Yule-Blog

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how plastic are your bran-ches....but at least we don't have to clean up the needles. Well, not many, plastic trees still shed. And I've finally got the lights and garland up! The cards went out Saturday (and today), and the presents are (waiting to be) wrapped.

It's Christmas-time, and whilst family and friends in the far north are experiencing the ultimate White Christmas, we are experiencing the ultimate Aussie Christmas: BBQs, parties, lunches at restaurants. Something which is still a bit unusual to me is the concept of going for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day lunch somewhere other than home -- and having the venue be packed out.

Tonight's event was our annual Christmas block party, something the Bishops have hosted for 5 years now, and they do a wonderful job. It's really great seeing our neighbours, and each time we wonder why we don't spend more time together, because we really like each other. I'm very thankful for living amongst a terrific bunch of people.

The rest of our events include drinks at friends houses and of course family get-togethers. My brother-in-law Russell and his family have arrived for the last leg of their Aussie holiday, and will be here through New Year. The jet lag is catching up apparently, so I suspect amidst their extreme sight-seeing rush there will be extreme moments of resting. Andrew's nephew will arrive Christmas Eve morning, just in time to drop off luggage and head to the restaurant. So there will be a wandering clan of South Africans and associates mobbing Melbourne for the better part of a week, and ringing in the New Year. Hopefully the Christmas presents will be wrapped up by then.

Just Gardening

I've spent the day gardening (sort of). I suppose you can't quite count brekky with my friend Bessa, but it did put me in proximity to the Garden Centre that I keep forgetting exists right in town. After a lovely morning relaxing, I decided to follow up on buying some seedlings that Andrew & I kept talking about, since we never got a chance to put the actual seeds in the ground before the choppers came and messed up the yard taking trees down.

So my leisurely walk to the shops turned into a useful shopping trip as well, and I came home and put all the little seedlings in my tiny patch of dirt. After arranging some bricks tastefully in an effort to keep the dirt from wandering off, and to highlight to the local rabbit infestation where the new, fresh plants actually were, Andrew pointed out we needed some netting to put around the lot.

So, another walk to the shops, and I picked up the best thing I could find - bird netting. Putting that around anything is a bit like trying wrap a present in a very large, long sheet of plastic kitchen wrap. But eventually we won, with extra bricks to prop up amazingly bendy bamboo stakes, and hopefully this will discourage Betty Bunny and her large family from eating up the vegies.

Face-Off

I signed up for Facebook this year, and it is stealing my blog time. In tiny increments, of course, because that is all you can type. I don't bother with Twitter - my attention span is already short enough, so I don't want to damage it further.

Interestingly, a recent study showed that Facebook may actually encourage social interaction, while Twitter actually damages it. I suppose Facebook's redeeming value is that it allows for someone to interact with my ongoing egotistical posts about my day, whereas there is no defense against a Tweet. I wonder where blogging fits into the picture?

Actually, I prefer to think of a blog as a newspaper column only a select few read. Of course, I'd prefer it if a lot MORE people read this, but I do enjoy my fanmail from my sister-in-law.

So, what I was going to put on Facebook tonight is something about the sights and sounds of summer, namely, fire engines and bushfire alerts. I've got my go-bag with my somewhat protective clothing by the front door, and the extra water in the fridge. Santa Claus had better watch out himself when he comes this way - if I'm grabbing my go-bag, he's getting knocked over on his red swimming trunks.

On second thought, I think I'll pray for a silent, calm bushfire season.

Recycled Trees

Tomorrow will be one of the few days I'll be glad to be at work rather than home. They are removing trees around our property, and I suspect it will be a noisy process. I'll miss the trees, especially the 3 huge gum trees in the back, but the upside is that we won't have to worry about the trees missing us in case they ever fall down.

We'll get to keep some of the wood for the fireplace, which will be nice, and should last us through the winter, and any really cold summer evenings. All part of the recycling process.

Speaking of recycling, Andrew gave in and let me buy some fast-food burgers & fries for dinner. We probably only do this about 3 times a year, mostly because of my nostalgia and American taste-buds. He thinks cardboard tastes better. Anyway, I wrote a little rhyming poem, which sums it up nicely:

Maccas is found all over the world,
A comfort food that tastes familiar & yummy;
But once you are finished and the serviettes furled,
The bloat begins pronto in your tummy!

I still prefer the American-made special sauce. I think it has a higher recycled cardboard content, which reduces the bloating.

Totally Taxing

I'm doing my taxes. Well, not right this second, but I'm actually doing them. I need to submit them tomorrow.

Why, you may ask, did I wait until the last minute? The same reason I procrastinate on everything: I don't know. I can never cope with doing assignments, homework, taxes, theoretical physics, etc, in a normal time frame. So I put them off, awaiting that calm, focused feeling of "ah, now I'm ready to do this bit of work," but usually only end up with the panic-driven "Oh, *&@%!" feeling. Oh, sorry, my keyboard must be playing up: I meant the "Oh, 8725!" feeling.

