Tag Archives: Australia

Australia Christmas 2007: Craigs Hut

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“The Man from Snowy River” is a well-known Australian poem. In the 1980s, the story from the poem was made into a movie. I admit, the movie is cheesy and the special effects say “low budget,” but it is definitively Australian.

When we first decided to come to Australia, my husband and I watched the movie. As I watched it, I awed at the beautiful landscapes. The main character, Jim Craig, has a house that overlooks a beautiful range of mountains. Part of the story is that the other mountainmen won’t let Jim, who is still a teenager, stay in his mountain house after his father died: only men who have earned it can live in the mountains. (Spoiler alert! By the end, he’s earned the right to live there.)

As I watched the first time, I felt sad that we would be so far south in Australia: if only we were going to Brisbane, we’d be near to where this movie was filmed and we’d be able to see the beautiful mountainscapes.

To my surprise, at the end of the movie, a note told us that this was filmed in Merrijig, Victoria. I told my husband we were going to see the mountains.

The house that Jim Craig lived in was built as a prop on the side of Mt. Stirling. Many people visited it to see the same view that is seen in the movie. Unfortunately, it burnt down a few years ago (there are often brush fires in the area, especially during droughts). But because so many people wanted to visit the place, the hut was rebuilt. Last January, it burnt down again in a more serious brush fire.

I was sad that we wouldn’t be able to visit it — until my husband found out that they are rebuilding it once again! The hut that we visited December 24 is still under construction; in fact, standing right in front of it is a huge dumpster. Because one side of the house has been completed, we could still take some nice pictures. I could avoid the dumpster, but I was unable to get an extra wide view.

To get to Craigs Hut, we drove on a washboard road winding up and down the mountains for about 1½ hours. Our Toyota Corolla did not like it! Then we walked 2 km up and down a very rutted path (we could have driven if we had 4-wheel drive). Finally, we arrived at the scenic overlook where Craigs Hut has been built.

It was a chilly night. Paul was fussy in the carrier until we put the snow suit on him. I carried him and finally he fell asleep just as we arrived. (My husband was the trooper that carried both of our cameras and both tripods.) The wind on the top of the mountain was horrendous.

It was so windy and I was so chilled that I only really took pictures for about 10 minutes. I was afraid that none of them would turn out, but with a little bit of adjustment to the exposures, I think I got some good shots.

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Gingerbread

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Inspired by my cousin’s report of making gingerbread with her kids, I decided to have a go at the holiday treat too. Why not make Christmas cookies to get the Christmas spirit? Besides, I’ve been reading food blogs lately and the recipes and pictures looked so enticing.

The first challenge was the lack of molasses in this country. I’ve since been told that I can get molasses at a health food store (why a health food store?), but last week I didn’t know that. At every grocery store and specialty shop I asked, I was either asked what molasses is or directed to the pomegranate “molasses” (which is pretty much just pomegranate juice). Alas! How can you make gingerbread without molasses?!

I would have used corn syrup (known as golden syrup here) but I also couldn’t find it. I guess I didn’t want to go around to all the specialty shops again, so I just settled for maple syrup, which I had at home.

The maple syrup didn’t add particularly much. The final result was more gingersnap-like rather than gingerbread-like. That was a little disappointing, but they were still tasty. I had a fun time decorating some cookies for the ward Christmas party.

I made some missionary gingerbread men (notice the bow ties)….

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and I made some gingerbread ladies. (Notice her ruffles and the high heels.)

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OK, so I was a bit silly in my very amateur decoration. The piping tip was too large for such small cookies.

I enjoyed myself for a while, but then I looked down at all the gingerbread left to be decorated. It was already 9:30 on Thursday night and my husband had already returned home from his long meetings. I still had tons of icing left and more than 30 gingerbread men still unclothed!

I recalled how last year Mom, Dad, Frank, Elizabeth, and Daniel came and decorated graham cracker gingerbread houses. How I miss you all! Daniel, I think you’d have enjoyed decorating these little guys! I invited my husband to join in, but, you know, it really isn’t his thing.

(When I mourned the fact that I still had so many left to decorate, my husband gleefully said, “I have no sympathy!”After he ate some, however, he thanked me most sincerely for bringing the Christmas Spirit into our home. And then he cleaned up the icing-covered kitchen. What a wonderful husband I have!)

So what do you do with 32 unfrosted gingerbread men? I did what anybody in her right mind would do: I invited my Sunday school class (13-14 years old) over to decorate the rest. I froze the undecorated little guys, and they came today (Wednesday) and frosted the rest of the gingerbread men. Then they ate them and took them home with them! (I neglected to take pictures of their marvelous little creations….)

