Life Down Under

man it's hot

Dundee likes chasing lizards in the house

wild donkeys and horses at Willowra

the VIP lounge at Willowra

So Dundee and I have spent a lot of time together with the temperatures so hot this summer. We hang out, yeah, we chill in the air con. He likes playing scrabble...

I haven't been on many bushwalks lately because of the heat, but as soon as it breaks, I'll be back out there. I am still going outbush for week though, and recently went to Willowra where there were wild donkeys everywhere! We flew in on a rather turbulent flight and the return wasn't much better. I nearly puked...but didn't. The others were much closer to the bag.

     I did go out to Alice Springs Desert Park again today, one of my favorite places. I've signed up to volunteer my time to read/tell stories to little ones. We can choose one of many locations throughout the park, inside or out, mostly out and the locations are gorgeous. All of the stories are about animals and living outdoors. There are some props like puppets and costumes, so it should be fun. They also renew our park pass for a year for free, which is nice. I just think it sure would be nice to spend some time around ordinary kids without an abuse history...heh heh...one gets a little jaded after awhile.

     Dundee has also been busy catching lizards both inside and out. He just loves putting his paw over them and making them squirm, particularly those long lovely tails. My friends think it's cruel...I think it is survival of the fittest...there is a whole empty desert out there with no kitties, but they choose to come into my house and my courtyard, so they're fair game!

     My sister comes to visit in just 4.5 weeks so I'm getting rather excited about that as well! She has never been to Australia and she and I have never had that much time together since before she was married oh so many years ago and started having kids. Let's hope we don't kill one another, as it will be a road trip for much of the visit. This time we're heading to Queensland, taking a bush highway for part of the trip as long as the roads have dried out as there is flooding there now. We will be spending much of the time on the beautiful beaches of course, and checking out the Great Barrier Reef. We're also going to head down to Uluru as well, as she wants to see the rock, and how can one come to central Australia and not see the rock...it's breathtaking.

     It poured rain last night, it was awesome! We hardly ever get rain, and this was the first real drenching since last year sometime, so the earth was more than ready for it. We're meant to get more this week too, so happy about that, as bushfires had started again. At some point I may even get my garden planted again. It's been too hot to be out there mucking about in the dirt and dust, so once the summer heat breaks, which should be soon enough, I'll plant it all over again.

     So that's what's up down under for this week. I'm going to a naming ceremony on the weekend at Telegraph Station, so will likely take some photos out there, as it's quite a pretty area and where the two moms had their wedding a couple of years ago.

     G'day mates!

What's All The News Down Under

While I haven't been anywhere really exciting this past week or so that has been photogenic, it has been a very interesting week just the same. Here are the highlights...

• I received my permanent residency - I know I mentioned in a previous post, but it's pretty exciting news for an immigrant...yeah, I'm an immigrant. Sounds weird to me too.
• I was offered a permanent position with my employer - they want to keep me forever. I'm quite certain I won't stay forever but it sure is nice when someone wants you forever anyway
• I got a raise with the permanent offer so I've been bumped into the next pay level, which is always good. It's just a few thousand extra per year, but it all counts...and I think it is retroactive to the day they granted me permanent residency as that was the date on the offer. I love windfalls.
• I went out to a cocktail party on Saturday night at a friends and while I was searching for her flat, I happened along the wrong address. I thought I was at unit 4/45, but I was at unit 4/43...I went in through the gate, and the blinds next to the door were closed except for the bottom 18 inches...so I peeked under to see if it looked like a party going on and I recognized anyone. Um...not so much. All I saw was a naked man walking into the kitchen, penis and all...so I got the hell out of there in a hurry before someone called the police on a peeping tom - me!
• the cocktail party was a precursor to the bars - we went to the Rock Bar and then to the Casino when that Rock Bar closed. The casino closes at 4am, so it's a popular after hours location. I hung out outside most of the time on the patio, gorgeous night and happened to meet someone that I chatted with much of the night.
• that someone came home with me...I won't say more...I don't kiss and tell!
• one of my co-workers is off on sick leave due to a spider bite on her butt...we believe she was bitten by a white-tail spider, very poisonous and tissue damaging so she had to get surgery to clean out the area of dead tissue and now she is recouperating at home.
• the heat of the summer has finally broken and the temps have been about 28-32C by day and 12-15C by night - my favorite temperatures! We may get another wave of +40C but it seems like we're on our way to autumn...lovely autumn...
• I'm hoping to go camping this weekend with friends to Ormiston Gorge where there is a lovely swimming waterhole and lots of great hikes. It's finally cool enough to hike again, so I can't wait to get out there.
• I'm redoing my garden finally. I ordered a timer for my hose to take care of it when I go away or forget to water back in November and it FINALLY arrived last week. So I ripped out all the old plants, added some new mulch and have spent the week soaking the soil again.

