Thursday, December 24, 2009

Happy Birthday Gabriel and Kai




The dudes (now known as blokes) are 11. We celebrated their special day in Apollo Bay, on the south coast of the state of Victoria. The plan was to have an evening picnic on the beach, but the flies were so wicked we couldn't take it, and had our meal and celebration on the top deck of the Apollo Bay YHA. We had a bd party here in FC earlier in December, with friends from school. Introduced the Aussie friends to mud cake, complete with worms (snakes) and this year's innovation, chocolate chips to be crunchy like gravel. Some kids enjoyed it, some were a bit taken aback. (Kai with wombat; Gabe with kookaburra.)





Their birthday falls on "the darkest day of the year" in the northern hemisphere... here it's the summer solstice, and the sun came out in her full glory on the 21st. We walked along the Barwon River to the falls, opened gifts at a picnic spot along the road, and returned to the beach for some boogey boarding and swimming in the 18C water. That was a bit of a gasp, but we did it!

The challenges and accomplishments of this last year are numerous. Both are accomplished packers and stowers-away of a variety of objects. Kai holds a special record for actually trying to bring a pair of scissors through airport security (they found them right at the Winnipeg airport) -- I mean, you never know when you need a pair of scissors? -- and then his jack knife in his backpack on our trip to Brisbane. They didn't see it at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport, but they did catch it in Brisbane, but let us mail it back to Ferny Creek! Gabe's special gift was for disconcerting the Sex Ed instructor at FCPS, after her pronouncements that people should be treated for who they are regardless of hair, skin, facial features, piercings, etc. "Yes, little girl?" "I'm a boy"... Infamy for both guys.

There were challenges as well and both boys learned to meet new people with aplomb. Each guy tackled the speech requirements of the first term of school in their own way. It's a gift to be able to present information in front of an audience, and the sooner people start, the easier it will be. Kai won for delivering the best speech for his year at the presentation evening. Gabe has become adept at creating short videos and animation.

They leapt onto surfboards and have learned some great physical skills with cross-country running, using flying foxes, ice blocking (sliding down a grassy slope on a block of ice), Billy Cart racing, biking up and down some steep (45 degree angles) slopes, walked around Uluru, touched the Opera House, flew in an ultra light plane, have learned to identify a variety of Australian wildlife (Gabe was stalked by a hungry kangaroo). They keep us amused with their burgeoning humour skills, and how they have embraced the challenges of living away from their home turfs for one year.

They brought light into the lives of the people they met and we wish them strength and agility, both physical and emotional, as we return to Winnipeg.

Friday, December 11, 2009

On the Departure Pathway


Just to let you know we are now in our final two weeks in Australia. There's still a lot to do -- the car is still being repaired (the panel beaters will be finished on Monday), there's cleaning and sorting to do, the kids still have another week of school (mostly partying at this point!), I've still got a few blog items to post (although I think I'm going to keep it up when we get back -- I'm loving the experience), and we want to visit Apollo Bay for a few days of RxR before we fly out on the morning of the 27th (given the trickery of the International Date Line, we "gain" a day as we come back). We have the boys' birthday to celebrate on the 21st, and the kids have a few more visits with friends. If you are sending cards or letters, perhaps send them to Winnipeg, as it takes up to 2 weeks to get here from Canada. For anyone in Vancouver, we'll be at the airport for about 5 hrs on the afternoon of Dec. 27 -- I'm sure you will see us at our best, but if you want to drop by, we'd love to see you! Let me know and I'll watch for you. Our flight from Auckland is scheduled to arrive at 12:45 p.m., and once we clear Customs and haul our equipaje (I love that spanish word) down to AC, we're free to see people and hug and kiss you!







Tom is finished today, much to his relief. The pots he fired in the kiln at Robert Barron's are quite gorgeous -- some are spectacular, some are just plain lovely! A bit of salt got thrown at a few mugs and the results were a bit drippier than he would normally like, but I'm realizing with this wood firing/salting experience, you take what you get. The owner of the kiln had a few disasters when a shelf broke. So you never know the complete picture until it's done. Now he's got a bit of time to chill, visit the Ian Potter Centre again, hang out, and finish packing and sorting.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Aussie Jingle Bells

Christmas is coming. Again, the southern hemisphere dissonance intrudes... having been in the northern hemisphere for most of the Christmas celebrations of my life, it's quite odd to hear the music, to even think about preparing for the event, in the sunshine of the oncoming summer. I am hoping we can celebrate the day on the beach somewhere -- quite different than the usual Winnipeg event. We are leaving Ferny Creek on the 26th, flying out of Tullamarine on the 27th, through Auckland, Vancouver and on to Winnipeg. I think we will celebrate the northern Christmas as Ukrainian Christmas in early January. By then we should be over the jet lag.

The kids came home from school with some lyrics I found quite entertaining.

Aussie Jingle Bells

Dashing through the bush
In a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust
Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side
Singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs
CHORUS:
OH, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA
ON A SCORCHING SUMMER'S DAY
JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS
CHRISTMAS TIME IS BEAUT
OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE
IN A RUSTY HOLDEN UTE

Engine's getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggy climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family is there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue!

CHORUS

Come the afternoon
Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
Are swimming in their clothes
The time comes round to go
We take a family snap
Then pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up

CHORUS

Then, I found the Aussie version of the 12 Days of Christmas.

A kookaburra up a gum tree.
Two snakes on skis,
Three wet galahs,
Four lyrebirds,
Five kangaroos.
Six sharks a surfing,
Seven emus laying,
Eight dingoes dancing,
Nine crocs a snoozing,
Ten wombats washing,
Eleven lizards leaping,
Twelve possums playing.

You can bet there would be 12 possums playing! Way to go possums...

More ETS and CPR

Thanks to fellow Melbourne blogger Alouette: http://farragoandgallimaufry.blogspot.com/



This is the editorial cartoon that I found so entertaining! By Mark Knight of the Herald Sun.

Friday, December 4, 2009

The politics of Politics -- how the ETS went down

Emissions Trading Scheme -- ETS. The majority National Labor Party (yes, spelled without the "u", go figure) tried to pass its response to global warming, the ETS, through the lower and upper houses of the Australian parliament. The PM had hoped the ETS would pass before the UN Copenhagen climate change summit. It got stuck on its way to the Senate, where the opposition coalition group, under the name of the Liberal Party, effectively blocked its passage.

Until last weekend, the leader of the opposition was Malcolm Turnbull. He is known, most recently, for some major gaffes, including trying to implicate the PM in a subplot of underhanded Ute (truck/vehicle) receivership, aptly nicknamed "Utegate" by the purple press. Malcolm's minion in that escapade, a civil servant named Godwin Greech (the name falls into the zone of more purple prose), was found to have planted information -- told "porky pies" (lies), about the PM's involvement. The PM has been cleared. The civil servant wasn't, but has not been charged with any criminal offenses. However, his career with the federal government ended. And Malcolm was implicated in the planting of false emails as well. (Many jokes were made about Malcolm in the middle...)

Back to the ETS. Malcolm Turnbull tried to drag the Liberals to passing the ETS, but the coalition's hard core rightist section, led by Senator Nick Minchin, who disbelieve the notion that carbon emission can cause global warming, wouldn't have it. A leadership vote was demanded, and a leadership vote was held early this week. The man who many thought could hold it together, and help the NLP pass its bill, is Joe Hockey. Joe was knocked out on the first ballot -- he would have supported a free/conscience vote on the ETS, which would likely have passed it. Malcolm was knocked out on the second round. The new leader is a man named Tony Abbott, who is not willing to pass the bill. So it has been rejected for the 2nd time, giving the government a trigger for a double dissolution early election, should it be desired. At this point no election has been called, but the possibility exists. The coalition is torn and divided, and the ETS, which would have cost Australian taxpayers in a middle income bracket approximately $1100/household, has gone nowhere. It's not understood very clearly by most people, and many are unimpressed at the thought of allowing carbon emitters to continue to emit, while forcing the user of the service to pay. Brown coal creates most of the electricity here, and brown coal is a large emitter of carbon. The coal miners asked for, and would have received, compensation payments in this Bill. But there was nothing in the ETS that would effectively have reduced carbon production.

