Caversham Wildlife Park

A fun place to visit and a beautiful day to visit on.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down the names of some of the animals/birds...

Like this one...I don't have a clue what it is.

 Baby tawny frog mouths.

 Adult Frog mouth - master of disguise.

 This bird had the deepest call I have ever heard.  Almost like a tiger chuffing.  He was very vocal for a Monday.

 Check out the neon beak.

 Snoozy Koalas available for petting.

 Giant flying foxes - these are the kind that live by our house.

 Lunch!

 White roos - they don't occur naturally - only in zoos from selective breeding.

 Yep - there's a joey in there...feet and tail out.

 Momma swan and babies.

 Baby swans

 One, unhappy wombat.  This guy weighs about 25 lbs and can run up to 40k (24 mph).  He would have much preferred staying in his pen today.

 A shy little possum.

Freo (Fremantle) Sights

Saturday was our day for Freo.  Winter was still trying to make a statement so while it was a little breezy, it was still sunny off and on and a nice day to be out walking and shopping in the community.  Fremantle was the original port city in this part of Australia and is older than Perth.  Once again, they have maintained and continued using the old historic buildings and the streets are beautiful.

 Early Church

 Window in the church

 Indian Ocean

 Pine tree with the needles going up instead of down.  These were all over the area.

 Round house

 Of course - who wouldn't want to go to Notre Dame in Australia???

Tomorrow is Swan Valley Winery tour.  :)

More Perth Pictures

Thursday, I took some pictures of the local buildings.  They have done a wonderful job of leaving the older buildings mixed in with the modern skyscrapers.

Pretend the gates are closed - they are to the Royal Mint.

 Perth Mint - they still make coins here.

 An old Catholic (?) church in CBD.

 St. Mary's Cathedral

 Convent

 Where little Mercedes cars go to school!  It is actually a very pretty campus!

Friday was a messy, windy day - winter making sure no one forgets her. 

Perth Images

Some of the pictures I took in the botanical garden at King's park and a few other sights...

                   A really big Boab tree

 Momma parrot going in the nest to feed.  I waited for about 20 minutes to see if she would poke her head out so I could get her face...she didn't cooperate.

                       Eternal flame memorial

                         WWI memorial

                          WWII memorial

                  Kangaroo Paw plant (the red, fuzzy flowers)

Perth from King's park- our hotel is the one WAY off in distance close to the yellow crane (if your eyes are good enough to see that!).

         I just liked the ship weather vane on this building...

         Roo family sculpture on Adelaide Terrace

It's rainy this morning...hope to get out later and take more pictures...

King's Park Perth

I spent the majority of today in King's Park which is approximately 3.5 miles from our hotel.  The park contains monuments, fountains, an art gallery, cafe, kids chasing ducks, and a botanical garden. 

I took some really good (?) pictures...too bad the cable I need to download the pictures is with my spouse.

Regardless, there was a big boab tree, kangaroo foot plants, lots of color, tons of parrots and the art gallery was interesting to look through.  I love the native art of Australia.  Can't wait to go to Freemantle on Saturday to see what is available there.  I could spend a lot of money on it.

And, of course, I had to buy a touristy koala Christmas decoration I couldn't live without in the mall I detoured to on the way home.  The shopkeeper wanted to know if I was on holiday. 

Of course I said: "Yes". 

Shopkeeper: "From where?"

I said: "Queensland". 

He didn't expect that answer.  :)

Regardless - I will probably hit the mall again before I leave.  It is an outdoor mall with lots of interesting shops!

Out and about in Perth

Our first adventure starting in Australia has commenced!  We are out and about in Perth.

And wouldn't you know my PC apparently has developed a new feature where it won't shutdown when you tell it to.

This is really handy!

I've spent a couple hours working on it and now am going to go play.  Hope to post some picture later but am not going to count on it!!

Flying Foxes

Robert and I went for a walk the other night at dusk and saw a lot of flying foxes.  Apparently, we live close to a small flying fox colony.

I would call them bats.

