If You Always Do What You've Always Done...Then You'll Always Get What You Always Got

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Outfit #55 - Magpie

Outfit details:

Skirt: Table Eight (op shop).  Top: Tokito.  Stockings: Ambra.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: gift.  (Scarf - Alta Linea; jacket - Dotti.  Not pictured).

I had a different title for this outfit (a really bad pun - it can wait) - but as I was checking photos, I got a fright from this magpie watching me on the clothes line.  I've been anticipating a neighbour seeing me taking photos of myself, but not birds.  Weird.

I couldn't not wear these earrings today - they're my Olympic earrings, after all.  The nail polish is still Lucy II (although it's been reapplied).  On Thursday at my ensemble's rehearsal, one girl dutifully raised her hand.  "You have really pretty nails.  They match your hair."  "No they match her top!"  Slightly weird, as the nail polish is a dark berry colour, my hair is dark brown, and the top I was wearing was navy.  Glad they like it though...

I still can't bring myself to wear patterned stockings with a patterned skirt.  Very glad I had a boots outfit for today - I even wore my warm cap to and from the stations.  It was chilly!

Today's photo:

Another attempt at the roots of the tree by the footpath.  I like this one better - the angle, the sun, just better.

Monday 30 July 2012

Reception

This morning, I met with the cathedral's head guide to discuss the upcoming Brisbane Open House (October 6 if you want to mark your diaries and calendars...).  She suggested coffee at the place next door.  I thought she meant around the corner, but she really did mean right next door.  Reception is in the lobby of the building on the corner of Ann and Wharf Streets. 

Good advice, that.  ("I know it's Monday but it's a new day, a new week and in that lies a new opportunity for something special to happen").  Although it was quite chilly outside, the sun streaming through the glass walls made it quite warm.

The coffee came quickly and was reasonable - definitely up there in the chocolate department!  And lovely staff - always a plus.

I didn't take a photo, but the counter is beautiful.  Carved wood - just beautiful.  There are a few chairs inside, and a comfy sofa (in full sun), and a few chairs outside.  No bin or non-takeaway cup option, so they don't seem to be encouraging people to stick around.  Their edibles looked yummy but I'm trying to be good.

Today's photo:

Another stained-glass-reflection-on-the-stonework shot.  I'm a bit obsessed with stained glass right now.

Sunday 29 July 2012

Youtube

I was a bit sad I couldn't do my first choice of New Thing today.  I guess it will have to wait until maybe next weekend, fingers crossed.  But I'm really feeling under the weather.  After church I had lunch then a little sleep...for a few hours...  Then I tried to find a video of the Olympics Opening Ceremony.  No joy.  There were some short clips, some a bit longer but of dodgy quality, but nothing of the bits I wanted to see.  I had managed to watch from the teams walking on when it was broadcast on Saturday morning, but I really wanted to see the earlier bits.  Oh well.  Normally, this is when I would stop browsing Youtube and move on.

Recently I was looking for a particular segment from Good News Week on Youtube - when there were 2 foreigners on the show they would have a Citizenship Test part.  So funny.  But I haven't managed to find it.  Today I had another look for it, as that was all my energy levels could manage.  I watched a few shorter segments, tried to find a particular Lenny Henry bit (from years ago) that had me nearly asphyxiating, then I put on a full episode.  Note:  it's not a good idea to consume food and/or drink while watching this show.  It can get messy and potentially dangerous.  Good thing, then, that I grew up with 3 brothers making me laugh during mealtimes.

The Olympics coverage is on again now, but when it's something I find less interesting to watch, another episode of Good News Week is on. 

Yesterday's photo:

I had coffee yesterday morning at Casa de Bubbles, where there is a new fancy coffee tin.  When the coffee is scooped against the side, 'Vittoria' is visible in the coffee.

Today's photo:

Last weekend, my niece and nephew (and their parents) came over.  My niece, who's 3, drew me this picture, and we put it on the keyboard.  Some of my students this week looked at it asked if I had drawn it.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Movie #20 - Temple Grandin

This is the biopic of Temple Grandin, a woman who has revolutionised the way we deal with cattle, is one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry, and is autistic.  Born in the late 1940s, watching the movie of her life was also a look at how autism was seen in the second half of the century.  In 1981, Temple amazed an autism convention by being a functioning, high-achieving person.  She gave various reasons, credit to her mother and her schools.

