President Obama with his impressive motorcade on their way to lay the wreath at the War Memorial.
After landing in Brisbane airport, I drove down the windy roads off the Pacific highway to Lismore. I arrived the day before their wedding and met the excited, sprightly and happily engaged couple.
As the story goes, Carey, a quiet Canadian soul met Deborah about ten years or so ago, but didn't make a move till earlier this year - in January. He had waited an awful long time, and could hardly believe his luck when he saw the globetrotting Aussie girl back in Vancouver after all this time. With no time to waste, and a fresh resolve he did a 'Carpe diem'.
Although caught slightly unaware it didn't take too long for Deborah to ponder the proposition that lay before her and reach a positive conclusion. As someone once said, the rest is all just photographs... or history, or something along the lines.
Some parts of the story may not be as accurate as others. It's the gist of what I heard, with a tiny splash of imagination for the sake of creativity.
Also special thanks to Bruce and Meg Gellatly for putting me up for a couple of nights, or putting up with me - whichever is easier to read.
Apart from the good weather, our trip also coincided with the Tasmanian spring. There were flowers with fancy scientific names like Muscari Armeniacum, Osteospermum barberiae, Passion mix cultivars, Osteospermum lemon symphony and so on, but some just fancy to look at, like the Rembrandt and Triumph tulips, Tall bearded irises, Calla lilies (which seemed to grow everywhere) and little Snowdrops which gently enveloped the landscape.
Then there was the professional tulip plantations, we visited the one at the picturesque Table Cape which stood proudly overlooking the Bass strait, up on the North west coast. It seems they export tulip bulbs every year as far as the north western Europe near the North Sea. There were also banners for upcoming flower festivals in many a town. We couldn't stay long enough to witness the locals bring out the jewels from their own nurseries. However I managed to get away with a few flowers safely etched in the memory of my Compact flash card.
