Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Back From the Xmas / New Year Break.

Yes I'm now back from a fantastic Xmas / New Year break with my eldest son and my grandchildren.  We always have such a wonderful time when we visit with them and we bring back many, many treasured memories.


We once again made it to the New Year's Eve fireworks show down at Southbank.  It's such a great spectacle.  We went to the 8.30 pm show with our grandchildren, and joined in with a crowd of around 80,000 spread out along the banks of the Brisbane River. 


Here's a little a taste of the show.



I also managed to visit my favourite spot in the city, the Roma Street Parklands, on the morning of my last day in Brisbane.  It's a haven, even on a hot summer's day.

Here's a collection of photos taken on January 4, which is mid-Summer for us.  I put the photos together as a video clip.




10 comments:

  1. Happy New Year my dear friend. Fabulous fireworks and a gorgeous tour of Roma Street Park. It's a very welcome sight to see such beautiful blooms. We are having some horrible storms here our town is suffering from floods and its pretty dark and dismal most of the day.
    I know though!h before long spring will be heading our way so today on my way to the dentist I called in at the garden centre and bought a pack of sweet pea seeds tonight I will soak then and plant them tomorrow. Looking forward to a new growing season.

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    1. Hi Sue. I've seen some awful pictures in the media of incredible winds and flooding over there. It seems you're going through some of that yourself. I hope it passes soon and the conditions lift a little.

      So you like you to be looking forward to Spring, and picking up a pack of seeds! That's just terrific.

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  2. Looks like you had a wonderful break. I enjoyed the slide show of the beautiful parklands. It was interesting to see Abutilon blooming in the summer since it is more of a cool weather plant here.

    I saw a HGTV House Hunters episode from Townsville and enjoyed seeing some of the area.

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    1. Yes, Shirley, I did have a wonderful break. It's great visiting with the grandchildren.

      Abutilon seems to do well in Brisbane, but not very well up here in the north. I did try growing a couple of little ones, but had no success. The shrubs at Roma Street were looking very happy and healthy, and blooming very well during the hot summer conditions.

      Townsville certainly has a lot about it that I would recommend. It's a great spot.

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  3. Happy new year Bernie. You sound to have had a fantastic time. Loved the Datura (Brugmansia?) in your photos.

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    1. Thanks Jane, I did really enjoy the break. I'm pretty sure that was a Brug at the Parklands. It was enormous and literally dripping with blooms.

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  4. It's ages since I've been to Roma Street Parklands and I really should. I drive past the entrance quite often and past the Mt Cootha Gardens, but seem to always be in a rush to get somewhere. Glad you enjoyed your time in Brisbane and hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays AND that the year ahead is great for you and your loved ones.

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    1. Oh you really should stop and take the time to wander through the Parklands. It's just fabulous. I've never yet made it to Mt Cootha. I just seem to run out of time whenever I'm down in Brissie. I'll really have to make an effort to see it soon. The holidays are almost over for me now. I'm already doing some preparation for work as I've got to do a presentation during pupil-free week. Sadly that is now taking up a lot of my time.

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  5. What fun Bernie! Could you fan a little bit of that hot this way please?

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  6. Happy New Year and thanks for the lovely picture movie and the fireworks! Over here in London we have had relentless rain the last 3 weeks and very windy weather, I am so fed up and just want some nice calmer weather so I can enjoy my garden. Seems next week is going to get better. Have a great week-end!

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