5) What do you mean "no worries!"

So we have been in the hunt for a place to live for a week - learn the new suburbs, what intersections we DO NOT want to deal with (can you say "M1"?). The big choice is out in the bush where the birds are insane or on the beach - decisions, decisions! But there are some interesting barriers to entry - few rentals are equipped with a fridge! So we may have to buy a fridge and a washer (and there is almost no used market here that we can find)

But as many friends told us - it is winter here! So here in Nancy walking to our current residence after going to market.....winter ..ha!)

Of course there is the language -

"How ya' goin" - OK got that one...
"No worries" - right. We're from the US. We still have the same prez. Of course we worry...
"Yeay, they lose 2-3 swimmers a year to sharks down there in the fountain" - WHAT!
"2 men arrested for hooning" (Do we even WANT to know?)

Quick quiz: explain the following passage: "In the arvo last Chrissy the relos rocked up for a barbie, some bevvies and a few snags. After a Bex and a bit of a lie down we opened the pressies, scoffed all the chockies, bickies and lollies. Then we drained a few tinnies and Mum did her block after Dad and Steve had a barney and a bit of biffo." (from http://shazz27.blogspot.com/2007/11/just-for-fun.html)

But we are getting on.... flat out like a lizard drinkin'!!

Note for all you worry-worts ----Except for the little ones under the bed, we haven't seen a single real funnel spider!

No drama..

4) 'Big things' in Australia

After being warned by the official traffic sign of the "traffic accident slowdown near the big Banana" and having to bypass the big banana without a picture, we realized we needed to stop at the next 'Australian big thing' attraction, the Giant Prawn. Regrettably, we arrived at the Prawn in the daytime, as we were intriguingly encouraged by the Lonely Planet guide to "check the Prawn when it's all floodlit at night, terrifying unsuspecting animals, scaring small children and putting the fear of God into local drunks." But it was still quite the site to see!

And we did manage the Giant Sheep in the dark, and were somewhat terrified at what we saw!

3) The East Coast "vacation"

We innocently purchased a car from our friends Byron and Carolyn who left Oz a month ago after a sabbatical. Little did we know that here a Toyota Camry is considered a "large" car that feels to be wider than than the space allotted in a lane. We also successfully mis-underestimated (we HAVE to go someplace where they speak english!) the scale of the land. What was planned as a three day R&R ramble up from Canberra to Sydney to the Gold Coast turned into a race with time. However, Dirk and Marilyn took time to enjoy some fine pies at Fredo's (Nancy went for the veg, Dirk was tempted to try the rabbit mulligatawny and 'roo).

We also spent a night camped at Myall Lakes National Park, awakening to the calls of numerous unknown birds (we haven't un-earthed the Aussie bird book yet) and finding a wild dingo roaming nearby. We also saw 'roos (or were they wallabies?) grazing in a meadow! There are signs warning for koalas, but they have only sighted us as of yet.

The next day we heard (and saw) hundreds of Lorikeets at a Sikh temple, and spent the night at Corindi Beach watching a glorious electrical storm over the ocean. A beautiful sunrise started the next day of adventure.

2) Molly: our advance scout in AU

We visited Molly in quarantine; we snuck in behind another car as the gates slammed shut behind us, we were 45 minutes late for our visitation appointment. After travelling halfway across the world and navigating a flight delayed by weather, a missed flight, and Dirk's brave jet-lagged drive in the dark on the "wrong" side of the road between Canberra and Sydney, we got lost in Sydney trying to get to the station!

Molly seemed chipper and meowed hello to us visitors, although she was unwilling to emerge from her "igloo" with it's heated mat (since it's "open air" housing and winter time) to let us hold her.

However, in subsequent email correspondence with Naomi, Molly's caretaker in Quarantine, she says that "Molly continues to do very well here in quarantine. She is still eating very well, toileting ok and has become a very social girl. She seems quite happy and settled into her surroundings."

We're glad about the toileting part, but hope she's not enjoying herself too much! Because we can't wait 'til Molly rejoins us after her sentence ends on June 8. We should have signed Molly up as a frequent flyer, she'll have to fly up here to the Coolingatta from Sydney for the last leg of her journey.

1) Relocation - or is that dislocation?

We have landed in the proverbial down under where things are all the same. But different.

Like a room you know well but in the dark -- with the furniture rearranged.

We had to schlep a load of stuff through the airports - United Airlines was quite patient as we fiddled with getting our bags EXACTLY the right weight per bag to avoid overweight fees
("You mean it's not total weight? This bag is only 47 lbs"
"No"
"So you want me move 2 lbs of stuff from here to there?"
"Yes - please do. Or I have to charge you overweight for your 52 lb bag")

At least the plane was a "light load" - so we could claim real estate for the flight!

[Mine! All mine!!]

We left Boulder on the 13th of May and arrived in Oz less than a day later on the 15th of May...wait, what happened to May 14th?!!! Where exactly were we? Existential questions abound.... as we search for dynamic quality...

(These Aussies have spirit -
dogsledding and everything!)

Now we are walking about like a pair of stunned mullets!