We spent the end of June and much of July in the US for our first visit home. It was a great trip- especially upon reflection, now that the horrors of jetlag are receding into distant memory. We enjoyed seeing family- one thing that this adventure is teaching us is how important those family ties remain. Unfortunately, time with friends was limited, but we were able to share some time with those who might as well be family! Please know, friends, that we miss you all....
Our holiday album can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com.au/annedacey/USATripJuly2007
Anne
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Proud Aunty
Introducing Cooper Hans and the two proudest parents in the world, my only sibling Kate, and her husband John. Cooper arrived into our family last week, and we could NOT be more thrilled! He's a healthy, happy little bub, and, aside from his proud cousins, definitely the cutest baby I've ever seen.
We can't wait to give you all sorts of kisses and cuddles, Cooper!
Love, Anne, Rick, Erin, Claire and Lachlan
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Winter in Sydney
OK. Close your eyes and compose your image of an Australian on a typical day in Australia. Think quick. Is it a fit, tan man in khaki shorts and dusty boots, walking through the arid outback in the hot sun? Perhaps a barefoot surfer in his Billabong tshirt? A young girl in her plaid summer school dress, shading her eyes from the sun with her wide-brimmed hat, standing outside of her open-windowed classroom?
Now, consider this young American transplant about to sit down to breakfast on a sunny June morning:
Granted, our heating system conked out last night. Tragically, it gave out on the coldest night that we have experienced thus far- a low of about 42 degrees Fahrenheit. But to be honest, I never imagined that it would get chilly enough so that I would have to break out my L.L.Bean wool sweaters and mittens. People told us to bring our "winter woolies", so we did- I just couldn't picture when I would wear them.
Actually, the weather here is still mild compared to what we experienced in Connecticut in the winter months. In June, July and August, the daytime temperature averages around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. And in the strong sun, it can be quite warm. It just seems that Australians are not prepared for the chill in the air (or perhaps we Americans are just wimps). Most homes do not have central heating (we are fortunate to have central heat in our home when it is working!), and certainly no insulation to keep in any warmth. Many people rely on space heaters to warm up a central room or two, and then dash down the hall to their bedrooms and dive under the doona to have their night sleep. In winter in New England, you knew you had to bundle up to go outside, but you could count on it being comfortable when you stepped inside. Here, you don't know what to expect- I often see people wearing a scarf and hat indoors. Alternatively, I've also observed many people who strike me as underdressed for the weather- in shorts and t-shirts, or only dressed in a thin shirt while I am wearing a turtleneck, wool sweater, heavy fleece and wool mittens. Clearly my blood is too thin for a country that is milder than my own!
As one person observed to me, "We reckon ourselves to be a warm country, and therefore we spend 3 or 4 months of the year being chilly." So true. I always wondered why those UGG boots lined with wool came from Australia- now I know. I may even go out and buy a pair for myself.
The chill aside, I thought I would share a few pictures from a peaceful winter Sunday afternoon.
I love my new sandpit!
Boys vs. girls t-ball
The girls won!
Anne
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Cheeky Kookaburra
Remember the kookaburra? The subject of that silly little song that you learn to sing in childhood?
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be.
(If you'd like a little refresher, you can find the tune by clicking on this link- http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/kookaburra.htm)
The picture here is a rather fuzzy picture of a kookaburra on our clothesline. Because our neighborhood borders on bush reserve, we see and hear lots of birds, and the kookaburras' laugh is so distinctive among them. It crescendos into a crazy cackle, and the first couple of days after we arrived, we would stop and listen and marvel and point it out to the girls. When Oma was here, she had her field glasses out every day, looking for the kookaburra that perched about 5pm on an aerial that we can see from our back veranda, and she was most upset when he didn't show up the day before they left....
Around the dinner table last week, the girls were particularly enjoying a new verse to the "Kookaburra Song" that Erin learned in music class, and that we had never heard before.
Kookaburra sits on the electric wire
Jumping up and down with his pants on fire
Ouch, Kookaburra! Ouch, Kookaburra!
Hot your pants must be.
Ah, the hooting and hollering at the dinner table!
