ANZAC Day came and went - with a deck full of adults and garden full of kids.
The rain held off and it was nice enough to sit outside enjoying the chill that autumn brings with it and I was all out of jackets and shrugs come 8pm. Judging by how full the recycling bin was the next day though, I wondered how any of our guests felt the chill.
Husband took up his usual party position at the helm of the barbecue and I scuttled around the place making sure glasses were filled and wine was chilled. In patriotic mood, we all sat beneath the national flag bunting and raised a glass in honour of those for whom this public holiday is all about.
ANZAC Day is commemorated by Australia and New Zealand as a national day of remembrance to honour those who fought at Gallipoli during the First World War. Dawn services are solemn events and bring the message home of how wrong and woeful war is.
War veterans are joined by the Scouts, Guides, the Defence Force and other uniformed groups as they march through the streets and this is followed by social gatherings, often including an Australian gambling game called 'two-up'.
This game was a popular one with ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) soldiers and although Australian states have laws forbidding gambling outside of designated licensed venues, these rules are relaxed on ANZAC Day when it becomes legal to play 'two-up'.
I, personally, didn't witness much of this for I was in the throes of entertaining my garden party guests while we remembered our fallen heroes. What they went through will never be - and should never be - forgotten...
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Happy days...
IT'S been on the calendar for a few weeks, but yesterday came the day for a girls' day out.
Celebrating the birthday of one of my Welsh friends, we climbed into an 8-seater and headed off on a winery tour. It wasn't so much a tour but a whistlestop visit to a smattering of the most local vineyards.
We started off locally, about 6kms down the road, where we were given a tasting on four refreshing whites and three full bodied reds. Looking quite the demure party in heels and skirts, we nosed bouquets, swirled glasses and held full interest in what we were being told by the cellar doorman.
There were comparisons of 'oaky notes' and 'nutty length' - which raised a few titters - but for me, I was happy just sipping mouthfuls here and there of anything that came my way!
We sampled the chalky texture of a Riesling, the mouth-coating tannins of a Shiraz and a young-drinking and food-friendly Tempranillo with its red cherry tannins and a whisper of oak. Even the aromatic and lively Pinot Noir held my attention enough for me to invest in a bottle to sip away at in the early afternoon sun.
A few of the girls invested in a case of their favourites and after they were bundled into the boot - the cases, not the girls - on we went to the next venue.
This time, some 15kms or so further across the peninsula, we pulled up for some lunch at another watering hole. These places take my breath away. I'm forever telling myself how lucky I am to call this place home, my sense of pride is immense.
The immaculate rows of vines roll on for miles and in between sips of Chardy, we took in the views. These got blurrier as the day went on though, and by 5pm, last orders had been called and home we went. For a bit more wine... this time from my girlfriend's fridge!
Good times.
Celebrating the birthday of one of my Welsh friends, we climbed into an 8-seater and headed off on a winery tour. It wasn't so much a tour but a whistlestop visit to a smattering of the most local vineyards.
We started off locally, about 6kms down the road, where we were given a tasting on four refreshing whites and three full bodied reds. Looking quite the demure party in heels and skirts, we nosed bouquets, swirled glasses and held full interest in what we were being told by the cellar doorman.
There were comparisons of 'oaky notes' and 'nutty length' - which raised a few titters - but for me, I was happy just sipping mouthfuls here and there of anything that came my way!
We sampled the chalky texture of a Riesling, the mouth-coating tannins of a Shiraz and a young-drinking and food-friendly Tempranillo with its red cherry tannins and a whisper of oak. Even the aromatic and lively Pinot Noir held my attention enough for me to invest in a bottle to sip away at in the early afternoon sun.
A few of the girls invested in a case of their favourites and after they were bundled into the boot - the cases, not the girls - on we went to the next venue.
This time, some 15kms or so further across the peninsula, we pulled up for some lunch at another watering hole. These places take my breath away. I'm forever telling myself how lucky I am to call this place home, my sense of pride is immense.
The immaculate rows of vines roll on for miles and in between sips of Chardy, we took in the views. These got blurrier as the day went on though, and by 5pm, last orders had been called and home we went. For a bit more wine... this time from my girlfriend's fridge!
Good times.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Tick tock
THIS weekend, we put back our clocks an hour to prepare for the official onset of autumn and winter.
Daylight Savings will put Melbourne back in line with its Queensland cousins as they resist to take part in the tradition that lengthens the hours of daylight throughout the spring and summer seasons.
The northern state doesn't undertake the clock-changing-process because, well.... just because. It's a permanent hot potato and a bone of contention for most northerners. The great divide of 'for' and 'against' goes on, even after trials back in 1971, 1989, 90 and 91.
In 1992, the Queensland Summer Time Act was the subject of a referendum where Queenslanders voted 54.5% against daylight savings. And so it goes on. But Queensland does have a case against daylight saving insofar as it is hot, sub-tropical and nearly homogenous in its seasonal daylight patterns.
I understand that there is a whole heap of good reasons why the operation takes place. Apparently, car fatality statistics are reduced, as is crime, pollution and heating and lighting costs. But on the flip side, it can, and has been known to, cause confusion to those working on the borders of existing time zones by complicating timekeeping, disrupting travel, meetings, billing systems and computer software.
To be honest, the whole thing monkeys around with my brain. I've been out here for more than a year and still fail to instantly work out what time it is back in UK. I can't do it without counting on fingers and pulling an odd and quizzical face while staring at the analogue clockface we have hanging in our kitchen.
Easter Monday has been highlighted on my social calendar to celebrate a colleague's wedding - I just hope we get our timing right and turn up on schedule to witness our second Aussie wedding!
Daylight Savings will put Melbourne back in line with its Queensland cousins as they resist to take part in the tradition that lengthens the hours of daylight throughout the spring and summer seasons.
The northern state doesn't undertake the clock-changing-process because, well.... just because. It's a permanent hot potato and a bone of contention for most northerners. The great divide of 'for' and 'against' goes on, even after trials back in 1971, 1989, 90 and 91.
In 1992, the Queensland Summer Time Act was the subject of a referendum where Queenslanders voted 54.5% against daylight savings. And so it goes on. But Queensland does have a case against daylight saving insofar as it is hot, sub-tropical and nearly homogenous in its seasonal daylight patterns.
I understand that there is a whole heap of good reasons why the operation takes place. Apparently, car fatality statistics are reduced, as is crime, pollution and heating and lighting costs. But on the flip side, it can, and has been known to, cause confusion to those working on the borders of existing time zones by complicating timekeeping, disrupting travel, meetings, billing systems and computer software.
To be honest, the whole thing monkeys around with my brain. I've been out here for more than a year and still fail to instantly work out what time it is back in UK. I can't do it without counting on fingers and pulling an odd and quizzical face while staring at the analogue clockface we have hanging in our kitchen.
Easter Monday has been highlighted on my social calendar to celebrate a colleague's wedding - I just hope we get our timing right and turn up on schedule to witness our second Aussie wedding!
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