Cafe Paddington

Through Barb's insistence one day some of us drove from Bardon into Paddington (which has to be done carefully because of the twisted narrow streets) and stopped at the Chocolate Orange that had been recommended. As a venue it proved to be very interesting because it included many different spaces to sit both inside and outside. The spaces at the rear of the building were terraced platforms connected by steps leading down to a rotunda in the end of the steeply inclined "back yard". The hospitality staff would get their full climbing exercise in the summer when the cafe was full of customers out the back. Our table was indoors and close to the front counter. The seats were stools or forms!

Raby Bay Brekky

Barb's brother wanted to surprise his mum by having the whole bunch of us meet at her unit where we were staying and go find a place nearby for breakfast. We had to help in this surprise and it worked out well through good timing and effort. We went to the Raby Bay collection of restaurants and found one that was willing to feed us a meal that that early hour. A large number of tables were joined together and the meals and coffees came in reasonable time. Outside it was raining fairly heavily and the smell of it drifted in. Nice.

Nundah Chilling Out

We must not forget a lunch event for some of us after the Canadians had arrived and started to unpack. To give them a bit of time to themselves and to settle the two little ones for sleeps, most of us of the Australian family walked down to the Nundah shops and pulled together a few street cafe tables for lunch. The cafe kitchen would have been happy that their business had doubled for the day. The other pictures are snaps of cousins that rarely share the same time and space ever. Nice to see.

Bardon Reunions

The place we mostly went to for family reunion stuff was in Bardon. We succeeded in getting lost trying to find the place (two times!). After that Peter had the route mostly settled in his mind. The venue was an AirB&B short term rental which used to  be a church. Hence, the lounge space was the old church hall with a capacity for an enormous group if necessary. It was such a good venue that Barb's sister had found that we planned most of our chill-out times at that place even though we could easily get lost each time we went there.

Plenty of laughter...

A church!!

Our Cleveland Home

Barb's Mum took us in for our stay in Brisbane. We were blessed to stay with her and played many games of Ticket to Ride (see last picture). Some of our meals were in Cleveland where she lived. We slept on a self-inflatable mattress each night and packed it away during the day. It was no trouble for us and we did almost everything as a threesome for those days we were there.

Nundah Arrival

Finally they arrived. This was the main reason for our trip to Brisbane. Our Canadian family from Alberta, Canada touched down, hired a car and after getting lost (which every visitor to Brisbane will experience, even with a navigation devise) they finally arrived to be met by many of us waiting at the home they were booked into. It was a very memorable reunion and then a further wait while the owners of the home came to hand over the key.

It just so happened that the next door neighbour had a garage of classics! Oh the distraction.

Trip North to Toowoomba

We were only an hour late to another of Peter's Uncle's. The distance from Gosford to Toowoomba proved greater than it had looked on the map. We ought to have researched the trip properly!. We had a lovely meal and enjoyed the reunion with family members. The next morning Uncle and Aunt took us to Picnic Point to enjoy the outstanding view towards Brisbane. There was a nice coffee shop there on the edge of the mountain drop off.

The sort of playground that Peter would like to sketch

Uncle's very tame budgie

A Toowoomba city mural

The view towards Brisbane

The highway down to Brisbane

Before we continued our trip down into the valley, we made valuable contact with praying friends in a part of northern Toowoomba. It was a God blessed meeting.