This weekend, we went to the Brookfield Show. It started out as an agricultural show and has adapted over the past 50 years. The suburbs have now spread all the way out to what was once "country." The show grounds are only about 5 minutes drive further West from our neighborhood. I was reminded very much of the Indiana State Fair, but on a much smaller scale. There was the home economics section - with winning jams and cakes. There was some show jumping and a quilt show. The shortened Shakespeare programme went down like a lead balloon, with people milling about and talking during the performance. The highlight was the Freestyle Moto Cross where 2 guys rode their motorbikes up the huge ramp and did death defying feats before landing on the ramp. It was so popular, we got to see 2 shows in the few hours we were there. The poor horses trying to jump in the background - you can just imagine the racket! For Elliott, the fireworks weren't as cool as the Dodge-em Cars. It was his first time to have a go on the fair ground ride. Of course, all I could think of was the bleeding from the brain that could result from such a dangerous activity. Luckily, he seems to have survived unscathed.

Brisbane is a town that is divided by a river. There are only about 5 bridges that cross at various points which is one reason Brisbane traffic can get so busy. We took our bikes to a Bike Path that runs near our neighborhood and rode all the way into Brisbane. We crossed the River at South Bank over the Victoria Bridge and discovered the Nepalese Pagoda that was built for some Expo. Then we rode on and crossed over the Goodwill Bridge and headed back out West. We rode over 20 km on the bike path. We had to take the bikes in the car to our nearest park because the neighborhood is so hilly, we couldn't have made it home again after 20 km!

The Australian Tuck Shop - May 16, 2006

The whole culture of Australia seems so much more informal than it was in England. We have noticed how many people never wear shoes. Flip Flops, or thongs as they are called here, are considered formal wear. We noticed this again at a choir performance at the school chapel last weekend. (Elliott has been forced to participate in the Middle School Choir.) Tim asked if he could wear shorts, but I quickly said "NO!" But upon arrival at the concert, we ran into one of Elliott's teachers who was wearing denim shorts and sandals.

This casual atmosphere is also present for school lunches. At his previous schools, Elliott was expected to sit at a table with other students and sometimes with a staff member. However, here, lunch is one giant free for all. There is no canteen/cafeteria. Kids bring their lunch and eat at a picnic table or while wandering around. If you don't bring your lunch, you can buy something from the school Tuck Shop. This is not like the little shop I was used to from before. In England, the tuck shop sold candy and a few snacks. Here, the tuck shop is a big business that provides everything from sandwiches, sushi, nooodles, hot dogs, crisps, ice cream, drinks, fruit plates, vegetable dips...and more. The school relies on parents (ok, let's face it...mostly mums) to provide the labor force. I also have to say the school does a good job at providing healthy food. All the food must follow guidelines about fat, salt and sugar content and portion size.

Anyway, I had worked the ice cream counter at the Middle School a few times in the past. Can I please have a Fruit Tube and a packet of crisps? Now, that I could handle. Two orderly lines - kids ordering one or two items. Last week, I had to work in the senior school tuck shop. Oh my! There were about 35 big kids all pressed up against the window pointing and saying "No that one...The smaller one...The red one!" These kids were ordering about 5 items at once and changing their minds and expecting me to find the items and add it up in my head. Well, after a few minutes, I had to go find the lady who runs the shop and tell her I couldn't do it! She looked slightly bemused and said "You'll be fine." But I was insistent, no, indeed I really couldn't do it. She did come over to help at that point. Luckily, after about 10 minutes with the two of us on the window, it did calm down.

So, here I am in Austalia for just a few short months and already making a name for myself at Elliott's school. I became the American Lady who almost freaked out and had to go home from Tuck Shop! At Elliott's schools in England, I thought it was strange how parents weren't encouraged to volunteer. Now I look back on those days with fond memories.

The rest of stuff is every day life sort of happenings. We bought a new sofa - so now every room in the house is funished. We've changed newspapers - had to go for the national paper, The Australian. The Brisbane paper had a front page story of a Football player who tested positive for drugs. Front page news maybe, but perhaps just a small mention on the front page, even half a page. But for the Brisbane paper, it was the only story - the entire front page - not even weather got a mention. After just a few days of the national paper, I already feel more connected to the rest of the world! It's been fun to see the British and American scandals. The photo is from our walk last Sunday up to Look Out Point at Mount Coot-tha. There are lovely views to the city, but my photography doesn't do it justice.

Apoligies for Operator Error

Sorry - I just realized I hadn't posted my last post properly. I got confused between save draft and publish I guess. I lost one somewhere - so I started saving post as draft obsessively, but then forgot to actually publish it. So, please go back and read Anzac Day, then the Fall Day one. With me, you just never know what you'll be getting!

Fall in Brisbane - May 6, 2006

The other day I had to laugh as I looked at the weather forecast. Every day: 25 degress C and sunny. (For those of you who work in Farenheit, I think that's about 77 degrees.) It has been absolutely glorious. It's perfect for bike riding, walking and tennis. The only drawback is we are seriously lacking water in the dams and it looks like the water restrictions will ratchet up a notch soon. At the moment, we aren't noticing the water restrictions too much. You can only use your hose on assigned days at certain hours and you can't wash your car or hose down your patio.

We have had yet another holiday with May Day. Elliott is loving these 4 day school weeks. We took our bikes out to the Eastern side of Brisbane and went on a lovely ride between Wynnum and Manly. They have a bike/walking path that goes thru wetlands and by the coast. There are beautiful views of Moreton Bay and the islands off the coast. We saw an interesting road sign of a manatee. It looks like ones we've seen for Kangaroo Crossing and Koala Crossing. I think the manatees go under the bridge, not go over the road, but who knows with these Australian animals. We think we should start a gallery of wierd animal roadsigns and see how many different ones we can come up with.

We also rode along the river in Brisbane. There are miles of cycle paths that are heavily used. In fact, there are traffic jams along the route in the morning because so many people commute into town on their bikes. We rode out to the "floating walkway" - a section of the path that juts out over the river. It was very fun and we stopped at the Botanical Garden in town for lunch on the way home. We have many more areas to explore and would like to cross the Story Bridge on our next venture.

We spent one day on Bribie Island. It is one of the few islands that has a bridge across from the mainland. It makes an easy trip because you don't have to worry about the ferry schedules and all that. The beach there was very nice and quiet. It is a good place to bring kids and have a picnic because the surf was very calm. We probably would have liked a bit bigger waves, but it's hard to find a happy medium!

This should be the last update on the house. After much back and forth with the landlord and the real estate agent, we will be staying in the house. (I think...) The pool is looking ok and the fence is just about right. The windows and screens are to be fixed to a minimum standard. The rest we just have to learn to live with. We have pushed the landlord to some sort of breakdown - we aren't sure if it's emotional or financial. So, I expect two more days of waiting in for the repair men and then it should be over. Now if I could only get Tim to buy some furniture....