flashman181

So, finally got in to see orthopod 1 – lets call him Dr Kneedy – a month ago and general concensus was yeah its on the way out but if not too painful 24/7 suck it up Princess and these helpful words only cost $220. Bargain. As he was so approachable I asked about my ankle. Ok, that needs to be fixed. Whew. When can we do that ? Ah no I dont do ankles you need Orthopod 2 next door – lets call him Dr Wankle. And I guess that will be another $220 ? He just smiled and wrote out a referral for a visit and a new xray.

Saw Dr Wankle last week and maybe should have been on alert when I walked in and saw

Ok have looked at xrays and that looks painful. No shit Sherlock. There are 3 things we can usually do

1. Nothing – how did that work out for ya the last 40 years ?
2. Replace joint – not possible in your case – too far gone (not first time have heard that)
3. Final offer – fuse the ankle

So basically, crawl back out or accept final offer ? Yep. Oh so what does a fusion entail? Pain and a lot of rest afterwards but will be able to walk much easier because your wallet will be a lot lighter. Gotta love orthopod humour. “I call it Grind n Bind for short. Have you ever seen a carpenter fix a wonky leg on a coffee table? Basically some chiseling , some grinding, some smoothing and then a shitload of screws and a plate”

“Will I still be able to pass through Airport security?”

“Well, not quickly” Fucking orthopod humour.

“How about golf?”

“Well your short game will still be good, it will just include your tee shots now” He was on a roll, so gave up

Basically 6 weeks in plaster and then 4 weeks at least in a moon boot. I rang Elon Musk (well at least tweeted him) to book my space flight but he suggested I may need to boost my hospital cover to be

Discussed with CLP as she will be Nursey Mercy and she seemed overjoyed with the prospect of me living there for 6-10 weeks. At least I think they were tears of joy

So we have a trip to Melbourne next month for 10 days and then we line up on June 2nd for the slice and dice. Seemed best to do in winter when cooler and wont be so frustrated looking at pool and not being able to swim. Means cancelling short solo trip to Sydney but the way Qantas operate these days that was always a 50/50 chance anyway eh. Does mean for Xmas in July at YabbaDabbaDo I will be waited on hand and foot like a Roman Emperor so not all bad …..

Speaking of Offers, Paramount have released a 10 episode limited series on the troubled making of The Godfather called ….. wait for it…… The Offer. I knew of many of the problems with local “family” and casting but this seems a tad embellished even with Ruddy involved. The casting is spot on though so well worth a watch

10 episodes, 10 weeks ……. spooky eh.

And a new Festivus was born. No Poles seen but a few Italians were lurking with intent. As is the tradition each year the Della clan descend on The Poderosa @ Flashman Inc for varied periods over Easter but always full attendance at Saturday lunch. The weather forecast was promising so I ducked down a day early to make sure

Satisfied it would be suitable for any and all campers then did a quick mow of the property while CLP set about cooking to plan. Eskies were packed with alcohol and ice and mints left on pillows for the woosy boys taking the indoor option .

First arrivals then were RJER with their new Caravan in tow. An impressive looking home away from home indeed. Then BC2 and Quinn rolled up while T&B followed shortly after with their camper van just in time for lunch

The weather was holding beautifully if a tad on the cool side . I could see some Flannos in my near future

Not a lot of swimming was done that day despite a it being a glorious looking day . Basking in the sun was ok but getting out of the pool was brisk . Guess we could sit around and have a drink ? That’s the arvo taken care off so let’s just gaze at the full moon as it rises so we can go to bed and start again tomorrow

Another glorious day dawned and time to set up for the midday feast before the horde descends. We are old hands , and even older bodies, at this caper now and soon the table was set while CLP worked up a lather in the kitchen . I was on coffee duty so was full of beans as usual

We sat down for a wonderful meal with all attendees present . There was plenty to drink, eat and drink and frivolity ensued. The deconstructed Pav was a particular treat