So, this past Wednesday, we were at Erin's soccer practice in the afternoon, and the mums have made a practice of bringing along "afternoon tea" for our kids. We all sit around a picnic table and share our food with one another. Lachlan was sitting in his stroller, out from underneath the cover of the picnic table roof, snacking on a muffin. And all of the sudden, this kookaburra swoops down out of the gum tree over the table and snatches the muffin right out of his hand! The poor kid never saw it coming, and I don't think he ever figured out what happened to his muffin. He just kept sitting there, looking at his hand quizically, not making a peep. And after about 30 seconds, he gave up trying to figure out where it was and moved on to something else.
Cheeky bird!
Anne
Friday, May 4, 2007
Mufti Day, Shopping, This and That
Mufti Day
Today was a "Mufti Day" at Erin's school. In Australia, a mufti day means that the kids do not have to wear their school uniforms (which has moved into the cooler weather dress of a gray and red plaid skirt, white polo and red v-neck sweatshirt, aka, a "jumper"). The purpose of this particular day at Erin's school was to raise money for a nebulizer for a boy in the school who has cystic fibrosis- and it was suggested that the kids dress as their favorite sports identity or in their own sports uniform. They were asked to bring in a "gold coin donation"- a giving amount that refers to the $1 and $2 coins here, both of which are gold. This is a popular way of suggesting a donation amount for a special morning tea, a speaker or the like.
In America, such a day would have resulted in lots of baseball and basketball players, with a smattering of other sports for girls like gymnastics or cheerleading. What I saw today were lots of soccer, rugby and cricket players, with some gymnasts, tennis players, and at least one WWF wrestler (makes me so proud to be an American...). Erin decided to go as an Olympic runner (mostly because that's what Mommy and Daddy could pull together!)- Dad made up the number with the Sydney 2000 Olympic symbol and mom supplied the hat that said "run". At least we had beautiful weather for the outfit!
Shopping
Months ago, I promised an entry about our experiences with shopping in Oz. Let me first qualify things by saying that my observations are based solely on my limited experience here in the suburbs of Sydney- I cannot speak for shopping experiences in the smaller towns and country. But I know there are some things that must be universal….
Lachlan and I spent this morning shopping for food, diapers, healthy and beauty goods, etc. This means that we went to the closest "shopping centre". The shopping centre is much like a typical American mall, except that it also includes many bigger stores that in the US would usually be freestanding- for example, large chain grocery stores. My experience has also been that these centres are very alive with all ages of people throughout the day. They usually have some comfortable places to sit scattered about, lots of coffee places with seating around in the common areas, and little areas where kids can play. The parking situation at these places is generally terrible- they have multilevel parking areas, and they seem to always be packed.
Grocery stores are where we first experienced what we find to be one of the most baffling pieces of equipment- the shopping trolley, or as we would say in the US, the shopping cart. Here, for some reason, all four wheels go every which way, rather than the two back wheels staying set, like they do in the U.S. This results in an absurd inability to control the trolley- I have in fact watched one elderly woman spin completely around in a circle in the parking lot (here called a car park). Quite often you see someone headed sideways down the supermarket aisle, trying desperately to regain control of the trolley. It seems like such a simple concept, and no one has yet to give us any good explanation for it, or, for that matter, any explanation at all.
Grocery stores also seem to be a bit ahead of the US in their use of reusable shopping bags. They offer the bags made of recycled plastic bottles for a nominal fee of $1 or $2. And it is very common to see people actually using these reusable shopping bags. This seems to correspond with what seems to be a little more advanced environmental awareness here in general, most likely because Sydney is under water restrictions because of drought, and because of the hole in the ozone layer that is over this area.
There are two mainline supermarket chains in New South Wales- Coles and Woolworth’s (more affectionately known as “Woolies”). Circulars don’t come in the local newspapers- they are distributed straight to your post box. So, if your post box has a “no junk mail” sign on it, you are out of luck (but isn’t it nice that you can actually post a sign that says “no junk mail” and you don’t get it?)
As a general rule, I’m finding things to be more expensive here than they were in Cheshire. In fact, I was talking to a woman in the grocery store car park, and I was overheard by a couple from the US who were visiting their son who had just moved here. Their one question for me was whether I had found anything cheaper so far. And honestly, the only thing I could think of was a haircut.
