Sifting sand by the sea shore

xxx

Old Time Music

Watching professionals like these make me wish that I'd stuck to an instrument other than guitar.

A Saturday Morning Cycle

Now that the temperature has risen above 70 degrees, the reclusive Queenslanders rouse from their dens and go...bicycle riding.

It was lovely and warm on Saturday morning, so Dave and I decided to hit the dusty bicycle trail over the bridge to the weir. In case you're not up on weirs (I wasn't), a weir is a small dam in a river or stream.

The river has some lovely talapia but unfortunately it's illegal to catch (and eat) them because they are considered a pest fish. There are also some very feisty turtles, geckos and waterfowl whose names I haven't learned yet.




Directly across from the weir is a nice restaurant that we like, so we sat down, ordered a drink and thought about what we'd like to have for lunch. As I was sitting there thinking, I spied something golden.




Hey, some money! In this case a two dollar coin, sitting all on its lonesome, so we invited it to lunch. Well actually to help pay for lunch.

However, as I looked around, there was no one to be seen. Very puzzling. Normally the restaurant is packed at lunch-time on the weekend.

I went over and grabbed a menu, and figured it out..."Lunch served from 12:00 - 2 pm."

It was currently 11 am. Bummer. Well, nothing left to do but enjoy the view...

Those turtles are starting to look good, however.

Stupid laptop tricks

Previously I posted some pictures from our trip to the bush over Easter break. I meant to put up quite a few more pics, but before I could, my laptop died in a pool of water.

A window at home was left open, and my desk got flooded during a rainstorm. The bad news is that everything on the laptop was lost. The even worse news was that it was a laptop belonged to my employer. The better news is that they will replace it with a new one.

Maybe what I need is the kind of laptop in this picture. The internal parts are completely sealed and if it gets dirty you can just hose it off.

Sigh...

On the road to Chillagoe

Going bush

One of the things I enjoy the most about living in Australia is the chance to see new things. So, Dave and I decided to take a long weekend, and see all that we could see.

We headed west, and after some driving came to an old mining town named Einasleigh. This town is so small that there is really only a pub, a gas station and a school. Everything else is houses.

Accent, what accent?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West   Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
Philadelphia
The Northeast
The South
The Inland North
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Not quite gourmet

We had some friends over for dinner last night, and since it was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, I cooked meatloaf, baked potatoes, veggies and cornbread muffins.

The meatloaf with the secret sauce was well received, but to my surprise the big hit of the evening was the cornbread.

I'm glad some people are easy to please!

Sail away to Key Largo

This time of year is the "cyclone season", which is the reason that we're getting so much rain. It's been raining on and off all day, and still pretty humid.

This evening, the old Bogart and Bacall movie, Key Largo was playing on tv. I'm not much on gangster movies, but this one is so well made that its better than the typical shoot-em-up story.

I won't give away the entire plot, but the basic premise is that a returning soldier decides to pay a visit on the father and widow of one of his fallen comrades. Turns out they run a hotel in Key Largo. Also in residence are some Chicago gangsters, along with their boss who is attempting to return to the U.S. from exile in Cuba, in the pre-Castro days. And this being a Hollywood movie, of course there is a hurricane thrown in for drama.

The movie is film-noir, made in glorious black and white. I've always enjoyed this movie because of the location, the Florida Keys. I've taken a few holidays down there, and the scenery is wonderful. Since the movie was based on a stage play, most of the scenes take place inside a hotel. In the time before air conditioning was invented, high ceilings and ceiling fans were the norm. Throughout the movie, characters are fanning themselves and complaining about the heat.

In one scene, the old hotel owner could be speaking about Townsville rather than Key Largo. He says "Don't look for it to get any cooler before November. The thermometer will go down to about 100. The sand flies and mosquitoes will disappear. It'll be right livable for about three months...except for tourists."

The tropical ambiance of the Keys is not that much different to the environment where I live now. Instead of hurricanes we get cyclones, but the only difference in the two storms are the geography.

