A Quick Update

Because it's been a while since I have posted, I'll try to be as brief as possible. I have taken a number of "miscellaneous" pictures of our antics here in OZ, so I thought I'd just throw them all into one post with a brief explanation of each:

Hubby's Chipburger:

When I heard about this, I immediately thought of all the french fry sandwiches that my dad used to eat growing up - and they still gross me out. But this one takes the cake. Not only is it a sandwich with french fries (chips) in it, it also have a beer battered, deep fried piece of fish. We made a pact that this would be the LAST time we would allow Hubby to eat such a heart-attack on a bun!

A Rare Moment of Peace:

The monsters have not always adjusted perfectly to all the changes lately, so when they both happened to be reading books on their beds, I couldn't NOT take a picture to preserve what was indeed, a rare moment of peace.

The Boy Reading to his Friends:

I actually have a figurine at home in Canada that says The Boy's name and it's a bear reading to his stuffed friends. One of his first homework assignments was to relax with a book or to lie down on his bed and relax for then minutes (yes, I do LOVE his teacher!). So this is what I walked in on - another restful moment that needed to be preserved. How cute is this?

How We Do Date Night in OZ:

Well, we have no sitters lined up yet, and we're used to being able to have at least one kid free meal in a month - so this was our solution while we were still living in the hotel. Once we closed the sliding doors, we barely knew they were there. ;)

We walked around our new neighbourhood before we moved in and these are some of the things we saw - On our Walk Through Rosalie:

We saw a very big dog:

And the kids got caught in a spider web...

And we had some Cold Rock yummy goodness!

Playing at South Bank:

South Bank is an area just across the river from the CBD (or downtown) of Brisbane. There is a manmade beach with a lagoon, splash area and park. There is a boardwalk to walk along the river, many performing arts venues, cafes, shops and a huge market on the weekend. We enjoyed a lazy Sunday there a couple of weeks ago and this is how we do South Bank, in the winter, Canuck-style!!!

And of course, there's the adorable Daddy & Daughter shot from brunch a little while ago. This isn't the best one, that one's on Facebook, but her mischevious look is in all the pictures from this exchange! Poor Hubby, he was trying so hard to explain his point to her!

That's the hodge podge for now. Time to sign off and clean up the house so I can post some pics for all those who are curious about our new digs!

Koalas, Kangaroos and Snakes, OH MY!

We visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary last month, and it was definitely a day we will never forget! It is a park approx 20 minutes from our new home, where people are encouraged to interact with the animals in order to learn and understand them. And you really do INTERACT with them.

I had heard rumours about being able to “cuddle a koala”, but I thought, “Really, who’s going to let people cuddle this apparently vicious beast?” Well, the koalas we met are quite docile and seemed quite content to be passed from person to person. That said, you could tell that the handlers were very protective of their charges and were quick with warnings and handling instructions. We lined up in a queue for about ten minutes, and let The Boy do the honours first. He was so careful with Kakadee the Koala and so proud to be holding him (as you can tell from the picture!).

Next, The Girl got to hug Kakadee. Because she is too little yet to hold him, she had to settle for a hug, but she didn’t seem to mind too much.

Daddy and Mommy each got a turn as well, but because we hadn’t had a paid picture taken of us, we were not allowed to take pictures ourselves – realistically, no one at home is clamoring for pictures of us. ;) Kakadee was quite heavy, and very furry. He fur was coarse, almost like a soft broom and very thick. It’s kind of funny to think of an animal needing such thick fur in such a warm climate.

After hanging with Kakadee and friends, we wandered the sanctuary for a while. We saw the retirement home, where we agreed that the grandmas, nanas, papas etc could live when the visit! :D We also saw a koala with long soft grey fur that reminded us of Abu – so now we call him the “Abu Koala”.

We watched a sheepdog presentation in the farm area. There was also a “petting zoo” area like back home, with sheep, goats, pigs and other farm animals roaming around. We all agreed that the sheep felt just like a big woolly sweater and that staying away from the bull might be a good idea.

From the barnyard to the kangaroo free range, and WOW, what an experience that was. Because Kangaroos apparently don’t do well when kept in captivity, their pen was set up like an outback bush. It was huge, and all the kangaroos had free reign. For a small fee, visitors can purchase kangaroo food and actually hand feed the animals. We thought the koalas were docile, but that was nothing compared to the kangaroos! They came right up to us, ate out of our hands and let us pet them and even give them a little snuggle.

At one point, Caleb was petting a sleepy kangaroo on his own and I have a feeling that if he had lain down with him, he might have been able to have a cuddly nap with kangaroo!

We can't forget about the adorable Mumma Koalas and their babies. It was amazing to see these young females interacting with their kids - and the kids were just as naughty as ours can be ;)

Oh - and did I mention snakes? We also watched a presentation while a handler held two live pythons! The kids each got to go up and touch the snakes - Mom hung out further back!

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is definitely a place that visitors must hit when they are in Brisbane. We already purchased our season pass, so we can’t wait to bring family and friends through!A

First Kangaroo Sighting!

The Boy saw his first Kanagaroo... Check out the picture below!!!!

Boy Bonding

I've been living in my own home for 11 years. Married for 8 1/2 years. I have NEVER really had sports on a TV in my house. Sometimes D. would come over and the boys would watch part of a hockey game. If I wasn't paying attention, Hubby might watch some golf here and there. But we just don't watch sports.

And then we moved to OZ. Did you know that there is rugby on TV EVERY NIGHT? Even more crazy is the fact that my boys are absolutely GLUED to it. If given a choice, the Boy will actually choose watching rugby over watching one of his usual shows.

Hubby did play rugby in University, but I assumed he played in order to get in on the really good drinking parties. But it seems it's genetic, because the boy is genuinely excited to watch it. Maybe because it's something he can do with his dad - something they have in common and can really connect over.

Or maybe it's something to fall asleep to! :)

For the non-believers

I cooked my first "Australian" meal today. Actually, it's the first time I've cooked in about two weeks! We had BBQ Kangaroo (ok, marinated in BBQ sauce, then fried), Herbed Mint Baby Potatoes and Caprese Salad. The pictures below speak for themselves, I think!

The table is set! We've been eating all our meals on the balcony. The fresh air is nice while we eat... Such decadence! 8D

YUMMYLICIOUS!

Caleb tries kangaroo for the first time. And the verdict is...

TWO THUMBS UP!

Caleb and Daddy enjoy a Tim Tam cheers for dessert.

New Neighbourhood?

We toured Milton/Auchenflower/Paddington this weekend in order to determine if the neighbourhood would be a good fit... Well, we absolutely love it! (Hubby done good in pre-screening the place!)

There were families walking through the Rosalie shops and cafes, playing in the playground, roaming the streets on bikes and scooters. And the playground! The pics don't do it justice. Multiple climbing structures, swings, a maze, covered picnic areas, WASHROOMS (!), a huge soccer field - all in the school's backyard. The school also has its own pool for swimming classes. Yeah, I'd say this would be a pretty cool place to call home.

This is the covered picnic area... on the right are the washrooms...

This is the back of Milton State School. It's even bigger than it looks. I'll miss the small community of ECPS, but it'll be interesting to see how this big population is managed.

Going to see some properties in the neighbourhood tomorrow morning... Wish us luck!

For Wookie...

These were waiting in our fridge upon check-in. Gotta love that Aussie hospitality! :)