A Good Day at Lone Pine

It's a holiday...of course we had to go see the animals!

The Lorikeets hung around until the hawk came by...

Tell me this Monitor doesn't need to lay off the grain!

And a Joey showed up today!  That's his head, front feet, back feet and tail sticking out!!

And then we went to the scenic look out on Mt. Coot-tha...here's our home...

A good day was had by all!

In Search Of Ingredients

We are still in pantry stocking mode at our house.  Every time we go to the grocery store, we buy a few items which are good to have on the shelf.  Things like chicken stock, cream of mushroom soup, various spices, etc.  When I stopped by yesterday to pick up some aluminum foil, for some reason I thought of green bean casserole.  You know the one...everyone serves it at Thanksgiving and it's got french fried onions in it. A true comfort food classic!

And thus started my quest.  I checked the vegetables aisle, the soup aisle, the baking aisle - all to no avail.  No french fried onions anywhere.  Is it due the smaller store or has that product not made it to Brisbane yet?

I also haven't found anything comparable to Bisquick - guess I finally get to learn how to make biscuits from scratch as scones just aren't the same.

And where is the bleu cheese dressing kept??? 

On a brighter note, I did find a pizza dough kit, plain bread crumbs and stuffing mix.  Reading the directions I don't think it is the same as stuffing mix from home but what the heck - we have to try it!!!

Chips - the standard side dish

Having mostly removed french fries from my diet, they are now slowly (OK - maybe not so slowly) creeping back in.  Chips (ie french fries) are the default side dish for a lot of meals. Don't get me wrong, some of the seasoned chips are pretty darn tasty and I dig in like everyone else but now I have to once again find my will power to move away from the chips. 

Chips are usually served with aioli which is a garlic mayo. Sometimes the mayo is flavored differently but if you want ketchup, you must request red sauce.  Trying to fit in, I haven't had ketchup since we got here. 

Along with chips, bread is returning to my life and not at restaurants.  There are so many little bakeries around our neighborhood, it is hard to walk by and NOT buy a little something tasty for dinner.

Interestingly enough, the restaurants I have eaten at so far generally do not server an appetizer item such as bread or chips and salsa.  They are available but at additional cost. Since I am tight with money, and restaurants are already very expensive, that does help the diet.  :)

Wildlife

We purchased two books this weekend about Australian wildlife.  One of the books is specifically geared toward wildlife in and around Brisbane. 

Now, while I came fully prepared with the knowledge the world's most deadliest snakes live in Australia, I was not ready for 8 of them calling our city home. 

We are blessed with the Death Adder, Small Eyed Snake, Tiger Snake, Coastal Taipan, Spotted Black Snake, Red-Bellied Snake, Eastern Brown Snake and Rough-scaled Snake all of which can cause death if not quickly and properly treated.  (And no - I can't identify a single one of them.  I am sure the pictures in the book look nothing like a giant, killer snake I might run across in my wanderings.)

We also have 16 other venomous snakes that require medical attention if you are bitten,  but do not have the same intensity as the ones listed above.

Right now, I am glad we live on a small piece of property with no yard and that I was blissfully ignorant when out trimming the bamboo. (BTW - I am NOT sticking my hand in the pool skimmer to clean it out either.)

I spend a lot of time walking in the park under trees and along the river with lots of shrubs nearby.  In the past, I am pretty sure I would not have messed with any snake I came across, and now there is a greater possibility I will turn and go the other way in the future. 

This also explains the signs at the various zoos and wildlife parks explaining what to do in case of a snake bite.  Silly me - I thought they were reminders for the attendants.  I'm not so sure now!!!

Brisbane Vernacular...

As with any area, there is a local "dialect" - similar to "y'all" when in Texas, Brisbane is no different.  We all speak English, but some of the words and phrases are slightly different, have different meanings or different pronunciations. 

Some of the items I have run across are (spelled for pronunciation):

Rosemary vs Rosemarie (the spice)
OREGano vs OreGANo
AllIANce vs ALL-e-ance

How are you vs How ya going (for a casual greeting)
To bundle up vs Rug up

Ice chests/coolers vs eskies
Cans of beer vs Stubbies
Koozies are (obviously) Stubby holders
black coffee vs long black
breakfast vs brekkie
motorcycle rider vs bikie (although this was used in reference to a gang member.  I'm not sure this is a generic term or specific to gang members???)
more expensive vs dearer

On restaurant menus, there are share plates or grazing plates (appetizers) and mains (our entree equivalent). I am not sure what an entree is yet.  It comes between grazing plates and mains.  Guess Robert needs to take me out to dinner more.  :)

And I'm not entirely sure what I said the other day other than "may I have a sack" and I was corrected and told it was called a "bag". 

It is very apparent when I open my mouth, I am not from around here. But  I have had only two people look at me and say "where are you from?" and they generally guess Canada (What's up with that?).  So - was I that hard to understand?  Did I say something really offensive?  Or do they just not get foreigners in the local stores in my neighborhood?

I hope I have accurately described things and not misrepresented the local terminology.  I honestly think it is fascinating and forces me to pay attention and listen closely when having a conversation. Not yet having had the good fortune to spend any time outside of Brisbane, I don't know if this is local to this area or standard across the continent. I plan to find out!

Tourist

There I was at the Farmer's Market this morning - one of the biggest one's in Brisbane and this little animal went running across the sidewalk in front of me.  I heard someone call it a possum.  Being the tourist that I am, I whipped out my phone and snagged this picture. 

Just wish I got  one of his face.  I am sure everyone around me thought "goofy tourist - don't they have possums where you come from?".  These appear to be a little more sleek than the possums in the US (that is if you can call a possum "sleek").