Dear Eustacia (aka Temple's mother),
Thank you for having the inner strength and belief to follow your heart in raising your child.  I can see how much patience was required to make her speak, to make her go to school, to make her a part of the world, to force her out of her comfort zones.  So much patience, and so much love.  And doing so without being able to follow the mother instincts of hugging your child.  How hard to leave any child at a boarding school, let alone one who is so obviously different, such a magnet for bullying, and know that you can't hug them goodbye.  I wept when I saw Temple allow you to hug her after Dr Carlock's funeral.   So, not just patience, perseverance, and love, but also self-sacrifice and that wonderful message for your daughter: different, but not less.

Dear Ann (aka Temple's aunt),
What a great gift you gave both Temple and Eustacia.  To give Eustacia some time off, some relief from the intensive full-time job of being the mother of an autistic child.  To give Temple a new environment that was at first different and challenging and a stretch of her comfort zone, but with love and understanding.  And to introduce Temple to cattle.  The smallest actions can have such far-reaching consequences!

Dear Dr Carlock (aka the wonderful science teacher), and all teachers,
None of you is 'just' a teacher.  You have such influence in the lives of your students.  I know (believe me, I know!) that it can be disheartening when students seem not to learn anything, or have little or no enthusiasm for what you are trying to teach them.  And not everyone will have a talent for everything (how boring would that world be?!).  But if you can foster an inquisitive mind, a discipline and a perseverance, your work is not wasted.  If you have the insight to help just one student see the world anew, to recognise their potential in a particular area, you have really made a difference in their life.  If, like Dr Carlock, you can recognise that one of your students sees the world through pictures; and you discover that she can remember everything she sees; and set her a small challenge of perception that she can eventually conquer; then you might just have helped a child on her way to a PhD and changing the world. 

Dear Blind Girl (aka Temple's second roommate),
What a wonderful friend you are.  What a perfect roommate.  So calm, so gentle, so accepting, so parallel in being another sort of different, but not less.  And although visually impaired, such clear inner vision, able to see how people are feeling through their voice, able to perceive what's really going on without visual distraction.  Such a good match for someone who also sees the world differently from the way most people see it. 

Dear actors and writers and directors and producers of this biopic,
Well done.  I laughed and I cried and I was indignant and I was impressed.  I was super-impressed with Claire Danes' portrayal of Temple.  I could see her name on the cover, and on imdb, but I only recognised her in maybe 3 moments, when Temple/Claire lit up with utter delight.  I'm sure everyone who saw Temple at those corresponding moments would not have been able to be anything other than delighted also, it was overwhelming.

Dear Temple,
Thank you for allowing this movie of your life to be made.  I am so impressed with your determination to do what you believe is right, no matter how challenging that is for you.  I am not sure I would have the strength to do what you have done, to open those doors and step through.  And your explanations of how your brain works - so clear and concise and helpful.  Not conjecture, but reality.  And the pictures in the movie, so much of them in black and white.  That visual representation of what you hear - well, I get that too, although not to such a great extent.  Your mental image of 'animal husbandry' was remarkably similar to mine, I laughed with delight that someone else saw it that way too. 
Thank you for your insistence on the squeeze machine.  What a wonderful gift to future generations of autistic children and their families.  And thank you for your belief that we should be humane in our treatment of cattle.  Just that word has such connotations of mistreatment, yet as you say they are only here because we eat them so why should we mistreat them?  Seeing them as living beings with heartbeats and emotions is something we often miss.  Taking the time to actually see them, see what they see, see what they feel, feel for them, be kinder to them. 
And although you may never be able to read what people say with their eyes, your eyes see in ways most people cannot imagine, and we have a better world thanks to you.

Dear Fellow Inhabitants of the World,
What we do matters.  When we allow someone to sit next to us at a desk, smile with them, listen to them, help them through a door, watch TV with them, talk with them, really see them, we accept them, and this matters.  Never underestimate the power of your actions or your words.

