Some Reflections And Memories Of Brisbane
Once we were at Perth Airport, by which time Wendy and I had started to "wend our way home," I found I was able to think back more happily and objectively about Brisbane.
Back in February, when we first arrived in Australia, we had hopes, fears and trepidation about what - if anything - we would find out about Uncle John; now, some weeks on, our memories tempered by other sights and sounds, and conversations with good friends, we can look back more pragmatically.
Brisbane was indeed sad, but interesting. I've already written about dear Uncle John, and how we managed to achieve some closure; we found good and kind people who helped us, and who will, I am sure, remain good friends. After the sad business and investigations concerning Uncle John were all concluded, Wendy and I then felt free and happy to make the most of our grand tour of Australia: seeing dear friends we hadn't met up with for years (some for as long as 23 years!) and a couple of people we had only been in touch with through phone calls, letters and e-mails, both in Brisbane and other cities; We were looking forward to meeting them face to face at last. We also saw some great sights, and re-visited a few more places we had been to before, all of which will be good to think about, and remember in the future in a very positive way.
Walking along the streets in the centre of Brisbane, we saw several birds pecking for any odd crumbs they could find; because it has become a scavenger in the city, the Australian white ibis is now also referred to as a "Bin Chicken."
Wendy's photos - 25th February 2024 - 11.52 a.m.
They strut along the streets, and can been seen anywhere and everywhere; it made us think of the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, loathed by some people and loved by others, who happily feed them the crumbs from their sandwiches.
Whilst we were in Brisbane, we met a wonderful lady who owns and runs The Pen Shoppe, in the Brisbane Arcade. A talented calligrapher, she encourages people to create beautiful hand-written letters in elegant script.
When I was at school, I remember having books in which I could practice my writing, with guide lines to show where the tops and bottoms of looped letters should reach, and a middle section to keep the "tummies" of letters like "a", "c", "e" and "o" to the correct size and spacing; and all this using an old-fashioned "dip in" pen with a nib! At school, I must have been thought to have a steady hand, because I was one of the Ink Monitors, trusted with the task of filling up the little desk ink wells with the large bottles of Quink Ink - it was quite a responsibility.
Occasionally, a blot would fall onto the pages of the copy book; this was considered terrible! but some girls smuggled tiny bottles of Jik (a bleach) into the classroom with them, to erase carefully any such problem. One tiny drop of Jik left you with a clear white page, but of course you could not write over that area afterwards as any new writing would also disappear!
The lady in The Pen Shoppe asked me if I would write something for her, and handed me an extremely elegant fountain pen, and a sheet of paper; I was happy to oblige, and it was a real thrill to hear her say how beautiful my handwriting was. All that practice, all those years ago, has not been in vain! and is still standing me in good stead.
I wrote a Sonnet for her, "A Paean to the Pen Shoppe;" I was delighted when she said how much she liked it.
Penmanship - A Paean to the Pen Shoppe
There’s a charming lady in Brisbane
Who encourages people to write
Beautifully calligraphed missives
Each letter a cursive delight.
With a well-balanced pen ’twixt our fingers
The words flow with consummate ease
Imagination’s fired, billet-doux are inspired
With perfect messages certain to please.
For in these days of great rush and e-mails
Modern technology is put up on trial
As quantity overtakes substance
Little thought is given to style.
So just pause: take your time, and write beautiful script
That stems from a nib in flowing ink dipped!
Alexandra Wilde
March, 2024