So those are the highlights...photos from the coming weekend will follow when I get back.

Sunday at the Big Hole and Ochre Pits

Ellery Creek Big Hole

Went to Ellery Creek Big Hole again today, with a friend K. We had a little swim, I nearly died swimming to the sandbar - so out of shape, can't remember the last time I was swimming that far. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot, and then we had a little picnic before heading off to the Ochre Pits. This is where traditional local artists would gather various colors of ochre to use for paintings. Many artists now use commercial paints, but the pits are still visited by those wishing to use the traditional methods of painting. They were interesting when the sun was behind cloud cover but just glowed brilliantly when the sun came out from there. The gold just really looks rich, and the red and purples deepen. There was also greens, greys, and oranges. I think I might have to find out how they made paint from them and give it a go myself.

Ochre Pits

Where Did January Go?

 

stinking hot

I can't believe January is nearly gone now, and we'll be heading into February. Summer will be over before we know it here in Australia and I couldn't be happier to see cooler temperatures and be able to leave my windows open again. It has been pretty hot here, not sufferingly so like humid temps in Darwin, or like it gets in Ontario and Nova Scotia back home in Canada, but hot enough with 42C as the highest I've seen in Alice Springs and 44C in Coober Pedy. This is a pic from my car's thermometer when it was sitting in the shade. Hot enough. I spend most of my time inside my flat these days with the air conditioning on. It's been too hot to go camping or hiking which I am missing! I am really looking forward to getting back to bushwalking in a month or so.
     I went to my first Australia Day barbecue on Thursday - January 26th is Australia Day here, a public holiday where people get together and rejoice in being Australians. It marks the anniversary of the first fleet of convict ships arriving in Australia. Some folks refer to it as the invasion...I just like having the day off to spend with friends...so I went to a barbecue by the pool and drank beer all day. Fitting way to spend it as I not only celebrated Australia Day but I received my permanent residency visa this week as well, so I don't ever have to leave if I don't want to. Awesomeness.
     I also drove to a place called Bonya this week with a co-worker for an investigation. It is along the Plenty Highway, a bush road that cuts through the Northern Territory and leads into Queensland. I'll be taking the same route with my sister in March, so was glad to have a look at it before then. Gas stations are sparse, so we will have to take a jerry can with some gas or we won't make it. We'll probably drive straight through and camp once we get across the border into Queensland. She arrives on the 25th of March so not long from now! We are both very excited about it.

termite mound

     I saw this termite mound along the Plenty Highway. We saw several that were this big or bigger. They are like concrete when you touch them. I don't know if the termites are still in them or not as you can't see anything from the outside. Peculiar things they are.