So I've made myself a cup of hot chocolate, because I read somewhere that a scientific study proved that people who drank hot chocolate had the best brainpower immediately after drinking. It didn't mention how much weight the subjects gained over the course of the study. Anyway, I brewed my cup the old fashioned way, with powdered chocolate, milk and a microwave. This microwave isn't all that powerful, but still manages to heat up the cup to lip-burning temperatures, cause the milk to bubble down all over the rotating glass tray, and yet still leave the milk at a just-over-warm temperature.

I could just ask my husband to do the taxes, but the last time I did this he disappeared for 2 weeks and spent as much time as possible in an airplane just to be as far above the ground from the tax forms as possible. Ha, ha! Just kidding. He was just getting away from the mess in the microwave.

I Know I Walked Into This Blog For A Reason...

I actually had a subject in mind earlier tonight. I just can't remember what it was. Sort of like walking into a room and forgetting why you're there. Or walking into one room with the intent of putting something away, and realising it is the wrong room. I wonder if why you hear about people's television remotes winding up in their refrigerators.

Well, I'll just blog free-style.

I think I've figured out what that ugly lizard was: an Eastern Blue-Tongue Lizard. I was speaking with a friend tonight on the phone, and she mentioned she had 2 of them in her garden. One Google-search later, and I found a match. I still don't think it looks any better.

Speaking of computer-related searches, I actually bit the bullet a few weeks back and signed up on Facebook. I have to admit, I find it information overload. I'm pretty computer savvy, and I don't tend to shy away from technology, but this much techno-life actually makes my brain sizzle a bit. I spend all day on the computer, and all evening; I want something to pull me away from that, not add too the byte-sized highway coursing through my neurons. While I do find Facebook a useful tool as I am in a totally different time zone from my family and friends in the U.S. and other countries, I think we all need to learn how to talk again, even if it is the phone or (yes, I see the irony coming next), Skype. I think we've become afraid of verbal conversation.

Well, now that I've used the computer to rant against the computer, I guess I'll have to turn it off before it decides to get even with me and cut me off mid-sen

You Know You're In Australia When...

Some strange things you get used to...

Bug Spray is on weekly shopping list. You spray every night before bedtime, and some of us have a bug zapper IN our house.

Every word is shortened. You start calling that endearing nightly cartoon show "Simps" because it seems normal to do so.

Snags (sausages) are served on a slice of bread.

You're not suprised when the toilets are located outside the building in their own little building.

Every meal or snack with the exception of brekky can be called "tea" - so you make sure you specify which one when inviting friends over for a meal.

Houses and offices are cold in winter and hot in summer. Ducted heating/cooling and double-glazed windows seem like heaven.


And on the plus side...

Coffee is served by professional baristas. Even your plain flat white is gorgeous, and you never want to make instant coffee again.

Waiters & waitresses actually make a good, liveable wage, so tipping is unheard of.

People naturally pitch in and bring food to BBQs.

You get 4 weeks annual leave plus national holidays, and sick leave/family leave.

The country virtually shuts down for Christmas week so everybody can have fun.

You can actually take the bus to work, even if you're not working in the city.

People actually get outside and play sports and ride bikes and take walks.

You can advertise you business by word of mouth and letter-box flyers, and people actually respond.

If you need help, you can pretty much ask anyone. Lots of times you don't even have to ask.

Stalking Dinner

Don't worry, this wasn't our dinner tonight. But the neighbour's cat, Lucky, was stalking this fellow. He hid under our wheelie bins. I have no clue what sort of lizard he is - genus skinoutofus jumpus I suspect - but it looks like an ugly short fat snake with legs.

Lucky wasn't very successful getting her meal the old-fashioned way this time, but at least she doesn't have to cook her own dinner. I actually planned out the dukka-encrusted fish, only to realise it wouldn't fit in my small George Foreman grill, so I ended up tossing it one of my frying pans. I then realised I totally forgotten to do any rice, so did some thick, brick-dense instant mashed potatoes, and added slightly underdone corn on the cob...

It wasn't the worst dinner I'd ever done, but it certainly was in the running for a spot. The fish wasn't quite cooked either, so after eating the vegetables, I tossed the fish back in the pan, and served a delicious flaked mass of fish which really would have been lovely on the nonexistent rice. Don't tell the neighbours, but we let Lucky eat the leftover fish...

Shopping for the Side

If entry to to Australia were based on sports knowledge and enthusiasm, I'd still be sitting at the airport. I respect sports, and athletes, but for some reason our family was never very much into physical activities. As kids, we learned how to hit, thrown and swoosh various balls, but it didn't catch on, somehow. Here, in Australia, kids learn early how to play, which team to cheer for, and what sports events are commensurate to national holidays.

