And finally. After returning to Brisbane for the umpteenth time and living here for my first 21 years. I took a river ferry for the first time today. The river is actually very pleasant. Much more treed than I would have expected. The last few year has seen a greater focus on it (apartments etc). But with all of that, it is still very brown and murky.

I suppose I shouldn't really post about this because I'm not going to make the relevant links. I have read with interest a few of the special articles that the Australian has been running about the modern working environment, interesting, if not sometimes rather obvious. Then last wekend I read with interest the editorial where they explaind again how they had gone thorugh this exploration, and supported a conference with the ACTU and relevant academics. Within a matter of paragraphs they had assured us that the problems raised were mostly incorrect perceptions, or were at least valid trade-offs for something else much better. I wondered whether they knew they would be placing such an editorial before they even began the process.

Another admission for today. The fact that I have now spent 14 years in exile across the border to the south (south of Queensland that is) does show. Yes I have taken up visiting Qld in mid winter, exposing my pallid body to the sun and bathing in the surf at temperatures that most Queenslanders would never consider entering. Its really not all that cold, honest.

I have to admit, I have often sneered at those who frequent the high rise apartments on the beach front at Surfer's Paradise. However I did spend three nights at one last week and discovered there are some distinct and pleasurable advantages to being 15 floors up a lift journey away from the sand. The sound of the surf and the morning light refelcting from the ocean (particularly calm) were soothing and brought back memories of my Grandmother's house just down the road on the beachfront at Palm beach (though for much of my childhood the erosion meant there was often a sea wall rather than sand at the botom of the garden). Depressing to think that it is unlikely that I could ever afford to own something like that - something that my Grandfather, a simple carpenter, was able to afford. Makes me wonder whether our buying power/ standard of living has advanced much the last 50 years.

I dropped in to Byron Bay last week for the first time in about twenty years. It was a favoured location for May holidays with my family. Back then it was just a normal coastal town with the odd hippy leftover. Now it looks like Noosa, with the associated traffic jams. Palm Valley beach still looks delightful though, bringing back memories of catching long rides in the surf on the old inflatble surf mat. The scary dirt track down from the lighthouse has been replaced by a sedate cement path with safety rails, and it costs $5 just to park up at the Cape (we had elderly people with us, so walking wasn't an option).

Seen on the road: A street named "Short Cut".

A combination of holidays and lack of access is likely to result in significant levels of inactivity for the foreseeable future....