WE ARE ENDING THE YEAR IN THE BRISBANE at the Balmoral Queenslander B&B. For a straight guy, Brian has done a wonderful job of decorating this traditional “Queenslander.” We are 20 minutes from the airport and within walking distance of a smörgåsbord of restaurants. Of course, Connie has “discovered” enough birding hotspots to keep us busy for a few days.
Relaxing at Balmoral Queenslander B&B
We paid an emergency visit to the Apple Store in Brisbane yesterday. Neither our iPod or iPhone was communicating with either of our computers leading me to suspect a faulty cord. We've gotten satisfaction at Apple Stores around the world — UK, Argentina, Columbia, Germany, Greece, Japan and around the US — and the folks in Brisbane didn't let us down. Charlie, a transplant from South Africa, was a true Angel. Not only did she comp us a new cord (for once I was right!) but she spent time running diagnostics on Connie's MacBook, too.
Charlie, the newest Apple of our Eye
We’re spending a quiet New Year’s Eve in with a bottle of Australian wine. Aussies party hearty and we — at least my half of “we” — have had our innings. The restaurants are booked as expected at premium prices and the cops are out in force already. We were stopped at a routine DUI check at 8AM, pretty early for even the the most hard-core revelers.
Out of danger as Australia burns
While Australia is preparing to welcome in 2020, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of volunteer fire-fighters are battling bushfires around the country. Some have been at it for weeks, having left their paying jobs for unpaid service. There are currently no major fires in Queensland but that could change quickly.
Un-paid, un-afraid and alone
Never fear, the fireworks over Sydney Harbour will go off as scheduled!