Next year, Paul will probably still be too little to even eat these guys. But in two years, I look forward to seeing his delight as he decorates his own Christmas cookies.

Daylight

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My son awoke at 4:30 this morning (and at 12:30 and 3, but that’s besides the point). As I climbed the stairs to his nursery, I was somewhat consoled by the fact that this was Daylight Savings Time night. It’s October, so I knew that I would be gaining an hour: it was really only 3:30. I would get a few more hours of sleep!

As I sat with him, I started to realize that the night sky was getting lighter. I no longer needed the nightlight to see in front of me. I peered out of his window to see a bright red ball peeking out behind the clouds. It was beautiful, and it was definitely a sunrise.

A sunrise at 4 a.m.? If the sun rises that early this week, how early would it rise next week? Aren’t the days getting longer?

And then I realized what I’ve always known: Spring Forward, Fall Back. It is October. That means it is Spring. I didn’t gain an hour, I lost it. It wasn’t 4 a.m. It was 6 a.m.

Night was over. It was day.

I suppose it doesn’t really matter what time the clock said it was. Paul was sure it was morning. He wouldn’t yawn or flutter his eyelids even the slightest, despite the fact that I closed all of his blinds and bound him up tightly in a blanket and held him closely for 30 minutes.

I guess he’s getting pretty smart. When he sees daylight, he thinks it’s time to be awake. Even if Mommy wants to sleep.

Cultural Literacy

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I have been pretty good at keeping track of the cultural differences of living in Australia. For example, I no longer walk to the left door of the car first when I go to drive, and I haven’t driven on the wrong side of the road for weeks. I have no problems using cash because I know which coins are each denomination.

I messed up this week.

Here’s the background: To come to Australia on a three-year visa, we are supposed to undertake a chest X-ray. As I was in the first trimester of pregnancy at that time, I declined. I signed a legal form saying I’d be happy to do it at a later date. The government was nice enough to let me come anyway.

A few weeks ago I got the letter from the government clinic that told me that my appointment for the X-ray was scheduled for 10/09/2007 and gave me directions to the clinic. Alright, there is a good chance my baby will have been born by then, I thought, so I put it on my schedule for October, intending to call if I didn’t think I’d make it or if the baby had just come.

So it quite surprised me to get another letter this week telling me that I’d missed my appointment. I was confused. I know my calendar says October! I would have called to reschedule if I thought it was in September (my baby’s still not here…). How could I have missed it?

Oops!

Does anyone else see what my error was?

I’ve been pretty good at remembering the reversed dates issue. My hospital appointment dates are always written in “reverse,” and my first day at the hospital here the doctor kept getting confused by my US obstetrician’s report because the dates were American. But somehow I was completely flummoxed by the date in this letter. I called to tell the clinic that I was just very dumb–I’m not trying to give the government the runaround or anything. The woman at the clinic didn’t seem concerned at all that I’d missed my appointment. I guess this happens. I’m rescheduled for the end of November.

You’d think that I wouldn’t have such confusion. I speak English. This is a modern country that is very much like America. And yet, there are cultural differences that confuse me if I’m not paying careful attention. I wish I could say it won’t happen again, but chances are it will happen again–when I’m not thinking.

What I Miss

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This week, I decided I miss good old American shopping.

I miss:

  • Being able to find prices for things like brooms and ironing boards and baby clothes and sheets online at various stores, then going to the store and getting the exact one I want.
  • Frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast (or any frozen meat, for that matter!)
  • Apple sauce (I never thought it would be so hard to find. I miss rows of Motts to choose from!)
  • Corn meal (polenta mix just isn’t quite the same–too gritty)
  • Cream of Wheat (for me) and grits (for my husband)
  • Variety of breakfast cereals (where are my two aisles?)
  • Frozen pizzas (what ever you do, don’t try a grocery store frozen pizza!)
  • Readily prepared foods (such as a vegetable platter)
  • Carmex (Thanks, Mom, for sending some! Chap Stick doesn’t cut it.)
  • Affordable makeup (The kind of foundation I particularly like is $20, which I’m sure is more than twice as much as that particular Maybelline style in the States. I think I’ll go for the generic. I don’t care about makeup THAT much.)

So here’s today’s story: I volunteered to bring a vegetable platter to a ward event tonight. I figured that would be the easiest possible option. Go to the store, buy a platter and dip, and voila! But no, they don’t have those here anywhere. I had to buy broccoli and cut it up! How old-fashioned!

