Brisbane and back

We had a quick trip to Brisbane for a couple  of days late last week and it has taken me till now to find time to post!
The prime reason for visiting was so Bill could receive an award at a function of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute recognising his 50 years of membership - now he no longer has to pay to belong!
My sister came down to spend a day with us just being tourists.  Bill and I had visited the Ccity Hall a couple of years ago when it has just reopened, which is when I took the photo below.

 This time we were able to go up into the clock tower, which is a looong way up.  I had not been up there for over 50 years and workplace, health and safety has take over. We are not allowed out at the middle floor where you can really see the workings of the clock, and neither are we allowed to be at the top when the clock chimes!  In the old days there used to be a rush to get there when it chimed twelve.

 The Albert Street uniting church looks so tiny from up at the top.
When City Hall was built in the 1930s and right up till the 1960s it was the rallest building in the CBD and you could see it from everywhere - but not now.

 The guide told us a lovely story about the clock tower, which should have had a lot more carvings added to it as well as a peace angel at the very top.  Times were tough and the money ran out, but the worker adding the final bits was determined to have something up there.  He raided the local tip and found pipes and an old hand basin and other bits which I can't remember and fashioned it into a decoration which is still there  - not sure if you can see it in the photo.  I am afraid I shoot and guess!

There is an excellent art gallery in the building and one of the exhibitions on at present is the works of William Bustard.  I have only taken photos of the wonderful stained glass, including a working cartoon for the construction.  he did the stained glass in my local church where I grew up and I had always loved them.  He was a very talented painter of oils and water colours as well, but somehow I did not manage to take any photos of those.

 By then it was time for lunch. Barb had not been to the reconstructed Shingle Inn which is within the building, so we had to try that out. It is still just as good.

 Bill opted for traditional fish and chips and this is what came.  They have had the paper specially printed, with old time stories on it, al good fun.

 Following lunch we took a trip down river on the City Cat, always a lovely experience.  I was trying to get photos of the jacarandas, but you need grey skies to make them show up properly and they were also a bit past their best, but still lovely.  Brisbane is full of these lovely trees.
The storms treated us well and stayed away when we were out and about.  We were able to have a family get together with our son, Barb's son and wife and their 15 month old toddler, the get back to the hotel still dry.

 Bill and I went up river on the City Cat the next day.  This interesting bridge is one of the later day additions to allow uni students easy access from the southern side of the river to the university, saving at least a half hour trip through the CBD.

 This is not the photo I wanted to show you, just a general shot of the river.  I can't manage to delete it and I can't find the one I rally want!  I know I have downloaded it from my phone, but obviously my filing is not up to scratch.

We had some wonderful rain while we were away, our rainwater tank is full again.  There are some more storms around today so hopefully some more rain is on the way.  So far this year we have only had 45% of our average annual rainfall and there is not much time left to catch up.
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This last photo is of the brunsfesia in the corner of my neighbour's garden.  The perfume is glorious, I am enjoying hanging clothes on my clothes line just near it.
Now I had better go and water some of my pot plants which the rain will not reach.