I have always liked the little bats, zipping around and catching bugs.  I used to see them on the company campus going to work before dark in the morning.  They would swoop by and say hi.

However, while our colony seems small, these are the largest bats I have ever seen. 

Their wingspan can grow to 1 meter and they can weigh over 2 pounds. 

I haven't been able to get a picture or identify if they are the grey headed bats or the black bats.  I do know they are big and I although am fascinated with them and the calls they make, I'm pretty sure when one of them swoops close to say "hi", I won't be as calm as I have been around other bats.

Grocery Run...Again

As a child, I remember my father commenting that it was a good thing we didn't live 20 miles out of town as my mother had to run to the grocery store every day.

Since moving here and not working, I realized today I am doing the same thing. 

I get up in the morning and ponder "what sounds good for dinner tonight."

I try to be creative and there is always 1 ingredient missing from the fridge or pantry.

For example, I am making black bean soup with jalapeno cornbread for dinner.  I have every ingredient needed, including all of the required spices...

Except for buttermilk for the cornbread.

So - off to the grocery store I go!  At least it is good for a walk!!!

And a good excuse to make buttermilk biscuits this weekend. :)

Flower update

A second flower came out during the week...

Doors

Friends in the US, think about the last time you went to a business that had doors that swing open.  Most of them open outward or swing both ways.

Here, most business doors open inward.

Just imagine what an idiot I looked like when I went to the dry cleaners and could not get inside because I kept trying to pull the door open from the outside.

It only took me a couple of weeks to break that habit.

Now I will be entertaining when I go back to the States...

Finally!

This plant has looked just like this picture since the first time I walked on the boardwalk on May 2. 

I have been patiently waiting for it to open, fully expecting it to bloom and die while I was gone in late June and July.

Then I figured it died due to stress from the nearby construction.

As it turns out, all that was needed was patience...

Now I just need to be taller to get a better picture!

Brisbane SO Rocks!

People water fountain on the left...Puppy water fountain on the right.  How cool is that!

Yoga - some days are better than others

I started yoga again over the last month.  Two to three times a week I fire up the DVD and work out for 45 minutes.  I am substituting it for weight lifting since we didn't bring the weights with us.  I know - not a good substitute but at least it does do strength work.

Regardless...some days...I (in my own mind) am a graceful yoga practitioner.  (stop laughing) I am flexible enough I can do most of the full positions and don't struggle with them.  I breathe correctly with no stress and the poses are easy and the work out relaxing and my flexibility improves.  I am ready to actually go to the park and work with a group.

Then there was today - another reality check.  Flailing left and right, no concentration and completely unable to stay in some of the positions without losing balance and stumbling across the room.  At least I haven't gone through the mirrored closet doors.  Very similar to a small child on a baseball field...there goes a butterfly...oh here's a dandelion...what baseball?

These kinds of days reinforce my decision to stay inside and practice a few more months before going to any public location to do yoga. 



 

A Swimming Koala...

Ok - this is pretty cool...
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/adventurous-koala-swims-toward-surprised-canoers-hitches-ride-191729457.html

Rugby

I LOVE watching rugby.  My entire reference point for watching the game is American football - the NFL.

Right now, my commentary includes things like, touch back, interception, backwards pitch and scrum. I am sure "scrum" is the only thing that applies to rugby (as Robert constantly reminds me).  I am also sure that at the end of the games, the players are really tired, checking for broken bones and very sore from the hits, dives, piles, etc.

I need someone to sit down with me and explain the rules and penalties while a game is going in play. The problem with that is the fans I know would rather watch the game (or play in a scrimmage) than miss it in order to explain it to me.

Oh well...I still love to watch it and with enough of it, I will learn the rules!

Color along the river...

Some of the flowers on my walk today.  We are just coming out of winter and most of these have been in bloom the entire season.  Makes me wonder what summer will hold...

Right place at the right time?

I just happened to look out my bedroom window a few minutes ago and saw something I hadn't seen before - anywhere I have lived...

