Working Woman

(Just because I'm posting, doesn't mean you should stop emailing me!  I love hearing from all of you!)

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I was hired through my temp agency to work for UniSA helping lecturers use their new lecture recording system.  I'm going to be blunt: this is the easiest job I've ever had in my life.  Basically, I show up 10 minutes before a lecture, help the prof with the new console, make sure the recording starts, then wait to help the next prof at the next lecture.  Today I had lectures every hour, but tomorrow I only have 3 for the whole day to help with!  I've sat through a few of the more interesting ones, but it's the first week of classes so there is a lot of housekeeping instead of actual content.  I've also finished reading "Fall of Giants" (850 page book) and I've started reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  The only bad parts were that I worked the whole time Ryan was home, and the bus system was a really big pain for the first 2 days since the training was way out of town.  It's depressing though - it takes me over 3 days to earn what Ryan does in 1!  Unfortunately tomorrow is my last day of that, so I'm back to doing nothing.   Yeah, life's hard.

Also this past week we were dog-sitting for Kelsey and Justin's dog Dawson.  He's a very good dog and for the most part the week went really well...until he got sick.  His last night here he spent the night throwing up, which despite the frustration of not sleeping, was completely heartbreaking.  It's awful when dogs are sick because they just give you those sad eyes and there's not a whole lot you can do.  Our theories are that he was homesick, or that he ate a rock.  He seems to be much better now so not to worry!  Before all of that we had a really great walk and lots of fun on the beach! (note: No one is on the beach!  Amazing!)

Job plus dog plus everyone feeling a bit under the weather meant that the last week was pretty uneventful.  The next two weeks will also be pretty low key, but we're hoping to do a short trip next time Ryan is back.  Still not sure where we want to go though.  Preferably somewhere warmer than here, so maybe either Darwin or Gold Coast.  I'll keep you posted!

What's new with you?

Over the last 24 hours you guys must really have been missing me!  I've been watching the counter to see when I hit 1000 pageviews, and since I checked last I had almost 100 more views!  At this moment I'm at 1057 pageviews, which I am quite proud of.  It seems like everyone is really enjoying the blog, and I definitely intend to continue.  We've got some pretty awesome travel plans coming up that you're not going to want to miss reading about! 

So now it's your turn.  Some of you have been great at keeping in touch (most notably, my mother!) but I haven't heard from most of you.  What have you been up to?  Any fun plans for August? 

Here's the bargain: I'll post my next update after I get 5 email updates from you guys (mom, yours doesn't count!) 

Considering the 1057 pageviews, I think that's a deal!

Just for fun, check out these blog stats.  Who the heck is following me from Denmark?!

Click picture to enlarge

Bird Update

On our trip to Victor Harbor we saw a few new and really pretty birds, so I thought I'd update the bird list.    Enjoy!

Little Penguin and Silver Gull

These are the smallest penguins in the world.  It's hard to tell, but their feathers are actually pretty blue.  The gull is basically the same as in Canada.  I took this picture.

Pied Cormorant

These guys were just hanging out on Granite Island.  Ryan took this picture.

Crimson Rosella

This guy flew right in front of the car while we were driving, so we didn't get a great look at it.  It's the only red and blue parrot in the book though, and very common to our region.

Little Corella

aka Wild Cocatoo.  A whole flock of these flew in front of the car.

Superb Fairy-wren

This guy was pretty cool, and we saw him in a parking lot so we got a really good look at him.  Just saw a flash of blue in the bushes and whipped out the bird book!

Wedge-tailed Eagle

I haven't seen one of these yet, but Ryan saw one at work.  They're gigantic!  They have a wingspan of up to 2.2m and a body length of 1m.  Consequently they are the largest bird of prey in Australia, and one of the largest in the world.

Emu

Ryan has fun bugging the emus at work.  Again, I haven't seen one, but he said they like to chase you if you turn  your back on them, so watch out!  I have a hunch that will be Ryan's workplace injury.

New Holland Honeyeater

These guys hang out in the backyard here, and I just forgot to put it in my first post about birds.

House Sparrow

Same with these guys.

Barossa Valley

On Saturday Justin and I decided to take an impromptu trip down to the Barossa Valley for a scenic drive and some more wine tasting.  Kelsey and Ryan were both in the field again, so I'm sure we'll go back another day with them.  The Barossa is about an hour and 20 minutes from our place north of Adelaide, and the main town is Tanunda.

The first place we went was Rockford Wines, which was a beautiful cluster of old stone buildings and cobblestone pathways.  I forgot my camera in the car though, sorry.  They have, supposedly, some of the best wine in Australia and they're quite snobbish about it.  We somehow managed to weasel our way into the "Stonewaller's Room" which is where special members get to go to taste instead of the regular public cellar door.  They also have wines in there that only members can buy, and even then only in small quantities.  We got to taste wine in there that sells for $100+ a bottle!  Told you it was snobbish.   Also on that property was jams/spreads to taste, which is always fun.  I got a neat spicy pear and blueberry chutney and a garlic and paprika mustard in tiny little jars.

The next stop was right next door at Grant Burge wines, where the wine wasn't great but we ate a delicious lunch.  The last winery we went to was Rusden Wines which was recommended by people at Rockford.  It had a nice atmosphere, but the wine was out of my price range.  On our way there, though, we saw the most perfect rainbow.  This picture is taken too late, but it was much brighter and the one end was right in the field in front of us.  We should have looked for the pot of gold!

