www.flickr.com

nothing because it has to be connected to my computer to work, grrr


prawn cocktail crisps

pilchards on toast (you can get pilchards there but they just don't taste the same)

decent tv

jaffa cakes

Greggs pasties

proper beer (as in Black Sheep, or Timothy Taylor's Landlord, or Cwrw Haf, the list goes on...)

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Various things




This is going to be a very animal orientated post as you can probably tell by the pictures.

Firstly, that's my fish! I caught it and brought it in and blimey did it put up a fight! Anyway, I'm very proud of it and maybe one day I'll catch another...

Secondly, that is a taipan. It's one of the most deadliest snakes in the world and that is the post under our kitchen door that it is climbing up. Cue me hiding with my feet off the floor whilst the Other Half stomps around with a shovel looking for it. We've had couple of alarms from the tree frogs that it's still around but so far no other sightings. I don't like snakes.

Anyway, I had a lovely birthday, with a great cake (although I had to try not to laugh at the amount of swearing coming from the kitchen and I've had to promise to pick an easier cake to make next year...) and a very loving boyfriend so that's all good.

Finally, this is probably my last post before Christmas so I hope that you all have a good one, wherever you may be, and I'll be thinking of you whilst having my proper Aussie barbie on Christmas day (although I'm not sure whether there will be shrimps or not...)

xxx

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Friday, December 15, 2006

Birthday goodness

I can't write for long, the Other Half is outside waiting to take me shopping for my birthday present. Not only that but then we have to get home so that he can cook my birthday cake (mud cake, yummy!) and tomorrow morning I get pancakes for breakfast. Something is telling me I should keep a good hold on this man...

Tomorrow promises to be a Very Good Day.
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Monday, December 11, 2006

Christmas


I think it must be the time of year but I'm actually getting a wee bit homesick. I even miss the cold.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy here. I found myself sitting on our veranda with my sewing (I'm old before my time, I know) listening to the constant whine of the cicadas outside and watching my Other Half dig a vegetable patch near the chicken coop and I was completely and utterly happy.

But it is coming up to not only Christmas but my birthday too. Christmas here, in the heat, is just not the same as Christmas at home and this year, it will be again at my mother's house with most of my family there (obviously not me or my sister) and I miss it. I miss them. Welsherella also pulled at the heartstrings a bit with her recent post about the Christmas tree in Leeds City Square and the German market which I adored wandering round wrapped up in my coat, black velvet hat and brightly coloured scarf after work with a mug of gluhwein.
There's no feeling quite like being wrapped up in my long skirt, thick tights and a big jumper sitting on the floor leaning against the sofa next to the fire in the living room at home.

Next year, come hell or high water (or, in this country, bushfires and cyclones, it amounts to the same thing) I will be home for Christmas.
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Thursday, December 07, 2006

Hazards of internet cafes


I was going to post pictures here but someone with incredibly bad BO has just sat down at the computer behind me (So bad I think I'm going to throw up) and I've managed to upload the pics people have been clamouring for to Flickr and that's about as far as I've got and I really have to leave before I feel even sicker. Enjoy the photos!

urgh.

p.s. I've put this one on just because :) He wasn't terribly impressed with me lurking about with the camera...
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The hazards of a new house...part 2

I am, without a doubt, so glad that I have the Other Half who knows what the hell is going on in this country.

I may have mentioned that the house is not actually IN Bowen itself, but about 5/6 ks outside the centre of town. This poses some problems that I had not even thought of.

Water

Before I came to Australia water was such a simple thing. When you moved into a house you turned the tap on and hey presto! there water was. Unless you live in London that selfsame water from the tap was for bathing, drinking, you name it, you could use the water for it. I now am having to learn the differences between -
  • town water (drinkable but not really tasting that good to be honest) which is available, oddly enough, in town.
  • bore water (definitely NOT drinkable) which is what those of us daft enough to live outside the available town water have in our taps
  • tank water (drinkable) which is basically rainwater from the roof. Not the best plan to survive on it given the amount of rain Bowen has
  • grey water (urgh) which is our waste washing machine water etc for watering the garden.


I'm also not sure what happens when we go over our water allocation (fingers crossed we won't) I suspect that we get charged a lot.

Rubbish

You would think that rubbish collection is a given - or I do, being British, where you may have to take your rubbish to the end of the drive but collect it they do - but noooo. Once again, out of the town boundaries your rubbish is your problem. The Other Half and I had a fun time emptying our fire bin last night because the previous idiots..sorry, tenants...had filled it with things that do not burn - like glass bottles - or things that need a really hot fire to burn - like cans - which they did not have. Food scraps will go to the chickens when we get them but until then we're throwing them out and I have to remember to bring them into town to dump them in a public bin*

Post

Once again, I know that being British I have certain expections regarding my post - that is, it will be delivered to my door or post box at the end of the drive. However, here, those pesky town boundaries come into play again. Australia Post do not deliver out to where we live. I have to organise for the Post Office to keep my mail for me until I can pick it up or they just return it to sender. Grr.

I'm getting there though, I've changed the electricity to my name, got the Post Office to hold my mail and applied for a PO Box (2 month waiting list - useful) although I'm still not sure if I have to ask people to write letters to me c/o the post office or if they just keep it with the address. I think that given it's a redirecting service, just my address will do. The rubbish will have to wait until this afternoon or tomorrow and I'm going on a beanbag hunt in a minute**

I'm getting there, I'll be an Aussie yet (although I'm feeling like a wee bit of a traitor as the Other Half is a rabid cricket fan and wanted talking Boony and Beefy figurines to watch the cricket with so I said I'd do it online which involved joining the Boony Army. I'm still supporting the Poms though, I promise!).

*which I completely forgot to do this morning
**they're a lot cheaper than a lounge suite...

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Monday, December 04, 2006

The hazards of a new house...

I may have a little problem with my address. To all those who I have given my address to, please hold off sending christmas cards because I'm not entirely certain that Australia Post actually deliver out this far. I may have to set up a post office box and get post sent to there. It's all highly irritating *sigh*

In other news I am having lots of fun being highly domesticated. I've spent a blissful 2 days organising the kitchen and doing all the washing and banishing the Other Half to the garage (not that he needed much persuading!). We've managed to blow the safety switch twice trying to run 2 freezers and a fridge from one powerpoint (we've given that one up as a lost cause) and discovered that the green ants like to try and come in the bathroom window because it's got a franjipani tree just outside.

I also woke up this morning and whilst wondering through the house rather scantily clad (it is my house after all) looking for clean clothes I noticed that the mango pickers were only a couple of trees away in the next paddock. I think I may need to check out my windows before doing that again, I may have given them just a wee bit of an eyeful by accident before realising they were there. Ah well.

I'm working on the photos (of both the house and the Other Half) and will send them as soon as I possibly can!

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