Joyful Jottings (life in Oz)

Fair Dinkum Aussie

Warm Tinny

Centenary Test  [1908-2008]

Kangaroos vs. Kiwis

The New Zealand Haka

Imagine if this is how the Superbowl began!

Australia in February

The Birds Of Paradise are in Bloom!

Happy Australia Day 2008!

An American Thanksgiving in Australia

The First Brine Thanksgiving 2007

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Finally pictures!  I’m so happy to share them with you.  We had a lovely Thanksgiving together this year.  I’m so thankful for my new husband and my in-laws.  It is so nice to have family.

I did quite a bit of sewing this Thanksgiving…all by hand, too.  The table cloth was fun.  I trimmed it with some of my husband’s old ties, adding plenty of bright Fall color to the Autumn brown of the table cloth.  The place mats were a delight, complete with maple leaf name tags held by a clothes pin.  I gave each one a leaf pocket for silverware.  I also, made our napkins.  You will notice the candle holders were made by carving out a hole in two apples just the right size for tea lights.  Lovely!

Bloomin’ Jacaranda Trees

These beauties are bloomin’ all across Brisbane! So lovely!

Sure Signs of Spring

Found While Shopping

Hey…isn’t that Snap, Crackle, and Pop…Rice Krispies? Nope. Down Under they are known as…???…I’m not sure what their Aussie names are…only that here they are Rice Bubbles.

This is one of the craziest things I have come across here….condensed milk in a tube…anything like that back in America?

And most interesting soft drink flavors - - - Pine!

October in Oz

Well, here it is 2 October…no sign of Fall…because it is Spring and soon to be Summer here Down Under. I feel like Alice in Wonderland, everything being backwards. Homesickness hits hard this time of year…when the leaves should be changing color, and the temperature cooling off. Where are the pumpkins, donuts, and cider? There are no costumes or yard decorations for sale in the stores. Nor are there any huge candy sales. Halloween and Thanksgiving are not celebrated here…there is no Harvest happening now. That all took place 6 months ago when I first arrived. It was acutely strange then to see the Easter Bunny displayed prominently amidst Fall decor. This is a big adjustment…having no Fall. I miss the build-up it brings to Christmas. I miss the fragrances of Fall…cider, donuts, caramel apples, burning leaves, pumpkins…Fall is my favorite time of year.

Meet the Laughing Kookaburra

When I first heard the Kookaburras laugh, I thought we had a neighborhood full of monkeys. The noise was so much like what I had heard from the monkeys at every zoo I had been to in America. I’ll never forget being woken up before daybreak my first night in Australia by their raucous laughter.

“What is that?” I asked, trying to conceal the panic in my voice.

It had been a long flight, 16 hours, from Chicago to L.A. to Brisbane. My life had not only changed hemispheres, I was now no longer single. Aaron and I had exchanged vows barely 48 hours before. Our wedding guests had traveled long distances through icy and snowy roads to join in our celebration. Hardly 2 days later, Aaron and I were simmering, doing our best to keep cool, it was March in Australia. Huge contrast!

My life had drastically changed in a few short days: becoming a wife, landing in a different time zone (a whole 16 hours ahead of the rest of my friends and family), opposite hemisphere, a new language and culture - Australian, and birds that chatter like monkeys!

After a 16 hour flight and coming off the Dramamine, the Kookaburras laughter caused great confusion…where was I in the Jungle? I know I had once seriously considered being a missionary teacher in the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil, but had I actually done it? Where was I?

Sitting straight up in bed, I grabbed my husband’s arm, “What is that? Monkeys?” I questioned, my voice trembled with troubled confusion.

“No, Honey. There are no monkeys here. That’s the Kookaburra.” He patiently quieted me.

In the 6 months I have lived here, I have grown accustom to the Kookaburra’s laughter. I must admit, I am actually becoming quite fond of the Kookaburra’s laughter. We have one Kookaburra that will perch on our backyard fence. We enjoy watching her. I think it is a “her”, because it doesn’t have the coloring of a male. I wonder if her nest is nearby. Today she ventured closer to our window. She flew from the safety of the fence to our one tree in our ity, bity backyard. Just as I went to grab the camera, she flew off. I hope she comes back again. I’d love to take her picture.

A few facts from Wikipedia on the Laughing Kookaburra:

- Australian carnivorous bird

- found throughout eastern Australia

- males have dark blue on their tail feathers

- “The “Laughing Kookaburra” is known by its name for its “laugh” which it uses to greet its mate after periods of absences. It can be heard at any time of day but most frequently shortly after dawn and especially when the colour drains from the forest after sunset.

One bird starts with a low, hiccupping chuckle, then throws its head back in raucous laughter: often several others join in. If a rival tribe is within earshot and replies, the whole family soon gathers to fill the bush with ringing laughter. Hearing kookaburras in full voice is one of the more extraordinary experiences of the Australian bush, something even locals cannot ignore; some visitors, unless forewarned, may find their call startling.”

- what they eat: mice, lizards, large insects, small birds & nestlings, and snakes, “including venomous snakes a good deal longer than the bird itself”.

- mating season starts October/November

- lay 3 eggs

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughing_Kookaburra)

To listen to the Kookaburra’s Laugh and read the Kookaburra Song visit: http://www.ausinternet.com/ettamogah/kookaburrasong.htm

Yes, We Have Bananas!

Red-tipped bananas. Bananas with red tips. What are the red tips for anyway?

Crossing the Street
One of the first things I had to do when I arrived in Australia was to relearn how to cross the street.

The driving is done on the opposite side of the road here.

Americans drive on the right-hand side of the road.

Australians drive on the left.

This seemingly small difference is in fact huge! A difference of life or death, depending on which direction you look first before you cross the street. Americans look to the right first. Australians look to the left.

So much for the little rhyme my Grandmother taught me. It went something like this: “Use your eyes, use your ears, before you use your feet. Look to the right, look to the left, before you cross the street.”
Looking to the right before crossing the streets here in Brisbane, could very likely get me killed or severely injured. This has been one of my biggest challenges since moving here. I never thought it would be so hard to make such a tiny, simple change in my thinking. Yet, I still find myself looking to the right instead of first looking to the left. Some day I’ll learn!

Kangaroo, anyone?!

Grocery shopping here in Australia has been some fun! I’m still getting used to seeing kangaroo meat sold alongside lamb, pork, and beef. I haven’t tried it yet. Don’t know if I will. Would you try kangaroo? Have you? What is the most exotic meat you have eaten? I wonder how kangaroo is prepared. What is the best way to cook kangaroo? With rice or potatoes? I’d love to hear from those of you who have eaten kangaroo. Any kangaroo recipes?

Fairy Floss
I was introduced to Fairy Floss at Brisbane’s Ekka! Ekka is short for Exhibition - Australia’s version of America’s State Fair. What is Fairy Floss? Simply sweet Cotton Candy.

Only in Australia…

…will you see wallabies, kangaroos, and koalas in your front yard. I grew up in Michigan seeing squirrel, rabbits, and raccoons. Here a wallaby in your front yard is an every day occurrence. A novelty to me…not so for the Australians. In fact, I haven’t seen one squirrel since I moved here six months ago…or raccoon for that matter…hmmm…interesting!