Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie!!!

It's been a long time in between drinks but I thought I'd better check in with you and let you know how things are going from my point of view in Brisbane at the moment.

 As you may or may not know, we're bracing for another flood thanks to Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald. The peak is expected tomorrow but we've already seen plenty of chaos due to roads blocked with trees down, debris all over the road and power lines scattered everywhere. This shot was taken outside where I work up in Mount Coot-tha. Luckily for us the tree fell towards the road, otherwise it would have been curtains for the security guard!

We think the peak down by the river will be significantly less than in 2011. For me, personally, that means water in the carpark but not in the flat - whew!  But watch this space - I'll keep you updated.

Oh yes - happy Australia Day holiday!

Samford Stole Our Thunder! - Skywatch

This was the storm front that moved in from the south on Tuesday afternoon. It looked very ominous and there was a bit of battening down the hatches going on in our place (well... we closed some windows and congratulated ourselves for being inside). The wind blew, big raindrops splashed down and then... well then it just sort of petered out. We had a little bit of rain and a rumble of thunder and that was about it. Checking out the weather radar online, It appeared that the storm swerved northward towards Samford at the last minute.  I suppose we've seen enough rain recently but even so I must admit to being a bit disappointed. What about my drama?!*

Skywatch Friday

*subject to conditions

A Positive Outlook

We moved in with another neighbour on Monday to give our previous hosts a bit of a break. This is the view from her verandah where I sat and drank my tea this hot, steamy morning. The news of the destruction of Cyclone Yasi started to trickle in from up north. Queensland has really taken a battering of late.

Back at our flood-affected unit, the tiler started tiling yesterday and has made good progress already. We reckon we'll be able to move back home as soon as the floor is done. We can have cold showers (welcome in this weather) and get a little one-ring stove in there... brush up on our one-pot meals... it'll be like posh camping!

And I picked up the photos from the framer and delivered them to the bookshop owners in readiness for the flood appeal exhibition tomorrow night. They look really good! (if I say so myself). I'm told there has been a huge response and they are struggling to fit all the photos on the walls. If you are in the Brisbane area tomorrow evening, you should come along.

All Mouth and No Trousers!

Tuesday in Brisbane was pretty dramatic with a hot and sticky high of 35 degrees - way above average for this time of year. All day long the forecasters promised us a storm and this was the sky as I was leaving work at 6pm in Mount Coot-tha. Shortly after, the clouds closed out the last of the sun and Brisbane braced itself for a thorough soaking. The thunder claps were deafening and over 3,000 bolts of forked lightning spattered across the city... but only a few puny mills of rain. Boo!

Check out other skies from around the world at Skywatch Friday.

As Promised, A More Uplifting Post

Geddit?

I've been milking my balloon trip over Brizzy which happened back in February for a while now (click the balloons label for more).
Here's a couple of streets in an outer suburb of Brisbane. It could be The Gap or maybe Keperra... round there anyway. A couple of the houses still had tarpaulins on the rooftops from that same November storm I mentioned yesterday.

Sawdust to sawdust....

The days of this gigantic Moreton Bay Fig in Orleigh Park are numbered. There is a sign up from the council saying so. A storm blew through Brisbane last November and in the space of about an hour did a surprising amount of damage. This fig tree was among the casualties. You can see the mulchy remains of another in the foreground. It's so sad! They have been fenced off for a while now as the remaining limbs just aren't strong enough any more.

One of the most strikingly beautiful features of these trees is the visible gnarled roots which twist and turn like veins on an old man's hands. The trunks form knobbles and holes and all sorts of interesting bits - fantastic to touch. I wish I could get in there and take a few pictures of that trunk before it goes. The tiny little fruits (from the fig family) are loved by fruit bats and every evening in summer you can hear them squabbling for position.

Hmmm. War and destruction 4 days running. A more uplifting post tomorrow, definitely!

Pick 'n' Mix Skywatch (3)

This is the final photo in my "Pick n Mix Skywatch" series taken at the same time (about 6.15pm a couple of weeks ago) in the same place (Mt. Coot-tha Lookout) but looking in 3 different directions. I like the depth of the cloud here... and how the city is completely dwarfed.

View looking to the right of this shot (posted last week)

View looking to the right of last week's shot (posted the week before)

P.S. The nights are draw in quickly... had I stood at the lookout yesterday at 6.15pm it would have been dark.

Check out other skies around the world by visiting the Skywatch Friday portal.

The Vatican vs South Brisbane

This is St. Mary's Catholic Church in South Brisbane, one of the most popular churches in Brisbane with a flock of 800. It is well known for its "rebel" priest Father Peter Kennedy. Many of his practices have been frowned upon by the Vatican including his wording of The Lord's Prayer ("Our MotherFather who art in heaven") and his political outspokenness (one example was the big banner outside the church last year demanding David Hicks be returned to Australia from Guantanamo Bay). His church recognises the land it is on as Aboriginal and has strong ties with the Aboriginal community in the area. Read an interview about it here. This is definitely not on as far as The Vatican are concerned and they have been threatening action for a while. A couple of days ago the Archbishop of Brisbane told the priest unless he tended his resignation, he would be fired as parish priest on 21st of February.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

*****WELCOME TO MY BLOG******

Long-time residents of Brisbane say it used to rain in summer in Brisbane every day at 4pm... we seem to have been having a bit of that lately. This one was taken by Tim yesterday - cheers Tim!