Brisbane – Part 2 – Mitchell News

Following a break visiting friends and family in Auckland, Adelaide and Sydney – we returned to Brisbane for another short stint before heading off to Canada and Italy.

Much of this time has been spent finalising arrangements for Canada.

Whilst in Italy in 2017 we bought back a few bottles of really nice wine. Many of the Italian wines work well with apperitivo’s. We enjoyed putting together a few of our own apperitivo and enjoying our wine on the balcony. Arguably, the best wine in Italy is either their Brunello or their Barolo. We had nice bottles of each – my favourite is the Barolo which comes from the Piedmont region. We were fortunate to have a nice 2006 bottle of Barolo – YUM.

During our time in Brisbane, the Commonwealth Games were held at the Gold Coast. The games were preceded by a baton relay. The relay passed by close to where we are staying and we took the opportunity to go and have a look. It is amazing what a large contingent of officials and security accompany the relay. Many of the spots along the route were busy with spectators. We were fortunate that where we went was relatively quiet.

Whilst the games were on, Glenda had been asked to help with some work in Singapore. After dropping Glenda off early at the airport I went down to watch the cycling time trial. I found a great spot which was setup with seating, food and a big screen allowing us to follow the action. It is amazing how fast the guys (and girls) cycle. One second they are on their way and the next they have gone past where I was standing.

I also went to down to watch the para triathlon and the mixed team triathlon. It was amazing seeing how well the para athletes coped and in particular, one of the Aussie competitor’s had an accident on the cycle leg which damaged one of the hand cranks meaning he had to complete the reaming 60% of the course using one hand (similar to trying to cycle with one pedal). He was probably a good chance for gold but managed to come in for bronze. What an effort.

The mixed team triathlon was fantastic to watch. Each country had 2 men and 2 women in the team. It was a closely fought race with Australia beating England largely thanks to Ashleigh Gentle gaining the upperhand during her stint. England probably went in favourites having both Brownlee bothers (triathlon royalty) in their team.

Running in Brisbane is great with many options along the river. Most Saturdays, Walter went off running with some mates whilst Glenda completed the Southbank Parkrun. For anybody wanting to get out for a little bit of exercise, Parkruns are 5km run or walk events held all over the world. No cost – check them out. Since leaving for New Zealand Glenda has struggled to get a sebaceous cyst sorted and recently had an operation in Sydney. This has meant no running for a month – not ideal given we are running the Vancouver half marathon beginning of May. Anyway, Walter was left to fly the flag at parkrun. The Southbank Parkrun is a particularly big one with 800 or so participants.

On a final note, we have been very fortunate finding a great Church in Brisbane where we were welcomed the first day and have made many new friends (http://lifecity.com.au/). They meet in an old theatre building – a beautiful space.