Local movie theatre

 About this time last year I heard that our cinema in the shopping centre was closing down. Before covid we had probably been going four or five times a year. As we were members it was a cheap outing at $8 for a couple of hours entertainment.

Closure happened in April. In September they were advertising reopening soon. The cinema was at the end of the eatery so not an area that I go to very often.

Big fanfare and they reopened just before Christmas, not only had it been revamped it is a different chain called Limelight with another one west of Brisbane and a third in a suburb that we used to live in Canberra.

We went to see A man called Otto today starring Tom Hanks as well as his son, who played the younger Otto. Good movie, bit of a feel good one in the end.

Seats are comfortable and lot of leg room, Tuesday is the cheaper day to go and it was $19.

Sighting

 Leaving parkrun the other day, this is what I spied sitting on the bridge. I was able to get reasonably close and take a couple of photos before he decided to take flight.

United Cup Tennis

 No Brisbane International tennis this year instead it is the new United Cup. Six country teams are playing in Brisbane, another six in Sydney, our Australian team is there and a further six teams in Perth.

Seven days of tennis and then two days of finals in Sydney, very unlikely that Australia will qualify for the finals. Our two top ranked player had to pull out due to injury a couple of days before it started.

Warren volunteered again this year but changed for evenings to days. Getting home on the trains was an issue in previous years and even more so this year with some lines cancelled during the holidays to connect with the new tunnel.

As a volunteer, Warren could have twenty tickets and chose from what was available, before vollies were given two lots of two tickets up in the nosebleed seats.

I went to the games two days and had good seats, about in the middle with minimal stairs, the rest Warren gave away to friends.

Family pics across the years

 First time we have all been together for over six years when Rob and Lindsay flew up to visit.

It wasn't planned but goes oldest on left, then middle and youngest on the right.

Cleaning out a couple of drawers a few days later, I discovered some old photos.

I think this one is the oldest, not sure where or when it was taken. I think it is a professional photo and Rob, middle has braces on his teeth so he would have been 16 or 17, now 48.

A couple of years later, the house we were in was in Canberra and Jason, oldest must have been visiting as he never lived in that house. As we have lived in lots of houses, we identify photos and time by where we were living.

Eggs Benny.

 Warren ordered these for breakfast at one of our bnb stops whilst walking Hardians Wall in England. When it came out I was envious as it looked and smelt so good. I had never had it before.

Our favourite coffee shop at home does a pretty mean one of eggs Benny and we often share one now for lunch. We were there last week and put in an order with a coffee each. As the waitress approached our table with two plates and I could see the eggs, I thought that Warren had ordered one each as I knew I couldn't eat a full serve. She laughed at seeing my face as she said she could tell what I was thinking but they had prepared one dish and already had put it on two plates to save us having to lean over and share from one. We agreed that maybe poker playing was something I should avoid as my face was very telling.

A couple of days later I decided to make eggs Benny at home as I had almost everything.

My version, toasted bread spread with 🥑, lettuce, grilled bacon, poached eggs with Mayo 

Santa's Elf

 Rained in the night and so I took the opportunity to walk Lucy on our longer walk. There's not a lot of shade on the first part so when it's hot I avoid it.

Silly me, I wore my leather thongs as i t was cool but I didn't realise how much it had rained. There were puddles, large ones on many of the paths.

Santa's little helper was too slow getting out the car this morning, quite cute so had to snap a pic.

Bumper stickers.

 Some of these are fun, some are plain stupid.

Today driving to the shopping centre, I saw one that I had not seen before but it certainly made me smile.

It was on the top of a 4wd and stated "Sorry if I am slowing you down, vehicle and driver are both nearing retirement".