Finally, the day has come. I’m off to Brisbane, to visit family & friends, and see what the work situation is like. I’ve been to Australia once before, but never to Brisbane. I’m a little apprehensive about the notorious Queensland heat, but I'll just have to tough it out. It’s about 18 months since I last saw my brother Paddy, and his girlfriend Vicky. It will be good to see them again.
I leave London Heathrow wondering what awaits, but I still don’t feel particularly excited. This whole thing has been a long time coming, and I haven’t really felt excited once. It’s not because I don’t want to do it. I do. It’s just that when people ask “Are you getting excited yet?” I’ve always thought for a couple of seconds and had to say “No, not yet”. I’ve kept thinking that passing the next milestone (selling the old house, renting out the new house, buying the tickets, handing in my notice) would finally trigger some excitement, but those milestones have come and gone, and the excitement has yet to arrive. I guess I don’t have the excitement gene.
Anyway, the flight to Singapore is long, and I’ve packed a couple of books that should be easy to dip into. Question & Answer books, distilled from those gems that appear in the back of the New Scientist magazine. Little nuggets of surprisingly down-to-earth questions (“Why do people have eyebrows?” “What is the maximum length of a vertical straw from which I can drink cola?”). I should be able to pick that up and read in short bursts. Also a book called “A short history of tractors in Ukrainian” which has some rave reviews for comic fiction. The quirky title is intriguing, and the reviews urge me to read. But, even as I packed them, I doubted I’d ever open them. I’ve just never acquired the habit of reading. While driving (I drive a lot) I’ll occasionally hear a book review on the radio. Almost without fail, the host and the guests talk about having several books “on the go” at any given time, and the sheer joy of reading. It’s alien to me.
So now, sitting in a Singapore Airlines jumbo jet with my books lying unloved in the overhead compartment, I look through the in-flight entertainment for things to keep the stimulation coming for 12 hours. I manage pretty well, discovering that Blades of Glory is funnier than I thought it would be. Seinfeld is as funny as I knew it would be. The others (whatever they were) must have been pretty much what I expected they’d be.
Changi airport is a nice enough place. With a couple of hours to be whiled away, I mooch about looking at duty-free cameras (I buy one) and smartphones (I don’t buy any). I’m not particularly tired, even though I haven’t slept on the flight. I’m not good at sleeping on journeys and, anyway, I’ve decided to stay awake as much as possible so I can beat the jet lag. I’ll be arriving in Brisbane in the early evening, probably knackered, hopefully having a quick bite to eat, and then getting straight to bed. That’s the plan.
We leave Singapore with quite a few spare seats on the plane. I have an empty seat on my left, and an aisle on my right. This must be what Business Class feels like. In 8 elbow-spreading hours I’ll be in Brisbane. More in-flight entertainment. The breakfast wasn’t as good as the previous flight’s lunch, but that’s no big deal. Nothing much else to report. I arrive at Brisbane airport. I pass uneventfully through immigration, baggage reclaim, customs, and out into Australia. Paddy & Vicky are waiting but don’t even see me as I emerge into arrivals, 15 feet from them. Not a promising start.
I sneak up behind them, and there follows a minute of hugs and welcomes and rebuking Paddy for his inability to recognize his own brother walking by. Then it’s into the car and out into the Brisbane night. I gaze absently out of the window and we chat about the journey and various things. 20 minutes later, we’re back at Paddy & Vicky’s place in Hawthorne. A nice, open plan, welcoming house that I will call home for the next few weeks.
There's more chat, something to eat, and then I’m in bed - settling down for my first night in Brisbane, and maybe on the verge of a new life. I’m not excited yet, but it’s good to be here.
