Hello?

If you have some spare time this holiday season (or anytime at all, really!)...Give me a call! My mobile has decent reception, and I gotta tell you...I love being able to have a good chat and catch up on all the news and gossip back home.

You'll need:
* some free time
* a calling card or a good long distance plan
* an understanding of the time difference: I am 5 hours behind you, tomorrow. (So If it's 10 p.m. in Victoria, it's 5 p.m. in Melbourne. Make sense? )
* My mobile (translation: cellphone) number dialling from Canada:

011 61 404 500 135

Go on...Ring me! Give it a Burl!
As you can tell from my "deer in headlights" look, I concentrate REALLY hard when on the phone, and am startled easily. Rest assured, you'll have my full attention when you call!

Coming to terms with my “Man Arms”

Best picture yet of my shoulders and arms! I might look a little sweaty because it's so damn hot, but at least I don’t look like a prize fighter here.
My recommendation to shape your upper body fast….Surf! You'll get muscles you didn't know you had and aren't sure you want!

Last Day in Perth

The view from my hotel room. Can you tell it’s 44 degrees Celcius outside?

The view of the CBD and the Swan River from Kings Park.
Lemon gum trees line the Boulevard as one enters the park. The air is HIGHLY lemon scented on hot days.
I wouldn't be my father's daughter if I didn't take note of the flora and fauna! King's Park is known throughout Australia to have the best display of native trees and plants. These crazy things are Boab trees. They are common in WA's outback. I think they kind of look like yams.

THANK YOU!

Thanks to everyone who sent Holiday Greeting Cards and Gifts to me through the Post!
It was such a huge treat to get home to St. Kilda and see the nice little stack of cards from friends and family! I opened them all up and they are on prominent display. Love and Hugs to you all!

Sasquatch or Kangaroos?!

After my time in Western Australia, I can definitely check the following off my "Cool Aussie Wildlife Sighting List":
A Mob of Kangaroos

A few Members of the Mob...

I'm a bit frustrated because the only photos I've been able to take of Kangaroos in their natural habitat have been somewhat "Sasquatch-like" in quality. These two are the best so far.

The Dream House

It was a treat to stay with Britta Wilson, (a long-time friend of my friend, Jacqui tenHove) when I was in Margaret River. We had a great visit in her new home.
Owners: Britta and Dennis Wilson (and Vino, the cat)
Location: 55 Freshwater Drive, Margaret River (in the country!)
Building Materials: Rammed Earth
Features: Open Concept Great Room, Lots of Natural Light, Feature Walls in Bedrooms and Home Gym...Don't Even Get Me Started about the unbelievable His and Hers Bathroom!!

Meet "ROOMBA"! It cleans up after everyone!

Christmas in Margaret River

Aussie Christmas Brekkie Menu:
BBQ-prepared Bacon Rashers and Fried Eggs
Toast
Cappuccino
Champagne (Hair of the Dog!)



Bubbles at the Beach later that afternoon. Did I mention that Australian Champagne is really popular?


Britta and her great friends. They’re all English Ex-pats except for David, Charlotte’s husband. He’s the Aussie (on the left). The kids are cute too!English Christmas Dinner in Australia Menu:
Turkey
Stuffing with Pancetta and dried Apricots
Brussel Sprouts, Carrots and Cauliflower
Broccolini and Grean Beans
Roasted Potatoes with Gravy, Cranberry Sauce and Bread Sauce
Steamed Christmas Pudding with Brandy Custard
Chocolate Trifle
Many good wines from the region: Rose, Reds, Whites, and Bubbly, of course!

I had a really fun day! I hope all of you did too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Have a great Christmas holiday, everyone! While I am happy to be here with new friends, enjoying this fantastic opportunity to live in Australia.... I miss being with you lovely people too!

Hugs and Kisses to all friends and family back home and abroad!

Red or White?

Some local vines. These ones are at a newer winery called "The Virgin Block".While I usually prefer red wines, (and they do make some GOOD ones here!), it’s too warm to enjoy them here in the summer.

The Semillon Sav Blanc is a signature white wine for this area. These vines are at the large, established Voyager Estates. It's a fruity and refreshing white with a fresh grassy taste.

Surfing at Margaret River

The Lifeguard sign at the Rivermouth surf break.

I surf here every morning;I'm in the water by 7:30 a.m. at the latest. The info board is up every morning by the time I leave the water at 9:00. After a few weeks out of the water, I feel like all arms and legs, and it's learning all over again.
This morning, feeling a bit unsure, I paddled out past the break to the line up with everyone else. The wind whipped the water back off the top of the breaking waves into our faces. The rip kept tugging us down the beach, so we were constantly correcting our positions. I caught 2 waves without bailing! I was pleased. Nothing fancy, thank you, just a bottom turn and a ride in to the beach. I look forward to my next session!