I had cleverly set up the table in close proximity to the 3 Vintec Wine fridges and the sense in this soon became apparent when the two bottles Ant bought were quickly consumed and it was still daylight . Rick was put in charge of choosing after Ant took at least 2 minutes to choose the first Amaranta. Wisely Rick just decided to work his way down from the top left shelf. Simplicity is always my first principle too. Somehow we then had to make it out to the relaxing chairs outside so …….. you know we could have a relaxing drink. It was only going to be leftovers for dinner so not a lot of planning required. Then Rick bought out the special Rums and the rest of the night was a blur. I did make it to bed but to be fair was only one screen door to deal with

This morning then of course was a special day especially for the girls . It was still dark when we heard the first noises so CLP quickly ducked out of bed. Not a smart move in hindsight

There was a knock on the door and there were the Munchkins ready to hunt

Suitably pleased with their haul the rest of us settled in for a lovely hot cooked breakfast by Ant . There were a few spots of rain as the campers prepared to pack up and leave. As always it was a lovely couple of days with too much eating and drinking but we only do it once a year. Deasterella that is …. The eating and drinking will resume next gathering at ADJG next month for Claude’s 92nd birthday . This just left the cleaning up to do. It wasn’t that hard

It’s been a busy few weeks with a couple more ahead. Back down to Brisvegas for a few days as CLP is house sitting in Wilston so thought would try bar stool sitting just down the road for a few.

A day or two first twisting by the pool . And by twisting I mean as in beer bottle tops. Simply glorious day but the doom and gloom merchants were getting their crayons ready for Easter forecasts.

Next day then off to Brisvegas and check in first on Family Matriach at Carseldine. Back in the Aged Care home now and mostly peaceful I guess but still sad to see the deterioration. Then onto our lodgings for next few days . We have some family affairs to attend on weekend but first up let’s roll down the hill and jam with Fritzen again. I hear it’s happy hour . It was . You can tell by my smile eh

Across the road Frogger style after a few sherbets ( and 50c wings!)for some din din at Mings Mings and some great Vietnamese tucker highlighted by some Wasabi prawns. I am putting this out there too fans, Pork Belly is overrated . You heard it here first .

Thursday dawned a little cloudy as predicted . Todays plan then was to head on down to Redcliffe for the morning and catch-up with some Bee Gees and maybe a large seafood platter hopefully in that order because those boys can eat. Well at least the living one. This involved some trains and buses and maybe some hobbling at the end. The ankle is struggling at present and maybe because of all the driving. Or maybe because it is fucked 🤔 You be the judge – assuming of course you are a Radiologist and have great eyesight and a magnifying glass.

It was a surprisingly long train short on people for a long trip. An hour later we arrived at Kippa Ring and sauntered to bus stop and then off we went in search of some coastline. This only left one question then …

Yes we are. It was windy and the sea was a tad riled but a pleasant walk followed by a surprisingly good coffee filled in an hour nicely . You know, between buses

Then it was onto bustling Redcliffe and down Abba Avenue , across Beatles Boulevard and into Bee Gees Way. it started to rain but only a few Spicks and Specks so no Tragedy even if on Holiday before First of May. This is why they say I am More than a Woman deserves….

Then it was down to the waterfront and take a short walk on a long pier. I may be a bit confused there 🤔 The weather was still behaving itself and while I wouldn’t be jumping in the water anytime soon it is a lovely esplanade

This only left one task to complete our odyssey and that was to point some wood at a jetty . Another bus ride then and we were ready to tuck into some lunch by now. The Belvedere is renowned for their Seafood Hamper for two so quickly sent CLP to the jetty while I hooked in. Sadly she came back so had to share the meagre portions 🤠

Certainly worth a crack but while ample in size it lacked a certain quality – something I have never heard luckily . We steered clear of the oysters in particular and tried most of the rest and certainly kept stomach from growling. At least until later tonight maybe 🤞

We still had another 90 mins of public transport with the luckily sparse GU so will sign off now . A relatively quiet day tomorrow before Toowoomba on Saturday

In the meantime has anyone heard if Tiger is playing in The Masters ? It’s impossible to find any news about it……