Leaning more about Consrevation

For the last three weeks, I have had a lot of time to observe various things in and around the city (ok - mostly in my neighborhood).  One thing I am consistently impressed with is the Australian commitment to conservation.  The US could learn a few things.

Mass transit here is fantastic.  You can choose between water taxi, bus, train or even easily rent a bicycle if needed.  Purchase a "GO card" with credit on it and you don't need cash to get around town.  Just scan your card when you get on and then again when you get off.  It is a very nice system that makes it easy to go into the city for dinner and you don't have to mess with parking or driving.

It is very easy to recycle - easier than anywhere else I have lived.  At your house, you are allotted a full size garbage can for recyclable materials and they accept most everything as recyclable.   Just load it up and wheel it to the curb.  Anywhere there is a trash can, just next to it is a recycle can.  Brisbane has made it simple.

People tend to carry re-usable water containers - No plastic water bottles around to discard.   Of course, bottled water is very expensive...that may also be why you don't see them in use.

Appliances are designed differently.  I now have the best dishwasher ever with regards to fitting more dishes in the racks.  Our clothes washer is "smart" enough to decide for each load based on bulk how much water is needed and how long the load will take to clean.  The  dryer has a reservoir that captures the water from the clothes.  This water can then be used for other things such as plants.

In general, cars are smaller...both engine and size wise.  Many of the streets here are narrow so the smaller size is a great thing.  I must admit, I do miss my V8 engine.  Of course I won't when I go to fill up the tank with petrol.  Last I checked, it was $1.60-ish/litre and my tank holds 54 litres. I'll have to send Robert to do that.  :) 

Must Get Bird Feeder

Our house has no yard, only a couple of small patches of dirt big enough to hold some bamboo stalks.  However, I believe we have enough vegetation in the neighborhood I can still have a bird feeder.  I have spent the last 10 minutes watching 2 Noisy Miner birds use our pool as a bird bath.  One of them is a pretty good diver.  Once the bath was finished, the electric wires were perfect for scrubbing their faces dry - just like a dog rubbing its face on the carpet. 

We also have some Rainbow Lorikeets that spend a lot of time two houses down.  These are the birds I really want to feed.  They have beautiful coloring when they open their wings and fly around.  I just wish they would sit on a branch and open their wings with the proper lighting so I can get a good picture.  So far, they are not cooperating. 

Both species can be noisy.  I can hear them in the afternoons over the AC, the TV and anything else in the house. 

The downside, both species like nectar, fruit, etc.  I can easily set some items like that out and attract all sorts of bugs. Unfortunately, we really don't have anything to attach a bird feeder to.  This will take some creativity. Must be time for a trip to the hardware store to see what my options are and what other creative people have come up with.  

Happy Days!

WOOHOO!!!!  The first three boxes of our stuff arrived today.  It took all of 30 minutes to unpack.  We have our bikes (still not functioning - where's the closest bike shop???), some kitchen supplies, a few more clothes and our big fluffy towels.

But the BESTEST THING OF ALL...????

I have have my pillow!!!!!

New Buddy?

There I was, in the heart of the Brisbane Central Business District (a.k.a CBD), sitting on a bench minding my own business people watching and something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.  I turned around
and this is what greeted me.  He/She was approximately 1.5 feet away from me.

Driving Practice Today

I achieved a new milestone towards learning to drive in Brisbane - I drove by myself today.  I know - that sounds like small item but for me it is pretty big.  I think the most intimidating thing with the whole move is this driving on the other side of the rood...and yes...I am taking baby steps. 

I have a pretty set course around the neighborhood that I generally don't stray from.  There are plenty of traffic circles, 2 stop lights, lots of narrow streets, bicyclists and pedestrians.  Plenty to watch for. 

Today, there was a new obstacle.  The city has closed one of my turn around points and I had to go OUTSIDE of my "course" on new streets.  Luckily I had the GPS AND I got turned around and back on "course" before I hit any major divided, multi-lane roads.

I dread that first time I have to drive across the city.  It sounds like company in October though so I now have a deadline.

Ants Ants Ants

Right up there with driving on the left side of the road, I have probably most noticed the ants. They are everywhere.  I don't believe they bite like fire ants but they are just as busy.  I was amazed at the number of houses we looked at on our house hunting trip where we saw ants running around in the house.  The agent we worked wasn't surprised.  Apparently ants are standard here.

I'm not used to this. 

And as a bonus, we have giant flies that like to live in our house. (Maybe they eat the ants?) 

I have got to figure out where they are getting in at and put a stop to it.

I have to admit, I thought twice the other day before taking the little lizard back outside.  I think I would rather have him living in here eating the spiders and ants than outside.  But I let him go...

This also reaffirms our decision to rent a house that does have windows and not just shutters.  I expect the houses with shutters have even MORE visitors than we do.

Signs on my walk

Call me old fashioned, but when I find a route I like, I tend to repeat over and over and over.  Today was no exception.  I walked down to the river, over to the park, picked out a park bench with full intentions of reading my book.   Got sidetracked by the people and the birds and never got my book out.  However, I did try out my camera phone on the various signs along my route. 

Who hasn't seen a sign like this?

  and yet posted on the 2nd floor outside of the building.

Sign at the dog park..

Here's one that makes you wonder what agency is tracking this information - I have stared at this several times and assume it has been duly noted.

And then I stumbled across this one.  Who hasn't felt like they were in this situation before....

Wonder what I will come across next!

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

We took time out last weekend to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Fig Tree Pocket (South Brisbane).  Unfortunately, we forgot to charge the camera before we went and didn't get very many pictures.  It was a beautiful day and a great place to visit.  This is the place I hope to be able to volunteer at.