It's now up to the PM, delayed for a few days in the U.S. with plane problems, to decide whether to call an early election, or to let the Liberal Party continue to fray. The best news picture that came out of this story is one of a completely fit and trim Tony Abbott, the new leader, emerging from the surf where he participates as a member of his local Surf Life Saving Club in Manly, Sydney. Budgie smugglers and nothing else, the man looked ready to tackle a few sharks. As you can imagine, there has been more than a little chat, in and out of the purple press, about a coalition leader who is prepared to (and able, I might add) wear his Speedos in front of the nation. ETS is now being referred to as extra tiny speedos ... there will be no carbon reduction in the foreseeable future.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Winery Tour

We had a great day Saturday, sans children. (The children also had a great day sans us, hanging at home for a while, then birthday partying -- Gabe and Kai -- or spending the night at a sleepover with a friend -- Nicole.) This day was set up by one of Tom's fellow teachers. The guys were competing to see who could concoctthe most obnoxious shirt and tie combo. Sorry, I do not have photos of the various attempts, but Laurie ultimately won as he sported a green/grey plaid shirt with a purple/pink tie the other day. Lurid, I'm told. Several people on the tour commented on the event.

The places we visited are south of us -- Chestnut Hill Vineyard of Mt. Burnett, Cannibal Creek of Tynong North, Brandy Creek Wines of Drouin East for lunch, Ada River Winery of Neerim South to finish off. The hits of the day were a beautiful soft merlot from Cannibal Creek and a bouncy little Gewurtztraminer of Ada River. There were some amazing deals on case lots, both of the labelled varieties and of the clearskins, which is a great little Aussie tradition -- unlabelled, but the same stuff they're exporting/selling elsewhere. Too bad we're now running out of time to purchase case lots of wine!

First order of the day was to get out the camera at Chestnut Hill only to find the battery had run down as someone put it back into the case without turning it off. Sigh. One of our fellow tour members, Michael came to the rescue, and I've posted his link below.

http://www. picasaweb.google.com/michael.vorobiev/Vinerytour?fgl=true&pli=1#">

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Full Moon in Townsville



Jumped out of bed at 4 a.m. on a Friday morning in late October to head to Tullamarine airport, which is a solid one hour drive away. I'm still not comfortable with the roads leading to the airport, as there isn't one direct route. You can take one freeway, the M1, but it's under construction, and there can be huge traffic delays. When I went to get Roberta and Aline in August, traffic into the city was crawling at 40 kph or less. I was at least 1/2 hour late, but fortunately their plane was late as well, so they didn't have to worry. A better way to drive is to avoid the M1 and use the newer toll highway, which basically puts you right into one of Melbourne's older neighbourhoods, on city streets. Returning from Brisbane, in the dark, I missed a turn off on a city street (not the freeway) and was heading north again before I knew it. It can be quite stressful, so I've taken on the challenge of driving and navigating, leaving Tom free to work out all the nuts and bolts of teaching.

We made it, got into long term parking, jumped on the shuttle bus and had ourselves in the departure area drinking (excellent) coffee before we knew it. A quick 50 minute flight into the fog surrounding the Canberra airport, where we disembarked, hung out in the airport for a few minutes, and then got back on the same plane. This short stay was fortunate, as they were selling the Byron Bay Cookie Co ginger date cookies we discovered in Byron Bay and I snatched a few (paid for them too) for the next leg of the flight. Shades of shorter flights in Canada, you have to buy every single item you want on the short haul airlines in Australia (this was Virgin Blue, with great friendly service). We had prepared by making brekkie sandwiches, bringing fruit, yogurt and juice boxes, but you still have to spend a few hours flying further north. Townsville is a 2 1/2 hour flight north from Canberra. The flight attendents were at their witty best, and one managed to paint a few kids' faces before we hit some rougher air which made the face pencil a precarious proposition.

Skidded in on some bouncy air into Townsville's airport, reminiscent of Victoria's airport about 15 - 20 yrs ago. Turns out it's owned by the Australian Air Force (and was an airforce base during WWII), who rent out space/time to the commercial airlines. Quonset huts on the outskirts, military jets and helicopters waiting near runways. Hot as, in Townsville. Humid as. Not something we'd experienced in Ferny Creek in October. Cane fields along the highway, the harvest having just finished. The port has a huge terminal specifically for sugar loading and exportation. Palm trees (imported, non-native), hoop pines, some of our favourite Norfolk Pines. Dry. It's a rainforest area, at least up in the mountains just west of the coast, but it was dry, and will be dry until the rains of the "Wet" hit in January -- the summer is the wet and humid season. Found our way to the Strand, an area to relax, walk, or swim, depending on your mood.

We went to see Stephanie, a European travel friend of Tom's from 30 years ago, and she'd told us to wait for her on the Strand as she had to work in the morning. She works for the Justice Department, and can't just take off whenever she feels like it. A few text messages back and forth, and when we were swimming in the rock pool (sheltered from the main ocean, keeping crocs, etc. out), there she was. She and Tom had hitchhiked together in Great Britain and spent some quality time together. Now we were all descending on her and her partner, Peter. Just after we left the rock pool, a 1.5 metre crocodile was spotted swimming along the ocean shore. Stingers, who produce a bad to deadly sting, are another thing to avoid in the northern summer, but there are stinger nets set up at popular beaches so people can swim with relative safety.



They hosted us with grace, humour, friendliness and intellectual stimulation. When they moved to Townsville (considered the hinterland by many), they adapted a local Queenslander house (built on stilts for airflow and protection from cyclones) and removed a few walls and added large screened windows to increase airflow, insulated the ceiling, added some overhanging roofs and decks front and back, and don't need air conditioners. It was pure bliss to sleep there with a light sheet, feeling the warm night air blowing over our bodies. They live 3 blocks off the ocean ... the salt air can be very destructive, so they're somewhat protected, yet have the benefit of the breezes. Stephanie served some fabulous food, Peter uploaded some great Aussie tunes to my iPod, took the gang for flights in his ultralight plane (reminds me of the dragonflies at Vic Beach), and got us over to Magnetic Island (named that way because Captain Cook's navigation devices didn't work, so he assumed there were magnetic forces at work) and showed us around.

We are certainly jealous of their lifestyle. I know they've worked for it. Stephanie is doing her regional service in the "north", not something everyone wants to do. Peter is able to adapt his work life to working from home. Their daughter is doing her gap year in Europe, working, travelling, and enduring chicken pox. We laughed so hard poor Stephanie almost choked. We talked, got to know each other, caught up, and learned new things about life. We want more. Stephanie pointed me to more Aussie literature and literary journals. I must catch up. Peter downloaded some fantastic Aussie music onto my iPod, and I'm listening regularly. They are adventurous and generous, and we thank them for their hospitality and our introduction to northern Queensland.

I miss the sight of the ripening mango trees in their backyard (2 of them!), although the fruit bats are now gorging themselves silly all night, making all kinds of noise. They also have a lychee tree, but the bats had picked it clean except for the very top, so we couldn't snatch anything off the tree. Townsville feels unspoiled, althought some development is creeping its ugly head into a few choice spots, such as the reserve near the National Park, home of rock wallabies (an endangered species). Money talks, I guess, and rock wallabies don't bring in much cash.

