A Sunny Day at Southbank

Views from Apartment


Birds (Ibis) at lunch



Southbank & photo from Rickshaw Ride


Cheesy Tourist shots.....Me with Didgeridoo Guy


Brisbane Eye I'm cool with it!!!


Pic's from being up in the Eye. Check out the 'phallic symbol' in the background, Marty helped make the top of it.......


Well I have been out of New Zealand for 6 months now, am not homesick yet…...I actually feel some disappointment at not being homesick!!!?
Where we are staying is pretty awesome, It is fully serviced, so no more housework for this girl, they clean my bathroom, change the sheets & give us fresh towels once a week, (yes I know your jealous, I would be too!!!). We have river views & it’s only a 10 minute ride on the ferry to the city. Oh & it’s been over a month since I drove a car!!!!

Have to tell you about Marty & the Asian Student at the Laundromat. I don’t know what kind of washing machines they have in other parts of the world but clearly they are more sophisticated than the ones we have here…….She had put her money in the correct place, tipped her washing into the machine, closed the lid, stood back & with arm movements commanded ‘WASH,WASH”????????????? Poor girl, how Marty contained his laughter I will never know, he politely showed her to spread her washing evenly in the machine, to use laundry powder & which BUTTON to push!!! Hellooooo!!!!!!!!! I want a voice controlled washing machine……….

Last weekend the weather was awesome, (unlike this week where a lot of the area around us is flooded!!!!) We caught a Ferry to Southbank & Marty & I went up in the Brisbane Eye……. Oh the fear……the sweaty palms, oh the anticipation…….I’ll be OK, I’ll be OK………
Well I was OK; it’s not that different from going on a gondola Duhhhh I’ve done that before?!!!!!! So, all is good until it has to stop to let other people get on or off…….can you believe the bloody thing stopped with us (I really mean me cause Marty just thinks it’s funny) right at the very top……………. TYPICAL!!!
Great; been there done that, now I’m ready for the London eye!!!!!!!!
We went to the Southbank Markets, ate lunch & watched the birds , had a tourist photo with ‘Didgeridoo guy’, then caught a Rickshaw over there river into the city. The young guy riding charges an extra $5 to take you to town cause its uphill most of the way!

A Saturday afternoon in Brizzy City.

After a meal & a beer at O’Malley’s we went & did a spot of shopping, Marty found me the coolest black dress on sale at Myer’s, almost half price!!! Great spotting Marty………….

The City is so interesting & entertaining. There are many street performers – bah-ha-ha check out me & the Charlie Chappy!
So happens that this Saturday Allen’s Confectionery were filming an add in the city & they had a ginormous Puppet doll with eyes that moved & they had a heap of enthusiastic children jumping for lollies in a lolly scramble. Funny thing was that they had to do take after take & the lollies (not all wrapped in paper) were picked up off the ground & thrown again, & again, & again?!!!

Ferry ride home in the evening.
Brisbane in a beautiful city by day & so very pretty at night………

Kiwi Band Kora in OZ

April the 13th we rocked out to Kora (My favorite Kiwi band) for the 4th time. They played at the Coolangatta Hotel, Love these guys. (So can't wait for the new album)....... OMG we slept the night in the car & swam in the ocean before breakfast.
Some of us will just never grow up?!!!

Surfers Paradise…been there done that???!!!!!!!!!!

Load up the Station Wagon honey we are on the move…….

‘Plastic fantastic’, ‘Clone city’ are words that come to mind when thinking of Surfers?
Having Big Boobs & riding in a limo is NOT unique here!!!
A travel destination lacking in culture…… or maybe that is a culture???

I should really be careful what I say here as I have friends who just love Surfers Paradise, but I just didn’t get it??? Sorry……….

I really did enjoy visiting the smaller outlying places, like Tambourine Mountain & Byron Bay……..And it certainly is a beautiful coastline.

To the friends I made while working at OZ Fair, …….you are awesome & I really do wish our time together had been longer,

Oh & ‘Rock On’ at The Beer Garden, where I have danced till my feet hurt way into the wee hours of the morning!

Lot’s of Fun things to do here, but bring a Fat wallet cause your gonna need it!!! However this is compensated by a low cost of living, if you choose to live here.
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I would like to finish this Blog with a quote from a young friend of mine who has also lived in Surfers Paradise…….
“I like to think I’m better than the politics that surrounds you in that place” but “you gotta try these things out don’t ya?”

