Our own kind…

More photos…

There’s a whole club of people like us. Chris and I recently discovered the Canadian Australian Club or CAC for short.  They’re a great group of people, who, just like us, share connections between Canada and Australia. The membership has some Aussies and some Canucks and many couples that consist of one of each.  This group meets regularly and participates in some great social activities….so far, Chris and I have joined them for an incredible hike from Taronga Zoo to Balmoral, a restaurant night at Churrasco ,a Brazilian restauarant that was a blast even though it induced my very first meat hangover, and Friday night cocktails at Darling Harbour’s Novotel. 

We’ve met some fabulous people and can’t wait for the next event to meet even more. Chris and I both feel  lucky to have found a great group like this and I’m grateful for the chance to be able to connect with some of my Canadian compatriots to share stories, challenges and suggestions that will help us all to get the most out of our new life here in Australia.

 

Looking for a house sitting gig for July in Toronto area…

…know anyone who’s going on vacation and needs someone to mind their home/animals? If so, please let me know…

Ready… set…WRITE!

It’s no secret that I have  dreams of making the New York Times Bestseller List. I’m also grounded enough to know this will require practice, practice and more practice and writing, writing and more writing. And that’s why I participated in a 24-hour short story competition this past weekend to help me hone my craft.

It works like this: you pay a minimal fee and register to participate ahead of time, the contest organizers secretly choose a topic and a word count (varying from year to year); at a previously specified time (geared to North American time zones of course), participants are sent an email detailing the topic and word count, this signals the contest start; then, everyone has exactly 24 hours from that time to write their story, polish it, name it and then submit it.

While the topic was decidedly ”darker” than I usually gravitate toward, it was a terrific experience.  Once I decided that I wouldn’t require 24 whole hours to put together a decent 700-1500 story, I was okay with not bounding out of bed at 3 am, the scheduled start time. I did rise rather excitedly at 7am though.

I grabbed my laptop, sat in bed, checked my in-box and read, then re-read, the topic to Chris. I had an idea for my story straight away. I considred a few others, but kept coming back to my first thought. This part was the obstacle for Chris. He had originally thought he’d participate, but with a non-fiction book deadline looming and a bad case of fiction block, he bowed out after a valiant attempt. He got over 1,000 words written for his book though, so it was probably a good long term decision. Plus, between you and me, it prevented the awkward situation of me beating him in the contest!

I let my  thoughts float and form and did some plot brainstorming while I had my morning coffee and hung the laundry on the line.  At 9 am-ish I sat down to write and the story came fast and furiously. I had my first draft down before 1PM. I left it for a while, then came back and edited and edited some more.  I left it one more time, edited it one more time, shared it with Chris, got some great suggestions and then implemented them.

My story, entitled Mountain Time was completed and submitted by 9PM. I was happy with it. I was proud of myself for exercising my writing and editing muscles and I felt it was a day well spent.

Judging will take a month or so, but I promise to let you know what the judges thought and even share it at that point as well.

For you writers out there, I’d highly recommend this timed competition format. It forces you to make some tough decisions and makes you far more efficient at your craft. Hey, you could even try it on your own if you wish. It’s not as hard OR as easy at it looks!  

If you want to try, here’s the topic they provided:

 TODAY’S TOPIC!

She thought she heard water trickling over rocks and turned toward the sound, ignoring the thorns that sliced her short, chubby legs. She sat down, drinking as fast as she could. She jumped up when she once again heard all those strangers calling her name, somewhere behind her, higher up. She wasn’t sure. She quickly stepped back and her hair got tangled on a low branch. She wrenched it free, her panic having dulled all pain hours ago. The forest canopy swallowed her as she sobbed and stumbled, repeatedly whispering to herself…

WORD COUNT Stories for today’s topic must not exceed 1000 words.

 

It’s YOUR turn…

What’s happening in your world? What’s new? What’s changed? Do you have a recent photo, a funny story, an observation, an entertaining anecdote to share?

Not only would I love to hear from you , I’d  be honoured to post a glimpse into the lives of my family and friends on here too. I’ll gladly continue to share the activities/stories of our lives, but I’d welcome the chance to put the focus on you for a change!

