Get Around Town

It was my day off today. Eloise went to nursery at 9 o'clock. Nicole very kindly let me lie in and I slept, wedged between the dogs, until 8 o'clock, slowly coming awake to the sounds of the TV coming from downstairs (down the four stairs there are in our house, that is).

After dropping Sproggy off, we took the dogs up to a little-used car park at Mount Coot-tha and disappeared into the forest along a bush track. Then we (sshh! don't tell anyone) let the dogs off, and walked around for a good hour and a half, seeing only one soul. The dogs enjoyed themselves, and didn't misbehave in any way. The going was pretty heavy, as it's a Mount, and I don't relish having to yomp it laden down with a living backpack, but it adds another walk to our armoury. The weather wasn't that hot either - overcast and not very warm.

We got back and I burnt another omelette, which Nicole very kindly blamed on the pan again. Then she went to work, and rather than sit around on my Harris, I decided to catch a bus into the city and have a look around. I got off the bus on Ann Street, and walked down to Queen Street, which is the main road. It was quite busy with lots of busy people being busy about their business.

At the bottom of Queen Street I crossed the river and walked up and down the waterfront there, past the State Library and Centre for Performance Arts (Pirates of Penzance - they're really pushing the creative envelope) then back up and through the South Bank Parklands.

Looking across the river, I realised that the Riverside Expressway - the one that's got the hairline cracks and was closed for a while causing total traffic chaos - is actually built on concrete legs in the river itself. Seen across the river, it twists and turns with the exit and entry ramps swooping quite attractively around it, and a bike track undulating beneath it.

South Bank is where the legendary artificial beach (sorry, the Streets Beach, is nothing free of corporate sponsorship?) is, and I beheld it's magnificence for the first time. It's actually a reasonably sized swimming pool, attractively landscaped with sand around the edges. It even had its own Lifeguard posse.

Through the South Bank runs an Arbour, made up of a covered walkway flanked by steel arches to which cling bouganvilleas.

On a sunny day I imagine it's really very nice. The path is punctuated, naturally, by cafés, coffee shops, gardens, rainforest walks, as well as a concert venue, a college, and many other things I probably didn't even notice.

I crossed back over the river via the elaborate Goodwill Footbridge and walked alongside some Mangoves and through the Botanical Gardens to Edward Street where my bus was leaving from.

I got back home at 4.30, cleared the washing up away, cut my hand open when I dropped a glass, attempted to staunch the dribbling blood with a kitchen towel, and went to fetch Squeaky, who had had a lovely day and was completely cream crackered.

Tea was Spiced Creamy Vegetables with Basmati Rice. I did not burn it, but then, I did not use a frying pan.