There is a fact of life here in Australia that flies are just part of the landscape. They are they national bird (just kidding), the motion of waving flies away from your face is called the national wave.
Spring time is the worst season for them (it is spring right now). When we went out to the bush Saturday to walk around the properties they flies where all over us. Even at lunch in Toodyay they were terrible. I guess when you live here long enough you don't notice.
I'm sure you have seen photos of an Australian in the Outback wearing a hat with corks hanging from strings around the brim. The reason for that is very practical. It frees up one hand from constantly having to brush flies away from your face. The motion of moving your head is enough to wave the corks which will chase the flies off for a second.
Trish told me that you aren't a true Australian until you've eaten a couple flies with your lunch.
At least near the beach it is not as bad because the offshore breeze blows them inland.
Monday, October 29, 2001
Mr. Lentz's Birthday Present:
Martin did not take warmly to the purchase of the 50 acres as Trish had hoped. She told me that she is going to have to convince him now by taking him up there on Sunday.
Toodyay
Trish wants to buy a small farm out in the country to retire to when Martin retires in a couple of years. She saw an ad for some property in Saturday's paper and decided to drive out there with a friend of hers to look at it. She asked if I wanted to go along to see the the Australian bush.
So we drove east up into the mountains out of Perth into the rolling hills and valleys of the Darling Range. It is very beautiful up there. It reminds me of central coast near Paso Robles/Lake Nacimento area, except with more trees.
We found the property advertised. It was awful. Too close to the road, railroad tracks, and with a poor water drainage. We stayed 10 minutes and left. We continued east into the small town of Toodyay in the Avon River Valley. Toodyay was hosting the Western Australia Jazz Festival this weekend. Downtown, all one block of it, was packed with people enjoying Australia Jazz, bluegrass, and even the Australian versions of country and blues.
We had lunch at the Coca-Cola museum. It wasn't really a museum. It was more somebody's house that was obsessed with Coca-Cola and collected everything Coke ad, can, bottle, key chain, pin, poster, cooler, and more that has every been made. The "museum" served Australian hamburgers out on the patio. I ordered a Pepsi with mine. I didn't get one.
Next door was a real estate office. Trish looked at some of the ads they had in their window. The manager came out and started talking to her. She told him about the land she had driven up to look for and then described what she was looking for. The agent said he had just the place.
So we piled into his 4wd and took off east deeper into the bush. After about 20 minutes of small farms he pulled into a dirt road and into a large meadow. What he had was a 50 acre lot that we was selling. The lot was surrounded by national park on two sides. The park was in it's natural state with a deep forest of gum and and other types of trees. It had a dam and a small lake on one side to capture water from a small creek that ran down the middle. The land was in a small valley with mountain views to the north and east. Trish and her friend walked around it for a while, asked a few questions, and then decided to buy it.
So we drove back to the office and she cut a check for $120,000 for the 50 acres. Her husband Martin didn't even know that she was looking at a farm today. He left in the morning to go golfing with a friend.
Tomorrow is his birthday. Won't he be surprised. She said escrow should close by December and she wants to take the family camping on the new land for New Years Eve. She said I am welcome to come along to experience camping in the Australian bush.
So we drove east up into the mountains out of Perth into the rolling hills and valleys of the Darling Range. It is very beautiful up there. It reminds me of central coast near Paso Robles/Lake Nacimento area, except with more trees.
We found the property advertised. It was awful. Too close to the road, railroad tracks, and with a poor water drainage. We stayed 10 minutes and left. We continued east into the small town of Toodyay in the Avon River Valley. Toodyay was hosting the Western Australia Jazz Festival this weekend. Downtown, all one block of it, was packed with people enjoying Australia Jazz, bluegrass, and even the Australian versions of country and blues.
We had lunch at the Coca-Cola museum. It wasn't really a museum. It was more somebody's house that was obsessed with Coca-Cola and collected everything Coke ad, can, bottle, key chain, pin, poster, cooler, and more that has every been made. The "museum" served Australian hamburgers out on the patio. I ordered a Pepsi with mine. I didn't get one.
Next door was a real estate office. Trish looked at some of the ads they had in their window. The manager came out and started talking to her. She told him about the land she had driven up to look for and then described what she was looking for. The agent said he had just the place.
So we piled into his 4wd and took off east deeper into the bush. After about 20 minutes of small farms he pulled into a dirt road and into a large meadow. What he had was a 50 acre lot that we was selling. The lot was surrounded by national park on two sides. The park was in it's natural state with a deep forest of gum and and other types of trees. It had a dam and a small lake on one side to capture water from a small creek that ran down the middle. The land was in a small valley with mountain views to the north and east. Trish and her friend walked around it for a while, asked a few questions, and then decided to buy it.
So we drove back to the office and she cut a check for $120,000 for the 50 acres. Her husband Martin didn't even know that she was looking at a farm today. He left in the morning to go golfing with a friend.
Tomorrow is his birthday. Won't he be surprised. She said escrow should close by December and she wants to take the family camping on the new land for New Years Eve. She said I am welcome to come along to experience camping in the Australian bush.
Friday, October 26, 2001
Northbridge and Perth Nightlife
For a small town at the ass end of the world there sure is a lot going on around here. A lot more than in Santa Barbara. This week I missed my train to the northern suburbs and had to wait 45 minutes to catch the next one. Across from the train station in downtown is a neighborhood called Northbridge where all the cool restaurants and pubs are. I took a stroll through Northbridge. There are so many interesting places to eat. Every ethnic food on earth is there, and they all looked very good. There are lots of micro-brew pubs and some dance clubs in the mix. It looks like a great place to come on a Friday after work. I will be back here for sure.
Life At Holland House
I am really being to like where I live now that I am getting to know it better. I really lucked out finding this place. First, the rent includes everything. All meals, laundry, etc. Trish runs her house in a very efficient manner. Between her teenage sons, their friends, her friends, their extended family, there is always someone here joining for dinner.
Living here is easy. Trish does all my laundry, ironing, and cleans the apartment. Plus she is a very good cook. She makes dinner ever night and if I get in too late there is a plate waiting in the fridge to be nuked. She even makes the bed when I am at work, just like a hotel.
They have a really cool cat named Eric (after Eric Clapton) who thinks he is a dog. He follows you around with a plastic flower stem in his mouth wanting to play fetch. When you throw the flower he will retrieve it and bring back to you to throw again.
From here it is about a 5 minute bike ride to the beach. Between us and the beach is a golf course and a nature reserve. I tested the mountain bike in the reserve on Sunday by trying it out on the muddy trails. It handled great. At the beach is a reef off shore the breaks some of the waves coming in. Closer to shore is a smaller reef that creates a nature ocean swimming pool that the sharks can't get into.
Living here is easy. Trish does all my laundry, ironing, and cleans the apartment. Plus she is a very good cook. She makes dinner ever night and if I get in too late there is a plate waiting in the fridge to be nuked. She even makes the bed when I am at work, just like a hotel.
They have a really cool cat named Eric (after Eric Clapton) who thinks he is a dog. He follows you around with a plastic flower stem in his mouth wanting to play fetch. When you throw the flower he will retrieve it and bring back to you to throw again.
From here it is about a 5 minute bike ride to the beach. Between us and the beach is a golf course and a nature reserve. I tested the mountain bike in the reserve on Sunday by trying it out on the muddy trails. It handled great. At the beach is a reef off shore the breaks some of the waves coming in. Closer to shore is a smaller reef that creates a nature ocean swimming pool that the sharks can't get into.
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