Friday 27 July 2012

The Campaign

Last week, Queensland's premier, Campbell Newman, cut two state-funded school music programmes, Fanfare and MOST.  The reason given was financial.  I'm not disputing the need for a balanced budget, but taking away benefits from children, who are unable to vote, is not on my Good Things To Do list.  When I wrote about the movie Hugo earlier there was mention of the importance of these programmes:  without dreams, we have no vision; without vision, we have no future.

I know I am biased when it comes to music, but there is so much evidence supporting its benefits in brain development.  And we keep those benefits throughout life.  Without presenting a scientific paper on it (that's not what this post is about, after all), my top reason why music should be important in education is that the corpus callosum (the bit that connects the 2 hemispheres of the brain) is larger in musicians compared to non-musicians.  And all that left-brain/right-brain connectivity leads to better students overall. 

Every student I have had participate in Fanfare has really enjoyed it.  They have a common goal as an ensemble, their performance skills improve, their musical skills improve, and they really have fun.  MOST students get such a buzz out of being involved.  It doesn't matter where you are from in Queensland, if your school has music, you can be a part of it.  Inclusion is important.

I discovered during the week that not everyone knows about the Save Fanfare and MOST campaign.  Even my grade 12 students were keen to do something, even though they've had this benefit throughout their schooling.  Today, then, I sent an email to the parents of students (and to the adult students I teach) with information about what they can do:  a link to the e-petition; and the premier's email address for those who wanted to write to him.  Hopefully the upcoming Fanfare concert will not be the last.

Today's photo:

I am amazed by tomato plants.  I sowed some seeds ages ago, didn't see anything for a very long time, and then suddenly, that green thing turned out to smell like fresh tomatoes.  Unfortunately, that was eventually investigated a little too thoroughly by the dog, and was then part of an unexpected cull.  After I had to farewell my favourite gardenia plant, I then noticed familiar leaves growing... and I have another tomato plant.  Yippee!  During the week I spotted those sweet yellow flowers, and this morning I took advantage of what sunlight I could as it was glinting off those hairy stalks.

Thursday 26 July 2012

Outfit #54 - Striped World

Outfit details:

Skirt: Gina Tricot (op shop).  Top: Tokito.  Stockings: Target.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: made by me.

I consider this skirt to be striped (well, self-striped anyway), and when teamed with the block stripe stockings and the stripey earrings, I was feeling like I was screaming STRIPES!!!  Maybe not that loud, but still.  Then my eyes began to pick up all the stripes I see in my world.  I won't share that list with you here, but trust me, it was long.  Sorry for the white face of over-exposure, too - time was limited this morning.

On Thursdays I don't have an early school morning, so just opaque (but not thick) stockings work just fine.  If only my legs were longer - and I had a mind to wear ridiculously short skirts - you'd be able to see more colour blocks. 

I confess, I actually wore pretty much this same outfit on Sunday.  Test runs are great.  Except I wore different earrings.  Today I was feeling a little bit icky in the throat so wasn't terribly enthusiastic about photos.  Or hair.  A big pile of veggies, plenty of fluids and an early night will, I hope, make me feel super again tomorrow.

Today's stripey photo:

I hadn't noticed until today that the material put down by the side of the railway lines is very stripey.  I took a good look around to check if I was being watched before taking this photo!  Did anybody else feel the light was different today? 

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Outfit #53 - All Knitted Out

Outfit details:

Dress: Country Road (op shop).  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: maybe from Myer...?  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: made by me.  Jacket: Sportsgirl (from Jeannie).  Scarf: Alta Linea (gift).

I got so excited on the weekend when I realised I had a pair of stockings I hadn't worn yet this year.  Grey, striped, knit - so I was hoping my legs would be slightly warmer than they were yesterday.  It worked - I was warmer.  But the vertical stripes are not my favourite.  Whenever I caught sight of my legs I felt they looked blah.  They might have to be warmth-only stockings.  Still, knit stockings, knit dress, cosy.

