Party Time and a Poem!!! December 2014

So last year it was Keith's turn, this year mine for a notable birthday, can't change it so may as well enjoy it! A frenzy of preparation as we decided last minute on a party! Who to invite? Where should we go? What should we eat? What should we drink? Well once again, an old favourite The Story Bridge Hotel, a private booking in the Heritage Bar and super helpful staff, Keith soon had things sorted!

What to wear? OH? Wear? What? Shopping! OK OK, I've unexpectedly got a bit of time on my hands, so that's an option! SHOES! SHOES! Oh ... perfect, got them too, yes yes, ship em up from Melbourne, I need them! The music playlist? Well the 80's has to dominate of course! Brings back some interesting memories! A-ha ... Kim Wilde sang about the Kids in America, Culture Club, Pat Benatar and Madonna! Like a Virgin and Tainted Love side by side with Love Shack, all mixed in together! Throw in a bit of The Boss and Tina and you can't omit Cher! Dead or Alive spun us around and Cyndi Lauper reminded us that Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Until finally Slade finished with Merry Christmas Everybody! It's on Spotify Jayjinx Birthday Compilation, check it out!

The only thing left was to have a great time! Which we did! A really great time ... K had me a little nervous with hints of reprisals. Apparently he wasn't quite as amused by my speech for his party as I was a year ago. WHAT? A nostalgic look at events that had transpired since he was born? Elvis Presley's first hit, The Beatles left school, man landed on the moon! Well his sisters did such a good video job, I knew I couldn't match it!

... And so, he opted for a poem, a nice poem, a really very nice poem.  ... I am proud to be the recipient and so happy to share my life with somebody who cares enough ... 

Here it is ...

An Ode to Janet on Her Special Birthday

It's your forty-tenth birthday, but don't feel down

Just wear a wide silly smile, like a big daft clown

Enjoy yourself, have fun, there's no need to feel in terror 

But whatever else you do today, stay away from the mirror!

When you were born into this world, you were very small

But now here you are today, not that much bigger at all

And as a tiny little child, all you did was to cry & honk 

Just like Friday nights after drinking too much plonk!

But since then, just look at all that you have done

You have travelled the world, like someone on the run

You have always worked so very hard, and then some

Never once stopping at all, until all jobs were done!

You have travelled Great Britain & France, another time zone

And you have seen cities like London & Paris, but not Rome

You have seen the Rockies in Canada, Vancouver, & San Fran

And Greece, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand & KL

And one more I can't remember, Oh Phuket, what the hell!

Then finally, one way to Australia, to escape the freezing rain

To set up home anew, in this place that they called Brisbane

You have seen Sydney & Melbourne, Adelaide & Tasmania

Flinders & Kakadu, and Katherine and Cairns, but not Perth

But there is still plenty more to see and do on this magic planet called earth!

In your career, you started at the bottom all those years ago

Punching cards and typing like you had nowhere else to go

But now you have smashed a hole in that big glass ceiling

And you continue to seek out new challenging jobs to do

But just say that you had never made it, well I'd say "so what", you would still be you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANET!! 
LOVE K

Awwwwwww ... OK so yes, I shed a tear or maybe even two! Thank you :)

The best of the day was spent with friends, here's a small selection of snaps ...

Allie is a winner and our wait staff were attentive and cheerful as always! Thank you @sbhotel

Dolphin Heaven! Auckland, New Zealand

Who doesn't like dolphins? Let's face it, there is just something about them we all love and on a trip to Auckland, New Zealand, we couldn't resist the opportunity of a trip in the bay with Whale & Dolphin Safari", it promised much and I am happy to say, it delivered.

As we travelled through the beautiful Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, on a newly fitted out catamaran, we were dazzled by dolphins.

We were so fortunate, they followed the boat, leaping from the waves, a pod around 400 strong. You felt like you could reach out and touch.

At the end of the day, I am not sure who was watching who!

Every now and again, they were spooked and leapt and bounced through the waves to a new destination, returning each time for more fun.

But what about the whales? Yes, we saw a couple of them too! A fantastic day in Auckland, New Zealand.

Melbourne and Windsor

Parliament House, Melbourne

Looking for a mini-break we decided to visit an old favourite, Melbourne, Victoria. It's been over 6 years since our last visit so it was time to familiarise ourselves with this lively city once again. I love Melbourne, I love its friendly hospitality and its lane-ways and arcades. I love the people, passionate and confident and noisy. The city is busy and vibrant, I love the trams and nowhere in Australia can equal the dining experiences.