Our bedroom window faces the street and there was a gentleman (?) parked by the curb standing outside of his car with his pants off.  Apparently the afternoon shift requires shorts and he was changing. 

I can't say I have never changed in a car before but it was always IN the car - not on the curb in a busy residential area by a restaurant at noon.

FWIW - he wears boxers.

Scenes from the dog park...

I walk by the dog park at least once a day and always have to stop and watch the pups for a minute.  I have been watching a (bull?) terrier recently who has to be a youngster but is pretty good sized.  He obviously hasn't reached his "nap" years yet.  :)

Anyway, the first time I watched him, he was the only dog in the park and he was trying so hard to get his master to throw a stick for him to chase.  Granted, the stick was as long as the dog was but still, he was trying to get his master interested in a game of tug-of-war or chase or something. 

I have seen him do this a couple of times but this weekend, there was a slightly different twist.

There is a new dog toy available called a Chuckit Ball Launcher where the human doesn't have to reach over and pick up the ball to throw.  You use a long plastic "wand" to grasp the ball and heave it.  This is a VERY popular item at the dog park. (Which I don't understand since part of the fun is handling the slimy tennis ball repeatedly.)

This lively terrier had somehow managed to get the plastic wand and was having a a rousing game of "chase me" with his master.  It was GREAT.  His master couldn't catch up with him.  I'm not sure that was what the owner had planned but the terrier was definitely having fun.  An all around good day at the park!

Watch those dates!

As with weights and measures, there is no agreed to world standard for writing a date numerically.  In the US, the standard practice is MM/DD/YYYY.  Here in Australia, the standard practice is DD/MM/YYYY.

If the day happens to be greater than 12, 21/8/2012, then it is obvious the day is first.

If the day is the same as the month, 3/3/2012, no problem.

I get tricked up on things like 11/8/2012 - especially in the grocery store looking at expiration dates.  Here it is, August 20 and if I were to buy something that expires on November 8th, chances are I'll use it.  If I buy something that expires on August 11th, then I've made a mistake. 

There is no doubt in my mind people wonder why I stare so long at the dates on milk, cheese, etc.  "Auto date processing" hasn't yet kicked in on the DD/MM/YYYY practice for me.

Moreton Bay Whale Watching

Wednesday was Ekka day in Brisbane.  I compare Ekka to a state fair.  There is a carnival, animal competitions, exhibits, style shows, entertainment and lots of food.  The one difference between Ekka and a state fair is Ekka day is an Australian holiday, giving people the opportunity to go to Ekka.

We decided to go whale watching from the Tangalooma Dolphin Resort in Moreton Bay. If you look at Moreton Island, we sailed around the north tip (in the Coral Sea?) and found 2 pods of southern humpback whales (7 total I think) swimming south towards Antarctica. 

It was a GREAT day for whale watching.  One of the pods spent approximately 30 minutes "playing" with our boat.  Diving under, swimming by, spyhopping (lifting their head vertically out of the water and turning around), blowing along with some tail and fluke slapping.  Very entertaining. 

There appears to be a lot of birds on the island to watch also.  They feed the pelicans and the cormorants daily.  One cheeky cormorant helped himself to the cooler of fish when the biologist wasn't watching.  :)

An Australian Pelican

 One Pied Cormorant

Beautiful Galah Cockatoos eating the freshly sown grass seed in the re-vegetation area.  (Apparently they misunderstood the keep out sign)

  Humpback waiting for a belly scratch

 Humpback just under the boat

Two humpbacks (the second one is just by the "14" in the date under water

 A dynamic duo

As always, wildlife pictures can be challenging.  Especially when others want the same picture.  I missed the spyhopping shot but did get to see them perform.  Maybe next time.

Cooking in Grams

At one point in my life, I could not cook without an exact recipe.  I have since graduated (or maybe became lazy?) and now no meal is ever duplicated.  I rarely measure and it is never exact anymore. Of course, I did bring my personal cookbook of favorites with me and I have full intention of someday putting them all online so I don't need to carry a cookbook - but that is another day. 

Being from the US, all of my recipes are in cups and ounces.   

