Travelling to Queensland hasn’t been all meetings and Vanilla Slices.
Most trips here have involved a day or two to see my mother in Maryborough, and many would ask how she was.
The last time I physically visited her was after meetings in Brisbane held in February.
This time the trip was to visit the niche where her ashes have been placed in Point Vernon, Hervey Bay, where she lived for twenty years or so.
As circumstances have changed it also seems that most of the meetings I attend will be by video-conference from this point for some time.
There will be future return trips, but from this point there will be a most significant point of difference.
So it’s also a good time to acknowledge family and friends who have made my travel and accomodation in Queensland though these visits such a pleasure.

This blog is a judgment-free zone, at least as far as Vanilla Slice consumption goes.
I’m still trying to cram a large amount of rest and recreation into a very tight 72 hour window.
Also I’m viewing an online conference for three hours on both Tuesday and Wednesday, and the conference morning tea on Wednesday was this (French) Vanilla Slice from Bakery on Alice.
There’s a lot in their display window that invites further inspection, so it’s probably just as well that I’m heading home this arvo.
Creamy custard, not highly vanilla flavoured; lightly layered pastry that was biteable and not moist at all; icing sugar on top, not so much as to induce choking issues when eating.

Gail Sauer’s Bakery Cafe offers a French Vanilla Slice (as well as a standard Vanilla Slice).
They also offer a Strawberry version that I road tested today.
The custard is creamy, not strongly vanilla; the pastry is very light and flaky, not crumbly; the icing is more butter cream than fondant – very pink; the cream mixes well with the other flavours and textures.
The strawberry version replaces the vanilla of the custard with a more tangy berry type.

I’ve been cramming as much rest and recreation as I can into 72 hours, not counting time spent attending an online conference and also perfecting Assembly minutes.

Tomorrow it’s back to Brisbane, via a detour on the way down.

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One of my minor life goals was to have a Chimichanga.
It’s basically a deep-fried burrito.
This was a very elegantly served one at Portside in Maryborough.
The tortilla fries up delightfully flaky and crispy.
Any day that even a minor life-goal is achieved in such a satisfactory fashion is a win.
And the rest of the day has been wonderful as well.