Another quiet night had us scratching at the door at 6 am for our morning walk and coffee. Another lovely day has dawned for our last full day on our short sojourn this time round. Seemed to be an Espresso Engine now on every corner so having tried a different corner today I also went balls in and got a cappuccino instead of a flat white. No one can accuse me of being predictable eh

Speaking of being predictable , after a solid 12 hours thinking about it have booked flights to USA for October. Doubt we will ever return to the great deals prior COVID given we are still basically Mid COVID and the world needs a bex and a lie down at present. It’s an interesting trip where one heads south to Melboring before flying in the expected direction to LA. It’s all to do with what planes Qantas use where and why and Brisvegas still not what one would call a travel hub it seems. Then return to Sydney before home to Brisvegas. Of course also still have to book some internal US flights but that can wait another 12 hrs at least. Now for todays plan…

Revolves around a lunch at Alchemy with HPFA Anthony of the Della clan which just leaves morning and afternoon to fill in so to speak. Think we can lock in The Gresham again for late arvo shenanigans – did I mention they had Guinness on tap? A mid morning coffee and a mid afternoon snooze and the day virtually fills itself in eh

Tradition #2 at least survives with a coffee at the always reliable Sugar n Spice . I could barely contain my excitement

Ok , let’s head off to lunch for a couple of hours and then home for usual snooze and a bath. Yeah right . We were Drinking with Dellas. The food at Alchemy was truly excellent and we had a beer and then shared a bottle of wine . A normal lunch enjoyed and all according to plan

Then Ant suggested a second bottle of wine . The rest is a blur. We then went onto The Gresham for Tradition #2 – finally some black stuff

A perfect end to a pleasant lunch. Then Ant just naturally said “ So two more Guinesses “? Well , of course

Then Ant asked where the toilets were but collared the waiter on the way out and before you knew it

By now CLP had switched to Soda Water but I felt my inborn masculinity/stupidity had been challenged so naturally ordered two more Guinnessesssssssss while Ant was checking the Stockmarket

At last sanity prevailed as the clock struck 6 pm and CLP had been asleep for the last hour. We bid farewell to our drinking buddy at bus station and wobbled home for a night of possible sleep but certainly sweet dreams. It has been a magic few days and I bid adieu until the next breakout bonanza of booze and bon vivant escapades.

Average night sleep as usual when in a new place after a day of imbibing . There was some racket outside late at night and can only assume it was one of those Hollywood celebs swanning around in between shooting latest epic Jungle Cruise 2 on the Brisbane river. Can’t say I can place the face but they have so much work done these days it could be anybody. Ouch, hey that hurt

Looks like a booteeful day dawned so headed out early for our morning coffee. We are creatures of habit in case the penny hasn’t dropped yet folks. Espresso Engine on Turbot St seemed as good a place as any to start . We got there before the early morning rush of workers (hee hee) but was already doing good business

Always been considered a Star but now it is official and as a Star club member there was a rather good breakfast special on at The Kitchen. Put CLP to work washing the dishes first up and then we got stuck into the smashed Avo Egg Toast Bacon combo and twas rather good.

Speaking of Breakfast my partner in crime , R of RJER fame mentioned on weekend about the new Rum bar at the Brekky Creek Hotel . A plan formed , dissolved and then reappeared as if by magic . Back to room to chill for a couple and then mix with the GU on a shortish bus ride to be creek adjacent for some rumbos before hooking into a steak at midday. Of course, after the floods the creek may be adjacent to the bus stop which will make for a short walk.

Brisvegas has always been a great city to walk around but there certainly is a lot of construction and road closures in the CBD at present. Also sad that City Cats are not running yet

We headed off at 10:30 for todays adventure and caught our bus. Mask compliance 80%. Got off at the bus stop near Brekky Creek which certainly is a better idea than our usual plan off jumping off moving vehicles at random locations. A mirage appeared on the near horizon

Of course food can wait when there is rum available. We worked our way along the various sub stations ( non French of course ) until we got to 41. An impressive place and quiet with just the cheery barmaid behind the bar. Well, talk about fookin useless. Tried to engage her in what one normally does at these establishments and just got a blank look. Eventually decided on a shot of Jamaican and went back later for some Peruvian juice. Great idea. Lousy implementation . I drank and soon forgot my grievances .

