Australian Culture

Since being here I've mastered BQQing and spider hunting/assassination!! So after 7 months my total knowledge of Australian culture is appalling! Before getting here I was smug that I knew who Bert Newton is ( I'm a fan from a trip to Sydney in 2000)!!!

So here are the 'famous' Australians I know:

Kylie, Jason, Rolf Harris, Thorpedo,Shane Warne, John Torode (think he's famous in UK & not here), Danni, Craig MacLachlan!!

Pretty poor!

I can't name any famous Australian inventions or inventors (did the guy who found treatment for Heliobacter Pylori come from Oz?)

Poor!!

I've seen the following Australian films:
The mystery at hanging rock (not even sure that's the real name),Priscilla, Muriel's Wedding, Drift and genuinely that's it!!!

Australian novels I've read? The Slap, that's it!!

So here's the list of what I'm going to do, learn, read to understand Australia more !!

1. Learn the rules of AFL & pick a team!!
2. Start reading my way through the Top 50 Australian books
3. Learn what a bloody bilby is!!
4. Tone my thighs so I can wear a skirt without chaffing
5. Stop inviting people to my house and start arranging to meet up at random locations 3 hours drive away, to eat a sausage in a bun with 1 beer (I'm driving) and move the contents of my house with me so I can be comfortable at said park!! Cool box, chairs, blankets! I'm going to blog about both this & 'Sausage Sizzles' at a later date!!
6. Watch 1 Australian film every month ( any recommendations much appreciated).
7. Learn to be safe at the beach! I need to get wee ones into Surfies & I'm contemplating doing the training to be a helper at Surf Club

Other than this list, does anyone have any other suggestions?

Making Friends at 41 Part 1

Before I arrived in Australia, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE told me I'd meet soooooooo many people through the kids!! That has been the case, but what I failed to think about was the friends I was leaving behind. Some of these people have known me over 30 years, some have held my hand through my darkest days, and some have literally made me pee myself laughing, the vast majority have done at least 2 of these and I have to say I miss them out of everything else.

 Since arriving in Perth I've met some great girls, I've also been looked up & down at by more woman than I ever was at high school! You know that look? From the shoes to the top of your head and back down again?? Its not a good thing, I find it really bitchy, OH says I should be flattered!!

At first I would take the little ones to the park daily and hope that someone might talk to me!! (sad but true). For those of you who know my youngest, you will know this was not perhaps the best strategy, she has a tendency to attack other kids like a WWF wrestler, the Australian call it "feral behaviour", the British "spirited". We've never made a friend randomly at the park!!

My next strategy was to hang about the school with the eldest. This proved disastrous! She's year 5 and the "cliques" had been fully formed before I arrived. I unfortunately don't fit into the "stay at home and knit your own knickers" group, nor the "I've got a great career and tons of money" clique. I've yet to find the "drink vodka in the afternoon & pee yourself laughing" clique, but am quietly recruiting members as I write this.

I joined 2 playgroups and have met some great woman through that. The 2 wee ones have met some lovely friends and youngest is starting to learn some social graces.

My netball experiences have been pretty funny, but I'm gonna write that as another blog with some photos.

So where am I at? I've reached the conclusion I'd like to maybe get out and about a bit more, see some bands etc and try and meet some friends with more interests that are the same as me!! Bit depressed to find only person who wants to go to gigs with me is my eldest!! And I don't want to see Bruno Mars.

Its 6 months today!!

My ramblings are going to have no structure for the foreseeable until i unburden the last 6 months! I had intended to blog about our preparations in moving down under, our daily experiences and be a source of valuable insights for my fellow country men and women moving to Perth WA. That's not happened, primarily because its not been a Disney-like, skipping along experience, but a bloody hard slog, full of hard decisions, bad decisions and a lot of tears. Its only now that i can put some time between myself and the last 6-9 months can i write about it!

SO since this is a fresh day, a fresh piece of paper and me with a fresh clear head! Where should I start? Does anyone have any questions or parts of my experience they would like me to share?