Hugh & Justine’s Excellent Adventure
The Land of the Long White Cloud – and Fesh and Cheps
OK so who correctly guessed that we were off to New Zealand? Liz guessed Tasmania, and given the chilly temperature forecast I posted last blog, it could very well have been. But we were on the other side of the Tasman Sea, in the Land of the Long White Cloud...
It’s Just Bananas
Hard to believe it's January 2025! It was 2 years ago at this time that the immigration lawyers in Australia were guiding me through the work visa application process - and strongly advising me to not quit my job in Canada or sell my house until the visa was...
A Christmas Merry and…
...Rainy for a Week It is unusual that we have many grey days in a row here, but we did have a week where it rained most days. One night we got 80mm in a few hours - which is nothing compared to what some areas a few hours north of us were getting. In Canada, 80mm...
A Silly Season Indeed
In Australia, it's now the "silly season", as in the lead-up to Christmas with lots of frivolity and parties. "Silly season" seems to originate in the UK referring to a time in the summer when there's not much news going on. In Australia, with summer starting on...
Finally – A snake, an emu, and proper bacon!
I apologize for being a week late with this week's episode! Mom and Andrea were visiting for a couple weeks and we had such a fabulous time! They returned home on Tuesday and I've been back in the deep end at work. The good news is - I actually didn't work for the 2...
Comets, Cows, Carts, and Cane Toads
So I had no idea about the big comet event last week until my friend Ray emailed last weekend to ask if we could see it Down Under. I looked it up and it was going to be reasonably visible for a couple days and we have a good view to the western sky from our house, so...
Lemons and Other Things to be Thankful for
Yes indeed, we got our second lemon from our lemon tree! The lime tree is slow to produce gin and tonics for us, so far just that one lime ages ago, but the lemon tree is going strong. The big decision was of course what to make with our second ever home grown lemon -...
When the Outback Blows In
Once again, I seem to have too many things to share! It really is such a tremendous privilege to live here and share our new experiences with all of you! Last weekend, a curious phenomenon occurred - we had a major wind shift bringing hot, dry air from the west (west...
A Whale of a Time!
OK, no saving the best for last today, I'm jumping right into the whales! Last weekend our friend Melbourne Rob took us out on his boat. Here is Hugh eagerly awaiting our departure from the Rosslyn Bay marina: (As an aside, the hill you can see in the backround...
Spring is in the air – and birds and bugs too!
Well, it's September 1 - the first day of spring in Australia. And what a truly fabulous weather weekend it's been! I wasn't out and about too much at this time last year (weird to think the cancer diagnosis and hysterectomy was just a year ago) so I'm essentially...
This is for the birds… and the beaches… and the balmy weather!
Well, here we are in our final weeks of winter and spring is already in the air - thank goodness! Having to wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks in my sandals was getting to be a bit much. It was nice this week to get back to my usual garb of skorts and T-shirts...
Save the Best for First
For all you early risers who get up on Sundays at the ridiculous hour of 6am and enjoy a coffee whilst reading this blog - I apologise for being late getting it out today! But I have a good excuse - friends from Canada arrived this arvo! Hence the title of the blog -...