Much needed update.. Part 1 Xmas
Well, I have received gentle reminders that it's been a while since I updated my blog..
Xmas I spent in Tallahassee with Rach's family. It was really great to have such wonderful hospitality, and just to feel at home. We had a big tree, lots of food, an engagement party for Rach's brother Michael and his fiancee Alison, trivial pursuit, shopping - it was a lot of fun.
Did miss my Newcastle Xmas crew - spent time texting them and asking them to drink my favourite champagne and eat prawns for me - they had 3kg!! (translation - shrimp - 6.5 pounds). Also missed my traditional December / January beach-goings with my friends back in Coogee and Bondi - but the weather has been kind of funny back home, so perhaps I wouldn't have been spending as many long summer days at the beach as I dream about.
Tallahassee is northern Florida, so not like going to Miami, but still warmer, which was great.. I told everyone I was going to go for a swim - because I've been missing salt water on my skin like you wouldn't believe.
First day was overcast, but the temperature was 70 degrees (that's about 20 celcius for those of use who think zero for freezing rather than 32 is a smart idea). However boxing day was only 50 degrees (10 degrees c) so there was no way in hell I was going in the water. I have swum in Sydney in July, but it was an unexpectedly warm beautiful day and the water was bearable. I was incredibly disappointed not to be able to swim, but at least I got to go to the beach - see the sand and the water. And one of the best things was that there was no-one else around - parking lot was empty, beach stretched for miles in either direction facing the gulf of Mexico without anyone in sight... I brought a whole bunch of shells home with me to bring some of the sea inside. We ate oysters by the beach and I had some incredibly strong cocktail called a hurricane, so lucky I wasn't driving!
Boxing Day - that's Dec 26 for those of you who don't get an extra holiday to wrap up gifts or food or give to charity or whatever the day is for... just realised that some of my American readers might not know it. Which means of course that they don't know about the very special way you can celebrate your birthday - birthday eve (the night before); birthday (ummm - obvious); and boxing birthday (the day after). This is a recognised Australian way of celebrating your birthday and making it last for 3 whole days... so you get to celebrate by drinking lots of fosters and riding kangaroos...
okay, I made that last bit up, but considering how many words, phrases and ideas really are different here, maybe I should start a glossary or something. Might help people whenever I forget and mention that I'm going to use a torch (US: large flaming stick - often seen on tv shows like survivor) instead of a flashlight..
Xmas I spent in Tallahassee with Rach's family. It was really great to have such wonderful hospitality, and just to feel at home. We had a big tree, lots of food, an engagement party for Rach's brother Michael and his fiancee Alison, trivial pursuit, shopping - it was a lot of fun.
Did miss my Newcastle Xmas crew - spent time texting them and asking them to drink my favourite champagne and eat prawns for me - they had 3kg!! (translation - shrimp - 6.5 pounds). Also missed my traditional December / January beach-goings with my friends back in Coogee and Bondi - but the weather has been kind of funny back home, so perhaps I wouldn't have been spending as many long summer days at the beach as I dream about.
Tallahassee is northern Florida, so not like going to Miami, but still warmer, which was great.. I told everyone I was going to go for a swim - because I've been missing salt water on my skin like you wouldn't believe.
First day was overcast, but the temperature was 70 degrees (that's about 20 celcius for those of use who think zero for freezing rather than 32 is a smart idea). However boxing day was only 50 degrees (10 degrees c) so there was no way in hell I was going in the water. I have swum in Sydney in July, but it was an unexpectedly warm beautiful day and the water was bearable. I was incredibly disappointed not to be able to swim, but at least I got to go to the beach - see the sand and the water. And one of the best things was that there was no-one else around - parking lot was empty, beach stretched for miles in either direction facing the gulf of Mexico without anyone in sight... I brought a whole bunch of shells home with me to bring some of the sea inside. We ate oysters by the beach and I had some incredibly strong cocktail called a hurricane, so lucky I wasn't driving!
Boxing Day - that's Dec 26 for those of you who don't get an extra holiday to wrap up gifts or food or give to charity or whatever the day is for... just realised that some of my American readers might not know it. Which means of course that they don't know about the very special way you can celebrate your birthday - birthday eve (the night before); birthday (ummm - obvious); and boxing birthday (the day after). This is a recognised Australian way of celebrating your birthday and making it last for 3 whole days... so you get to celebrate by drinking lots of fosters and riding kangaroos...
okay, I made that last bit up, but considering how many words, phrases and ideas really are different here, maybe I should start a glossary or something. Might help people whenever I forget and mention that I'm going to use a torch (US: large flaming stick - often seen on tv shows like survivor) instead of a flashlight..
