By Linda
Most of you dear readers know that my oldest daughter lives in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She's lived there since 2011, so hugs are far and few.
The last time I was able to hug my daughter Maddie was almost 2.5 years ago in December 2019, right after she and husband, James gave birth to their first son, Hayden. We heard rumblings of this "virus" on our trip and as we left back to the US through a very busy and packed international airport. My husband and I were so glad we were able to take that trip. Australia became locked down in March 2020 (immediately after Maddie's sister, Alice, and husband also visited).
You can imagine how anxious we were to see their family again. My son, Jasper and I decided as soon as Australia opened up fully to give our Aussie's hugs all around, this time to welcome a new little bub to our down under family.
My biggest worry was making friends with my grandson since he'd really only seen me on a big screen TV, and I still wasn't as interesting as Australia's biggest kid sensation, Bluey (actually, it's very funny)! I'm a bit jealous - in the pictures, you will see Jasper got cuddles right away. I'm still not a good as Mom and Dad, but when they are out of the house, I take all the attention Hayden will give me.
Still Jasper.
And as expected, the one-block-away coffee shop, Silky Oak, was the first stop after an upside-down sleep.
Fun fact: the barista has two sisters, and both played basketball at MSU!
Maddie knew I might want to visit a yarn shop. The Yarn Bowl opened in 2019 and is located on a quaint corner of the Banyo suburb. There aren't many in Brisbane, so I was lucky to have one relatively close.
Maddie playing the waiting game.
Fiona, the owner, toured me around between customers, and saw she carries a few yarns we do. Because of consistently warm weather, she carries mostly cotton and linens. and in lighter weights. She had a few chunky wools that I ended up purchasing to knit hats for the Stanfield boys.
This is the Havana Crocheted Blanket that I was thoroughly impressed with. Fiona said it hadn't spent a day at home - her clientele loves it! Our KPC Glencoul would be a most colorful choice for this project.
My Australian goodies for giveaways!
You can win one if you watch, comment and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
After yarn shopping, just around the corner was a sweet little restaurant called Putia. We had to ponder the beautiful presentation for a moment before tasting.
Belgian waffles topped vanilla custard, whipped cream & gelato & edible flowers.
Carmelized Gnoochi & butternut squash topped with a poached egg.
Mango, carrot & tumeric smoothie with edible garnish.
Maddie's sis-in-law, Kelly, hosted a small girls-only gathering at Reid's Place, a traditional Queenslander home & garden in nearby Scarborough that has been converted into a high tea event destination.
My final evening of Week One was a surprising one! Kelly had an extra ticket for a Bingo night at a local tavern, and invited me. It wasn't until we parked, that
Kelly turned to me and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, it's Drag Bingo!" . .
Me: Why didn't you tell me earlier?
Kelly: I didn't know if you'd go!
Me: You should have led with that - I would've said yes earlier!
Kelly, Veritee and me
I never win anything . . . except when it really counts - $100 !
Ask to see a video that couldn't be posted here.
Comments
Thanks for a colorful review of your trip to spend with family. Daughter time and grandchild time is so precious -you did it all and then some!!
What a great trip Linda. I don’t think it could get much better than that. Seeing your daughter and her family, your grandkids. Seeing a yarn shop and purchasing some yarn from them. Visiting a quaint little restaurant and exploring Australia a little bit. What a perfect trip. Hopefully many more to come.
Beautiful you…Beautiful family…Beautiful Australia. Thank you for sharing it. I want to see the video that couldn’t be posted here!