Look. No Gears. RRrrrr.

There's a bit of a fashion for gearless bikes here in Brisbane at the moment which is odd/masochistic as there are plenty of hills in this neck of the woods.

Tow Away Zone

Bookshop Window

It was the yellow bike reflection I was after but I ended up getting the silver ute and a bit of me in there too. This is Bent Books in West End

Today I'm taking part in Weekend Reflections.

Doorways of Brisbane

Browning Street boarding house, West End.

Deb Selling The Big Issue on Boundary Street

I was originally going to post this picture with just a few basic details but after I got chatting to Deb, she asked that I include what we talked about in this post...

Deb was abused as a kid by her step father. He and her mother took off when Deb was 18. She has two boys, 7 and 14 years old who live with their father, and she doesn't know where they are. She was late with the rent once and now she can't get a place of her own because she's been black-listed. Having no parents around hasn't helped. She says that she's in the process of getting photo ID... which will make getting her life back on track a lot easier.  She's currently staying at the homeless shelter in Roma Street.

If you see her around, buy a Big Issue from her.

Can't Eat Coal, Can't Drink Gas

It's estimated that 1100 or 1200 people attended the Food Security Forum yesterday in Brisbane. It was a strange mix of people to say the least. There were Greenies and ultra-conservatives, farmers and conservationists, country folk and city folk.... all on the same side. (As one politician put it, if Bob Katter, Bob Brown and Bob Irwin are all singing from the same prayer book there must be something wrong!) There was a big meeting at the Convention Centre and then we marched to the city for a rally.

Unfortunately, Coal Seam Gas isn't an issue in the upcoming Queensland State election because neither of the two main parties in the race can see anything wrong with it.

A Rush and A Push and The Land is Ours

This is a picture of one of my favourite parts of Australia, in the Scenic Rim on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. This area of stunning natural beauty and prime farming land is under threat, along with vast areas of both Queesland and New South Wales..

It's all because of Coal Seam Gas. It is one of the most frightening things that is happening in Australia today. This is because the extraction of coal seam gas involves injecting chemicals into the ground that can possibly contaminate our water supply forever -  not only for farmland but our drinking water as well. The Scenic Rim isn't the only area affected. There are plans for up to 40 000 wells in Queensland across the state.

"Lock The Gate" is an alliance which allows farmers to band together and say "no" to mining companies who offer giant amounts of money to individual farmers for their land. As a consequence of the mess and noise that they make, the surrounding farmland becomes virtually worthless. Most landowners in the area where I took this photo have one on their gate.

Today I'm heading down to the Food Security Forum to learn more and show my concern. Tomorrow I'll post a picture from the event.

If you want to know more, the ABC have a good website here.

Morning Shadows

Being from a part of the world where you learn to make the most of every drop of warm weather, I still find it a bit unnatural and wasteful to join in with the widespread glee that summer is over for another year. Having said that, autumn is a beautiful part of the year to be in Brisbane. The humidity lifts, the clouds disappear and we get glorious sunshine during the day with cool enough nights to (almost) pull a cover over you.

Today's picture was taken yesterday morning on my way to work at about 7.45. The Mount Coot-tha lookout was mobbed with cyclists who had finished their morning climb and were looking at a downhill stretch all the way home.

Rise and Shine

Some serenity for your weekend.

Picture this: You are the only one around. The sun is rising over the horizon and there is a mist above the breakers. The shadows are still long and you can feel a warm breeze over your skin. The only sound is the crash and fizz of ocean as it meets beach... and the wind in your ears. You stretch up high on tiptoes with your fingers reaching for the sky and your bare toes scrunching into the wet sand ...and take you take a deep, cleansing breath.

What a way to start the day.

Poof! and it's gone...

Last month I posted a photo of a once-grand old house which just seemed to be falling apart. The comments were interesting reading and Natalie from across the river mentioned that it had recently been pulled down. Yesterday I went for a wander down Avebury Street in West End to the site of the house and this is what I found.

Princess Flowers For International Women's Day

Today, March 8th, is International Women's Day. It celebrates how far we have come in our efforts to gain equality with men in every day society and examines the (often long) road ahead.

 For every woman reading this, these flowers are for you! They are Princess Flowers (also known as Tibouchina urvilleana) and are blooming right now in parks and gardens all over Brisbane. They are native to Brazil but do very well here in our subtropical climate.

