Day #3 of 30 - Scrapbooking

It's kind of like Kindergarten on steroids. You get to color, draw, cut out stuff, glue things to paper, and make a really big mess. You can even take a nap when you get tired. About two years ago my friend Jean introduced me to the Lone Star Scrapbook store, a wonderland of paper, ribbon, stickers, buttons, and creative ways to document one’s life. From that moment I was hooked. 

What I didn't know at the time was how consuming this hobby can be. One moment you're taking out a few sheets of paper and a couple of photos and next thing you know five hours have passed, you haven't made anything for dinner and you're late for an appointment. And then there's the associated paraphernalia. For example, there is a little machine to do almost any measure, cut and/or paste action imaginable. I used to use a little die cut machine called an "Epic" to punch out alphabets and borders for my scrapbook pages. I got it on sale because a newer, fancier model was coming out but I still invested over $100 in the machine and the die cuts. Then it was $10 here, $20 there for the cutest little flowers, alphabets, geometric shapes, etc. 

I considered myself queen of the scrapbook heap until word spread about an even cooler machine: the Cricut. It's a little computer that does all the stuff the Epic did, except you don't have to crank a little handle round and round or even line up die cuts to get the most number of die cuts from your paper. This critter does it all for you. It works on a system of software cartridges and you feed a sheet of 12"x12" paper into it, then tell it how big you want your lacy border, palm tree or whatever to be. It calculates everything for you, cuts it, and shoots it out ready to peel off and put in your scrapbook. Even better, Cricut has collaborated with Disney, so now I can make enough Buzz Lightyear cutouts to keep my grandson Owen happy. I waited a year before investing in the Cricut, and again I was able to snap up a bargain because... yes, there's another version due out in any week now. Oh, I forgot to mention the "Gypsy," which lets you plan out a scrapbook page and then it tells you which shapes you will need and the name of the cartridge they're on. It is possible to spend huge bucks on these conveniences. More than once I have heard a lady in a scrapbook class whisper to me, "I couldn't bring myself to tell my husband how much I spent on scrapbooking this month. He wouldn't like it if he knew." Oh right, Vince, you're reading this? Well, I only bought a few pieces of paper and a glue stick-- didn't spend more than $20... really.

Fortunately for me, my favorite scrapbook store here in Perth ("Just Scrapbooking") has set aside a day every month to teach people how to use these very cool machines, and the best part... they let you use all of their cartridges for free. At around $30 a pop, you can save serious money by coming to "Bug Day" and cutting out as much stuff as you think you'll need until the next time. You still have to buy your own machine, though. The next version of the Cricut is supposed to print things in color for you, so you don't have to buy colored paper at around 60 cents a sheet ($1.10 in Australia). Sounds like a bargain, but haven't we all been seduced before by cheap printers with cartridges that cost almost as much as the hardware? So I think I'll stay at the cro-magnon stage of die cut machines for a while, and maybe pick one up in two or three years when the next version comes out -- the one that makes dinner for you too!

So far I have completed two scrapbooks - one for Vince's daughter Sharon and one for Owen, who turns five years old on Sunday (Happy Birthday, sweetie!). Here's a sample page in his honor. See you next time, on Day #4.

Day #2 of 30 - Mahjong

Today is Tuesday, June 14th - a happy American Flag Day to you!  It's a safe bet that most Australians are oblivious to this holiday. Here in Perth it is a cold, gray day and currently it is pouring down rain. (Murphy's law again -- no rain for a year and two days after our windscreen is broken it rains...) The good news is that the winter equinox is only 8 days away. I'm already looking forward to those long sunny days.

On Tuesdays I play Mahjong with a terrific group of ladies. They are the first people I met in Perth and collectively they have helped me to do more than adjust to life here, but to really enjoy it. Julie, who grew up in Western Australia (or WA as everyone calls it), knows where to find everything from the freshest tomatoes to the best physiotherapist. Gaylene, who is from Victoria, or "Over East" as Perthians call everything on that side of the country, has explained many Australian expressions to me such as "drop by this arvo for a cuppa" (stop by this afternoon for a cup of tea and a chat). Here are a few more:

Chook - chicken. "The chook at Cole's looked beautiful. I bought some to cook for dinner."

Beautiful - great, fabulous, lovely, wonderful. If a dish tastes especially delicious, they'll say it was beautiful.

Arvo - afternoon. Many words are shortened to end in either "o" or "ie".

Bikie  - motorcyle rider, with the implication they are in a gang. A bikie gang = Biker gang. As opposed to a biker, which is a cyclist.

