Saturday: A lunch cruise on the river. It sounds a cheesy thing to do but we enjoyed it. Although rain was forecast, the weather remained fine making for a pleasant trip up and down the river. The food was reasonable and plentiful; actually the oysters and prawns were a big hit. I warned Gg to be careful of Rs' intentions that night when they consumed copious quantities of the oysters.
Once the Kookaburra Queen (yes, fitting name in the circumstances) docked we took a walk through the adjacent Botanic Gardens back to the city where we found a venue for drinks through to sunset.
Then it was off to the Casino for more drinks and random gambling. I'm not really into gambling and usually resist but the birthday spirit was in me and I played a bit of Keno and the poker (slot) machines spasmodically. Mt and Ml wisely avoided gambling altogether and kept a table base for us chatting away there whilst the rest of us came and went between gambling moments. Ll, Fd, Gg and Rs all managed jackpots of $100 or more but the birthday boy (yours truly) won zilch. I might as well have simply handed over my money to the Casino and walked out.
Sunday: And the rains came. It poured. We had planned a drive up to the Sunshine Coast and went ahead with that despite the weather. We headed for Mooloolaba and first stop was to the apartment building where Gg and Rs are in the process of buying a holiday apartment. It is in a good location a short walk from the ocean. Then it was on to the Mooloolaba Surf Club for more drinks and lunch. The large dining room filled quickly but local knowledge (ie Gg and Rs) meant we grabbed a terrific table in a corner overlooking the surf and with a view of the beach shower that would have thrilled Tracey Moffat. I enjoyed the sight of beach boys showering down after their surfing and changing (modestly unfortunately) into their casual gear. The persistent showers kept surfing numbers down but there still were a few about.
A long walk along the esplanade followed; that healthy activity balanced by the purchase of ice creams and when heavy rain returned we had the perfect excuse to duck into a nearby cafe for coffees.
Then it was the hour long drive back to Brisbane and a casual dinner of quiche, chicken and salad at Ll's.
Monday: Still raining with the occasional showers of the preceding day replaced by persistent heavy rain. I had arranged to see Rt and Jy on the Gold Coast and took the midday train for the hour long trip down to Helensvale. Rt collected me from the station for the trip to his house. Jy provided a delicious lunch of a hearty vegetable soup topped off with apple pie and chocolate ice cream whilst we chatted and viewed some (thankfully not all) of the 990 photographs they took of their recent visit to England, Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally St Petersburg in Russia. I returned to Brisbane by train around 7.30pm with heavy rain falling all the way.
Tuesday: Last morning. A big (too big) breakfast and then off to Brisbane Airport where I was offered a seat on a flight one hour earlier than my booked flight which I eagerly accepted. Ironically, that flight then was delayed by thirty minutes but I still arrived home in Sydney marginally ahead of when I was originally scheduled.
OMG, I'd forgotten about the Kookaburra Queens. Mind you, it's 21 years since I left Brisbane.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about so much rain that you got on this trip. I myself am absolutely terrible at gambling, which is why it was only once that I had gone on the riverboat casinos in the area.
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