Yesterday was the AFL Grand Final, and I did my duty and went shopping, leaving the guys to more sports-like activities such as the Men's Footy Breakfast.

I rang my sister-in-law Linda and we headed out for the largest shopping centre in the known universe, Doncaster Shoppingtown, where you look at the signs and little green or red lights in the parking garage to determine whether you have to walk for most of the day or only part of the morning to get to the nearest doors. That's just outside the mall. Once your inside, you need a compass and map to navigate.

Linda is the best person to shop with not only because she is really thoughtful and helpful, and also knows where all the stores are, but keeps asking if you want to do a little more shopping, no matter what her own schedule is like that day. Consequently, I've discovered that the other good reason for my staying away from this Shoppingtown is not just the need for a search party to find me, but because I seem to be unable to stop spending money until all of my shopping bags are full.

After picking up some essential, and non-essential items, and then a few more non-essential items, and having no more empty shopping bags, we headed home. I managed to watch the post-game to learn who won match.

Weather Watching and Dirt

Last night I was watching the weather - in the kitchen. Not mine, fortunately (no black clouds lately), but at our radio club. We meet in the old barn of building which spent most of it's life as a Boy Scout Meeting Centre, and insulation is not it's strong point. It was built in a time when scary, lung-damaging asbestos was used in the roof, and needless to say the holes in the shiny material way over our heads do not inspire me.

Due to it's cold and drafty nature, there is a cloud formation phenomenon every time the tea kettles are left on in the kitchen. Through the pass-through one watches as swirls of clouds slowly thicken and dance near ceiling. I'm waiting for it to start raining in there one evening.

We did have a spot of real rain today, followed by intermittent sunshine and cloud cover. I took advantage of the dry periods and went down to dig over our tiny little vegetable patch. We're assuming the vegetables will do well, because the weeds and grass haven't had any problems. I also had to go dig up the compost pile (also overgrown with weeds) and transport fresh dirt to the little enclosure. 45 minutes later I'd managed to turn everything, dig in some compost, and pull the wire fencing back around to keep the dirt safe from rabbits. When your 40-something, fat, and unfit, it really is hard work. I'm hoping any rabbits who were watching the spectacle will either be so compassionate or so amused that they'll leave the garden alone.

Week Nights

It's been just over week since I last updated the blog. I promised my sister-in-law, Coleen, that I'd try to be more frequent, especially as we both know people who are recuperating and need some cheering up! I had a bit of writers block since nothing notable happened. Or, at least if it did, I failed to notice it.

Well, that's not entirely true, we've had friends over during the past week, gone out, come home, generally enjoyable passtimes. Just nothing I could really make fun of.

Some serious winds are blowing again, but this time they are warm spring winds, which after eight nights are still carrying the strong perfumes of local flowers. I remember smelling (and tasting) the honeysuckle flowers growing up in New Jersey; but to be honest, I don't remember the scents of the flowers in the spring - although Spring itself had a delightful smell. New Jersey flowers have to present themselves as tough, not girly, because if they don't the flowers from New York come and beat them up.

The other notable thing I didn't notice is that we've also just marked our 2 year anniversary in Oz, so I'm sure there's a few of you out there looking for some good Aussie jokes to tell me. (What do you call a pair of Aussies who forgets their 2 year anniversary? Really, I'm not sure - tell me.) I have to admit, Australia still seems a bit foreign to me at times, when I'm not stuck in the "home-to-work-I-didn't-see-that-giant-drop-bear" routine. The trees, the weather, Christmas in summer, the strange marsupials waiting to mug unsuspecting tourists... Andrew tells me one day, without realising it, I'll get used the "reversed" seasons, the lack of the New York Yankees, and the velcro on the soles of my shoes. Just kidding. We use magnets.

Sausages and the Scents of Spring

I burned the snags a bit tonight. For an easy option meal, we occasionally like to break out the snags (sausages), but as it is just the first few days of spring, it's still not quite light enough to break out the BBQ to cook dinner on. This is where my wonderful stove comes in. Iit has a grilling function -- well, several: regular, fan for a rotisserie effect, and eco for smaller portions.

This works very well, although you are instructed to prop the oven open on the first notch for grilling, unless you use fan grill. Even with the fan grill, when you open the oven door, lots of smoke tends to come out. This is why we replaced the missing doors in the kitchen. Ideally, you open the window, close the doors, turn on the overhead fan and smoke stays away from the smoke detector outside the bedroom. Unless of course you totally forget the whole bit about closing doors and opening windows, which I did.

So then comes my favourite dinner-time ritual of sprinting to the back door, yelling apologies to Andrew who is in the lounge, and vigorously waving the door back and forth to push fresh, non-smoky air towards the screaming detector. Fortunately this works quite well, and I only had to do it twice tonight.