We made it up to a rainforest north of Townsville, in an area called Paluma, and swam in the Crystal Creek waterholes on our way back. Of course we stopped at the Paluma Pottery, checking out the artist (Len Cook) and his work.



The moon was full when we visited -- this is the full moon (the first one in November) that inspires coral polyps to spawn, a yearly event, building the Great Barrier Reef. We didn't get out to the Reef -- time and money were factors. So we'll have to get back!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Surprises

We've had a few surprises in the last week.

Night time temps have gone back to single digits -- brrrrr! Just got used to the high temps, and back again. Blessings of the "cool change" and some torrential rain. Farmers were already harvesting grain in country Victoria, and their progress has been halted. There has been a lot of discussion lately with design and architect people about building for the southern hemisphere climate... I heard a fascinating conversation about using thermal mass to trap heat and release it appropriately (from cold to hot, shades of adobe, although more "modern" examples were also given). Double glazed windows, a given in most of Canada, are only now becoming available and used in Australia (price has been an issue). We've had quite a few conversations with friends about the use of insulation, overhanging balconies, and a way to use solar energy. There is a huge debate going on right now because the Victorian government is hoping to build another coal-fired power plant to provide enough energy to run the desalination plant being built SW of here on the coast. Apparently there is enough brown coal in Australia to create power for unknown amounts of time. This is an ancient continent, after all, and it was once covered by huge inland seas. And Australia's big Asian trading partners are very interested in obtaining more and more coal, and investors are very interested in continuing to obtain great financial benefits from the sale of brown coal.

ABC's All in the Mind explored cultural and psychological issues surrounding our response to climate change. When Europeans came to Australia and NZ, they brought their ideas regarding building construction with them, ignoring the indigenous techniques that had sustained generations of the original inhabitants of this continent. Listen if you are interested: http://www. abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind/stories/2009/2746165.htm/

The Federal Government is taking its Emissions Trading Scheme to parliament for a vote this week, in preparation for next week's involvement in Copenhagen. Lots of back and forth as they try to gain approval from the Coalition. Should the vote be blind? Should it be recorded? A free vote perhaps? Not by party lines? It goes on and on.

Came home from the wood kiln firing at Robert Barron's in Kardella on Sunday. Kai advised me that he "might have some bad news" for me. (He's become the master of guiding his listeners on to a variety of topics...) Showed me some type of animal poo near one of the windows. !!??? What the heck? How on earth could an animal that size, and we checked the room thoroughly, leave some deposits like that? Oh well. And I'd just swept that room recently, so I thought they were newish deposits. We don't leave doors open (mozzies and other bugs) and only open the windows that have screens. Maybe a rat, but how??? Yikes! What could it be? After the kids were in bed, I walked into the main part of the house, just in time to see a small brown furry object (on 4 legs, with a big bushy tail) streak past me into our bedroom. I ran after and closed the door. Trapped! The culprit was a possum, teen-ager size, who somehow came down the chimney. At least that's where I found more of the poop, and some scattering of black cinders. So somehow the little possum fell down the chimney and had been hiding out in the big living room, probably huddling in fear as these 4 humans hung out there. We spent a bit of time in that room, as the kids and I were all stiff from long drive, so we had a great time stretching and opening muscles and joints to the Philip Glass CD from Rob and Monique. The little critter just had to bide its time.

So what to do? I threw a sheet over the little critter (cute, but reputed to have a tendency to bite and scratch, so I wasn't going to pick it up by hand), but it scampered away into the closet. I got the laundry basket, figuring I'd pop it in once a grabbed it in a towel. Fortunately, it had chosen one of the empty boxes we have in there (waiting to finish packing up for our departure...), so all I had to do is close the lid and take it out. I had so much adrenaline roaring around in my body that it was very difficult to drift off to sleep after that. It huddled in the box, but once I left, out it jumped. Away! I've now got a box waiting under the chimney in case our friend tries to return. Probably too scared now...

OK, I had planned for this to be short... no such luck. Santa was at the library this morning!! I'll just leave it there.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Sooky la la

What on earth, you're wondering... This morning, on the radio show "Bush Telegraph" (fantastic show on ABC National, with rural news of Australia), a reporter was describing yesterday's Senate hearing to discuss the milk pricing system in effect. Of course the farmers aren't being paid enough, at least one particular group in Tasmania. Don't know if they are locked into contracts or for how long. Regardless, the Senator questioning the Executives of the Milk Co., Lion Nathan National Foods, dealt a warning, and said to him, "Now don't be a sook about this ... a sooky la la".


I absolutely love this expression. We first heard it at the school, and our kids had to figure it out ... what on earth? But now we like it, it's one of those great Aussie expressions, like ending sentences with "... as" (nice as, good as, busy as, bad as, etc.), or "blood nose" (for a nosebleed), or "sook" if you can't take the heat.

I'll add the link if anyone is curious -- they played music from a gorgeous band called Tin Pan Orange which is on the following link. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bushtelegraph

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Heat is On

It isn't officially summer yet, but we've just had a week and a bit more of high temperatures. There was one cool change last weekend (a South Ocean phenomenon, it appears), which dropped the temperatures below the 30s and made things more pleasant. Adelaide is still in the mid 40s, but Melbourne and most of the south of Victoria is in the low to mid 30s, with the northern part of the State heading toward temps of 40 or more. We were very fortunate to visit a beautiful little town on the Great Ocean Road for the weekend -- Fairhaven -- with the family who are coming to Winnipeg on exchange next year.




There are fire warnings everywhere, immediately. The new system of fire warning, implemented a few months ago, guides residents of fire-prone areas to risks that are higher than stated (but interpreted in many different ways) in the previous system. They have tried to make this new warning system as clear as possible, but people are still trying to figure out how to interpret the scale. The categories of fire danger range from risk (get ready to leave) to extreme (if you are going to leave, leave now) to catastrophic (dangerous to stay -- the state we were in during the February fires).

As a result of today's total fire ban in the Dandenongs, the planned "Wacky Walkathon" at FCPS has been cancelled. Everyone showed up in their free dress, wacky or not, which was great to see. They are going to try again tomorrow, as there is a cool change scheduled for later tonight. Strangely enough, there was a fire siren at 6:30 a.m., and when I checked the web site, it was listed as a grass fire... go figure! The wind was strong all night -- a hot, dry wind, blowing in from Australia's centre. It doesn't feel as hot right now, blowing through the open window, carrying the scent of the millions of flowering trees and plants. But it's strong and dry, which creates some of the danger.



Tom is off to fire Robert Barron's big anagama (wood-fired) kiln in Kardella. One of his favourite activities, and given that he has had a chance to place some of his work in the kiln, he's thrilled. The firing will last upwards of 3 days (and nights), so all the helpers work in shifts to feed wood into the fire box. We'll go check in some time on the weekend. I've never seen a wood kiln in action, so this should be fantastic. Hopefully the lower temperatures (20s, not 30s, following the cool change), will mean things are bearable.

The kids and I are making a short presentation on Canada/Winnipeg in their classes this afternoon, complete with more maple leaf shaped sugar cookies with bright red icing. Food was requested, so I have complied. We have a short Powerpoint presentation, and then plan to ask a few questions to test their knowledge. Is Canada American? (that's a big issue for a lot of students) What are the indigenous people of Canada's north called? (not the E word, and why) What is Canada's national sport? (there are 2) Why does your tongue stick to a metal pole (if you try it) in freezing temperatures? There are not roads heading to all the northern communities. What do they use in place? You get the idea.

