Friday was cloudy but relatively warm so we went to the off leash dog beach.  The sky was magnificent.  The dogs had a great time.  There were some pointers there  and another golden retriever mix.  There was a little black dog that kept trying to herd every other dog like they were sheep.  Another little black and white shaggy thing was mounting every other dog.  His name was Charlie, which is pronounced "Chahlie" over here.

 

There are some different pronunciations here.  If there is an R in the middle or at the end of a word,  they generally do not pronounce it.  For instance; garlic becomes gahlic, and ginger becomes gingah.  However, if a word ends in A, they will tend to drop the A sound and add an ER sound. For instance; the singing group Abba becomes Abber, and a spatula becomes a spatuler.  The H in herbs is pronounced, so it sounds like a man's name to me. Aluminum is spelled aluminium and is pronounced the way it looks.  Filet is spelled fillet and is pronounced fill-it, but buffet is pronounced buffay like we say it.  (And they think we are the strange ones)

 

Saturday, we spent the day at the mall.  We went there to help Paul with his booth which is promoting his business.  Julie got a hair cut there.  Hair products are about twice the price as in the USA.  Fashion is pretty much anything goes.  I covertly took a picture in the hair salon demonstrating this.  The women here do not wear hose.  In the summer they wear nothing on their legs. In the winter, they wear tights of many colors and patterns with their dresses/skirts, or leggings and no socks.  Hair color (artificial) here tends to vivid reds, even on older women.  There are way more spiky hairdos on both men and women.  I also see way more dreads (dreadlocks). 

 

There are way more Asian people here than I see in the States, as well as Middle Eastern people.  Perhaps half the population is something other than European.  There are Asian and Mid-East markets and eateries everywhere.  There are also many Fish-and-Chipperies.  If you do not like ethnic food or fish, you'd have a very limited selection of places to eat out.

 

Yesterday we caught a train to town after Mass and wandered about downtown Melbourne (Melbuhn).  There is some great old architecture here and many specialty shops.  There are very few stores like Wal-mart or Target where you purchase nearly everything at one stop.  If you want a wicker basket, you go to the wicker shop, pet food is at the pet shop, kitchen utensils are at the kitchen shop, etc.  I was able to  finish my shopping, and now can just relax and enjoy. 

 

The weather remains cloudy and chilly, so not sure when we will do the beach drive, the Blackspur mountains, or the tower in the city.  Perhaps we will have to do them in the clouds.  

 

 

Wednesday we went on several errands.  Eye doctor, vet, post office, grocery, scout shop.  I spent way too much money at the scout shop.  I also posted some cards to the States for Father's Day and for Ryan's and Andy's birthdays.  Julie made pumpkin and leek soup which is very good.  It is getting colder here as Australia moves deeper into winter.  Clear days are harder to come by.

Thursday was clear and fine, so we went to the Healesville Sanctuary.  I saw many animals that we do not see in the States.  Notably, koalas, echnidnas, tasmanian devils, platypuses, and kookaburras.  Many of the enclosures were the walk-in type.  We were in with the wallabies, kangaroos, bats, and many birds. Once, a pelican rushed toward us, scaring Julie a bit  (she hurried behind me and hid there).  We ate at a bistro in  the sancuary where I had some delightful Indian curried chicken with a yogurt sauce. We saw several animals that were in a night exhibit, and it was too dark to get decent pictures.  The most memorable of these were the platypus and the bilby. The bilby is a marsupial that resembles a rabbit.  Since rabbits are an invasive creature here, they have substituted the Easter Rabbit with the Easter Bilby.  The scenery was magnificent as can be seen in the photos.  I really enjoy my new camera, as it is VERY esy to get great pictures, or to fix so-so pictures.

Today is again cloudy, so we will not be going to the mountains or the tower where you can see the whole city in 360.  Before we do that, I'll have to figure out the panorama assist on my camera.  I still have  to pick up something for Ryan, and Julie is needing to run some errands.

June 3. Today we went to the Queen Victoria Market, or the Queen Vic as they say here.  There were shops like at a fair in the States.  There were booths selling everything from Asian and Indian (India) to shoes to underwear, to Aussie touristy things.  A whole area was dedicated to a farmers market type resh fruits and veggies, and another to fresh meats and cheeses.  We met a fella wearing a Nebraska Cornhuskers shirt.  The fella was from California, had gotten the shirt while in Japan, and is engaged to an Australian.  It was too crowded to get many pics, but I think there are two in the new folder.  On the way home, got several good sunset and park pictures, also in the new folder.pictures, also in the new folder.

It is late fall here, but temps near to what they were when I left SF.  Left on May 27, arrived here May 29.  I did not have May 28 due to having crossed the international dat line.  Qantas has TV's in the back of the seat in front of each passenger from which you can watch movies, TV (if receiving), or listen to music or radio (if receiving).  There is also a station where you can track the progress of the plane.  15 hours across the ocean was fairly boring.  First day sat around recovering from jet lag.

 

Australia is experiencing a drought that has lasted 10 years now.  There is lawn and garden watering only 2 days per week from 6 to 8 AM only.  Lots of homes have what they call greywater recycling units.  Greywater is the water that goes down the drain from your tub, washing machine, and dishwasher.  The water from these sources goes into a holding tank and is then pumped into a lawn and garden irrigation system that is totally underground by several inches.  No above ground sprinkling allowed.  A person has to use eco-friendly soap in the bath/shower, laundry, and dishwasher.  The toilet and kitchen sink are not included.  Many houses also have rain barrels for collection of what rain they do get.

 

May 30 went to a food and wine show,  spent all day.  The foods were mostly sauces and seasonings, many of which were Asian and African.  I purchased a bottle of dessert  wine and a bottle of pomegranate juice.  Also was able to pick up some gluten free breads and pastas.  They are big on gluten-free labelling here, so shopping for my intolerance is relatively easy.  Took most of the May 30 pics outside the exhibition hall where the food and wine show was held.

 

All the homes here have vents in the outside walls of every room that cannot be closed.  This makes for some chilly mornings.  Paul and Julie have a gas fireplace in the living room which they taught me how to operate since I am the first one awake most mornings.  The vents are there because of a Radon concern.

 

May 31 we hung around the house again.  Paul's boys were with us.  Very delightful boys!!  Ben is 8 and Christopher is 11.  Downloaded pics to the website.  I fixed Julie's hair for a swanky dinner dance fundraiser for the boy's school, then sat with the boys while Paul and Julie were gone.

 

June 1 after Mass Jullie and I went to the mall for a few things she needed.  Passed a store selling bongs.  Ate at  an Arabic fast food joint called Ali Baba.  I had a lamb k'bab, which is a wrap with lamb, lettuce, tomato, onion, and lemon cilantro sauce in it.  Food here is about twice the price as the US.  At the grocery I sampled some chicken sausage with spinach and pine nuts that was so excellent, we decided to purchase some.