Salvos - The Salvation Army

Freo - Fremantle, a port town about 15 minutes southwest of Perth.

But I digress... Our ladies mahjong group is a mix of people from Australia, Canada, India, Singapore and the US. We meet every week to play Mahjong, have lunch and indulge in conversation. Some ladies are more competitive than others - Cindy, a fellow Texan, competes passionately for each week's title of "Mahjong Queen" (you get to wear a plastic tiara and have bragging rights until the next session) and gets quite miffed with herself if she does not "Mahjong" (win the game) at least 5 times in an afternoon. Me, I consider myself successful if I achieve Mahjong once during the day, although I usually do better. We usually manage about 20 hands between 11am and 3pm.

The most important part of the day is lunch.Today is my turn to be hostess and I'm serving beef and vegetable stew, corn muffins and apple crumble - hearty fare for a cold winter's day. Because it's really not about the Mahjong. It's about getting to know people, make friends, and help each other. My life in Perth is better because of my "Mahjong Ladies."

A typical mahjong setup. It's a fun game to play - I look forward to teaching y'all when we return to Houston!

Let's Try This!

A bright Monday morning to everyone! I've come to the pathetic and overdue realization that you cannot be a perfectionist and maintain a blog at the same time. So, in a desperate effort to break my prolonged writer's block I present to you: 30 Blogs in 30 Days. These will be shorter and without so many photos, but there will at least be something. I apologize for not keeping my promise to keep family and friends informed about Australia and up-to-date on our comings and goings. Most of the time our life is just not that interesting, but... Australia certainly is, and I will endeavor to share more of it with you.

Okay, Day #1 - Golfing Again.
After almost five months of classes, our instructor says we're ready to try golfing on an actual course. Yippee -- we finally get to be "real" golfers! I've joined a group of ladies who golf once a week. They are wonderful, especially for putting up with my floundering efforts as I make the inevitable beginner's mistakes. I've been on the course three times, survived 9 holes and managed to keep my score, well... let's just say it's improving. I scored 76 on my first attempt (on a par 36 course), and I am thrilled. I thought it would be closer to 100.

Golf class at 8:00am on a Saturday morning. Mostyn, our instructor, is the man in black not holding a golf club. He's awesome.

Hard at play!

Yesterday, Vince got on the course for the first time. He has an incredibly powerful swing, although his accuracy still needs some work. I didn't realize how fast the game goes once you're on the course. And there are people only a few minutes behind you, waiting for you to take your shot and get out of the way so they can play. We managed to keep up the pace by playing "Ambrose" style, which is like "best ball."

After an enjoyable 9 holes and a coffee at the end, we returned to our car to find our rear window smashed -- by an errant golf ball! Other golfers who saw us stopped to exclaim they'd never seen such a thing happen before. What are the odds, right? (I'm thankful for good insurance!)

See you tomorrow, for Day #2.

Fremantle

Vince met a former client (and a Texan) on the street recently (actually, that happens a lot here). He and his wife had just moved to Perth, which provided me a great opportunity to do some more exploring. This is how I know I've acclimated: I think "Oh, it will always be there. I can visit another time." Spoken by the same girl who lived in Southern California for almost 20 years and only went to Disneyland once. It's still summer here, so a trip to the ocean seemed in order. Fremantle is a charming coastal town, reminiscent of Galveston and parts of San Diego in that it has a large port, quirky personality and a lovely coastline. My new friend Silvana and I spent an afternoon moseying through shops, had a coffee, and then toured Fremantle Prison. She had a friend visiting from Texas, so all three of us took the "Doing Time" tour. 

Fremantle Town Hall and clock tower. This part of town (the West End) is known for its Georgian and Victorian style architecture. 

A spot of welcome shade on a blistering hot afternoon. In the distance is the Port of Fremantle, where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean.  The port is named after Sir Charles Fremantle, who captained the ship of English colonists who settled here in 1829.

On the weekends you can usually find several craft fairs / flea markets, some of which are set up here, in the courtyard of the Fremantle Arts Cente. Even better are the permanent "Fremantle Markets," known for wonderfully fresh fruits and vegetables. You can find almost anything there. Both Perth and Fremantle have quite a bit of outdoor sculpture around town. Here is a work by Greg James - a tribute to his friend and fellow sculptor Pietro Giacomo Porcelli.

A close up of Mr. Porcelli at work.

Enjoying a coffee and a salad before exploring the prison. 

