Winter in Brisbane

Winter, so far, in Brisbane has been fabulous! I wake up in the morning cuddled in a blanket, walking in capris and a t-shirt by the time the sun warms up, and wrapped up in a cozy sweatshirt by the time the sun sets. Imagine the prettiest Fall/Spring day with the crispness in the air, the bluest of skies, and NO pollen! Beautiful!  For the past several days, while Tony is at work, we have spent most of our time outside at the local park.  Yesterday, I decided to take on Bulimba sans children. (Bulimba is the name of the suburb where we live)  I walked outside with a skip in my step and a smile on my face.  I was about a block away from the house when I heard those beautiful sounding birds (the ones I mentioned in an earlier post).

* Let me insert a quick story about those birds: We ran into Gabby and Julie (our friends from Texas) at the local park on Sunday. I happen to think to ask about the birds that I hear outside my window.  (Now for those of you that know my friend, Todd Latiff, Gabby is very animated like Todd.) Gabby’s eyes widened and said, “Oh, those are the magpies. You have to watch out for those. They’ll swoop down and attack your hat.” I always wear a hat. “They’ll circle around you. Lauren…” He talks as if I know Lauren, “Lauren was pecked in the side of the cheek while playing golf. You HAVE to carry a stick or umbrella when you go out.” All the while, Gabby’s arms are moving to describe the encounter and his voice very loud. He got my attention. Apparently, Magpies nest in September and October and they are very protective of these nests.

Back to my walk: I am about a block away from the house when I hear the Magpie. Before, they were beautiful sounding birds from a Disney movie. Now they sound like a horrible song from a Stephen King film. I ducked my head, hoping they would not see my hat, and tried to remember what date it was to see how far we are from September…not far.  Dang Magpies!

I made it to the center of town and stopped into HosiKozi’s to check out the children’s uniform for school. Luckily for Hannah Grace, she does not have to wear a skirt or a dress. Luckily for me, the owner has my sick sense of humor and suggested I take a picture of the dress to tell  Hannah Grace that is what she has to wear (Oh, I wish you could have seen the look on her face)!  I spent about 30 minutes there getting tips on the school and other spots around town.  I left there and headed down the street to the theater (recommended by Kane at HosiKozi). The prices were good (6.50 for adults and 4.50 for children), but nothing appropriate for the kids to see. All of the movies were recent American movies, except for one called Sapphires. I don’t know if it has made it to the states, but that is one I want to see.  Anyway, I walked through town taking in all of the local shops. I love how all of the cafes are open to the street. There is a bakery on the corner that you can smell a block away. There is a Woolworth’s grocery right in the middle of downtown. I will say, though, my favorite is Cole’s grocery, but I have to drive. That will have to be for my big shopping days. Woolworths will work for those small items (excluding eggs…they have those on a regular unrefrigerated aisle. My American self can’t get over that one).  I skipped on back to the house. I realized yesterday, that I don’t have to look at the signs to make sure I am on the correct street. My feet just move that way!

My point to this blog is to let you know that I am loving the Brisbane lifestyle! I only wish the rest of my family and friends were here to share it with me!