Ellery Creek Big Hole

     Was meant to go camping this weekend with friends but they all bailed so we have downgraded to a drive out to Ellery Creek Big Hole for a swim and a picnic instead. It's a great place to swim when there are no lakes or rivers around, and you don't want to be in a pool filled with chemicals or salts. Ellery Creek Big Hole is a permanent waterhole, which is cool to find in the desert and the water is a bit chilly, which is nice on a hot day. My daughter and I went there when she was visiting at Christmas. We didn't stay long though as a thunderstorm was approaching and the water is not a good place to be when lightening strikes...they say this waterhole is very deep, at least 20-30 feet deep, which is why it's so cold I reckon. The bottom is all sandy though so that is real nice. We were going to camp here at the campground, which is a small one, but nice enough, has the basics. My car is still packed. I sweated like a bitch packing it on Thursday night, so was not impressed when everyone backed out, and too hot to unpack it. I'll just leave it in there for now, ready for the next trip. It's all in the back anyhow, great thing about the Rav 4 - big cargo area.
     I've been hiding out in the air con here, much like we hide out in the house during winter with the furnace or wood stove when it's cold. Lots to keep one occupied as I have Austar (satellite) and tons of movies, books, and my Wii. I have a friend coming over this evening to watch Trailer Park Boys for the first time...should be good for some laughs. If you haven't watched, I highly recommend it. The show follows two fictional trailer park bad boys and their friends as they botch up one money making scheme after another. Just hilarious!
     So that's been life in Australia this week...

Those Crazy Aussies

Well, I'm 9 months in here in central Australia and even though we both speak English, these crazy Aussies sure have some strange terms for things that continue to puzzle me. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Lollies - now, I would assume lollies were lollipops. Simple abbreviation, right? Wrong. Lollies can refer to any kind of candy from a lollipop to gummy bears to a chocolate bar.
2. Beetroot - we just call it beets. The root is the beet, just like the carrot is the root, but we don't call them carrotroot. And they put it on a sandwich or a burger. Gross.
3. Chewie - now my first image is Chewbacca from Star Wars...not even close. Chewies here refer to chewing gum. Yeah, they like to add ie on many things here.
4. Toastie - really? Why can't it just be toast? But it's not, it's toastie.
5. Fruit toast - what on earth I thought? Well it simply means raisin bread that has been toasted.
6. Esky - um what? Just means a cooler, like a cooler you take camping and pack your beer in with ice. Ask for a cooler and they look at you like you spoke Klingon.
7. Schooner - I picture a boat with sails. Nope. It's a small glass of beer. You order a schooner of beer, or a pot of beer. Yeah, pot. If I asked for a pot of beer in Canada someone would bring me a saucepan of beer.
8. Slab - in Canada it could mean a couple of things - on the east coast, it often refers to a kitchen countertop. In the autopsy room it means the stainless steel table they lay the body on. In other places it refers to a portion - slab of meat, slab of wood, or slab of bread. Here in Australia, a slab is a case of beer. Yeah, have no idea where that one comes from.
9. Bench - I picture something to sit on, a bench. Like what you find in the park, or in the courtroom. Not here. Bench is your kitchen countertop. I have no idea why.
10. Ute - I picture nothing for this one really, but in Australia, it refers to a truck. I don't know why they don't call a truck a truck, but here they call them utes.
11. Chooks - my personal favorite. This is what they call chickens.
12. Root - I think of either the root of a tree, or rooting for the home team. Talk about root here and someone is having sex. For example, "he was rooting her for that last two weeks" (naughty boy)
13. Slash - well, I think of someone with a knife cutting. Not here, going for a slash is what men sometimes call going to the bathroom.
14. Tea - well, tea. Like Tetley or Red Rose is what I think of. Nope. Refers to supper, or an afternoon or morning snack. Sounds hilarious when someone tells me they are going home to cook tea.
15. Ambo - I just think someone forgot the "R" in Rambo. Over here it means ambulance.
16. Firies - Again, I think someone forgot a letter in Fairies. Nope - refers to fire fighters. And sparkies are electricians.
17. Bathers - I think of people who bathe. Not in Australia - it's a swimsuit, mostly a men's swim trunks.
18. Bikkie - Say what? refers to biscuits, but not what we think of as a biscuit - like a tea biscuit, but a cookie. They don't call them cookies, they call them bikkies.
19. Bottle Shop - well, I would think it is where you can buy bottles, as in empty bottles. Nah, it refers to the liquor store.
20. Dob - I had never heard it before, but it means to tattle on someone - you dob them in.
21. Hairy armpitters - this one made me laugh out loud. This refers to hippies, apparently because they think all hippies do not shave their armpits.
22. Grog - I think of some character in a Harry Potter movie - but it refers to alcohol in any form.
23. Icy pole - I think of a pole, such as a fence post, that is icy. Over here it refers to a Mr Freeze, or freezie as they are commonly known in Canada.
24. Mob - I think of either the mafia or a swarm of people out to get you, like an angry mob. In Australia it refers to a group of people, such as your family, or where you work. "You mob" might mean your family, and we get called FACS mob all the time (even though our name is now DCF - Department of Children and Families)
25. Mozzies - means mosquitoes.
26. Op shop - I had no idea about this one, but it refers to second hand stores.
27. Pokies - well, my mind went in the gutter on this one, but is simply refers to the slot machines or video lottery machines.
28. Rego - I was asked this and had no idea what they meant. It is my car registration, as in the licence plate number.
29. Salvos - I don't know, I guess it sounds like people who put salve on others, ha ha. No, it refers to Salvation Army folks, or the Salvation Army thrift store. St. Vincent de Paul's is referred to as Vinny's.
30. Shout - of course, I thought it meant to shout, to yell, to holler. Nah, it means if it is your shout, you get to pay for it. If it is my shout, I get to pay for it.
31. Tucker - I think of someone who gets tired out. No, it refers to food, as in bush tucker which is local food from the bush.
32. Whinge - never heard this one before, but it means to whine.
33. Crook - well, naturally I think of a criminal, a crook. Not here. It means you're sick, you're feeling crook.
34. bitumen - again, had no idea what they were talking about. This simply means a paved road, asphalt road.
35. Tomato sauce - this one got me a lot in the beginning. I thought tomato sauce was, well, tomato sauce like you add to a pot of spaghetti sauce. No, it's ketchup.

