This weekend past had been much anticipated. I was heading to Brisbane to see my daughters and parents. Given it was fathers day was also a bonus in terms of seeing my father.

The flight to Brisbane on Friday evening was particularly uncomfortable. My original flight had been cancelled and I was put on another flight with a different number although it left at the same time as the original booking. I didn’t question it, I was just happy to be flying to Brisbane. I should have realised however, that a cancelled flight would mean a very full cabin. I always like to board early so I can ensure my carry on bag gets a place in the overhead locker. As the last passengers were boarding, the passenger who would be next to me got on board. He was huge. He was at least 200 cm and an axe handle wide at the shoulders. I assume he was a footballer. He also had a garment bag and a large duffel. He could not find a space in any of the overhead lockers. In the end he stuffed the duffel under the seat in front of him and had the garment bag between his knees. This meant he flowed into my space and I had his knee pushing me into the aisle. Fortunately the flight is just under two hours. It could have been worse, he could have been morbidly obese or smelt bad.

Seeing the girls when I arrived was great. They are always so lively and happy, especially if they’ve just been to gymnastics training.

Saturday was a huge day. We were up early (0530 AEST) so Miss14 could do Miss10′s hair for her competition. Breakfast was jam on toast and instant coffee.

Jam on toast

Fortunately Miss14 just had training and no competition that day. We drove from Chermside West to Manly West (45 minutes) and dropped off Miss 10. We then drove to Ascot (35 Minutes) to drop off Miss14 to training before 0800 AEST. Miss16 and I then went back to Manly West to watch some of Miss10′s competition (another 35 minutes). It was a team event and it was a combination level 5/6. Miss10 is level 5 under under which means she is two years below the average age of the usual level 5 gymnast. Her club is the best in Queensland (based on competition results over many years) so she was in the white team while the more advanced girls were in the blue team. Even so, she and her white team mates did very well when compared to the other clubs present. She is such a talented athlete.

We had to leave early so Miss16 could make her hockey grand final. She started playing again this year after a few years off. She is in the Junior first division and her team had come runner up in competition. They were playing the minor premiers. The game was a nil all draw and according to the rules, both clubs shared the premiership. I was so proud of Miss16. It is great to watch her play sport. I wish she had continued swimming, she has a lovely body for swimming, long legs and powerful shoulders. Her butterfly stroke was beautiful.

I had dropped off Miss16 to pick up Miss14 so we could watch the game together. Hockey was being played at Downey Park in Windsor (30 minutes). A pleasant surprise was Mr40 and his kids coming along. Mr40 is my youngest brother. He became Mr40 last week so it was good to see him close to the big birthday.

After the medal presentations we drove back to Manly West and caught up with Miss10.

Hockey premiership medal for Miss16

She had a fall on the balance beam and had a blinder on the floor with a very high score. She seemed happy with her performance. We had to wait until 1520 AEST for the presentations which were very orderly.

One of the big things we were meant to do on the weekend is attend Riverfire 2011. This is an annual event in Brisbane and it had best been known for the F1-11 Aardvark (pigs) dump and burn. The RAAF F1-11s were retired last year. This year F/A18 super hornets (rhinos) flew in the afternoon. As we were driving back to Chermside West to get ready, we saw the F/A18s doing their thing in the air above Brisbane.

After a quick shower and change we drove to Alderley train station for the quick trip to South Bank. Riverfire is also known for the fireworks display which occurs over the stretch of the Brisbane River in front of South Bank.

I used my iPhone to capture a few short videos which I’ve uploaded to my Flickr Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/garylum/

The fire works were fantastic. We had a great vantage point. The fire works finished around 1945 AEST and then we went and had Subway for dinner.

We walked across the Brisbane River and headed to Central Station for a McDonalds snack of fries and a thick shake.

The trip home was largely uneventful except for some teenagers who were very drunk. Their behaviour wasn’t outrageous, they were inebriated and unable to make good decisions. One of the young girls needed to relieve herself and we were all hoping she wouldn’t do it on the train. She kept getting up at stops and telling her friends she needed the toilet.

On Sunday I woke to fathers day greetings and also wished my own father a happy day. In the preceding week Miss16 had asked what movies I’d seen this year which had been released on DVD. I had no idea what she was on about until I opened the present. I received #FastFurious5 plus chips and Peanut M&Ms which are my favourites.

Fathers day gifts

As a treat my mother and my daughters cooked us a really nice breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and pancakes.

Fathers day breakfast

We had a nice relaxing morning before I had to head to the airport.

Last night as I arrived home I started feeling unwell. Cephalgia, rhinorrhoea and pharyngitis. I have Manflu and stayed home from work today.