Gosh, life has become pretty busy! It has been a while since I last posted. In the interim, Lukas has become a Joey with Scouts, we have taken a weekend trip to Sydney, spent an afternoon in the Hunter Valley and went to both a footy game and an ice hockey game. Tobias is taking tennis lessons and I have started going to group personal training sessions where they make me tone and strengthen relentlessly for an hour. Despite the pain, I have to admit, I do love it.
This Sunday, September 1, is Father’s Day. Here in Australia, anyhow! Mike gets to celebrate two Father’s Days this year, but technically none next year. So, yes, we are celebrating it again!
At school the P&C (Parents and Citizens group), the equivalent to our PAC or a PTA, put on a Father’s Day Stall. Gifts were bought from a warehouse, like water bottles, ball caps, car washing kits, etc, and were put out like a store for the kids to see. All of the classes went to the stall and the kids could buy one thing for $5, and then the presents were wrapped for them to bring home. No other class time spent on art or some kind of present! Lukas has told me that they were making a card, however.
Today the P&C also hosted a breakfast BBQ for the dads—bacon and eggs were cooked up and put on rolls. A very classic kind of Australian breakfast as far as I can tell. That and a “sausage sizzle”, where hot dogs or sausages are cooked on the barbie and also put on a roll.
We head up to Port Stephens, a little beach area about 45 minutes away, for the weekend (said with an upwards inflection on “end”). We’re going to have a nice little cabin to relax in, and we’ll be enjoying the 21-25 degree (Celsius), sunny weather. We might be the only ones, but we’ll be in our swimsuits, or “cozzies” (short for swim costumes)! It is nearly spring, equivalent to our mid-March. With that in mind, we’re pretty sure we are going to swelter when summer really comes.
As it is almost spring, the birds have been nesting. And that means it is magpie season in Australia. Unfortunately for Mike, that means some of the more aggressive male Magpies are starting to protect their territories, and “swoop” or dive-bomb him as he bikes by certain areas. He has been hit three times already, and got little cuts on his ears from beaks hitting them on 2 of the incidents. It used to be only one area where they were swooping, so he changed his bike route, but has recently had another incident in a different area. Many cyclists put zap straps on their helmets (see photo) to prevent the swooping–guess what Mike is going to get as a present for Father’s Day?!
Whether or not it is Father’s Day where you are, enjoy the weekend!
.PS no scary spider sightings yet.
I’ve decided to include new Aussie terms on every post–enjoy!
“dibber dobber”: tattletale
“Temporary Australian (or whatever nationality you are)”: someone who partakes in a high risk activity where death is a possibility, as in you only will be on this earth temporarily
Bubblers, haitches and paddlepops 
*hearts!*
dibber dobber – that’s a new one.
Poor Mike!
Thanks, Jen. It is always great to get your “blog notes”. Happy Father’s Day to Mike; he is a special one.
Appears we have a Rafa and a joey in the family–pretty cool. AND, a sylph like Jen, wow.
Great Barrier Reef–somewhere we have always wanted to go to, but so far, not yet.
It looks as if you are well settled in and we are guessing the rest of the year there will fly by.
Guess the aggressive magpie “season” lasts until the little ones have flown the nest.
Miss you all, but love the updates.
Love and hugs, Mom and Dad
Another wonderful blog, luv, especially the local language! Mind you, I guess they think you/we speak funny. Have a great father’s day weekend at the beach, it sounds heavenly since fall is definitely starting here!
Love to all, Aunt Barbara