Merry Christmas!!!

Don't touch! This one is mine only!

Ever heard about Trifle?? That's the dessert on the picture. Might be something to bring home to Sweden.

Christmas day today and TV is, and have been for a few days, full of christmas shows and parades. I'm still a bit confused about their fascination for everything that has to do with winter.
There are snowmen, snow landscapes, reindeers, father christmas in winter clothes and millions of christmas trees of a type that wouldn't even grow here. The european heritage is strong 😀

It's still burning. The bush fires are the worst ever and this week two fire fighters lost their lives. An extra thought at Christmas celebrations to those who continue their brave work over the holidays.

Myself is today going away for a pacific holiday. At 4.10 pm I'm off to New Caledonia!


This was obviously popular so here it comes again with another video! Aussie Jingle Bells!

Cheers

In a rusty Holden ute!

It's christmas time. Or chrissie as they of course say here. And although there is summer and a normal day is around 30 degrees celsius the decoratios are all about Santas, snow, reindeers and snowmen. It feels a bit weird to start with but you get used to it.

Christmas trees and decorations in every store

A somewhat kitchy reindeer

Xmas holidays here are a bit like our summer holidays at home. You are more or less forced, or at least expected to take a few weeks off.
They don't celebrate xmas eve like we do in Sweden, it's actually a normal working day. Xmas day is the big thing but also boxing day is a public holiday.
One big difference in the xmas food here is that they eat a lot of seafood. Besides the ham (that doesn't taste at all like our marinated swedish, you got to have loads of prawns.

Santa looks happy. Wonder why...

In Brisbane there is a xmas parade in the city every night during december which is very popular.

Angels in the parade

And finally... Santa himself!

Also every night there is an animated film that is projected on the town hall building. This year about a koala searching for the christmas spirit, together with his friends, a kookaburra bird and a kangaroo.

Animated movie on the town hall

I'll leave you with the Australian version of Jingle Bells, really fun lyrics actually! For you not familiar with Australian cars, Holden was an Australian car maker that unfortunately closed down manufacturing in October 2017. (Strangely enough same month as I left last time...)

In a rusty Holden ute

Cheers

A stinker week

It's been hot in Queensland. Well, actually in entire Australia. This week started off at around 32 degrees here in Brisbane and then got warmer by the day until the peak was reached yesterday at 39.
We actually topped the leaderboard among the bigger cities as you can see on the map.
Luckily it has been a very dry heat this time. Relative humidity has been around 10% which makes the heat bearable.
Yesterday it was even a little bit windy which gives you the funny feeling of walking with a giant big hairdryer blowing your face.

But the best way to spend such days is of course by the beach or the pool, which I chose.

The haziness in the pic comes from the bushfires around that unfortunately don't get better from the dry windy heat. In fact the bushfires is still a massive disaster and we don't see an end of it.

This coming week will be cooler going back to more normal temperatures. Today we might get a thunderstorm with hopefully some rain

Tonight I'm going to a xmas party arranged by the swedish club here in Brisbane. Looking forward to some nice food. Hope they have Jansson!

Cheers

ps Stinker is aussie slang for a very hot day...

A car! ...and the Bee Gees

This week I picked up the little pearl on these pictures. Hope we're gonna be best friends for a a while

There are a few issues. A chirping sound from the engine when on idle made me think I had a bird under the bonnet but none flew out when I opened...
The power window on the driver side will not last long I'm afraid. Don't dare to open it as I'm not sure it will be possible to close one more time.
Those things need to be fixed but otherwise it seems to be driving ok. No surprises.

So this weekend of course we went on a road trip, my blue friend and I. Redcliffe became the selected destination. Redcliffe is, besides being a quite nice little town by the sea, known for it's many fish restaurants and Yabbey Road is said to have the best Fish and Chips in the Brisbane region.