Feeding the Lorikeets

Sheep dog hard at work

Wombat checking on visitors

Wild Kookaburra telling the captured Kookaburras what for

And the captured Kookaburras providing feedback. :)

Kookaburras are incredibly noisy.  In fact, many of the Australian birds we have seen and watched are.

BTW - While waiting for the sheep dog demonstration to begin, I was looking around and noticed Robert and I were the only 2 people in shorts and t-shirts.  Everyone else had on jackets, long sleeves and jeans.  After all, it is winter here.

Steer Left

I am amazed and appreciative of the fact that we, as temporary residents with a valid US driver's license, can use our US driver's license and not get a Queensland license.  I believe the US reciprocates but I am not sure.

Regardless....

We drive on different sides of the road. How trusting is that?

We attended Driver's Orientation class today.  We drove on a closed course and I zippity doo dah'd right through (and maybe over some of) the cones in the slalom course but that only happened when backing up.  :)

We discussed and reviewed road signs, driving etiquette in Queensland, general "rules of the road" and were promptly cut off by someone who had to be an aggressive foreign driver.  (I would take a guess regarding from which foreign city but would hate to offend someone.)

You should be proud - I only used the wipers for my turn signal one time.  Thank goodness we purchased a car that has the turn signal where I'm used to. 

For teenagers just getting their driver's license, there is a graduated system with letters ("L" for Learner) and colors (Green "P" or Red "P" for level of Permit) letting other drivers know they are still learning.

I'm tempted to request one of those for my car.  That way others would give me more room on the road.  But then I am sure we would have an increase in insurance cost.  It's costly enough as it is.

We did go for a nice drive through the country.  Of course the worst part of the day was when Robert told me he saw a Koala in the wild and I missed it.  

What My Houses Have Taught Me

I have lived in a few places over the last 30 years and each location has taught me at least one thing I need to be on the look out when searching for my next house. 

In college, I learned I never want to live in an apartment again.  I also learned that renting isn't that great either because I like to change things around (such as floor plans) now and then.

With my first house, I learned never to buy at the bottom of a hill with out proper drainage and that the washer and dryer need to be in the house - not in the garage.  I also learned what termites damage looks like (little varmints).

First time In Houston, I learned to pay attention to the locks on the doors.  If you can easily lock yourself outside, you will and that you need to have a method to get back in that does not include a lock smith.  Big kitchen sinks are a must also.

Our Alaska house taught me LOTS.  Number one - make sure the kitchen exhaust fan is more powerful than the smoke alarm.  Not that I burned MANY meals but apparently there was enough smoke from a hot oven I needed to keep a towel handy to fan the alarm occasionally.  It also taught me to think twice before buying a house that requires you to carry groceries up a long flight of stairs to the kitchen. Bread isn't a problem...it's the 20lbs of potatoes.  Consider the seasons and where you want your back deck to be in the summer.  Finally, a white glass stove top is the easiest thing ever to keep clean and a drain in the garage is nice in a snowy climate.

Back in Houston, I learned that a black, shiny stove top is the hardest thing to keep clean.  Fry 1 piece of sausage and you have to get the Windex out and scrub down the entire surface like a window until it shines.   I also learned that you can teach baby ducks it is alright to stand on my feet and give duck kisses when they feel they aren't getting the proper allotment of hamburger bun. 

Our new home has already taught me I don't ever again want black floors.  Regardless of how many times I sweep, I put the broom away, turn around and it needs sweeping again. I've also learned I have become accustomed to big items...but that's a whole other posting...

BTW - guess where the washer and dryer will are....In the garage.

Car Shopping

Since we had to sell both cars in Houston, now we have to buy at least one and probably 2 cars in a relatively short amount of time.  OK - we have 6 weeks to get at least 1 car BUT the company just doesn't understand.  It takes me MONTHS sometimes YEARS to decide what to get.

For example, I bought the Camaro in 1995 and hadn't seen anything I would even think about replacing it with until the new Challengers came on the market.  (And even then I didn't fall for it.)  We bought the Toyota in 2004 and were perfectly happy.  No thoughts of replacing it.

Now we must decide what to purchase for a commute car and a car we can comfortably ride in.  Neither can be too big because the parking spaces are tiny here and the lanes are cozy.  And yet one vehicle has to be big enough to ferry guests (and luggage) to various places. 

I can't really see life without at least a small SUV.  If we don't have one how will we get large purchases to the house and where would we put the bike rack?  But will an SUV fit in the garage? Of course it is only for a couple of years.  (BTW - there will be large purchases...that isn't going to stop!)

Back to searching....

Next Challenge...

When I started telling people we were moving to Australia and that I was going to be on leave, one consistent question went along the lines of...aren't you nervous, scared, etc? 

The answer is no...I have always liked change - the new and unknown and how will I react, what decisions will I make.  Granted, this is one of the bigger personal changes I have been through but we moved to the one country most like the US and most likely the easiest to transition to.  People are VERY friendly and always helpful.  I am well known at the coffee shop and the hardware store.  Making daily trips to those vendors right now.

In fact, today's blog is a test of how well I can write in a public area.  Does writing take precedence over people watching?  Guess we will see by how well this is written?  

Oh look -  I digress...

I do have to admit.  I am apprehensive over the next challenge scheduled for this weekend.

Driving on the LEFT side of the road.

Yep.

Even when I am in the passenger seat now, I concentrate on what to do if I was diving and panic because of the times I know I would have made the wrong decision.  The street markings are backwards to me and instead of the standard "look left, right and left again" rule, it is now "look right, left and right again".  (This is a good rule to remember crossing the street also.)