Following the end of the school day, we're off to cool off in Lysterfield Lake -- a few kilometres away -- and enjoy a picnic for our evening meal.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Fern Tree



We are in the midst of a real heat wave. Amazing. The shade provides some cool, and just down Breen Terrace is one of my favourite fern trees. Right now it is unfurling some fronds. One of my favourite images.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Animal Encounters

Two nights ago I heard 2 creatures calling to each other. Broke into a dream, and it seemed to fit there for a minute, but couldn't remember it in the morning. One voice would call, and then another. Finally, gaining some consciousness, I wondered if it was peacocks, or perhaps foxes. But why would I be hearing peacocks? Couldn't figure it out. When Tom got up at 6, he saw them. Two young male peacocks, on the deck. They were probably keeping each other company in the night, talking the night terrors away. Beautiful turqoise, green feathers with short tails. Quite magical. They didn't stay around for a photo shoot, though. Too bad.

We've had some great encounters with animals and birds. Just missed seeing a salt water crocodile (thank god!) along the rock pool shoreline when we got to Townsville. Would have been great to see it from far off... The wind was up and the water was murky, so the people who saw it questioned their judgment at first. Then they reported it to the lifeguards. Several helicopter flybys later, it was spotted. Later that day we walked along the shore, returning through the national park at the end of Stephanie and Peter's neighbourhood just north of Townsville. Along the path, near the parking lots, there were several crocodile warning signs in english, japanese, and german. Recent crocodile sightings. That's a creature I'd like to see from a far distance only. It's just the beginning of stinger season there, and most beaches have a stinger net set up to provide some salt water safety for swimmers.

In the waters around Magnetic Island we spotted several green turtles, swimming about, surfacing, diving. A good size. Visting the Reef aquarium in Townsville (Reef HQ), we watched a diver cleaning the tanks and listened to his talk about the larger, carnivorous fish in the tank. He held the big green turtle and massaged its back. The turtle went limp in his hands, enjoying the massage. Apparently they have nerves along the inside of the carapace, which is often ripped from live turtles as it is a prize worth having. Imagine the agony. That was a mind stopper.

We didn't see sharks outside the tank, in the ocean, but we were introduced to several well fed sharks, cruising by the diver as he talked to us. The biggest shark was actually sleeping on the bottom of the tank, completely uninterested in any of the fish or the diver. They are fed regularly, so they aren't cruising for food necessarily. He did have a story about a newer fish that had been hiding in a part of the tank for several months -- the "new" fish finally ventured out, only to be eaten by some of the larger, hungrier (I think) wrasses.

The leopard sharks were producing many egg sacs. These are amazing. They are the size of a slightly flattened tennis ball (opaque to clear), attached to a structure resembling tree bark. It's relatively easy to peer into the egg sac and see if the embryo is viable or not. The particular leopard shark in question had produced 55 egg sacs in the previous weeks, with 21 viable shark embryos. Like an amniotic sac, but on the outside. Their first egg sac is set to be born on Christmas Day. And they're hoping for a male, as all the previous sharks born to this particular female have been female. I couldn't resist the obvious... Outside the tanks, the ocean water was murky, due to the higher than normal winds. So unfortunately we weren't able to snorkel in the live environment. Another time! Tom did meet up with a little green frog, resident of the toilet near the airfield where Peter stores and flies his ultralight (pics to follow). The handle didn't want to go down all the way, so he stopped, then tried again. All of a sudden there was a little green frog in the toilet bowl. Apparently it lives somewhere in either the tank or the bowl, and so far has avoided going for a much longer ride.

I think the animal encounters will just continue. Brush turkeys everywhere in northern NSW and Qld. Pelicans by the 100s on Sunday along the foreshore of Port Philip, south of the CBD . A gigantic star fish in the tide pool. Squid and purple starfish, washed up on the beach last April, saved from cooking in the sun by G,K, and N. Our king parrot visitors return occasionally. Perhaps the snacks I offered weren't the tastiest, so they're not always around. The kookaburras are daily fixtures, probably living in one of the trees around the yard. The huntsman hasn't appeared lately. Moved on? Kangaroos and wallabies. Emus, in the wild and in the animal shelter. No wild platypus, but a very active one in the Healesville animal shelter. And sometimes it feels as if we have become blase with kangaroos and wallabies, but they are all around us. We're still waiting to visit the wombat who lives down the lane... one of these evenings we'll go and sit quietly.

I'm trying to be calm and friendly about the possums, but they fight so much, and make so much noise as they enter their sleeping quarters, it's amazingly difficult to get more than one or two hours of sleep. I had visions of grabbing one and doing it some major damage, but they're too fast, and they run right up the trees. I did rush onto the deck last night, as one impudently showed us its tail... took off like a shot!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Fascinating, just fascinating



The first Tuesday of November is a public holiday in Victoria. The horse racing season officially starts with a series of races over the weekend, culminating in the race for the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday. This race is 150 years old, and it's one of the biggest social and fashion events of the year. A great excuse to drink your head off and party away. Fortunes are won and lost. It's a gambling extravaganza, more than the usual, which is constant, with racing info and betting available in all the local Sports Clubs and race info in all the papers. Horses are scratched at the last minute, leading to despair on the part of owners and trainers. Owners are fined for profanity when describing the loss of their hopes and dreams. It's a spectacle, in more ways than one. The RSPCA is trying to ban the use of the whip, and recently, guidelines were introduced to limit the number of times a jockey can use the whip to spur the horse on to the finish. A member of the royal family appears at the event every year. Yes, Australia had hopes to become a republic, but the referendum failed, and they want their royals to be here, to be seen. Mind you, the Opposition leader was burbling on about it yesterday, probably trying to get himself into the news again. This year's royal was Zara Phillips, Anne's daughter, a horsewoman with aspirations for the English team for the next Olympics.


One of the most important fashion items in use is called the fascinator. This is a tiny, fluffy, feathery, artfully created and designed piece of fashion perched on the side or top of a woman's head. We saw a little feathery item being promoted for the low, low cost of $499. Yes, the GFC is a big deal and the recession that hit the world earlier this year also hit Australia. People have lost jobs. But fashion is huge and it's expensive, especially for this event. There was much discussion regarding Zara's fashion look, which was tasteful, but perhaps the neckline of her dress didn't suit her as another look might have. The fascinators are for women, but men have to meet a certain fashion standard as well. Some posed in women's clothing for Oaks Day, which takes place the day after the Melbourne Cup and is an event restricted to women, but they still weren't invited in.

Back to Flemington, for Cup Day. A variety of businesses host marquees, the covered tent where you go to see and be seen. Tickets are a must. The Emirates (airlines) marquee was the big hit this year. A fashionista on the outs (last seen throwing rocks at her ex-boyfriend, the footie star's, house) was turned away at the door -- gasp -- an event faithfully recorded in the local rag. She unsuccessfully argued with the door b**ch (this is a common term in Australia, believe it or not) that she should enter. Her dress was a bit clingy, it was reported, more for a night out, not the Cup. Lavazza had a great marquee (coffee is big here!), as did Myer (fashion, retail). All required invites. The masses hang out on the grounds, in the stands, and tried to balance on their stilettos whilst holding their champagne flutes and not getting the heels stuck in the turf.


Who won the big race? Shocking won. This horse is owned by a man from north Queensland, who made a bit of money with his earth moving business and thought he would splash out on a horse. Named it Shocking for the headlines when he won. And win he did, in a classic, come from behind, finish, making all his fans happy!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Hallowe'en



We're off to Townsville, northern Queensland, for the upcoming long weekend. It's the Melbourne Cup here in Victoria, which is THE horse race of the year, on Tuesday. So we are heading off to meet up with a European travel friend of Tom's who is in Townsville. A bit of R and R. It'll be hot and humid, that much we know. Enjoy the visit of the Great Pumpkin, and I hope it doesn't snow (in Winnipeg) for the big night! Hallowe'en isn't a big deal here, although you see lots of merchandise in the stores, as the bigger retail outlets are trying to cash in on this all "American" event. We'll cash in after the stuff that didn't sell goes on sale!

