It's windy though, said the pilots

Qantas pilots discuss matters arising

Waiting at Brisbane airport to come back to Sydney after Peter Grimes,  I visited the Watermark Books and Cafe for a Campos coffee. Next to me were three Qantas pilots discussing their flights.
"Weather looks alright," they said.
"Yes, but it's windy."
A friend said later that comment would have stressed her out,  but I was so busy trying to sketch the pilots without being obvious that I didn't really think about what they were saying
It was a bit bumpy in the air, but nothing like the lumps and bumps on the way up two days earlier. 

Brisbane: cars roar and cars roar

Brisbane is a city for cars, noisy racing smelly cars. The roar of cars is everywhere, sometimes loud, sometimes a dull roar.  Two days here is plenty for me because I've been a pedestrian. It's like being a pedestrian on a race track.

I am staying not far from the cultural centre of the city, the South Bank. To get there I walk over a bridge dodging down an unmarked  set of steps at the other side to get away from the roar.

At the QPAC (Queensland Center for Perfoming Arts) last night the comments by two couples about my plan to walk home after the concert were instructive.
The Queenanders who had come from Melbourne 50 years ago said " Oh it's a short walk, you probably wont won't need a taxi. And it very safe too!"
The born and bred Queenslanders said " Oh that's a long walk!"
Those comments say a lot about Brisbane.  I did walk home and at a brisk pace it took little more than 15 minutes.

C'mon electric car makers, get a move on. Make our cities livable.

From the bridge at night. The pink poles are on the neighbouring bridge