Back in Brisbane

22/2 - 26/2 - 2008

Kym's cat Jasper - he was glad to be home!

22nd - the Gold Coast

The Cold Coast is on of the most famous coasts in Australia and there are some amazing beaches. Surfer's Paradise is probably the most famous of them!
It was great to be there - it is one of the places you just have to see, but it was very very turisty!

A photo of me in the Surfer's Paradise Chair - just to prove that I was there :D

Next stop Coolangatta and Tweed Heads - the border between Queensland and New South Wales.

Queensland on one side of the white line and NSW on the other.

My dad is in Queensland and I am in NSW...

The strangest thing about this border is that NSW has daylight saving (sommertid) - Queensland hasn't! So half of the year there is one hour time difference from one side of the street to the other.

One of the most beautiful places I was in Australia was Point Danger. It is called that because lots of ships has gone down or been wrecked on the rocks. A dangerous place to sail, but beauitful.

The 23rd was a quiet day. We went out for dinner at night, but otherwise it was a lot of shopping and some attempts to fit everything we bought into our suitcases. Yiks!

Fred came home from hospital, so that was great news!

The 24th was BUSY!!!!

Up very early. Sandra's brother Darryl came to pick me up. He is a pilot and had offered to take me up in a small plane. Yipeeee! I couldn't wait!

And it was great. It was more than great! It was fantastic! One of the hightlighs of my holiday!!! For about 45 minutes.... Then I got sick! - Which I told Darryl... and he was cool... "Don't worry" he said - "we have sick bags". And then he got pale (I was not pale - I was more greenish)... and said... "Oh... no we don't!". Whoops!

Can you imaging being in a tiny plan high above the ground knowing that it is a matter of seconds before you are going to see your breakfast again... and not have a sick bag???? Not funny!

Darryl is making sure that we have enough fuel for the flight...
The fuel is stored in the wings!

Ready to take off

And we are in the air!

THANK YOU DARRYL!!!!! IT WAS WOW!
And sorry.... I know you said it was a learning experience for you, but I guess there are things you don't really want to learn! ;-D

The Glass House Mountains seen from the plane.

The Legend of the Glass House Mountains:
It is said that Mt.Tibrogargan, the father, and Mt.Beerwah, the mother, had many children - Mt.Coonowrin (the eldest), Mt.Beerburrum, the Mt.Tunbubudla twins, Mt.Coochin twins, Mt.Ngungun, Mt.Tibberoowuccum, Mt.Miketebumulgrai and Mt.Saddleback. There were also Mt.Round who was fat and small and Mt.Wildhorse who was always paddling in the sea. One day, Tibrogargan was gazing out to sea when he noticed a great rising of the waters. Hurrying off to gather his younger children in order to flee to the safety of the mountains which lay to the west, he called out to Coonowrin to help his mother, who was again with child. Looking back to see how Coonowrin was assisting Beerwah, Tibrogargan was greatly angered to see him running off alone. He pursued Coonowrin and, raising his club, struck the latter such a mighty blow that it dislocated Coonowrin's neck and he has never been able to straighten it since.

When the floods subsided and the family returned to the plains, the other children teased Coonowrin about his crooked neck. Feeling ashamed, Coonowrin went to Tibrogargan and asked for forgiveness, but filled with shame at his son's cowardice, Tibrogargan could do nothing but weep copious tears, which, trickling along the ground, formed a stream which flowed into the sea. Then Coonowrin went to his brothers and sisters, but they also wept at the shame of their brother's cowardice.

The lamentations of Coonowrin parents and his brothers and sisters at his disgrace explain the presence, to this day, of the numerous small streams of the area. Tibrogargan then called Coonowrin, asking him why he had deserted Beerwah; at which Coonowrin replied that as Beerwah was the biggest of them all she should be able to take care of herself. He did not know that Beerwah was again pregnant, which was the reason for her great size. Then Tibrogargan turned his back on Coonowrin and vowed that he would never look at him again.

Even today, Tibrogargan gazes far out to sea and never looks around at Coonowrin, who hangs his head and cries, his tears running off to the sea. His mother Beerwah is still heavy with child as it takes a long, long time to give birth to a mountain.

Darryl took me to the club house for a Coke before we drove home. He wanted to be sure that I was ok again.
I was - I didn't feel sick for very long... But for long enough! :D

Soooo - home from airport - a bit of lunch and then off to a Brisbane dog club to teach Dog Dancing.
It was a great afternoon and I met a talented handler Lisa Wiliamson. She was new to the sport, but will be very good some day!

Lisa's dog Jessie working on her routine :)

Kym picked me up from the dog club and then we went to fetch her friend Lee. BBQ night at Kym's. Lots of people waiting for us when we got there. Most of Kym's family and friends. It was a great way to say goodbye to everybody - not long before we had to go home...

Kym, Lee. Emmy :) and Christine (kym's friend).

Joanne saying goodbye.

A tame parrot came and joined the party!!!
It must have escaped from somewhere. I was very keen to get human company - I think it was bored on its own.
Fred cought it in a cage - well he put the cage on the ground and it went in!!! It was very hungry!
Darryl contacted the RSPCA, but nobody missed it, so I think it is staying with Darryl and his family now.

25th - our last full day in Australia.
We went to Brisbane City Centre and did some last minute shopping. We also went for another boat ride on the river with the City Cat. It ended up being a bit longer than expected. We were sailing for an hour!

This beautiful tree was right in the centre of Brisbane

Kym's birthday is on the 21st of March and mine is... erm... another day! Anyway our birthdays are quite close to each other, but of course we had never celebrated a birthday together. We have now :D. But My dad and Sandra refused to sing a birthday song for us! :(

Happy Birthday Kym!

Sandra's brothers stopped by to say goodbye to us and wish us a safe journey.

26th - time to go home!

Gosh! It is not easy to pack 3 weeks of shopping into a suitcase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Argh!!!!! But I mangaed to close it without breaking it!!!!

Lots of goodbyes
In the sofa from right: Marge, Fred, Sandra and my dad.
In front: Emmy and Kym.
Behind the camera: Wilma :)

Thanks for a great time to all of you! You did everything you could to make us feel at home and give us an eventful holiday.