August

The famous stove.... I can now light the wood stove within a few minutes! That IS progress. I am still burning down a small tropical forest but it is either that or frozen fingers, not a difficult choice.

It seems we've been here for over a month. Time flies when you're freezing! My local "knowledge" has still not increased by leaps and bounds but I can provide you with a few insights of " my first impressions".

Everything is different but much is the same. They speak "differently". Yes it is still english but people speak with more slang and I have to stop them mid sentence to understand what they are saying. A few example are:

He is such a galah
A galah= a bird, but also means a silly and slow minded person

That is really daggy
Daggy= something uncool

Is it very exy?
exy= expensive

There is a smash this morning off the bridge...
a crash or a smash= a term used on the radio for an accident (they believe car collisions are never accidents)


An now to Melbourne.....



The cute but annoying locals in Melbourne, the possums!





Last weekend we were in Melbourne visiting Art Melbourne in the Unesco World Heritage Site, the Exhibition building. People here have money to spend. Most of the aboriginal art, averaging $15,000+ was sold. The main focus of the show was contemporary art from gallery owners across Australia, New Zealand, Korea and a few from China. Not quite as avant guarde as London's Frieze but equally as insightful to what this side of the world is commenting on. The day we attended it was full of people.

While walking around Melbourne we passed through the botanical gardens. Mom look at the size of this magnolia! HUGE. They are all in full bloom, winter blooming down here.....




I am still searching for a local farmer's market we can attend on a regular basis. We took the tram to Richmond (a local neighbourhood in Melbourne) to attend the Abbotsford market. Located right beside a city farm, the market was more of a community fair than farmer's coming into town to sell their produce.
















While walking along the Yarra River and into downtown....


















Back in Barwon Heads and the locals out for a bit of surfing....