Well that was awkward......

Vegemite? Mmm not so much....

Fiona and Elliott, my latest Airbnb guests from China, were telling me how much they liked Australia but after being here a week they had a few concerns.

I had to keep a straight face while sweet Fiona was asking me questions.

"As we are driving on the road, we only ever see nature and animals, there are no people. Where are all the people?" Fiona said.

I tried to explain that Shanghai (the city they come from) has the same number of people in it as the whole of Australia does. 

"We just have way more space and so there are areas between towns and cities that are not populated or are farms." 

"Ah", they said "we understand." 

Then there were the 'guns'. They thought that if they made a mistake somewhere, like a minor road transgression, another motorist might pull out a gun and shoot them. They told me that they turned into a neighbours driveway by mistake and were scared the neighbour might shoot them.

This couple were well educated with excellent careers. I am not sure whether this fear comes from Communist propaganda of the West or they have watched too many movies. Maybe this how Australia is perceived to be in China.

I reassured them that we have strict gun controls here. And it is really only farmers, police and criminals that carry them. I told them that in all my years living here I had never seen a gun, seen anyone carrying a gun or witnessed a gun being fired so they were pretty safe.

They then wanted to know if we had Police here as they had not seen any yet. They told me that in China they were on the street all the time watching what people were doing and would keep the streets safe.

Then, we discussed the issue that worried them the most. 

Kangaroos.

The night they arrived at my house they had taken a back road from Melbourne. Apparently they had seen a few Kangaroos along the side of the road and one had bounded in front of the car while they were driving and this had terrified them.

"Shouldn't the Kangaroos be in the zoo?" Fiona asked.

"Um, no", I said. "Kangaroos live in the bush and sometimes very late at night they get attracted to the roads by the car lights and engine noise and just come to check out what is happening. If they hit your car they can cause a lot of damage to themselves and your car. However, they will not hurt you unless you were to provoke them in someway."

I told them that they probably should stick to the highway when going back to Melbourne and avoid driving late at night. I said that while I had seen Kangaroos many times at my sister's property in the bush I had never had one approach me or hit one in my car.

"You will be fine. Kangaroos just do not come into urban areas where people are living unless it is a bad drought and they are starving."

That reassured them.

Well it did for 5 minutes anyway.

Because this video then came on the TV about two Kangaroos in another State who had gone into a suburban neighbourhood to fight one another. You can see where the term Boxing Kangaroos came from. Ten points for guessing what they were fighting over. A woman for sure.

I had no words.

Instead, I quickly gave my guests some Vegemite on toast and turned their attention to something else that people think is kind of weird about living here.



(Just as an aside, my sister told me that Chinese travellers adopt a European name when they travel. So I asked them how they chose their name. Fiona and Elliott? From Shrek and ET. Too cute. As were they. Gorgeous couple.)

Don't you love travel? There is always so much to learn about other places and cultures. What is the weirdest thing you have seen or done in your travels?

KNOCK, KNOCK........Who's there?

As it happened, I was almost too scared to find out.
 

After all, my visitors, although expected, could have been anyone for all I really knew.

You see, since I moved into my current home, I've completely lost the urge to travel. So, instead of going off to see the World I decided to invite the World to see me.

And right at that moment, China was knocking at my front door.

It all started when my daughter told me about renting a spare room in her house through Airbnb (and this isn't an advertisement either because they are worth billions and don't need my help). I started researching the site and, while she didn't go ahead, I decided to try it.

(Airbnb is a website for people to rent out lodging. It has over 500,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries. Founded in August 2008 and headquartered in San Franciso, California, the company is privately owned and operated by Airbnb, Inc.)

I didn't think there would be much interest in my home because I live over an hour outside of Melbourne in a predominantly rural area. However, one week after listing my space I had five booking enquiries. Two I rejected as I didn't feel comfortable after speaking with them via email and three I accepted.

My first guests were from Beijing, China and this was their first visit to Australia. Just after I accepted their booking it occurred to me that I had been very critical of the government of the People's Republic of China on my blog.......not a friendly act of a gracious host.  However, then I remembered that Google (plus social media like Facebook, Instagram etc) is banned in China so....that made me feel better.