Then time for some meat of the red variety . Who on earth thinks it’s a great idea to have Scan, Tap and Pay caper at a pub is a goose. Anyway , it worked ok and soon we were pumping that cholesterol up with the best of them . Great meal washed down with a Balter XPA , a brand which is suddenly everywhere in Brisvegas

A slow stroll then through Newstead Park which seems to have recovered well before bus trip home to chill for a few. There was an impressive erection to be found if you looked hard enough, a lesson for us all.

After a suitable R&R we headed for afternoon drinkies and made a beeline for a CLP recommendation at end of Mall – The Gresham. It ain’t cheap maybe but to relaxasalubriate ( patent pending) in such elegant surroundings was an excellent way to end a long day .

Did I mention it had been a long day ?

Devoted followers and casual stalkers would know the plan was to slowly re enter the world of travel in baby steps before eventually travelling back to USA late October 2022. As an aside the actual accomodation in USA is already booked and no flights yet. Breathe Breathe. With Qantass charging 10 k to catch a single engine Cessna to LA at present they will be waiting a bit longer. Luckily no bad news on the horizon like exorbitant fuel prices……. I digress

So, we are off to Brisveags for a few days at our new fave , The Treasury Hotel and Gambling Den. Once our old fave The Stamford went down the Not Welcome Camp path for tourists we had to look around and very happy with this choice . First up though a day to chill at the Ponderosa Pool at Flashman Inc.

Luckily it was St Patricks Day and had the green sluggos ready

Righto its Saturday morning and time to head down to Brisvegas and a quick reconnoiter in Wilston in preparation for an upcoming house sitting gig for CLP. This of course brings Fritzenjammer Beerhall into play for lunch and the old burger and beer double play

After ingesting sufficient calories to last the next few hours it was onto RJER for a catchup and a short babysitting gig with the Terrific Twin Terrors. I need a drink. Hey , there’s one . Sadly they were out of General Shitfaced 6 packs 😏

In a sign of appropriate affluence it was then time to swim in another pool I dont have to clean 170 klm apart. Frivolity ensued and some removed their swimmers but my lips are sealed. You would think though at CLPs age……

We woke the next morning, luckily, and headed to the park for some coffee and croissants to celebrate the J of RJER fame turning 22……. Then it was off to our lodgings and see if we can snare the ” We are old, early room please” deal at 10 am. Close and we only had to wait 45 mins so quickly ducked into mall for some necessities . Our room was great as always and in case ya need some convincing

We had dinner booked at Donna Chang across the road so a light lunch was in order and of course our one tradition in Brisvegas – that first Guinness . There is a pub just across the road called Irish Murphys , as opposed to say Tokyo Joes , that we have enhanced previously. It was quite , great. It was quiet because they had run out of Guinness, bad. So, you didnt think there would be a run on this week🤦🏻‍♂️ What was your last job, the vaccine rollout ?? So, we settled for some perfectly fine Asahi and will chase down the black stuff tomorrow maybe.

Back then for a quiet afternoon before Donna Chang tonight. I assume it has an oriental flavour but have been fooled before

Dinner at Donna Chang was excellent as expected . We were sensible and didnt over indulge but tried a wide range from the Dim Sum menu washed down with a splash of the good stuff.

There were no wuffer thin chocolates available so we went with a couple of fortune cookies . Imagine my surprise when we found out they were Seinfeld fans as well

And so our first full day and a half in Brisvegas comes to an end. In fact, you could say we were shown the door …

So, with the world slowly opening up like the Aussie top order in a T 20 it was time to get a slide rule and a globe out and see where we could go. As slide rules sadly dont bend our options were rather limited. Luckily Flashman Inc at Sunshine Coast was in a straight line due south . As there was an Old Fart (64) birthday to celebrate this month and a new pool to christen this seemed a perfect place to dip our travel toe into the water boom boom. . I’m here all week try the Fish Fingers ( in keeping with aquatic theme)

