Predators

The one thing that worries any traveler to Australia who is journeying from the safe and docile landscape and wildlife of Blighty is the renowned array of weird, wonderful and deadly beasts that Australia's shores and seas harbour. We are all familiar, I am sure, with LOFs feelings on sharks for example.

I have been relieved to have been able to say that I have not encountered any deadly creatures on my travels. I have been reassured that its just really bad luck if you encounter one of these wee beasties and that most people never encounter them.

Everywhere we have travelled I have feared them. In Perth I wouldn't sit on the lawn without a thorough inspection of the crawlies in the blades of grass and a clear awareness of the localities of the hospital. As the weeks have flown by however, I relaxed and could now sit on any lawn/wall without too much worry.

Inn Australia's fair land the postbox - which services your mail, is located away from the house, at the end of your drive. (Donnie Darko style- no dynamite though PHEW)

I am currently awaiting bit sof paper from Queensland which say I can teach so, everyday I have been checking the post box. Yesterday the box was empty of post but contained a spider. (A little one, don't worry - not a huge huntsmen) dangling in a web. Something about it though gave me the creeps. I reported my findings to LOF and ecpressed my concern that said crawley could make a home in my post and scare us further. I told myself I was over reacting -Again - and carried on.

This morning, being the brave, lion hearted woman that I am I sent LOF out to collect the post. He, being a fearless warrior, pulled out the peg to open the box and then gently prodded each piece of post to check for this spider who had made me uneasy and who I was sure was trying to be carried into the house on some junk mail.

-- A piece of paper asking if we wanted to sell the house we don't own... Fine, clear, good
-- A letter to the people who used to live here - clear - spider free... phew.
-- letter from gas and electricity company firm to LOF. oh dear.

There it was sat pon the back of the envelope as if not at all contemplating biting me and making me suffer. A F+_(^*$ ing Red BACK GULP. I kid you not. I knew there was something shifty about it. LOFs response..
"FUcking hell it's a red back1" I"m in survival mode, going pale.. If I stamp on it in flipflops will it be able to bite me? Would that be unfair? Shoudl I kill a creature just because I'm afraid of it? Do we need to phone someone to report it? I don't know!!!
meanwhile, whilst I'm very white now... Lof's face has lit up. He turns to me and screams "Cool! Awesome! get the camera!"

In a daze I do so thinking "yep good idea then we can identify it and make sure it is, indeed, the deadly creature that we think it is.

LOF has been looking for deadly creatures for weeks. I mean literally looking for snakes, spiders etc. I think he has secretly been a little bit disapointed till now. The only thing that he didn't want to see, of course, being a shark smiling at him from in front of his surf board.

He took his pictures - asking the spider to pose nicely - which it did. It seemd completly unaware of the threat it was posing us!
The LOF have the envelope a sharp tap - it fell off and scuttled away - to WHO KNOWS WHERE!!

I still am unsure whether there's a red back hotline... I very much doubt it but I tell you I am very unimpressed and LOF is checking the post from now on. God knows what else is living in there!

Pinkies and Floyds

So, flicking through the paper on Sunday i noticed an advert for Roger Waters and the Dark Side of the Moon. Pink Floyd's bassist would be performing the album live, with a new set of musicians at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. LOF rang up immediately and paid $130 each for 2 tickets.

We went last night to see the show and I was very pleasantly surprised. I occasionally pick Pink Floyd on LOFs I pod to chill out to whilst I have a cuppa but I didn't expect, if I'm honest, to enjoy the show as much as I did.

The musicians were clearly passionate about using their talents to connect with their audience and inspire them (even if one of them made me laugh because he looked like he'd be right at home with Wayne and Garth!)

Being a teachy type I urge the gang to listen to "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" then read "Before you were mine" and then listen to " mother" from the "wall" album before re-reading Your shoes...

This music is really, really good. TO me really, really, good music is when instruments and voices come together to create something worthwhile. In the same way that I have always been passionate about literature's ways and means of sending hidden messages to the reader - i know that all good art does the same thing - including music. That;s why I always preferred Choral/musical singing because to be a part of the feeling of connection with the audience is like nothing else. The same feeling I get when I teach a lesson that the kids really get and engage with.

I was conscious of LOFs lofty musical ambitions and the fact that he has no guitar to play until what looks to be late March/early April. I think he was a aware of that too. Poor thing.

Anyway, I digress, the show was , to coin LOFs new favourite phrase "Awesome" (attach appropriate accent of choice) and, if you don't care for the chilled tones of P.F. you'll love the pyrotechnics, video clips and remote control flying astronaut and pigs! I kid you not.


