This week we're moving to....Brisbane

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From Cairns, a short hop flight brought us down to Brisbane to visit friends and meet their four month old baby for the first time. Luckily she seemed to take to us both well, so the next few days passed in a relaxed manner, helping entertain her and admiring her amazing ability to sleep 12 hours at night. The easiest baby-sitting assignment ever! Having visited Brisbane last year, we'd already ticked off the 'must-sees' in the area, so were more than content to spend time catching up with the gossip, relaxing in the outdoor jacuzzi (although the unheated pool was a step too far), going to the baby cinema and taking a few walks along the river into town to go (window) shopping. After moving around so much in Germany last month, it was wonderful to take things easy for a week with friends and just enjoy the minutia of everyday life, even relishing the opportunity to cook dinner in a properly equipped kitchen instead of a hostel!

At weekend we all took a break down at the beach, quickly skipping past the tackiness of the Gold Coast to reach the surfer and hippie haunt which is Byron Bay. Some commercialism has reached the town, but it's still a lovely laid back place to spend a few days. We girls went horseriding in the afternoon for the first time in ages (and suffered accordingly afterwards), after which we all zoomed up to the lighthouse in time to catch the last rays of the day at the most easterly point in Australia. The following day we were left holding the baby as the guys went diving, coming back enthused with tales of spotting lionfish and and wobegone sharks, although sadly the grey nurse sharks usually in that area were being unsociable that day.

A few days later we managed to meet up with Sally, last seen in Quito, who's now returned to the Brisbane area and started work again. After catching up over lunch and strolling round town, we said our goodbyes for the umpteenth time, with her predicting we'll be back again before too long (oil prices permitting).

Another friend from the Antarctica trip had mentioned that his sister and her scottish husband ran a new wine bar in the city called Girders, so when we managed to get the malefolk to babysit one evening, we headed off to check it out. Loved the little touches such as blankets in case the patrons get too cold outside on those winter evenings of 18 degrees. Such a tough life over here! There's probably some truth in Sally's prediction...

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Comments

[patricia mcadams]

Laura, tell Janette? her baby is gorgeous, eyes like her daddy and her mouth is like her mammys.