Downhill From Here

It seems like it's been raining in Brisbane for about a month. Friday morning's warm burnt-sienna sunrise gave way to another grey drizzly day. It's a good case for getting up at the crack of dawn.

Brew Makers

Brews Brothers in Woolloongabba. You choose the beer you want to make from a menu, they provide you with the raw ingredients and you get to brew it yourself. Come back 3 weeks later with a stack of empty bottles and ...voila! Several cartons of cut-price preservative-free amber nectar!

The Gabba At Night

Looking up, outside Wooloongabba Cricket Ground.

Some are born into cricket... others have cricket thrust upon them.

...I would fall into the latter category. Did you know Brisbane flooded yesterday? Only very briefly but at around lunchtime we got 90mm of rain in the city in under an hour. Cars even floated down the road in Milton. As I was cooped up at work, I didn't get any snaps and when I emerged into the steamy drizzle, the flash floods had more or less gone. So... no flood pictures; just cricket. See? You can have cricket thrust upon you too.

The crowd was about 20,000-strong which was about half full.
Click on the picture to enlarge it.

And if you really wanted to check out the floods, there are some pictures on the Brisbane Times website here.

Faces in the Crowd

Valentine's Day At The Cricket

I'm not a big cricket fan. The only thing that made me go to this one-day match between Australia and the West Indies was if I didn't, my true love would be heading to the cricket on Valentine's day without me... so I went along grudgingly but ended up having an absolute ball. More cricket posts to come.

Australia 1 West Indies 0

This is the Gabba cricket ground, where the West Indies lost to Australia in the cricket over the weekend. The game finished way ahead of schedule and as a result there were some rubbish movies on the telly. Many Australians were forced to emerge blinking into the sunlight and heat and find something constructive to do with their Sunday.

The Gabba's also home to the Brisbane Lions (Aussie Rules football team) who play here in the winter months.

I took this shot back in February from a hot air balloon. For some othe balloony type shots, click on the balloons label below.

Stanley Street, The Gabba

This little parade of shops seems to be enjoying a renaissance at the moment. It must be hard for a business to survive on a really busy road - and in the shadow of the Gold Coast motorway - but these little places are winning the battle. Both C'est Bon and Desmond and Molly Jones are on my to do list.
(I don't think it's the butcher that's for sale - hopefully it's the flat on top!)

A Dark Corner That Refuses To Remain Hidden

Back hallway, Joshua Levi Galleries, Woolloongabba.

Driving past the 'Gabba

Woolloongabba is home to The Gabba - Queensland's main cricket and Aussie rules ground (cricket in summer, football in winter). The West Indian cricket team arrived in Brisbane on Friday to kick off their series against Australia starting at the end of this month.

Caro Mio

If you like a high tea or a clairvoyant reading...or perhaps a combination of both.. then this is the cafe for you. Caro Mio in Stanley Street Woolloongabba. It's got some really nice art deco fixtures including a grandfather clock and little fanned wall lights... but this lamp by the cash register was my favourite. Fantastic.

Beautiful Brick Balloon

I found this on the wall of the Joshua Levi Galleries in Woolloongabba. There are lots of little things on the walls in there. People who might otherwise be arrested for public acts of art can get some practice in here... And then go out and get arrested!

The Jac Stack's Back!

Here we are with the third of three Jacaranda-themed posts.

You are looking at "The Jacaranda Gas Chamber" by Joshua Levi currently exhibiting in his own fabulous Joshua Levi Galleries on Ipswich Road. That guy in the coffin is Brisbane's Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, who is the man ultimately responsible to the tunnel and its chimneys.