Note to Self #6

When faced with the challenge of maneuvering a stick shift with your LEFT hand on Aussie road trips, make sure you have good travel directions and good snacks. Then you are practically invincible.

Introductions

My Roommate: Christopher Giambertone
Age: 30-something
Past: Chequered
Present: Upwardly Mobile
Present Career: Managing Director of V&P Electronics (Import/Export)
Previous Careers: Chef/Server/Bartender/Restauranteur
Fave Expressions: “I’m sick of it!” “Go back to the valley, man!” Chris was in Perth on business the other day, so we met for dinner (on his expense account!)

Things to do when there’s no swell on Perth City beaches:

* Take the bus out to the Northern beaches anyway.
* Smile at grumpy bus driver.
* Appreciate the ocean…even when it’s not “going off!” After all, it’s the INDIAN OCEAN!
* Go for a swim and collect shells.

Perth

It seems as though I have brought Melbourne weather with me! My first few days here have been rainy and cool. It is meant to turn "fine" soon, however.
On Sunday, I took a short train ride to Fremantle, (just south of the city), and I was happy to find shelter from the downpour in the Fremantle Markets. The Aussies love their markets!

"Freo" is a pretty laid back little port town.

Some of the little side streets and the older buildings reminded me of Italy.

The Banff

This cafe is on Fitzroy Street in St. Kilda. As Canadians abroad, Susan and I felt we had a patriotic duty to eat there, and so we met there for a pre-Christmas dinner recently.

The Banff was originally owned in 1942 by a Canadian. There's not much that's typically Canadian about the menu now. In fact, I think you could call it Mod Oz/Italian. There's lots of pumpkin and rocket (arugula) on the pizzas...(that's VERY Aussie!), and no back bacon as we recognize it. Still yummy, though...and Monday and Tuesday is half price night!

I like living in St. Kilda because....

Reason #1. Groceries are VERY conveniently located on the ground floor of my apartment building!

Quote of the Week:

“If I can say a word about finding a partner in Australia … (continues before I can even fully open my mouth to protest!) … anybody who has more than 2 drinks in a seating….best to give ’em a miss.”

Dr. Jack Lane
Paternal/medical (?) advice given during my Medical Examination and Chest X-ray required for my Student Visa Application.

Cleaning Up After Schoolies:

I’ve spent the last two weekends down in Lorne doing some honest work at the Great Ocean Road Backpackers! I’ve been doing some housekeeping during cleanup/turnover days for “Schoolies Weeks”.

Schoolies Defined: Thousands of Grade 12 students going for a crazy party holiday on the coasts for 2 weeks after they finish exams and leave school. Australia’s answer to Spring Break in the States. Involves alcohol, sex, drugs, some random violence and a lot of rubbish.
So about 1500 kids rocked into town and partied their little hearts out! There was some housekeeping to do...let me tell you! I felt rewarded by the honest labour AND the daily surfing sessions in the early mornings and early evenings!


FYI: Some other fun definitions associated with schoolies…Toolies: Pervy guys in their late 20’s and early 30’s who hang about and pick up pretty young things during schoolies weeks.
Droolies: Pervy men in their 40’s and 50’s who just stare like creepers at pretty young things during schoolies weeks.
(Let's hope this doesn't ever catch on in Canada!)

The Anaconda

This last Sunday, after all the Schoolies stumbled out of Lorne, the town was overrun by extremely fit people participating in the ANACONDA ADVENTURE RACE. Matt Neill and three of his mates entered in the race as Team Defibrillator.
As a member of the Support Crew, I hung out with the girls as they cheered their men on in each leg of the race. I got a few pictures of the event before my battery died.
This first photo isn't mine, but it sure shows how full-on events like this are!Matt started the race with a 1.9 km Ocean swim and 500 metre beach run. Jasmina cheers him on here. Surfskis on the beach waiting to go!
Andy paddled the 13km Ocean kayak leg, Scott did the 11.2 km Trail/Coastal Run, and Mark cycled the 23 km Mountain Bike Track. To end the race the whole team runs 2.8 km down the beach to the finish line.
Team Defibrillator finished with a time of 5 hours and 37 minutes. (The winning team's time: 3 hours and 44 minutes!) Funny sidebar: In true Australian tradition, everyone gets a beer voucher when they cross the finish line!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Musical

Last night, I joined the girls (1 Canadian,1 Irish and 4 Aussies) to go and see the very spectacular stage show at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne. We met for a super yummy noodle dinner and then sat through 2.5 hours of glitz, glam and campiness.