Unlike last week when I had an unexpected sleep-in, I was pleased to wake up on time this morning and have time for photos before school.  It was slightly chilly in the courtyard though so I was glad of the jacket and scarf.  Bonus: the sun was at the exact right place to come in from the east but also reflect off the windows of the buildings on the ridge to the west. 

Blue 'world' earrings.  Wasn't so enthusiastic about hair today.

Stripes on the stockings - but only at the front.

Today's photo:

I got to the station just after the sun had cleared the city so we had a flood of light.

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Outfit #52 - Mnah Mnah

Outfit details:

Dress: Spicysugar (from Jeannie).  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: Target.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: Mombasa (I think).  Scarf: Alta Linea.  Jacket: Dotti.

I kept looking at these earrings and decided today was the day.  They couldn't have a blog debut without these stockings.  This meant that I had 2 animal prints.  I was going to call this 'Animal' but whenever I thought that I thought 'mnah mnah' (Muppets, that is).  So there we are.

I haven't been super cold this winter, but the jacket and scarf were definitely welcome.

Technically, the print on these earrings is Fawn, but they look so similar to the leopard stockings.  It was nice to have other teachers at school notice!

No-one noticed the different hairstyle though (side bun - a bit hard to tell, admittedly).  Personally I was very pleased that I managed to do something different with my hair, so I didn't look like I'd just rolled out of bed.  Go me.

Today's photo:

Yesterday, I thought I might need a little help to get me through the week.  I bought irises.  I love irises, they take me back to when I was about 8.

Monday 23 July 2012

Movie #19 - Hugo

I must warn you, I didn't watch the whole movie.  When I got home yesterday evening, my parents had already started watching this.  They filled me in on what I'd missed (not heaps) but I also had to watch it like a normal person.  No stopping to write down quotes or anything like that - although I did keep scooting in front of the coffee table to where my phone was charging to take some notes.  So this is not the most in-depth reflection.  What I did find, though, were 2 distinct themes which connect better than I originally thought.  Machines; and dreams.  

Hugo, living in the clock of a Parisian train station, is literally surrounded by machine - cogs and wheels and things working and things needing to be fixed.  If he doesn't keep the station clock wound then he might be found out as an orphan; he also has a need to return his father's automaton to working condition.  Looking out over the city one night, he says to his friend Isabelle that he thinks the whole world is a giant machine.  And every machine has the exact right number of parts, never any more than is needed.  And if the world is a machine with the exact right number of parts, then I must be a necessary part - and so must you.  The hard bit, of course, is knowing what your part has to do for the machine to be able to work, what your purpose is in this grand scheme.  But it is so hard, sometimes, to remember we are all necessary, even when we feel unimportant and invisible, and even those people who make us uncomfortable or annoyed are also necessary.

One thing Hugo loves is adventure.  You know you're having an adventure if there's a chance you could get in trouble (good advice, there).  His father used to take him to the movies, and now Hugo will steal into the theatre to watch 'dreams in the middle of the day'.  This movie is populated with dreamers.  And not the sort of dreamers who just sit around and dream, but those who have a dream and do all they can to reach that dream, no matter how fantastic.  Now, some people might think that magic tricks are unnecessary; movies are unnecessary; art and music and poetry are all unnecessary.  But if anyone has a particular talent for any of these things - and, as we know now, we are all necessary parts of the giant machine that is the world - then any of those things must be necessary.  This is rather topical for Queenslanders right now, as some of our state-funded school music programmes have just been axed.  Not happy, Campbell.  Everyone has a natural inclination towards something, and everyone's inclination is a part of the greater whole.  Knowing that this is partly autobiographical of the life of the director, Martin Scorsese, makes it even more pointed - all those kids stealing into the movies, acting their dreams, could turn into famous movie directors of the future.

Aside from the machines and dreams, the support-part of the station inspector, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is delightful.  So plodding, so stereotypically police, but giving love advice to his superiors - I'd watch this movie again just for that.  And such a different role for this actor that I had to look up who he was (always a good sign).  There wasn't as much information on the music that was used, which I would have appreciated as it was really well done. 

