musings from down unda

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Hello World

Here I am checking back in after a prolonged and event-filled absence!
I have been blissfully disconnected from the computer for awhile, experiencing life and its general busy-ness! Of course this includes kisses on the toes from kangaroos and jetting off to Sydney to ring-in the birthday.

Where should I start? Perhaps at a point when I still lived in hostel-land and this graceful ballerina went a-tumblin down the stairs. Do not fret! My water did not spill! As my bum met the hard stairs I couldn’t help but laugh and laugh, knowing the riot mum & sis would have had seeing - no, hearing me go.

Sometime after that, a few of us Canadians took in some fireworks Aussie-style during a festival downtown. The festival was celebrating… wait for it… Water.
Don’t ask, cuz I still don’t know! The fireworks however were spectacular! They seem to have a thing for them here and they are always amazing. None of this "minute delay" business between single red and green Roman Candles! No, these fireworks were shot from a number of barges running down the middle of the river through downtown and we got to stand right smack-dab next to it all! A slight wind meant that they were exploding directly over our heads. No one seemed concerned. Haha. I might mention that the addition of ash to our ice cream was delightful.

As I was flying into Sydney the other day I was reminded of how brown everything is here. I couldn’t quite understand or make-out what I was looking at when I first arrived & descended over Melbourne. All the landscape is a dusty brown, dotted with small specks of lighter earth that may have at one time contained water. Australia is on about the 10th year of a drought with water restrictions everywhere for the past few years. Some water reservoirs are down to 40%!((MISSING)that’s being generous) and even 10%! (MISSING) Perhaps the water shortage had gotten to my friend on Saturday when she grabbed a few beers for us at a footie game. (I’ll fill y’in on the game later). She asked for Carlton Drought. (Should be Carlton Draught)!! hahaha

With everyone hyper-aware of water around here you see signs defending any outdoor use of it. I guess you have to reassure the parched citizens, before they fire off a letter of indignation that you are indeed using recycled or grey water for such frivolous watering of grass in parks & outside public buildings.
After the FINA world swimming championships a couple of weeks ago, they treated the water from the pool and used it to water the city’s dying elm trees. Fountains here in Melbourne are empty but interestingly in Sydney they are spouting.

Lastly, I will leave this posting with a few Australianisms… (my word, not their’s :-P )
You will note that kerb, tyre and vegie are all valid spellings here -- even as SpellCheck keeps trying to shove another ‘g’ into my vegie word! Evidently, I must have the Word dictionary on Canadiana-speak. Add to that, words you probably learn to spell in little rhymes when you are a kid (ala Mississippi) when you get fun Australian suburbs called Woolloomooloo! (I think I've got that one right)! :-S

Well, I’ve got plenty more to say but I will bow out for now. Time for bed. The countdown is on for home-time!

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Comments

[kara]

what is this business about home time? can i have a date please?