A New Year and our Second Year in Australia.

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A New Year and our Second Year in Australia.

How deserted Brisbane seemed on our return from Sradbroke Island, everyone had left the city for their holidays along the coast and further visiting friends and making the most of the enforced three week holiday break. Most companies and industries close down for the Christmas break and everything is put on hold, including our house! We are beginning to wonder if we will ever get this next stage up and running and the transformation from old to new take place? We keep putting back the expected completed date and so delaying visitors until the worse is over! No one is ever in any hurry, especially in this heat!

With a few days between Christmas and New Year we managed to tackle some smaller jobs around the house and fill a huge skip of garden rubbish as the boys tackled the back end of the garden and cleared the front garden of concrete debris and excess soil excavated from the drain digging Kevin completed after 48 hours of tropical rain storms when rain water backed up around the house and had no where to go! No mean task. When it rains out here it absolutely pours.

The New Years Eve celebrations started with a BBQ alongside the Brisbane River at the foot of the Story Bridge over looking the city. It was all very pretty as the lights came on and the bridge lights outlined the tall suspension wires across the river. People busied themselves by walking along the pathway towards City Beach to seek a good vantage point across the river to view the firework display that starts at the first stroke of midnight. The boys joined the throngs as Kevin and I returned to the house and chose to watch the New Year begin on the television and in particular watch the spectacular show in Sydney as it was watched by millions and three very special people, Jon, Lou and Isabel who were to fly up the following day to stay with us for a holiday.

The boys celebrated in the way they know best and returned in the early hours of the next day.

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Photos

Kevin and Hilary
Another year about to begin.

Cooking Kangaroo Steaks Aussie Style
Cooking on one of the many council provided electrical bbq cookers found in most parks and scenic look outsand especially along the beach coast line.

Waiting for their steaks!
The extra male figure who appears in our recent photos is Rod, a uni friend of Cieran's who is passing through on his travels and staying with us for a while.

Spectacular Firework Display
A 15 minute firework display begun on the stroke of midnight along the Brisbane River.