As a consequence, we had all the doors and windows open after dinner to fumigate the house. One side benefit was that as the smoke dissipated, the wonderful scent of rain and spring flowers filled the air, borne on the wings of mozzies. Spring has come to Melbourne.

Convalescing

Convalescing is hard work.

I'll bet most of us have thought at one time or another something along the lines of "I'd love to have to stay home for a week or two, and not be allowed to do any work." I know there have been many mornings where all I wanted to do was stay home, do things at my own pace, and unwind.

But as those of us who've had "enforced rest" know, it's just not the same when you have to do nothing.

I'm not supposed to be picking things up, driving, doing housework. Sounds like a dream, right? It's driving me crazy. There's all sorts of things that need cleaning, fixing, tidying, gardening to be done, and I just get to look at it. I'm supposed to be sleeping as much as I can - and I can barely stay seated without getting bored.

It has had a major up-side, however. I've gotten to talk to friends, email friends, write friends, have friends over...so that has been a lot of fun. I've gotten a start on sorting out my filing, and the stack of paperwork is next...

It's also given my brain time to switch off and try to reprogram itself to reading, writing (by hand!) and some artsy-craftsy stuff. I've gotten so busy and stressed as I've gotten older that I tasks for pleasure and self-improvement are really difficult.

So, I guess the lesson is: don't lose track of how to relax, unwind, enjoy your friends, and read, or it might take a major surgery to get you back on track!

Surgery in Style

Leading up to my cholecsystectomy (gall bladder removal), I was very reluctant to have it done. It turns out to have been a good thing we went ahead, as there wer a lot of stones (several the size of peanuts), and quite a lot a "gravel." More seriously, there was a stone and some gravel in the bile duct, which could easily have turned quite nasty and needed to be gotten out.

Mitcham Private is a nice little hospital (no emergency room, unfortunately), but clean and nicely laid out (for an instiution, that is). And while of course after such an operation you don't have much of an appetite, I was very impressed by the menu. I don't recall seeing beer or wine on American hospital menus...

They kept me in two days to ensure all was well (which it was), and I was able to head on home. I do have to admit that having to stay in bed in a hospital room really isn't much fun, especially with only 3 or 4 television channels, chilly hospital room temperatures, and even the bed becomes uncomfortable after about a day. In theory, I like the idea of being waited on hand and foot, but there's lots of competition for attention in hospital...but they were still quite good and helfpul overall.

I'm definitely glad to be home among family friends! (FYI, I do have pictures of the stones but didn't want to post them in case someone really didn't want to see them!)

Fine Dining

Andrew & I stopped by a delightful restaurant a week or so before my gall bladder surgery. We hadn't intended to go out, but we are glad we did. Bucatini Restaurant & Bar in Mitcham is really a wonderful place to go. The service was phenomenal and the food was the best we've had in a long time. Andrew had lasagna (we haven't had my Mom's in a few years!) and I had a chicken in avocado sauce over fettucine. The wine was amazing and the desserts were lovely. If you get a chance to go, we highly recommend it.

One thing I love about eating out is the fresh herbs, spices and other ingredients that are used. I'd love to emulate this in my own kitchen, but it is so much easier to used the dried spices and frozen ingredients. There's no denying the difference; kitchen chefs impress me, and their ability to not only cook something delicious but also time everything to come together so well is a real treat.

Right now we are enjoying eating in, as lots of friends have pitched to make sure we have plenty of delicious food for Andrew to prepare for us. It will last a while, because after my surgery my appetite is quite small (although my taste buds seem as happy as ever).

Winter Garden Theatre

Spring is coming to Park Orchards, and it's still only mid-winter. This could be normal, but last year Clem's plum tree didn't bloom until the first week of spring (September). Our green apple tree is just starting to bud. There is a gorgeous purple bush out back already in full bloom, but that bloomed in mid-winter last year, so it is not surprising.

We spent the day doing winter/spring chores. Andrew, Tristan & Scott pruned the diseased branches off the apple & plum trees in the back (Andrew & Julian had already worked on flora in the front yard); I made good use of a combined loan from Heidi & Linda, and first vacuumed, then steam cleaned all the drapes in the house.

These photos were snapped just now before the sun went down. If you have really good eyes, you can even see the piles of branches around the newly trimmed trees. The sunset is looking east from our back landing over the neighbours' back gardens.

The Spices of Life

I have a new spice rack. I'm looking at it as a belated anniversary gift (or an early birthday gift, I'm not sure). It's one of those things I thought it would be fun for Andrew to make, but in light of the cost of materials, to be honest, it was less expensive to buy one. It of course matches the brand of spices I use here.