Now CLP is the person the Dalai Lamai has on speed dial for when he feels stressed. Building a pool and dealing with a range of Tradies was always going to have problems but she had coped rather well and eventually we had some water sitting there just needing some concrete and a fence

It is amazing what a difference concrete and a fence make mind you

Now we just needed some chemicals and a functioning pump and filter and its party time. A relatively simple task you would think in 2022. We certainly had the chemicals needed and a Pool Boy ready to go

Time for the final sign off and lets see some bubbles baby. Ah no the pump is DOA so lets just leave the water sit there for another few days but YOU may want to throw some chlorine in. What’s this YOU crap fella ? So we had a very large outdoor bath for the weekend and luckily weather was rather mild. Finally a new pump was installed and all systems go . Lets drink to that

Time to strip down and get wet and put that pool boy to work

It was a lovely first morning under clear blue skies. 3 days of this caper and my summer tan will be complete. Back to the pool post lunch and commented to CLP how quiet the pump was and small the bubbles were. Lets just check those jets for sign of life. Yep, dead as a doornail . Another pump dead and this time we even tripped the safety switch. We had no filtration happening and a gang of swimmers and party revelers arriving in less than 48 hours. No doubt a Tradie will help us. Yeah right. Long story short, soonest we can get out is next Monday so just hold your breath under water for the next 72 hours. Luckily the temperature wasnt too hot and after a glorious Friday the actual day of festivities dawned rater cloudy not that little optimist me was worried…..

Anyhoo the gang all arrived and the skies suddenly parted . Frivolity ensued. Exhibit A-E

A bountiful lunch helped replace all thos calories burned off by the hi jinks which just left us one job to do. Install the umbrella if for no other reason then to tempt the weather gods. It worked but we still had another lovely afternoon poolside. Exhibit F

Now that the Pool had been officially christened it was time to settle into the other weekend event of celebrating a birthday . At my age you go early just in case but next Thursday as I sit at home patiently and alone in Maryhole waiting for the Postie to arrive with all my presents I will have this lovely day of celebration to remember. CLP had outdone herself with a Pool cake which odlly had a massive fence but no gate ?

That just left afternoon drinkies to deal with before a lovely dinner to round out the day. I shant bore you with endless images of me drinking. Again. It was a wonderful 3 day extravaganza before bidding farewell to the gang Sunday morning and heading back to reality AKA Maryhole

So, that is February sorted how will we fill in the rest of the year? Aiming for a monthly event to keep one engaged in the outside world we have a few days in Brisvegas for March, Easter at Ponderosa for April and then a week in Victoria come May. CLP would like to chill for a little while after that so I will finally cash in my flight credit for Sydney and have a quick week there come June. That then just leaves the solo USA trip late October to finish planning.

Not a lot else going on in the world of great interest to moi. The West Coast swing in PGA golf is a great watch with beautiful course under blue skies – Torry Pines, Pebble, Riviera etc. I may be in the minority here but I find the loutish behaviour of yobbo yanks at the Party Hole in Arizona disgusting

Of course February does also include that Day of Roses so lets sign off with a duet from the Redrum Ravers….

And so another year ends and another holiday is cancelled. The devil is in the detail and the detail here is we wont be seeing any devils in Tasmania anytime soon. Due to travel in 6 weeks and realistically with COVID running rampant it aint worth the risk. Not worried about catching the lurgy as such being triple boosted but the impact of possible contact and then testing, isolation etc could cause havoc on a tightly planned , and prepaid, road trip. The only trip on the horizon now for moi is USA in October and would not be betting the house on that coming off. Instead we will review what has been a busy few weeks

Caught up with Toowoomba clan first in late November and then another catch up with Beachmere Boys in Rainbow Beach a week later. Squeezed in a quick game of golf at Tin Can Bay as well

Then it was time for the Della Xmas gathering at Mike and Jodie’s the week before Xmas. First up though a quick detour to Medium Security Twilight Home at Carseldine to catch up with Ferguson Matriach

