Before Dolphins - Relaxation and a Kookaburra

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Well I've had a relaxing couple of days. I don't know the last time I've uttered/typed those words. Kim has been in her med school placement for the week so I've been on my own for the days. I decided to explore Wollongong by foot. I did a little shopping. I forgot my camera cord to upload photos. I guess if I forgot anything that's not the worst thing in the world. Bought a tent for future adventures. Found a waffle place that offered real Canadian maple syrup (imported by an Aussie company). I give the waffles an A- and the syrup a B+. Not the high grade stuff, but certainly heaps (I'm adding this to my vocabulary...see previous post) better than Aunt Jemima.

Then I went to the beach and just sat and read. I've decided that beach-side reading will be added to my routine regardless of how busy I get and no matter where I am (as long as I'm near a coast...which I will be). The next day I got locked INTO Kim's house. Australians have strange security. There are padlocks on both sides of the door and if the door is locked you need a key to get out. Fire hazard??! I thought one of Kim's other roommates would be home, but he had to run to school. I was left in the apartment to read/play guitar/upload photos to facebook. By the time he got back I didn't really have time for any significant activity, so I walked back to the beach (about 15 minutes) and read again. I've already finished 3 books in a week and a half. I don't think I've ever done that before. Never had the time. Now I have all the time. What a feeling.

That night we went over to Kim's friend's house to watch the second match of State of Origin. Doesn't quite make it back to North America but a huge deal here. State of Origin is league rugby (different from union rugby that most people are used to) and is played between the best players from the club teams in Queensland and New South Wales, two of the states on the east coast. Think Canada vs. US in hockey as far as scale of importance. Basically, there are a couple of main sports here: union rugby, league rugby (footy), aussie rules football (AFL), cricket, and soccer with a sprinkling of basketball thrown in. It depends which state you're in as to what is most popular. I still haven't figured out AFL yet but apparently its big in the west, so I'll have to learn. Oh and Queensland rocked NSW in State of Origin with a fair bit of punching and bad blood for good measure. They like their sports rough here.

Now I'm going to try something a bit different. I always carry a small moleskin notebook with me to collect my thoughts, but I usually summarize them for the blog. I've decided that a truer sense of how I'm feeling is captured in the scribblings. Plus they are short and to the point and only highlight what I found to be really important. I'll warn that it's more terse and random than most of my blogging, but then that's the point. I will italicize anything that came directly from my notebook. Anything within the italics in brackets was added later although I'll try to keep that to a minimum.

Climbing Mt. Keira. Started from the university and made it to the road. Turned right. I think Kim said go left. Australian signs are missing 'you are here' dot. Maybe I left my navigational skills back in Canada. Saw at least 6 bird species at the trailhead alone. Zoom on the new camera is kinda weak. Might be able to i.d. them still. I hear rustling of leaves or wing flaps every 20 steps or so. Lots of bird life.

Sweating despite it only being 12 degrees celcius. I love my thermoregulatory abilities. There goes a corrowong singing in the trees. Sounds like a children's toy being pummeled by a dying cat. Maybe a mix of the two. Pummeled makes no sense. Well it's onward and upward I guess. I'm on the Mt. Keira ring track. Haven't found the summit trail. Moving horizontal or downward. Should've turned left. Oh well. Nothing but time...

(break)

Just after I left that bench I began climbing up. Only about 20 minutes later and I'm at the 'summit'. View of all of Wollongong and surrounding area. It's starting to sprinkle. I somewhat revel in the fact that all of this is new to me. The trees. The birds. The insects. I also lament that I know nothing...scratch that...little about this place. I AM NAIVE TO AUSTRALIAN FLORA & FAUNA! There's a plant that smells like a skunk. Haven't figured out which one. I'll call it skunk plant when I find it. Maybe it's called that already. Common names are often descriptive. Wish I knew Latin. Then scientific names would be descriptive too. Sun is attempting to peek through. Australian winter is pleasant.

(break)

Made it to the bottom in 45 min. Ran most of the way. Don't know why. No rush. An hour and 45 min up...45 down. Guess I took my time investigating every rustle. Didn't see another soul on the trail. A few at the top who'd driven up. Now I can hear traffic and school children. Walking around the Wollongong botanical gardens. Just saw the most magnificent parrots. Will have to look up what they are. Why is my knee so sore?? Maybe I shouldn't have ran down the mountain.

(break)

Saw a kookaburra!

So there's a small taste of my rather disjointed thought processing. It's definitely different. Seems to add a bit more realness. I'll continue to do a mixture of both styles. Anyways this blog is long enough (although my parents say they love every detail). I've added some photos to previous blogs as well if you want to check those out. There are more on facebook for those who have it. Oh and the parrots were Eastern Rosellas for the biologically inclined. I'll leave you with one more scribble from my notes before going off to the Wollongong Friday market.

I love pelicans. Random thought. So majestic but still with that touch of awkward I am drawn to in animals.

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Photos

Wollongong
View from the top of Mt. Keira