I was well impressed by this chap although he did have glowing red eyes ???

All in all that concert reminded me that all art should be created for a purpose. I know that some of the stuff I have connected with over the years has been considered rubbish by others but each on of those songs has been significant for a reason and that's what makes them special no matter how "psyched(ed)" they were they are all "back for good" right now and helping me to remember you lot back home :)

6/2/07 - We're in

We moved in yesterday. We hired a little car in the end and transported our 2 backpacks,, 2 day packs and countless numbers of carrier bags full of dirty washing to the house. The car came into its own later though, we went food shopping - spending over $300 - it worries you until you realise that $100 = 40 quid. Then after we'd filled the fridge and pantry i got to work making a list...

Now, the house is lovely and is fully furnished Aussie style. This is also a little disappointing though. How am i going to make it feel like my home if it's full of someone else's stuff? Joyfully, I discovered some little bits that were missing and began those lists! This resulted in a trip to Ikea and the Harbour Village shopping centre. Filled up the car again - mostly with a big squishy office chair for LOF.

Last night was really nice though. The great thing about S.A. and its coast is that the sun always sets in the sea. This is really good for us because, obviously, our windows look out to sea. That meant that we spent the first night watching a beautiful sunset from the balcony of LOF's new office.

Sat on a chair with a box of chocolates, an ice bucket (compete with ice of course) and a bottle of white wine - all provided for us by the landlord. Heaven. This is going to be a good year. I can't wait to share it with all those people who are planning to come out - I know of at least 2 couples who have already booked their flights! :)

It is a little daunting no though. It was scary to realise that we've committed ourselves to staying in this one place for what seems to be such a long time. I can't help but feel a little bit lonely away from family and friends. I do miss you all. We've been so busy travelling for the last 6 weeks that its only hit us a couple of times. Now we've stopped moving who knows how we might feel.

it does make me laugh that on the way to my house I have to drive past Davis Street - that woman is everywhere! ;). I'm mostly missing being tripped up every time I go to get milk out of the fridge, being followed everywhere, having to dangle string and hide plastic bags. The cats are fine - in know- in fact from what Mum tells me about bacon Sundays etc. I'm not sure they'll want to go home with us in 12 months! It doesn't mean I don't miss them though.

We'll just have to wait and see how it goes. It's now that it really all begins. JObs, community, new friends. I"m up for all of that and although none of your are replaceable it'll make it easier if we've both got others around and out minds busy.

I do think that the next 12 months will be fantastic. I live opposite the beach! It's sunny and I'm in Australia!

A Message from a disgruntled cat which made me laugh

Dear aunty Selena and Uncle Matt,

Something quite strange happened today. I woke up and went to my cat flap to
find that the garden had disappeared! I screamed and ran under mummy’s duvet
for quite some time. Tig just grumped and laughed at me :< I don’t know
where its all gone. I couldn’t get any sense out of mum (I don’t understand
baby talk!) so iv had to cross my legs.

Any way i had some lunch and popped my head out of the cat flap to check but
it hadn’t come back. Mum got up very late (I was starving and this just
didn’t help the situation!). Eventually mum put some very large shoes on and
scooped me up, Ah had I thought, finally she has got the hint and is going
to help me find my missing territory. To my absolute horror she dropped me
onto a sinking, frozen substance and let me sink! I couldn’t wait any longer
and took my small shivering body back in to tell Tig all about near death
experience and my absolute disgust.

Later on Dad came home, which was such a relief. By thins point I was
contemplating peeing in the wardrobe (its so nice and snug in there). Any
way he was a very cleaver human and moved the white stuff and there it
was!!!! My garden it was hiding. He found the soil for me my hero! I had a
lovely wee. Iv sent some evidence of this cruelty in hope that I can come
and live with you.

Love Casper Clarke with and 'e'


------------------

So.. I go away having spent the last 4/5 years waiting for proper snow and then the weather sits, laughs and shakes out the most snow you've seen for 10 years. TYPICAL!
I might make a sand man in retaliation!

Send me pictures! (Thank you to Jilly and Kel who remembered my obsession and to SPAN for being the first person to tell me about the snow!! Woo HOoo!!!

OOPs

O.k.
Si i decided to turn the London Clock Pink and change the Brisbane one to Adelaide and it all went wrong. Lof has just spent 30 mins recovering the template so that it shows the stuff in the side bar but we can't m ake it align right sorry,..

This'll me that I'll give the site a makeover when we get broadband in the house. In the meantime... Appologies...

You can still find links and archives if you scroll down... way down!

:) Never mind!