Old Mother Hubbard, What's in Your Cupboard

I don't know if it's all the rain that's keeping me indoors, but lately I've been on an organizing kick. And for some reason I've convinced myself that I can't be truly organized until I have things put in little plastic containers. I don't know who's responsible for the brain-washing, but it's been effective.



I decided to put up a couple of pictures of my newly organized cupboards.

This one has my baking goods. The items with the white and black labels are generic stuff.

I have flour and sugar in the tubs at the bottom, to keep out the ants and other critters. Next to it is corn meal, or polenta as they call it here.

If you'd like to see a larger version of the picture, just click on it.



On the right hand side of this shelf is a jar of molasses that it took me 3 YEARS to locate. And like the polenta, I found it in a health food store. Amazing.

The big jug at the back of the cupboard is cordial. It's pronounced "Cord-ee-ul", and it's a flavored syrup used to make a kind of kool-aide sort of drink.

Also on the top shelf is the obligatory can of beetroot (for Dave, I won't go near the stuff), and two little brown containers of Vegemite.

I was amazed to see that probably over half of the items on the shelves at the supermarket are American brands. Most times it's a U.S. recipe, but it's made with Australian ingredients. So, I've got Campbells soup, Quaker oats, and El Paso refried beans and enchilada sauce.

Valentine roses

I love roses, they're my favorite flower. Here are the roses that Dave gave me for Valentine's Day. I particularly love the gold fabric that the flowers were wrapped in. Very swanky!

A mouse in the house

A few months ago, when I was out on the back patio, I saw a tiny mouse scurry across the cement and scoot underneath an impossibly small space under the door.

I hadn't seen any mice in Queensland before, so I was a bit surprised. I took a quick look in the house, but as I expected I couldn't see where he went. I'm assuming that it's a he, for reasons that I will explain later. I told Dave about it when he came home, but then I pretty much forgot about the incident.


Living in the tropics, a person must learn to share their house with various types of critters. Here are a few that have taken up residency without my permission.

This guy is a gecko, and they're really cute. They cling to the ceilings and walls, and hide behind curtains and picture frames. We've got about three or four that live around the front porch and the living room.

They make an astonishingly loud chittering sound when they speak. An unfortunate aspect of their tenancy is that they leave behind little "presents". But since they eat small bugs and mosquitoes, they are all right in my book.


The geckos don't seem interested in the ants however. When the wet weather started, the ants were flooded out, so they came into the house for a bite and a dry off.

No matter how tidy I keep the house, it seems that they come in their hordes. This is the tiny wastebasket where I throw food scraps. It's emptied at least once a day, but the ants still find it very yummy.


So, in addition to the ants and the geckos, we have a mouse in the house. It's currently living behind the oven. Dave is investigating methods of termination, mouse traps and such. He thinks that there is only one mouse, and that it's been making the rounds at night, trying to find things to eat.

After Christmas the mouse ate a stale candy cane that I'd left on a shelf. It apparently didn't agree with him because the next night he ate an antacid tablet left in a basket on my desk. He also ate some polyester batting, and some papers from Dave's office. Since there is only one mouse, we're going on the assumption that it's a male house mouse.

Let's hope it doesn't find a girlfriend.

Going away party

One of Dave's closest friends is moving overseas for a few years. To send him on his way with a bang, we held a small going away dinner for him and his wife.

Andy and Shu will be returning to her home country of Taiwan to work for three years before returning here to Australia. Andy happened to mention that he would like to take a little bit of Australia with him, so two of his friends bought them jackets so no one could doubt where they are from.






Along with the jackets Andy got a hat to keep his head warm, since Taiwan is quite a bit cooler than Queensland.

Shu has done a marvelous job of learning English, now it will be Andy's turn to learn Mandarin. They are a newlywed couple, with a great adventure in front of them.











By the way, the rain finally stopped so that we could have a beautiful night.