Some of our kid staples are no longer available to us, or, the kids find the taste different enough to refuse them. We no longer have access to plain old Cheerios, Wheat Thins, graham crackers, big jars of applesauce and Goldfish. I am having a very difficult time finding a cheese that is mild enough so that the kids will eat it plain, and there is something about the milk that makes Erin whine (or whinge, as Aussies say) every time she drinks it. However, we have discovered some new things to soften the blow, including sausage of every imaginable variety, lots of high fat, creamy yogurt, Tim Tams (amazing chocolate covered wafer biscuits) and wonderfully flavoured thin rice crackers.
As for shopping beyond the grocery store, Australia's answer to Walmart is "Big W"- a store that I thought might be related to Walmart because of the W and because they use terms like "rollback". In fact, it's owned by the Woolworth company. Kmart is here (and seems nicer than in the US). Target is here as well, although, interestingly, it is not related to Target in the US. The stores are almost identical in the types of items they sell, the look, even the colors and the Target symbol. In fact, we thought it was the same Target as in the US (and quite honestly, it made me feel at home when we were here back in 2004) until we got into a discussion with Rick's sister, who was an executive at Target, and she insisted Target had no stores in Australia. We did some research, and discovered that they are indeed, completely different, and the Target here has an agreement with the US Target to use the symbols, etc.
One last comment on shopping. Except for grocery stores, the stores are not open on any nights except Thursday! It's kind of refreshing, once you get used to it....
This And That
Weather: Many of you have asked about the weather that we are experiencing. The seasons in Australia are the opposite those in the United States, given that it is in the Southern Hemisphere. It is very strange to have autumn in May. The weather is definitely milder than what we experienced in New England- although last week it was rainy and in the low-60s (they measure in celsius here, and I have not attempted to get used to it yet), this week has been beautiful- sunny and "fine" and in the low to mid-70s. I am finding the weather hard to dress for. It can be cool in the shade compared to the intense sunshine. I think that is the reason that so many people wear cropped pants here- you just can't make up your mind whether to go long or short!
Some Fun Terms: I've mentioned many terms as I go along, but there are two in particular that I heard this week that I wanted to highlight. I experienced the first at church this week, when the church announcements noted that "[d]uring the past few weeks the arms for the wheel chair have gone walk about." Isn't that great?! So much more expressive than "are missing." Australians have some wonderfully refreshing colloquialisms.
The other I heard just today, while waiting with some other "mums" for school to let out. One mother was talking about seeing some black smoke rising from a house as she was walking along to the bakery the other day. She said that all sorts of "stickybeaks" were coming out to see what was happening. I had to think about that one for a while, and I finally asked her a few minutes later, "Did you say stickybeaks?" Turns out that is the term for a "nosy person." As I reflected on it with Rick later in the day, he said that he has heard it quite a bit since we have been here. I guess that, in a church setting, you might have more conversation about the resident stickybeaks....
Anne
Today was a "Mufti Day" at Erin's school. In Australia, a mufti day means that the kids do not have to wear their school uniforms (which has moved into the cooler weather dress of a gray and red plaid skirt, white polo and red v-neck sweatshirt, aka, a "jumper"). The purpose of this particular day at Erin's school was to raise money for a nebulizer for a boy in the school who has cystic fibrosis- and it was suggested that the kids dress as their favorite sports identity or in their own sports uniform. They were asked to bring in a "gold coin donation"- a giving amount that refers to the $1 and $2 coins here, both of which are gold. This is a popular way of suggesting a donation amount for a special morning tea, a speaker or the like.In America, such a day would have resulted in lots of baseball and basketball players, with a smattering of other sports for girls like gymnastics or cheerleading. What I saw today were lots of soccer, rugby and cricket players, with some gymnasts, tennis players, and at least one WWF wrestler (makes me so proud to be an American...). Erin decided to go as an Olympic runner (mostly because that's what Mommy and Daddy could pull together!)- Dad made up the number with the Sydney 2000 Olympic symbol and mom supplied the hat that said "run". At least we had beautiful weather for the outfit!
Shopping
Months ago, I promised an entry about our experiences with shopping in Oz. Let me first qualify things by saying that my observations are based solely on my limited experience here in the suburbs of Sydney- I cannot speak for shopping experiences in the smaller towns and country. But I know there are some things that must be universal….