And then there are the common expressions they use that you may have heard before such as:

1. Cracking the shits - refers to someone being rather pissed off at someone about something
2. Taking the piss - if it weren't for the word "the" I would assume someone is urinating. Not here. Taking the piss means giving someone a hard time for fun.
3. This arvo - this means this afternoon. I have no idea why because there is no "v" in afternoon.

Australians are crazy, and that's why I love it here!

The Nature of the Beast

Scabies. That's the beast of the month. I've managed to go 10 years in this profession without catching it or it's cousin by association - lice. And now I have and boy was I itchy! At first I thought it was just another round of mosquito bites like always, so I scratched, applied more bug stuff and carried on. Then the spots kept appearing and the itching became worse. Uh oh....what have we here. So I did a little research online and determined it was likely scabies. So I went to the chemist (drugstore) and showed him. He then showed me scabies cream. Okay, good enough. I'll get right on that. He also gave me some phenergan for the itching along with the cream. Failing to read the directions, I came home and applied cream to all the spots. And continued to itch.      Day two - read instructions, realize my error - one must apply the cream to the entire body from the neck down. Great. Let's try this again. So I rub the cream all over the body, and I'm still itching. The cream does not stop the itch, it simply kills the scabies mites and all their friends. So now I was off to the store again, this time for calamine lotion - it might leave whitish marks all over the body but it sure works well. So then I realize that I have not been able to reach my back.
     Day three - text a friend to come over and put scabies cream on my back, I would supply the gloves. That turned out to be too much to ask of my one good friend here who recoils from personal touch, so she brought a friend who could do it (another friend of mine, not some stranger). So lathered that onto my back, and then had to wait. With each application you have to leave it on for at least 8 hours. Then came the waiting until I could finally wash the last of the cream off. More itching and calamine lotion.
     Day four - finally headed back to work. The itching has finally subsided (although not entirely gone) and I was ready for human contact again. Of course, heading back to work after scabies is always fun...people look at you as if you have just come through the plague. I wore sleeved clothing and a long skirt so they wouldn't have to look at it, but they were still itching psychosomatically. Whatever...they will probably get it anyhow, heh heh. I didn't know I had them for weeks, and kept passing it off as more fly bites. I was covered in them on Christmas Day when I had that horrible night camping in Port Pirie - thought I was attacked by mosquitoes - not so much. I was carrying scabies!!! Dammit. Now I have to get my sleeping bag washed out, along with the camping foam cover, and possibly my seat covers in my car. My friend F. who drove home with me from Melbourne is likely going to get them. She is the skittish hands-off friend who wouldn't rub cream on my back. Awww...
     Most people only get scabies in a couple of places, but because I was oblivious to them, and had fly bites to scratch as well, I spread it to nearly ALL of my body. I have spots on my legs front and back, feet, hands, arms, shoulders, all across my belly and even down the crack of my butt...I know, as disgusting as it sounds, it is even more disgusting in person. Even I don't want to touch my body...
     So that was the start to my new year. Scratching scabies...if only having them once made a person immune like chicken pox....the one thing that struck me though is just how many of the kids we deal with here have scabies, often infected and untreated. They have to be downright miserable...poor little things.