Home food

I've been wanting to cook some trout ever since I moved here three years ago, but it's always too expensive. I finally found a sale at the grocery store, and I bought two of the fattest trout you ever saw, nearly a pound a piece. I would have LOVED to have caught one of those when I was a kid in Oregon.

These rainbow trout were probably the fish farm type, and thus not "real" trout according to some folks, but they looked pretty good. I wish I'd thought to take a picture of them, but I was too busy cooking to worry about it. They turned out great, and Dave loved them. Who knew that Aussie's like trout?

Growing up in the country, we ate what I considered country food: fresh fish, deer, pheasant, quail, crab, roasts, and lots of steak. I was quite surprised to find out exactly how much that sort of food costs in the city.

My dad had a smoke house which he used all the time. So it was no big deal to eat smoked salmon or trout. I was horrified to find out how much that stuff costs in the supermarket.

We just bought a nice freezer, and I'm looking forward to filling it up with all sorts of good things. I wouldn't mind putting some of that venison or crab to good use now.

Rainy day mornings

It's raining. It rained yesterday, and the day before that, and it will rain tomorrow and the next day. The backyard is under about 3 inches of water. Some of the roads here in town are flooded, and the major highway going up north has been closed, or "cut" as the Aussies call it.

I am so thankful that I have a car now. So instead of waiting for the bus in the soppy rain, or trying to ride to school on the scooter through pelting rain, I can ride in relative comfort.

One problem with all the rain is that the ants have returned. When I complained to Dave about the ants he said that they needed to come in because it's raining. I responded "No they don't!" What I meant was that this is my house not theirs! I have to admit to zero interest in the fact that their nests are probably flooded. Tough luck.

When I turned on my laptop with morning, illuminated in bright light was an ant, crawling across the screen. Maybe he wanted to check the weather report.

Soggy grumpyness

I've been catching myself feeling grumpy about things lately. Being put on hold, snippy comments from strangers, obnoxious telemarketers...all these people have been annoying me. Basically it's crankiness that the world doesn't march to my tune.

On top of this, (or perhaps the cause of it), the rainy weather has now started. It's called "the wet", and it will last until about April or May. It's hot, humid, and dripping wet. Since this is the tropics, it doesn't just sprinkle, it pours down rain. Three inches of rain in one day is not uncommon. Luckily there aren't the lightning storms like I experienced in Florida, but the dampness does get on your nerves.

In an effort to combat the general gloominess, I hit the music shop in town this weekend and bought some sheet music for the recorder and guitar. So while it's "bucketing down", I'm playing lilting Irish tunes, and somehow life seems better.

Mostly Oregonian

A good friend of mine from home keeps asking if I'm an Almost Aussie, and I guess I'd still rate myself as Mostly Oregonian.

Mostly is one of those west coast American phrases that make people here laugh. Another one is Sure. I'm not sure exactly why.

We've entered the rainy season here, and so the weather is on everyone's mind. I mentioned to a friend that the storm was a real "toad strangler", and got a strange look in response. The Australian version is to say that "it's bucketing down".

Most memorable question of the day

Working and studying at the uni, I often meet people not from Australia. Usually we trade stories about our respective home countries and go about our business. Today I got a question that really stopped me in my tracks.

I was sitting in the lunch room, talking to a friend, when a gentleman of middle-eastern descent sat down at the table.

He made a few remarks about how everything here (Australia) is geared toward fast food. I commented that my country, the U.S. is the same way.

Practically the moment I finished speaking he said "You are from the U.S?"

"Yes", I answered.

With a penetrating gaze he asked "So, is your country going to invade my country?" Whoops! How do I get into these types of conversations...

"Um, I guess it depends. What is your country?" Stupid answer, by the way.

"Iran". Gulp....hmm.

Long pause, while I scramble for the most polically correct thing to say. Nothing comes to mind.

I tried to turn the question back on him then. "So, are you afraid that the U.S. will invade Iran?"

