The Australian Twilight Zone

I may be dating myself a bit here with this headline....the Twightlight Zone is a fairly old program; I think what I am remembering is the re-runs. Anyway....
Here in West Australia it is getting warmer every day. It is now late spring and things are blooming like crazy. It's great. I am learning more about the native birds and the plants and flowers. The sun is very strong now, and I am quite brown already...summer is just around the corner. Me, Sam and Cami have been without a summer for a year now. We arrived here in May, 2008 missing the American summer, just in time for the Australian fall. Now it is almost November, and our last warm season was in June, July, August, 2007; more than a year ago. It's been warm enough to jump into the turquoise water of the Indian Ocean to cool off. We are assured it will be very, very hot by December. I believe it. The sun feels inordinately intense to me, and I am a die-hard sun worshiper. I have already been wearing hats and seeking shade in the middle of the day to escape the incredibly intense rays of the sun. I am turning 50 this year, after all, and I figure I don't need to help the sun turn me into more of a raisin than I'm supposed to be at this age!
Christmas is in full swing here, as Christmas decorations and goods are flooding the stores. It is surreal. I have no inkling that Christmas is around the corner as I would if I were immersed in the activities of fall in the U.S., planning for Halloween and Thanksgiving, enjoying the turning of the season as it becomes colder and more like weather Santa travels in. I told my son, Sam, that I think Christmas this year will feel like we are in the Twilight Zone. I have discovered to my horror that small, white Christmas lights sell for $29 Australian for a single strand. So much for my tradition of lighting up our home with twinkling white lights to make the season merry. Tonight we are turning the clocks forward, as Daylight Savings Time begins in earnest in West Australia. I have been waiting for this day since I arrived. I am so looking forward to that after-dinner swim in the daylight hours.
Christmas, I am told, is hot as hades. It is unlikely we will want a big dinner, and turning on the oven is out of the question. The marathon baking I usually do for Christmas is unlikely to happen...too hot. Besides, they sell their butter in different measurements, and I still can't figure out how many grams of butter are in 1 cup. It's frusTRATING, as the Australians say. The accent is all on the final syllable. So, instead of trying to re-create Christmas as we know it in America, I am all for getting on-board with the Australian way of celebrating. That is to say; "no worries, mate". We'll put some shrimp on the barbie for Christmas dinner or something that is grill-able, and spend the day at the beach. I'm told people don't decorate with Christmas lights much, since it's daylight savings time and it's light outside late until the evening. As for a Christmas tree, I guess you could spend a paycheck on a real tree, or decorate the Palm tree in your front yard. All that remains to be seen. I'll still make cinnamon rolls for my family, and we'll have presents to open on Christmas morning. After that, all bets are off and we'll do it the Aussie way. Don't think for a minute, though, that our hearts won't be back in America dreaming of a white Christmas and realizing the the magic of Christmas as we've always known it takes place on a cold winter morning with hot cocoa, a warm fire, fuzzy slippers and hearts on fire with love for our Savior, Jesus Christ and our family. THAT is what Christmas is all about, but we will find it here in Australia this year as well. I just know our first Christmas back home in the U.S. again after our time here will be extra, extra special to us all and our memories of how it should be will be right with the world once again.
Cheers.

Springtime and birthdays....

I certainly didn't intend to let so much time go by before this blog was posted. It has been a busy, busy time!

First of all, the shipment we sent from America to Australia finally arrived a week ago; 5 months after we shipped it. It had been so long since we sent everything, it was like opening presents when we opened the boxes. Now, at long last we have our "stuff". No matter what anyone says about "too much stuff" we are thrilled to have our "stuff" and it is making our home so much more like OUR home. Little by little, Perth IS becoming our home (for now) and we are liking it more. There are things we will never like, but we don't mind being away from America during the troubled economic time going on there right now. Sheesh. We're happy to miss out on that!

After all the excitement of getting our shipment, we then celebrated Sam's 12th birthday. It's impossible for me to believe he is 12 years old; so, I must be 12 years older too. Yikes! How does time move so quickly? We had an old fashioned family dinner/birthday and then the next day was the party with Sam's mates. We played lots of games in the park up the street from our house, followed by hamburgers, "chips" (fries to us), and a sleepover of epic proportions. I am such a sucker. Every year I swear "never again", but I seem to soften somehow during the following 12 months until Sam's birthday rolls around again. This time, however, the boys were fairly well behaved and I know they had a blast. Everyone likes hanging out at the Elam's; the kids say we have the "fun" house. Hmph. Fun for who, I keep wondering? But, the truth is we get to know their friends and know where they are and what they are doing, so it's all good. Seems everyone here likes to just give cold hard cash for birthday gifts and Sam scored big. His head is spinning as he thinks of just how to spend the money. From the family it was all about sports with a new soccer ball (football), goalie gloves, new cleated shoes, swim goggles and a pair of hand weights. (Sam is working out at night in his room, carving out muscles in his chisled 12 year old skinny body). Anyway, it was all a big success and I sighed in contentment that the big event was done for another year.












School holidays started on September 27 and school starts up again on October 14th. This will mark the beginning of the final term of the school year. They will be on summer holiday beginning December 18th for 6 weeks. Sam will graduate from Primary School and head to Ocean Reef High School next year. Camerin will be in grade 7, and Lucas will be in grade 10. The kids love this schedule of 2 weeks off school at regular intervals. Me? Not so much. Wellllll, I do too, but they are growing up and not too willing to let me plan trips and adventures for them anymore. I take what I can get.

Today is the first summer-like day we've had this spring. The locals all say that the weather has stayed cooler longer this year; just our luck. We are ready for summer and I say bring it on! Today I will head for the beach for my first swim. The kids can't be bothered, but I can't be kept away. Ah. It's all good.