The Roundhouse, site of the old Fremantle prison. Like many buildings in this area, it is made of limestone. The prison itself was built by the convicts who eventually lived there. Our guide told us that the original plan for settling a colony in Western Australia (WA) did not include a prison. The idea was that with enough land and food for everyone, no one would commit crimes and prisons would not be needed. But human nature being what it is, it wasn't long before they had to lock up people for everything from stealing to murder. The story goes that there was not enough labor in WA to construct the building, so Captain Fremantle sent away to Mother England asking if they had any extra prisoners they could send over.  As it happened, during that time England's "gaols" were overcrowded and they were thrilled to jettison off a few hundred convicts to Australia. When the prison ship arrived, the men had to continue to live on it for over a year, AND they were forced to quarry and cut the limestone, and then build the prison themselves, in blistering heat as well as wet winters. You can get an idea of how tall the building is from looking at the ants - er humans - below.

There is some gruesome history attached to this place! The mesh you see above is not soft. It's made of hard wire and will slice through anyone who tries to throw themselves over the rails in an attempt to either escape or kill themselves. Ouch!

 The prison was in operation from 1855 through 1991. Conditions were harsh. Prisoners were only allowed showers 3 times per week, even during the hottest times of the year.

 The kitchen, which was run by prisoners. There were 27 positions available and it was considered a dream job. Prisoners working with food had to meet hygiene standards, which required them to shower every day before starting work.

 The barbed wire here is so sharp it can slice clothing into rags in seconds, not to mention body parts.

 Our tour guide explains that the beautiful chapel was never occupied by convicts. It was built for the prison warden and his family. 

 The prison contains four wings, and is four storeys high. The walkways are made from local Jarrah wood.

 The prison cells were so small that a man could not spread his arms out completely without touching the walls. Sleeping was on a hammock-style bed. Each cell held one prisoner, and had a heavy door. There was no opportunity to socialize after coming inside for the day. Conditions were so poor that a journalist described it as not merely discipline, but suffering. In 1890 they doubled the size of the rooms by removing a wall between two cells to improve conditions there.

 And if that's not enough to make you behave, there's always flogging. Our guide describes the use of the cat-o'nine-tails. That's where we get the sayings "cat got your tongue" and "room to swing a cat." The person performing the action had to be able to whirl the instrument around his head a couple of times prior to each lash. The highest number of lashes that could be sentenced was 100. The usual number was 10 or less. In a horrible but interesting aside, she mentioned that if a prisoner could not tolerate the full sentence, they would be taken to hospital, allowed to heal, and then return for the remainder of their punishment. I left here vowing never to even think about breaking the law, ever.

The ultimate punishment - death by hanging. Fremantle Prison was the only place of legal execution between 1888 and 1984. During that time, 43 men and 1 women were executed here, all for murder.  Maudlin but interesting - Most executions took place on Monday morning at 8:00am. The method of hanging was considered exceptionally humane. The trap door and subsequent drop into the pit below ensured the prisoner would die quickly, avoiding a slow painful death by asphyxiation. <Shudder>

In 1988 there was a fire followed by a riot at the prison which lasted for two days. This led to an investigation into conditions at the prison, followed by orders to close it down. In typical bureaucratic fashion (the same the world over), it took three years to comply. Today the site is clean and prisoner-free, and it hosts thousands of tourists each year. The building is now part of the National Trust and is considered an important part of Western Australia's heritage.

It is a bit out of character for me to write about such a gruesome and depressing subject. But I have the same idea in mind -- Australia was settled mostly by convicts shipped over from England, some of whom were arrested for stealing a loaf of bread or piece of fruit to feed their families. They're not all innocent of course, but the tough conditions they endured has helped shape the psyche of today's Ozzies. Fearless. Team spirit. Physical strength and fairness. Time for play as well as work. Camaraderie. Humor (usually bawdy).  Survivors and pioneers. 

Fire and Ice

"When are you going to blog again?" asks a friend via email. It's their polite way of reminding me to get off my duff, keep my promise, and post more regularly. Simple enough, so why is it so hard? Like many of you, I fight the battle of perfectionism. I automatically assume that y'all are not going to be interested in my boring everyday life. Oh sure, at first those trips to the grocery store were interesting, because I had to drive on the left side of the road to get there, there were new items like vegemite and "tasty" cheese, and new names to learn like prawns and scotch fillet. but the novelty has worn off and I need new material.

In the absence of the perfect story, I resort to the weather. We've all had our fair share of it recently. I 've read with fascination the Facebook posts about snow and ice in Houston,

the severe flooding in Queensland and Victoria, Australia,

Schools destroyed. This used to be a kitchen.