In Australia, everything is sold in grams and liters and the the new local recipes I want to try use the metric system.

This really didn't  hit home until the other day when I was trying to make buttermilk biscuits for the first time - ever.  All of the chefs I watch generally say that when baking you do need to measure exactly or things won't come out right.

My recipe called for 1/4 cup butter.  My stick of butter was 100 grams.  Luckily there's an app for butter conversion.  Voila - I needed 56.7 grams of butter. It looks like my future holds more conversions - especially since I haven't purchased a metric scale yet. 

I still swagged the 56.7 grams and according to Robert, the biscuits turned out and I should make them again.  :)

Soon the real test will begin...

Very soon, the house will finally be in order.  I will have no more "putting away", filing or purchasing to do.  The big question is...

Will I get bored?

Robert is really worried about this and that will be the "retirement test".  Can I keep myself occupied and not bother him when he retires.  (That is his true concern!) :)  OR will I always need to work.  (So far, retirement is winning.)

I have taken my time getting things in order but that would have interfered with things like walking, reading, shopping, yoga and cooking new recipes.  Something had to give.

The final deadline to have everything spic and span is when our first guests arrive in late October.  I have already been doing research, trying to find things they would like to do without putting too much "this is what I want to do" in it.

I have to admit - I am excited about having visitors.  It is fun to get their perspectives on where you live.  What do they see different that is every day for me?  Plus it is just good to have friends and family around!

Hello Quicken - You aren't Helping Any!

I have been using Quicken as an account manager for some time and I have been happy with them until recently.

This week, I tried to add our Australia checking account to the software file and it wouldn't accept it.

So, I emailed Quicken Customer Support and they told me I had to purchase an Australian software version.

I asked if there was a way to unlock only one Australian bank for the US version or if the only recourse was to run two versions on one machine.

Customer support promptly responded I couldn't run two versions on one machine.

So, I sent a note back recapping to make sure I had the requirements correct, i.e. for me to use Quicken for one additional Australian account I had to purchase software AND purchase a new computer.

Customer Support confirmed I had the requirements listed correctly.

Guess I'll do this account the old fashioned way...now where's my calculator???

Back to this Language Thing...

Conversation at the hardware store...

Robert, "Do you have grill covers?"

Clerk, " What?"

Robert, "Do you stock grill covers?"

Clerk tips head to the side totally baffled and says, "A grill cover?"

Robert, "Yes - for a two burner grill."

Clerk tips head the other direction and says, "What type of grill?"

Robert points to the grill the clerk is polishing and the clerk smiles and says, "OH - you mean a barbie!"

We found our two burner barbie cover.  If only we had some shrimp!  :)

Hang On Tight!

Koala joeys have to hang on tight when Mama is running around!  We lucked into meeting this little one Sunday at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane. 

I have no idea how old he was but if the Koala's in the Kindergarten area were any indication, this guy has LOTS of growing to do to get to a year old. 

We also saw a couple of Kangaroo joeys.  They were all hiding very well though and no picture opportunities came along...

Last Furniture Delivered

The last 3 homes we have lived in had formal dining areas and of course, we had a huge dining table to fit in them.  Since our current house is about 1/2 the size, we decided we would rather sit on a couch than at a table to watch TV - we couldn't bring both...

We do have a counter but our bar stools are just a tad too tall to effectively sit and there for any other meal except breakfast. 

What is this leading to?  We bought a new dining table specifically for this house.  It is actually patio furniture and I really like it. (Once we get the other crap moved out of the way, I'll post a picture.)

The delivery men (that arrived at 7:15 A. M. this morning - thank goodness they called at 6:50 A. M. (note the emphasis placed on A.M.)) showed up and looked over to the pool wanting to know where to place the new patio furniture.

I told them inside as it was my new dining table. 

He wanted to know when the rest of the furniture was going to arrive.

I said this set was the last furniture coming. 

He thought I was crazy.

However, once it was placed and the chairs were set where I wanted them, he looked around and said...

"This actually works well in here."

Whew!

:)