Not in the Christmas Mood

Spectacle Gardens, Roma Street Parklands







Oh dear! The lapses between postings are growing longer and longer. Unfortunately, I don’t really have any excuse; I just haven’t been very motivated, and it’s not just with writing. I’ve slacked off on exercising a bit too. Although I made it to my yoga/pilates class, it’s not the same as putting in 45 minutes on the bike or treadmill or swimming a kilometer. Maybe a bit of homesickness and lethargy are setting in. Then again, it’s hard to get excited about anything when it’s ninety degrees. Slowly I’m starting to remember the adaptations that we made when living in Indonesia, taking showers throughout the day, going to air-conditioned theaters for early afternoon showings, limiting weekend activities to swimming and playing cards or possibly a leisurely morning stroll. At least, I’m not on back on the clove cigarette and diet coke lunch plan, one on my worst Jakarta habits! The culture shock factor here is milder, more subtle compared to Asia. Not goat sacrifices across the street, just things you can't quite figure out, the same but different.

On the positive side, Mark, Erik and I still are getting out and exploring our corner of Queensland. Last weekend we went to Cunningham Gap, a hilly area about 100km west of Brisbane. We went for a “bush walk” to the top of “Mount” Cordeaux, which although only 2500 feet in elevation, had an excellent view. Too bad we forgot to pack the camera! Erik did a great job of keeping up the pace for the whole 8 kilometers and seemed to get quite of bit of satisfaction from beating mommy to the parking lot on the way down.

Mark recently purchased a new mountain bike and has been riding in the evenings and early weekend mornings. There are some great trails fairly near our house. It’s possible to ride the whole way, but since Mark prefers single-track riding to street riding, he usually hauls his bike in the Subaru and then hits the trail. I tried it out tonight and rode around some of the local bike paths and now want to upgrade from my $45 AUD thrift store bike. At least, I had a good ride and am in a better frame of mind.

Last Tuesday, I made a trip into the city to find a bookstore in the West End (an area near the central business district) then took stroll through Roma Street Parklands (see picture above) . The tropical gardens and lakes were beautiful but didn’t really help me get in the Christmas spirit. I think in some ways it was easier in Indonesia where Christmas wasn’t widely celebrated. No reminders, not many decorations. We just hopped plane to Bali and hung out at the beach, which actually isn’t all that different than our plans for this Christmas. We are heading north to Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. It’s just with Erik I need to make a bit more of an effort to have some of the same traditions: cookies, a little tree, presents etc.