My old spice rack (also pictured) only had 2 tiers, and I was cramming all those spices on top of each other, in front, etc. If you look carefully at the blurry snap, you'll notice that I still couldn't fit all the spices, and some are residing in the salt box that Dad Kayton made all those years ago. Of note in various positions around the spice rack are all kinds of oven mitts: from Mexico (courtesy of Jeanne), from Mom Kayton (the very handy plate "mitt", and a double mitt from South Africa (courtesy of Linda, Bernie & Michael's trip). Lurking in the new spice rack are some spices from the US that my Mom & Jeanne brought with them. The trivet collection is hidden by the mitts, but they include ones from Dad Kayton and one from Turkey that my Dad brought me from a holiday.

It's quite an international kitchen, dishes from my Mom & Dad's house, tools and gifts from my siblings and also from Andrew's family. It's certainly fun to buy new things (like my cast iron cookware) but it's also wonderful to have stuff that reminds me of our families and friends.

Aura Australis

I have a migraine, apparenlty. I usually know when I get them, because they hurt. Tonight, however, whilst sitting at dinner with friends & family, I started getting these weird little flashy "S" shapes, which I thought were "floaters" at first - you know those annoying things that bob around in your eyeball that you notice when you close your eyes.

Well, I've never been fortunate enough to see either the northern or southern auroras, but I'm seeing an aura...it's as if someone is flittering prism shapes all around the edge of my vision. It's actually pretty cool, as long as I can still see and not come away with a headache.

Speaking of shiny things, we're getting a shiny new office (eventually). We are in the middle of a renovation process which will give us a bit more room, and indoor toilets. Many places still have outdoor toilets, which is certainly interesting as they are not climate-controlled, and the climate varies quite drastically in Victoria. I won't complain that we used to get rained on sometimes, because we need the rain...but it will be nice to have the choice not to get wet!

I'm actually going to have a very flash reception desk, and we're getting ducted heating and cooling as well. The agents are getting their own offices now, too. When the dust settles (literally), it will be a very good thing.

Friends and Fond Memories

We had more sad news this week. Another good friend of ours, Robert, passed away unexpectedly this past week. Robert was loved dearly by his friends, and to say he will be greatly missed just doesn't express it well enough. It's daunting to write about how well loved someone was. To those suffering the loss, words don't seem to carry enough meaning, or weight.

I am very glad I knew Robert. He brought a hope and deterimation and adventure to life that was truly amazing and inspiring.

But it's not just the amazing people that add to my life. It's the ordinary, the everyday, the people who are there in their different ways that make my life rich. My parents, my brother & sisters, my relations, all my in-laws, my friends, my husband, my co-workers (whether your on this side of the planet or the other), you are an important part of my life...I'm very glad you're there, in your own ways, and love you for it.

Here's praying that even more hope -- and maybe some (good) adventure -- be added to mix of our lives.

Living The Australian Dream

Anyone who's moved to a new place knows it takes a while to get acclimated. The same with jobs. The way I could tell I'd really gotten entrenched in my job is when I started dreaming about it. Not nightmares as a result of stress, just regular dreams.

Over the past few years I've dreamed a lot about my past - usually college. Perhaps it's just a part of getting older, but I think it really started happening in earnest when I was getting ready to be uprooted and transplanted to the opposite side of this big blue/green planet. Lately those dreams have intensified. I think I hit a breakthrough last night, however. In my dream I was handling U.S. money, and in my dream I was commenting that they looked wrong. They weren't different colours and sizes like money should be.

The other thing that makes me wonder if I'm acclimatising has to do with the fact that periodically, I have to remind myself to go to the "other" side of the car, or I can, without thinking, be unable to start the car immediately due to a lack of steering column on the passenger side. So, after a long, intense day at work, I headed for my little red car...and found myself looking at that passenger seat again. Only this time, I had been telling myself "other side"!

Well, it's a good thing my brain is starting to work out which side of the car to get on (and how to pay for things) here. Otherwise, things could "head north" pretty quickly.

Pots and Fans

We've been watching yet another reality show, Master Chef Australia. It's not the same as watching a good cooking show, but you do pick up the occasional useful tip here and there. One of the tips actually helped improve my omelet technique.

Of course, you always see them using high quality pans and excellent knives, and I've been discovering that these actually do make a difference. On my last birthday (while my Dad was visiting), Andrew remembered something I'd mentioned in passing, that I'd like one of those heavy-duty "grill" pans. Now, before anyone thinks this is unromantic, this is a French cast iron, enamel-coated grill pan. Who knows romance better than the French?

This pan makes the most fabulous chops and steaks which consistently make my cooking better. Dad and Andrew enjoyed some lovely steaks as a result of this birthday gift. It also inspired me to save my pennies for a French cast-iron enamelled dutch oven.

So cookware is romantic...but I draw the line at household cleaning products. Although, a household cleaner would be just fine.

