Much of the morning spent on our 'efficient' public transport system here in Brisbane. The bus timetable is ideal if you want to go to the city, or a shopping centre. If you want to go to the next suburb (a ten minute drive by car) it will take an hour or more. So it was this morning as I headed over to Griffith University for a lunchtime seminar. It is always interesting to see what others are doing...what passes for 'cutting edge scholarship', particularly in my research area.*
Once it finished there was time for me to head into town to the State Library to continue some work I was doing there a week ago, last Thursday. It was actually quicker for me to go to the city, than spend another hour or so trying to get home, with bonus afternoon/evening in the library.
I'm continuing to work on some of the accounts of Japanese pearlers in the Torres Strait in the 1890s. I returned to the same book I was reading a week ago, coincidentally at the same table, looking over the river; at some time in the afternoon, a woman who sat at the same table last week came and sat in the same way again today, got up for her wander around at the same time as last week, and clicked her dentures as she read, just like last week. I'm so tempted to see if it all happens again next Thursday.
And it was with some fondness I found myself still sitting there at 6.12pm as I looked across the river and to the Suncorp clock...the bookshelves behind reflected in the windows.
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| In the library... |
[Camera : iPhone 4S, 6.12pm]
*Yes, you heard a small sigh.