Everyone, behave yourselves....




Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Happy Birthday Nicole!


Today, Oct. 28, Nicole celebrates her 12th birthday. We had a party a few weekends ago with friends from school, and she had a great time there. This has been a busy and intense year for Nicole. She's just getting used to being 12, she told me this morning. It may take her a little while. It's a spring birthday this time, in the southern hemisphere.


She moved house in Winnipeg, changed schools, travelled via Vancouver to Hawaii, New Zealand (south and north islands), and landed in Australia in Ferny Creek. Touched Uluru. Soaked in hot mineral water in New Zealand.


Went to a new school, met new staff, made some great friends, travelled all over the bottom parts of Australia stuffed into the back seat of the Saab (didn't love that part all the time...!), was a sultana in pink satin (pics to follow when we receive them), learned some Aussie lingo ("haitch" for the letter H; "... as", a way of adding meaning to a comment such as "good as", "tired as", "happy as", "mad as", etc.). She is friends with the large Huntsman spider who lives in between the window and screen in the living room.

She's been wakened by hissing and snorting, heavy-breathing possums and even tried to make friends with one of them. A king parrot ate out of her hand. A kangaroo followed her around (and her brothers) looking for a snack. She heard a dingo howling. Saw the Southern Cross. Picked up some red dust on her footwear. Wore out a few pairs of shoes. Enjoys Vegemite on toast with the best of them.

Walked up One Tree Hill Road many times weekly. Endured her dad and brothers teasing her about a variety of events. Jumped on the trampoline, almost daily. Played in the Australian surf and swam in salt water. She danced at a disco. Read even more books about the Titanic... She misses her grandmother and her Winnipeg friends. They mean a lot to her as well.



May your next 12 years be just as amazing. Happy Birthday!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Poke the Possum

The possums were very wild last week. They are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and foraging and living during the night. Last week they were jumping and running wildly, on the roof and on the deck. They are heavy enough to shake the house when they land (it's built on blocks). At least the big ones are. The bigger ones are brush tail possums. Sometimes it sounds as if they are going to enter the house. We often wake in some state of terror or confusion after a frenzy of activity, which includes hissing and heavy breathing when they find another possum on their territory.

We returned from Brisbane to find a hole in the bathroom ceiling... eaten through. Fortunately our little friend(s) didn't break through, or there would have been mayhem in the house. After consulting with our exchange partner, Tom screwed a piece of wood over the hole. The other thing to do is to put steel wool in the hole as they don't enjoy chewing on it... who would? The next day I noticed another hole (yikes) in the hall. Our little friend (or another friend) chewed a hole here.

We stuffed steel wool in that hole until Tom could borrow the equipment he needed from his school. Until Friday afternoon, the steel wool stayed there. Then, in the afternoon, the possum went wild. Something woke it up. Must have intruded on its territory. They were chasing, fighting, running. Scared me silly. I actually thought someone had leapt onto the deck and was breaking into the house. Then the hissing started. When we got home from errands after school, we noticed the steel wool was gone. Must have pulled it into its sleeping spot. For all we know they're building nests in order to create a warm and loving environment for their babies.

So I thought it might be fun to wake up our little friend -- I mean, he/she has woken us up the last 3 nights, and a bit of its tail was sticking out of the hole. "Poke the possum"... it took a few pokes before our buddy shifted its butt. Didn't wake up though. Too deeply asleep after its hideous noisemaking and thumping and roaring around in the night. But the tail was still sticking out of the hole, and Nicole gave it a lot of love before Tom put some wood over that little hole. Once Tom started work on the spot, the little possum awoke and treated all to more hissing and snarling... sigh.

Kai has decided to name this possum "Noke". Here's Kai's version of the events. He sleeps at the end of the house where much of the nocturnal activity happens and has been awake each morning at 5:30 when they fight as they re-enter their sleeping spots.

Noke the possum was a possum who chewed a hole in the wall. Mom and dad decided that steel wool would stop the possum. It stayed a while. Today Noke must have pulled the steel wool away because it was not there anymore. So mom got a good idea to wake it up, after waking us up.

Dad got the chair and poked the piece of fur. After a while it moved but then came back. Eventually every one got a turn. Let's hope animal cruelty doesn't come to our door!


The possum is fine, the hole is covered, and the morning fighting continues...

Friday, October 23, 2009

Accident Update

I realize now I didn't have the big picture about our car when I wrote about Tom's accident. There is more damage than first appeared -- speaks to the strength of our vehicle in that it took a big hit and managed to stay looking good. The quarter panels in the back are broken, the crash bar (bumper) will have to be replaced, the hatch lid is now askew. The panel beaters (body shops) would have to take the inside of the car apart to repair the frame. Looks as if the frame shifted to the right a bit when it took the hit. And, given the age of the car (1997), it is unlikely that it will be repaired. My next job is to call the insurance company and give them the claim number. Australia has private vehicle insurance, not like Manitoba's MPI. So we will now have to discuss the write off and the pay out. It appears to be safe to drive. I got 2 quotes regarding the damage and both companies figured the insurance company wouldn't repair the car given its age, but that it looked safe to drive. It's just that we wouldn't be able to sell it in that it wouldn't quality under the safety regulations that are in place here.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Vegemite Update (from blunder to blunder, down under)

Trying to move on from the disaster of iSnack 2.0, Vegemite (Kraft) has dug itself deeper. The new name chosen for the unattractive sounding cream cheese/Vegemite combo, is Cheesybite Vegemite. Unfortunately the name Cheesy Bites is registered to Pizza Hut and they are contesting the new name. Spot the difference: Cheesy Bites vs. Cheesybite.

Astute eBay types snatched up a few crates of the "old" iSnack 2.0 and are now flogging it on the old interweb.


In keeping with the theme, one of the table groups at FC school has named their table -- iTurtle 2.0. Nothing like some chips off the old Vegemite block! They change their table names every two weeks..... so maybe they can change it to something along the lines of cheesy bite FC.

Monday, October 19, 2009

He'll do anything to get a day off...

After my thoughts on Thanksgiving about safety, and our travels, Tom had a close call this morning on the way to work. He doesn't drive often, being able to carpool and leave the car for me, but today he drove so he could stay late for a meeting.

A blue Porsche came at him in his lane, passing 4 cars on a curve on a solid line. This is not acceptable driving anywhere, including the winding, narrow roads of the Dandenong Ranges. Tom had to hit the brakes in order not to be in a head on collision, and the blue car barely managed to sneak in what should have been his (the driver was apparently male) driving lane. The car behind Tom hit the rear end of the Saab which is not damaged at all. The other car has its front end caved in, so it's a write off. The driver of the blue car continued on his way, not noticing the damage he caused. Or likely exhilarated by the adrenaline of race car driving on the winding roads... Fortunately no one was badly hurt, but Tom is shaken by the experience. I've had someone come at me head on on Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, passing on a curve, and had to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.

The police are now involved, and an astute motorist behind the Porsche got the license plate so the "hoon" driver will now have received a call from the police. There are strong laws here about hoon driving, usually resulting in people losing their vehicles and receiving major fines. So I'm sure this morning's little racing session will result in the loss of the vehicle. These roads are posted at 60 km, with a few exceptions, and regardless of the posted speed, there are always people who think it's ok to either tailgate (something we have NEVER experienced in Canada's wintry, slippery roads without disastrous consequences) or pass on these dangerous roads.

