They've arrived!

As you know I am part of a group that sponsored a refugee family from Syria.

I am so happy to tell you that the family arrived in Victoria last night.

I can't send the photos of their arrival to protect their privacy but I can tell you that they are a happy, grateful, friendly group of people.  Despite travelling a long way, from Turkey to Toronto to Victoria, they were energetic with high spirits.

The family includes three young children, their parents, aunt and grandmother.

We rented, furnished and decorated a townhouse for them.  They won't want for anything for a while!
The family will live in the townhouse.  The grandmother and her youngest daughter will live with her young Canadian husband in his apartment in Victoria.

You can imagine how happy he is to have his new wife here at last.

Members of his family will help the family get settled.

It's been a seven month journey with a happy outcome.

The Red Continent

As we traveled north the Gum trees got smaller, 

Rivers were dry as a bone.  Yet despite the drought flowers survived and bloomed.

Towns were few and far between.  

We would stop at the occasional Road House for refreshments and a break in the searing heat.  






Gas was the most expensive we have ever encountered.

One of the few sights was these giant, hard Termite nests.  They would appear every now and again, hundreds of them like haystacks in a farmer's field.

We saw herds of feral goats and sheep and the occasional cow.  We saw many kangaroos...all dead on the side of the road.

The red dust of Australia got everywhere.

Surfing AUS

I love surfing.  Well I love to watch people surfing.  I did try it when I lived in Australia but never got very good at it and certainly never did "hang 10" or perform an aerial.

We visited lots of good surfing beaches and I saw women about my age taking lessons.  It is the thing to do on a weekend morning in Australia.

Instead of taking swimming lessons at an indoor pool kids join surf clubs and learn how to rescue people. The red and yellow flags indicate that the surf club is on the beach.  Most beaches have a surf clubhouse and some even serve refreshments.

The waves may not appear large but it isn't easy to stay upright.  Unlike skiing you wax the top of the board to get a grip!

In my next life I want to be a surfer chick!

WA

Australians are notorious for shortening the names of their favourite places. WA is what the locals call Western Australia and Freo is short for Freemantle, our first stop for a couple of days on the wild and wonderful west coast.

A local butcher shop that had everything you could imagine, floor to ceiling. 

From Freo we drove south, enroute we stopped to dip our toes in the warm, vast Indian Ocean.

Parakeets and other colourful songbirds are commonplace. 

 We spent a day in the wine district around Margaret River where there are hectares of vineyards...

and hundreds of wineries.  A Grasstree - unique to WA - in front of one of the wineries.  Later on our trip we saw fields of these unusual palm trees.

Many wineries sell jams, jellies, nougat, chocolate, tapinade and other yummy items that you can taste before you buy.

But we went for the wine.   "Hmmm which one should I try next?|"

Movical Interlude

You might be wondering why I haven't continued to blog about our amazing trip 'Down Under'.

In the past year we planned a major renovation to our house.  We knew we had to vacate the premises on May 5 and had made alternate living arrangements.

We were having such a good vacation that we didn't think much about it and certainly never anticipated how much work it would be to pack everything up!

Nor did we anticipate the jet lag or the flu I caught on the return flight or that Keith had a 4 day business trip just after we landed.

Lots of stories, lots of work, but the move finally came together.

 Most of our furniture is in this 'sea can' in our driveway.

 The walls, 1960's valences, trim and door and window casings are gone!

Now back to Australia!

Going "Home"

While Keith was working in Melbourne I flew to Adelaide for the day. 

On my way to meet friends and colleagues at Flinders University I  drove past buildings with the traditional lattice work balconies, typical of Adelaide and other places in Australia.  

Me with my Doctoral Supervisor, Darlene McNaughton - looking great! 

The new Student Hub at Flinders with it's expanded seating, green space and outdoor screen.  A major upgrade since I was studying there!

My favorite view from Uni - out to the warm, vast and blue ocean! 

And speaking about the ocean - my favorite hangout - Brighton Beach! 

My friend and former landlady Deb and I having lunch at our 'go to' place on the Esplanade.

Deb with Bea and Paul - my former neighbours.

Grapefruit ripening in Deb's backyard.

It was a wonderful day and difficult to leave...lots of good memories.

Australia in Autumn

Keith had the opportunity to do some consulting work in Melbourne, Australia in March.

We both love Australia and the opportunity to return to the land of 'mates' and 'no worries' was too good to pass up so I joined Keith in 'Melbun', a city neither of us had previously visited.  It is in the state of Victoria, being a former colony of Britain there are a lot of common place names.

The next several blogs will document our amazing time under the southern sky and amidst the gum trees, marsupials and red earth of this amazing and diverse continent.

Architecture - the contrast between historic and very modern.

 The Yarra River bank is a busy place a nd fully developed with walkways, footbridges, restaurants and hotels.

 St. Kilda - Luna Park and the Palais Theatre

The Melbourne Aquarium - both frightening and cute aquatic life!  The Croc's name is Pinjarra, an aboriginal word meaning 'place of soft grass and smooth water'. He is about 50 years old, was rescued from a farm and is being protected in the aquarium which built the enclosure for him and his 5 metre and 750 kg body.

The first of many spectacular sunsets...