Here’s the other story: The other day I went to no fewer than three stores before I found an acceptable ironing board (Target, Kmart, and Big W). All of these stores are in malls. Why can’t there be a store that stands by itself and has acceptable parking? I’m very tired of walking through malls. Besides, all of them have these very tempting ice cream kiosks on every corner. It’s very hard to resist (but I did! This time, at least.).

So, this week I really started missing all those good old American comforts when it comes to shopping. Go eat some apple sauce and enjoy it.

Australia: July 2007 Photos

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We found some time to see our new home last month. I’m really not a photographer, but I’m having a fun time learning how my camera works. Here are some galleries of my pictures. They really are more snap shots than real “photographs” but I had fun, and that’s the key.

Downtown Melbourne during an early Saturday morning walk.

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A day trip to St. Kilda, just outside Melbourne. I desperately wanted to see the ocean and the beach. It was a gray “wintery” day and I have found that I prefer most of these pictures in black and white to match the feeling of the day.

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We visited the Dandenongs on two Saturdays. The first was rainy and misty. The second was bright and sunny. I enjoy the greens of the forest but I also enjoy the subtlety of black and white.

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Reid Family Update

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Growing Baby

I am starting to feel like I am seven months pregnant. Baby keeps on kicking all night long. It is so great, in some ways, to know it’s a baby down there. On the other hand, I know this means that from now on I’ll never get a good night’s sleep again.

I’m still not ready to send pictures. You people keep asking for a picture–and I’m not sure if you are teasing me or if you just missed the point (that point being that I’m not ready to hear your comments, good or bad!!!). Maybe in a few more weeks when I start to feel more miserable I’ll feel like sending a picture. I’ve only been marginally uncomfortable for about two weeks now. Give me some more time…

Getting to Know Australia

My husband and I went on some photography journeys to see this great land we live in. A few weekends ago, we went to the Dandenong ranges, which are only 30 minutes from home. Then the next weekend we went to Noojee, which is a part of the Yarra Ranges, about 1 1/2 hours away. We had a good time. I was going to post pictures from those excursions, but I don’t really feel good about any of my photos. I’ve got my tripod now, so maybe our next trip will end up nicer. I’m still learning how the camera actually works.

Setting Up Home

We got our shipment from Chicago last week. So far, we think they only missed one box. I guess $200 of stuff is an okay loss when consider you just shipped $9,000 of stuff across the world (amazing how it adds up!). The major thing we are missing is our HP printer. We know we handed that over! Also noticed missing is my husband’s ice cream maker and a few oval bowls–but we can’t be sure we ever packed those; they may be sitting in our storage unit. We could live without those. But the printer is sorely missed. We’ll see what happens: the Chicago warehouse says they’re “looking for it.”

Staying Busy

During the week, I’ve been volunteering at the local city council volunteer office, helping with filing, data entry, and reception. (I think I’m much better at entering data into Access than I am at answering telephones. …I’m an awkward receptionist.) I volunteered there 1 day last week and 1 1/2 days this week. I may do more as needed in the next few weeks. It’s nice to feel needed.

(My husband says I’m finally making what I’m worth. “Nothing?!” I asked. “No. You’re priceless.”)

Other than that, I’ve been learning to cook some easy meals (some turn out better than others), I’ve been reading certain novels that have recently been published, and I’ve been growing a baby.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll get our rental baby furniture. I can’t wait to set up baby’s room. The Big Day is some day in the next two months. I’ll feel more ready when baby’s room is ready!

Home

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We are in our new home.

It’s a three bedroom, 2.5 bath town home, plus a loft, double garage, and yard. And it feels quite spacious, if not a little empty. It’s a lot of space for just us. But, in a few months it will feel a bit more crowded with one more to join us. (Interestingly, so much space costs about as much to rent per month as our 1 bedroom plus study apartment in Chicagoland.)

Now it is just a matter of making it home.

Our new home is mostly furnished with the classy furniture chosen for us by the rental studio. They say we can come back and exchange things in a month or so if we decide we don’t like something. But at this point, it’s nice to have a place to sit.

My favorite part of our new home is the front entryway. It has such a lovely, grand staircase. It makes me feel like I’m walking into a mansion!

The downstairs floors are all the most delicious red wood. But I’ve already discovered the downside of having lots of hardwood floors: dust. I can tell I must mop every other day to keep it looking nice. Once baby comes to keep it messy, I’ll be moping all that floor space twice a day. Also, my husband pointed out that it is just too hard to walk around or stand in the kitchen cooking without shoes on. But it sure looks nice.

