Beautiful Brisbane

Well I stopped playing minds games with myself and went to dinner with the girls I used to teach with and hadn't seen for seven years! And everyone who said, "Just go, you'll have a wonderful time," was right!! All those things that I was telling myself weren't great....ended up being GREAT!

It's in the city, more than an hour and half from where I live...Not great :(
(We turned it into a mini family holiday & also got to visit my niece for her 7th birthday...GREAT!)

I don't like sleeping over at other people's places...Not great :(
(I didn't need to sleep at someone else's place because we booked a nice hotel at Southbank...GREAT!)

This means I have to book somewhere and pack...Not great :(
(My husband booked and I did hate packing, as usual, but I survived...GREAT!)

I get so nervous turning up anywhere (like the restaurant) alone...Not great :(
(I didn't need to turn up alone, one of my friends picked me up from our hotel...GREAT!)

I have nothing to wear...Not great :(
(I found something that wasn't great, but I didn't really care in the end...GREAT!)

I don't know if it's worth the worry and the bother...Not great :(
(It absolutely was worth the worry and the bother...GREAT!!!)


So I looked old and fat and frumpy...

...but it didn't matter because it felt so good to be sitting at a table with seven wonderful, warm and witty women.

And we only had one night in the city, but it was gorgeous.  Lovely hotel...beautiful views...

I miss Brisbane!  I didn't grow up there, I moved there when I was 18 to go to college for three years, moved away to teach for four years, moved back to Brisbane for eight years then had to leave it again.  But it still feels like home.

We went on the new 'Wheel of Brisbane'

Visited the museum

Strolled through Southbank parklands

Walked into the city mall and played in the Botanic Gardens

Walked along Riverside

Passed the River Queens

And caught a river ferry back to Southbank.

Then we packed up and drove to the Gold Coast for a special little girl's birthday.

The cousins had a great time playing together, we had birthday cake, and we drove two and a half hours back home.

It was wonderful, all of it.

Love ya Brisbane!

(Who's old enough and local enough to remember that slogan?)