So Tom has himself a day away from the stress of the classroom in order to recover from his experience.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends. Australia doesn't celebrate this day the way we do in Canada, but we took a few minutes before our evening meal last night to talk about the things that make us thankful.

The kids gave thanks for the school they attend here in Ferny Creek. It's tops! Sometimes I wonder how much learning goes on (inside joke), but they are truly learning a lot about making new friends, new words, sights and sounds, a different climate (especially when we heard about the snow in the prairies), taking part in a musical production, barracking for a footy team, and the list goes on. Tom gave thanks for his family and for the opportunities he's having here -- maybe his studio isn't close by, but his brain is certainly engaged in the teaching and learning process. I gave thanks for the gorgeous birds, their sounds and songs -- I will miss this part of our life in Ferny Creek immensely when we go. I also gave thanks for safety -- we've been here for devastating bushfires and saw the way lives can change in an instant. We've driven through many beautiful spots, and have felt welcomed and respected. And safe. Some of the roads are wild, and drivers can be unforgiving, but we have been safe so far.

I have felt lonely at times, as have we all. Our patterns of living changed. Our friends are far away. When I feel like I'm at the end of my tether, I have only myself. That's another thing we are immensely thankful for -- our Canadian friends and families who have supported us emotionally from afar. The good wishes and comments are very welcome. We're not in a totally remote place, but are far away.

We wish you all happiness and good digestive systems! I planned to make a pumpkin pie, but couldn't find my usual staple, canned pumpkin. So now I'm baking an Australian pumpkin in the oven, and then it will become the pie. We'll have it today or tomorrow.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Term 4 - The home stretch

Things are indeed changing. More trees are leafing out. The possums and rosellas have been spotted nibbling on non-native tree buds. Apparently they are doing a number on maple trees... must have delicious buds. "Our" possums (we're proud to have many possums living in and with us here!) have nibbled through the bathroom ceiling and the hall wall. Tom stuffed some steel wool in the smaller hole and taped up the bigger one until he can cover it more effectively. Steel wool isn't that tasty, so apparently they then leave that part of the house alone. We're lucky they didn't land in the house, as they can cause internal chaos. And we were away for 10 days, so you can imagine the potential mess. The naughty naughty possums (Nicole's words) inhabit a strange part of our existence -- they wake us up at night, we revile them for their scratching and pooing everywhere, but they're "cute as", especially with their big eyes and bushy tails.

Ferny Creek Primary School has buckled down following its successful production of "Kids at Sea" at the end of term 3. Some catching up may be required as they spent much of the last few weeks of term 3 practising. Matthew, the principal, is gloating over the Grand Final win of his beloved Geelong Cats. It was one of the first things he told the kids -- "Barrack for the Cats... you can't lose". To be perverse, I cheered for St. Kilda, so close to a victory... it's been a long struggle for this club, so I thought they needed more support. Matthew somehow heard of my disloyalty, and I was confronted as we walked into the school on our first day. This morning, his coffee cup, precariously balanced on a tiny fence top on a wiggly fence, fell to the ground and broke. I got my own back. Gabe, Kai and Nicole are enrolled in a 10 day swimming programme -- I foolishly thought it was once/week for 10 weeks, but this is a daily trek to the Y. More catching up of school work will be required.

Tom is gearing up for the last projects and exams in his classes. The year 12s in Victoria are writing practice exams, to prepare for their VCE finals. The practice exams count for their final mark. Students with portfolios (major projects) in courses had to finish those by Oct. 3. He's managed to find a bit of time to work on some pottery, and is now making mugs and teapots. He hopes to fire those with Robert Barron of Gooseneck Pottery in November, in Robert's wood-fired anagama kiln. Tom has missed his studio and missed making pots so it's great for him to show his pottery skills to his colleagues.

I am hanging around the house, as Tom has the car. It's still chilly, so I made a nice fire in the wood "heater", and baked a chocolate cake for the gang. There were several very big hints directed my way... I can take a hint. We walked to school this morning in the sunshine, listening to the magpies carolling. Two of the girls in the year 5/6 class at FCPS found baby birds outside of their nests, so they have decided to hand raise them with a dropper, mushed worms, and some sort of mushed bird food. They aren't interested in the regurgitation method employed by many bird parents, and the worms were trying to wiggle out of their bucket prior to becoming bird food. They are bringing those birds to school every day to continue the feeding regime.

We are hoping for sunny weather this weekend -- I think it's time for a visit to the foreshore of Port Phillip, so see how the beach is faring. Water temps are 14C, so I don't think anyone will venture much past their knees. A dead tree came down in the front yard, and right now it's propped up in another tree, but we have to deal with that on the weekend as well. Fortunately most of these trees fall downhill, and it's downhill of the house.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Don't Mess with my Vegemite

A while back, Kraft (the giant "food" corporation) decided to brand and name a new Vegemite product, combining the classic Vegemite with cream cheese... yes, I know, gag me. I like Vegemite (call me strange), which is unusual in a non-Aussie. However, I digress. Kraft now produces Vegemite, so it appears as if the people in charge of marketing thought they could appeal to a younger generation to sell the new product. A national competition was launched to name the new spread, which combines the classic Vegemite (called Parwill in an earlier time) with cream cheese.

The result was announced at the AFL grand final 10 days ago -- iSnack 2.0. It didn't take long for the scorn to start. Then out came the news that Kraft had applied for trademarks on the new name 2 weeks prior to the end of the contest. Looks like they'd already decided what they wanted to call it. They told the public that they applied for several trademarks, once they saw where the competition was going. Sigh...spin, spin, spin. The consensus was immediate... no one liked it. The "younger" generation, to which the product name was aimed, went wild, twittering, blogging and facebooking their disgust. The name is going nowhere, and people didn't run screaming to their grocery shelves to pick up the product. So now there is a big rethink (iThink 8.2) going on.

Stay tuned... don't mess with the classic Aussie icon of Vegemite!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Dust Storms










This hasn't happened in 40 or more years... the sky turned red...our eyes were watering... the winds howled from the dry western (middle Australian) salt lakes and deposited tonnes of dust on the beaches and buildings of the eastern coast of Australia.
We were on the 2nd day of our visit to the Gold Coast (southern Queensland and northern NSW) and our friends Ted and Penny (Ped and Tenny as they are now known) took us to a gorgeous beach just north of Surfers Paradise. A paradise indeed... kilometres of gorgeous sand and waves. The stretch south of Southport, where we chose to play/swim, is built up with high rises, the playground of many international travellers. We were stopping in for some beach fun before we drove on to the Byron Bay area. The sun was out, but the day descended into murk as the dust storm hit the coast. We had to give up and head for a shopping centre (gasp!) to take a break from the dust-laden air. Of course there is a gigantic shopping centre, just ready for the tourist dollar. After a few hours it calmed down, but by then the zest for the beach was gone. THe wind was still howling and the waves were wild and strong... it was too much work to stay upright and try to body surf or boogy board, so we headed "home" to Beenleigh.

Bring Nellie home - Winnipeg Free Press

Bring Nellie home - Winnipeg Free Press

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Monday, September 21, 2009

Healesville Animal Sanctuary

One of the native zoos in Victoria is between Ferny Creek and Kinglake. We visited this animal sanctuary on our way to Kinglake. They evacuated the animals to a few zoos in the state during the fire days of February. They are well known for their breeding program of native, endangered animals. We enjoyed the platypus exhibit ... these unique mammals are difficult to view in nature. Unfortunately the young Tasmanian Tigers were hiding from us... too bad. They are also seriously endangered because of the disease chlamydia.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/brigittewiebe/Healesville#

We are off to Brisbane and the coast of Queensland and NSW for the next ten days. I'll write more and post more pictures when we get back.