But I can't NOT drive here so I will hit this challenge head on and hopefully nothing else. I am going to give it a whirl this weekend.  At least in the neighborhood. And I am going to let Robert ride in the passenger seat to provide guidance.  :)

And I Thought Alaska Was Expensive

After arriving in Brisbane yesterday, we had a VERY busy day and by the end of it, we were tired puppies.  However, we sacrificed and went to the local grocery store.  Here are some price comparisons (keep in mind this is AUS $$ so you have to take these prices times ~ 1.09 to get the US price):

Bottled Water 24 pack of 600ml bottles - $10

1 Hass Avocado - $2.48

1 pkg 2 rolls (short) paper towels - $3.50

1 – 24 pk diet coke (12 oz) - $16

1 pound chicken breasts - $10.50

6 oz Philly cream cheese - $4

8 oz Jarlsberg cheese - $7.40

We may have to change some of our eating habits!

BTW – the tax rate here looks to be 10%.

On a different note, I tested the temporary washer and dryer.  The washer is a 5.5kg washer.  Translation:  one load equaled one each: bath towel, wash cloth, hand towel, floor mat.  No more.  This will take a lot of time to do laundry.  Lucky I’m on a leave of absence. 

Estate Planning

For years we have bantered about the fact we need to do estate planning.  The conversation generally went something like:

“We should do something.”

“You’re right. We should do something.”

And then we would do something ELSE, forgetting about estate planning until the next time one of us thought of it. 

Now, because of the move overseas, we finally did our estate planning.  We completed it.  It is done and we don’t ever have to revisit it again unless we choose to.  And, of course, I will choose to.  We forgot to put any clauses in about pets owned at the time of our demise.  (I know – I know – HOW could I, who has ALWAYS considered her dogs the equivalent of children, have forgotten future pets!!!  I blame the move and additional stress of the last few weeks.)

As with any endeavor that involves planning, this one was a learning experience. Of course the one thing I learned that I actually remember is depending on how you structure things, the federal government could get a lot of money.  We avoided that structure.

Another part of this exercise was to complete our Medical Directive to Physicians.  This generated the most discussion between Robert and myself.   This is the document which states what we want to have done with regards to life support and added something to the effect of – we really really mean it. 

Those are tough conversations to have.  And, once you make the decision, the proper thing to do is to let your family know your wishes but even our lawyer said she has never talked to her family.  In today’s busy world, who wants to take the family together time (such as Christmas, Easter, etc,) to discuss death – even as it is a part of life.  Our family generally doesn’t.

Robert keeps telling me he will go before me.  I keep telling him if he dares to leave me like that, I am cremating him, putting him in a box and gluing the box to the dash of the car.  (Hopefully no one will mistake it for an ashtray.)

Something to think about...

When living in Houston during 2004-2006, we were very lucky to find both a yard service and a cleaning service that were absolutely top notch and took very good care of us.  Of course when we moved back to Houston, we called the same companies.  Luckily, they were still in business and once again agreed to help us out.

I talked to the lawn service owner the other day and she voluntarily assured me they were going to watch the house and make sure there were no problems and thanked us profusely for our business.  She even told me she would take pictures if I wanted them to letting us know the yard was still in good shape. What great people.

Yesterday, I saw our house helper for the last time (well - until we move back).  We have become friends over the years and I have heard about her kids growing up, how she met her husband, what her life was like before coming to America, we celebrated when she became a citizen, etc. She always took care of Squirt and cried with me when we lost him. Before I left to run errands, she was in tears and thanked me for everything. I will miss our chats and our friendship.

What has stuck with me though is a comment she made about always treating her as a an equal.  How else would I treat her?  It bothers me to know there are still people in this country that don't treat others as equals.  That's very sad and shows how far we still have to go.

I am very thankful for the people that have worked in and around our homes over the last 15 years and will miss interacting with our current friends regularly. They have giving us time back in our lives which  has allowed us to do other things when not at the office.

PS - To the internet service person I yelled at this morning - I apologize for yelling at you. Please don't think it was because I was not treating you as an equal.  I have no problem yelling at anyone.

New Discovery

When not working, I am MUCH more interested in spending time on my home computer.  I went to the hotel last night and left it here at the house.  I think I had some withdrawals from it since I couldn't check my email, etc.  Maybe this will pass when I get an iPhone in Brisbane.

Last packing day and they are here already.  We filled 7 containers for the ocean shipment which is a very important number.  That translates into we can buy 3 container worth of new stuff overseas to bring back.  :)  Our air shipment, which covered a good portion of the floor in the bedroom, weighed 170lbs (30 lbs shy of what we could have taken) and fit into 3 boxes.  Our suitcases will weigh more when we fly over. 

The piano just came down the stairs in a controlled fashion.  We are never taking it up a set of stairs again.  While that doesn't help this crew any, the next crew will be happier. 

Down to the final house cleaning (Thursday), carpet cleaning (Friday) and bug spraying (Saturday).

Day 2

Packing continues.  The move crew is much more lively today.  I am not sure why unless they see the light at the end of the "stein" tunnel.  Most of the steins are packed now...well...except the ones in the master closet on the highest possible shelf.

Robert is giving me the time update in 15 minute increments.  It is just like pacing only different. 

We believe all of the export paperwork is complete.  There was the TSA form, the Australian import forms and the some other form I don't remember the name of.  That was last night's work.

We also completed the seller's disclosure statement for our house.  All that is left is the carpet cleaning, the bug spraying and the regular house cleaning.  (Not that we have dust or anything...)

