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.