Seven Months After



Two weekends ago we drove north about 40 kilometres to Kinglake, one of the communities devastated by the bushfires in February. The two roads that wind up through the hills there are surrounded by blackened trees. Regrowth is noticeable against the blackness -- bright green moss is growing along the forest floor, nourished by the nutrients in the ash. Fern trees have sprouted. Little seedlings are creeping up in the black foliage. A green fuzz of leaves is creeping up the trees.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/brigittewiebe/Kinglake#
The Bushfires Royal Commission released its interim report in late August. The system that was in place in February was seen to be riddled with faults. Unnecessary bureaucracy. Unclear language when determining fire risk. A policy of advising people to stay and fight. Ungraded fire conditions. Emergency response systems that collapsed. Two different fire response units, one for public land and one for communities, that did not communicate with each other. A list of at-risk areas was released, and the Dandenongs are included. The Victorian government was quick to change some of its rules related to managing the bush. Within this area, people are now permitted to remove trees within 10 metres of their homes, and dead trees up to 30 metres away. This could create an area of clear space around dwellings, hopefully giving more chance to defend against a smaller fire. Very little could have been done to defend against the maelstrom that occurred on February 7.

A community group has been formed in the Dandenongs. Residents of the town of Sassafras, concerned by potential risk for the upcoming summer, spearheaded the development of the group. The CFA is listening, and the State Government responded with the new 10-30 rule. In the past, people had to obtain Council permission to clear anything from their blocks, regardless of closeness to the dwelling. This will allow people to clear fuel from their yards without having to go through a bureaucracy.
Another big concern relates to the roads. They are narrow, winding without room to pass, many are not "through" roads (dead ends), the trees within the bush are known to come down in high winds, and the tourist traffic that shows up on weekends completely crowds out the little towns. It would be almost impossible to retreat in the event of a fast-moving event like that which occurred last Feb. 7. We've already had some high spring temperatures of 25 degrees which coincided with blustery winds. Trees came down. It is important to balance nature with safety. People live here because of the beauty, the huge gum trees, the greenness and the life. Right now they are trying to find a balance between the gorgeous landscape and its potential danger.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Lost Cat


I cannot resist posting this picture... some international students in Melbourne hoped to find this "cat's" owner... the cat is actually a possum! And possums aren't that friendly to humans!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Media Watch

Recently, several amazing stories have aired on ABC Radio National. I thought I would send the links to the site so you could have a listen. As well, the last episode of "The Farmer Wants a Wife" is on tonight. This is the 3rd time round for this particular series ... lonely farmers from around Australia apply to the program to participate in a nationally aired meet/choose/decide on your life partner show. It has its cringe moments, but it's quite sweet. It's been fun for us to see another side of Australian life.

First...a great show aired today on ABC's All in the Mind, one of the sessions at Adelaide's Festival of Ideas. Called "Sex, Knowledge and Science", it explores how we do science. Does gender matter? Does it affect how we create scientific fact? Why are we called mammals? Give it a listen:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/allinthemind
I am more than intrigued because I spent some time during my pre-master's courses trying to figure out the ideas of one particular professor, and I never could. I would not have managed an A in that course if I had sold my soul. So now I know why... he was promoting a philosophical scientific view that was misogynist at its core.

If you are interested in the importance of maintaining language and culture (remember German School?), you will be intrigued by the story of the Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges of modern South Australia. To transcent the horrors of the past, to teach new generations a history and lore and belief that transcends the white invasion, check out this show. Through song and story telling the Adnyamathanha are able to keep their songlines alive. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/awaye/


The Farmer Wants a Wife is a commercial mainstream television venture, if you can call a nationally aired dating show a mainstream event. We watch a few of these shows, to get the flavour of non-American television... early on I said to Tom that the last thing I wanted to do in Australia is watch American television. American in the U.S. category, that is, because everyone here refers to the U.S. as "America". It's almost a waste of breath to point out that Canada is also "American"... our kids have tried, at school, and they usually get blank looks. And many kids refer to Canada as "Canadia", as in Australia! So we do try to view a bit of Aussie television, and the Farmer series has been fun.


http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/thefarmerwantsawife/

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Picture -- Victoria Market

Just got this photo from Roberta. It shows the size of the picture... this weekend it will be wrapped more securely and then taken to Pack and Save to ship off to Canada to my mom's. What the picture doesn't show is the relatively high winds that were blowing that day. I had to clutch that thing tightly so it wouldn't take off and sail with me back to Ferny Creek.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Target Words

For all you word lovers out there... here's a great word puzzle. Roberta really enjoyed them when she was here. We frustrate ourselves daily (or occasionally enjoy the reward of finding the 9 letter word) with this puzzle. There's a new one every day.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/puzzles/2009/08/26/target.html

Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Bag of Lemons

True to form, Tom could not resist the large pile of lemons left in his staff room last Friday. A fellow staff member's tree had produced a huge harvest, and in this case, resistance was futile. We visited the town of Bendigo recently on one of the ITF weekends, and were hosted by Barb and Doug Jamieson. Barb's lemon marmalade was wonderful. So I am clear about his intentions! He's promised to chop them up, but I'm guessing the harder part will be standing over the pot of boiling lemons and sugar until it "sets". I'm going to call Barb for the recipe shortly.

The Bendigo weekend included a bush dance, out in the "bush", down a dark and winding road with many wildlife warning road signs, far away from the lights of the town. The Emu Creek Bush Band played, and took their time to teach us (kids and all) a variety of bush/folk dances. A very enjoyable evening, and a great way to catch up with fellow exchange teachers. We met a couple who will be in Winnipeg for 2010. She's a music teacher and got an acceptance on her first application. The Winnipeg counterpart has apparently been trying for a few years. Interestingly enough, and this is either a Winnipeg or a Mennonite connection thing, but I know of the new exchange person.

The day following the dance, we all slept in (a miracle for the Wiebe Roberts crew). We enjoyed a lovely breakfast with more of the lemon marmalade, and headed out for the town of Castlemaine. This is another central Victorian town with gorgeous architecture. Bendigo's buildings, more than 100 years old, are gorgeous. The newer suburbs just can't compete with the beauty of the older buildings. Much brick, iron lacework trim, restored buildings, and some in the process of being restored. Tom had a chance to visit a local potter in Castlemaine as well as the Bendigo Potteries (producing functional pottery for 150+ years). True to form, we picked up more pottery... now the big question will be how to get it home.
http://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/page/Images/Bendigo_Cottage.jpg

One of Bendigo's biggest industries is gold -- the town is built over a working gold mine, a mine that has been producing for more than 150 years. (There are reports of billions of dollars of undiscovered gold in central Victoria if anyone wants to start a search.) Another kind of gold for us is seeing the art and architecture of a place. The Art Gallery in Bendigo has a treasure trove of 19th century Australian art. When we were in Adelaide, we couldn't see the early Australian art in the South Australian Gallery because that particular section was being renovated, so this was wonderful. Early Australian (European-based) art from the late 18th and early 19th centuries derived from a European/English tradition. Artists made art the way they had in England and the work didn't accurately reflect the colours and light of the Australian landscape. The bush and eucalyptus trees appear pale green, or a lime green in colour, which is not near reality. There were also artists who were employed by the rich of the new antipodean world to paint portraits of important people and their estates, and the results can be quite amusing. Large bodied cows or sheep with tiny heads and legs. Very primitive in appearance. Anything to show off the newfound wealth.

