So its somewhat ironic that it takes us coming all the way across the big pond to Brisbane to see Tim McGraw for the first time. The concert was just what we expected... amazing! Some good classic country music. A fun night to celebrate too, since it was Nikki's 19th birthday that night!

The rest of our weekend was filled with marketing in West End and snuggling up with a movie night on Saturday... spent the evening with Thelma & Louise...

An Island Getaway.

If you want to see the most amazing colors fill the sky at sunset, you HAVE TO go to Moreton Island in September!  We took the one hour ferry trip from HOLT St Wharf (how appropriate!) to Moreton a few weeks ago and it was a fabulous getaway for the day. We took in a whale watching tour on board a catamaran, and saw over 12 different humpback whales frolicking in the sea. It was amazing! They were quite the show-offs when they knew there was an audience watching. When we reached the shore Dave & I took a stroll on the beach and had a picnic. The sunset was unreal, the sky turned from bright, fiery oranges and reds to brilliant pinks and blues. I guess what they say is true, red sky at night, sailor’s delight! Of course I took advantage of the lighting...so many gorgeous photos, they almost looked profesh!

Nightfall signals the dolphins for a feeding frenzy! About eight wild dolphins swam into the bay and we were able to feed them right from our hands! They were actually kinda freaky...well just really big, with pointy teeth, but it was still neato to get up close and personal for sure!

 

So, needless to say, I will definitely be getting my relax on...with many more trips to Moreton Island in the near future! Its hard to believe that such a beautiful oasis is only an hour away from home! Now I can get used to that!

17 Buddhist Monks

The funk and flare of Brisbane Festival fills the air! The city is overflowing with fascinating performers, fabulous fashion, and funky music and we have only three weeks to take in all of its magic.

Festival days kicked off with RIVERFIRE...a brilliant half-hour fireworks display that Dave and I watched from the comfort of our living room! The display stretched across the river with massive amounts of fireworks being shot from the tops of bridges, high rises, and the river valley. Since “The Regis” is right on the river, we had to have had the best view in the city, on the 8^thfloor. The night would not be complete without the buzz of an F-111 fighter jet screaming past our window with a “dump-and-burn”. This is where the strike jets release fuel and set it on fire creating a blast of explosion out the back. It took my breath away, it was SO close!

 

On Thursday night we took in our first performance of the festival, the Australian premier of SUTRA, at the Playhouse, QPAC. Based on the rituals and traditions of Buddhist warrior monks, it was a breathtaking athletic and artistic piece perfected by 17 monks of the Shaolin temple in China. The performance celebrated the unwavering skill, strength and spirituality of the group. They included 21 wooden boxes in the performance and did amazing tricks with the props. The monks follow a strict Buddhist doctrine, with Kung-Fu and Tai Chi as an integral part of their daily regime...as such, they made jumping 6ft in the air look effortless. I don’t think I’ll be able to capture the true essence of what we saw...but ill tell you one thing, I plan to do about 10 extra push-ups tonight before bed!

Next performance on the schedule is the dynamic circus premier, Wunderkammer. Loving festival days!

Spring has SPRUNG, we've made it ONE whole month!

Well, it has taken me one month since our arrival in Brisbane to get this blog up and running...but true to my word mamma, here it is!!

 We've definitely had a whirlwind month full of new discoveries, big adventures, and maybe even the odd "what have we done?" Aside from getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, you must get accustomed to walking on the other side of the sidewalk to avoid collisions or better yet the awkward "cant decide which side to pass you on" dance. You must look the opposite way when crossing the street and you must not ask for toonies or loonies in change or you will get that look that you are infact a looney yourself! All of that aside, you would think moving to a country like Australia, which is quite similar to Canada, would be a pretty smooth transition. But the simple everyday conversations become quite a struggle when you have no idea who is campaigning in the upcoming election, you cant tell the difference between rugby, footy, football, and soccer and when you try to blabber on about the first day of spring, September 1st, the quintessential saying "April showers bring May flowers" is not true anymore! On the other hand, it doesn't matter where you come from or what you know, you can always appreciate a poolside lazy day and we plan to be doing plenty of that on the terrace of the Regis! Check out our fabulous "spa" as they call it here! We love our home at the Regis. Its the epitome of simple living and that's exactly what we love about it. Not to mention the river views are gorgeous and we cant get enough of watching the busy traffic buzz below, knowing we have no where to be.

In our first month in Brisbane, we have visited Mt. Cootha...a lookout point high above the city with beautiful panoramic views of Brisbane. We've met some long lost rellies for a good old fashioned Aussie Barbie and strolled the markets for tons of local goodies! We've met with familiar friends from Canada, experienced our first "RiverFire" and ventured out to Moreton Island...more on that to come! The sun has been shining almost everyday and its easy to tell summer is just around the corner!

Did I really just start a BLOG?...HelloOoOoo World!