Today's photo:

The afternoon light in here in the winter warms my heart.  Especially when there is a whole stack of fruit in front of the window.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Expression of Gratitude

By 'Expression of Gratitude' I don't mean compliments - although they do come in the same category for my brain.  I take things as they are, and really have to think about saying 'well done' or 'thank you' or 'nice outfit'.  With practice, I am getting better at compliments.  I am also improving, I think, at saying thank you.  But expression of gratitude, on a deeper level, is uncharted territory for me.

I know that 'counting your blessings' is a good mood-booster (lots of 'o's in those three words).  I also know that an expression of gratitude is a valuable thing to receive.  When I receive a thank you for something I just do, it is such a delight - and sometimes, as much a blessing for me as it is for the person saying thank you. 

Recently, I have been feeling especially thankful.  A few things prompted me to write a letter to the people at the heart of things.  Although I'd been thinking about this letter frequently, I found it exceptionally hard to write.  I'm still not convinced it's the best it could be so I haven't yet sent it - but almost.  It is more for me than for them (selfish, I know, but some things need to be done), for me to say, I'm not just here because I haven't found a reason to go, but I'm here because I want to be here. 

This is not something I can do too often, but I feel it is an important skill to have in my repertoire.

Today's photo:

My dad had a roast beetroot and feta salad for lunch.  Once finished, I found the beetroot juice pattern left on the plate to be particularly appealing.

Saturday 21 July 2012

Lemon Delicious

Not much was new today.  I decided not to run so that I could put away washing instead (exciting, huh).  I bashed my wrist so typing and just general movement is awkward (hello, delete).  I did get to see a niece and nephew and their parents (deep sigh of satisfaction...) and I went to the gym between morning students.  Thank goodness for new recipes.

Lemon delicious is something that takes me back to childhood and my grandparents.  My grandma made a beautiful lemon delicious.  I have made citrus delicious and sticky lemon pudding, but never before actual lemon delicious - this recipe is from the fruit cookbook I bought recently (also the source of fruit and cinnamon muffins, and date and cinnamon squares).

Preheat the oven to 180C; grease a 1.25L ovenproof ceramic dish.  (I found the oven was preheated before I'd got to the egg stage - maybe I was having a slow cooking day).

Using an electric beater, beat 60g unsalted butter, 3/4 cup (185g) sugar and 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest in a bowl until pale and fluffy.  Gradually add 3 egg yolks, beating well after each addition.  Fold in 1/4 cup self-raising flour and 3/4 cup milk alternately to make a smooth, thin batter.  Stir in 1/4 cup lemon juice (I had a super-juicy lemon, and just one provided more than enough juice).

Whisk 3 egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form.  With a large metal spoon, fold a third of the egg white into the batter to loosen (not sure what they mean by that).  Gently fold in the remaining egg white, being careful not to overmix.

Pour batter into the prepared dish and place in a large roasting tin.  Pour enough hot water into the tin to come a third of the way up the side of the dish.  Bake for 55 minutes (took an hour here) until the pudding has risen and the top is golden and firm to touch.  Leave for 5 minutes before serving.  Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream (or, you know, ice cream or quark if you have nothing else!).

My house now smells of lemon and baking and childhood.  Lovely.

Today's photo:

In December, I babysat my niece and we made biscuits.  We made some more today - except they were the end of a batch I made a couple of weeks ago and froze.  Defrost, heat oven, roll (tiny) bits into balls ("I did it! I did it!"), put on trays, bake for 10 minutes.  Take photo of finished product while it cools.  Eat biscuits, and pack some to take for later.

Friday 20 July 2012

Lucy II and the Milkman

Neither of these things was on my list of New Things for today.

At the start of the holidays I bought, on impulse, a new shade of nail polish ('Lucy II' from Bloom).  A whole range of things prevented me from applying it until today, but I had a mini pamper session this afternoon.  I quite like the darker shades, especially during winter.  Of course the first thing my mum asked when she saw me was, "are you undergoing chemotherapy?" (chemo patients, we discovered last year, often wear dark-coloured nail polish to help protect from sun damage).  Sigh.  Thankfully, no.

