January Feature

Photo: Sketa Oz Images

My plan for January 1st, 2019, was to kick-start my New Year with absolute vigor and inspiration!  I got off to a great start - getting out all my messages early, wishing everyone all the best for the coming year - even got to the fireworks in Queens Park.  Gosh, I felt good.  I thought, this is the way to do things.  Maybe, I will go a step further.

A week ago, I planned to pop down to Brisbane to deliver an electronics attachment to my son, in Brisbane.  This was left in my car by mistake, last time he visited for Xmas.  So, I thought I would kill two birds with the one stone - pop down to Brisbane, spend New Year together and see it in with that BANG! I mentioned earlier. 

At a little after half twelve, I started up the car - filled the tank full of petrol - gave the windscreen a quick de-bug and I was off, down the Toowoomba range.  I was feeling pretty good, given it was New Year.  So, on the way, I decided to wish my social media friends all the best!  An hour and a half later, feeling a bit dry, I popped into a servo for a refresher and rang my little darling. 

​"Hmmm. - no answer?"

Photo: Sketa Oz Images

Photo: Sketa Oz Images

I remember Ethan saying, he was going out for a drink with a mate. He wasn't sure when he might be back, but if I rang when I arrived, he'd pick up.  So I rang again, once I arrived outside the apartment complex.  Alas, no pickup.  What to do?  Do I just drop the attachment in the letterbox?  No go, it was too big.  Maybe, leave it at the front door where anyone could pick it up?  Not a good idea.  "Hmmm, I'll ring the buzzer, again.  He might be back."  Eth's not that into drinking, so I thought my man would be there for sure.  Alas no. 

Feeling rather dejected for having come down to Brisbane, only to be met by, "Please leave a message."  I decided, the best bet was to leave the attachment under the bench, leave him a message and drive back to Toowoomba.  New Year was not going as planned. "What a damper!  I can't let this be my entire New Year. "

Photo: Sketa Oz Images

Photo: Sketa Oz Images

So, I put the key in the ignition and drove off to the centre of town and began a lovely stroll of window shopping, in the middle of Brisbane.  So much had changed since last I was there, and everything looked so Christmas-y.  The shops sparkled and a quiet emptiness filled the mall - it was quite unusual for New Year.  The roads on the way down to Brisbane too, were incredibly quiet.  Nobody seemed to be doing anything out of the ordinary.  If I didn't know that it was New Year, it could have been any other night in the week.  Weird!  

As you can see, not even the Christmas tree was still alight.  A security guard, sitting on a nearby post, said he was watching the tree. 
"Watching the tree?" 
Yeah, I am guarding it."

From what I could see, the tree could have been on fire and nobody would have noticed - it was that quiet.  So I just exclaimed, "really?" and went about my  New Year window shopping - as one does, at 3~4 am in the morning.  However, given I don't do this sort of thing on a regular basis, I was racking up quite an appetite.  Yes, I felt like an early breakfast! Well, I couldn't leave Brisbane until I had actually done something down here.  "What a great idea!"  

I rock back up to Jimmy's on the Mall - by this time it is about 5 am.  No-one is within coo-ee - except a few lovebirds, the street cleaners and a couple of fellas setting up or cleaning up - I don't know which.  I ask if they are open for breakfast. 
"No.  Not until 6 am." 
"Oh."  I ask if they could arrange, maybe a coffee.  With raisin toast? 
"Yes.
"Oh, Great!"

Another fella comes back to me and says, "sorry the kitchen is closed - so we can't do raisin toast, but you can have anything from cheesecake to muffins from the Bay Marie. "  By this time, I was feeling quite despondent.  Thinking to myself, the act of tanning the old raisin toast must have suddenly, become quite arduous.  "Hmmm - I understand."

I wander some more, thinking, 'is this the best I can do?'

I trundle back to the car, resolute never to do this sort of impetuous, New Year's stint again.  I drive over the bridge toward South Bank - my favourite haunt.  The river is incredibly still, Brisbane wheel has stopped and little old me says, "This is 2019 - Breakfast, I am going to get!"

To my surprise, not only did I find a coffee-shop, just opening for breakfast - I got to watch my first sunrise on the bank of the Brisbane river, while eating a croissant, supping on coffee, watching New Year's Day rise in mighty splendor! 

What a wonderful start to 2019!