Getting rather warm by now so after a swim, a drink and a feed and was ready for a lie down

December was moving along nicely when word arrived of Omicron

Onward and Upward as they say as the Fat Jolly fellow (not Scomo) was loading up the sleigh and heading our way. A quiet Xmas day at Flashman Inc , Maplehead ensured any future contact tracing would be piss easy. It was CLP Your Honor. Traditions ensued with requisite video double play

Then it was time for pressies and a good old sing song. I loved the T Shirt but the dress ticked me off a tad not that I let on of course

After a quiet couple of days RJER arrived and we had a lovely time with da girls despite the inclement weather

Time then to duck home quickly for a few days , play some golf, mow some grass, grab some sleep and a quick visit from da Beachmere Boys. After spending Xmas in Maryhole they will never complain again about having nothing to do…

…. and then back down for News Year Eve. Just the two of us but darn if we didnt make it to at least 9pm after watching our fave romance movie of course

In between all of the family festivities we watched a bit of cricket. England’s humiliation was summed up by the fact the Boxing Day Test finished before the Sydney to Hobart yacht race

And so we end the year in uncertain times. Its going to get worse before it gets better but hopefully with the “let it rip” policy in full swing Omicron may be the last variant we see. Lets face it we could run out of the Greek alphabet at this rate . Luckily cyclones use common names like…. Seth. One thing that remains constant of course is the complete incompetence of the Weather Bureau which in its own way does bring some solace in these difficult times. Been some good rain and some cool temperatures the last week which is kinda pleasant.

You would think 2022 has to be better than 2021 right ?

Just like we thought 2021 had to be better than 2020…….

When we checked in yesterday Orville behind the desk mentioned some “ construction noise between 7 am and 4 pm – would you like some ear plugs”? When I said “eh , what did u say “ the joke was lost on him so we moved on. We are on 3rd floor riverside and assume the construction would be on the Queens Wharf spanning the river and still needing to meet somewhere in the middle. We spent a bit of time in room and have to say didn’t hear anything – sweet . Then we watched the news at night and one of first items was “ asbestos scare shuts down construction on Queens Wharf for a day “ ! Now if I can’t quickly find anymore asbestos this morning we may hear some racket today. Sleep was ok last night given the parameters of dicky knee etc. Its a good room but glad it’s midweek as do hear doors close etc in these heritage buildings.

Our one booking today is lunch at Joeys at Kangaroo Point with some friends . Yes we do have them although to be fair it is an old school friend of CLP and her hubby who kindly let us stay with them in Italy a few years back . Weather looks ok – cloudy with chance of a few showers and maybe some storms tomorrow. Sounds like may be time to hit the ground and find some breakfast .

Sadly the ground hit back at regular intervals but did arrive at Frankie&George before the crowds descend. You know – workers 😀. Breakfast and coffee were fine although both of us not quite 100% so maybe did not do full justice

A quick detour through Mall on way home confirmed nothing was open at 730 am 😏 Back to room then and tick a few items of to do list like joining Star Club for a wad of discounts as long as we plan on drinking and eating a lot next 48 hrs. Well duh. First up then we will refuel at Ryan’s on the Park before heading off to lunch. I was well prepared but feared things could still turn ugly.

Meandered through Mall as still a bit early for our bus to our jumping off point – Joeys at Kangaroo Point. Get it ? We did arrive early so took some pics then started lining up some frothy ones inside the pouch so to speak and the place was jumping .

Our hosts did arrive at the agreed time. Yep, amateurs eh 🤓 Great to catch up over some great food in a relaxed atmosphere . People who have never been must roo that decision ….. here all week, try the Pizza.