I was looking for a way to demonstrate the colour, and the music stand was right there.  The reflection of notes in the glass was a bonus.

This evening, there was an unexpected knock at the door.  The milkman was looking for people wanting milk and other things home delivered.  (No, I didn't 'do' the milkman, despite the jokes!).  When I signed up for organic fruit and vegetables to be delivered it made such a huge impact on my life.  Although I can get dairy delivered through that company, they only deliver to me every fortnight, but this group can deliver more frequently.  And they do meat and fish as well, and have a later cut-off time for changes to the order.  More than that, though, I prefer buying 'direct from the farm to [your] door' instead of through mega supermarkets, knowing that the farmers are getting a better deal.

Today's photo:

Thanks to a lot of rain at the start of the week, these oven gloves have been on the line a while.  They're on adjacent lines so it must have been someone else who put them on there.  Early afternoon, they were catching the last of the light in the courtyard.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Outfit #51 - Columbia

Outfit details:

Skirt: Sinerji (swap).  Singlet: Lorna Jane.  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: Ambra.  Shoes: Hot Options.  Earrings: gift.  Scarf (below): gift.

Today is Columbia's national day, and after playing for their festivities on Saturday I decided to use their national colours for today's outfit.  Red, yellow and blue, that is.  This is the only yellow item I own, and not one I ever anticipated wearing to work as it's really casual wear.  The tiny sliver above the neckline was all that was visible. 

The earrings were the same from Saturday.

I contemplated doing the same hairstyle and adding the red flower, but I thought that might be a bit too much change for everyone.  As my hair is in that needing-to-be-washed stage I needed to do something though, so I did a couple of little plaits into the bun.  The last time I did something similar I remember it staying put like nothing else, and today was the same.  I must remember this.  It's good.  It got the tick of approval from the 9-yr-olds too.  It's really hard to photograph though, and maybe a bit more brushing (I see now) of the back bit would not go astray. 

The stocking and shoes combination was not so great though.  Probably won't repeat this one.

Today's photo:

Nature is fascinating, isn't it?  The water appropriation methods of various plants can be so different, yet useful and appropriate.  I passed these agave plants with big shiny raindrops on the way back from the gym.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Outfit #50 - Trust Me

Outfit details:

Pants: Hot Options.  Top: Dotti.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: from Jeannie.

I got a bit of a sleep-in this morning (first student was sick).  I extended that a little more than expected, so I was quite glad for the random notification from Facebook.  That meant, though, I didn't have time for an outfit photo before work, so in this photo I'm hungry!

I had planned to wear a skirt today, to show off the stockings - plus, I haven't worn that skirt for ages.  (Ages, as in more than a year at least).  But when I was getting ready I could hear the rain outside, and my feline part decided that boots would be a better option (I really dislike wet feet).  So I changed into pants instead.  Trust me - they were fun stockings!

Good thing I added red and silver earrings to give the world something not-drab to see.

Today's photo:

As mentioned yesterday, the walk to school gives an overview of the seasons.  I'm glad I don't have problems with wattle - I love the cheeriness of the yellow, and this makes such a nice contrast with the grey skies.  When I stood a bit closer to take the photo, I noticed busy bees.  I hope you can see them in the photo!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Outfit #49 - Hello Term 3

Outfit details:

Pants: Hot Options.  Top: Tokito.  Shoes: Pulp.  Earrings: Oxfam.  Jacket: Sportsgirl (from Jeannie).

Despite a fairly quiet holiday, I turned out to be quite refreshed and ready to go back to school.  Yippee!  Not so ready to start doing much with my hair, though...maybe tomorrow.

I know I've worn this jacket several times, but I don't think the buttons have ever had a photo.  I think it's time.

Boring shoes.  I predict they won't be around next year (they're wearing out).  Yes, I have psychic skills.

Today's photo:

The walk from the station to school is a wonderful view of the seasons (not readily available in this sub-tropical climate).  This large tree gives me a welcome dose of deciduous-ness.