Here We Go!

The packers arrived this morning.  I have only made approximately 27 changes in what we are taking and what stays.  Robert is pacing like a worried momma bear watching out for her bear cubs.  Back and forth...back and forth...  I am making notes of our experience (what to do, what not to do and what buttons to push) as Robert wants to publish a document for the next several families to move to Australia.

This pack and load has been completely different from any other move we have made to date.  All other times, the master bedroom was the last to go meaning we could stay in the house as long as possible.  This time, it was the first to get packed as the rule is - ocean and air first - rest of it later in the week.  I'm not exactly sure why except maybe that way we can't panic and put more stuff in the "go over" than we originally planned. (Besides - I fooled them and made my changes before they got the boxes sealed.)  I AM SO HAPPY we went ahead and made hotel reservations for this week.   I MAY have been a little cranky to have to sleep on the floor. 

Packing for a crated ocean shipment with limited space is also different than an in country move with the company.  Every available nook and cranny, every drawer, every cubby is filled with something.  There is none of this one item per box business this time around. 

At this rate, unless they bring a smaller crew tomorrow, it will take at max 1.5 days to finish. 

Count Down...

OK - It's time to get seriously busy.  Movers show up sometime Monday (I just realized I don't know when) to start packing and guess what... I am starting to second guess what we need to take and what we need to leave.  I KNEW this was going to happen.

How do I solve this dilemma? 

I goof off reading Facebook posts and writing here. 

On the upside, we sold the SUV last night.  The only thing we have left to get rid of is the piano.  Unfortunately, I don't think that is going to happen and it will go into storage.  We have learned something though...next time it comes out of storage...it stays on the FIRST floor.  NO taking it upstairs.


We did find out the house we requested has been successfully leased for us.  SO we do know what we are moving into and have an idea our stuff will fit.  :)

Things are moving along!

Sold my Camaro.  I know it is in good loving hands.

Dropped off the ATV and trailer.  I know they are in good loving hands.

Sold the washer and dryer.

Only the SUV and the piano left for sale.

Now down to what stays in Houston and what goes with us.  I have split the kitchen goods into 2 areas...I have no doubt I will need something I put in storage.  I have also found some stuff I forgot we owned.  :P

Wednesday the inventory needs to be turned in.  It will be interesting to see how close the inventory matches what the moving company does.

Inventory, Inventory, Invenory...

Down to the final sorting.  I have everything captured in a document mostly split between Ocean, Air, Storage, Carry, and about 5 other tabs.  It won't be long now!  Just have to be finished by Wednesday!!!

It takes 5 nights

Traveling West to East apparently takes 5 nights to get back into a "normal" sleep pattern for people my age.  Last night was the first decent sleep since we returned.  I'm good to go and ready to work on the house.

Speaking of houses, once again, we bought high and looks like we will be selling low.  Oh well...can't do anything about that.  I am tired to using our stock management rules for houses.  We need to get one of these things right.  :P

I sure many of you have been waiting for a baby ducky update...We have 2 broods right now.  One mama w/ 9 babies and I saw a new brood this morning freshly hatched and scurrying around.  I am pretty sure the new mama is one that came to eat in our drive last year as a chick.  She has 15 lovely little chicks.  They are SO cute. Of course, I didn't have the camera.  Will see if I can get a snap tomorrow.

BTW - our visa has been approved.  We are good to live in Australia for the next 4 years.  We passed the Cultural Assessment yesterday (I call it the mental exam).  The only paperwork left is for our company to approve our medical tests.  I had to have a chest x-ray yesterday for TB.  The tech asked me how long had it been since I had a chest x-ray.  I went with "never".  Should have clearance by the end of the week.

Who would have thought...

As I go through papers and drawers, inventorying items, getting ready for the packers, who would have thought it would be so hard to decide what you can live without for 2-4 years.  Granted, some of it is easy,  For instance, I know I don't need ANY of the books in the library.  I have plenty of electronic books to read but will I need that coat?  Do I need my heavy hiking boots?  How many wine glasses should we take?  Do I really need 3 same sized casserole dishes?  I haven't used more than 1 at a time since I got married.  Do I really need every financial paper I've collected for the past 25 years? 

We did buy new (smaller) computer desks and an area rug this weekend.  Also made the call to put the monster 5 burner gas grill into storage and buy a small 2 burner grill to take with us. 
 
I am just about out of decisions for the day... Luckily, there are only so may days left before we have to turn the inventory in and then it will be a done deal...

AH...Shopping

I am testing the "no international transaction fee" credit card VERY thoroughly this week.  Food, mass transit cards, oh yes...appliances.

We had to purchase a fridge, washer, dryer, freezer and of course a wine cooler for the new town home.  (Yes - the wine cooler was required.)  It all went well as far as I know but hands down the toughest decision was the washer/dryer.  They sell them by kilogram capacity. 

The manager was exceptionally nice and spent well over an hour with me helping me spend Robert's money.  But I was stumped on the kg decision.  The appliances appear SO small here.  Always before, I would open the lid and look in and say - yep, it looks big enough.  Here, I had to know how many wet kilos did my king size bedding take up.  (The answer is apparently 8 but I went 8.5 just to be sure.)  And, me being the "black and white - no shades of gray - if you have 8 on this side you have to have 8 on that side" person that I am, have a devil of a time understanding that a dryer only needs to be 6 kg when the washer needs to be 8.5.  (Something to do with wet/dry.)  Still not entirely sure, I went with the 8kg dryer.  It was pretty funny. . . at one point the manager asked me how many pounds we purchased in the states.  I said we don't - we just do big. 