By the way - the International Womens Day official colours are purple, green and white.

Postal Vote

Queensland is having a state election on March 24th to determine who will be our premier. I missed out on voting in the general election of 2010 as I had only become a citizen a month beforehand and the authorities didn't have time to get me onto the electoral roll. This time I'm leaving nothing to chance and have applied for a postal vote as I'll be working on election day.

In Australia it is compulsory to vote;  if you don't, you'll get a $20 fine. If you don't pay the fine, you could be prosecuted. As a result, Australia has a very high voter turnout! And don't worry if you think every candidate is a dud: you can choose to spoil your ballot paper in protest. Personally, after being here for nearly 7 years, I'm excited to finally have my say.

Green Machine

This car was spotted on Park Road in Milton a few days ago - maybe it's all this rain!

Thanks to Sandra and Chris for the photos.

The Washing Line/Tarp Solution

When you are intent on having a BBQ, rain needn't be a problem. 

The best kind of fun

So about 18 months ago, like it seems millions of others, I picked up a ukulele habit and it has been so rewarding. I grew up playing classical piano and never got the chance to play music with anyone else - and of course when you go out to other people's houses you can't take your piano with you - so it is the best kind of fun when you can get as many people playing instruments together at the same time playing vaguely the same tune. Last night we had five ukuleles, one guitar, one banjolin (banjo body, mandolin strings), one double bass, one fiddle, tablas, bongos, drums and a shaky bell thingy (not the technical name). Not to mention a wide variety of singing voices. Some of us were kids and some were 'young at heart'. Some of the players were playing their instruments for the first time and some had been playing for 20 years. There was even an audience (of 4) and one of them got up and danced. It was brilliant!

Getting off to a flying start

Queensland has some of the best swimmers in the world and no wonder - the weather is perfect for it! From the time most kids can crawl and often before, they are chucked into a pool and taught how to save themselves... and it goes from there.

Once a week on these warm summer evenings we all hang out, cook a BBQ and watch our offspring spring off into the school pool and swim like little fishies. From aged 6 to aged 12, in races of 25m or 50m: back stroke, breast stroke, freestyle and butterfly...  And nearly all of them swim better and faster than I could now.

Here we are now, Entertain Us

Wednesday night at the Performing Arts Centre was a performance by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. 9 ukuleles varying in size and tone from a big electric bass one to a pocket-sized one, played by 8 musicians and tunes ranging from Beethoven to Nirvana...can you guess which one they were doing in this shot?

March Theme day: Electricity

Today is the first of the month which means it's theme day for those of us in the City Daily Photo gang. This month's theme is Electricity. So being storm season in Brisbane, my intention was to get out there and get the classic shot of lightning over the city but I always seemed to be working or in bed, or very comfortable with a glass of vino when the electrical storms passed through this past month. So I have gone for a shot of the generator at work which is at one of the TV stations up in Mt. Coot-tha. At this time of year with the weather being so charged with electric storms, and with a giant transmitter tower sitting on top of the building, you have to factor in the possibility of being struck by lightning. In the 5 years that I have worked in the building, we have been hit several times and each time this enormous generator keeps us on the air. We run it every time a storm passes near Mt. Coot-tha. It's about 2 metres high and 5 metres long, burns 9 litres of diesel an hour and is very, very noisy.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Traffic Stopping Art (number 60)

This fabulous signal box can be found on the corner of Upper Edward Street and Astor Terrace in Spring Hill, near the Queensland Art Society building. It's by Francis Rowland Wregg whose work I have featured in the past two signal box posts. The bird design is a nod to the work of the brilliant M C Escher.

See a silly short film based on another one of his famous paintings here. 

Splash!

One of the fountains near the not-so-popular viewing wheel in South Bank.

Dinner on Hardgrave Road

Keeping Watchful Eyes On The Ice Cream Cake

When the temperature outside is really muggy like it was over the weekend, the only real solution is to stuff your face with ice cream cake. This one was lemon sorbet on the outside and chocolate ice cream in the middle....yum!

The New ABC

The ABC in Brisbane has been through a lot in the past few years. The old ABC building in Toowong had to be abandoned after several staff members working in the same area developed cancer. The staff were spread across several buildings around the city. The TV staff came up to Mount Coot-tha with the other TV stations and rented part of the Channel 10 building for 5 years, working in the basement with a pretty basic set-up. The other day, I went to visit the ABC's brand new digs in the middle of South Bank which houses all their staff comfortably. This is their TV MCR and Media Exchange area. Not too shabby!