Monday 16 July 2012

Getting My Flanders On

Ned Flanders, that is.  You know the scene when the Simpsons arrive at the Flanders' beach house for a Fourth of July holiday, and find post-it notes everywhere with explanations and instructions?  I haven't gone that far - yet.  But my parents often stay, and they have different ideas about logic from me.  I hope I don't have to go to stage 2.

Stage 1 arose from my mum's last visit.  I know she knows which remote works for each device, but when really tired...  I meant to get this done by their next visit, but time just slipped away (and they arrived early for emergency dental work).  And, admittedly, I usually flounder when I'm at other people's places and faced with technology. 

The other issue is with Standby Mode.  I hate it.  And why you would press a button on a remote then get up to turn it off on the set, then when you want to turn it on you have to turn it on at the set and then press a button on the remote - really, what?!  So my policy is to use the switch on the set only.  Now I hope it is clear. 

Today's photo:

These flowers have been brightening my view on an almost-daily basis.  They live near the railway bridge, outside a mega apartment block.

Sunday 15 July 2012

Just Go - Bridges

Plan A for today I thought maybe not such a good idea due to ears.  Plan B would have been amazing - except I had the world's longest sleep...  Well, admittedly I didn't get to sleep until about 1:30am, but still - it was super late when I woke.  Plan C - just go.  Unlike last time, I remembered my ear phones this time.  I left in the afternoon (2:48pm, to be precise) intending to hang out in Paddington for a bit.  Approaching the city though, the bridges looked so inviting, and a new plan began formulating in my head - walk across all the bridges in the CBD. 

So: bus to Roma St, train to Fortitude Valley.  Walk up Brunswick and Ann Streets, cross the Story Bridge.  Since the last time I walked across, there are now Lifeline signs in the approach and at intervals across the bridge, which I found disconcerting.  I resisted the urge to climb the railings as I didn't want to start a police incident just from my climbing instincts.

I walked down to the Thornton Street Ferry and waited for about 5 minutes for the City Hopper, which is free.  Bargain.  Straight across to Eagle St, then I walked along Riverside and through the Botanic Gardens.  Quite a few photos later - none of which actually turned out all that well thanks to the sun position - and I got to the Goodwill Bridge.  After crossing this one, I walked through South Bank.  Mostly sticking to the arbour, I did stray a bit in search of a coffee, or a smoothie, or something.  I eventually found Boost and had a poorly mixed banana buzz (chunks of banana, anyone?). 

The Victoria Bridge had a beautiful sunset happening around it.  I suspect, though, that most sunsets look attractive from this vantage point.  I felt like such a tourist.

I am glad, though, for the function on the iPhone that allows selfies without arousing much suspicion.

The next part was the most boring, having to walk along George St.  It's so City (and Boring City, at that).  Crossing the Kurilpa Bridge at sunset was pretty spectacular (for a bridge, that is).  I do like this bridge.  And I was not the only photographer here!  Ooh, look - it's another bridge.  Yes, my face was a bit over it by now.

Although it begins the same as the Goodwill Bridge, I do like the paddlepop stick/pirate ship effect.

At sunset you have the bonus of reddening sky and that indigo that comes at dusk.  Mwah.

And its curvy access from the West End side is far more interesting than most other bridges.

A short walk past GOMA, and some lengthy waits at traffic lights, brought me to the William Jolly Bridge - such a contrast from the newer bridges!  I chose to walk the western side (not the city side) to make it easier to get to the next bridge.  Maybe not the best choice, but as it was fairly dark by now it didn't make too much difference.  For as long as I can remember, I've liked seeing the light streams from cars passing and slow shutter speeds.

From William Jolly to the Go Between was not as far as I thought - and the Go Between is far less attractive than some of its counterparts.  Still, it has great views.

I then walked to the Cultural Centre bus station, narrowly missed a bus (in my own little world), chilled out for a bit and was then home at 6:55.  The shower was very welcome.

It was really nice to do some things I often think I should do as a resident.  Walking for the better part of 4 hours was great - and my boots did a great job!  I admit, I thought about stopping after Kurilpa, but that made my back itch so I carried on.  Now I need a new plan for a day's outing.