 

Crikey, it’s a “snyke”…and a lizard and a spider and a…

Australia is known for it spiders and “snykes” and I knew in coming here that it would only be a matter of time before I’d have an encounter.

Some of you might recall that during my visit last July, I had been here a whole three days before I came face to face with a huntsman spider in the bathroom. It was almost the size of my hand - the biggest I had EVER seen. I was assured it was harmless enough, but I kept my distance nonetheless….and, yes, that meant from another room!

Since then, I’m proud to say that my confirmed cockroach kill stands at 6 and I’ve actually sought out opportunities to learn more about the pesky creatures that had previously made my skin crawl.  Chris, Kate and I went out to see the snakeman of La Peruse where we were introduced to about a dozen venomous snakes and a half dozen lizards and one very entertaining Aussie bloke who had them all under control.

  

And just recently, I attended an exhibit containing more lizards (including one of the double headed variety) and a black headed python. I actually held all 1.5 metres of it.

As the photo below will attest….I’ve come along way in four months. But heck, I figure if Bindi can, Lindi can too!

 

Speaking of goldens….An Update on Mr. Briggs

I was happy to hear that Mr. Briggs has found himself a wonderful new home, with lot’s of room to roam around, parents that love him and a sister to play with. Those of you who know me personally, know that this was the single hardest part of this journey, but I feel so much better now knowing that he’s in a loving home.  I still miss him and always will, but at least I know he’s happy.

Golden Rescue pulled through for us once again and I can’t thank the good folks there enough. If you’re looking for a new charity to support or just feel that you’d like to make a one time Briggs-inspired donation to them…your support would be well appreciated and well used.

I thought I’d share the letter and some photos that I received from his new parents…..

          

 

Many Happy Returns

Now that I’ve returned from my trip to Canada, it’s time to create some new and lasting habits here in my new home.  Many of these will be transplanted from my old life, but reestablishing them still takes some effort.

My writing has suffered terribly through this massive wave of change. In fact, it had ground to a halt until about two weeks ago. It’s time to change that!  I’m currently sitting at about 65,000 words, so a great chunk has been completed, but I needed a kickstart.  I looked for classes here and found nothing that was appropriate. And even though I can’t attend another Sheridan writing class (where my dual adventures began), I can still seek out the assistance of the person who has provided so much help and guidance in reaching this point. So, thanks to technology and a willing mentor, I’ll be working again with published author, writing instructor extraordinaire and all round enthusiastic and entertaining literary lass, Lynda Simmons, to finish off this breakout effort. 

I also just finished a terrific resource book on writing, entitled Beginnings, Middles and Ends, written by Nancy Kress, a wonderful resource for anyone up to their elbows in whipping up a work of fiction. And speaking of returns, I must get that back to the library. 

I’ve also returned to the gym. I’ve just joined Health Mates at Revesby Workers Club, and have just begun a new workout routine.  It’s another thing that Chris and I can do together and benefit from individually, so I’m pleased to return to this healthy habit. I’m pondering returning to running, but truth be told, the hills here are a tad intimidating, it’s not flat here like it is back home - maybe after a few weeks on the treadmill.

I had a bit of a blogging sabbatical while I was back in Canada, but am back on track and will continue to provide regular updates here, so check back and check back often. And why not, add a comment or two?

And speaking of Geeking out, I’m back on a daily dose of podcasts too.  Being a veritable information sponge, I find the podcast an easily digestible medium for ongoing exposure and education. If you haven’t starting listening to them yet, get your butt to itunes and do it!.  There is so much great content out there to explore. My daily exposure can range for technology tips, to marketing hints, to interviews with published authors, to running coaching, to new trends and theories in management, to financial advice, to comedy routines……and it feeds the type A in me, I can listen while I’m doing other things. So, even though I wear my ear plugs funny, I’m happy to be back to receiving my daily podcast fix. Now, I just need to master Smart Playlists!

Even though I can’t truly go home again (not that I’d want to), I can reconect with a few of the practices from my daily round that can help create some familiar feelings….now, if only I could find a golden retriever to walk around the neighbourhood!

Falling for Easter (Autumn-ing for Easter just doesn’t work!)