We had booked a package to stay at The Windsor, an establishment that cannot be described as simply "an hotel". This old-world hotel oozes charm, character and history. The corridors and stairs squeak and groan and the ancient lift takes an age to transit floors. All of this enhances the true experience of a stay here. The staff are formal but not stuffy, helpful and friendly. The rooms clean and old-fashioned, chintzy, cosy and delightful. If you travel to Melbourne, don't turn down an opportunity to experience The Windsor!

I confess we were spoiled, we were upgraded from our pre-booked Junior Suite to a Windsor Suite, on the top floor our huge corner suite overlooked Parliament House and there was no shortage of space, from the huge lounge, to the even larger bedroom and the walk in robe! Heaven!

Before we unpacked, a knock on the door brought a complimentary bottle of Yarra Valley wine, ahhhhhh, it was nice!

This wasn't our first stay at The Windsor, but it was the best and I guarantee it won't be the last!

It didn't take long for us to settle in and set off for a short walk. Lots of restaurants nearby and we soon found our afternoon favourite haunt, the delightful Wine Bar in Little Bourke Street, just around the corner, with a delicious cheese platter consisting of Pyengana Cheddar and Brillat Savarin, an exquisite accompaniment to a bottle of perfectly chilled wine.  Ideal to put you on until dinner!

Having arrived mid afternoon and checked out the locality, a short glamour nap was followed by dinner at Bamboo House! Yes, ok, I do love Chinese food, along with Thai it is a personal favourite.

Peking duck wraps, possibly the best ever, spicy dishes, mouth watering! As I write this, I am already planning my next trip!

I know my friend @2aussietravellers will be so envious!

We spent the next few days exploring the lane-ways and shopping, checking out the architecture in the Melbourne shopping malls. Our stay too short and a trip to the Yarra Valley, wine tasting was fun!

China Town, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

All too soon, it was time to head home ... our few days in Melbourne and The Windsor, just awesome! In the catchphrase best associated with Arnie, I'll be back!

G20 Colours Brisbane

The Brisbane Sign, Southbank

Last night was fun, an early dinner at Obsession Chinese Restaurant, at Southbank, followed by Felicity Kendal at QPAC in Noël Coward's 1925 play, Hay Fever! A farcical, very British comedy of eccentricity, upper class snobbery and appalling bad manners! 

Sadly, Obsession, once a favourite haunt has lost much of its character and personal touch with the handover of control from the proprietor Joyce to a new generation. Our friendly wait staff all gone, the genial atmosphere is no more but in fairness the food remains exceptional and the staff helpful, its just that ... welllll ... the enjoyment factor isn't quite the same.

Hay Fever was entertaining, I can't say it was quite up there with Helen Mirren's, The Audience in the West End, London last year but Felicity Kendal looks great and stands out on the stage as a professional.  Her delivery of witty lines had the audience chuckling throughout.

After the theatre, we made our way into the city to see "Colour me Brisbane", a Queensland Government hosted cultural event in honour of the G20, which descends on us in two weeks time. For locals, the arrival of so many heads of state and senior government officials from around the world is likely to bring disruption, road closures and excessive security no doubt fraying a few nerves. On the plus side, we have a bonus public holiday and lots of entertaining events. Below are a few amateur snaps of lights projected onto our city buildings, to see more check out the official Government site here.

I am proud to see Brisbane hosting the G20, a perfect opportunity to showcase our fabulous river city, our sunshine state and our casual and relaxed culture as well as our friendly people. Many around the world will watch in envy those of us who live here!

Living in an apartment with the view of the city, I am looking forward to plenty of activity in the skies as the security services practice their anti-terrorism techniques!

TheTreasury Hotel hosts images of "The Changing Face of Brisbane"

Australian flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

British flag, King George Square projected onto the city building behind Uniting Church

All in all, a very pleasant evening! And today? Well just blogging on the balcony, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and a BBQ for lunch! Trust me, it doesn't get much better than this!

Brisbane, Story Bridge and River

Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia

Riverfire 2014!!

Once again we were treated to a sensational event, as fireworks and military jets took over our beautiful city!  In September each year Brisbane hosts a Festival, a mostly cultural event spread over 2-3 weeks, with attractions around the city, in theatres, at Southbank and across the city, which closes with Riverfire.

Riverfire kicks off at around 3:30pm, with an RAAF fly past. In recent years we have welcomed Super Hornet's and this year they excelled themselves!  Our best show ever and we were treated to three separate fly pasts in all!  

WOW! Thank you!