"Yes". Dead silence. Um, lemmie outta here I'm thinking.

I mutter something about the Democratic party now having control of the country, blah, blah, blah, and luckily my Australian friend who has been watching this conversation with great interest changes the subject.

Wow! This is something that is not printed on your passport but probably should be:

Note: You may be called upon to defend or explain all of your country's actions for the last 200 years. Be prepared.

Christmas in Oz

I realize it's probably a bit late for posting Christmas pictures, but better late than never!

This year we spent Christmas at our house, and Dave's kids came down to join us. There's just something about having kids around for Christmas that makes it more "official".

Last year during the holidays we were just moving in, and it was too much work to try and have a traditional Christmas on top of that.

The first order of business was to buy a tree. Australia doesn't really have anything that resembles a pine, so an artifical tree is what you buy.

I had never bought a fake tree before, and I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing. But I found something approaching the look of a real tree and set it up. Dave told me that you have to twist the branches a certain way to make them look fuller. "But they don't really grow that way", said I, the daughter of a Christmas tree grower.

Quibbles about authenticity aside, I think it turned out pretty good.

While they were banned from actually shaking the packages, or otherwise squeezing them to discern the contents, the boys were drawn to the tree like a magnet.

Christmas Eve, the kids all went to bed early, but were careful to make a plate for Santa. Apparently by the time Santa gets south of the equator he is very thirsty, and so children leave Santa a beer, and some carrots for the reindeer.

I was asked how many reindeer Santa has and I quickly tried to remember the Rudolph the Reindeer song. Hmmm... (counting quickly "You know Dasher and Dancer and..."). I estimated 6 + Rudolph, but I later realized this should be 8. I guess since Oregon is closer to the North Pole than Australia I'm supposed to know this stuff.

On Christmas morning Dave and I awoke at 6:30 am to the sound of pounding on the door and the chant of "Christmas! Christmas!".

The kids all held up stockings full of plunder. Lollies, bubbles, Crazy straws, colored pencils and pens...I think they came out pretty good.

Next came the pillaging of the Christmas tree, and soon we were knee deep in wrapping paper. The kids received remote control cars, roller blades, racing cars, and lots of other toys.

Dave got a circular saw and a some other tools, and my packages held gold earrings and some bath stuff.

Once the general mayhem was over it was time for some serious clean-up, and Dave started cooking the Christmas roast. It was pork, his specialty. For the next few hours the lovely smell of cooking roast drifted through the house.

I made candied yams with marshmellows, but they weren't a big hit. I guess you have to grow up with them to appreciate that taste. The kids kept asking "Is this dessert?"

Holidays minus Thanksgiving

I've kind of wondered how Australians know that it's time to start up the whole Christmas thing when they don't have Thanksgiving. Turkey Day is a useful holiday because it says "Yep, Christmas is coming and you better get a move on".

For those of us who still like Christmas (an ever-shrinking group), Thanksgiving is the offical date after which we can start putting up Christmas decorations and buying presents. So, if there's no Thanksgiving, how do you know when to start?

Well, I've just discovered it's at the start of November. I decided to pick up a few early gifts at a major store today, and was nearly mauled by "happy" shoppers. The Aussie's have picked up our bad habit of fighting for those early sales.

It's very surreal to go shopping when its 90 degrees, buying wrapping paper with Frosty the Snowman on it, and hearing a mangled version of White Christmas over the shop's p.a. system.

Here's an Australian version of Jingle Bells that you might like:
(listen to it here)

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 and thongs

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia
on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

A Chip Off the old Block

Like many houses in north Queensland, my house is made of block--cement block. It makes them very safe in a cyclone, but very hard to decorate.

Although I've lived in this house since December of last year, I've just recently gotten around to putting anything up on the walls. Needless to say, a picture nail hammered in to solid concrete will not get very far. But I've discoved, that a small nail, discretely placed in the mortar between the blocks is usually strong enough to hold up most items.

