Mister Brisbane: Bah, humbug
Where to go, and what to do for Christmas
As I write this, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has just announced an early lifting of state border restrictions, to December 13+, by which time we will have passed the 80-percent fully-vaccinated mark. This will, of course, lead to an influx of COVID-19 and, arguably even worse, southerners*.
But will it mean that I am free to book a trip to anywhere in Australia, let alone anywhere in the world, for my three-week Christmas break? Of course it won’t.
Now I’m not Neville No Friends. There are places I can go to be with friends and/or family during the festive season. But I wanted to be on a cruise. I had a cruise booked — but it was cancelled from under me, because the cruise operators and the government haven’t yet come to terms over a return to sailing.
If the land borders are open, so should the sea border — at least for cruises up and down the Australian coastline and to “safe” nearby destinations. But they won’t be for ages, because you can’t just make cruising happen overnight.
Not happy.
*It’s a joke, OK?
+I originally wrote Dec 10. I was wrong.
FREE RIDE
On a jollier note, to encourage us all to go shopping in the local economy, Brisbane City Council is offering free bus travel on all its buses from December 10-12 and December 17-19. There’ll be no need to pay or use your go card.
SURPRISE MENU ITEM
I wrote last week about cane toads being on the march again. This week, I note that geckos are back — even at Macca’s. I quite like having them around, but I know they freak some people out. Feel free to share your lizard stories!
DEEP THINK
Is there a German word to describe the impulse felt by a person who used to be a big fan of a TV or movie franchise (and still obviously cares deeply for it) to be the first one to tell social media how crap the latest installment is?
Disclaimer: I have been guilty of this.
RARE MEDIUM
I believe that, in some quarters, vinyl records are a thing again. But is the cassette making a comeback too? Paul Weller, a.k.a. The Modfather, has released an orchestral version of some of his back catalogue — including songs from The Jam and The Style Council — and it’s available in formats including CD (remember them?) and cassette tape. [Insert joke here about needing a pencil.]
FEEDBACK
After my item last week on cane toads, I organised an interview for 4BC in which expert Rick Shine told Peter Psaltis that the creatures had pretty much become part of our ecology now and we’re just going to have to live with them. He noted that. although the toads had no natural predators when they arrived in Australia, some species were now eating them. Still, a lot of people don’t like them and are keen to see the back of them.
Sally says: “Throw Dettol on it.”
Malcolm recalls the way his father dealt with cane toads with a hockey stick back in the 1960s and 70s, while Lisa followed the once-popular advice of collecting toads and putting them in plastic bags then into the freezer “to go into the endless sleep”. She adds: “I gather these days that may not be the most humane way.”
Jan points out: “Some native frogs can look similar, hard to spot difference! Please do some research [before killing them].”