Shrimp... err... PRAWNS on the Barbie

That's right, kids. The Australians want you to know that they'd never "slip another shrimp on the barbie." Paul Hogan's got you all confused. Rather, they'd throw another "prawn." Please correct yourselves the next time you're tempted to say it; the Australians are quite upset.

We've had another few lovely days in Newcastle. Some of you will be happy to hear I've seen my first batch of koalas and kangaroos. Kay took us to a wildlife park, and we were able to stare at all sorts of birds and animals. The koalas were cute and looked soft, but I got a nasty whiff of them when they moved. I'd like to hold one in Brisbane, but I'm hoping they bathe them every so often up there.

Moving on, Tim kindly played chauffeur for Kay, Kate and me on Thursday, escorting us on a wine tasting excursion in Hunter Valley. We sampled buckets of wine with a bit of cheese, dips and chocolate in between sips. It was great to go for a drive, passing through the mining towns and farms on our way to and from the vineyards.

Shortly after our return to the O'Hara household, Brad and Lara swept us off for our sleepover in East Maitland. We were greeted by Brad's wonderful parents Jeff and Cheryl. The Cranfield clan and Lara had prepared a beautiful dinner for us, including prawns (thus the title of the blog), sausage, and chicken on the barbie for the omnivores and corn fritters and asparagus flan for me. Everything was delicious, especially the potatoes (Cheryl, don't forget to email us the recipe) and gorgeous fruit custard dessert. Most importantly, we learned during the course of the meal that Americans are referred to as "seppos" in Australia. This, of course, is because "Yanks are like septic tanks... full of sh**."

We woke bright and early the next morning to a breakfast of bacon and eggs, also prepared on the barbie. We needed the fuel because we had a few hours of quad riding ahead of us. Initially, Kate and I were reluctant city folk on the quad, but soon we were zipping off, testing our limits on the bumpy farmland. Brad and Lara took us for a few rides on the back with them, showing us how it's done, and giving us a few blisters from holding on so tightly to the back bar for dear life in the meantime. Competitive Super Star Athlete Lara (she's a famous netballer!) suggested we do time trials, and we obliged. Ever the athlete, I came in dead last. Kate beat me by ten seconds or so. Brad narrowly edged his friend Clint out for the win, beating me by 20+ seconds. At least my mother knows I can never go fast enough to cause harm to my body.

After changing into our "swimmies," Brad and Lara ushered us around the prettiest bays and beaches, including the sand dunes where Star Wars and Mad Max were filmed. Imagine huge stretches of soft white sand meeting crystal blue water with minimal- to-no people present and lush green hills in the background. It was awesome. Kate took a ride on the mechanical bull at the wharf, impressing us all with her riding abilities and not-so-graceful landing, and then we rushed back to Newcastle to clean up for a dinner on Alex's tab. A magnificent thunder storm began just as we finished with the beach, so we were treated to grand cloud formations beforehand and two massive complete rainbows afterward.

Following dinner at the Red Heifer, Brad, Lara, Kate and I hopped on the local ferry, so we could cross the water and view the city of Newcastle from a distance at night. It was loads of fun (and cheap), and the perfect way to end our slumber party.

Since then we've been resting (I'm recovering from an airplane cold), baking, and shopping for New Year's Eve attire. I purposely updated today, so Kate would get stuck with the NYE report. I'm sure Silverchair will delight us with antics, and I think only Kate could provide the proper description of what will come.

Happy 2007!

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