Sunlit Cottonwool Skywatch

 It's storm season in Brisbane right now which makes gazing upwards very interesting. In one afternoon you might go from crystal clear blue skies to an angry dark purple to a soft billowy sunset.

Gaze upwards with other photo bloggers at Skywatch Friday.

Masonic Temple, Ann Street

Completed in 1930, this impressive sandstone building sits on Ann Street. Being a Masonic Temple it has an air of mystery about it but if you check out the leaflets in the doorway, they give free tours, Monday to Friday at 2pm. Provided you perform the correct under-the-knee handshake.

I need to gar-gull.

I got a shock when I first came to Australia. The seagulls all sounded like they had a cold. Unfortunately my Field Guide to Australian Birds by Pizzey and Knight doesn't describe the call of the gull I was used to hearing in England so you'll have to make do with my attempt to put it into words: it is a high pitched "co-loy co-loy co-loy co-loy!". The book does have a fair bit about the Silver Gull which is what I reckon this photo is of.

   "Voice: "short, harsh, gutteral 'korr' or 'keow'; longer, harsh descending 'karrr-karrr-karrr'."  

 ....in other words like they have something stuck in their throats. Anyway, reading into it a bit, I see that there are several different types of gull in Australia with different voice descriptions. At the risk of going into it far too much:

Pacific Gull: shouted 'ow! ow!; muffled 'auk, auk' gruff chuckles; whining stutters
Kelp Gull: yelping or laughing 'yo-yo-yo-yo' (I think that might be the one I know from England)
Black Headed Gull : high-pitched harsh screams in quick succession: 'kreeooo' or 'kraaahr'
Black Tailed Gull: plaintive mewing
Franklin's Gull: shrill 'kuk-kuk-kuk'; also nasal 'kear, kear'
Laughing Gull: strident laugh or variety of low chuckles
Sabine's Gull: harsh grating and tern-like 'k-year'
Lesser Black-Backed Gull: similar to Kelp Gull.

There now. More than you will ever need to know about the various calls of Australian Gulls.

PJ's Roast Inn

If you like your lunch old school - and by that I mean things like hot roast meat rolls or a big banana smoothie - then this take-away place is going to float your boat. Not a balsamic reduction or mini herb in sight... or, if I may speak London for a mo, it's not "poncey".  It does a roaring lunchtime trade on Adelaide street with punters of all ages and walks of life.

Sunrise Beach a bit after sunrise

We won a competition for a weekend up at Sunrise Beach on the Sunshine Coast which is about a 90 minute drive from where we live in Brisbane if you take the scenic route and stop for ice cream. The beach is long with tumbling surf and fine golden sand... great for walking or saluting the sun first thing.

Burning an Eternal Flame

 

The Shrine of Remembrance is mounted at the top of Anzac Square.

Traffic Stopping Art (number 59)

This traffic signal box sits on the corner of Milton Road and Park Avenue in Milton and depicts the pretty little McIlwraith Croquet Club just down the road. The artist is Frances Rowland Wregg, creator of the previous signal box in this series. Find out more about the painted signal box project here. And if you fancy popping down to the croquet club  for a spot of mallet fun or just want to know a bit more about it, visit the club's website.

Lunch Special at The Red Hen

Crispy skinned salmon with lemon and garlic roasted potatoes and a pear and pea puree. The pear aspect was interesting. I'm not sure it worked for me but the rest of it was just fab. Particularly the potatoes.

I was right behind you and it was far too humid for a long sleeved shirt!

For readers who are familiar with the blogger 'Z' from Z Captures, you'll recognise this at once as I have completely ripped off his idea! He has a whole series of shots of the back of people in New York called 

"I was right behind you".

Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!

Ah, the joys of learning a new instrument.

Have you ever been up close to someone playing one or two long notes loudly on the trombone? It sounds similar to a foghorn and your head vibrates...I think she was laughing because I had gone cross-eyed. And a beginner blowing through the reed on a clarinet can produce squeaks that will make your hair stand on end.

 The bottom photo is my daughter and the top one is her friend and they have both been playing for about 2 weeks. I expect to see them busking in Boundary Street in a few years. In the meantime, if you are in about a 2 mile radius of that trombone when it's being blown then you'll get a bit of a preview.

