The Crack of Dawn

Today was another field trip from the Photography Course I did a little while ago.

I had sort of suggested to Nicole (another Nicole, the course tutor, hereafter Dr Nicole) that we go to Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, and she suggested that for this time, and also suggested an eight o'clock start! Parp!

An email popped through the other day from her to say that her airplane had engine trouble and she was stranded in San Fransisco, but that the rest of us should proceed anyway. Poor dear.

So, Nicole was on an early today, and oh what a refreshing change for us all to get up at 5.30am. Oh yes, very bleeding refreshing.

We were out of the house by a quarter to seven, leaving some very non-plussed dogs behind. My strategy was, if I didn't get up with Nicole, we'd be doomed, so do that and get out of the house, so we went up to the top of Mount Coot-tha where there are nice views of the city and watch the sun come up.

We didn't quite make it for sunrise - that was around 6.20 - but when we got up there it was brisk and very (bleeding) refreshing. The views across the city were very nice with the sun rising up over Moreton Bay, with layers of distant cloud over the sea, and some hot air balloons floating lazily by in the middle distance.

Eloise and I shared a hot chocolate and watched the balloons drift over the city and away.

We got down to the Botanic Gardens at the bottom of the mountain twenty minutes early, and met up with the others.