One Year On

Last weekend  was the Million Paws Walk, a big dog event held by the RSPCA every year. We convoyed with Will and Pip so that we could find each other once we got there, with 12000+ people plus 4800 dogs it was a bit crowded.

The theme of the day was Superheroes, so this little guy let his alter ego out for the day

After looking at some of the booths we joined the crowd in a 5km walk around the main lake in Canberra. It was a beautiful sunny day and an easy walk which made the whole thing very enjoyable. Part way around there they had some dogs playing a game called flyball, some game where they have to run over hurdles to collect a ball and run it back to the beginning before the next dog in line goes, it's a type of relay race.

Flyball

Photo courtesy of Philippa Prothero

Photo courtesy of Philippa Prothero

Other then that we haven't been up to much, trying to book our flights home for Christmas, which is difficult with rising oil prices, our dollar going up and, of course, it being Christmas time.

We have been in our house now for 1 year so I thought I'd do a recap of before and afters to show what's changed since we moved in. There isn't much change in most of the rooms but it's the little things Andrew and I are keeping track of.

Our bedroom

My studio

Guest room

Kitchen/family room

Kitchen/family room

Lounge

Dinning Room

Deck

Deck

Coopa followed me outside

I can't find a before for this but the yard is much more open and clear than it was

Side yard

From the fence

From the garage

From the garage

Stay tuned to see what changes come along over the next year.

I Could Lie

And say that Andrew and I have been having some mad, crazy adventures since my parents left but it's just not true. In fact, we've sadly gotten back into the swing of things at work and fallen into our usual routine, although it does now include a Tudors episode most evenings.

Thursday night we did go on a double date (how cute) with our friends to see this new movie called Oranges and Sunshine. The movie is by and about this woman, Margaret Humphreys, a social worker in the UK in the 1980s. She runs a support group for adults who were adopted as children and comes to learn about children who were sent on their own to Australia. Once she begins investigating she discovers that many of these children were told that their parents had died when they hadn't, or that they didn't have any family and that was why they were sent away. Once in Australia they were sent to children's homes/missions and depending on where they were some were told around the age of 15 that they had to pay back the mission for being raised. It was a really interesting movie and I would highly recommend it, it's just so interesting what happened.

Since we were busy Thursday I decided to spend Saturday cooking up a nice Tex-Mex meal for Cinco De Mayo. It was great to spend the day puttering around in the kitchen and having a meal that's completely fresh and made from scratch was great. Paul, Judy and Kate came over to join us and it was a really nice evening. We started with a variation of Jess' fruit salsa with cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips, Paul made vegetable empanadas and we had a round of drinks. Dinner was homemade flour tortilla's (I added some allspice and mexican chili spices for some extra flavor) with red onions marinated with lime juice and ranchero pork (slow cooked for 5+ hours) and another round of drinks, this time some Firefly Iced Tea Vodka. We finished with warm sopapilla's drizzled in honey, the perfect end to any day. I would have pictures of it all but it smelled so good we ate it all so quickly, maybe next time.

This morning we got up and headed to Paul and Judy's so Andrew could practice the omlete making techniques that Dad taught him, they turned out really good and we spent some time sitting in the sun and playing with the puppies after eating. Other then that, we've got nothing so I'm going to leave it there and learn to take more photos so this blog is a bit more lively.

The Last of the Americans

Well, as of now my parents are back stateside which means we just have this last blog from them before I have to start writing my own again:

There's no Place like Home...There's no Place like Home...

And Even More From My Parents Down Under

A bit of Mom and Dad's when they left us for Melbourne.
Penguins and Oceans and Wine...Oh, My!

And a bit that includes Andrew and I where we go to Jindabyne.
Chicken Rolls and Bubbly...At The Top of Oz

More to come from my parents soon, then I'll be back to do more of my own writing.

Mom and Dad's Australian Adventures

Having Mom and Dad around is good for so many reasons, including the fact that I don't have to write a blog. Instead, enjoy my Dad's writing about their adventures down under.

In Search of My Own Glinda
What Makes the Flags on the Mast to Wave? Courage!

More Australian Adventures

This past weekend was an All Women’s weekend at Merry Beach on the coast of the Tasman Sea.  Sarah and I were joined by Andrew’s mother Judy, his sister Kate, his Aunt Karen and his cousin Claire.  The adventure began with the three-hour trip to the coast involving a road of hairpin turns in the dark as we drove over Clyde Mountain.  The only experience similar is driving through the Sierra Mountains in the U.S.

Sarah had rented a cabin with three bedrooms.  There were kangaroos all over the place.  I have never seen anything like it!  We had to shoo them out of the road so we could drive to our cabin.  We arrived in time for a late dinner that Judy had provided.  Sampling some more good Australian wine, we played cards until well after midnight.   

they were all over the place!

Relaxing on the porch

Preparing for cards

There was much laughter as Kate once again tried to teach me how to play “Shit head”.  There were a couple rules I just couldn’t remember. I am hopeful that we played enough rounds that I can remember the rules long enough to play it at the cottage this summer.

Morning allowed me to finally get a glimpse of where we were staying.  We ate breakfast out on the deck and enjoyed listening to the ocean and watching the kangaroos move about.  People didn’t bother them at all.

Early morning.  We could see the ocean from the deck

Breakfast of French Toast on the deck

Sarah and I got in for a swim.  It was as warm as lake water though the Aussies didn’t agree and only waded.  We had lunch at a local Fish and Chip stand that was only a ten-minute walk away.  Delicious.  The afternoon was spent visiting and reading.  We once again got the cards out playing several different games.  Dinner was a selection of appetizers that everyone brought.  I introduced everyone to Sweet Tea Vodka and it was a big hit.

A dinner of appetizers

Sunday morning was over cast and cool.  Sarah, Judy and I took a short hike up a hill to get a better view of the area.  

Mother Kangaroo and her Joey

Sarah and Judy

 

Morning visitors on our deck-we ended up with 21 of them

Karen couldn't cut the apples fast enough to feed them

 Our drive back allowed me to see what those hairpin turns really looked like.  Judy was a good driver and handled it well.  We stopped at a few shops on our way back and of course made time for “pies” and  later on time for tea.

Yummy Meat Pie!

Sticky Date Pudding and Apple Rhubarb Crumble

I have continued to explore Canberra with Paul’s help.  I have been to Tidbinbilla Nature Sanctuary to see Kangaroos, a Koala, and Emus.  I had a chance to see Lanyon Farm, a homestead and outbuildings from the mid-1800’s.  The government gave property to settlers along with 37 convicts to help run the land.  It’s a very picturesque area.  We also drove up to Mount Ainslie to see Canberra from a different view.

Camberra from Mount Ainsle

 

I have been lucky to have sunny weather in which to do my sight seeing.  It has turned cooler out and often in the evening Sarah and Andrew have turned the heat on. I can find my way around the neighborhood on foot and to the stores.  They have allowed me to take Coopa for walks  and he is very well behaved.  I know the quality of the next blog and pictures you receive will improve immensely.  I will return to my position as Editor.  We are all looking forward to Dana’s arrival in a few days.

You can see some of Sarah's photos from the weekend on her photo blog.