As you can see, we had another really stormy day.  I'm sure on a sunny day the valley is beautiful, but also most of the vines had just been pruned so it was looking pretty barren. 

Before heading home we decided to stop for a second lunch of delicious meat pies.  They seem to think that's an Australian thing, but since I grew up eating them I feel right at home!

Trip to Victor Harbor

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week Ryan and I decided to take our first solo road trip.  We went down to Victor Harbor which is just over an hour south of Adelaide with the intention of seeing whales and penguins, and just exploring the area.

It was a fantastic trip despite the terrible weather, so there's lots to tell and show.  You're in for a long post today!

We rented a ridiculous little Mazda Metro, but at least it was automatic.  It's really weird driving on the other side of the road, but with two people to navigate it was a lot easier.  The car was pretty old and had next to no power, so in a 100km/h zone going up hill we could only do about 60!

When we arrived we went to the visitor centre to ask about whale sightings, but unfortunately they are really low this year.  The Murray River is draining dirty water into the ocean, so the Right Whales that usually come really close to shore to raise their young were further out than usual.  There had been one sighting in the harbor that morning, but they were much further out than usual.

Because of the weather forecast, we decided to stay in a hotel instead of camping.  We found a hotel called The Anchorage with a fantastic restaurant and a great spa room overlooking the ocean with a balcony.  I spent a lot of time with our binoculars looking for whales off that  balcony!  Also, they had really low mid-week rates which is always appreciated.

Our second reason for going was the smallest penguins in the world.  These were found on Granite Island, which is accessible by a bridge from Victor Harbor.  (A message from Ryan to all you geologists out there: "granite island = pegmattic leucocratic granite")  We did a nice hike around the island, but unfortunately saw no wild penguins since they all go out fishing during the day.   At the end of the walk we got to the rehabilitation centre where they help the injured penguins, so we did get to see them in the end.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

From Granite Island looking towards Victor Harbor

That night we had an AMAZING dinner at the Anchorage of beef, scallops, prawns and calamari.  We shared so we could get dessert!  It was so good that Ryan claims I said "delicious" in my sleep.

Wednesday we decided to get a slow start, so I had tea and whale watched from the balcony.  No whales, but I did watch a black circle that could have been a seal or a buoy for quite awhile!  Mostly it was fun just to watch the massive waves with the binoculars.

On our way home we decided to stop at Newland Head Conservation Park, just west of Victor Harbor.  Again, I'll let the pictures do the talking.  It POURED rain (with a lucky burst of sun later on), but it was very beautiful.  We saw about 6 rainbows over the two days - most of them here!  Also, on our way to the park I saw my first wild kangaroos!

The vegetation was really beautiful and this picture doesn't do it justice.

The last thing we did before heading home was stop at Glacier Rock.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was a long drive to see an unimpressive rock.  One of the reasons we ended up going though is because the pamphlet was written using excerpts by Alan Morgan - Ryan's first year geology professor at the University of Waterloo!  Geology really makes the world feel small.

Guest Writer Ryan: Australia vs. Canada

Alright, so many Canadians think Australia is much like Canada, and many Australians think Canada is much like Australia. This may be true, but let me share a few of the things which are not the same.

They have a fence running the width of the country (should I say continent?) called the ‘dingo fence’. Its primary purpose is the keep the dingoes out of Southern Australia.

We saw a golden orb spider at work, and the webs are so tough that you can pluck them like a guitar string. Also they make the webs between trees, which people say is very annoying when you’re your on a quad-bike and you get this big spider and tough web in your face. It is another cousin of the black widow, although much less dangerous.

Useful advice: if you run over a snake with your car, make sure you look behind you to see if it’s still on the road.  If you don’t kill it, it usually grabs a hold of the car and works its way inside over the next few hours to days.  If you don’t see the snake behind you in the rear view mirror, get out of the car and walk away.

Emus like to chase small children while screeching, but if you have a dirt-bike, you can chase them and scare them off.

Kangaroos will bound prettily beside your moving car, but what they’re really trying to do is leap in-font of it to … get run over … On that note, the road kill here is much larger than in Canada (exception moose, meese?)

My New Job

It finally happened - I got a job.  You all know I didn't want to work, but since you can't surf here because there aren't any waves, I really had no choice. 

So it's not a real job...I just signed up with a temp agency and they will send me on short term office administration jobs.  They have one that I might be doing starting July 21 for 2.5 weeks setting up A/V equipment for lecturers at the universities in Adelaide, but I don't know for sure yet.  Since I have experience in training, the job would fit pretty well.  Doesn't seem like they have too much work coming through, but hopefully it will be enough to pay for Fiji!

Anyways, that's all for now.  Not too exciting, but an update none the less!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day everyone!  Sorry I've been MIA, but I haven't done anything noteworthy in the past 2 weeks.

Yesterday was Canada Day here, and we had a fantastic day.  Obviously it wasn't a holiday, but Justin took the day off work and Ryan and Neal (Kelsey's brother) were both home from the field.  Luckily we had AMAZING weather and were able to spend the entire afternoon out in Justin's backyard drinking beer.  Unfortunately there was no Canadian beer to be found, but I think the boys were secretly happy about that.  Note the palm trees around us!

In the evening, 3 of Justin's friends from school came over to help us celebrate.  They were not Canadian, but tolerated our Canadian music none the less!  Actually, they came because Justin promised them beer-can chicken.  Everyone here seems to think it's mean to defile a chicken like that...until they taste it!  

I hope all of you also had a great Canada Day.  It's funny how much more Canada Day means now that I don't live there, so make me proud!