The dryer has a condenser.  That means it recovers the water and I can use it for watering my plants which we won't have because we won't have a yard.  Luckily, we should be able to connect it to the sink and have it drain automatically.

Space is at a premium and these are stacked units.  SO that means I will need a step stool every time I do the laundry.  (Must go update the inventory.)

Time to go walk around the mall and see if there is anything else I need to use that card on...  :)

City Life - First Impressions

While I have lived in big cities before, I have never "lived" in a city.  I have always been on the edge - pretty much suburbia.  The last few days in the Central Business District of Brisbane has been interesting. 

I never pictured a downtown area in the US with many non-business people.  Of course, I have also never spent a lot of time in big city "downtowns".  Here, the CBD is lively with families and shoppers from when the stores open until closing time at 5 pm or so.  It reminds me of going to a festival that only occurs on a weekend and happens to be in a downtown precinct.  Or maybe a better description is just the local US mall only outdoors. It is even busier on the weekends and as the day grows long (especially on the weekends), the more eclectic the outfits. 

This last weekend was Palm Sunday.  There were several areas for kids to meet and greet not only the EB (Easter Bunny) but other spring time (I guess - fall time here) characters.  There were balloon animal creators, story tellers and several street performers.  There was a flea market in one of the plazas, a rally for nuclear disarmament and of course the regular South Bank craft vendors. And it continues this week. Street performers from jazz bands to tap dancers are all up an down the Queen Street area and a rally / fund raiser for autistic children yesterday.

Today was appliance shopping day and I haven't been able to spend much time in the area.  I guess I'll head downstairs to sit in one of the cafes, have a glass of wine and read a book. Well - after I check out the new part of the mall that just opened. :)

 I could get used to this. 

New Home???

Not finalized yet, but this is the one we chose! Three bedroom, 2 1/4 bath, one living, area/dining area combined.  It will be cozy!

NOPE - You can never have enough pictures of cute Koalas!

Can everyone spot him?  He actually ran across the ground in front of us.  They can move right along when they want to!

Australian Zoo Day

Yes - once again - we go house hunting and end up doing something touristy!  But it just doesn't get any better than this!!!

We visited the Australia Zoo yesterday.  This is the one made famous by Steve Irwin (Crikey Mate) and his family (Terri, Bindi and Robert) still participates in the shows every day.  It is one of the best zoo's I have been to for animal interaction.  They had a Tasmanian Devil on a leash, the Cheetah, the Dingos, a couple of lizards (OK - they weren't on a leash).  The shows were interesting and the animals VERY active.  We either hit the right day or they work with the animals more than any other zoo I have been to in order to make it interesting and to keep people coming back.  If you ever make it to Brisbane - this is a must do!!!

An Echnidna.  While no relation (to my knowledge) to a hedgehog, they sure look like one!

 Big Salty Crocodile.  Terri Irwin is standing just on the left.  They are trying to get the croc to strike.  They have several in tanks behind the stadium (The Croceseum) and I believe they use a different croc each day of the week.  That way they can control their diet and make sure they stay a little peckish.

 Dingos!

 A wombat.

 And should my Koala Hugging Career fail, I can always feed the Roos!

 Check out their claws (yes, I got a tiny bruise).

What I want to do when I grow up...

Bad news...

The owner's of the property we want to rent turned down our small pet request.   Housing is hard to come by here.  This means another couple of years w/o a puppy.  I'll have to take up a new hobby - such as travelling EVERYWHERE with RLT.  (He will be SO glad to hear this.)

Cost of living...

Apparently is pretty high in Brisbane.  For example, a 24 pack of diet coke in the local discount store is $25 AUD.  Guess I'll go back to drinking water - it's better for me anyway.  However, that price is better than the $4 you pay in a restaurant for a can.  A lot of the grocery store prices seem very similar to Alaska.  Regardless, I am going back to the US and stocking up on things like sunscreen, ziplocks, etc. so don't be surprised when there is an article in the Houston news about the run on dry goods at the local Wal-marts.

We have not yet heard if we have been accepted for the town house we put an application in for.  If we do get it, it is approximately 2 blocks from the path along the river, 4 blocks to a water taxi stop and about 4 miles from Robert's office.  He will have to drive through the city to get there.  It has rooftop access and you can see some of the city.  There is an SPCA close by for me to volunteer at along with lots of shops and cafes.  No yard though.  We will have to bring some AstroTurf in case we get a dog. :)

It is about 1/3 of the size of our current house.  MOST of our stuff will go into storage for the next couple of years.  We need to choose wisely on what we bring. and when we move again, it will be like having 2 different Christmas celebrations in one year.  :)  We go in a few minutes to measure the new space.  I should have pictures to post tomorrow. 

If we are turned down for a house, we have #2 and #3 picked out.  One is near the gov'ner's mansion and the other is an apartment on the river with beautiful city views.  The hard part will be which one to apply for.  I have a favorite but I am not certain RLT does...

More to come!

Aaaahhh - Spiders

As you are probably aware, Australia has some rather poisonous critters here.  I haven't done all of the necessary research to be able to recognize the venomous spiders and deadly snakes - that will come while sitting in the park after we move. 

Regardless, I saw some REALLY BIG spiders yesterday.  The golden orb spider can have a leg span of over 7 inches and a body almost 2 inches long.  They have gold bands on their legs. http://www.learningspark.com.au/shop/nt/gospider/index.html

Then there's the Huntsman...they like living in flat spaces such as under your sun visor in the car.  That will be tons of fun the first time I flip the visor down while driving on the left side of the road in Brisbane traffic and a (REALLY BIG) spider falls in my lap.  I believe we only saw dead Huntsman spiders yesterday - inside the houses.  http://www.mdavid.com.au/spiders/huntsmanspiders.shtml

The capper though was the GIANT spider on the deck of one of the Queenslander houses that had a huge web with a dead mouse in it.  I wasn't thinking or I would have taken a picture of it.  Luckily it was outside of the house and the agent assured us the house would be cleaned once a lease was signed. 