There are a couple of other houses on my block that are made of the same building materials. A house across the street is built of very nice red brick. Recently when I got home from work I noticed a work truck outside the house, and a worker was slathering what looked like stucco all over the bricks. When I asked what they were doing, I learned it's called "rendering" the brick. These sorts of houses are considered old-fashioned, and they are rendered to bring up their resale value. He was astonished when I told him that brick houses are so popular in the U.S. that fake fronts made out of tiles which look like brick are constructed. Here, brick is out-of-date, kind of like green shag carpet.

In this picture of my kitchen, you can see a few things that are indicative of north Queensland. The first is the block of course, but secondly is the stove. Although there's not much of it showing in the picture, you can see that it's very skinny. This is the usual size for a range, although it's a bit on the smallish end. The oven in the last flat I rented was even skinnier, and I had to turn cookie sheets on the diagonal to fit them in the oven.

Did somebody call a cab?

Getting around on a scooter as I do can be a lot of fun, but it's not very safe at night. In those cases, I usually call a cab. When you call, the cab company usually asks that you to give your name in case there is more than one party waiting at the place where you need to be picked up. This saves lots of arguments about "That's my cab!"

I've recently been informed by those in-the-know that "You should give your surname rather than your first name." When I asked why, I was told that people sometimes don't pay the cabbie, and this way they can track you down. So rather than dine-and-dash this would be ride and dash.

With this information in mind, I called for a cab last night, and gave my surname (last name). When the cab arrived, the driver said "Cab for Heidi?"

Greening My Little Corner

Last weekend we planted three palm trees in our front yard. During most of the winter (the dry season) our yard looks like the Gobi desert minus the sand. In our case, the soil is hard-pan clay.

Winter is definitely not the time to be digging holes. The soil was hard as a rock and the only way we could dig was to wet down the soil with several inches of water and let it soak in. It took all afternoon to dig three small holes. We added lots of good soil amendments like clay-breaker, plant food and potting soil, so hopefully the plants will thrive.

I'll post pictures later in the year if they actually grow.

Bits of Technology

I'm not what you'd call an "early-adopter" when it come to technology items. Generally I wait years after everyone else has bought into the newest "can't live without it" thing. That said, I've realized lately that my list of "toys" has rapidly lengthened.

For instance, here is a fairly typical photo of a conference. One attendee is using his laptop with a wireless modem, so that he can surf the Internet while the speaker at the front of the room is making a presentation. Gotta love the ability to look busy while goofing off. The lady on his right is no doubt making a note "Get the company to spring for a laptop before the next conference."

Another thing I put off buying for years is a cell phone. Over here it's called a mobile, pronounced "moh-byle", as opposed to "moh-beel" which is in Alabama. One thing that kept me from getting a cell phone for so long is that in the U.S. you are charged for any time spent on the phone regardless of whether you called someone or they called you.




I was delighted to find out that in Australia you only pay for the calls you make. Another benefit of the phones here is that you can get a pre-paid phone, meaning that you purchase a certain amount of minutes, and you don't have to pay anymore until those are used up. Also, the phone works anywhere in Australia, so no worry about roaming fees or phones that only work in one part of the country.




Another thing that I've become addicted to is my digital camera. I love being able to snap multiple pictures of whatever. The bad ones I can delete with no problem. Before my last trip back home I bought a memory card that will store up to 1400 photos.


There two drawbacks to digital pictures however. One is that the pictures are digital, so unless the person that you're sending the picture to has email, you're out of luck. I print some of my pictures up about once a year to send to my Mom, and although it's a pain, it is fun to pick out only the best pictures and print those.



The second problem is that digital cameras tear through regular batteries in a hurry. It's a necessity to have a battery charger, so here's another item for my list. My charger is a low-end model, and takes a long time (like overnight) to charge the batteries. It also has the unfortunate habit of cooking the batteries if you leave them in too long. Honestly, I burn EVERYTHING.