It's just a little hole in the wall but obviously very popular. The F&C was served in paper just as the tradition dictates. The fish was perfectly cooked and very yummy. Not sure about the fries though. Thought they had a bit bitter taste

Redcliffe's big sons are the Bee Gees. Well, actually they were from the UK but the family emigrated to Australia and they were living in Redcliffe when they got their break through. Haha, I always thought they were Californian...
Anyway, in Redcliffe they have got their own laneway with pictures, information and statues.

On the way up along the coast I passed Shorncliffe with the pier and Sandgate. As you can see it was a quite windy day although the temperature was +31 !

Cheers

Ever heard about Icehouse?

This weekend I bought a car. Will give me some more freedom and expand my territory. Unfortunately we had some issues with transferring the registration so will sort that tomorrow and pick it up. Pictures will come!

On Saturday night I also visited Eat Street. That's an event that takes place every weekend in a bit remote area at the river not far from the airport. Also they had moved it since I was last there so I jumped of the ferry at wrong terminal and had to walk 2 km's to get there...
Anyway, it's a cool place with lots of neon lights and maybe 100 different food stalls with representation of cousins from all over the world. Well, from Scandinavia there's only the swedish candy bar where you can buy swedish "lösviktsgodis", i.e. you pick your favourites and pay by weight.
There are also three different scenes with live music!

After a round among the delicious aromas from the various kitchens I decide to go for marinated, slow cooked lamb, served in a cone with sauce, vegetables and turkish bread. So yummy!

Preparing my dinner

The result!

And a little dessert...

There have been lots of great Australian music groups, especially in the 80´s and 90´s. We all remember Men at work, INXS, Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, John Farnham and of course Kylie.
And AC/DC has always been around.
But Icehouse?!
Last weekend I was watching a gala to support children with cancer on TV and this Icehouse band performed. I was knocked out. They were really great and they have been around since the 80's.
Just listen to this song, "Great Southern Land". A song doesn't get better. It's one of those that starts off quite anonymously and quiet but then just grows. So please listen to the full song. I guarantee it's worth it. It was first released in 1982 but this is a newer live version.

Cheers

Oh not that song.. wake me up when it's over...

Whatever happened to Karl and Lisa?

Today we're gonna look a bit into Australian celebrities. Things have changed while I've been away.
Let's start with TV.

Karl and Lisa

The most popular morning show, at least in Queensland, has for many years been channel 9's "Today Show". I watched it every day (and still do) when having breakfast before going to work. The Today how was hosted by Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson, a dynamic duo that successfully had run this program together for 10 years. Karl, the cheeky, good looking party guy who sometimes said things a bit thoughtless but always could hide it behind a charming smile and then Lisa, a bit older and more mature but very charming, They complemented each other in a great way. And then they had a third side kick, Sylvia Jeffreys, who presented news, weather etc. Ah Sylvia so cool, so beautiful, so charming, so sexy...

Sylvia Jeffreys

So I looked forward to watch the show again now two years later. But what! None of them are there anymore!! Replaced! It's not the same thing!!
So I have of course made some investigation and this is my take of what happened. It started with Lisa. She found out that she was only paid half of what Karl was, got pissed and claimed doubled salary. She got a no for answer and left more or less same day for another channel. Karl kept running the show with a new side kick but the number of viewers started to decline. Then, as the party boy he is, he left his wife for a younger woman. The audience kept declining. Finally, last year he married the new woman and arranged a super expensive party at some jet set destination in USA.
Then channel 9 got enough and kicked him out as his lifestyle was not corresponding to channel 9 basic values.

The new co-host, Allison Langdon

Fair enough, but for some reason they also kicked out his brother Peter, who was also working for the same channel and who had now married Sylvia Jeffreys... Did you get that one? So she decided to leave as well...
This was in the end of last year. And what has happened with the audience? Declining even faster.
So what does channel 9 do? Please sit down and take a deep breath now...


They beg on their bare knees for Karl to come back!!  😂😂😂
So next year Karl will return to the Today show.
With a new co-host, i.e not any of the three that hosts the show now.