It’s fall. Oops, I mean, “Autumn” here (they don’t use the term fall).  But, it’s also Easter. Having the two coexist in my mind is a tad difficult and a concept oh so foreign to my North American sensibilities where Spring equals Easter and Easter equals Spring. So when you toss in a trip to the Sydney Royal Easter Show it gets even more confusing. My comment when I first saw their web site was how come it’s in such drab fall-like colours and not done in vibrant Easter colours instead - you know… pink, yellow, purple….well, then I thought about it… duh!!!

For you people back at home, this show is best described as the Royal Winter Fair meets the CNE, with a teensy bit of Blooms, The Spring Flower Show tossed in. 

Off to “the show” we went, and barring our little parking hiccup, we had a fabulous time (okay, being the only ones locked in the Energy Australia’s sub station site, after parking there with at least 30 others, and having to call them to send someone to open the gate and let us out was amusing in its own right … it gave me a new respect for the penned in animals though).

We toured around the grounds and visited the a number of the buildings. We patted cows and sheep and horses, saw some pigs and goats, a few animals getting sheared and a parade of the biggest steers I’ve ever seen. We watched the bull riding spectacular, saw the death defying acts of Xtreme Korruption, Toyota VH-6 Hilux Heroes and were amazed by the stunning fireworks and laser finale. 

We filled our bellies with corn dogs (Pluto pups here), cotton candy (fairy floss… I kid you not!)  and ribs (ribs) and, all in all,  had a fabulous day out enjoying one of the great Sydney traditions.

Chris, thanks for an enjoyable day.

Earth Hour left us powerless…

Living here in the birthplace of earth hour, I felt compelled to participate in this year’s event, if only in a small way.  We couldn’t join others in the city for celebrations because on Earth Day, Saturday,  March 29th, we were happy to have Chris and Juli over for a small dinner party in our home. We began with appetizers outside as we prepared the balance of the meal. With only 2 minutes to spare before the official start of earth hour, the food was placed on the table, the lights were turned off, and a number of candles were ceremoniously lit before we settled in to enjoy our “powerless” meal.

While our participation made no huge difference in affecting climate change, it did create a raised awareness and a subtle difference in our own practices.  Chris and I have agreed to dine by candle light more often.  Now, can anyone recommend a good candle shop?

Here’s  a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour both with lights ablazing and without….

I’d love to hear your earth hour stories…why not send a comment?

It all adds up to one good trip

 

During my recent whirlwind trip back to Canada, I managed to cram as much in as possible. My itinerary included: one Friday night dinner with the Cresthaven Crew at Bill and Bernies, five visits with my dad, three major snowfalls, two snow days, 40+ cm of new snow, 12 dinners out, visits with 20 of my closest friends, 38 hours of total flying time, purchasing a dozen Betcher gifts, one touching update letter about Briggs and his new life (complete with 5 photos), 42 Tim Horton’s coffees, five “Roll up the Rim” wins, eighteen days and endless great chats and moments with Noreen and Stef, 38 skype calls with Chris, seven trips into downtown Toronto, four hospital visits, one reunion with an old friend from high school, a contract extension  of four months, 800 km of driving, $50 in excess baggage weight charges, 24 wonderful Air Canada attendants,  five inflight movies, 30+ inflight tv shows, eight podcasts, one birthday celebration, a 14km walk around Vancouver’s sea wall, one shopping trip to Ricki’s, 12 face to face work meetings, 11 days in the office, two trips to the dentist, one new pair of eye glasses, hundreds of receipts and a fully completed LJT tax and GST return, two new LCBO Food and Drink magazines, two credit cards renewed, four walks around the old neighbourhood, at least 20 invitations extended for people to come visit, three promises to do so, some nostalgic moments, a dozen or so good cries, a few bottles of good Aussie wine and endless chuckles and copious hugs.

It was a great trip because, not only did it deliver all of the above, I also came home with a refreshed and balanced perspective about both my old and new lives. I have renewed excitement and commitment to my life here in Australia with Chris.  I see how much I am enjoying it and how just how right it is. It’s great to travel and I thank every single one of you who made this a fabulous trip through your friendship and generosity.  I miss you all, but it is truly good to be home!