Morning Clouds Over the CBD - Skywatch Friday

Today's offering was taken from Kangaroo Point a couple of weeks ago just before 7am.

See others from around the world via the Skywatch Friday portal.

Flood Rebuild Update

We went around to what is left of my friend Bron's place on Sunday. The January flood waters came about 3/4 of the way up the walls of her wooden house causing the floor and the walls to warp. After plenty of to-ing and fro-ing with the insurance company, work finally started in earnest about 10 days ago. The builders are pretty much starting from scratch so while it's something of a shock to see the shell where her home used to be, it's also a new beginning.

Their place is in the 3rd photo down on this post from January.

Good Doggy

Despite the fact that we were strangers, you humoured me by hanging around and glancing upward when I asked. You were patiently waiting as I clicked and messed about with my camera settings. All you wanted was a pat. Thanks for throwing me a bone, nice doggy.

Doorways Of Brisbane

All Hallows School (est. 1861), Ann St., CBD

Your Chariot Awaits...

There's a bit of a hoo-haa (that's the technical word) going on about our cycle-hire scheme. While I have seen more and more people riding on them, some politicians and sections of the media are suggesting they're a complete flop because they are still running at a loss. Well it's only been 8 months. Not nearly long enough to scrap a project that promotes less traffic congestion, a cleaner environment, a healthier, fitter and more gorgeous population.  AND with their banana daquiri trim, (yes it looks like iced tea but I'm sticking with the daquiri) the bikes themselves even have a sort of kitsch style about them.

Postcard From The Edge

Taken last night at 5.56pm from the northern end of the Story Bridge. I think I managed to get one star - just above the curved green building. I like the glittering lights from the distant cranes on the left of the shot. That's the new Mater Children's Hospital site. The white and red stripe on the water at the bottom left is a passing CityCat with it's blinking orange light.

It was the last (and best) in a series of about 40 shots that I took with the sun going down. As time passed I played around with the shutter speed and aperture. I also chose to set the white balance to cloudy for a less blue/more orange glow to the reflections in the water.

For anyone who's interested, this was shot with my Nikon D40 on a tripod
aperture: f9
ISO: 200
shutter speed: 5"
focal length: 26mm
white balance: cloudy

Eagle Brothers

Riparian plaza, Brisbane's tallest building (for the moment) reflected in it's brand new neighbour, 111 Eagle Street.

 This one's part of  Weekend Reflections. 

Walking The Dog

Walking the dog on the walkable side of the river at this point. This photo shows parts of the Riverwalk on the opposite side. During the floods in January, a large chunk of it (length of a football field) broke off and floated for 5kms down the river, heading for the Gateway Bridge. Luckily the bridge was saved by the heroics of a tugboat driver. No mean feat. There's some footage of it here.

It used to look like this.

Narnia

 I was busy taking photos out the front of Box Vintage when the guy who runs it invited me to have a look at the walls in the back yard... brushing past the faux-fur coats and maxi-dresses jam-packed in the back room, I emerged into a yard where the walls were adorned with all sorts of spray-painted creatures and characters by different artists. It was bit of a Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe moment.

Oooh look! A pearly snapper and a curly flapper.

Box Vintage threads adorning Vulture street in the late afternoon sun.

D7EL?

Any ideas? This is what appears to be a piece of Lego art stuck on the remains of a building on Brunswick Street. Only the facia wall of the building remains - through those windows is open air. I've got no idea what D7EL might mean so if anyone has any clues, I'd like to know more.

Under The Bridge

Mothers' Day

I don't like to dwell too much on the down side to my little family's emigration to Brisbane from London back in 2005. So many positive things have come out of it but... I really miss my mum!

Happy Mothers' Day to everyone out there and especially to those whose mothers can't be with them.

Here's a nice view...

Here is Gardens Point as seen from Lower River Terrace on the south side of the river. The City Botanical Gardens spills over the bend on the river with the city behind it. If you ever go and see a band at the Riverstage, it's tucked in, just the other side of those mangroves. You can do a walk all through the mangroves and there are little information plaques telling you about the life that is supported within them.

Those familiar with the Brisbane River in it's present state might be a bit suspicious about the colour of the river in this shot... I may have played with it a little :-)

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

B.U.M.S. on seats

Well I had a great night at the Brisbane Ukelele Musicians Society jam night last night. There would have been 100 people there - this picture is only about a third of the room - all strumming their ukeleles and having a good laugh at the same time. They had a projector with all the chords and lyrics on it so everyone could read the songs and by the end we were all singing pretty loudly and playing more or less in time! Amazing really for such a wide range in skills and experience. I've got sore fingers now but I'll definitely be going again next month.

Last Minute B.U.M.S. Practice!

So over the past few months I have been toying with playing the ukelele. When I went camping at Easter I became a bit more competent and was able to strum along to a few songs. Tonight I'm off to my first night at the B.U.M.S. (That's the Brisbane Ukelele Musicians Society incase you were wondering - visit their website if you are interested). They have a jam every month at the Coopooroo Bowls Club and last month there was well over 100 people that turned up to play along! I can't even imagine what that would sound like but by the end of the night, with any luck, I'll find out and get back to you tomorrow.

Story Time

It's been a while since I've photographed the Story Bridge. This is a new angle for me. I've never been to the little park under the bridge on Kangaroo Point before as it's a dead end and I don't know anyone who lives around there. There's even a beach! (sort of) 

Perfect Autumn Morning

This morning's sunrise was an absolute belter. I sacrificed my public-holiday sleep in so I could get out there and show you. I hope you like it!

May Theme Day: Mailbox

Today is the first of the month which means it's the City Daily Photo Theme Day and as you can see, this month's theme is "Postbox". I've chosen a close-up look at one of Australia Post's thousands (? surely) of public street post boxes.

The picture near the letter slot shows a variety of brightly coloured squares. Stuff you're not allowed to put in the post from a public mailbox in Australia... *sigh* it's just no fun anymore.

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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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