2 September 2015

Gentlefolk,

It is 2 September 2015 and we are back in Hong Kong; tomorrow we fly to Qingdao, for the next semester - my first class is 8 - 9.50am on Monday morning.

We had a lovely time in Australia, albeit too short.  First stop was Brisbane where we stayed with Jennifer & Tom and the Three Terrors (Kurt, Nate & Sid).

We love the drive from Brisbane to Canberra. The land of far horizons, big blue skies, and few people (always comes as a bit of a shock after China's dense population).     It's long - about 1,300 km - but we take it easy and stop to see friends in Tweed Heads (Irene & Denis Smith); Ocean Shores (Shana and Greg Mills); Nambucca Heads (Siri and Bob Morrison), and Sydney (Niniek & Paul Milton, and Angie & Howard Eakins).

Then 10 hectic days in Canberra - always fun to see family and friends - and then we re-traced our steps.

This post contains photos of our time in Brisbane.  It was the end of the footy season, which probably explains why most of the photos are about the boys and football (they play for GPS - pronounced Jeeps - an old Brisbane club based in Ashgrove).  We just missed Kurt's last game, but caught Nate's and Sid's.  It was a joy to see our grandsons growing and developing into fine young men.

I'll do a separate post featuring photos of the other places.

Sid Roberts, 6 years old

Sid plays in the Under 7s.  Still tag - next year he will play tackle. That's him on the left, supporting the ball carrier. 

Sid's game was at Wynnum, located on the shores of Moreton Bay.  The local rugby team is called "The Bugs" (after the famous Moreton Bay Bugs).

Half time, and the boys are getting into the oranges while the coach makes motivating remarks.  Some things don't change!

End-of-season photo of Sid's team, with the Manager (Jennifer) and the two coaches.

Presentation time; each boy received a team photo and a 'golden boot' trophy from the coach.

Nat Roberts, 8 years old (but playing in the Under 9s). 

Nate's last game of the season was against Norths (Nate is wearing red-&-black head gear). Here is the umpire welcoming the teams onto the field.

The Norths side had some pretty big kids (including a girl, who played well), but Nate's team dominated the game.  Fascinating to see these young players developing football-sense and playing for each other.  

Team photo after the final game.  Nate is second from the left, kneeling.  This team really did well, and were unbeaten all season.

The formal presentations of team photos and trophies by the two coaches.

Vera met up with Iwan, a long-lost cousin. He runs the Lazy Dog cafe in Cunningham Street, Newstead on the fringe of Brisbane City.

The Enoggera Reservoir, not far from the Robert's place in The Gap, has become popular for hiking and water sports. 

Kurt, Nate and Sid go to the Hilder Road Primary School. Vera and I attended 'Assembly' which is held every Friday morning in the school hall.    It really is an impressive school, with wonderful teachers and facilities.

The school orchestra opened the Assembly with a couple of lively numbers.

Pupils who excelled at various activities were recognised during the Assembly.

The South Bank recreational area featured a special Night Food market, so we checked it out. The food was over-priced, but it was nice to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere and crowds.  Buskers provided entertainment.

The busker's name was Juzzie Smith and the boys chatted to him after his performance. He was basically a one-man show, and played a number of instruments.  Kurt got a guitar for his birthday (in July) and has started lessons.

Another busker at South Bank.  The boys recognised him from "The Voice" and were keen to speak to him.  Apparently an accident put him into a wheelchair, but he has amazing talent (and resilience).

View across the swimming pool at South Bank, towards Brisbane City.  It was August, winter, but a nice afternoon and quite a few people were on the 'beach' and some in the water.  

Our time in Brisbane passed all-too-quickly.  It was great to catch up with Jen & Tom and their three boys.

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, keep well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
English teachers at the China University of Petroleum, Qingdao
www.upc.edu.cn
Wednesday, 2 September 2015 (in Brisbane)