Lachlan and I spent this morning shopping for food, diapers, healthy and beauty goods, etc. This means that we went to the closest "shopping centre". The shopping centre is much like a typical American mall, except that it also includes many bigger stores that in the US would usually be freestanding- for example, large chain grocery stores. My experience has also been that these centres are very alive with all ages of people throughout the day. They usually have some comfortable places to sit scattered about, lots of coffee places with seating around in the common areas, and little areas where kids can play. The parking situation at these places is generally terrible- they have multilevel parking areas, and they seem to always be packed.
Grocery stores are where we first experienced what we find to be one of the most baffling pieces of equipment- the shopping trolley, or as we would say in the US, the shopping cart. Here, for some reason, all four wheels go every which way, rather than the two back wheels staying set, like they do in the U.S. This results in an absurd inability to control the trolley- I have in fact watched one elderly woman spin completely around in a circle in the parking lot (here called a car park). Quite often you see someone headed sideways down the supermarket aisle, trying desperately to regain control of the trolley. It seems like such a simple concept, and no one has yet to give us any good explanation for it, or, for that matter, any explanation at all.
Grocery stores also seem to be a bit ahead of the US in their use of reusable shopping bags. They offer the bags made of recycled plastic bottles for a nominal fee of $1 or $2. And it is very common to see people actually using these reusable shopping bags. This seems to correspond with what seems to be a little more advanced environmental awareness here in general, most likely because Sydney is under water restrictions because of drought, and because of the hole in the ozone layer that is over this area.
There are two mainline supermarket chains in New South Wales- Coles and Woolworth’s (more affectionately known as “Woolies”). Circulars don’t come in the local newspapers- they are distributed straight to your post box. So, if your post box has a “no junk mail” sign on it, you are out of luck (but isn’t it nice that you can actually post a sign that says “no junk mail” and you don’t get it?)
As a general rule, I’m finding things to be more expensive here than they were in Cheshire. In fact, I was talking to a woman in the grocery store car park, and I was overheard by a couple from the US who were visiting their son who had just moved here. Their one question for me was whether I had found anything cheaper so far. And honestly, the only thing I could think of was a haircut.
Some of our kid staples are no longer available to us, or, the kids find the taste different enough to refuse them. We no longer have access to plain old Cheerios, Wheat Thins, graham crackers, big jars of applesauce and Goldfish. I am having a very difficult time finding a cheese that is mild enough so that the kids will eat it plain, and there is something about the milk that makes Erin whine (or whinge, as Aussies say) every time she drinks it. However, we have discovered some new things to soften the blow, including sausage of every imaginable variety, lots of high fat, creamy yogurt, Tim Tams (amazing chocolate covered wafer biscuits) and wonderfully flavoured thin rice crackers.
As for shopping beyond the grocery store, Australia's answer to Walmart is "Big W"- a store that I thought might be related to Walmart because of the W and because they use terms like "rollback". In fact, it's owned by the Woolworth company. Kmart is here (and seems nicer than in the US). Target is here as well, although, interestingly, it is not related to Target in the US. The stores are almost identical in the types of items they sell, the look, even the colors and the Target symbol. In fact, we thought it was the same Target as in the US (and quite honestly, it made me feel at home when we were here back in 2004) until we got into a discussion with Rick's sister, who was an executive at Target, and she insisted Target had no stores in Australia. We did some research, and discovered that they are indeed, completely different, and the Target here has an agreement with the US Target to use the symbols, etc.
One last comment on shopping. Except for grocery stores, the stores are not open on any nights except Thursday! It's kind of refreshing, once you get used to it....
This And That
Weather: Many of you have asked about the weather that we are experiencing. The seasons in Australia are the opposite those in the United States, given that it is in the Southern Hemisphere. It is very strange to have autumn in May. The weather is definitely milder than what we experienced in New England- although last week it was rainy and in the low-60s (they measure in celsius here, and I have not attempted to get used to it yet), this week has been beautiful- sunny and "fine" and in the low to mid-70s. I am finding the weather hard to dress for. It can be cool in the shade compared to the intense sunshine. I think that is the reason that so many people wear cropped pants here- you just can't make up your mind whether to go long or short!
Some Fun Terms: I've mentioned many terms as I go along, but there are two in particular that I heard this week that I wanted to highlight. I experienced the first at church this week, when the church announcements noted that "[d]uring the past few weeks the arms for the wheel chair have gone walk about." Isn't that great?! So much more expressive than "are missing." Australians have some wonderfully refreshing colloquialisms.
