Australia Day

Australia Day - 26 January

This is the date Australians celebrate the anniversary of the landing of the first fleet at Port Jackson in New South Wales in 1788, a date popularly considered to be Australia's birthday. All around the nation, local councils and authorities mount concerts and firework displays to help celebrations get under way with a bang. Fireworks are considered a centrepiece of the occasion ... as everyone needs an occasion to let off some rocket!

This year, the 26th fell on a Tuesday (also the last day of the school children's summer vacation). In order to attempt to curtail the whole nation from "chucking a sicky" (refer to Aussie colloquialisms back in a September post) since last week there have been numerous public announcements advising that calling in sick on the Monday or the Wednesday when one is not sick and scheduled to work would be considered very un-Australian indeed!
Judging from the crowds on the beach on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I would say that frolicking on the beach with a huskie (cooler full of beer) buried in the sand, was very Australian indeed!

On this highly auspicious occasion, here are just 10 things that I love about Australia:

1. The 22 million Australians!
2. The weather! Weather it's good or bad, it's never boring!
3. The way everyone greets you with "how ya going mate!" and actually listen for a reply!
4. Nature, it's in your face!
5. The cost of magazines! Double the price of the rags back home, which finally managed to cure my addiction to newsprint, especially that the American mags come out one month later here!
6. The way politicians do not get away with anything that they say or do here. Now the stores plan to ban politicians from malls during elections campaigns...referred to as Pollie-free zones!
7. The beaches and the lifeguards. I know, I've mentioned the lifeguards before, but they do an excellent job, I cannot stress that enough!
8. The formally thunderous young iron men (sport wise, not iron workers) who are now dads...I see them on the beach teaching their boys and girls to surf on their boogie boards. Very nice!
9. The Aussie wine and Amber fluid (beer)! I'll drink to that!
10. The way Aussies shorten everything! i.e. : Brissie (for Brisbane), Ute (for Utility Vehicle- I know the word "truck" would be just as short, but not the same...), Aussie (for Australian), Pollie (for Politician), you get the picture!... You gotta lov' em!

...Crikey! I almost forgot, the Breeze radio station @ 100.60 FM as their key catch phrase is: "We play the music other stations have forgotten existed!" ... and it's true, all those great 70s and 80s tunes that never get played anymore! We have it on all the time and are constantly saying "I haven't heard that one in years!

Sunday morning at the fair

This weekend we went to the Jupiters Casino (a hop and a skip across the Gold Coast highway from our place) to the Rotary Antiques Fair including Gold Coast Cars & Book Fair.

I noticed the car fair portion re-ignited my husband's love of ownership of a vintage cars ... as I believe that he has since been "surfing the net" looking for a prize to perhaps own again...hard to fight off what we really love even by arguing the practical side of the passion! ... one just cannot be practical all the time. He just sold his 2 vintage vehicles with no outward sign of "seller's" remorse, but now ...well, time should tell.

As for me, there was no hiding my joy at the sight of old books, maps, furniture, dishes, keys, pictures...one vendor offered to sell a whole set of "antique" relatives for which I could make up any type of family history that my imagination could wish to invent! I passed, because truth be told, fact is far more amazing than fiction, especially when it comes to relatives!

I did however manage to find a few treasures that I just could not resist:

• 2 sets of antique keys ( a gift from my favorite husband, that he gallantly attempted to barter, however his bartering technique just does not appear to have a positive effect here...it's not the first time! (the radio episode still being tender in our memories!).
• Some lady linen hankies, just because they are nicely embroidered and because nobody carries them anymore. A piece of ancient history! It did remind me that when I was young, I loved watching my dad get ready for work. I recall that the last the would do was to take out a fresh linen handkerchief from his drawer and before putting it in his pocket, he would always put a drop of mom's perfume on it . I remember finding that very romantic at 10 years old and still find it so romantic at over 21!
• An antique hat pin just 'cause it's cool.
• A birthday postcard with an inscription to Pete from his cousin Winnie in the back dated 1923.