I was excited about the prospect of hosting overseas visitors but when I heard the knock at my door I briefly wondered if I had done the right thing. First, you have no idea what they will be like and second, you don't know whether they will feel comfortable in your home.

However, as it happened, opening that front door was an absolute treat. Sussan and Dennis were a gorgeous, fun young couple. And great ambassadors for their country.



Dennis and Sussan happy to star on my blog


Sussan didn't speak English (although her sign language was easy to understand) and Dennis was educated in New York so he did all the talking and interpreting. Dennis works in management and Sussan in marketing. They were in Australia to take their pre-wedding pictures (they dress in their wedding outfits and take pictures in front of iconic places such as the Opera House etc).

They live in a small apartment in Beijing and they both ran around my house amazed at all the space. Sussan was taking photos of everything including the floor to ceiling glass windows which they said they would not be able to have in China because of burglaries. They talked about the smog levels in Beijing and the difficulties in being able to afford a home there. Nonetheless, they had big plans for their future which are probably no different to other young people all over the World. We discussed China's one child policy and how this impacts on those who are keen for larger families. They asked lots of questions about life in Australia and I asked them about their jobs and families.

My home was about the fourth they had stayed in during their visit here so they had tried Vegemite, seen Kangaroos and experienced other Aussie adventures. Being the great Cultural Ambassador that I am we talked and laughed a lot. I showed them some fine Australian wine and how to do a 'Tim Tam slam'. A Tim Tam is a chocolate biscuit which is divine....you take a bite out of each end and put it in your tea and coffee and drink out of it like a straw (I put a video in my side bar if you are really fascinated about this). Yes, sophistication at its finest.

Here is a picture of Sussan trying it .....we all laughed so much.


Sussan covered in chocolate

It was a great experience and another reminder that we all laugh about the same things no matter where we live or what language we speak.

Becoming an Airbnb host is something to consider if you have spare space in your house, you like meeting people and you are happy to share knowledge about your city. The upside is you make new friends, learn a lot about other countries and get to earn some extra money too. It is also a site to consider if you want to travel too.

My next guests come from Shanghai, China - a city which is apparently very different from Beijing. Fingers crossed it will be another positive experience. Knock, knock might be a new series on my blog if my guests have interesting stories to tell.

Have you tried Airbnb as a guest or as a host? Do you think you would be game to try?

And, if you want me to send you a Tim Tam to try the 'slam' you know you only have to ask. Everyone loves chocolate, right?

Dear Gen Y and Z..ers...

This is an apology of sorts because I know I've been far too quick to judge you.

I am one of those 'oldies' who shake my head every time you teens and 20s cause a violent riot to quickly ignite or a rave party of thousands to mushroom just by sending a few text messages around to your friends.

And I always roll my eyes and consider you pathetic when I see you screaming, fainting and scratching each others' eyes out to get your hands on one of Simon Cowell's latest manufactured pop sensations, like One Direction. I mean seriously, didn’t this band shoot to fame overnight based on phone votes and cute hairstyles?

But all that was last month.

This month I've changed my tune and now have more sympathy for you.

Because I now know where you all get your bloody pathetic and stupid behaviour from.  

Two weeks ago the gorgeous home grown legend Barry Gibb, the only surviving Bee Gee, and the second most successful songwriter in history (Paul McCartney being first) was in town for the unveiling of a statue of the young Gibb brothers and the opening of a themed walkway dedicated to the band in Redcliffe, QLD.

It was very much a Gibb family affair; a reunion of the Gibbs young and old (his mother is 93), with special thoughts for the brothers no longer with them.

The event was also about acknowledging Redcliffe, the seaside town northeast of Brisbane that the Gibb family migrated from England to, and which Barry Gibb described as their "paradise".

"We wouldn't be here without Redcliffe," Barry told the crowds. "This was our environment, this was where the music was born."

I’ve always loved the Bee Gees - well since their second coming in the 70s anyway. Theirs was my very first album and Barry made my heart flutter. Seriously, look at him - Harry Styles has nothing on him.