The other I heard just today, while waiting with some other "mums" for school to let out. One mother was talking about seeing some black smoke rising from a house as she was walking along to the bakery the other day. She said that all sorts of "stickybeaks" were coming out to see what was happening. I had to think about that one for a while, and I finally asked her a few minutes later, "Did you say stickybeaks?" Turns out that is the term for a "nosy person." As I reflected on it with Rick later in the day, he said that he has heard it quite a bit since we have been here. I guess that, in a church setting, you might have more conversation about the resident stickybeaks....
Anne
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
ANZAC Day
Today was ANZAC Day here in Australia. I am sure that those of you who are avid fans of the History Channel know about this day, but I am not a good student of history or military campaigns, and thus I had never heard about it.
The Australian Government's Cultural and Recreation Portal explains the meaning of the day:
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. It commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli and later it came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. The spirit of ANZAC recognises the qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice which were demonstrated at the Gallipoli landing.
The kids did not have school, and many commemoration services were held at dawn across the country. Rick, who has a patriotic streak that seems to rise above his home country, had hoped to make one of these commemoration services, but it was pouring at 5AM, which held him off. But the Sydney ANZAC parade was shown on TV (we were struck by how so many people turned out to watch so many veterans interspersed with a few bands march in the rain- no floats, no silly Shriners, nothing to distract from the solemness of the occasion) and a very moving dawn service was broadcast from Gallipoli, Turkey.
This day seems to be much more ingrained in the national identity here than Memorial Day or Veterans' Day are in the US. Children can tell you the meaning of the day, and it seems that most people, young and old, observe it with great respect.
If you are interested in learning more about ANZAC Day, you can visit this website:
http://www.culture.gov.au/articles/anzac/
So, school has started back up into Term 2 and the weather is getting chillier and rainier. Now it feels like mid-October. We were really missing the wonderful fireplaces we had in our Cheshire home today!
Anne
The Australian Government's Cultural and Recreation Portal explains the meaning of the day:
On 25 April every year, Australians commemorate ANZAC Day. It commemorates the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. The date, 25 April, was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli and later it came to mean any Australian or New Zealander who fought or served in the First World War. During the Second World War, ANZAC Day became a day on which the lives of all Australians lost in war time were remembered. The spirit of ANZAC recognises the qualities of courage, mateship and sacrifice which were demonstrated at the Gallipoli landing.
The kids did not have school, and many commemoration services were held at dawn across the country. Rick, who has a patriotic streak that seems to rise above his home country, had hoped to make one of these commemoration services, but it was pouring at 5AM, which held him off. But the Sydney ANZAC parade was shown on TV (we were struck by how so many people turned out to watch so many veterans interspersed with a few bands march in the rain- no floats, no silly Shriners, nothing to distract from the solemness of the occasion) and a very moving dawn service was broadcast from Gallipoli, Turkey.
This day seems to be much more ingrained in the national identity here than Memorial Day or Veterans' Day are in the US. Children can tell you the meaning of the day, and it seems that most people, young and old, observe it with great respect.
If you are interested in learning more about ANZAC Day, you can visit this website:
http://www.culture.gov.au/articles/anzac/
So, school has started back up into Term 2 and the weather is getting chillier and rainier. Now it feels like mid-October. We were really missing the wonderful fireplaces we had in our Cheshire home today!
Anne
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Easter in Australia
Well, we have now experienced our first “major” holiday that both the US and Australia celebrate, and all in all, we have not suffered too much homesickness. Perhaps that because the weather is not insanely different, as it will be at Christmas. Or, perhaps it’s because my parents are visiting, and that takes the sting out of missing family (Rick, of course, has a slightly different perspective on that issue). Or maybe it’s because candy is candy (or lollies, as the case may be), and chocolate is chocolate, and the Easter Bunny delivers in Australia as well.
That said, there are definitely observations to be shared about the way that the holiday is celebrated. Here in New South Wales, Easter is the start of a two-week break between school terms. So, the end of the week was rather festive in the schools. Erin’s school held an Easter Basket Parade on Thursday, where the kids and their assorted family members assembled and watched the older and younger classes pair up and parade with baskets they had decorated together, listened to the school bands and choirs perform, and watched awards being given. Erin even had a part as a “multicultural” first year student, and read about the Christian tradition of Easter Sunday celebrating Christ’s resurrection (her teacher claimed that she didn’t have any part in the chance fact that a minister’s daughter was reading that!) After the assembly, there was a sausage sizzle, and the kids were permitted to leave school early to start the holiday weekend.