And last but certainly not least, a British edition of a Winnie the Pooh book of verses (poems)- not an antique book per say, but a British edition that we could not find in Canada, for our dear little Lily who's first look on the world will be a bedroom decorated in the world of Pooh!

"Sometimes, said Pooh, the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts!".

My Forrest Gump moment on Broadbeach

The Na'Vis from Pandora were found hanging out on Broadbeach Saturday morning! A well deserved R and R after the success of their latest venture! I am not aware of how the film Avatar is doing elsewere, but here in OZ it's a great success!!!
Hanging with my peeps On Broadbeach!

It will soon be here

The Year of the Tiger

The Year of the Tiger begins on February 14th 2010.

Drama, intensity, change and travel will be the keywords for 2010. Unfortunately, world conflicts and disasters tend to feature during Tiger years also, so it wont be a dull 12 months for anyone. The Year of the Tiger will be bringing far reaching changes for everyone . New inventions and incredible technological advances have a chance of occuring. For all of the Chinese Horoscope signs, is one to be active - seizing opportunities and making the most of our personal and individual talents.

Everything happens quickly and dramatically in a Tiger Year - blink and you could miss an important chance of a lifetime!

You could go to the following link to find out if you are a Tiger and what is your Elemental sign:

http://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/tiger(Zodiac) or Google Year of the Tiger.

Tweety birds

Rainbow Lorikeet of Australia

Magpie

White Ibis

Since about a month now, every evening at 6 p.m. just as the sun is coming down , we have had the privilege of a front seat to the most amazing spectacle! The Rainbow Lorikeets perform a nightly high speed "fly around" of the tall buildings in the area in perfect synchronicity as a flock. Although they usually travel in pairs, it happens that they come together as a flock to protect their territory (usually from other Lorikeets and from Magpies) before splitting up in pairs again. I know they are coming, because they are quite vocal screeching and screaming something that sounds a lot like "look at us, we are beautiful, fast and well coordinated"! That performance always manages to put a smile on my face!

The White Ibis is everywhere around here, in the parks, on the beach, around restaurants, on our building property, etc...that beak is amazingly long...their call a long croak and they are scavengers. Experts are still trying to decide if this bird is a pest or an endangered species...

They move very slowly and at times stop the traffic when they wander out onto the road.

Now that mating season is over, the Magpies are a lot less aggressive. This morning, when I went for my walk (at 06:00), a man was out walking his little dog and was being followed by a few Magpies that I thought had their eyes on the puppy. I soon realised that the man had a bag of bird feed that he was throwing into the air one at a time and the birds were taking turns catching the food in mid-air!

We are in such close proximity to nature; more than we have ever been in our lives. I love that about this place!

Aussie Beach Bums

Here is a picture that I will treasure for always; a picture of my favorite husband enjoying himself in the pool!

Those are one of those priceless moments that do not require a Mastercard!


After a frolic in the pool, we headed out for a relaxing walk on the beach on Saturday morning...there I discovered how very interested I have become in Australian water sports since we we have come here to Australia.

Perhaps it's men in team uniforms that is so attractive to me. I must say that a man in a "budgy smuggler" and sunscreen lotion is far more enticing than hockey pads and helmet!

My German friend Monika has coined a special nickname for these athletes

that I believe appropriately describes them:

"Yum Yums"

Yes ladies, these pictures are for you, because although we may be on a diet, we can still look at the menu!

Sea rowing competition in Broadbeach sponsored by AussieBum.com.

AussieAussieAussie!

So you say it's your birthday

So today, January 6th is my good friend Sharon's birthday!

Sharon and I met at work when Regent and I first moved to T.O. Sharon and I car pooled to work together for 8 years! ...we keep joking that this feat should be recorded in the book of World Records as we have never heard of anyone carpooling for this long! It was great and saw us through those long commutes...I am always thankful that we were able to do that.

When Sharon and I met 12 years ago, she was just a baby who had just started dating her husband; I was younger than I am today (enough said about that!). Today, she is a married woman with two beautiful girls of her own (and a very handsome, successful husband as an added bonus!). So, this virtual bouquet of Frangipani is for you Sharon and I hope you will have a very happy day and all that your heart desires in 2010!