Aqualoop at Wet'n'Wild

The idea is you climb up to the top of the steps (which is a lot higher when you're up there) and step into a clear, upright tube. You cross your ankles, cross your arms over your chest and then... well then the floor disappears and you freefall with such velocity (up to 60km per hour) that it powers you around a loop and you get spat out the bottom. I wasn't planning on getting stuck but I came to an abrupt halt somewhere towards the end of the uphill section thanks to the pair of shorts I was wearing that were a bit too flappy I was told later. It took a second or two for me to realise what had just happened as most of my vital organs were still trying to catch up with the rest of me. Then the panic set in as I had visions of rescuers in cherry-pickers... or the next person down the tube flying feet-first into my head at full speed. I had to spend a minute or two hoisting myself uphill inside a smooth slippery tube which is hard, let me tell you. Eventually I regained momentum and plopped out the bottom where I was deafened with howls of laughter.

Again, again!

Work In Progress

I suppose it's not strictly a Brisbane photo as I took it in India when I was there in August... but the little hand belongs to a Brisbane resident who might one day grow up to be an artist... just like her Grandmother.

Blues and Blooms Skywatch

Followers of this blog might notice I've got a thing for Jacaranda trees. Every October Brisbane is spray-painted with these purple splodges everywhere.

Enjoy your weekend!

For other skies around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

CBD Living

With space at a premium in the Central Business District, apartment living (with increasing levels of luxury) is the way to go. Prices start at around A$ half a mil for an old place with 2 bedrooms rising to several million for a penthouse overlooking the river. Views over the river are fab given Brisbane City Council's penchant for fireworks... however you do open yourself up to nosey photographers snapping away at your balcony from the CityCat. Yes you..relaxing on your sun-lounger with your magazine.

Mobile Philosophy

 Here's one of those Wicked Campervans driving around South Brisbane. Pretty eye-catching!

Checking out the cliffs at Kangaroo Point from the CityCat

 I love these beautiful cliffs that define Kangaroo Point. You can climb them, abseil them, picnic in the park along the top, cycle or walk along the bottom or ride by them on a boat. They are so wild looking - like they don't belong in the middle of a city.

Bomb Dive!!!!!

The forecasts were for a late storm so we took advantage of the unexpected late afternoon sun:
Bomb dive competition!

Xpress Inconvenience

A car almost ploughed into our local shop yesterday, taking out the awning, the phone box and the bin. I don't think there was anyone in the phonebox at the time.

Knots and Tangles

Looking up at the amazing aerial root systems of a Moreton Bay Fig tree. This one is in New Farm Park but they are found all over Brisbane. I love them. They provide something to eat for our large fruit-bat population and fantastic shelter and shade for the human population. The canopy is huge and dense and the spreading limbs can be a mass of tangles or gnarly and twisted like the veins on an aged pair of hands.  

Here's a photo I posted of the trunk.

Here's one of the canopy

So... going back to my roots (yeah)... and I couldn't decide which one was most representative.... so here's all three. Click on a photo for an enlargement and have a great weekend. It's going to be 27 degrees and sunny here in Brisbane - perfect weather to get out and about. I'll be at work in a darkened room. Aargh! 

Kangaroo Point Jacarandas

I make no apology for milking the Jacarandas In Bloom thing. There will be more purple on this page before the season's out if I have anything to do with it.

Walk This Way

This wooden walkway weaves its way through the huge aerial roots of Moreton Bay Fig trees in New Farm Park. You can make a secret hide-out in the circular chambers that the roots create and you can climb up them and onto the main branches of the trees. Excellent fun!

Getting some colour at New Farm Park

Cloudland

Here we are at Cloudland on Ann Street in Fortitude Valley.

I just can't do this place justice with my camera skills. It's a 24 hour venue that goes from being a cafe and bistro during the day to a full-on nightclub at night. It has grass on the stairs, a waterfall, plants growing everywhere, a retractable glass roof, seating pods suspended from chains 3 stories up, fancy themed booths individually decked out - including one with a double bed and a mountain of cushions and another with a peacock theme. Even the toilets are worth a visit - all space age and mirrored so much you bump into yourself. The designer is Nick Brunner from Melbourne who also designed the Press Club and Family - other venues in The Valley. You can visit the Cloudland Website for more.

Cloudland has a long and meaningful history with long-term Brisbane residents - everyone remembers it and you can read more about that in tff's excellent blog here.

Free Hugs on King George Square

Like I was saying...

 You could kit out your house with some of the stuff people throw away.

Kerbside Collection Weekend

About once a year, the local council drive a big truck around and collect any old furniture and junk you don't want. All you have to do is leave it by the side of the road. So for about a week it's a bit like a free trash and treasure.

Paint It Blue Skywatch

OK, I admit I bumped the saturation up a bit lot. We haven't seen much in the way of blue skies recently so I'm milking this sunset taken on Wednesday from under Merivale Bridge for all the drama I can get. It was the first clear bit of sky I'd seen in ages.

For other (probably more natural looking) skies from around the world today, visit Skywatch Friday.

Vive La Revolution!

I just got my daughter's bike fixed at Bicyle Revolution. As well as repairs, they will custom-build a recycled or refurbished bike for you. Out the back are the skeletal remains of hundreds of orphaned bikes, waiting to be spruced up, powder coated and assembled together as a recycled cycle for a proud new owner.

Decisions, decisions...

Perusing the menu at Jackpot Noodles.

Soaked

Brisbane is having its wettest spring in years. There's been some flooding around town and some overflowing creeks. People are grumbling. Why is it so cold? (19 degrees celcius can be cold). Where is the sun?

I guess when you have sunshine in abundance like you do here normally you become a bit spoiled. The plants in the garden are going great guns, though. And there's probably some very smug ducks around.