The art of the picnic

One thing I'm learning about Aussie life is the importance of putting together a good picnic. There's lots of opportunities to sit outside and enjoy the glorious weather but you've got to have the good spread to go with it. Be it fresh olives and organic bread, pittas with meatballs or fresh fruit and a nice sparkling white - the spread is where it's at.

Another essential is the esky. Esky's keep things cool and can be packed down with ice so food and your beverages of choice can be kept refreshingly cool. Coming from a relatively cold country this was a new concept to me but one that I can completely see the value in. After all who wants a lukewarm drink when it's 42 degrees?

We spent this afternoon listening to jazz music in the glorious confines of Hyde Park. Our contribution was tuna pasta for the kids, mince pies (that have been sitting in the cupboard since Xmas) and some crackers n' a bit of cheese. Pitched against the culinary delights brought by Kerst and Fi we'd stand no chance in a picnic contest. There was a beautiful salad with olives, deli-fresh fills with smoked cheese and gourmet sandwiches. Their picnic blankets and kid-friendly plates and cups also came in handy whilst our make-shift seating area (the car visor) got pushed to the side. Time to up the game methinks...

Despite the failed picnic attempt, a good time was had by all. I managed to grab some cute shots of the kids as they danced around and got a lot of smiles from my nephew who still avoids me like the plague. Maybe I'll try stitching sweeties into my t-shirt next time. That should bring him round.

Harry...the new member of the family Green

Much as we'd like to be a one car family, Dan's journey to work and my refusal to stay cooped up in a hot house/navigate sporadic public transport led us to the conclusion that we needed another vehicle. A car was out - too expensive, a bit indulgent and - since we got a bit stung with the last purchase - daunting too.

D has wanted a bike for a while now but I've always been against the idea. Not only were the drivers in London nutcases and the roads stupidly busy, but I was also well aware of the big rebel beast inside my husband that lets rip occasionally, making him act impulsively and crave adrenaline.

So...having been promised that he will be a good boy, and feeling suitably confident that Perth drivers will respect his space, we headed down to a bike shop south of the river.

After salivating over the Ducati Monsters, we found a black Hyosung G250 sitting outside in the second hand area. It looked like a pretty cool bike - a little bit retro, classic black, with leather satchels on the side ('gay' said D, 'practical' said me). He was really after a bigger engine but having been sung the sales song by the bike pro, he jumped on and took it out for a scoot around the block. Yep yep and yep was the verdict, so we sat down, filled in the millions of forms required to complete the purchase and drove the beast (or 'Harry' as it's now been christened) home.

Now all that remains is to purchase a helmet and some leathers of my own so D and I can race up and down the WA coast on those rare child-free weekends. Welcome to the family Harry!

Working up a sweat

If there's one thing I've learnt about myself of late it's that I need exercise. Without it I become rubbish to be around, I start nagging the kids and my husband is often found in the other room where he doesn't have to listen to my incessant whining. Sadly opportunities to get the ol' heart rate up have been a little few and far between as we settle into our new life, so with this arvo to myself, I donned the workout gear and headed down to Hyde Park for a quick jog around the park.

It's a great place to run - you can go as fast/slow as you like and nobody gives a s**t. You even get the speed walkers in head to toe lycra with the jutting hips and the 'don't get in my way or I'll squish you' looks and nobody sniggers at them (apart from me, a bit...). So I think I've found a new way to keep fit - physically and mentally - that doesn't involve machines and expensive gym memberships. Hurrah!

I notice a similar trait in the boy who is at his best when he's active and doing something he loves. He's been at football academy this week and has become even more dedicated to fulfilling his goal of becoming the next Beckham. The coach said 'he has something special' and has invited him to be part of the 9-10 year old team he coaches on Saturdays. Go go go Mister Fin! So from mid feb he'll be doing soccer once, maybe twice a week and is booked for WA state try-outs at the end of the month. Pushy parent? Moi? Of course not....

C'MON FIN GET IT IN THE NET!!!!!

Queensland floods

The floods show no signs of letting up over in Queensland and since they've now reached Brisbane, it's about to get a whole lot worst. There's been stories of loss, despair, tragedy and horrible scenes of people trying to save what they can as they flee their precious homes (as obviously insurance won't cover it). Hmmm....why do we pay insurance again?

It must be a tricky predicament to be in. The water's seeping in under your door and you have no other option but to leave, so what do you take? You've got maybe 15 minutes/half an hour tops to gather what you can, I can't imagine what must have gone through those poor people's minds. One shopkeeper was photographed wading through the water with an industrial sized coffee machine, an older dude grabbed his treasured books whilst a young family used a trailer to carry their couch, kids toys and white goods.

