Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and the Sydney Harbor Bridge

For the past few weeks I have been walking home from work.  It takes a little more than an hour, but it is so nice to be outside in the continually warmer weather after a long day in the office. There is a nice sized park called St. Leonard's Park, a few blocks from my office that I pass every day. It is filled with palm trees and majestic old gumtrees like this one. 

Sometimes, when I am really in a 5 o'clock daze, I wonder if they would be the kind of gumtrees that Snugglepot and Cuddlepie would live in. The Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books are these very Aussie children's books that I grew up reading. They are about the adventures of these tiny beings called gumnut babies.

I also get to pass views like this.  (Not a bad way to end the day)

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Barbie at Bondi

On Sunday I went to Bondi for a barbecue christening at my coworkers apartment.  She lives in a great apartment 100m from the beach with a beach view, large balcony and a cafe next door.  We all had a great time people watching from the walking and enjoying the warm spring weather.  Bondi is one of the most popular beaches in Sydney and is crawling with tourists, but it is a beautiful beach with decent waves, fun cafes and plenty of eye candy.

This photo is not mine, but I promise to take photos of the beach and the
interesting beach crowd next time I go.  I got a little turned around while
looking for my coworkers apartment so I did not get pictures.

Slangictionary (Fourth Installment)

Stubby holder: (n.) beer holder or beer koozie, beer cans are called stubbies, so a beer holder is a stubby holder

Plaster: (n.) band-aid

Gumguard: (n.) mouthguard [This is actually what the English call mouthguards. One of my coworkers is a Brit and used it the other day and I liked it]

Sultanas: (n.) raisins

Fringe: (n.) bangs.  I know this is commonly known, as it is used in the UK, but I made the mistake of describing someone in the office as "The girl with the bangs" and one of my senior managers thought I said something very different. Thankfully I was making a bang/fringe motion to show what they looked like, so the confusion was quickly translated. 

Dodgy: (adj.) sketchy, off

Braces: (n.) suspenders

Diary: (n.) day planner

Go Pony Go!

Jane and I doing "the skinny arm" pose (We thought it appropriate for the event)

This Saturday I went to the races, for the first time, with friends and coworkers.  Everyone dresses to the nines in suits and ties, fancy dresses, hats and fascinators. I have never seen so many different dresses and hats in one place in my life.  My godmother Jane let me borrow this fabulous red vintage 1920s hat covered in osprey feathers and a beautiful ruby necklace, earrings and a ruby and pearl ring to match the hat.  My hat was a total hit, even the people working at the event complimented me on it one of my male coworkers took a photo in it.  

The racecourse

I bet on only one race, race number four.  It was my first time betting on anything with real money.  It was very exciting despite the fact that my horse, number seven Swiftfoot Joe, did not win the race. 

The race I bet on.  I was in the general admission area so the horses actually ran right
by us, which was so cool, but here is a video image of it from a better angle. 

One of the racehorses that walked by us.

After the races I went to my friends apartment in Rushcutters Bay, which is really close to King's Cross, the neighborhood with many of the popular clubs and is also near Darlinghurst and Paddington, which are known for their beautifully renovated historic townhouses.  Later in the night we went out to a bar/restaurant called Bondi Social which is right on the beach at Bondi and has a nice big balcony and then to a place called The Golden Sheaf, which is a mostly outdoor bar, perfect for Sydney's warm weather.

On Saturday I watched my godbrother Tim's footy (rugby) final. It was the first footy match I’ve attended since being here, though I hope to go to many. Tim's dad, Shane, kindly explained some of the rules to me throughout the game.  I at least know that there are two kinds of rugby in Australia, league and union, an important distinction that Australians make when they are talking about footy.

Singing victory song

I felt right at home at the match, despite my ignorance of some of the rules, as the atmosphere of this club footy game was similar to that of a Bowdoin-Colby hockey game. The cheers were loud, sometimes lewd and dominated by indiscriminate yelling.  I half expected to hear someone (namely a certain brunette Canadian) to yell “Sir!” at the top of their lungs.  Tim's team was victorious and sang their hilarious team song.  I wish I had gotten it on video.  It was classically Australian and more like a drinking song than a sport song, quite different from the All Black's Haka. 

Me, Tim, Shane and Alex after the match

Slangictionary (Third Installment)

Icing sugar: (n.) powdered sugar

Not short a quid: (adj. phrase) rich

Hens: (n.) Bachelorette Party

Stag or Bucks Night: (n.) Bachelor Party

Bogan: (n.) unsavoury, low-class person (usually said in a kidding way)

Sepo: (n.) another name for Americans.  Yank is the most common. Sepo comes from the fact that Septic Tank and Yank rhyme rather nicely.

Ausland: (n.) sign language

Bugger off: (phrase) stop, go away

Barbie: (n.) BBQ

That’s alright: (phrase) most people say this when you say thank you instead of saying “You’re welcome”

Bum bag: (n.) fanny pack.  If wear a fanny pack in Australia I would advise you not to say this. You will get laughed at.

Knock up: (phrase) They used to say “I knocked up my friend” meaning that they had knocked on their door.  It is used less now since the phrase has taken on a new meaning. 

“He’s a cockatoo, he’s Aussie through and through”

Every morning I wake up to the sounds of cockatoos, magpies, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets and other birds. After growing up hearing the “He’s a cockatoo” song and reading Australian Christmas books and children’s books, it is so cool to see all of these classically Australian birds everyday, though I wish they would sing a little quieter at 6 in the morning.  

Rainbow Lorikeet

Cockatoo

Kookaburra