Strange Accents and Units of Measurement

I've been watching snippets of Biggest Loser U.S. Neither Andrew nor I were into "Reality TV" in the States, but I think we gravitated towards it here as a way to familiarise ourselves with Australian society.

They're quite flash with the reality shows here. Excellent cutaways. Very good dramatic presentation. A.J. (the host), Shannon and Michelle are really cool. The White House and Biggest Loser Camp are amazing. They do still repeat everything at least 3 times during the course of the show, so you can miss most of it during the evening, and most of them during the week, and still not be too far behind. I'm guessing they do that in the U.S. version, but I think the station is condensing program to fit into the available time slot.

But something odd is going on. I can relate to the units of measurement better in pounds as opposed to kilos, but B.L.U.S. sounds really strange. The contestents sound odd. Why do these people all have strange accents? The presenter just sounds wrong -- where's A.J.?

Movies sound normal with American accents. News programs are OK too. Top Gear does sound best with the original British triumverate. But television shows apparently sound best in Australian. Who knew?

Uno...due...tre...and so forth

It's finally happened. Middle-age must have officially kicked in, because I'm attending BINGO on Friday nights. But the really interesting part is that I'm surrounded by people speaking in Italian!

My neighbour Gina loves to go to Bingo at the Veneto club, but her husband doesn't enjoy it as much anymore. She asked me if I would drive her on Friday nights when I don't have Ham Radio commitments. They've been good friends to us, so while bingo has never been remotely on my radar, I felt badly at the idea of saying no. A nice little hall with about 100 people, numbers rolling by in Italian and English should be manageable...

This place is ENORMOUS. It's got to be the size of a Las Vegas casino. I'm realising that they really do things big in Australia. Sports bar/gym/restaurant/pokies (slots), plus a gondola moored outside in the (waterless) fountain (well, there is a drought on). The room I was in must have had 400 to 500 people in it.

So there I sit, pink marker in hand, trying to decipher my bingo sheet, listening to conversations with the vague feeling that I ought to be able to understand them. I had that same feeling in college when I visited my roommate's family. After all, I've sung in Italian, done vague translations with an Italian/English dictionary, grew up eating fabulous Italian food and enjoying wonderful friends. Well, with any luck, I'll finally learn how to speak it. Or at least how to count to 90.

What's Italian for "bingo"? Oh yes, BINGO!

The Sad Passing of Friend

It is with sadness that Andrew & I learned our good friend Werner Meyer died Friday 22 May. He and his wife Irma have been good friends to us. A few years ago they moved to sunny Florida to enjoy their retirement. At that point, Werner knew he had emphysema, and was realising his retirement might not be as long as could be hoped for. In April he was diagnosed with lung cancer, which spread through his lungs and to his brain. Treatments were unsuccessful, but thankfully Irma says he was not in pain at the end.

When we visited Irma and Werner in Florida, he was determined to enjoy the time he had left. We are grateful for his friendship, and Irma will be in our thoughts and prayers.

Lost in Hawthorn and Good Yarra Valley Wine

Tonight Andrew & I attended a wine tasting dinner at our local Cafe Orchard. I believe it is the first time they have hosted such an event, and it was very successful. As collaboration between the local wine merchant, the cafe and a small grape-grower in the Yarra Valley, it provided excellent food, lovely drink and new aquaintances.

It was also nice to be able to go out to dinner in our little village. There are two wonderful cafes at the shops, but they close at 4 pm and 6:30 pm respectively, so there isn't really a nice restaurant option close by. There are fantastic restaurants all around Melbourne, but they feel very out of the way by the time I get home from work. Even picking up Maccers is a bit of a schlep.

We arrived home to a rather unexpected guest: the neighbour's cat managed to sneak in at some point, and we discovered a black, furry warm spot on our bed upon our return. Neither Andrew nor I saw her dart through a door in our comings and goings -- unless she's perfected breaking in through the chimney. I suppose the soot would blend in to her fur. Other happenings this week included a two-day work-related software class for me in Hawthorn.

It was easy enough to get to (nevermind that I forgot and headed straight for work that first day...and had no clue how to get there...), but both days I kept missing turns to get home. I succeeded eventually, although it took me longer to get home the second day than the first! Time to study the Melways a bit more.

Ultra Blogging

We had a nice, quiet Easter. I didn't go to any liturgical services (I really do miss the beauty and tradition when we commemorate what Jesus did for us), but we had a lovely turnout at our small church. I didn't give up anything for Lent, and found the chocolate displays a bit too tempting. If Lent came after Easter, I'd have no problem, because even I was getting sick of eating chocolate by the time the holidays were over.

I did, however, start what may become a new tradition. Having taken the lamb out of the freezer a few days to soon, by Maundy Thursday I was thinking "uh oh...". So on Good Friday, I made a simple roast supper. The lovely thing is that on Easter Sunday after our church service, all that was needed was to put everything back in the oven on low, and dinner was waiting for us at our own pace.