Btw - most of these homes don't have screens on the windows and many don't have air conditioning where you must open the windows to get a breeze. 

Day #3....

Now...where is that perfect house???

Somewhere in a city of 4 million, you would think we could find a place to live.  The leasing process is different here.  As a potential renter, you make an appointment with the manager, review the property, and if you think it is one you are interested in, you put in an application.  The owner then reivews all of the applications and picks who they think will be the most stable renters. I view it as a credit check on steroids.

Most of the houses here have hardwood floors.  At least the rent houses.  They are beautiful. 

On a different note, coffee here is VERY strong.  I get mine with 2 sugars and can't taste it what-so-ever.  I'm afraid to try it straight.  It is also expensive, but I figure in the long run, I will save money as it only takes 1 cup to make up for the 6-8 cups I drink at home.  :P

House Learings...

Houses in Brisbane are smaller and more expensive than Houston. I'm not that surprised about either item, except they are expensive enough they rent by the week.  For example, one of the houses was fairly new construction, 3 bedroom, 3 bath and 2 car garage.  They are asking 1300 AUD / per week.  That will be close to $70,000 US for 1 year.  Amazing!

We also discoverred there is no need to bring the oven roaster or the cookie sheets.  They won't fit in the ovens.  It is also good we came prior to packing to at least view the houses.  Even if we don't find a place this trip, I now know better what to pack and what to leave home.  Basic rule - leave most in storage.

I have been saying, we have too much stuff.  I have now confirmed it!!!

There is great public transportation here.  Busses, ferries, water taxis, trains, etc.   I hope to become a master at using the system so I don't have to drive much.

Still trying to find that perfect location where the commute will be short and groceries close (see driving comment from earlier :P).

The Next Adventure Begins...

Yes - WE ARE MOVING TO BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA!!!!

I have only one word for that -

YEA!

Robert is being transferred on his project and I am going to take a break and NOT work in an office for a couple of years to see if I will be able to survive in retirement.

I don't think that will be a problem.

Our house hunting trip will be the first time I have ever been to the continent.  Hope I like it.  :)

Anyway - this should give me time to start blogging again.  I hope you stop by to check it out periodically!

EGAG - Trying to change email addresses

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

Hum...I must be taking the summer off...

OK - Maybe the middle 6 months of the year.

To everyone who has encouraged me to keep writing, I expect to return to creativeness in a few months...until then...thanks for the thoughts and have a great summer!

In Preparation for Vacation

This morning, we decided to go to a kolache restaurant for breakfast. Unfortunately, it was closed for Easter. SO, we decided to try the Colombian bakery right next door.

You know, the best way to learn a language is total immersion which is what we found this morning. With the clouds, drippy-ness of the day and the uncomfortably high humidity, I am sure this is what it will be like when we head to Columbia later this summer.

The food was excellent and everything we tried, regardless of size, was $1.10.

And we never did find anything but baked goods.

Happy Easter everyone!

We have Squirrels

When we lived in Houston in 2004, our yard was never visited by a single squirrel.

We are covered with them now and of course, we have a squirrel feeder for corn cobs. Not a fancy one mind you...this one is 2 pieces of 1X4 nailed together at a right angle with a nail to hold the cob. It is on one of the palm trees by the pool.

They still like bird seed better. We have a bird feeder hanging on a shepherd's hook. It initially started by the palm trees also but then we saw the squirrels use the sago fronds to get on the feeder. So we moved it. Then they used the patio chairs. So we moved it. Then they used the table. So we moved it. (Notice a pattern - the squirrel was winning!) The last location we caught them climbing the shepherd's hook itself. Now we have a lovely green circle of plastic designed to keep the squirrels from getting to the bird feed.

They can still get to it somehow (we haven't seen how yet) but at least they aren't on it so much now. The birds actually get food and the squirrels are eating the corn like they are supposed to.

Besides, when they really want bird seed, they can always go to the duck food in the driveway. I looked out the other day and there was a squirrel, lounging on his belly, back feet turned up and eating right along with the ducks. It's a wonder he didn't get stepped on or nipped.

One busy little squirrel is building a nest in the neighbor's yard. He is building his condo at the very top of a tree and should have a lovely view. Interestingly enough, he runs down to the bottom branches, breaks a branch off and then carries it back to the building site and weaves it in. (Of course to see all of this, I had to get the binoculars out. Wonder what the neighbor's thought...) Apparently nest building is very tiring as he would lay down on a lower branch periodically and just relax. But not for long and then it's back to building.

Can't wait to see the little ones!

Houston Rodeo Excursion

I had forgotten how big Rodeo is here. We had the opportunity to go to the Houston Rodeo a couple of weeks ago. I had never been. It reminded me a lot of a county or state fair with the carnival, food vendors and exhibits only it was WAY more crowded and I could walk around drinking wine as long as I didn't leave the grounds.

For the Rodeo part, we saw Tie-down roping, Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Barrel Racing and Bull Riding. Those cowboys are crazy doing some of those events. If I remember right, the top three places in each event received money. In the Bull Riding event, of the 10 cowboys, only three stayed on the bull long enough to have the ride count which made it easy to see who the winners were.

I really enjoyed those events. However, the best was yet to come!

