Saying Goodbye to Spring
7 years ago
In my first few years here, I have only been shopping at Woolworths. I am not really sure of the reasoning. Mcj has always been shopping there. May it be due to convenience? And I remember now that he said, because Woolies are fully Australian owned. Okay, I am okay with that.
My MIL had been shopping everywhere, Aldi and Woolies. Plus she bought meat from the butcher.
We moved suburbs and then the prices of groceries are just sky-rocketing. I found myself shopping at Aldi for our main household items that I can get there like coffee, washing powder, frozen veggies and some fresh veggies. I still shop at Woolies though for items like ice cream, good quality meat, treats and drinks. I also shop at Costco. Can't be a member without shopping there. I buy some bulk products but primarily stuff that we don't need. Lol.
So where am I leading to this? With my location, I can shop to any supermarket. The competition is so high that it is good for the consumers as the price is really competitive. But I found that price is not the only driving factor why people shop at their favourite shops. It's also the quality, convenience and there's still some loyalty in there and I am not talking of the loyalty cards either.
I heard, there's another german shop coming up but I am not sure that we will get one near our place. I just hope that you don't have to be a member to shop there.
When I first got here, the price of fuel per litre was less than a dollar. I am talking about petrol or unleaded. That was the end of 2005. Now, when the cycle is on it's peak you get to pay almost $1.50. When it's the cheapest, you pay about $1.20. And that is in Costco where you have to pay $60/year to become a member and avail the discounts on the fuel and groceries.
My question is why is the prices so high. It can't be due to Australia dollar. When it was almost at par or over with the US dollar, the fuel prices didn't change at all. Now, it's around 70c and the price is almost the same.
Another question. Why is the diesel dearer than unleaded. You would think that a fuel that requires less processing would be cheaper, isn't it?
This I got from Facebook. And look at the house and the view. I could retire here. Amazing.
Today is Bathurst 1000. Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race. It's a 1000 km circuit in Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW. It's considered the pinnacle of the racing in Australia. It is called The Great Race by the people.
Every year, on the second weekend of October our lounge room is dominated by the sound of cars engine revving and whatever else noise the cars make. But this is normal in our household. We mainly watch sports of any form. I don't complain as I like sports myself.
I got the chance to see the opening of the program and it was electric even on TV. It's in Mcj's bucket list to see it live.
Some of the snaps I took of the super hornet at the start of the race.
At Redcliffe again. It's a quaint place with shops lining the streets fronting the water. There's a jetty for people to venture out or do fishing.
The Redcliffe council has put created a sort of shrine to honour the Beegees (Brother Gibbs). The Beegees Way. It's an alley way that goes from the main street fronting the seafront to the next street. I t is flanked by walls of the shops.
These are the photos I took and I'll try to give you an idea of what it looks like from the sea front towards the end.
The walls display their hits and their journey. There's a huge tv in the middle that plays one of their interviews and some of their music video. I learned that Bill Gates gave them their name and lauch their career.
One thing that I really like is that they all stayed with the same girl/wife. Quite different in the modern world.
I don't frequent the city. Infact, I seldom go there but I do passby the place every day on weekdays while on a train. You get to see some tall buildings around Roma street station.
This is the Infinity tower - I heard it's the tallest in Brissie.
I have never enjoyed football as much as last Friday. The broncos nailed it. They were just magnificent. A solid team.
Then, the cowboys are all over the Storm. I actually felt bad for the Storm and the Roosters.
Anyway, it's all Queenslanders in the GF.
In case you're wondering, I am talking of the NRL. It's another variation of football but they use less kicking and foot. But they don't wear padding on their shoulders and no helmets either. It's a very manly sport and very dangerous as well.
So well done you guys!
Last Friday in our local park, "Is Everybody Here" event was held. It was an event for disabled people in our area. It was quite nice of them. We didn't get there until past 6PM - after work. We were able to catch up with friends, roam around and watch the fireworks. Nice way to cap the week, really.
Aside from plants, there are many things that are very interesting at the Botanic Garden in Brissie. These are some of them.
Every Sunday, there's a market a few minutes away from home. It's not a farmers market per se but it could be because there are lots of stalls selling fresh produce. There are craft stalls as well. I happen to drop by last Sunday to roam around without.
You can buy almost anything there. It's a good spot for having coffee and snack on a Sunday morning.
If you're going to Sydney and your destination is just around and within the city, it is better to get around by the airport link train. I've used this service thrice now and I have no complaints. It's quick and easy. It doesn't come cheap but not as expensive as going to Brisbane Airport I'd say. I suppose, you have to factor in the distance of the airports from the city.
At the shop today, there are displays of orchids for the Orchid Society in the area. Some I've seen so far, some are new.
I only took photos for those that were or won the competition. There are orchids for sale as well.
It has been a long time since I went to Costco but yesterday, I had a reason to go. I needed to buy a flea treatment for Mable. Of course, while there I filled-up my car. I was only 115.9c/liter for unleaded fuel. That was really good price.
Costco is not always synonymous to cheap or reasonable price. I only buy things that are comparably cheap. But everytime I go there, I spend more for something that I don't really need. Hmmm.
This time, the thongs. Yes, they were cheap even compare to the prices in the Philippines. Of course, I bought 4 pairs.
We don't live that far from Costco - about 15 minutes drive through the highway. At this point, I am not really sure that it was worth paying $60 for membership. We don't ship there as often.
At Wellington Point, there are these giant trees right next to the beach. I can't remember what they are called but in the Philippines, we call them rubber tree.
These trees are massive and they provide shelter to most of the playground and barbecue area. Kids and adults are allowed to climb on them.
Right in the middle of Brisbane City, a beautiful garden exists. The Botanic Garden. It's a different world altogether. People who live in the city is lucky to have such a paradise in their midst. It's a very short drive, mind you.
And in the middle of the garden, exist the Planetarium where you can see a lot of exhibits on everything about the space and the world beyond. You can go to a 3D tour or show.
And the best thing? Entry to the garden and planetarium is free except the shows.
Ice cream vans peddling ice cream in suburbs are common in Australia. There are so many franchise available such as Mr Whippie, Home Ice Cream, etc.
They are especially popular in summer of course, in fairs, at beaches, in the markets and sometimes in kids birthday party.
The Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line. It is an Australian invention. It is still a common fixture in Australian suburban homes. The look, colour and style might have changed over the year but it has the same purpose. It makes hanging of clothes fun and easy. Also, the clothes dry really quickly.
When we bought our house, there's one in the backyard but because we have to put-up a massive shed, it has been removed. Now, we still have a hills brand of clothes line but it's not the rotary type. It's a space saver, one that you affix to a wall or a fence. It's not as good as the rotary style in drying clothes but will do.
It's a favourite dessert in Australia. The origin of this dessert is a never-ending argument between Australia and New Zealand. It was told that the dessert was created in honour of the Russian ballerina named, Anna Pavlova. Wikipedia says, the dessert is pronounced differently than the last name of the dancer.
The dessert is meringue-based and usually topped with fruit. Fruit with tangy taste go well with pavlova such as strawberry, kiwi, passion fruit. Adding whipped cream is optional but really, it makes it taste better. Or maybe, it just makes it more fatty.