They sent a console table and an interesting centerpiece. I wasn’t sure what to do with the table, so I put it in the front hallway. What should I hide in that drawer?

The kitchen is very modern and full of quality appliances. My husband likes the five-burner stove. We’re renting dishes and other kitchen stuff until ours arrives in a few weeks.

The orange, reddish, and yellow chairs that go with our dining set are starting to grow on me. The colors all coordinate okay into the red wood floor, so it really doesn’t seem all that strange. I really like the bay window for the dining area.

You can see how much empty space we have between the kitchen/dining area and the couches. Just the right size for a….playpen?

Our living room area looks a bit sparse: there is so much space and two couches just don’t fill it up well. Our piano is coming for the other bay window. We have such a lovely view of the Dandenongs (“mountains”; for those of you in Utah, consider them “big hills”).

We have a backyard! It is quite large. There’s supposedly been a drought (I’ve only seen rain every other day), so the grass is a bit muddied. We’re in charge of maintaining the yard, so it’s time I studied local plants!

Our master bedroom is on the ground floor, just by the front door. Upstairs is a large loft with more hard wood–not sure what we’ll put in that space. One of the bedrooms upstairs is a study with two desks, a small “sweet” one for me (aka, old and lopsided) and a regular office desk for my husband. The other upstairs bedroom will be a nursery! We didn’t get any furniture for that yet. We’ll choose it next month when we go back.

So that’s our house. I like it. I can’t wait until we get our box of stuff so we’ll have our towels and linens and dishes and pictures for the walls. Then it might feel a little more like home.

But so far so good.


“Foreign” Country

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We made it Australia.

Take a deep breath now.

Most things are the same as anywhere else. Many of these things don’t feel foreign. I might as well be living in Any City, USA. For example:

  • People walk to work quickly.
  • Trams, buses, and trains all follow a schedule.
  • The hotel restaurant has icky food.
  • People all speak with some kind of accent, just like anywhere else in the world. (Many are from Asian countries, but even the Australian accents aren’t too strong as to be “foreign.” It’s like having people from the South, Brooklyn, a farm in the West, and Asia all in one room. Lots of accents, but it’s all English.)
  • Grocery stores and retail stores have food, clothes, and goods of all kinds.
  • Big W has the lowest prices. All the time. Guaranteed. (It looks remarkably like Walmart…)
  • Plastic grocery bags break when you walk two blocks with them.
  • There are lots of museums and things to do.
  • My husband goes to work every morning.

There are a few things that feel foreign. Here are my foreign moments in the past few days.

  • My recipe called for bacon so I grabbed the cheapest I could find on the shelf. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized that bacon here is “Canadian Bacon” or ham. Ooops.
  • The deli counter had meat for $24+! I was quite shocked at the sticker price until I realized it was $24 per kg, not per lb. A kg is 2.2 lbs, so it really wasn’t that awful.
  • Milk seems to come predominately in a “whole” or “full” variety. “Skim” milk as I know it was hard to find. And the stuff I did get tastes funny. I wonder if it the carton I got is bad or if all “skim” milk here is just nasty. I certainly don’t think it would be wise to eat whole milk for the next two years.
  • I had just purchased something at Big W, so I knew I had three dollars in coins. But when the cashier stood waiting for the two dollars I owed, I just couldn’t figure out which coins made up two dollars. Who would have thought that the littlest coin was worth the most, even two dollars? How silly! (Then I realized that the US does the same thing with dimes. Why? It’s just confusing.)
  • Drivers are on the right side of the car. The cars drive on the left side of the street. Usually I don’t notice because I’m not driving yet. But it does throw me off when I go to cross a street.
  • Some intersections require all right turns to be made from the LEFT lane. Even if there are two lanes of left-flowing traffic. That really doesn’t make sense to me.
  • The State Library of Victoria had a historical exhibit. I guess I was supposed to know who the infamous Ned Kelly was because there wasn’t a lot of explanation.

Other than those things, it doesn’t feel very foreign. Now we are going to get a bank account set up here so we won’t have to keep paying foreign exchange fees. This afternoon I’m taking the tram up to the hospital for my first doctor’s appointment in this country. My husband will take a cab from work and meet me there. How are we supposed to meet up without cell phones? (Mine has no signal…) That is kind of foreign, to be without instant communication means. Tomorrow we are going to look at homes. We are excited to find out where we will be.

I feel like we’re in our new home town. It feels right.