Mister Brisbane: Brunch at Bunnings
Would you like hardware with that?
It’s always a joy to discover a funky, inexpensive spot that nobody knows about, and then ruin it by telling everyone about it. Last week, while out shopping, I rested my weary legs and treated myself to a delicious muffin and a better-than-mediocre latte for the knock-down bargain price of $8. Where did I find such a bargain? At Bunnings, of course. All the attention may be on the sausage sizzle outside the store, but the real action is in the café near the nursery. (At least that’s where it is in the Cannon Hills Bunnings.) The place is huge, so giving customers a place to recharge makes sense. And who doesn’t like watching people buy hardware and assorted other items they didn’t even know they needed?
As dining experiences go, I can confidently say that it’s not exactly up there with [insert name of trendy inner-urban eatery here]. The latte was a little frothy for my taste, but the orange muffin really was good. And I couldn’t complain about the value, or the atmosphere. Next time I want to indulge on a budget? IKEA, here I come.
Tune in to the Mister Brisbane radio show on Reading Radio at 1296AM and on DAB+ in Brisbane at 6.30pm on Tuesday nights. It’s also available as a podcast. Just search for “Mister Brisbane” on your favourite player or follow this link.
OUR TV TASTES
As an experiment, I’ve examined the television ratings reports from random days and re-ordered the top 10 based solely on the Brisbane viewership numbers rather than the national tally. It threw up some surprises — and it demonstrates that we really are different up here. The most obvious difference — and one that’s repeated day after day is that Seven News wins nationally, but Brisbane prefers the Nine News. Seven only wins overall because it’s overwhelmingly the station of choice in Western Australia, home to the network boss Kerry Stokes. On recent results, we are also more fond of Hot Seat than The Chase Australia, which wins the pre-news battle nationally. Recently, more of us watched Home And Away than Hard Quiz, although it’s the other way around on the totals; but in the head-to-head race, we preferred A Current Affair to Home And Away. And we’re not as keen on the ABC’s 7.30 as other Australians.
It’s Radiothon week at Reading Radio. Help fund the move to new premises by donating here.
MAGIC MIKE
Thanks to Scott Emerson for reminding me of Brisbane-born songwriter and producer Mike Chapman. Haven’t heard of him? Well, along with collaborators, chiefly Nicky Chinn, Chapman wrote hits for Suzi Quatro, The Sweet, Smokie, Blondie, The Knack, New World, Pat Benatar, Huey Lewis and the News, Mud, and Tina Turner, among others. Think Can the Can, Devil Gate Drive, She’s In Love with You, Hey Mickey, Heart of Glass, The Best, My Sharona, Rapture, Tiger Feet, Love is a Battlefield… You don’t often hear his name, but Chapman could well be the most successful, if not the best, songwriter to come out of Brisbane.
DATING UPDATE
An update on my online dating adventures …
As I’ve already mentioned here, the biggest problem is that you just don’t whether the person you’re talking to is real or who they say they are. I’ve been trying to sort them out by various means, and I’ve already sprung one or two frauds by the language they use. One clue is that they come on very strongly from the go-get. Here are a few examples of initial approaches that rang warning bells for me:
And, most disturbing of all …
POD POSITION
Thanks to James Cridland from Podnews for these Spotify podcast search results for the term “Brisbane”. I can handle being beaten by Bluey’s Brisbane, and I’m ecstatic about being listed ahead of the Unpacking Brisbane people, who are very good.
POINT TO PONDER
“Nobody knows anything.” That phrase was, possibly, uttered by screenwriter William Goldman when he asked about the secret of making a blockbuster movie. But it could apply in just about any situation where chance is a factor. For example, while I (quite rightly) remain near the bottom of the points table in the office footy tipping competition, I am ahead of some people who ostensibly know more about the game than I do. Everybody gets it wrong sometimes, even those who know the most about the matter at hand. Why am I saying this? Because it’s worth remembering that nobody is perfect. Equally, while everyone deserves respect, nobody is beyond reproach.
FEEDBACK
On the subject of self-service checkouts, Ted says: “I have never used one and never will. For many reasons ranging from putting people out of work, corporate types using technology to cut costs, to racist incidents in FNQ where Indigenous people who have used them are regularly checked to make sure they’re not stealing anything.”
Christine says: “I question the hygiene of them.” Jeff says: “Job killers. I’d rather wait a few extra minutes in queue.” And Alan adds: “I had to call my daughter for help the first time I saw one in a Brisbane supermarket!”
However, Peter says: “When you’ve bought $200 worth of groceries in the weekly shop, and find they’ve been crammed into the bags like old laundry (resulting in broken eggs, crushed bread and leaking containers) the option of a self-service checkout becomes VERY tempting indeed!”
Regarding junk mail, Terry says: “You need an Australia Post Mail Only sticker because leaflet droppers (particularly politicians) will say their messages are not junk. I actually intercepted someone putting a political leaflet in my No Junk Mail letterbox and that was the reply when I challenged him. Mind you, I suspect most of them would ignore whatever sticker you use.”
On the subject of Australia Post’s reduced service, Joker says: “2.5 deliveries a week are bogus man.” And I’m not sure what that means.
Ed Sheeran says be careful
Ed Sheeran says be careful