Chuck Wagon Races look like fun. I view it a lot like NASCAR or the Texas Highways. Hop on, wait for the gun and go as fast as you can in a circle!

The there was the Calf Scramble. This recipe calls for 28 FFA (Future Farmer of America) students, 14 calves, 14 rope bridles and 1 square drawn in the center of the arena covering about 1/3 of the floor. When the gun goes off, the students chase the calves around the arena and the first 14 that catch, put a bridle on and (sometimes) drag a calf back into the square, win a prize. (Unfortunately, I missed what the prize was.) The trick to this is the calves don't necessarily see the fun in this event. They had their own ideas about where they wanted to stand and look at the crowd and it wasn't necessarily from the middle of the arena in a chalk square.

But the best was yet to come.

What really ROCKS at the Rodeo is...

MUTTON BUSTIN'!!!

This event is SO much better viewed than described but I'll try.

All you need is several full grown sheep and 10-12 kids that weigh between 35 and 60 pounds. (I'm sure there is a release or two involved also.) Wrap the kids up in padding and helmets with face guards. Put one sheep at the far end of the pen (all the other sheep will follow the lead sheep). Place one child on top of a sheep and turn them loose. The kids are laying on the back of the sheep holding on to sheep's wool with the object being how far can they go without falling off. The winner this evening went almost the length of the pen but I think that was because he was too scared to jump off. He received a slightly bigger belt buckle than the other participants and can now proudly say he is a top mutton buster!

The Houston Rodeo is a great event as it is mostly done to raise money for scholarships. They have raised millions over the years and I am really glad I was able to attend. Next year we may have to get more tickets!

It's Squirt's Birthday

Yes - 13 years ago today - a great thing happened.

Squirt arrived into this world destined to make me a very happy dog lover.

He is reaching his napping years - wait - he has been there for quite a while now. A 20 minute walk suits him just fine and a daily squirrel chase keeps him young. He is losing his hearing but then so is Robert. :)

There is no doubt in my mind life has been much better with him and I am thankful for that.

Happy Birthday Little Buddy!

Humidity arrived!

I stepped outside this morning and couldn't breathe. Yes - it was a balmy 68 degrees and 118% humidity but not raining. And just look at the calendar...it's only January!

I knew this would happen...therefore we bought a tread mill for the really warm, muggy months.

The first one delivered to our house was busted. The second one arrived Monday night. We took the crate off moving the smaller parts to the upstairs combination guest / weight room.

Last night's goal was to carry the deck upstairs.

Well - THAT was way easier said than done!

It had to weigh 250lbs and you could only grip it in an awkward way and it had to go through doors on it's side. My arms are now a lovely shade of splotchy purple and brown due to the bruises.

By the time we got it to the base of the stairs, I was almost in tears and quickly rethinking this whole treadmill thing. There was NO way I was going to be able to get it up the stairs.

Luckily, our master bedroom has an alcove we were going to put furniture in. Now it houses the treadmill. (Just look at the money we saved with that maneuver! Plus we will be able to actually use the guest bedroom as a guest bedroom!)

Tonight's chore is to finish putting it together...after we carry everything back downstairs. Maybe by Sunday I'll be ready to try it. After all, we don't want to rush into these things!!! :)

Welcome to 2010!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's Eve! We did the standard stay at home again this year. I had forgotten what it was like in Houston on New Year's Eve. The firework mortars finally stopped about 2:30am this morning.

We have been off the last week and have done tons of work around the house. We have 2 boxes in the garage to unpack today and we will be officially finished. We are donating 12 boxes of goodies tomorrow and every flat surface on the 2nd floor has a stein on it. Thus the next big item to handle...where to put all of the steins. Never a dull moment here.

The ducks in our neighborhood now recognize the green feed cup used to poor out their kibble on the drive. I would like to think they recognize me and my voice but I get a lot more attention when I am carrying food. Squirt watches the ducks but normally leaves them alone. We have one goose that will chase him and he really doesn't like that.

May the new decade be even better than the last for you!

Merry Christmas to All!

OH the trials of living in Texas. OK - it's not just Texas. We will call it the South.

I had forgotten the joy of bugs. It didn't take long to remember.

We had the bug man spray before our stuff got here. Once our stuff arrived, I hand washed every dish in the house because the dishwasher was busted (which took 6 weeks to fix). Then I found little bugs in the silverware drawer.

SO I drug it all out, washed every dish and eating utensil in that cabinet again, called the bug people, drenched that half of the kitchen in bug poison and have been happy since.

Well - until Monday. That's when the fire ants showed up on the pantry floor. Sure enough, there is a little tiny pin hole they were coming through. Luckily, they were on a suicide mission and died once they reached the light. Very luckily, they never got off the floor and up onto the upper shelves with the food.

Regardless, we called the bug man, drenched the house again inside and outside with liquid bug poison and granules. Next step once everything dries (which is a challenge with our humidity) we will caulk that and no more bugs in the pantry.

AND THEN - I left my good tennis shoes out in the rain last night. Guess I'll get new ones at the after Christmas sales next week.

Even though there is a lot of griping above...I am still very thankful. I have a roof over my head, plenty to eat and a loving family.

And cooler weather today.

I pray you are in similar circumstances.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Oh to find time again to blog...

I know...I know...I'm behind! I haven't taken time to discuss the unpacking. Such as finding the rat trap in with the kitchen dishes. Or the broken dishwasher..etc. (I feel like I have gone back in time. Just guess how long it has been since I had to dishes by hand EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!) Or the lost 6ft wooden ladder and Robert's missing wet suit.

We have most rooms except for the office ready to go. And then we start the garage.

I will get back to it one of these days!!!