Mom and I attended an Easter Hat parade at the primary school closest to Claire’s preschool. The preschool had been invited to join the kids who paraded with buddies to show off all sorts of crazy hats that they had made. The preschoolers paraded in bunny hats they had made and loved it.
For a vast majority, Good Friday seems to signal a time to begin holidays and family outings to beaches and outdoor venues, much like Labor Day at the end of the summer in the U.S. A big draw here in the Sydney area is the Royal Easter Show, which is a like the Big E in Massachusetts, or a New England country fair on steroids. Both Friday and Monday are public holidays, and all stores, even the grocery stores, are entirely closed on Friday and Sunday.
The biggest difference we have noticed is the way Easter was celebrated at church. There were traditional Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, and of course, Easter Sunday. On Sunday, though, save for a slight uptick in celebratory mood, and the serving of yummy hot cross buns at morning tea, it was not much different than a regular Sunday. The children were not dressed in bright new spring dresses and white shoes, or little bow ties and new pants, lilies did not cover the front of the church, and the pews did not overflow with the addition of twice-a-year churchgoers. But Rick did preach a humdinger of a sermon, and we enjoyed our traditional Easter ham dinner, with a short bushwalk afterwards, so all is well that ends well!
For my part, I made my first Pavlova, a uniquely Australian dessert made with meringue, whipped cream and fruit. My first meringue was a disaster, as I put it in at 250 degrees Celsius instead of Fahrenheit and it blew up and burned, but once I got my temperatures right, I think I did ok!
We wish all of you a very blessed Easter, and for those of you in the US, enjoy the coming of spring!
Anne
Sunday at church
Pavlova meringue #1- temperature conversion disaster
That said, there are definitely observations to be shared about the way that the holiday is celebrated. Here in New South Wales, Easter is the start of a two-week break between school terms. So, the end of the week was rather festive in the schools. Erin’s school held an Easter Basket Parade on Thursday, where the kids and their assorted family members assembled and watched the older and younger classes pair up and parade with baskets they had decorated together, listened to the school bands and choirs perform, and watched awards being given. Erin even had a part as a “multicultural” first year student, and read about the Christian tradition of Easter Sunday celebrating Christ’s resurrection (her teacher claimed that she didn’t have any part in the chance fact that a minister’s daughter was reading that!) After the assembly, there was a sausage sizzle, and the kids were permitted to leave school early to start the holiday weekend.
Mom and I attended an Easter Hat parade at the primary school closest to Claire’s preschool. The preschool had been invited to join the kids who paraded with buddies to show off all sorts of crazy hats that they had made. The preschoolers paraded in bunny hats they had made and loved it.
For a vast majority, Good Friday seems to signal a time to begin holidays and family outings to beaches and outdoor venues, much like Labor Day at the end of the summer in the U.S. A big draw here in the Sydney area is the Royal Easter Show, which is a like the Big E in Massachusetts, or a New England country fair on steroids. Both Friday and Monday are public holidays, and all stores, even the grocery stores, are entirely closed on Friday and Sunday.
The biggest difference we have noticed is the way Easter was celebrated at church. There were traditional Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, and of course, Easter Sunday. On Sunday, though, save for a slight uptick in celebratory mood, and the serving of yummy hot cross buns at morning tea, it was not much different than a regular Sunday. The children were not dressed in bright new spring dresses and white shoes, or little bow ties and new pants, lilies did not cover the front of the church, and the pews did not overflow with the addition of twice-a-year churchgoers. But Rick did preach a humdinger of a sermon, and we enjoyed our traditional Easter ham dinner, with a short bushwalk afterwards, so all is well that ends well!
For my part, I made my first Pavlova, a uniquely Australian dessert made with meringue, whipped cream and fruit. My first meringue was a disaster, as I put it in at 250 degrees Celsius instead of Fahrenheit and it blew up and burned, but once I got my temperatures right, I think I did ok!
We wish all of you a very blessed Easter, and for those of you in the US, enjoy the coming of spring!
Anne
Check out the beautiful flowers in our Easter Garden!
Sunday at church
Pavlova meringue #1- temperature conversion disaster
I can't make the picture center, but here is Pavlova #2!
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