 Rescuing beloved pets

and people. This woman was rescued further downstream.

and in Perth we are recovering from severe bush fires in the hills.

not to mention tropical storms Vince and Yasi in our area, and the snowstorms crunching England and the east coast of the U.S.  Thankfully we have been spared any tragedy from these events. The worst to happen was a little smoke in the air from the winds which blew the bushfires out of control.

One of the largest fires was caused accidentally, by a resident of the area. He was an off-duty police officer who was using an angle grinder (a massive power tool that cuts through cement and metal) in his front yard. He should have known better since (a) it was windy and (b) there was a ban on using any tools which could carry a spark. Moments later the sparks caught fire and over 70 houses burned to the ground. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he could face a $25,000 fine or up to 12 months in jail.

I saw Australian culture in action as the story unfolded. The man whose actions started the blaze did not know he was the cause at first. The fire spread quickly and his own home was in danger. He and his family fought hard to save their own house from burning down. when he realized what had happened, he became extremely upset about it. He disappeared for a couple of days but turned up at a police station to be interviewed. He will face a formal hearing on march 15th.

Water cooler talk is varied. Some people think the man should have to pay for all the damage he caused, or at least serve jail time. But fellow residents in his community have spoken up for him and asked that he not be charged. Their attitude is that "he did a stupid thing but he shouldn't have to go jail for it." It could have been any one of them. Haven't we all done something really stupid at one time or another (you don't have to raise you hand)? Compassion and forgiveness from his neighbors, who were still cleaning up the mess and wondering whether their insurance would cover the damage.  Food for thought: faced with a similar situation, how would you react?

New Year's Eve in Hawaii

I'm three days back in Perth and still in afterglow from my best vacation ever! Hawaii has been special ever since our family lived there when my father was stationed at Schofield Barracks. I always hoped to return one day. Our "vacation from our vacation" began as soon as we got to the airport in Houston. Three movies, two episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" and a glass of wine later, the memories of last-minute Christmas shopping and our hectic Houston schedule had all but disappeared.

Within a half hour of our arrival in Honolulu we were in beach chairs reading books, sipping cold beverages and enjoying the warm ocean breezes of Waikiki.  We did the typical touristy things since Vince was new to Hawaii and there were many places I had never visited. (You never see the sights in your own back yard...) At the top of the list was the USS Arizona memorial - our military roots run deep. We followed it up with a visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center. The PCC is actually owned and run by the Mormon Church and staffed mostly by students from Brigham Young University Hawaii. I never knew this, but it may explain why all the hula costumes were so modest - no cleavage or belly buttons in sight - and our luau hosts were guys in their 60s wearing dark suits and white shirts (really!). The center does a great job of depicting the culture of not only Hawaii but Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand (which I did not previously consider Polynesian), Fiji and Easter Island. There's dancing, singing, traditional crafts and music and of course a traditional luau. It occasionally suffers from what I'd call the Disney influence, but it's still a great way to get an understanding of the Polynesian psyche and way of life. I finally tried poi and it wasn't as yukky as I'd feared. It looks like purple glue and tastes kind of like mashed potatoes.

Tourism is the island's chief source of income, which translates into excellent customer service and extremely friendly and pleasant people. Add in the laid back attitude of Hawaiians in general plus the warm climate and beautiful surroundings and... you want to stay even longer. The only down side is the cost. Honolulu is about as expensive as Perth. The median price for a 1,500 square foot home (not new) is around US $650,000, mostly because the land is so expensive. It's easy to understand why. One of our tour guides mentioned that the average family must earn in the neighborhood of $80,000 per year to afford a modest living. There aren't that many professions or jobs which pay that well, and as a result many Hawaiians have relocated to the mainland. Where do most of them settle? Las Vegas! It kind of makes sense. Hot, dry climate, plentiful land,  lakes and mountains in driving distance, and lots of job opportunities in the tourist industry.

We had hoped to continue our tradition of going ballroom dancing on New Year's Eve but every venue we tried was fully booked. So we danced rock-n-roll instead. The Sheraton Waikiki hosted a huge party with a DJ, dancing and fireworks, all overlooking the ocean. We were definitely in the highest age percentile, but we had as much fun as the younger crowd. With age comes wisdom, so we enjoyed the festivities in moderation. No sense starting the New Year off with a hangover.

I am hooked on Hawaii. There is a lot more to see and do and each island offers a unique experience. Waimea Canyon, which Mark Twain called "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, "  National Parks on the Big Island and Maui, Rainforest Zoo, Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, a helicopter ride around Kauai, and of course swimming and hanging out on the beach. I hope to be blogging about another tropical vacation in the future.