Our neighbours' son and his girl friend came over Easter afternoon with their (relatively) new dog, and we chatted away on the back veranda. It was quite funny to see this 10-month old puppy try to figure out how to get back into the house once he'd gotten out. The neighbour's cat was less amused, and promptly hid herself in her apartment (I'll explain that another time). The puppy had great time running around the gardens and at one point was contemplating how well small canine could jump off a veranda onto the driveway below.

It was great to not have to worry about the time, or the roast biding it's time in the oven, and just chat. Life needs more moments like that.

There were a few things I was sure I was going to blog about, and I'm hoping they'll work their way back into my memory. That's the funny thing about life - it's what happens when you're writing blogs...or what zooms by you at ultra speeds while you're still looking for the "on" switch.

Things to Make You Smile

I've been slack lately in blogging - I think I'm suffering from a strange cross of Autumn Blues and Spring Fever. It's April - there should be crocuses blooming out of the snow...but instead we're finishing up with the hot weather and moving into the cold rainy season. I'm confused enough that I'm actually sitting here listening to Footy Recaps just to keep my mind occupied. I think my team is winning. It's the first time I've actually watched them since we've been in Australia. I'm fairly relieved my office isn't into tipping on the footy; I'm not that dedicated.

To cheer everyone up, my sister-in-law Coleen sent some joking thoughts for 2009. I liked them all, but though some of them were a bit too "R" to post on the net. I thought this especially in light of the tag-line: "Life is like a jar of jalapeno peppers: What you to today, might burn your bum tomorrow." But here are two of my favourites (and really not that far from the truth!):

A Thought About Helping Others:
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, teach a person to use the internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

It's Just a State of Mind
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is Weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.


Have a smilin' day!

Rain!

It is raining tonight, thanks be to God. We spent a bit of a nerve-wracking day or two, with the forecast for hot temperatures and gale force winds. But the blessing is that we received a light rain this morning to moisten the ground a bit, and are now getting a bit of a heavier rain. It is beautiful. Not too heavy so that we get flooding, but a good, soaking rain. We pray it will continue for quite some time!

The winds are blowing quite well, with trees down in various parts of the state. One client from work is heading over to Tazzie (Tasmania) tonight via ferry, and is hoping the winds die down by the time they are at sea. But if the winds mean rain, we will gladly take them, and pray for safety. We are at less than 30% full in our reservoirs, and are ready to move to stage 4 drought restrictions (stage 5 is the worst).

My mother and sister have spent a wonderful week here, and left on Sunday to visit our family friend Fran, who is lives in New Zealand. For good descriptions of what they did (as well as pictures), check out my sister Jeanne's blog. I've put a link on this page.

Beef Jerky and Baklava

My mom & sister arrived Sunday morning from the U.S. By all accounts they had very nice flights, including the usual amazing abundance of food and down duvets to boot. I met them at the airport, which wasn’t as fun for me, because although Melbourne airport really is fantastic, they don’t tell you which flight is actually coming through customs, only that the plane has landed. In addition, there are four doors that lead out of the big brick wall, and waiting friends and family can’t really monitor all of them. To make that bit even more complicated, those who exit customs can turn either right or left. If you have a medical condition that requires your blood pressure be raised, go wait for someone outside customs with the fear that you will miss them and they will be wandering in the airport, hopelessly lost, living there until their flight to return home is ready.

They actually had a slightly more comfortable getting through customs and such, as my mom required a wheelchair transport. At one point in the usual questions about what you are bringing in, my sister let them know she was bringing cooking spices, unopened. The security guard then asked, “Beef jerky?” Without missing a beat, she replied, “No, thank you.” Of course, with a previously confiscated bag of beef jerky under his arm, he rephrased the question. I bet that guy tells his mates about the wacky American who thought he was offering it to her instead of trying to bin it. Australia will never be the same once Jeanne’s sense of humour does the rounds.

I did work Monday and Tuesday, and my great achievement of the week was scaring my coworker. Our typical office dress is black and white, and that day I was wearing all black. I needed to ask my colleague a question, but as he was on the phone, I stood quietly until he was finished. A little too quietly. Apparently he’d had a rather bad experience at one point, and having someone suddenly appear all dressed in black gave him quite a start. I did feel for him, having experienced this myself once.

As I related the story later, I had a pronunciation lapse, and mentioned that the fact I wasn’t wearing a baklava helped my mate realise I wasn’t out to mug him. Go ahead, read that sentence again. I’m still enjoying the mental picture of a cat burglar wearing a giant pastry with eyeholes cut into it.