 

But of course now at 66 he is old enough to be your grandfather. Imagine.

Barry’s appearance attracted big crowds. There were thousands of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of him and many lined up overnight in the rain to get a good position - no mean feat for people whose average age was probably 60.

However, as the day wore on I witnessed something extraordinary.  Senior citizens started to morph into screaming teenagers. They were yelling, crying, laughing hysterically, taking photos on their phones and texting their mates. They did everything they could to manoeuvre themselves to the front of the crowd and to see their idol up close.

Nothing was an obstacle for them. They pushed babies and strollers out of the way in their quest for a touch or autograph. They were armed and dangerous. No, not with shoes or flares like you guys use. They used walking sticks, zimmer frames and wheelchairs without much thought for other people's limbs, to make a path through the maddening crowd.

It was an eye opener.

There was one woman dressed up in a garish Gibb hat any 5 year old may be proud to wear who pushed past me muttering that she had spent the night waiting in the rain. As she shoved me hard in the ribs in an effort to get past me she said, "I've been a Bee Gees fan forever. I'm going to kill for an autograph today!"

And I truly believe she meant it.

Thankfully, when I was just about to use my elbow in a self protective move, the Gibb tune Staying Alive popped into my head and I quickly moved out of her way.

Now I know who taught you kids everything you know.

The generations that came before you.

So I'm taking back all the eye rolling and negative comments.  Although, in saying that I do still have one question for you, How Deep is Your Love? Really.

Because I can comfortably predict that none of you will be fighting over One Direction in 50 years time.....no, seriously, they are nothing like our Barry....and the Bee Gees. Nothing at all.

'Bee Gees Way' overlooks the Redcliffe Jetty and foreshore between Redcliffe Parade and Sutton St. Brisbane.

Water seems to be the theme for 2013

When I decided to just “roll with it” this year I didn't expect to be put to the test quite so soon.

The Australia Day (national day) long weekend proved to be an interesting one.

In the lead up to our national day on January 26 I'd been thinking about writing a post about what it was to be Australian. For a couple of reasons, really.

First, I overheard a Engish woman tell her husband that the cruise (we were just on) was catering solely for Australians not for other nationalities and that even the entertainment was for the "Australian sense of humour". We speak the same language, eat the same kind of food and watch the same TV shows...but are we really that different?

And second, I read a review of Les Miserables in the London Guardian and the film critic noted that "as Australians, Crowe and Jackman probably have a particular 'feeling' for the convict culture that lies behind Hugo's novel".  I mean really?

Britain may have settled Australia to make it a penal colony in the 18th century but this doesn't mean that all future generations can identify with that kind of suffering as though it's in our DNA. While history shapes us, a lot has sure happened in the many generations since then.  

As it happened, I never got to write that particular blog post because Mother Nature decided to interrupt. She sent ex Cyclone Oswald for a visit (there is such an entity as an ex cyclone, who knew?) resulting in substantial rain, high winds, widespread flooding and damage across northern Australia.

Brisbane City

These really strange bubbles washed up on the beaches and roads on the Sunshine Coast caused by the cyclone

Oh dear, an instant river in suburban streets...canoes are the order of the day

 

The worst we experienced was having no electricity, ripped up gardens and trees down here and there. Others have not been so lucky and flood damage has hit some towns very badly resulting in not just the loss of homes but also the loss of life.

Going without electricity for a couple of days gave me pause to contemplate what being an Australian actually means (along with kicking myself for not learning more survival skills when I was a Girl Guide - I desperately wanted a cup of coffee but didn't know how to rub two sticks together, lol).
 

Now, I think that being an Australian just means you are plain lucky. Nothing more.

We live on the biggest island in the world, surrounded by water and beaches with a pretty interesting history that goes back millions of years. We have space and the freedom to move around as we please. We are blessed with so many opportunities. And yes, we have just enough creepy crawlies and natural disasters to keep us on our toes.

We get to take our sunshine, freedom, peace, a classless society, jobs, mateship, health care, social security, a great standard of living and most of all, electricity and water, for granted. 

See? We are probably just as lucky as many other countries and far luckier than many others. 

And next Australia Day, come rain, hail or shine I will embrace being born lucky and give thanks to my British, Polish and German ancestors for having the guts and foresight to make the long journey here. No matter what Mother Nature dishes up.

Oh yeah, as well as being lucky, most of us are really good swimmers.....for obvious reasons really.


Tell me, when you hear or read the words Australia or Australians, what do you immediately think of? (be honest - we also have thick skins...must be all that sun..then rain..we are weathered like old boots).

                     _________________________________

And if you want to see what that sea foam did to roads and see some of our idiot drivers (yeah we have lots of them here) watch this video. Please note that there is swearing at the end of this I think so you may want to turn the sound down...

Internet meet Daddy Long-Legs...Again

Thanks very much for your varied views on yesterday's post. I appreciate everyone's well considered and interesting comments. It has given me a lot of 'food for thought'.

Today, I wanted to move on and repost a lighthearted post.  It is one that for some strange reason gets lots of views every month from all parts of the World. I'm not really sure why. Maybe people are interested in deadly animals or something.

Some people think we Aussies spend our lives wrestling crocodiles, stepping on deadly spiders and wearing snakes around our necks as some kind of fashion accessory. (Yes Sarah, that would be you!) A myth more than likely created by the popularity of Steve Irwin and Paul Hogan before him.

While we love the outdoors, we don't all wear khaki or carry huge knives just in case we stumble upon a deadly creature.  The Land Down Under is home to many of Earth’s most venomous creatures, such as the inland taipan (whose venom is 50 times more toxic than that of the king cobras) and the box jellyfish where death can occur within three minutes of being stung.

Strangely though, many Australians are unaware that they are sharing their backyard with extremely venomous animals. While the animals in this country may be much more deadly than anywhere else in the world, they are treated with the same amount of thought and respect that others may give to water moccasins or the black widow. Their presence is accepted and there is an unwritten rule that you 'don't mess with the wildlife'.

Like most Australians, I've had my own share of 'wildlife encounters', but only with the world's most deadliest animal.

Which one?

No, I didn't get up close and personal with a BEAR even though they kill up to 10 people across the world each year

Or SHARKS which kill 100 people a year

Or BOX JELLYFISH which kill 120 people a year

Or HIPPOPOTAMI which easily outpace humans on land and kill 150 people a year

Or ELEPHANTS which kill up to 500 people a year

Or BIG CATS which kill around 800 people a year

Or CROCODILES which kill around 850 people a year

Or SCORPIONS which paralyse their prey and cause 2,000 fatalities a year

Or SNAKES which cause up to 125,000 deaths a year.

No, the only animal which has caused me grief and which kills up to 3 million people a year

is the

mosquito.

See, you really don't have anything to fear in visiting Australia. Other than the 17 hour plane flight to get here.

Warning: Please don't frighten the children by clicking on the spider image without warning them - the old boy has a surprised look on his face and very hairy legs!

12. 12. 12

So that makes it 13 days until Christmas.

Psst....and 18 days until THE CRUISE....thanks for asking..you were about to ask anyway, I am sure....

I am fairly positive I know one person who cannot wait for the next 13 days to fly right on by.

And that person would be our local shopping centre's Santa Claus.

Those guys have got to have one of the toughest jobs around don't you think?

I walked into the centre today and passed the sweet faced Santa Claus walking the other way.

I am sure he was on his way home to get out of that suit and beard and have a nice cold beer.

After all, it's Summer here and he is a bit overdressed for the warm weather.

However, what do they say about the best laid plans of mice and Santas?

As he was just about to go out the exit doors, a small boy ran after him, yelling, "Santa-aaaaaaaaa.....Santa-aaaaaaaaa."

Santa turned around and spoke to the excited boy.

The boy then made a grab for the bell and Santa handed it to him so he could ring it "once".

Mistake.

The child ran off with the bell.

And Santa quickly followed in hot pursuit.

He asked for his bell back and the child refused.

A tug of war ensued.

Santa on one end of the bell and the child on the other.

The child kicked and screamed.

Santa won. He always does.

That child has a lot to learn.....although if he is lucky, he may well find a large shiny bell of his own under the Christmas Tree.

And Santa is probably on the cusp of seriously considering alternative employment options for 2013.

And who would blame him.

                              ______________________________________________
              
While I was in a coffee shop today, I overheard a woman talking about her family's Christmas plans. I listened in (oh ok, I eavesdropped) just because I love to know what other people do on Christmas Day.

Chirstmas is a big deal in my family. We usually go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve (and no I don't go to Church regularly but I like to for special days), have a late breakfast on Christmas, open gifts (Christmas music of course) and then meet at a family member's home for Christmas lunch - which doesn't start until about 2 at the earliest. Because it is hot, we usually have lots of sea foods, cold ham, turkey and salads although sometimes we have a hot meal. Then we usually break from eating at some point, to hand out Kris Kringle gifts (one member of the extended family buys one other member a gift), then its dessert time. And lots of music, games, catching up, lazing around.......eating some more. You know the drill......the addition of 5 kilos overnight.

How will you be spending the holidays?



                                      _______________________________________

Also, the winners of the Holiday Music giveaways are: Tashabud from The Big Picture blog and The Secret Agent Woman from Blog Incognito - congratulations ladies and enjoy.

What do you think is fair game for sharing with the world?

“For better or for worse, our company is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values.” Rupert Murdoch

Do you suppose he regrets saying that?

It is fascinating watching the downfall of 81 year old Rupert Murdoch in the very arena that he spent all his life manoeuvring and negotiating in order to build a 46 billion dollar media empire.

However, it’s the kind of grubby end befitting a person who chose to buy silence and paid millions and millions of dollars to make The News of the World phone hacking scandal go away rather than expose the truth.

The News of the World publication was a gutter tabloid publication but it was one Murdoch was happy to own for 31 years. It clearly made him lots of money. Its reporters bribed police officers, hacked the phone messages of hundreds of celebrities, royalty, government officials and others whose personal secrets could be tabloid fodder and then filled pages of their publication which a celebrity obsessed public devoured.

And unfortunately when questioned about these illegal activities Murdoch utilised the defence strategy favoured by every pre-schooler when caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Deny. Blame someone else. Then claim it was an accident.

The absurdity of his defence made me think of Bill Clinton's attempts at defending himself in the midst of the Monica Lewinsky scandal (although completely different scenarios). 

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never.” 

No-one believed him either and look how that turned out.

Murdoch first claimed that it was just “one rogue reporter” who was responsible for this illegal behaviour. Then, when the evidence became too overwhelming, the one reporter defence turned into “only one rogue newspaper”. More cringeworthy was that he said that the publication was an “aberration” and that he “would have gotten rid of it years ago if its readers had not liked it so much”.

If its readers had not liked it so much.......

What is it about us, the general public, that we love to hear the dirt about others’ lives, celebrities or otherwise?

Look at the rise of Reality TV and the increasing trashiness of magazines, newspapers and even blogs. I think social media has only exacerbated this. Sharing private moments is encouraged and bloggers/twitterers/facebookers seem to post more and more provocative, expletive laden, and confessional postings just to increase their followers. Hopefully, with the demise of British tabloids as we know them, the world may be turning. I hope so.

Sunday Life - Sea Murals

My daughter sent me those photos on her Iphone today - she was visiting Melbourne Aquarium.

Looking at them made me want to go there and dive into the abyss and enjoy the enchanted underwater scenes myself, except for the fact there would bound to be a whale alert and all get rather awkward...

What great art nature makes!

So relaxing and a reminder that Summer is fast approaching.

I hope you had a relaxing Sunday, doing whatever it is that makes you happy.

Come back and visit on Tuesday to find out what my sister told me about frozen vegetables just when I was opening a packet of frozen spinach this evening (she always had unfortunate timing)...yes, another opinion post and something we all should be aware of now most of our food is produced in foreign countries ie China. I won't be going near a packet of frozen vegetables in a hurry without some careful reading. Or I might just expand my vegetable garden instead. Love to hear your thoughts and what you know as well.

Chauvanism is still alive and well

down under anyway.


Yesterday I mentioned to a male neighbour that I was applying to do some work at a nearby University.

He looked at me somewhat surprised and said, "What kind of work would you be doing there?

Before I could answer he said, "Flower arranging or something like that?"

I laughed at him - thinking he must be joking.

Alas, he wasn't.

I am off to hang my MBA on the front door and go arrange some flowers. Clearly my skills in this area are far more professional then I gave myself credit for and sure to get me noticed in all the wrong places.

A Flower Arranger.
Bloody idiot!



Tell me do you ever still experience attitudes like this? Personally I think its worse the older you get. Apparently once you are middleaged you also lose your brain and are limited as to what jobs you can do.

Photo: Flowers in Hong Kong and no, I had nothing to do with their arranging....just took the photo....really.

Love Match

The Australian Open Tennis Tournament 2011 in Melbourne on 22 January.

And it played out like this.

Spain's Rafael Nadal, the World's No 1 Tennis player = EXTREMELY HOT



Every female in the crowd = EXTREMELY GRATEFUL
I really wasn't that close. More like this far away but
he his tennis is something else to watch.


As you can see by the first photo he was ringing wet after the first set and had to change his shirt much to the bitter disappointment of the crowd. It went a bit wild.


Asked how he felt when women whistled and took photos of him changing his shirt, Nadal flashed his trademark smile and said: "That's a very good feeling." I guess as the new face of the Georgio Armani Spring/Summer collection he is getting used to the attention.

I know he won the game ...and I can tell you exactly how many times he changed his shirt but I just cannot recall who he was playing against or what the actual score was.

Is there a particular sports person you love to watch (playing sport of course)?_______________________________________________________________

Winner of the CSN Online Voucher is Aleta - you can check her blog, Fleur de Aleta out here. I used Random.org to draw the winner. Happy shopping!

There is no arguing

with Mother Nature.

She is going to do wants she wants.

When she wants.

And how.


Poor Queensland.

To those who have contacted me about the Australian floods I am a couple of States away from where the worst of the flooding is (there is now flooding in five of our six States).

BUT, I have been feeling awful that I left my parents high and dry and moved them to the sunny State of Queensland a few weeks ago to enjoy the hot weather and fabulous water views that they have wanted to experience for a long time.

And, as it has played out, the weather and the water views have exceeded everyone's expectations or indeed imaginations.

My father Des thanked me for my relocation efforts but wondered if perhaps I had gone a little overboard in helping them realise their wish. You see it has rained hard every day since they got there and now they are experiencing massive floods - the worst the State has ever seen.

Oops!

As Des said, he was actually hoping to look out his window and admire the extensive water views not actually be forced to float out his window into gushing torrents of muddy water. It's a good job they have a sense of humour.

Thankfully, my parents and my three siblings and their families are all safe and sound and on high ground. You remember my sister's house? It came in handy...

I realise that such luck has not been the case for many thousands of people who have lost a great deal. Some have lost their lives, others everything but the clothes they had on when they hurriedly left their homes and many people are still missing.

It is surreal. I posted pictures only a few months ago of this beautiful State when I went on my road trip.

As with every disaster, the stories of horror, heroism and amazing personal fortitude abound. The unlimited care and compassion that people have shared during this disaster has been inspirational and makes me very proud to be an Aussie. The human spirit is powerful when put to the test.

So if any Australian readers want to volunteer to clean up cities or donate to help those in need please go here.

Any US readers, particularly those who have seen any flood coverage on your TV networks, please take a look at Oprah's shows next week (from Tuesday 18) to see some of the best Australia has to offer - as opposed to only the sodden mess being beamed around the world at the moment.

Take Care out there people, we never know what is around the corner......

I will leave you with a picture of Melbourne taken a couple of days ago, showing the kind of water views that we (thankfully) normally only get to see here in Oz.

For Aussie Readers

Must Watch TV - The Glades, Sundays at 8.30pm - Channel W
Have you see it yet? If not, it is so worth the watch.

The Glades stars Australian actor Matt Passmore (Underbelly, McLeods Daughter) who plays Jim Longworth a cocky homicide detective from Chicago who relocates to Florida after being wrongfully accused of sleeping with his former captain’s wife (none of this backstory is dramatised in the Pilot).

Using the payout he received from the Chicago PD, Longworth searches for the simple life and moves to the sleepy resort town of Palm Glade, Florida, joining the local bureau of the state police figuring it'll be easy work.

But when a headless torso is found floating in a gator-infested swamp Longworth gets his first assignment. He likes to work alone, dressed in little more than a t-shirt and jeans. While he consults regularly with a Latino forensic pathologist (Carlos Gomez), he is a lone wolf, preferring to piece together clues with a mix of experience, hunch and bravado.

He is really good in this role and very likeable. He even has the Chicago accent down pat. His Aussie girlfriend even appears from time to time in the show.

Already approved for a second season, there’s every reason to think he may make something of this series.

So watch it because as you are all aware we could do with some great summer TV.

Sydney

.... where a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

The Opera House (or Oprah's House at its being dubbed by some parts of the international media given this is where she will broadcast her shows at the end of the year).

The beautiful backdrop of Sydney Harbour is used by all sorts of companies across the world for many different reasons. There's always something happening whenever you visit. IKEA, for example, was having some 3D fun at Sydney's Circular Quay to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the IKEA catalogue. The 3D chalk art was used to create an illusion of kids sitting in an enormous kitchen sink and mum balancing on the dish rack. A lot of fun for everyone passing by.



By the time you read this post I will be home again...for a short while before some more travel. Life is changing and it's a very good thing after the past few years. Take Care everyone and I will catch up with you soon!

Birds of all kinds

I found Jesus.

I discovered him near the beach of all places. I had to do a double take. Are caftans making a comeback or is he on his way to a fancy dress party do you think?

Then soon after I was eating lunch at this great outdoor cafe and ....noticed this amusing sign. The intricacies of tourists living in harmony with the local birdlife.

Anyway onto birds of a different kind. A few readers asked me some questions I thought I should answer in this post.

Lisleman asked, "Did you happen to go that beach town where they had meter maids in gold bikinis?"

Yes I did and yes they still do. Now given they all look like this I can't imagine why you would have been the least bit interested. The Gold Coast is famous for its sun, surf and sand, and it stretches along 57 kilometres of our eastern coastline. The Meter Maids were introduced in 1965 to help beat the bad image created by the installation of parking meters on the tourist strip in late 1964. This was a controversial promotion, using young women dressed in gold lame bikinis and tiaras, who strolled the streets feeding coins into expired parking meters, and leaving a calling card under the windscreen wipers. They have since replaced their tiaras for Akubra hats but the gold bikinis and the promotions remain.

Some of you wanted to see some more of my sister's house in Brisbane.

My sister moved back to Australia after living in London with her husband and four children for many years. Even though her home is in the inner city it is surrounded by bushland. Sitting on her back deck you could be forgiven for thinking your were living in the country. I have just included a few photos that were taken by the real estate agent when they bought the house in June.
She is the throes of redecorating so I will add some photos on my Inspiration blog soon.

This is the view at the back of the house which backs onto bushland.

My niece Caitlin.

There are numerous different casual living areas and a guest wing across the back of the house and formal areas and study at the front of the house and bedrooms, another living area and parent retreat on the second floor. It is open plan and surrounded by windows (suits a hot climate) and very peaceful. This is the main kitchen
And this is the curry kitchen which is off the main kitchen and opens up to the back deck - yes, you read right. Curry kitchen. The previous owners were Indians. They used to cook their curries in here away from the main kitchen and living areas. It is very handy for entertaining when you want to do preparation away from your guests.
And finally Helen asked if I had been to Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast.

Yes I have and it's a beautiful coastal town with beaches and a rather large port. So here are some photos of the sunshine coast and Fraser Island too. You must come for a visit again!