First days in Brisbane

Day 4 – Thursday 21st January

It was a bit odd getting dressed into some work clothes. I’d always hoped that shorts would be the order of the day. The obligatory bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes and a glass of orange and mango and I was on my way along the river to the office. It’s nice not to have to drive and a pleasant walk but boy oh boy it’s hot out here. I gave Jem a quick call which was a bit of a role reversal as it’s usually her calling me on her walk from the Forest to college. Once again I was nice and sweaty by the time I got to work but the air con soon cooled me down. Time to get settled into some work but not before I find somewhere to live. As I feared it’s not as easy as I thought it would be but I managed to arrange a viewing at Ridge on Leichhardt at 2 o’clock. I’m hoping to get somewhere between work and the City if possible but will probably have to settle for what I can get.

Ian asked me to sit in on a workshop looking at the bid successes and failures for the last year. It was good to actually concentrate on work and also a chance to get to know some of the team. Mark, Mike and Adam all seem like good guys and I was able to contribute a bit to the discussions. Then it was time to head off to look at the apartment.

Spring Hill is exactly that and it was a bit of a slog to reach Ridge. I met Sally on reception and she turned out to be from Leeds. She gave me keys to 2 apartments but both were pretty ordinary compared to my Oasis room. I told her I had more to look at and decided to head into the City to get a Telstra Modem stick. Mark had told me they definitely had the best coverage. On the way I spotted a Qantas office so went in and changed my Sydney flight to the Saturday. Even if Jemma doesn’t come out it will give me more time with Mark. I found the Telstra shop and ended up with the Turbo model. The salesman convinced me it would be better for skype video calls.

The walk back to Coronation Drive took a bit longer than it should. When I decided to head downhill towards the river, I forgot that the river forms a big U around the CBD and ended up going the wrong way. Ah well, I got to see some more of the City. By the time I’d walked home after work I’d put some miles in and bizarrely my comfy Clarks shoes had given me a couple of blisters.

I’d not had a chance to grab any food during the day so tested out the kitchen and made myself some pasta and salad. How healthy is this trip going to be. I just realised I haven’t had any alcohol since I got off the plane.

Day 5 – Friday 22nd January

I tried the new modem stick out on the skype and had a great chat with Jem. It worked loads better than before but her video cut out after a while. Amy had been round to see her and Harry not long before I called. We spoke for a while about whether she should come out and I showed her some great flights I’d looked at last night. We’d pretty much decided to book the flights but then changed our minds again because Jem thought I should spend my time with Mark, especially as he’s taken time off work. It’s an impossible decision really because we both know what a great time we’d have if she does come out and we keep saying “it’s the things you don’t do that you regret”. I thought about it all the way to work and reckon I’ve pretty much resigned myself to not seeing Jemma until April. Time to just get on with it.

Later in the morning I finally got my accommodation sorted when Jan at the Oasis confirmed I could stay in Apartment 18. It’s a bit more than I wanted to pay but I’m not going to get anywhere better. She also confirmed that she can put me up in March too. That gives me a fall back if I can’t get anything else so I moved on to finding something in Perth. My god I’ll be happy when everything is booked.

I decided not to go to the cricket so I could get myself set up for next week. I even got round to speaking to Juliet Wolfe at SKM and sorting a couple of appointments with her. I think I’ll be able to start making some progress next week, though it’s Australia Day on Tuesday and apparently the world goes a bit crazy. That should be interesting!

Back home and I watched the Aussies chase down 274 to beat Pakistan and decided to grab an early night.