To be fair

...that house isn't really "typical" but it is distinctively Brisbane, and specifically, Queensland. So much of what I've seen could be plunked down anywhere in the USA and wouldn't be unusual. But, one almost never sees this kind of house in the US. I did see that kind of architecture in Singapore. The verandas are the give-away...you need them for shade and protection from the rain. Frequently, they have slotted timber structures to create shade.

One thing I loved about Singapore was how it is possible to go from building to building in the open air yet under a roof. So necessary in that city state, what with daily, heavy rains. I saw that mostly in the commercial districts. I've never seen connected structures in Brisbane...too spread out, not enough population density, and besides, it hasn't rained that often, nor that hard here.

Still, the house in the photo is a very typical old house in Brisbane. Wish I lived in one...looks like a marvellous adaptation for the weather.

On the Road

Typical Suburban House,
originally uploaded by BrisbaneBryce.

I took a bike ride the other day and realized I had never posted a photo of a typical house in Brisbane. This photo pretty much sums it up. The white house is known as a Queenslander, and shows characteristic red metal roof, white paint, all around veranda, shade, and brown trim. This one is kind of fun, with the Chinese demon-catchers at the tips of the gables. Note the Telstra phone in front and the standard issue office block in the background, along with the palm tree. Old school!

It's Been Busy

I'm back online after an extended absence. I've been trying to do the authoritative post, but, as always, ended up putting it off until I had the right amount of time. Which will probably be never. So here goes.

After my Dad's funeral, I returned to Brisbane, with a very brief stop-over in San Francisco to take care of some business, visit with some friends, and have a few moments to recover before heading back into the maelstrom. Once I got back here, I had about a week to get back on local time, lots of paperwork, and oh, so many distractions. And, then, I had two new employees I had to get trained. My co-worker and I alternated days, one day in the office, one day training them in my flat. Thank my stars I had the foresight to get extra space and the wherewithal to provide enough room to train them. We had laid out a 6 week training regime that ended up taking less that three. I had to delay a week while we undertook some high priority work for a customer. We got them all the way through the course, eventually, and integrated into the company.

The very next week, the day after my new folks had started full-time, and I was actually looking forward to a more regular schedule, it was announced that my company had been bought...for a lot of money. This throws everything up into the air again. It's been a hectic week, trying to sort through the meaning of it all, how this will affect me, and more importantly, how it will affect my employees. And, of course, it puts all sorts of plans for the next several years into stasis. Ah, well. Interesting times.