I love long weekends. So much better
than ordinary ones because there is extra time to do all the things
you want to do: one day for having fun, one day to relax and one day
to catch up on life's jobs.
This long weekend, however, I had plans
to do very little to make up for a recent hectic run of fabulous
weekends. For instance, Saturday, all I have to show for Saturday was
this photo of a cake I made. It doesn't look very exciting but it's a
German recipe by ex-boss gave me, it was simple and it's delicious.
As usual I got too impatient to eat it to bother with icing.
On Sunday Chuck and I headed out to
Cleveland to enjoy the sunshine on Moreton Bay. There were markets
on, a mix of farmers and craft and it was an absolutely perfect day
to be by the sea.
At the street markets.
Looking out over Moreton Bay to Stradbroke.
Brunch under the lighthouse.
After Cleveland we headed a little way
north to the mouth of the Brisbane River to visit Fort Lytton. I had
never heard of Fort Lytton until a couple of weeks ago when Chuck
mentioned it.
Fort Lytton is a small collection of
installations, guns and museums that looks out over the mouth of the
river towards the airport. Built in 1881, during WWI and WWII it was
a key defensive base for both sea and air attacks on Brisbane, a
major training facility and played a significant part in the South
Pacific Campaigns as a signal relay station.
The site is more extensive then you
might imagine and you are free to walk around the museums and guns as
much as you wish. Only open on Sundays, it is looked after by
ex-military men who greet you, take you on tours around the site and
are very happy to chat about the Fort and its role in Queensland's
military history. You can bring a picnic and fire up one of the BBQs.
Even if you're not into military history, it's a lovely spot to spend
a beautiful Queensland Sunday.
Even as far back as the 1890s Brisbane
residents would travel to Lytton to see the spectacular military
parades and ceremonies performed for the public. Even today, on
special occasions Fort Lytton puts on its ceremonial garb and the
public are invited to watch re-enactments, including the firing of
the large 64-pounder guns out into the mouth of the Brisbane River.
On the upcoming Queen's Jubilee long weekend, on both Saturday and
Sunday there will be re-enactments of military battles, starting with
the Romans and culminating in the firing of the guns. We were told
it's a great family day out.
The 'disappearing gun'. The recoil would make it disappear into it's undercover shelter.
Navigation for the disappearing gun.
Sunday night was of course the start of MasterChef 2012, a near sacred night in our house. I'm almost more excited that I one of my favourite blogs, It Lacks Acidity, is now up and running again, with it's daily dose of MasterChef sarcasm and vitriol.
Sounds like a nice weekend. I really should explore my area more some weekends!
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