A Busy Day...

Last week was a busy time for our family. First of all, Steve celebrated his birthday on September 11. Once an ordinary date like most others, now September 11 is remembered as no other day in American history. Of course, we were very aware of the memorials and goings-on in America that day, but for us our focus was on Steve and celebrating the day of his birth. Happy birthday to Steve!
Coincidentally, Sam and Camerin performed in a production at school the evening of Steve's birthday. It was a production of Marco Polo and provided a look at the many places Marco Polo traveled. Camerin was part of the group that showed the dance and dress of China at that time. Sam was part of a group portraying the dance and dress of India. It was a fabulous production and we were really impressed with it. The costumes and props were very authentic. The kids practiced for hours and hours learning the authentic dances of the cultures they were representing in the play. It wasn't easy getting good pictures from where we sat and the lighting wasn't wonderful, but I can display a few here on our blog. We were very proud of Cami and Sam! I think it was a great opportunity for them to be part of this; I do not believe the Medford school district currently has the resources for kids at this grade level to be involved in such an elaborate production.

Sam will be going to Logue Brook at the end of October. This is an adventure camp that the year 7 kids have the opportunity to attend. It is a week in duration and includes all kinds of fun activities and adventures. Since year 7 is the end of the primary school years in Australia and they are the "seniors" in the school, it is a priviledge just for them. Next year they will all begin year 8 in high school.

More on Logue Brook to come!
Spring is officially here in Australia now; as of September 1st. We are in the midst of a spring-like storm with rain and wind, but these events will become few and far between as summer approaches.
Bring on the sun!

Cruising with Captain Cook...

...not the Captain Cook from Peter Pan fame; Captain Cook is a cruise line here in Perth on the Swan River, as well as arguably the most famous explorer of Australia.

Steve bid on the tickets for the cruise at a school fund raiser at Beaumaris Primary, where Camerin and Sam go to school. Realizing recently that they would soon expire if we didn't use them, I booked a date for us to go. As it turns out, it was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed ourselves very much. It was 2 hours and 45 minutes in length. The Swan River is really beautiful and there is much to see. Enjoy these pics!

en guard, 28's, and biking on the Swan River

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!

Of birthdays and winter afternoons....

Camerin had her 11th birthday on August 1st. We celebrated with an ice cream pie and 10 movies to watch from Blockbuster. Cami and her dad picked them out. After all, it is winter here! The next day she had a party at a great facility with an enormous pool and indoor waterslide. She and her friends had a great time and came back to our house to continue the celebration with cake and presents. All in all, quite a good birthday for Camerin.


We took to the beach of a recenter winter afternoon, footy in hand. It was cool, but not cold and quite beautiful. The surf was up! Nothing refreshes like going to the beach, even if you don't swim. It's all about relaxing and letting the cares of the world fall away. There are shells to be collected, sand to be sculpted and waves to play chase with. Lovely; unless of course, you stumble upon an odd sea creature (in this case it's Lucas) who is startling in his, ahem, presentation? Ah well, we're all God's creatures after all, aren't we?






Throughout the suburbs of Perth are small clusters of shops with the essentials; grocery store, bakery, chemist (pharmacy), and the ever-present Fish and Chips shop. These little clusters of stores are located right in the neighborhoods, seemingly about 4-6 blocks apart. The kids flock there after school to buy chips, soda and candy. People walk to the shops with their eco-friendly canvas bags to carry their purchases in. Everyone has re-usable bags here for their grocery's. Plastic bags are still used here, but people are very aware of trying to limit their use. Along with the shops, there are park areas sprinkled in with the neighborhoods. They are everywhere and the kids from the neighborhood go there to play footy, basketball, wrestle; you know....be kids! Dogs and their owners also frequent these parks, where the dogs meet for doggie parties. Most of the home lots here are very small and people don't have yards like we all do in the States. So, kids go to the community park to play. It's a neat concept, and parks are so plentiful there are usually several within a short walk. After school, you will find the parks full of kids and dogs playing. Brilliant!

today we...

Today Paula and I decided to go on a whirlwind tour of the beautiful Swan Valley on a warm and sunny winter afternoon. There are dozens of wineries about 25 minutes from our house from the ocean with good food, good wine and lots of fun. We tasted different varieties of Syrah, Merlo, Cab Sav and a few others that I didn't recognize. We stopped at a German microbrewery and had squash soup with salads and a pint of our favorite beer. Fifty yards later we were at a beautiful winery with fields of vines where we sipped the finest Cabernets of Australia, laughed our selves sick in the sun and told lies. Another fifty yards down the road and we were at another winery buying a cask of port. Yummy. We didn't get very far down winery row!!!







Paula thinks our friends will get similar casks of port for Christmas... They had better be dear friends. The port here is second to none in the world. We cherish every drop laughing and giggling at each other after every sip. So, if you do show up on our door step with an empty glass, we'll understand. Really. If you don't, well, more for me!
Our settling in process is nearly done. The only thing missing is our furniture. Still don't know where that container might be. I do know it is somewhere between West Australia and Sigapore where it had to be transferred. We all miss our things. I especially miss my bed! But the kids have gotten into a routine of going to school then a snack and off to the nearby park to play. Although it is winter here, it is really like late spring in Oregon. Showers on and off with intermitten sunny days and beautiful sunsets over the Indian Ocean are common. Come September, we will be back in the ocean for another nine months of summer. Everyone is chomping at the bit, especially me. I can't wait to start catching lobsters and spearing big fish. Its the hunter-gatherer in me I guess...
Love to all. Steve