A group of painters in the late 19th century changed Australian art. They became known as the Heidelberg group after a small town outside Melbourne (now a suburb). Their works were strongly reflective of everyday Australian landscape and life, and were influenced by the impressionist movement of the day. Artists like Tom Roberts (the other one), Frederick McCubbin, and Arthur Streeton are part of this group. The gallery in Bendigo has a wide range of Australian art, from the earliest to current works by people like Shaun Gladwell, a video artist. His piece is a mesmerizing slow motion film of a biker commemorating the roadkill of central Australia (Apology to Roadkill). Another piece by contemporary artist, Patricia Picinnini is of a strange maternal being, part human, part animal, part magic, suckling her young. We stood near this sculpture for quite a while, unable to tear ourselves away.

We ended our weekend at Hanging Rock, with our own picnic. I brought the Peter Weir movie home a few weeks ago, so we enjoyed the eerie music and sad and strange story of repressed finishing school girls off on a school picnic. Several disappear, most never to return. One of the teachers disappears. The headmistress eventually kills herself.





Somehow we tore ourselves away, although the rocks looming overhead are formidable.


A young kangaroo followed the kids around, especially when it saw them eating apples and sandwiches. We couldn't resist ... gave it some of the apple and some of the sandwich, even though we all know we aren't supposed to feed the animals.


Now I have to face that bag of lemons... I'll let you know how things transpire!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Wombat Poo

The aftermath of the big storm on Saturday night/Sunday was big. Trees and branches down in our yard, but not the huge trees. Three of the four roads in the area were blocked, and people coming to the working bee at FCPS had to cruise around for a way to the school. Took someone 45 minutes to do the normal 10 minute drive. Sunday continued with buckets of rain, and the warm wind turned icy and we were all chilled by the time we left.

I took a look at the big tree down across Mt Dandenong Tourist Hwy, just up the road from our place. When it fell, it took out another Redwood tree, a fence, and the power lines to the houses. Fortunately it didn't land on the house, as the people were home, and the children were watching with amazement as the tree slowly continued on its way down. The power lines erupted in a large explosion, but the tree didn't catch fire. Then the power surge hit the house -- blowing globes, and basically frying all their appliances and electronic equipment. I talked to the home owner, one of the moms at the school, and by the time we talked, she was philosophical. It was frightening at the time, and her kids were also scared. The people who came to fix the power line (3 days later it appears to be fixed, but the boxes bringing the power to the house were under the gigantic tree) were amazed her house didn't catch fire, as there was lightning shooting from the light fixture in the kitchen.

In the midst of the wind storm, a wombat must have made its way down Breen Terrace. We found 2 sets of droppings on the driveway -- at first I thought it was someone's dog leaving us a present, but upon closer inspection (? yes we have been known to inspect the droppings of koalas and now wombats) we saw it was dark green and squarish in shape (about the size of a big marble). There were a few more piles down the road, toward the gully at the end of Breen. The wombat(s) must live there somewhere. A neighbour filled me in -- there are 2 burrows there, but one appears empty. A wombat was killed at the bottom of One Tree Hill Road the other weekend (people really use these curvy roads as their own race tracks), so there are obviously a few around. She tells me there are also many wallabies in the paddock and along Clarke Road in the early mornigs or at dusk, so we're going to have to walk there once the weather warms up a bit.

And it is warming up. These huge wind storms are from the north or northwest, so the end result can be a warmer temperature.

We had another friendly visit one day when Roberta was here. Not that Roberta isn't a friendly visitor... as we were leaving for school one morning, 2 king parrots showed up on the branches above our heads and waited. Obviously looking for a treat. They hung around for a while, while we all talked to them, and they made every appearance of listening. Finally, they flew off. Enough is enough. All talk, no action. Apparently they stay as a pair, and are smart enough to "do the rounds" of the neighbourhood if there's food available. So I bought some bird seed, and the other day the male was perched on the bench at the back of the house eating out of my hand. Nicole took a pic, so we'll post it soon. The rosellas have appeared in large numbers, ready to pick up any of the bits that are on the ground. Once the cockatoos find you, though, the feeding has to stop. They are so well fed right now in the hills that they are wreaking havoc on people's houses. A friend told us about his neighbour whose house is built of cedar. The cockies love chewing on the cedar, and the poor "bugger" (in the words of our friend) is having his house chewed to bits.

Today is Friday, and there's another huge wind storm going on. We are leaving for an ITF weekend in Bendigo after work/school, so hopefully we won't be blasted all the way there. The Victoria branch of the International Teachers' Fellowship group sponsors these events once per month so the exchange teachers and their families can get to know different parts of the State. It's a wonderful experience to meet other exchange teachers and receive their wonderful hospitality. Looks like we'll be reciprocating when we get back to the Peg. They are hosting a bush dance on Saturday night and will do a walking tour of the gorgeous Victorian-era buildings in Bendigo.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

The Four Seasons

In one day, that is. We had a full day in Melbourne yesterday, leaving on the 9:00 a.m. train from Upper Ferntree Gully, heading into the City centre for the Pompeii exhibit at the Melbourne Museum. The kids and I visited this Museum on day 2 of our time in Australia, experiencing 43 C heat and gale force winds. Made a date to return in "winter" for the Pompeii exhibit. It was so packed you could barely shuffle through the small space that housed quite a splendid set of objects from Pompeii, Italy.

I saw the actual site in 1983, when we visited Europe. Got there the day after Christmas, as I recall, a grey, still day, following some gorgeous sunny warmth in Rome for Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was foggy, and I remember having a wonderful coffee somewhere near St. Peter's Square, standing at a little restaurant bar. The day after took us to Pompeii. So the opportunity to see the wonders again was an opportunity to remember another time of my life. And it's so technologically enhanced -- a slide show of the area around Pompeii; a 3D movie illustrating the eruption of Vesuvius; another film discussing vulcanology, all in gorgeous Italian accents. Of course some of the iconic casts made of people and animals were also on display.

It's too bad the Museum is happy to make a big pile of money, selling many more tickets than the space can accommodate. I bought tix on line, hoping we wouldn't have to deal with line-ups, but all we avoided was the ticket buying line. Tom was off to a plaster casting workshop at 2 p.m., so he had to sidestep people and read over shoulders. The kids and I had time, but were mentally drained when we got out of there 3 hours later. Museum brain, I call it. We did wander around the dinosaur exhibit, but by then we needed to be outside. Ran and played in the wind (near gale force). It was warm and gorgeous outside, not at all like a winter day. Again, I am being lured by the possibility of spring.

Found Lygon Street after Tom's workshop ended, and sat outside (it's winter, remember!) at a restaurant enjoying Italian food. Took the train home, and had to take the bus after a certain point as they are still working on the tracks out to Belgrave. That took longer, but we were entertained by a very drunk group of teenagers celebrating someone's birthday. The bus driver was reasonably indulgent, asking them not to "crack" the slab (case) on the bus. I think he was disregarded, which is too bad, as he was thoughtful and waited for some of them to use the toilet before we left our stop. And true to form, one of the guys phoned his mate to get him to hurry up in the toilet.....

This morning there were trees down in the back yard. For the 3rd time this year. The wind was blasting all night; even the possums were relatively quiet. We went to the school for a working bee, Tom hauling loads of dirt up the path to the Grade 5/6 area to create a new garden area; Gabe, Kai, Nicole cleaned up old bricks and helped plant; I cut out more fabric in the library. The power had been out at night, and was out for 3 hours this morning. A "fry up" followed, by which time it was pouring rain in huge deluges. Trees were bending in the wind. We hear trees are down on 3 of the roads in the area, so one of the parents had a 45 minute drive to get to school (normally a 10 minute drive), trying 3 of the roads before she got there. Now the wind is settling down, and the rain has stopped. Power is back on (cross our fingers). Tom is napping. Kids are watching Twilight for that vampire experience. And the sun is now poking through the racing clouds. (The movie version of Twilight, by the way, is an improvement on the book (that doesn't often happen)... we have an enraptured audience, who now want to read the books.)