Sam, Camerin and Lucas have been going to fencing on Tuesday evenings. Something to do while we wait for summer to arrive. It is held at a local high school for about 1.5 hours per session. Having never been exposed to fencing before, I joined in for a couple of sessions and found it to be interesting, strenuous and very, very complicated! It looks quite simple in the movies, but it is really a very intricate dance involving a good deal of strategy. A thinking man's sport, for certain! I think I'll stick to tennis....
Spring is making an appearance in West Australia. I've found a new friend who enjoys going for walks through the myriad parks and bushlands available. We take her 14 year old deaf dog, Harry, and tromp about. She is schooling me in the spiders to watch for, the varied and interesting plants and flowers, and the spendid assortment of birds. There are song birds here all year round, and no migrating birds that she is aware of. It stays warm enough for them to stay in town rather than traveling north, as so many of the thin skinned Aussies do during the winter.
It was shocking to see wild parrots and cockatoo's when we first arrived. Generally, I've seen them only at pet stores in cages or at the zoo in the aviary. Here they soar through the skies at will. Some of them screech, some have a lovely song. They provide constant company on any walk through the bush or the park. Of a recent Friday, I was visiting a new park my friend told me about where I locked my keys in my car in my excitement to check out the birds. DOH! While I waited for Steve to get my extra set of keys and rescue me, I enjoyed myself thoroughly watching the assortment of birds. I can't name the white ones in the pictures provided, but the brillian green birds in the tree are called "28's". An odd name, to be sure, but these parrots are simply beautiful. There is also a solid black bird (not pictured) native to this area that I am told is a raven. It looks like our version of a crow. They are enormous and have the funniest call. It makes me smile and/or laugh out loud every time I hear it. Imagine looking upon a basket of cute puppies or kittens; the usual response is "awwwww, they're so cute!" The raven makes the "awwww" sound and holds it for a long time. It's comical.
Sam and I went to Perth and went biking on the path along the Swan River this past Saturday. It was awesome. Completely flat, so not much of a workout, but it is beautiful and there was quite a bit of activity everywhere. Perth is a bustling city with lots to offer. I will make a trip to Kings Park in downtown Perth in about 3 weeks to see the spring exhibit in the botantical garden there. I'm told it is spectacular. Pictures will tell the story!
We have news of our shipping container making an appearance in Fremantle soon. We will have a sort of Christmas when we get our things. Yippeee!
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Before Christmas we enjoyed going to a "Carols in the Park" event with some friends. It's an event that features singing Christmas carols, hearing a Christmas message (it's sponsored by a Christian church), and finishes off with fireworks after dark. It was just like a 4th of July celebration in the States, except with Christmas carols! There were booths there for food, people throwing footballs, frisbees, and anything else easy to launch, lots and lots of glow sticks, necklaces, headgear, etc. It was quite fun and certainly did a lot to get us pumped up with that elusive Christmas spirit. Pics and a video clip below! 
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