Aah, it was wonderful and all too short. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Aloha :-)

USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL AND USS MISSOURI BATTLESHIP



POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER



DIAMOND HEAD, WAIKIKI AND OTHER HAWAIIAN SCENES

Christmas Expat Style

We celebrated last Christmas with a breakfast picnic at Cottesloe Beach, a stone's throw from the Indian Ocean. Oh the novelty of it all -- blazing sunshine and 95 degrees at 7:00am, surrounded by hundreds of Aussies and their families, a sea of beach umbrellas, lots of happy, noisy children and the occasional surfer or sea gull. We enjoyed it so much that we forgot about the time and had to rush to get to church services on time. With no time to go home and change, we dusted the sand from our feet into the car, rushed into church and sat in the back, hoping no one would notice our extra-casual attire (shorts, flip flops, t-shirt).

Our first Australian Christmas was fun and memorable, but we couldn't bring ourselves to spend a second Christmas away from family. So off we flew to America and a mere 29 hours later, set foot on Texan soil. With temperatures in the 90s in Perth, I had to force myself to pack winter clothing but within hours I was glad I did.

Part of the Deal
One reality of expat life is that vacations are usually longer than normal (3 weeks this time) and never long enough. I used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the doctor, dentist and business appointments we had to fit in before Christmas. Not to mention Christmas shopping, time with the kids and catching up with friends. In 2 weeks we fit in trips to Katy, San Antonioand Austin. I apologize that we could not see everyone during this visit, but if we missed you this visit, we'll try again next trip.

Another reality is what I call the "repatriation curve."  That's the situation where you're overwhelmed by your new culture and all its differences. We experienced this last year while learning to drive on the left side of the road, deal with stores that close at 5:00pm, and cope with the 14-hour time difference between Houston and Perth. This year the curve is reversed. I'm now used to the fact that Aussies don't treat Christmas as a big deal. There's minimal decoration in malls and stores, no significant difference in shopping patterns, and I didn't hear a single Christmas carol outside of our home. Not so jolly, mate! I missed the hustle-bustle of the season, the cooking and the visiting, and of course the food. At least I thought I did. But within moments of landing we were overhwhelmed by American culture. Frosty the Snowman blaring on the speakers, tinsel and decorations everywhere, and crowds of people -- and that was just on the bus to the rental car pickup.

Mountains of shopping to do, it's freezing cold, and our home is currently occupied by another family. We sold our cars last year. Our status is that of a visitor. We're staying at the home of friends we met in Perth who are now expat in Houston. We have local cell phones and international ones. It's surreal to say the least. Where is home? Perth or Houston?

Vive la Difference
For various reasons (mostly Perth's high prices) we decided to wait and do all our Christmas shopping in Texas. Our shopping nightmares began immediately as we searched in vain for parking places within a 1/2 mile radius of a mall. Then there were the crowds of roving teens and pre-teens who weren't actually buying anything, but stood in groups of 7 or 8, blocking all paths to the stores. Once you break through and get inside the shop, the real torture begins. Noisy, tons of merchandise (everything except what you're looking for) and not a sales clerk in sight. In James Avery  I was given a numbered ticket, a catalog, and told that the waiting time for service would be 30 to 45 minutes. And they didn't even crack a smile when I asked for a pager so I could shop elsewhere during the wait. And Christmas carols? They were everywhere, day and night, nonstop. Every radio station seemed to play them to the exclusion of anything else. No oldies, no classic rock, no country western, just "Holly Jolly Christmas." I found myself longing for the mellow, "no worries" attitude of Christmas and the decor-free, crowd-free shopping centers of Perth.

We survived the shopping terrors with determination and effective strategies. The secret: shop early in the morning while teenagers are sleeping, and kids and parents are at soccer games, etc. By day 3 we no longer had to suddenly swerve to the right because we had started driving on the wrong side of the street. But folks still laughed whenever I called my phone a mobile (pronounced moh-buy-all). We had forgotten about American portion sizes. I had to remember to order "small" everything or else I'd be eating it for the next few meals also.

The Good News
The cool stuff about Houston -- everything is so inexpensive! $15 mascara costs $6 here. $100 jeans cost $50, and for the price of dinner for two in Perth we could take the entire family to a nice restaurant. My favorite scrapook store is, alas, going out of business, but I scooped up some great bargains. And books.... at prices that don't make you weep, except for joy.

Tomorrow we're off to Hawaii for a little R&R after our 'vacation' in Houston. We'll exchange out winter coats for light jackets and maybe start work on a tan. I'm looking forward to seeing the Pacific Ocean, hearing soft guitar music and feeling sand between my toes. Like the rest of our current existence, we'll be spending New Years eve somewhere between Houston and Perth.