Yesterday's rainbows over Bardon

It was only very faint but there was a definite hint of a double rainbow after yesterday's afternoon rain. I love rainbows. 

When the girls outnumber the boys six to one...

...and Britney Spears is on SingStar.... it's time to take refuge in the DS.

Nearly done

The under-whelming "Soleil" building is nearing completion and has taken it's place on the Brisbane skyline, dwarfing everything nearby. 464 apartments, 74 floors high. Prices start at A$370K.

Orange Flowers in Cathedral Square

The council gardeners have planted a sea of orange flowers in the square opposite St. John's Cathedral - oooh lovely!

My Brother Learns To Surf

You're Welcome!

I think this might be a Welcome Swallow. Allow me to consult my bird book (it was a Christmas present)

...yes 15 cm, tail deeply forked, upperparts glossy blue-black...

"Courting males descend on stiffly downheld, quivering wings... Voice: single 'chep' usually in flight; spirited twittering song; rising 'seep,seep,seep'; in alarm, high pitched puny 'seeet'."  

My favourite thing about my bird book is the was it tries to convey the voice of the bird in human terms. To be found in most places in Australia with the exception of deserts and the Kimberley Region. This one was flying around the river in St. Lucia and sat still on the front of the CityCat while I raced to attach my zoom lens. 

It doesn't say in my book how it got it's name.

Deterioration

This huge house is slowly succumbing to the elements. What I find remarkable about it is that it has been left like this despite it being huge, in a really posh expensive area with the back garden backing onto the river... (This photo was taken from the CityCat)  I'd say that water tank has been there since the floods a year ago. It might not even belong to the house.

Maybe it costs too much to repair but the owner can't knock it down because it is heritage listed? What a great place it must have been once.

Heading to UQ for a swim

The wait is finally over - the pool at the University of Queensland Aquatic Centre opened yesterday (pity we went on Sunday)! Read more here.

Lazy Sunday at Musgrave Park

Chilling out by the pool at Musgrave Park which always seems to be too empty.

This one's especially for my family in the freezing snow in London.

Heritage Tomatoes

These are also called Heirloom tomatoes. I suppose $10 a kilo a bit more expensive than the bog standard tomatoes you can buy in the supermarket but they taste better too. And if you like, you can save a few and squash them into the ground for your own home grown! The difference between these and the normal hybrid varieties is that these seeds will produce top quality fruit season after season. 

I am still working on that possum-proof enclosure.

Boundary Street, Friday

Boundary Street in West End has a mix of restaurants, bars and independent traders. Friday evening sees it come alive with delicious food smells, a wide variety of music and general weekend excitement. You get an eclectic mix: office workers, people dressed up in all their going out finery, hippies, transients, young and old, black and white.  There's also a big mosaic lizard under some trees - a shady place to hang out. This was taken yesterday afternoon where, with lunch out of the way, the atmosphere was one of quiet anticipation. I stuck the camera on top of the big lizard's head.

What I like about 'tu'.

One of the things I love about growing turmeric in Brisbane is that for several months of the year it hides away. The only sign it's there is when you dig underground and find the orange root which looks a bit like ginger or galangal and is excellent grated on just about anything. Then, in spring, tiny green spears poke through the soil for what seems like only a moment before they shoot upwards and unfurl these huge thick leaves. After a season or two you start getting the flowers which, as you can see, are really beautiful. But the BEST thing for me is that they seem to thrive with no attention whatsoever. My kind of plant.

My favourite recipe using turmeric at the moment is Parsi Scrambled Eggs. It's the breakfast of champions. Use the powder in the cooking and then grate the root over the top. Delicious!

P.S. Australians born in Australia tend to pronounce this plant/spice without the 'r' and with the 'tu' and in Tuesday. ie ' Tu-meric'. We all know that this is wrong and that the correct pronunciation is with the 'r' and the 'tur' as in 'turban': Turmeric. Feel free to argue with me but I know I am right.

Anyway to make the title work I've adopted the Aussie pronunciation.

Paul brought us back some yabbies from Somerset Dam

If I had been on the ball a bit more, I could have entered this one in the Animal theme day yesterday but my mind was elsewhere. They are like mini lobsters. As a matter of fact, I was tucking into some this time last year. Excellent in a curry or just chargrilled on the BBQ with lime and chilli. Mmmm.

Again, apologies to vegetarian readers.

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.