6/28 Sea View Road, Adelaide

That's our new address as of Monday... and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's number 6 of 6 "town houses" (like a row of terraces). It's a new build, it's the end one and it has it's own garage, back/front yard, 2 double bedrooms and a single bedroom with balcony. The single bedroom will become LOF's office. The Master bedroom, living room and office all look straight out onto the beach.


LOF's really chuffed because he has Ocean views and his own balcony at work now!;)


It's fully furnished but in this case to a really high standard which is great.


It's had a new kitchen with stainless steel appliances, it has it's own utility room and tiled floors downstairs.



:)




It's got loads of storage space and the garage comes with a remote control so we can look like real posers when we get home in the car we haven't bought yet.
It's location is excellent it's literally on the road which runs along the edge of the beach so we just have to cross the road to go for a paddle and hopefully the wireless inter net will reach the beach! woo hoo.

We're very excited about the prospect of finally having somewhere to call our own. I am secretly a little disappointed that it's all done for us though. No need to go shopping to buy things... it even has a telescope! :o

Ikea is just around the corner and the airport is a 10 minute bus ride away. The Jetbus runs on the street behind the house so you can all surprise us if you want to! ;)

This does mean that you should all get your SKYPE phones at the ready cause we'll hopefully be online next week :) free chatting!! YEAH!


Here's a video just to make you fell a little bit jealous... and of course want to come and visit that little bit sooner... Booking are now being taken and places are filling up fast! (i'm not joking lol)



The local is the surf club! How cool is that! (home and away style) and we are right bang in the middle between the trendy bars and cafes of Glenelg and Henley Beach. Just a little walk along the sand to the Marina and about 25 mins from the city centre by bus.. (might be quicker by car)
Fun, fun , fun :)

Why Adelaide?

This is the main reason!

We're here! We arrived in a very relaxed manner tuesday night and booked into the same hotel that we stayed in last time. We both felt much better and it was a pleasant change actually knowing where we staying, what was around and what to expect when we arrived. Almost like, for once, we were coming home. Sad really when you consider it was just a hotel room! Never mind!

Adelaide is lovely and although it does get "freezing" (10 degrees) cold in winter we're more than happy to stay and live here for the rest of 2007. There were several clues that we were too dumb to spot whilst we were here the first time which should have told us that we were to live her right from the start.

1. Adelaide's "mall" - high street to you and me - is full of peices of sculpture.. Including these pigs...
Each one of them has an individual name.:)


2. There are beautiful beaches here which stretch for miles and miles. All white sand and turquoise sea...mmm

3. The central market with all it's sights and smells is just brilliant when you can't decide what you want for lunch. (I've done a little video for you but we'll have to wait a little again..)

All in all we're much happier that this is the place where we can live comfortably for a little while. Which is all good as a certain young lofian would say! :)

It has been a very stressful last few days however. It is really hard to find a furnished rental in Australia. First of all when you rent a place unfurnished here it literaly means you get nothing, not even the white goods. If you rent a place fully furnished it means you get everything... all the furniture, white goods, cups, saucers, pots, pans, sheets, towel, books, everything you could ever need..
There is no inbetween and it costs a lot to rent fully furnished.

Oringially LOF and I were hoping to rent a little 3 bed house with a pool with some furniture in it. We thought we'd have to stock the kitchen, linen and towel departments but that for 375 dollars a week we'd find somewhere lovely. In reality for 37h dollars a week we can rent a completely empty 4 bedroom house by the sea (with no pool) or a 2 bedroom "unit" (flat) which very much resembled Penn Grove - the house I rented in the 2nd year of UNi. Now don't get me wrong I have very fond memories of Penn Grove, Bogus' chair washing up, dunk wandering around in a skirt, Farty Mart appearing at the window and scaring the life out of me - but I didn't fly half way around the world to live in a flat that was last furninshed in 1983! Mmm.. It was interesting to say the least and the poor sales guy was trying really hard to tell us that this was the best deal ever in the world.

To be fair to him it was right by the beach had the right number of bedrooms and space for an office and we could have had broadband in there so it kind of was what we were after. Perhaps the backpackers clothes that we wear most of the time give the impression that we would like to live like students as well as dress like them! Who knows.

We were a littel concerned there for a few days though as the second apartment we saw was even worse! It was in a nicer location thoguh and faced the beach which was great.

The only good thing about going to see this place was that it itroduced us to West Beach and I had changed my mind about only putting house in the search criteria box on realestate.com.au. We were gettng really worried that the only way we were going to live in a nice house was to fork out for furniture or rent it (which turned out to be about the same price as another house's rent!) lol. Not good times. We just had to keep checking the paper and the web until something came up...

and it did...

(I don't know how long the link will work but click on the words it did.)