Our hosts kindly offered to drive us back across the river after Earle and I shared our history at Wounded Knee. Dropped us off near a chemist and straight in for a few boxes of Panadol Osteo as a few people have recommended it now. Have always thought a bit of waste of time but am willing to try anything at this stage to put off surgery. Dropped into Telstra shop in Mall as looked quite and start enquiries about new iPhone as about 5 revisions behind by last count .As always a greeter asks you your name and wanton desires. “ Yes sir someone can help you but there is a 3 hr wait at present “ WTF – there is no one else waiting ! We got a few items in mall with Xmas approaching and then chill for a few before heading out for a drink and dinner a bit later. After all we have these vouchers to use . Weather has been pretty good so far, certainly better than predicted . For what it’s worth at this stage though late Thursday , early Friday is looking a tad gloomy with Thunderstorms predicted . Am hoping to be on road before 5 am on Friday so will have to wait and see

Time to head out for a drink, feed and punt in that order. First up we dropped into By George to use our first free voucher. 2 Rumbos and a champers layer and no hand in pocket yet

Stumbled next door to Mei Wei for some dumplings. Or not . Some duck and pork will do as long as can wash down with some Kirin. In keeping with Beatles theme started By George we had Yoko sitting at table across from us 🤓

Finally then into the Gambling Den. Used our tried and true roulette trick handed down by Claude and turned $100 into $150 and left . As Kenny Rogers says you have to know when to hold them and know when islands meet in a stream . Winners are Grinners folks

With Tasmania Trip well sorted and planned for Feb 2022 in the Year of our Lord it was time to look for a short break closer to home. How about my left knee ? While I was aware a knee replacement loomed in the future after some x rays a couple of months ago I was hoping to last a lot longer and wait for other knee to bugger up and then sweet talk the grind and chip away guy “ Hey , any chance you can run the chisel over that ankle while I am under Pal?” Alas the knee has deteriorated significantly in last two weeks but not to the point yet where we lose beers to Beddows and Smails😀 It is at the point where I have trouble sleeping at night so will see Doc next week to ramp up activity which could of course impact on Tasmania 2022 – The Devil You Know . How about a short mid week break in Brisvegas? Avoid the NRL GF but with some Penrith players still loitering looking for parts of Provan Summons trophy should be sweet for no lockdown

With more donuts than the Broncos at Dally M Awards QLD was looking good. Let’s check the 10 am update . When Beaverhausen is eating a sausage at Bunnings for the Press Conference you know all is tickety boo. Our go to lodgings of The Stamford has been taken over as a Quarantine hotel now so we settled on the Treasury Hotel, Casino adjacent . Good deal for mid week stay so set off under leaden skies although the real rain came through last night maybe. Like some double vaxxed tourists it will return soon though. With Aged Care homes open again time to check on my application at Carseldine. As luck would have it Mum was there as well. A quick visit and a cuppa – Mum is on the left 🤓

Then we soldiered on to see Claude for another cuppa . At our age it is helpful to spend some time with really old folk 😏 Then we headed into city and hope our room was ready which it was. Sweet. It’s a pretty shoddy room but will do I guess ….

The rain was still holding off so decided to head into Alchemy for lunch as they had a great special on – Gnocchi and Wine for $25. We threw in a quick Gin first up to coat the tonsils. It was a great start to a great few days methinks but I had had a few by now …. Exhibit A

As luck would have it I also scored a gig for Friday night #Abbarules

Walking/Hobbling around CBD must say mask compliance is pretty good. The usual suspects like the Dolly Birds don’t wear them of course. A few spits of rain started so time to head back to room for some chill time. Pick up some Sushi for a light dinner later in case the predicted rain comes and if not we can always duck out for our traditional Guinness later

Rain – 0 ; Guinness 2. We have a winner.

Rather than returning to usual Gilhooleys we walked across the road to Irish Murphys to sample the wares and not disappointed. Rocked in around 3:50 pm as you do and those in the know would know that Guinness is a slow pour by design. Down for Brown, Back for Black #IrelandFling2018. Even allowing for this the barkeep was a talker. Then he explained “ If I keep blabbering until 4 pm it’s Happy Hour and only $9 a pint” If we weren’t wearing masks I would have reached over and kissed him. Hell, I did anyway

Very pleasant end to a busy day . Ensured my pew in heaven by visiting the oldies and then spent some heaven on earth with the black stuff. Does it get any better?

Well, you better renew your subscription and stay tuned eh…