The Spit

Sorry it’s been a couple of weeks since my last entry. Life has slipped into some kind of normality, whatever that is? (Mental Note….must NOT let that happen!!!).

So I thought I would tell you about ‘The Spit” This is where Marty goes to fish - not that he’s ever caught anything worth mentioning there. However it’s a great place to sit & watch the world go by. – Jet Ski’s racing backwards & forwards & boats everywhere. Some very big & expensive. These boats are nearly always full of people. I can’t help but think about the passengers on these boats & wonder how many of them are genuine friends of the owner and how many are friends just for notoriety? Or maybe these boats are hired & my mind is just evil???
And just when you are lost in thought of the lives of others a commercial Jet boat speeds buy full of passengers looking for a thrill.

Most times I take a book to The Spit & sit on a rock to read, occasionally distracted by what’s happening on the water, all the while Marty attempts to catch fish! (Marty really misses the fishing in New Zealand)

On this particular day that I took pictures at The Spit, it poured with rain on the way in. We drove right through it, Yay……., but it followed us & we sat in the car waiting for the rain to pass. So much for bringing the camera I thought? It did pass & Marty baited up his fishing rod & threw it out. (We should have gone home when we first sighted the rain?). He got attacked by insect’s but insisted rather than leaving we should move….. so we moved...... & he baited up his fishing rod & threw it out. Now the tide is moving too fast, OMG can’t bloody win!!!
(I must be quick)…… click click click……time to go home!!!!!!!!!

Waitangi Day Celebrations on the Gold Coast.

Is sooooo much better than in NZ. No Political Crap to spoil the day!!! Just a bunch of Kiwi’s together enjoying the sun & entertainment. Kiwi music, Kiwi ‘T’ shirts, black singlet’s, Greenstones & Kete’s, not to mention Tui beer & Montana Wine & a Hangi for lunch. Along with endless other stalls selling Kiwi only products. & man us Kiwi’s, we love our tattoo’s!!!

So it was heaps of sun block & a hat (slip slop slap) & we planted our butts in front of the stage for some Kiwi & Polynesian performers. They put on a fabulous display, & gave us a good laugh with some of the more erotic Polynesian dancing, embarrassing some of the volunteers from the audience!!!

Good ol’ Kiwi bands Ardjah & Herbs performed last - with Herbs finishing up the day singing an old Kiwi favorite (A Slice of Heaven) Ba da dup boom boom, ba da dup boom boom, ba da da da dum…….

Gold Coast Food & Wine Festival. (We didn’t let the team down!

Marty & I went to the Gold Coast Convention Center to go to a clothing liquidation sale. What a disappointment, no wonder they were in liquidation?!

So as there was also a food & wine festival on, we thought we would indulge ourselves & paid our $16 each entry fee collected our wine glasses & in we went…...

Beer, wine, liqueurs, breads, dips, cheese, coffee & more……. By the time we had got to the end of the second isle we were aware we would not be driving the car home. “What you’re meant to spit it out”!!!!…. Ahhhhh I don’t think sooo?!!! We went round three times, we didn’t let the team down hahaha.

On leaving we put our purchases in the car, a bottle of Tawny Port & the yummiest White Liqueur Muscat - That I don’t want to share?!!

We checked out Broadbeach, went for a ride on the mono-rail & then into Surfers for a bite to eat. Mmmm pizza & a cocktail.

Caught the bus home, watched a couple of movies while waiting for the time to pass so we could go back & collect our car.
Another bus ride (at this hour of the night the bus smells like the pub) back to the Convention Center, & sitting behind us is a very drunk & embarrassing Kiwi, who is trying to have a conversation with a Korean Guy sitting next to him, who speaks very little English so our Kiwi bloke has to repeat himself.
“The chicks here at Surfers are really HOT aye HOT. You’re a pretty hot guy? Bet you pull the chicks” he continues.
Most of the bus can hear this conversation & I am just wishing he would ‘shut up’ or get off the damm bus!!! Eventually he did with Marty confirming
“this is your stop bro, this is where you need to get off man”.
What a relief & what a laugh.

Midnight found us back in our car & heading to ‘Mc D’s’ for a midnight feed, which we took down by the water to eat.