G'day Mate

Actually, I think I have heard exactly two people say that to me.  However, when we are walking our morning or evening route everyone else is either running, cycling, rowing, swimming, playing soccer, rugby, cricket, basketball...you name it they are doing it.  I have not seen so many active people on a campus since leaving CU.  And all ages, not just college age people.  Everyone is exercising either first thing in the morning, it gets light here at 5:00AM or again after 4:00PM, it gets dark around 6PM.  Rick and I find ourselves going to bed fairly early most nights and getting up around 6:00.  Except this morning, I slept in until 9:00AM.  You should never read emails at 3:00 in the morning, its impossible to go back to sleep!

We have finished our first week in Brisbane and I must say I am enjoying extending my summer.  The campus is lovely and we have some nice places to walk.  When we walk in the evenings, listening to the birds is so enjoyable.  Last night I took my camera and got some decent photos of the Lorikeets and some baby ducks.  The other evening we were walking at dusk and saw these huge flying foxes or fruit bats flying overhead.  Of course, you know me, after listening to Bill Bryson's Sunburned Country, I am always on the look out for something slithery and venomous.  The other night after coming home from downtown and some animal jumped out of a tree and ran across the path in front of us, we are pretty sure it was some type of possum.  I about had a heart attack.
 
Everyone here has been so nice.  They had a welcome party for us and included me in the retreat coffee break which was watching the Melbourne Cup on tv and having a glass of the bubbly and the retreat dinner at the  historic Custom House.  Karen picked us up on Saturday for a view of city and dinner at her house.  They have a lovely house in the countryside and sitting on the deck was very relaxing.  On Sunday Brent, who is the department chair and his fiance took us to the Lone Pine Sanctuary to see native wildlife.  We have a couple of dinners coming up with Sara and her hubby and we will be going to the Gold Coast this weekend and Melbourne at the end of the month.  On Friday night Rick and I had a "date night" and went into the city for dinner at a Thai restaurant at South Bank.  South Bank is a development on the opposite side of the river from the CBD and has many restaurants, bars, open air cinema, museums and preforming arts center.  Once the G20 summit is over on Sunday, I plan to spend more time down in the CBD and South Bank.

I keep thinking about all the experiences I have had since June.  From hiking in the Alps,  a boat ride on a canal in Amsterdam, being with family in Oregon, Alberta and Wyoming, seeing bears in  Yellowstone, camping with Kona and Rick, driving across the USA, seeing friends in Chicago and New York, hanging out in Italy, being with family in Slovenia and living in Ljubljana for a month and now here in Australia; it is absolutely mind boggling.  I am so lucky to have this opportunity to be with Rick and see so many great places.  Not being in a regular routine at my home has been strange at times and I wonder what it will be like in January when I have to cook dinner every night, take care of the animals, take care of the house and do all the things that come with day to day living.

Since being in Brisbane, Rick has been super busy.  His fellowship here at UQ requires him meeting with faculty and grad students on a regular basis to discuss their research and he has 3 seminars to give over the next 2 weeks, after already giving two lectures last week.  He has been worried that I might not have as much to do here, but after the hectic schedule we have had since June,  I am enjoying my down time.  It is a good thing I have some downtime, because I need that extra time just to get groceries.  We have a small grocery store 5 minutes away and it is really nice, but pricey.  Think Whole Foods prices or even more.  For examples apples were $3.00 per kg more expensive then the big grocery story and strawberries almost twice as much.  However, the big grocery store is in a shopping center that takes about 20 minutes via bus.  The shopping center is huge and I can get everything I need including a foot massage!  So going to the grocery store takes at least 2 hours.  Yesterday it was 3.5 hours, foot massage included. Food is definitely more expensive here, but like in the USA or Europe no rhyme or reason why certain things are pricey.  Going out to eat is expensive as well, but then you don't tip so it probably comes out about the same.  What I noticed is how expensive salads are, even at food court style restaurants.  Coffees are delicious, they take their coffees seriously. I do love the iced coffees with ice cream!  Beer in the liquor store is expensive and so is soda.  Loving the pies - savory pot pies. There is a bakery up the street and the pies are very good.; we have had several pies for lunch.  Rick and I are planning to do a high tea, in fact we may decide to do that in lieu of Thanksgiving dinner.  I have an oven, but tried roasting broccoli last night without much success, so I don't think I want to roast a turkey.  Plus it heats up the kitchen too much.  If we do decide we want a Thanksgiving type of meal, I can get a chicken already roasted and make my own dressing and mash potatoes.  I even saw cranberry sauce in the store yesterday.

Welcome party for us at Sara's house

Morning row session on the river

Jacaranda trees on UQ campus

One of the buildings on campus, I think some type of engineering

UQ campus

Melbourne Cup gathering in Brisbane with the QU tourism faculty 

Story Bridge Climbers

Downtown Brisbane

Story Bridge

Brisbane from the Mt Coot-tha overlook

Rick, Karen and Philip

Wombat with his teddy at Lone Pine Sanctuary 

Me feeding the Kangas

Belinda feeding the kangas

Momma and her joey

Birds of Prey Show, a beautiful owl

Look closely, that is a mouse tail hanging out of his beak

A sea eagle of some sort

This is the sheep herding demo

This is Rex, standing on top of the sheep after the other dog got them in the pen

Koalas! Would love to see one in the wild, but this is the next best thing,

Taking a walk last night and the lorikeets were all over the campus

It is exam time at UQ, the students were lined up to get into a lecture hall to take the exam
Rick said that the students in the Tourism program will have an individual project, a group project and everyone takes final exams.  

That same building but from further away

Mom, Dad and babies

UQ campus ponds