How We Are Meant To Be

This past week has seen amazing acts of giving and helping as horrific bushfires have ripped through Victoria. A deadly combination of ongoing drought and furnace-like heat and winds gave rise to the worst bushfire tragedy in Australian history. The sadness of lives lost and homes destroyed cannot be communicated.

Andrew and I are thankful that no friends or family have lost life or property. We continue to pray for rain, for the elimination of these fires, and that not another life would be lost or home destroyed.

The blazes are ongoing, but are being controlled. Firebreaks are being strengthened; the smell of back-burning drifts through occasionally. Everyone is thankful for the cooler weather which aids in control. Help has poured in from around the country and around the world. Real, practical help. People offering their homes, food, money, time, and resources.

When I first moved to Australia, I felt that if I was walking down the street and needed help, all I would need to do would be to knock on someone’s door. This week has proven that, a million times over. Australians have an amazing way of helping each other out, and not just during times of crisis.

It is amazing, because it’s how we are meant to be. Courteous, thoughtful, considerate, giving, selfless. The very traits God put into us at Creation. It’s not just Aussie spirit; it’s how we humans are meant to be.

Toasted Toilet Seats

It’s been between 40–44 for the entire week. For non-metrics, think 110+ Fahrenheit. In New Jersey, a week of 32 C (90 F ) was close a heat wave. Now, I’d really enjoy cooling down to that, for many reasons. I’ve never experienced a hot toilet seat before in my life!

It’s quite bizarre to think that in New Jersey and New York there are blizzards, ice storms (and really cold toilet seats). Too bad we can’t send part of the weather from each country to help out the other.

Since the local weather didn’t do the usual 2-day toasty then plunge back to cooler temps, Melbournians have had to adjust drastically to the heat wave. I’ve heard of quite a few folks changing their work day to start (and end) earlier; a local factory temporarily moved the regular day shift to night to keep the employees cool. The heat has disrupted public transport, and also caused blackouts. Even the wildlife is suffering, with dehydrated possums falling out of trees. We discovered one poor little juvenile outside our office.

The heat also keeps you awake but that is useful for making trans-oceanic phone calls in the middle of the night.

Andrew and I are managing, but we both had to take extra measures this evening to cool down and watch out for heat-related issues. But my sister Jeanne did send us pictures of the blizzard to help us appreciate not having to shovel the snow. It’s not sounding so bad right about now…

Pepperoni, Please

My sister-in-law is expecting a full account of my trip to the United States just before the Christmas holidays. I figured I’d better start writing before senility kicks in and at least get some of my memories down on e-paper. I spent the first few days with my family preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving; after missing them for year it was a much needed event. The rest of the time was spent scheduling visits with friends. We do miss our friends a great deal, and keep hoping they’ll get the urge to move Down Under, or at least visit.

I also attended to some serious business: shopping. I’m not sure if I actually ended up with anything after the requisite returns, but at least I got to push around one of the few inanimate objects I miss from the US: a proper shopping cart. These are trolleys which behave themselves. You can actually push one around without making your lower back cross with you, or knock over displays (or people) as you wheel it around the store, or send your muscles into a permanent spasm as you (futilely) try to prevent the thing from angling off into someone’s car. These carts stay straight when you push them, because only the front wheels have all-way casters.

The other item I seriously miss from the US is proper pepperoni. At least, I think its proper; Andrew thinks its a cultural weapon. There’s not too much else I miss food-wise, other than refrigerated dinner roll dough and potato bread.

While Melbourne beats New York when it comes to coffee, there is a favourite restaurant of mine that makes the best coffee anywhere. They also make the best pastries and cakes, so if you’re in my old stomping grounds and have an event to bring something to, I’ll get you directions to Bon Appetit.

Happy New Year

OK, it’s a rather clichéd title, but it still holds true. It’s a new year, a time for new beginnings, and a time (to paraphrase a Bible verse) when we “forget what is behind and push forward to what is ahead.” This can really happen at any point in our year, and in fact every day, should we so choose.

I find that word “forget” interesting. This almost seems a contradiction, because so many of our traditions and decisions are made up from what we remember – whether good or bad - and we base what we do on what we know. I strongly suspect there’s a bit more to it than the obvious meaning.

Some of us all too readily forget what is behind. I can guarantee that if I have ten things to do, eight or nine of them will happen, and the other one or two wander off into oblivion. I'm convinced there's a little corner of the universe where all the tasks I've forgotten are sitting around, having beer and a chuckle. I can have a conversation with my husband, and have no recollection of it the next hour, let alone the next day (it seems to be a family trait). So remembering can be good. Even remembering a bad thing can be good – otherwise the world would be full of people who never learned that a stove that is on is hot!

I think what we really need to “forget” is a few of our typical responses to things that have happened in our lives – even if they’ve gotten the result we want – and instead push forward to better responses and interactions. So here’s to a New and Happy approach to 2009!