Ipswich...

Everybody else's kids left school, got a job, got married [or not] & started having kids.  Not my lot.  Which is why I was in Ipswich yesterday.  Ipswich is the place halfway between Toowoomba, which has my alma mater, & Brisbane.  It went under badly during the Brisbane floods a few years back & has struggled to recover.  So far as I knew there was nothing there ~ except Ipswich Girls Grammar & I only knew about that because Alison went there.  We drove past it yesterday ~eventually~ & it is huge!!!  Big enough to get really lost in, rather like Moreton Bay College where you need a road map to get around.  Having gone to one of these elitist schools I have a rather cynical view of what they purport to offer because really, there's not that much difference between them & your average state school except how much it costs to go there.

Anyway we left home on the 5.30 boat with poor old Cait barely awake  & the car, which has been having these awkward moments when it just refuses to start despite a variety of mechanics insisting there's nothing wrong with it, refused to start.  We pushed it out of the parking space & a couple of hefty men gave us a hand to get enough gallumph up to kick the motor over & off we toddled, all black & greasy & sweaty before we even started.

Although she's still on her Ls Cait is an experienced driver now so the highway full of plummeting trucks & huge semis presented no worries despite the almost constant slipstream as they hurtled past.  We were headed here, to the Ipswich Civic Centre, & the first thing Cait did was present me with the downloaded directions & instruct me that I was to direct her!  Hah!  In her dreams.

 Firstly, I had my eyes tested the other week & am waiting on my prescription glasses arriving because it's official:  I'm as blind as a bat without glasses.  She was delusional if she thought I could line up her bit of paper with the street signage because I've decided the signage in this state is not just a Brisbane thing; it's a Queensland thing!  Unless you know where you're going it's a pretty hit & miss game because you'd never know from the signs!

Anyway, I figured I knew enough to get her onto the Gold Coast Highway & turn off onto the Ipswich motorway.  After that it was anybody's guess.  We did all that really well but like I said, you'd never know where you are from the signs so as we came into the Ipswich outskirts Cait ditched her instructions & turned off the motorway.  Um, bad decision.  After 20 minutes she was berating the street directory which listed none of the streets we were passing.  I couldn't see so was hardly helpful.  My comments that she was in the wrong place were obvious & not received well!  Eventually we saw WELCOME TO GOODNA in large letters....So we backtracked to the motorway.  Cait's call time came & went as we lumbered down the highway behind peak hour trucks.  Her sound check came & went...Cait began bleating about how unprofessional it all was.  Nothing we could do about it & eventually the civic centre hoved into view, along with a car park.  I bundled Cait's hair into a bun, she put on her shoes & we hurtled into the building.  The backstage person grabbed Cait & she disappeared ~ at which point I discovered I was holding Cait's black folder with all her music!!!!!  I headed backstage, which naturally was deserted as everybody was on stage!  I pulled out my book & prepared to wait some time.  Eventually the lovely lady who organises the kids came in & I was able to ditch Cait's folder & head outside.

 Luckily for me Queensland was having a really nice day.  Opposite the Civic Centre I had a choice of two lovely little parks. The agapanthus were flowering in the corner one but being on the main street it was also really noisy so I chose the 2nd.  Mirusia's operatic soprano drifted out at intervals but eventually my mobile went off & Cait emerged looking ravenous & wanting to know where I was so we could go eat.

 As we went round the corner we spotted the Central Mission  with this great little nativity scene.

 Chips & salad.  I swear there's nothing harder than feeding a ravenous singer!  Can't eat this, that & the other thing because it affects the voice.  No cold drinks. Argh!  And she's slow!  We had to leave a lot of her food so she could get back in time ~ & anyway, she can only eat so much before it impacts her diaphragm & judging that is a fine line between a rumbling stomach & no oomph! Honestly.

I got a ticket to the afternoon performance, not so I could hear Mirusia.  Nope, there's only ever one singer for me, & that's my ranga!  And she did so well!  She knew none of the repertoire, was singing top soprano, not alto, & found herself in blacks singing mostly with Exaudi.  And they were doing the Hallelujah Chorus ~ which just keeps going up...& up...& up! My poor eardrums. So, yeah, big day.

Link to photo & review.