Getting to Burlington, Vermont

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As summer finally came to Adelaide, I was setting myself for a predawn flight to Sydney before flying to Los Angeles and then onto Charlotte and finally Burlington, Vermont, my destination for the Schlessinger Grossman Family Business Competition, where I was coaching a team of MBA students from Adelaide University.

This trip was going to confound my basic mantra of Slow Travel. I was flying out early  on a Sunday and returning 9 days later with a collective 3 plus days of travel.

Step one was preparing to travel to the other side of the world where the weather is completely different. It’s a challenge to get your head in the mind set  of a freezing cold winter when it’s quite the opposite where you are.

How to pack, what to pack? Nothing too hot for my travel as planes are notoriously warm, but with the knowledge that when I arrive in Burlington, it will likely be freezing. Marino wool socks, my Scarpa Boots, jeans and trusty Ralph Lauren jacket. In my carry-on were my Adel Uni polar fleece, my gloves and beanie. My beanie was fleece-lined.

I booked Premium Economy for the Sydney – LA and return leg and was lucky to get an upgrade to Business for the Adel – Syd leg. It meant an extra carry-on allowance but I always take the minimum on to the plane. I have luggage in the hold so an extra piece of carry on is just a hassle.  I say this because I am paranoid about having my carry-on near. Using my backpack means that I can either store it directly overhead or under the seat in front. I know I could get more in a roll-on bag, but as I was to see more than once on my flights, roll-ons were required to be stowed and not accessible during the flight. That would have done my head in!

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The Beatles – my most listened to in 2023

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Like everyone who subscribes to Spotify, at this time of the year, we receive the wrap of our listening for the year. I have posted on this topic in the past. It’s always interesting to see what I have listened to and what I listened to most.

There is always Springsteen with Born to Run, usually in my most listened to songs. In 2023, it was no different, however, it was my continued love of The Beatles and Paul McCartney that showed through. Band on the Run was among my most listened to songs; it’s the crashing guitars as the song breaks from its intro to the main song that I always notice, no matter how often I listen to it.

In 2023, The Beatles were my most listened to band.  On reflection, it was no surprise. I regularly pick one of their albums or songs to listen too. Often, I will listen to their albums from start to finish or from the start to Revolver or Sgt Peppers to Let it Be. Continue reading →

Port Douglas

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Four Mile Beach from the Coastal Path

We went to Port Douglas to escape the cold of an Adelaide winter. Our escape to North Queensland was well timed as Adelaide’s winter seemed to want to cling on.

It had also been a very hectic few months. We had been consumed by family matters. There were no major crises but just a series of bumps. We hoped Port Douglas would be the remedy and weren’t disappointed. It was hard not to immediately be aware of North Queensland’s relaxed lifestyle. All pretension is lost. It’s so refreshing compared to the angst of city life. I have a running theory that the further you are from the centre of the city the more relaxed lif is. 

I hadn’t been to Port Douglas since 1987, which was the year the infamous Christopher Skase opened The Mirage. On that occasion, I had a spare day on a work trip in Cairns and, with a work colleague, drove up. My chief recollection was having a Mocka Pie. You can still get them, but in 2023 Port Douglas is a thriving tourist town where Mocka’s  Pie Shop is a modern bakery just off Macrossan Street.

There are no dress codes, except that restaurants and bars seem to demand men wear a shirt!

We arrived in the evening and so didn’t take in the sites of the coast drive from Cairns airport to Port Douglas. It’s a drive of about 55 km and an hour’s duration.

When we planned this trip in December 2022, we were Northern Queensland novices. We had a basic understanding that the choices were Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas.  We decided against basing ourselves in Cairns, and so I asked a friend about Port Douglas or Palm Cove. Continue reading →

A few days in Brisbane

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With the Adelaide winter clinging on and the desire for warmer weather too much to resist we headed to Queensland for a 10 day break.
Although we left Adelaide on a day when the temperature was in the low 20s the forecast for the remainder of the weak was at best bleak!

With all that behind us, we arrived in Brisbane to a sunny afternoon with the temperature in the mid 20s and a similar forecast for the 3 days we had in Brisbane before we head further north to Port Douglas.

We’d had a few days in Brisbane last year and were very much looking forward to coming back. Brisbane is certainly no longer a big country town, as had been its reputation in the past. It’s a thriving modern wonderful city. It’s a city with a spring in its step and why not – great weather, a vibrant lifestyle and a city set on the Brisbane River.

Our accommodation in the older part of the city overlooked the Botanic Gardens and was just a short walk to the Brisbane Mall, Southbank, and the Riverbank.

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I didn’t start my blog to change the world

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Daily Prompt: What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

Actually nothing!

I never started my blog to be anymore than a repository for my writing. Across 11 or so years there have been 258 posts on various topics that were loosely based around “What’s Next” in my life, as I transitioned from a professional consulting career to the next phase of my life. Feel free to peruse or don’t.

I rarely check my viewing stats and almost never promote my posts via other sources. My blog is just a personal commentary about what we or I am upto,

My blog is non- political. It always has been and always will be. I’m certainly interested in politics but I don’t want to post about it here.

I have a belief system but I doubt I’ll post about it.

However, this prompt was timely as I have been giving thought to what next for my blog. this prompt has helped crystallise my thoughts which I intend to expand upon in my next post.