PAOLA'S MINI-REVIEW (for those of you who value my 2 cents...)

One of the best Australian films ever made is “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”! However, when it makes the transition to large scale musical, it loses as much as it gains. As you can imagine…the costumes were AMAZING, the voices and dancing FABULOUS, but the emotional and serious bits lost some power when the characters burst into song in the middle of it all…and a Juice Newton or Tina Turner song at that! But...what can I say, that's the wonderful world of musicals! It was fun, uplifting and visually spectacular but not exceptional.

Home Sweet Home

So I have now officially moved into #23 at Acland Court! I have cleaned the bathroom, and bought a drying rack for my laundry (very important here in Australia, as not a lot of folks use their dyers. Chris and Ian don’t even have one!).
I am still without a proper bed, but a trip to IKEA next week should fix that! The flat is a loft, with a nice balcony and all of the amenities. I'm pretty lucky, I think! I'll post pictures of the interior soon.

Babies and the Beach

Mornington beach huts

I spent this week on the Mornington Penninsula, east of Melbourne. I stayed with Sophie (Jasmina’s sister) and her little boy, Oliver. He’s 10 months old and REALLY happy. He is a bulldozer when he crawls and he flirts like mad. When I wasn’t looking for surf, we all hung out, played and went for walks.
Jacqui ten Hove and Glenn Whitney are good friends back home in Victoria. They recommended I get in touch with friends of theirs who are now living on the Mornington Penninsula. And so…I met and visited with Sheila (Canadian from Vancouver) and Sue, her Australian partner. They have a really CUTE little 6 week old baby boy named Finn. Both Sheila and Sue are teachers and we got on really well. We spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying lunch on their deck.
When I wasn’t meeting really cool people and their adorable offspring, I did catch some great rides on waves at Gunnamatta Beach. It reminds me of Long Beach.

Note to Others #1

SOME of you leave comments on the blog, and SOME of you send emails. Please keep it up! It’s so nice to hear news from home and friends! You might even be my FAVOURITE people. (No, it’s true…I’m not above cheap manipulation! ... JOKING!)

If you do want to leave comments on the blog, just click on the Comment box, and sign up on Google blogspot with your email address and a password. It’s easy AND free!

SNAIL MAIL

Every time I post something new on my blog, I embrace my “Inner Nerd”. I love receiving the comments that some of you leave on my posts and pictures. I also love reading the emails that some of you send! It just makes me feel a little closer to home and all of you… And wait for it…
Here’s my new address in St. Kilda, so now YOU can reach out, harness the combined power of Canada Post and Australia Post…and send me cards or even care packages! (I’m not hinting, I just know that some of you want to send stuff…)

#23 - 185 Barkly St.
St. Kilda, VIC.
Australia 3182

My Spider Story

November 25th was Election Day in Australia. While the nation’s votes were being tallied, (The Labour Party trumped the Liberals for the majority after John Howard’s reign of 11.5 years!), Susan and I went to a pre-Christmas party thrown by one of her friends. The party was fine, but that’s not the story….

On our way to the event, we stopped off at a Bottle Shop (Liquor store) to buy some drinks.
As we got back into the car, I reached down to put my purchases down on the mat between my feet, and there --- on my calf --- was a HUNTSMAN SPIDER!

I was excited and scared at the same time! Finally…a Huntsman spider, up close…AND IT WAS PRETTY BIG! Not dinner plate big, but hockey puck big! I should have calmly reached for my camera and taken a picture of it alive on my leg. I didn’t. I screamed and brushed it off, stomping repeatedly on it as it fell to the floor. When we were sure it was dead, we laughed hysterically for a while before disposing of the body.

The question is…where did it climb onto me? In the car --- maybe from underneath the seat? If so, it had been hanging out on the back of my calf for a good 20 minutes before I saw it.
In the bottle shop --- maybe scuttling out from between stacks of booze boxes as I stood considering my options? I sure didn’t feel it on my bare ankles if it crawled up onto me from the floor.

Bottom line: Huntsman spiders DO bite, but they are not poisonous or deadly. They’re just ugly and scary. I’m sure I’ll meet more, and maybe next time, I’ll get the photo!

333 Beaconsfield Parade

This shot is pretty representative of Melbourne's architectural style: The old buildings cheek by jowl with the modern ones, like Susan's.


Here are some pictures of Susan’s “flash” building in St. Kilda West. I’ve had a good week as I continue to explore the city. The weather has been a bit crazy. While it is “summa” here in Australia, the weather plummeted from 37 degrees and sunny on Monday to 16 degrees and rainy on Tuesday! Apparently Melbourne is somewhat like Calgary: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes."