Summer At Last

So arriving here in early January did allow me to experience a glimmer of summer. Finally. I had personally had about 15 months of winter since making the decision to move to Australia. Trust me, that was not my optimal choice, but with an early winter hitting in 2006 in Bothell and the visa taking much longer than anticipated... I managed to start winter in September of 06, left in lat March of '07 just in time to arrive here in Australia as their winter came into full swing. Luckily winter here is by far much more mild than even Seattle's dark, wet and grime winters. I still was missing daylight that lasted more than 10 hours a day and the warmth of a summer evening, BBQ's and eating ice cream without feeling like putting on the wool socks first!

Also included in the refreshing summer like weather is getting out and doing stuff! Walks, bike rides, and even a little bit of running... just a little bit-no marathon training for me right now! But I have also gotten to do a bit of gardening. Our courtyard is pretty small, but at least now, I've cleaned up and pruned up some of the bushes. We have a nice little gardenia that is loaded with buds that smell amazing.
If we can figure out how to keep the possums out of our gordonia, it just might bloom one of these days! I've also been growing some basil, oregano and lavender in pots. Matt's mum got Maize (Matt's cat) some cat grass and cat mint to entertain her. I had to split the cat grass into two pots so we can put one out of reach and let it rest while she eats away on the other one.

Hope all is well with everyone!

On The Long Flight Home

Stopovers are a wonderful thing. Especially when you get to check in with a good friend and eat yummy Korean BBQ for the first time! I love seeing my friend Nicole in Honolulu. She is so fun to hang with and is such a good friend. I couldn't ask for a better excuse to break up my flight! We saw the tail end of a Hawaiian sunset from a valley where her and her partner (now fiance!) are looking to buy a home and then headed off for my first experience of Korean BBQ. Gather up your hunger for the week because you can eat for ages at this place! You go pick out your meats, veggies and a few sides and you take it all back to the table to cook it your self. The meats have all been marinating for hours, so they are tender, delicious and moist. The veggies are all freshly chopped and add lots of color to your plate. Plus, there is ice cream... all you can eat ice cream... what more could a girl want???

Who doesn't love heading to the airport early in the morning... and even better, who doesn't love sold out nine hour flights??? I've done this trip too many times to count now and I have to say, I've gotten my routine down pretty well. I am happy to plug in my ears (iPods are truly a wonderful travel companion) pick up a book and before I know it I am landing in another country... but I also don't really like to talk on these flights any more than necessary. Partly because every one of them has been emotional--everything from excitement, nerves, fear, sadness, elation and everything in between, but also because what could you possibly talk about to a complete stranger for 9+ hours? Most of my flights across the big blue pacific have been empty enough to have a spare seat next to me so I often don't even have to think about conversing with strangers or the guy next to me is totally engrossed in the in-flight movie and sleeps like a rock. But this time, this time I got to sit next to Madonna... I know surprising isn't it? And you all thought I was flying Economy... well, actually, I am flying economy and the Madonna sitting next to me had several kids of her own and wasn't trying to adopt any refugee children out of Africa. It turned out she was a retired school teacher heading out on her first overseas adventure alone. Luckily for her, I have all the necessary forms memorized and could help her fill out her information. I did worry though when she told me she was connecting in Sydney to go on to Melbourne... I had a sneaky feeling that she wouldn't know what to do to get through customs and take the transfer bus to the domestic terminal (a nasty fate you have to endure when flying in from Hawaii.) As much as my introverted flight mode hesitated to return conversation with this woman, I found that I actually quite liked talking to her and the flight still went relatively fast. She was quite courteous to me when I indicated it was time for me to try and catch some sleep and let me curl up against the window and doze. She also enjoyed watching the same in-flight movies as me so didn't keep trying to talk during the movie... I helped her collect her bags and navigate through customs, then I helped her find the bus and her gate at the domestic terminal. She was pretty excited and was going to have a good time at the Australian Open tennis tournament which is why she was on this trip. There was someone scheduled to meet her at the airport in Melbourne and as we had different connecting flights I bid her goodbye in Sydney.

I had my own welcoming committed in Melbourne when I landed. Matt had his Mum and sister Kate with him and Matt's brother Paul brought his family along to meet me as well, however, they went to the wrong terminal so ended up meeting us at baggage claim instead. It was quite the reunion. Australian security still allows people to see you off and collect you at the airport properly, not requiring a ticket to get through security for domestic flights. It is very refreshing to see a friendly face when disembark the aircraft instead of the daunting, cold fluorescent walk to baggage claim on your own...

Sorry this post is so delayed--you would think that not being allowed to work would find me posting things all the time, but I just didn't have the motivation to sit at the computer typing away until now when I can't sleep... So--till next time!

The Holiday's at Home

First Holiday up... Thanksgiving. Arriving in style with cousin Monica and her clan of Lena, Nora and Lizzie (the dog they had to get to replace me... Just kidding!). Oh, and I can't forget good 'ole Rob and his seized up back. The guy is normally 6'3" tall but was so bent over that he could hardly get in the Suburban. After a couple of hours of failing to entertain Miss Nora in the back seat, Monica sequestered herself to the duty and I drove the rest of the way. Luckily, we had clear skies and light traffic once we got out of Seattle. With in minutes of being home, I was snacking on the many options strewn about the kitchen. Yummmmmmy!
Nanette's dog Buddy, Mom & Dad's old faithful Bowtie and Lizzie spent the next several hours getting acquainted. Luckily, Bowtie is a Martyr and he kept things pretty reasonable, but Buddy and Lizzie have some growing up to do yet.
Here the three of them are paling around with Sydney and Conner. The next day is the big Turkey day. Mom made all the Thanksgiving standards. Turkey, Spiral Cut Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy, Steamed Veggies, Jello Salad and Rolls. Aunt Edith brought over a huge fruit salad. It looked like it might topple the table over.
Sydney lead us all in a prayer before the meal and then we all ran like hell to get to our seats first! Gotta get as close to the mashed potatoes as possible... Mykel and I were going to having a little brawl over who got the first dollop.



Luckily, I got to sit at the kids table (no really... I like sitting there, it is where all the good stuff is kept. :)
Everyone else had to sit at the fancy adult table where manners are always on and you are too far away from the punch bowl to get refills on your drink!













I headed back over the mountains with the clan so I could get around in the Seattle area for awhile and try and catch up with friends over there. It's hard around the holiday's because so many people are gone off to see their own families, but I managed to have a few drinks, laughs and catch one of the worst colds I've had since I lived in the cottage. I haven't been that sick in a long time, but I still stayed up late to catch up with Hallie as she was in town from the UK and all the girls got together for some good story time. :) It was so great to see everyone again and to be back on the right side of the road!
Unfortunately, my friend Nicole did have a tragedy in her family, so she was in the area unexpectedly. I was so happy to see her, but sad for her circumstances. She had to fly out of Seattle, so I drove a car back for her to Spokane, but first went to Bellingham to have a visit there. I haven't spent much time IN Bellingham, mostly just passing through, but the town is fabulous and there was 6 inches of snow to greet me. I had a great time catching up with an old friend from High School and then sped off again to go back to the family. Luckily I got over the mountains without too much trouble, because once the snow started coming... it STILL hasn't quit. But it did melt.

There was some severe flooding in Western Washington, several million dollars in damages, not to mention some deaths and I-5 being shut down for the better part of a week. It put some people in some hard places and during the holiday season it is terribly sad. I got home and spent some time with Mom, Dad and Nanette before Christmas.
Nanette and I went to an ice hockey game and the Spokane Chiefs (hockey team) were collecting teddy bears for local area kids in need.








Nanette and I did our part and tossed a poor stuffed bear down to the ice after the Chief's first goal. The beard littering the ice were amazing. They filled 3 full size pickup trucks (and I mean AMERICAN full sized!) with the bears and it delayed the game for a good 20 minutes while the players picked up all the bears. The cabs of the trucks were full, the beds and they were piled up over the tops of the cabs as well. Unbelievable! There were over 3000 bears collected. The Spokane Chiefs Hockey club is part of the Canadian Hockey League in the Western Division. The team has 20 or so players ranging in age from 16 to 19. Believe it or not, most of the kids come down from Canada and are taken in by a local family for the school year. The kids work their tail off hoping to get drafted into the NHL (National Hockey League) someday.

After a beautiful, quiet white Christmas with the family, I flew to Portland to meet up with my good friend Brian. I haven't seen Brian in about 2 years so it was so great to catch up with him at his home in McMinnville.
I got to tour his huge nursery and then we drove up to Seattle on a gorgeous clear sunny day. With a quick stop in Battleground Washington to visit Kristy's parents, and a few detours to find food and restrooms, we made it to Seattle on New Years Eve. We were both a bit daggy after the car ride so we opted to stay in at Miss Kristy's house and we barely made it to 12:01 am. After a Happy New Year wish, we both staggered off to bed. The next couple of days Brian and I played 'tourists in Seattle' and we did several fun things. We had a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, we went up in the Bank of America Tower, toured the Seattle Public Library Central and even did the Underground Tour of Pioneer Square. We had lots of fun, managed to bump into an old co-worker of mine at where else, but a Starbucks.
We met Kristy and Adam for the movie Juno at The Big Picture. Get this... it is a theater... with cozy comfy 'quiet' seats for 100 people, and while you are waiting for your flick to begin, you can mingle with other guests, have some cocktails or beer and even schedule a drink delivery during the film. It was not only a great movie, but such a great atmosphere to watch a movie. I got my fill of foods I had been craving, friends updates and misty Seattle weather!



We even had a chance to swing by the original starbucks near Pike's Place Market... Busy as usual!














Overall, I had a blast and even spent some time pimping out MySpace pages for Rob and Brian... I feel like a technical genius now... except really, I am not... I just know how to cheat!

Ciao!

Halloween Aussie Style...and then some. :)

My God... Where have I been lately?!?! I have returned back to Melbourne for about a month and a half and then my Visa expired so I was home in time for Thanksgiving. Then after the holidays I came back here to Melbourne on a tourist Visa. So, I'll post the one I was working on before heading home and then add a few more shortly afterwards to catch you up on the journey home for the holiday's...

JUST WHERE DID MY SUMMER WEATHER GO?!?! When I arrived back here at the beginning of October, there was this perfect series of weather that was sooo easy to get used to and now it has disappeared and we are freezing our arses off once more! That's alright, it made Halloween a little more like home for me.

Halloween Aussie style, well let's just get one thing straight. We are NOT in Kansas anymore folks. You'll see why as you read on. First of all, hardly anyone 'celebrates' Halloween here. I distinctly picture entire streets lined with Jack-O-Lanterns and hundreds of ghosts and goblins and witches and princesses parading up and down the street with monster sized bags getting filled up by not handfuls but HUNDREDS of pieces of candy. Here in Melbourne very small pockets of neighborhoods have Trick or Treating and hardly any houses in the neighborhoods seem to participate. One thing people at the bakery didn't understand was what if you didn't want to participate? Well, I explained, "You leave your porch light off and if you want to participate you usually have a jack-o-lantern or two on your front step lite up to indicate you are a Halloween friendly household.' "AHHHHH" most of my Aussie friends replied, "that makes sense." So luckily for the traditional American in me, the street my little bakery is on participates in a Trick or Treating gig for the local kids. Most of the shops along the street put up a sign in their window to indicate they will be participating and a few even decorate their front window. Sharon, knowing how homesick I can be, invited me to help her decorate the windows of our shop. So on Halloween Eve, out came the witches hats, spiderwebs and ghosts and up went all the decorations in the shop. She also kindly took me with her to pick out a costume to rent. She perfectly fit into the Queen of Hearts costume while I managed to squeeze into a Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz costume. I even had a basket with a stuffed dog for Toto. So like I said... We're not in Kansas anymore!!

The next day I got to hand out Lollies to all the kids as they crowded in to the shop and we had 300 bags prepared. Last year they had around 200 kids or so. My guess-timate is that there was actually over 500 kids this year because we blew through the 300 in less than an hour and hoards of kids were coming in when we didn't have anything left. So off we sent someone to the IGA to buy more and we did that trick two other times. I had skinned some small roma tomatoes and boiled some spaghetti noodles. They were in black cauldrons and the witches were using the eyeballs and brains for their magic spells. :) Some of the kids even recognized me the next day when they came in and I was back to work in my normal uniform. Sharon was running through the street screaming "Off with their heads!" dressed as the Queen of Hearts and chasing her kids around. All in all it was incredibly fun and luckily the nice weather came back shortly afterwards so I have been desperately trying to soak in some sunshine and take advantage of the warmer weather before I head home for the cold winter that lies ahead in Spokane. I'll be home for Thanksgiving just in time for more winter!

After Halloween was over, my friend Robyn threw a birthday party for John (the friend I went to high school/college with). I offered to prepare the food for her and on a frenzy I went starting on Thursday... I made spanish chicken kababs with peppers and zucchini, guacamole, pork picadillo empanadas, fresh salsa and a huge batch of taco meat. I met Robyn (and eventually John) at Flinders Street train station when they got off work and they helped me carry the goods back to their place. We had some nachos with the taco meat for dinner while we waited for the first of the guests to arrive. Matt met up with us later and had the blender with him in the car. Soon after, there was margaritas all around and before I knew it, it was 2 in the morning and we were heading home. It was really great. I got to meet some more Aussies and have some girl talk with Robyn and Kaila. Poor Matt was out playing video games in the living room with John while the three of us gossiped away. But, man... that was fun!

I paid for it on Saturday though... I ended up sleeping away most of the day and then we had dinner at Peter's house (Matt's Dad) that night. Then the next week was Melbourne Cup Day. This is a public holiday in the State of Victoria. And it sure was fun. The day is full of glitz and glam with most everyone dressing up for the occasion. We had so much fun that we came back to the races on Saturday for the Emirates Stakes Day event. Much more low-key but still many people were dressed to the nine. At least I could walk around a bit more and see some of the horses up close and personal. They are just GORGEOUS! Not only that... but you can't beat the view of the city from our reserved seats in the grandstand. We were almost dead onto the finish line so we could see just who won in the final seconds.






I can't believe that it is time to head back so soon. Just when the weather got nice again... I get to head back State-side for winter number 3. Yahoo!

The Surprise of a Lifetime!

Some of you know that I have been conspiring with my sister and cousin Monica to come back to the State and surprise my Dad at his retirement party. It was the hardest secret I have ever tried to keep with my family constantly asking when I would be coming home for the past several months. It wasn't too bad till I actually had my tickets in hand and then I had to lie to my parents. Even though it was only on the phone and 20,000 miles away, I still quivered every time I fibbed about looking at tickets, etc. But, the look on their faces was worth it. They of course were crying and Mom saw me first. She smacked my Dad upside the arm and said "It's Alison. She's Here!" Dad was too busy chewing out the host for allowing any kind of surprise to realize what was really going on... then he conceded that this surprise was okay and gave me a big hug when Mom finally let go. :) It was so great! The party was an absolute riot with many speakers who told some outlandish stories about my father past present and future. I was laughing so hard most of the time it was hard to catch the next joke! The speakers ran an hour long and in their jokes was woven some of the biggest compliments and credit to my Dad. He has been a huge part of the Credit Union movement in the city, state and even in the country with annual visits to Washington DC for lobbying our senators and congressmen for the past decade and a half. It really was a great evening. I got to see lots of people I haven't seen in years and catch up with everyone as well.

So being on American soil? So strange to walk through crowded streets or areas and hear all of these silly American accents. I have to keep reminding myself that I am IN AMERICA now so everyone SHOULD sound American for the most part. Riding in a car on the right hand side of the road has been quite the experience as well. But I am quickly finding my comfort zone again. The stop over in Honolulu was perfect. I got to spend two very warm sunny days with my friend Nicole and her partner and we had a great time.
I have pretty toes and we had lots of laughs. I could have stood to be there longer, but the humidity was a little much for my nine months of winter body to adjust to. Oh well, it was great anyway. :) The stopover there really breaks up the trip and makes traveling so far soooo much easier! Landing in Seattle Sunday evening, Monica kindly picked me up and whisked me up to Bothell to spend the night before hitting the road to Spokane. I got to see Lena in the morning and Nora for the first time. What little dolls. I told Monica she isn't playing fair because her kids are just to darn irresistible. We made a short drive over to Spokane and the retirement party began that evening.

I spent the next several days lounging with my parents and sister and relaxing in the warm sunny fall weather. I got caught up on the family happenings and played catch with the dogs for hours. Nanette has a new pup named Buddy and he is relentless about playing and playing and playing... I went to see Grandma and Grandpa a few times and they seemed to be in really good spirits. It was really great to catch up with everyone and just kick back and relax. We did go out to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant in Airway Heights... YYUUUUMMMMMMMYYYY. The super sized Margarita's did help make me feel like I was floating on cloud 9. I have to share with the Australians who read this blog... This is what real Chips and Salsa looks like. You only get a measly 5 chips at the 'Mexican restaurants' around Melbourne... if you only knew what you were missing!!



Mom had pears to can so she spent a few mornings taking care of that. I did little to help, but did take some photos because I've decided it is really cool that she cans fresh fruit and jams annually. Nanette was taking some notes because she adopted a canner from Grandma's collection in the basement.







We went to a Cougar football game down in Pullman. It was a great family outing and I ran into an old college friend who just returned to the States from living in China for the past two years. It was great to catch up with him a little and hear about his adjustment to being back. He sounded so incredibly happy. The Cougs stomped on the neighboring University of Idaho Vandals, which always feels good.

On the following Wednesday, I drove back over to Bothell to spend some more time with the Yate's and hold that darn baby for awhile longer. I have to say that the drive from Eastern Washington to Western Washington has got to be, still to this day, one of my favorite things. There is so much diversity in the landscape as you make the 4 hour drive. I fell in love with Washington all over again on this journey. Some things you just take for granted when you can do them anytime. This time away has really brought back the pleasure in the small things.

I got to pick Lena up from preschool and play tea party for hours. We met up with some of the mommy friends and I got to catch up with all of them. Friday I went into Bellevue for lunch and hanging out with old co-workers from Symetra. It was so weird to walk around Bellevue and recognize people left and right. I have been so isolated for so long, I forgot what it was like to recognize people... Time went incredibly fast and I didn't get to catch up with everyone I meant to in the short afternoon.

Over the weekend I spent time with my girlfriend Kristy and saw her fabulous new 'farm house' that needs LOTS of work but will be a great place when time and money allows them to fix it up. :) I am so happy for her! Then she hosted a little BBQ and all the remaining Seattle girls came down for brats and drinks. It was so great to see everyone, but still not near enough time to get caught up. I went back up to my other cousins place on Monday and got to see their new house and hang out with their kids too. I told them lots of stories about water restrictions and other lifestyle adjustments I've had since moving to Australia. Their oldest daughter Sydney thought some of my stories were pretty cool so she put them in her journal at school. We had a great family dinner and then off I flew to Honolulu. I am back spending more time with Nicole and Leigh and even got to do some sun bathing this time! Wahoo!

After an incident with a flat tire and a day of snorkeling in Shark's Cove, I headed back to the airport to fly direct to Melbourne. I hear rumor the weather is getting nicer and I am looking forward to some warm sunny days when I get down there. It was a little humid there with 71% humidity, but there was some rain the other day that helped break the heat!

I'll got back on Tuesday, a little tired, but not jet lagged. I am so looking forward to not living out of a suitcase. Speaking of suitcases, I had one that is FULL of food from the states. Everything from Hot Tamales to Crisco and peanut butter chips. :) Let the baking begin...

Bread Street Bakery-Home away from home!

So people back home are having trouble understanding what the bakery is like here since it is very unique and not like anything else back home... I took some photos today. Partially because I wanted everyone to see it and also because I wanted to show off my talents at 'scrolling.' Scrolling is where you roll up a big long log and then cut it so the product looks like a cinnamon roll. Aparently--some people who have worked at the bakery before have struggled to get the hang of this art. But thanks to Grandma... I have been pretty good at it. :) She taught me well!

So the bakery consist of three parts in my opinion. #1 is bread. We sell bread. LOTS of bread. There are block loaves, high tin, flour, cobs, viennas, ciabattas, bagels, turkish breads, sour doughs, sticks, rolls, wholemeal (wheat for you Americans) white, country grain (my favorite!) high fibre (nope--I spelled it correctly), ultra grain and SoLo (wholemeal base with lots of yummy soft whole grains plus poppy and oats and... well LOTS of fun things!) It is what Australians call Low GI which means it is slow to breakdown into glucose and takes longer to digest into your system. Better for your blood sugar and energy levels.














It is beautiful! I pretty much have a roll and yogurt every day when I am working for my mid-morning snack. :) That is... if I don't have a bagel dog.

Now, I've described them before, but in case you missed it... A bagel dog looks and sounds like the weirdest thing... but if you just give it a chance, you'll be hooked forever. :) It is an "American" hot dog wrapped in an onion bagel blanket. Think pigs in a blanket... but it isn't piglets it is full grown, hog to market, pigs. :) I have to admit... they are quite addictive and since they typically come out of the oven about 10 to 10... I have been known to have a bagel dog as my mid-morning snack a few times a week... Since I take my break at ten, it can be really hard to resist.

Anyway, I got off subject there. The other two parts of the bakery are Sweet and Savory. There are four glass cabinets in the front of the shop and in two are the Savory things and in the other two are the Sweet stuff. :)

The savory has a bit of everything from ham and cheese danishes, to turkish pizzas and plain cheese rolls. it is hard to describe, but there is a wide range. One of the strangest things to me are the Cheese and Bacon rolls. These are just plain rolls that are covered in diced bacon bits and sprinkled with 'tasty' cheese--Australians call their cheddar 'tasty.' I tend to disagree with the tasty bit... but that is purely because I miss Tillamook cheese like you wouldn't believe! These things sell hot out of the oven to all the school kids in their uniforms. There is about 20 or so that come in at least three times a week and I see them coming in and I just bag up a cheese and bacon roll and off to school they go. I've tried them... I just don't get it. :) It is a bit like Vegemite... which we have Cheesy Mite Scrolls that are... drum roll please, cheese and vegemite rolled up like a cinnamon roll. WEIRD! Then the sweet cabinets have apricot or blueberry danishes, scones, muffins, apple scrolls (look like a cinnamon roll but with diced bits of apple in them) coffee scrolls (as close to an American cinnamon roll as you get) with icing on top, twists, fruit buns (little squarish buns that have currents and sultanas (raisins) in them with a sweet sticky wash soaked into the top), finger buns--which look like a hot dog bun, but with a sweeter dough and then have boston icing on top with hundreds and thousands (sprinkles) and a handful of other treats. There is a couple of pregnant ladies that come in almost every day to get a fruit bun or three because they say it is the only thing they can keep down when they are morning sick... Whatever makes them happy is fine by me. :)

My roll when I work during the week is to open up the shop at 6am and then help in production by making the pizzas (supreme and tropical), mediterranean scrolls (spinach, feta, semi-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives) and the artichoke and ricotta scrolls.


Then I work on merchandising the shop while helping customers. I make room in the cabinets as hot stuff comes out of the oven and get all the signs up. All our bread is made fresh daily, so as it comes out, I have sign it and face it as I go through it during the day. I get to chat with all the regulars and catch up on community gossip. Make faces at their kids in strollers and tease the younger kids as they get their cheese and bacon rolls and head off to school. Most of the morning customers come in everyday and get pretty much the same thing. They even typically come in in the same order and I've gotten to a point that I know if they have slept in or out and about early... It is that regular. :) Most have asked me over time where I am from and what I am doing here, so they always ask me if I've heard the latest news story coming from America, if I am home sick or if I am going back to visit soon. The customers are truely beautiful. They care about the success of this shop as well as all the shops along Hamilton street because it is very much a part of their daily lives. They notice if I 'bugger' off for a few days on a trip with Matt and always ask where I've been. I am even learning most of their names which says a lot since we are cash only shop and it's not like I am learning them from the credit cards.

I've never in my life felt more at home at work before... it partly is because I am so far away from my home, friends and family and the people at the shop and the customers have welcomed me into their family but also because it is just that kind of place. Fresh baked bread, the smell, the warmth and the color are a very addictive thing. I can't say I have ever paid much attention to bakery's back home and now I will always want to be near a shop like this no matter where my life takes me. The production staff--or bakers, they like to call themselves-- are pretty much all guys anywhere from late teens to twenty's thirty's and even David, who is in his fifties. They get to work anytime between 2 and 3 in the morning to start the doughs and warm up the ovens. Then a few more come on around 4 or 5 to start shaping and tinning the dough up. The 'oven man' controls when everything goes in and when everything comes out and can either make or break the day. Some days are rough around the shop... A burnt batch of bread or savory/sweet trays can mean a few hours delay in getting that product on the shelf for the customer... No pressure there. :) and every once in awhile, someone over sleeps or has a late night and can't concentrate on their tasks. It happens. People make adjustments and everyone makes fun of them. If the oven man curses because he burnt himself... no one really feels bad and anyone who spills or drops something and makes a mess gets their photo taken and they get nominated for a Razz... The rest of the staff knows about the mistakes by the end of the week and you never quite live it down. Sharon, who helps David run the shop, always says... 'There is nothing we haven't seen.' Whether it is burning something, adding too much water and making soup out of the dough to adding the wrong flour or too much yeast or not enough or spilling an entire jug of olive oil on yourself... it has been done, it has been laughed at and it will be remembered. :)

There's Gold in them there hills...

Hallo All!

On Wednesday, I took a train up to the ‘little’ town of Bendigo. This is the third largest city in Victoria, so I put little in quotes… because it was much bigger than I anticipated. Anyway, it was a quick trip with Matt and I driving back on Saturday morning. Bendigo gets its roots from a reawakening of the gold rush in the late 1930’s when two women found some gold while they were washing their laundry in the creek just west of town. They digging begun and the second largest output of gold in Australia history proceeded over the next 20 years or so. Lots and Lots of gold. I took Thursday as an ‘instant gratification day’ as my friend Abby coined after she moved to Seattle. I slept in until 8. I know… sleeping in until 8… BIG DEAL! Well, when you work at 6 in the morning and get up at 5, 8 IS a big deal. Then I went to a day spa and got a lovely 60 minute massage… it was WONDERFUL! The therapist is an American who moved here 31 years ago as a teacher. She and her husband got permanent residence visas as long as they taught for at least one year to help Australia bring their education standards up to international levels. We had lots to talk about and chatted away the whole time. I still felt incredibly relaxed and plan on going back to the Spa in the future for more. J Then off to the city for some shopping and wandering.

The center of town has some beautiful parkland and old, classic stone architecture dominating the sky line. The shopkeepers all proved to be Aussie-style friendly and very informative about the area. One of the gourmet shops told me that more than one of the local, old school farmers are convinced that the drought is over. Several of the folks here in Melbourne have talked about this being the wettest winter they remember for at least the last ten years and one of the coldest in years. So that was good news. I heard about a paper craft store so I wandered that direction to find some paper. J After chatting with the clerk there, I realize that I should have kept my card stock instead of giving it all away… Oh well. Found lots of inspiring items at the shop and then headed back to meet Matt for dinner. The food in Bendigo was really fantastic. J We had Italian, Chinese and good ‘ole Mexican. That’s right, we found some decent Mexican in town for dinner on Wednesday. One yummy Tequila Sunrise and a Margarita later… I was quite happy to sleep in again the next day. When the maid knocked on the door I was surprised to see I slept in until 10! So I hurriedly got up, dressed and headed out toward the mine. I took at 2 ½ hour tour of the Central Deborah Gold Mine. The best part of the tour was the fact that it was me, the tour guide and a volunteer who had to tag along because they only let groups of three or more down into the mine at a time. Some kind of safety thing. I didn’t care, I was digging for gold! The tour included level 2 and 3 of the 17 level mine and the tour guide was incredibly educated about the geology and history of the mine. I learned a lot… more than I can really articulate in an email because hands on is so much better! Again, another profession that is NOT my cup of tea because after about 5 minutes of sifting through a pile of rubble, I was ready for lunch. I did get a demonstration of the conditions the early miners had which was two candles that lasted 4 hours each. In an 8 hour shift, they could only have one lit at a time to last the whole day. I don’t know how anyone finds gold specks with a single candle shedding the light. I about went blind. Much less, how they managed to not go insane working day in and day out for 10 schillings a day in the dark, cold, musty confines of the mine. Lunch was my first taste of a pastie. We get asked for pasties all the time at the bakery and I had no idea what they were until now. It is a meat and three veg (peas, corn and carrots) wrapped up in a filo pastry shell with the seam on the top scrunched together like the edge of a pie crust. It was quite nice actually and the tour guide claimed that the crusty bit along the top was a ‘ handle’ so the miners, whose hands were covered in arsenic and other toxic compounds, could hold the pastie by the handle, eat all around it and chuck out the handle when they were done without consuming the small amounts of arsenic that build up in the body to kill you. Not that there weren’t a dozen other things that could kill you in the mining business… rocks falling on your head, loss of oxygen, pneumonia, getting lost… you get the idea right? In the years this particular mine was in full operation they only had one death and that guy went down the shaft before his work buddy was ready and ended up getting crushed by falling rock. Oops… The early bird doesn’t get the worm that time! Well, I had a great time, would do it again in a heart beat and if you ever visit this neck of the woods, I recommend you get off the beaten-in every tour guide book- path and make the short journey up to Bendigo for a few days. Between folklore, shopping, spas and the wines I didn’t get to explore… there is a little of something for everyone I think. J

I went to a little bakery called The Beechworth Bakery and had a ‘lemon slice’ for a snack on the way back from the mine. It was very tasty and I picked up a recipe or two in their cookbook. Hallie… I know you wanted me to learn one thing while I am here… and I have done it! I have a recipe for sausage rolls. And YUCK! I don’t know why your are interested/obsessed by them, but it is now in my capable hands. I’ll give it a try and then I’ll send you my notes on the recipe… it is all in metric by the way. J

I have to share the commercial I just saw on TV while I was working on this email… It starts showing all of the bronze, beautiful people on some of the famous beaches here in Australia, then poses the question of “What happened to us, Australia?” then shows some shots of fat people lounging on the beach and on the couch and goes on to say. “We have become one of the fat-est developed nations in the world.” They show lots of stats about how many Australians are obese and that 1 in 4 kids are obese, the amount of money obesity is causing (remember they are on public healthcare here…) etc. Wow. What a statement!

Sorry… had to tell you about that one. J Saturday, we drove back to Melbourne and it dawned on me just how flat the Melbourne area is compared to the rest of Victoria. We headed to the Collingwood footy game that evening and watched Collingwood make fools of themselves against Brisbane. They lost miserably by 93 points. Then on Sunday it was Matt’s sisters’ birthday and we met up with all of Matt’s family at his Mum’s house for afternoon tea… Remember, that afternoon tea means eating and drinking to some degree...You just never know if it will be a whole meal or just a snacky type thing. I have learned to love Champaign because we have some just about every time we meet up with Matt’s Mum for anything… which is just about weekly. Kate had a lot left over from her wedding, so we are making the sacrifice of chipping away at the stockpile one bottle at a time. Matt and I gave Kate a necklace that Julia made. Matt picked it out from her website and I picked it up while in Hawaii on my way here. It was a huge success and Julia now has lots of Australian admirers of her work. J It was a fun gathering with his family but it made me awfully homesick. I miss my friends and family back home lots and lots now. Not that I wasn’t before, but just watching his family all interact together, made me miss home. So I ate graham crackers and American marshmallows when I got home and will probably have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. J

Sorry I don’t really have any pictures from this trip… hopefully next time.

Take care all of you, and enjoy some summer sunshine for me. I am tired of the chill of winter! L

Cheers,