Life Goes On

     Since my daughter returned to Canada last week, life in Australia has been pretty average, which also works well for me. The work week was busy, and the weekend busy as well until today. Went to a nice Thai restaurant for a going away party for a co-worker earlier in the week, and another going away party at the Rock Bar here in Alice Springs on Friday night. Yesterday I had some friends over and we played Mario Cart on my Wii. It was the first time I'd played another player on it, as I just got the second controller in the mail this past week. I think I might order a couple more so we can play with more people. I also need to look for more games. I've rented a few, but I'd like to buy some I know I'll play often.
     I was shopping at Coles the other day (Coles is a popular supermarket) and as I was pushing my cart back to the car, I echoed past sentiment - I hate their shopping cart wheels here. They all swivel so there is no control over the cart, and I usually have to walk next to it to keep it from smashing into someone's car. The parking lot is very slanted with speed bumps everywhere, and lots of traffic both auto and human. Australians!

borrowed this photo from the net

taken during one of the races last year

     Work has been busy enough, but not super busy. I did get a couple of bush trips in. One week I went to Papunya again and then to a community I hadn't been to before - Finke. It was quite a tidy little community, which was a nice change. There are other social issues there, but I think my favorite part was the drive there. I drove with another worker so we shared driving. It was a rather sandy bush road that followed along with the Finke Desert Race track, so we saw a lot of the club service stops and had to watch our speed in the sandy tracks. The Toyota land cruiser I drive for work does a great job on the bush roads, so it was a fun run. We saw a few big lizards, lots of cows and some horses with a very new foal wobbling about. Didn't get a photo but the we did turn around and have a look at them as the girls we were transporting that day also wanted a second look at the little one. We also saw an assortment of dead cars, and a lot of the signs for the Desert Race are painted onto the hood of a car, and then installed upright. I'll have to stop for photos the next time I go there. The race is pretty amazing. I went to the start line last year but this year I think I'll go camping along the trail, which is the very popular thing to do. The race is over 200kms, so people camp all along the road that I drove on this past Friday. Here is a cool video that shows a lot of the race along the way: Finke Desert Race it's long but you can just watch a short bit of it and see how the race is.
     The weather has been quite nice, not too hot most of the time. My laundry dried in about an hour yesterday - something to love about living in the desert! I have to get at my garden this week, so might go out at that later with Dundee. He likes the garden but is only allowed out when I'm there to watch him as he will try to bolt if he thinks you're not watching. Little bastard. He has been hot on the trail of the many bugs, flies, and lizards. We had a small lizard in the house the other day and he chased it mercilessly once it made it to the floor as he first spotted it on the wall. I'm not sure if he got to eat the whole thing or just the tail, as the lizard was still running when he went under the wicker ottoman, never to be heard from again.

     So I'm off to play some Mario Cart...kicking ass and taking names...