My friend took some of the best shots, I especially like how she captured the view of the team in the cockpit! Love it!

Between flypasts Black Hawk helicopters and surf life savers keep us entertained as we await the main event ...

At 7:04pm we were rewarded for our patience with a final flypast by the Super Hornet's, breathtaking and followed by a 30 minute firework spectacular. 

We are very fortunate, for the last 5 years we have viewed Riverfire without leaving our apartment. We live in an apartment at Kangaroo Point and we are just so lucky to have ring side seats for a spectacular pyrotechnics display and big thanks to the RAAF, military jets and helicopters!

While I am not an expert photographer, I am happy to share a couple of my amateur snaps:

This year was one of the best fly pasts, but some of us still have a touch of nostalgia when we think of our old favourite - F111's who flew in low over the city for a unique dump and burn!!  Here is a good video from Riverfire past ...

... and this is a personal favourite pic from Riverfire 2014!

The Hunter Valley, Pokolbin and Thistle Hill

 rosé by the fire

Thistle Hill, Reception

... and so we found our way to our lodgings for the next few nights, Thistle Hill, Pokolbin. Our host Carol was delightful and it was soon obvious why Thistle Hill is the #1 rated B&B in the area!

Lazy days and wine tasting tours followed, the promise of a long day and a degustation menu didn't pan out as promised but our tour with James' Hunter Valley Wine and Vineyard Tours was exceptional! Good value, great fun, a small group of 10! Lots of laughter and more wine than is good for you I'm sure!

One winery offered us more than 20 tastings but helped us limp through to lunch with a generous serve of cheese and crackers! Can't imagine why we needed food after a mouth watering home-baked breakfast including (yes honestly!) fresh scones with jam and cream, devoured earlier!

Breakfast Room

We picked out a few favourites along the way, not least a delicious Shiraz liqueur from Ballabourneen tasted and purchased as we listened to the highly amusing chatter of our host and a Chardy from Audrey Wilkinson that really hit the spot!

Our stop at one winery saw us filmed to be featured on a popular TV show, but given it was the last stop after a full day, I won't be seeking out that video!!!

Hidden Gems

We found a few hidden gems, Blaxlands Inn deserved a second visit, you can't go past their deep dish pies, but our favourite find of the winery week was Cockfighter's Ghost and their gold award winning Pinot Gris and their chardy is pretty good too!!  Thank goodness for the Internet, the cellar door is never far away!

Thistle Hill, Guest Lounge

Our wine tour group included a couple of honeymooners who had celebrated their wedding on Segways in Coff's Harbour just the weekend before! Sounded like a blast and different for sure!

Yes, we tasted every one!  And more!

A horse and carriage, outside Blaxlands Inn, Hunter Valley

Outside our room at Thistle Hill

It's been a few years since we last went to the Hunter and it is fair to say, it has improved with age! The people are friendly, the wine is exceptional, the food is mouth watering and the air is fresh! I'll be back and we won't leave it so long next time!

Flying Machines and the Hunter Valley

Time for some time-out and an interesting camera effect on our journey down to the Hunter Valley on our little Qantas Link prop plan - a Bombardier Dash 8-300.

A more relaxed flying experience than usual, lower flying at 22,000 feet enhancing the views over the Gold Coast as we flew South, destination the Hunter Valley wine region. Although not the quietest flight ever - my ears buzzed for days, a beautiful flying day, brilliant blue skies as we flew past the beautiful rugged coastline of New South Wales to land in Newcastle. Recording the prop through the window on my camera made for some fascinating and entertaining viewing.

There is no sense from up here how potentially hostile it can be on the ground.  Outback Australia famous for its dangerous snakes, spiders, extreme temperatures and dry, arid red dirt.

I'm no expert, far from it and it is a mindset to which every migrant, inbound to Australia must adapt. I am sure Aussie kids are brought up to just be naturally careful, otherwise surely they wouldn't survive the weekend. 

If you leave your shoes on the deck overnight, don't forget to bang them out before putting them on! If in a cafe, don't be surprised to look up and see a snake coiled amongst the rafters, keeping warm! Watch out for possum's in the trees in early evening, even in the city, see the flocks of bats with more than a metre long wingspan head in at dusk in mango season and just occasionally, pause the car while a koala labours its own sweet way across the road in front of you, apparently without a care in the world.

Don't get me wrong, all this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it is more typically a sense of awe and wonderment than fear that pervades, even after 16 years of living here I am not entirely sure I shall ever quite get used to it, I hope I never take it for granted.