The thing that's struck me most about this unfortunate disaster is how positive and courageous the Aussies are in a crisis. There's this amazing camaraderie they employ when faced with difficult situations - hell most of them were photographed  leaving their homes with smiles on their faces - SMILES! Other images that reflect the unique gun-ho Aussie spirit came in the form of a young guy pretending to cook his breakfast waist deep in water, a man in a vest refusing to leave his home (in all fairness it was on stilts) because he had enough 'tinnies to last the week' and a bunch of young men in boardies using their new found circumstances as a make shift waterpark.

Nevertheless, the reality is these people will have to face severe damage to their property and may be homeless for some time. The damage is pretty heart-breaking and when you look at the stats it beggars belief -  just short of 20,000 homes are expected to be flooded, 16,000 people will need emergency shelter, 15 people are confirmed dead and 43 are unaccounted for. So not a pretty picture.

There's a relief fund in place so if you can spare the cash, do donate.
More info here: http://www.australiafloodappeal.com/

Mrs Mac's

My husband would often reminisce about Mrs Mac's when we lived in the UK, citing it as the best pie on earth. Not being a huge fan of hot, plastic wrapped savoury foods I didn't pay much attention, but having tested them out - several times - I can fully understand the hype. These pies are beauts!

Made from 100% Aussie beef and golden puff pastry, they come in a range of delicious combos guaranteed to tantalise those tastebuds. As you can tell by Bay's pie face the kids also love them, making life easy for me when we're out and about and they are getting hungry (and therefore narky) in the back seat.

Like Heinz Baked Beans or Daddie's Sauce in the UK, MM's are part of the Aussie heritage and can be found pretty much everywhere - from the freezer section of supermarkets to local deli's and petrol stations. They claim to be the freshest pies around, due to the company owning the biggest spiral freezer in Australia that takes those babies from 80 degrees to -25 in two hours and consequently snaps all the good stuff in. It's also a good sales point for mums like me who want a quick fill on the go without having to resort to McD's....

So there you have it. Mrs Macs. A taste sensation. Try them!

Footie, park and zumba!

I realised today how much the kids have changed since we arrived, it's only been 6 weeks but already their limbs seem longer, their hair has grown, they have a nice honey hue to their skin and a more grown up attitude. Bay is already adapting a bit of an aussie twang and they both insist on practicing their 'gday mates' on a daily basis, loudly and often in public places.

Realising I hadn't done any 'proper' photography for a while (those iphones make things so damn easy!) we packed up the gear and headed down to Hyde Park where we did a mini photo shoot by the river. It was nice to play around with some poses and have fun together. It's funny how you can be together so much but miss out on that quality time. Those little people can be pretty funny sometimes...

In the eve Kerst and I headed to our first Zumba class where we shook our shakeables and got sweaty to some latino music. It was led by some very young, butt-shaking Brazilian chicks so I'm hoping that with continued attendance I'll end up looking like them....hmmmm one can dream (or get a good cosmetic surgeon perhaps).

Bedtime now...am hoping all is ok on the East Coast. The floods look like they may reach Brisbane now where we have friends. Scary stuff.

I don't like Mondays...

We have to share the car with Dan this week which means a) lots of public transport and b) quite a bit of map work to get ourselves around. This morning started out ok. Fin was due at soccer club at 9am so we left the house at 7.50am in search of bus route no: 16875. Mr bus driver (speedy Gonzales) arrived on time and took us to Morley Bus Station where we pulled in ten minutes ahead of schedule. Feeling pleased that I'd managed to get us this far, we hopped onto bus number 2 with a confident stride in our step, only to find that when we reached our destination, we'd gone to the wrong school...

Shoulders slumped we headed back to the bus stop where we called sis in law (saviour of the day) to come and collect us and deliver Fin to the correct establishment. Feeling like a prized loser, I swiftly handed him over to the coach, apologised for my tardy time-keeping and headed back with Kerst whilst the boy indulged in some quality kicking time that left him red as a beetroot.

The rest of the day was spent escaping the heat at Kersts (air con heaven) and later on at the library where we found free Wii access (hurrah!) and made friends with some nice kids from Mount Lawley Primary. Lucky for me, the mum was pretty cool too and we've arranged to meet next week for another library Wii-off, then perhaps a trip to the beach to hang out with some other peeps - including kids who will be in Fin's class this year.

So, despite the rocky start it was a pretty nice day in the end - we even had a home-cooked cottage pie donated to the Green cause via Nana Meg. Maybe Monday's aren't so bad after all....