Georgie Gardner

And the story doesn't end there. Those three are now two. Because about a week ago the third one, Georgie Gardner suddenly wasn't there one morning and the other poor two had to explain that she had left her job and wasn't coming back. Rumours say that she and Karl didn't get along....

Where is Georgie today? Deb and Tom explains

I was planning to also give you an update on Australian politicians , because also there things have changed but that will have to wait...

Cheers

The situation is beyond critical

Picture from ABC News

Today I have moved. From my 39th floor "in the middle of the city" apartment across the river to good old Kangaroo Point. 

View from 39th

39th another angle

So now instead I have the views over the city or shall we say the Bris Vegas skyline. Not too bad

Maybe you can see on the pictures, which are taken this morning, that it seems to be a bit misty. When I came to the new apartment I also thought it smelled a little bit peculiar. Then I realised it´s not from the apartment and it´s not mist outside. It´s the smoke from bushfires around!
Australia is currently literally on fire. This morning on TV there was extra news continously reporting from the fires and the fire fighters heroic fights to save property. So far 3 people have been reported dead and 150 properties have been completely destroyed. There are so many tragedies out there now.
Everybody knows that there are fires every year in Australia but according to the news these are the worst ever, at least in numbers at the same time.

The map above shows where it´s burning right now and the title of this post is a quote from New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Cheers

Catching up with old friends

Today's Sunday and I decided to spend a part of the day in the botanical garden to explore the beautiful nature and see if if could find some of my old friends.

And sure I did!

The first one was mr Ibis. He and his many friends are everywhere looking for some treats to pick up, preferably from some garbage bin. Probably the most common big bird in Brisbane

Then miss Turtle, who normally is quite shy, turned up to say hello before continuing her Sunday swimming exercise

The water dragons are usually everywhere, but where actually quite difficult to spot today. maybe it's still a little bit too cold for them. Anyway here is Lizzy.

And finally, dwelling in the murky water. I had to search for quite a while before I found him. Mr Eel, ruler of the pond. These eels are giant, more than one meter and look so special with clear blue eyes. Once we got contact he actually followed me for a while along the pond shore

Fig trees are cool!

And a sculpture always drags camera attention 😀

Cheers!

Back in Brisbane

I have now been back for a week in Brisbane or Brissie or Bris Vegas or whatever you prefer. In Sweden we say "beloved child has many names"  

I'm slowly starting to get my bearings again

Although most things look and work pretty much the same there certainly have been some updates. For example I'm currently staying in the building that is now the tallest in Brisbane, 270 meters. That building wasn't even there when I left two years ago.

My apartment is on floor 39.

Do you think that means one of the top floors? No no, I'm not even halfways to the top!

So yes, there have been quite a few new developments here that have changed the skyline a bit. And there are more to come. Several ongoing construction areas in the city. 

There is also a completely new entertaiment precinct by the river just under the iconic Story bridge. Looks really nice and I'm keen to try it out.

Not everything has developed as expected though. When I arrived I asked the taxi driver to go via Hamilton to see the new road that they were building there along the river. That was an ongoing project last time I was here and should have been finished long ago.

- No no no, I won't go that way. It's a complete mess. They had to redo the filling of the river. It's now worse than ever!, the driver said

It was great to see the guys in the office again. Almost like I hadn't been away. I even used my old desk the first day, lol. 

But they haven't really been doing burger Fridays since I left so I promise to be a catalyst for that becoming a tradition again!

My main challenge at the moment is to find an apartment for a longer term.  I inspected a few yesterday and will do so next weekend again. The one below was quite nice and, as you can see, popular. Will be a tough competition for that one.

See you next Sunday!

Cheers!

 

Yes, they have this crap here as well

 

But this is not crap! mmmm... Why don't we import those to Sweden?

This little feller still makes your tastebuds happy. I've been missing you, mate!