The Temple of the Mighty Bague

Nobody tells you they come into the garden! Everywhere you look, they’re bouncing all over the place.

Went in and registered with Medicare yesterday, which went fine and dandy. The rain has gone and the sun is out - hooray! Of course, I’m saying that now but it’ll be a different story in a week or two

Well, we did go to Newcastle for the soccer but it we chickened out - there was a torrential downpour. So, we bought some beer on the way home and watched it on the telly instead

Yesterday we drove to a tiny little out of the way place where one of our relatives’ band was playing and had a lovely afternoon rummaging around the craft shops before taking a slow and meandering drive back. I’ve never seen so much green in my life.

Busy day today though - got to do some shopping, register with Medicare and Centrelink, pop into the local school to chat to the headmaster and then drop the car off at the dealership to be cleaned up and a few minor repairs done. Some light rain again today, but we can’t complain because the natives are delighted with it. We should probably enjoy it while we can because it’s going to get very hot very soon.

It’s been raining overnight and it’s all good - there’s green everywhere and it shut the kookaburras up. Sent off my first job application yesterday and registered with a couple of agencies, so that’s the ball rolling. I also have a shot of a car for the weekend - looking to buy it from the dealership and the bloke said to use it over the weekend to see what I thought. I reckon it’s a goer - it’s a Toyota Rav4. Feels a lot like my old Landie, Ned, but more modern. Drives very easily too.

Got a busy day today - I think I’m off to Cessnock to buy some shorts (sorry, Australia - I know you’re not ready for my pale blue matchsticks but it’s just too damn hot :)) and then we’re off to a soccer match in the evening cos our rellies won some tickets in a radio competition (compo, don’tyaknow).

I have some nice photos to put up but it’ll have to wait because I’m short of a USB cable. One of them is a very nice pic of Debbie going native, complete with camoflage shorts and bush hat

Kookaburras. Bane of my life. It would be less annoying if they didn’t sound so damned funny. Yeah, they wake us up every day, but they wake you up laughing so you can’t really complain.

Anyway, there’s a thunderstorm rattling away at the moment. The land needs it too - Australia is in its third year of drought to all and any rain is a big help. Woke up this morning with my usual fear and nervousness about being in such a completely different place. It was short-lived, though. Standing outside at 6am with a light warm rain, listening to the birds and cicadas, and watching a group of roos bouncing along the bottom of the garden really does make you believe this is the best place on Earth.

Well, we’ve arrived safe and well. The flights were fine, if a little dull, with only the Edinburgh->Heathrow hop being particularly bumpy. With the exception of the Aussie pilot on the Hong Kong -> Sydney run, of course, who said “It’ll get bouncy for a minute cos we’re about to fly through a typhoon, but she’ll be right.”

By the last leg, the journey was getting pretty tiring because we only had a fifty minute stopover in Hong Kong. An extra hour or two to stretch our legs, or even better an overnight stop for some shopping, would have made all the difference. As it is, though, it was survivable. The children were very good - plenty to keep them occupied, and we all managed to get a nap.

We arrived in Sydney at nine o’ clock at night and went through immigration and customs without incident. Driving home with our relatives was very wierd - we drove over the Sydney Harbour bridge, right past the opera house, but only vaguely registered because we were so zonked. Stopped off in a services place and had a cookie and a bit of banter with the cleaning chap before spending an hour chatting and passing out at 3am.

One nice thing, though, is that there were half a dozen wild kangaroos waiting to see us when we arrived. I don’t think the idea of kangaroos just bouncing about in the countryside has actually sunk in to the kids, but they know now :) 

Driving was odd at night because you could have been anywhere (if it weren’t for the constellations being upsides-down). In the morning, though, it was a bit different.

First of all, the dawn chorus is less of a gentle symphony to nature and more of a scandinavian death metal band. There aren’t many things that sound like a kookaburra. Then there’s the cicadas. Stepping out the door in the morning is a really strange thing - the heat and humidity on top of the noise of the wildlife is just incredible - it’s just teeming with life.

Popped into Newcastle for a run today. It looks a lot like New Orleans - lots of clapboard houses, flat roofs and wrought iron verandas. Everywhere you look there are bright purple Jacaranda trees.

I’m just off to do a bit of CV polishing. It’s 28 degrees outside. It’s a bit hot.