Merry Xmas

Merry Christmas!!! Luckily, Santa knew how to get to Adelaide and into our apartment. We were able to score a hatchet, citranella bucket, and iPod speakers (he knows us so well). We started off at the beach, but it was so windy the sand was stinging us. So we packed up after an hour or so and headed into town to the park. Made a quick set up and started bbqing. Lots of sausage, vegetables and even some kangaroo (good thing I'm a vegetarian). It was a good time.

Now some Christmas movies to fill then night and then tomorrow we pack up the car for Sydney. Sure to find some adventures in the outback and over New Year's...

I just can't stop listening...

This is by far my favorite song of the week. It's by Sarah Blasko (from Sydney) called We Won't Run. I heard the song first and enjoyed it, then I saw the video and it made it that much better. Hope you enjoy it too.

Vegitarian Thanksgiving???

Yeah right, like that would ever fly - no matter where in the world you are. So I bucked up and ordered a turkey. And I wouldn't just say a turkey, this was a 22 lbs turkey. And not one of those frozen kinds that are nicely cleaned; one from the local butcher with some feather stuff still in it (not to mention the neck skin that seemed to stretch for miles). But enough about the nasty bits - I got it cleaned and stuffed (taught Mark that there are two cavities in a bird you can stuff).

By 10:00 it was in the oven...by 10:20 the oven door was shut. Had a bit of an issue with the size of the oven. Turns out they are much smaller here than my mom's. But good smart Sally figured out which way to put it in and luckily we got a bendable pan. So the turkey is in and we were off to get ready for the day.

As a traditional Fender thanksgiving goes this year's theme was a "Halloween Party." Perfect, because we didn't get a change to celebrate Halloween. I must say we did have some amazing costumes. Mr and Mrs Shrek showed up, along with a witch, a pirate, a cat, that scary guy from scream, a few vampires, a school girl, a "true" Australian, a guy from the future, a rockstar, and of course a party isn't complete without Paris Hilton.

I somehow got very lucky and the bird was done on time, it stopped raining long enough to eat and everyone was able to pull off their "Fender Thanksgiving Recipes" without a hitch. While most were confused about my cousins fruit salad and how that goes with Thanksgiving, it was the first thing that anyone said they were thankful for during dinner. While some thought the turkey was the best (bless their hearts), others went for the stuffing, some the cranberry sauce, and others (exculding those who made it) loved the green bean casserole (aka: Fat A$$ Beans).



The day consisted of our traditional Uno games (although there was a lack of $h#t talking that is normally heard around the table). Sally also introduced a few UK traditional games (or a Letchford household traditions). The first was the cereal box game. Its simple, start with a cereal box and pick it up with your teeth. Note you cannot touch your hands, elbows, or knees to the ground. Still simple enough. Once everyone has picked it up with his/her teeth the cutter cuts down the box about an inch and the process begins again. After awhile the box gets shorter and everyone has to get closer to the ground. A few have started to drop out and then it gets to a piece of cardboard laying on the ground with no sides sticking up. Needless to say, we need to figure out a way to make this game a bit more difficult next year as we had about six people tie for first.

The game after dinner included a cookie and your face. Yep put the cookie on your forehead and move it (with no hands) down your face and into your mouth. I would say that some people were awesome (Sally, Rodger, Keith and Mark) and some of us need a bit more practice (cookies flying off the face and onto the ground.

Australian's are just down right nice

Now I know that is a big generalization (but I doubt that any of them are going to be upset about it) - and it is true.

Story One: During my first three weeks here it was all about getting everything set up (apt, utilities, car, bike, work) and during that I decided that getting an iPhone would be a necessity. So I went to my nearest Vodaphone (think Verizon) and tried to get one. Unfortunately they were all sold out and the lady was looking at other stores that had them in stock. She found one is a suburb down south only about a 20 minute drive. I mentioned that I didn't have a car and wasn't sure how I was going to get there...No worries - she could stop by the store on her way home and pick it up for me. Really? That was going to be awesome!

Story Two: Last Wednesday Mark and I went to dinner and a movie (This Is It: MJ which is completely worth it). At dinner I accidentally left the keys on the table and off we went to the movie. By the time we got out the restaurant had closed and we had to take a cab home. Well the restaurant didn't open until 4:30 the next day and I was parked in a two hour carpark. So I rode my bike down there and wrote a note detailing the situation and that I would appreciate my car not being towed (while promising its quick exit once I retrieve the keys). Well I managed to get the keys and while walking to the car I noticed the one next to it had a ticket, but mine was untouched. What a nice ticket man...

Story Three: While Australian's are not the best drivers (I know another generalization but it is also true), they don't have any rode rage and are typically very courteous drivers. Everyday I drive to work I come to a street to turn right and there is a load of cars waiting. Instead of making me wait until the end of that line, there is always someone there who will let me in. Also, I notice that when traffic is bad (which is a loose term compared to Denver traffic) no one stops in the intersections and always lets cars in or turn through. I must say that is has been a pleasant experience driving down here (even on the other side of the road) and I've never been nervouse that someone is going to get mad and run me off the road.

Spring Carnival

I have heard a few stories about my grandma (Mamo) and how much she enjoyed the horse races. I'm not sure if it is genetic and something that is passed down from generation to generation, but boy I could not agree with her more.

This weekend was the big kick-off to the Melbourne Cup (the Cup is on Tuesday which is a public holiday for the state of Victoria). The internationals and I got in our spring dresses (shirt and slacks for the fellas) and got our hats and/or hair pieces ready to go. We were lucky enough to get into the KPMG suite at the Adelaide race course where we enjoyed a nice lunch, great company and probably a few too many drinks.




That day there were races in every state. They were timed so that no two races were competing for a TV spot. So there we were with multiple TVs, a real race course and a booky right in our own suite. For me its not exciting to bet on horses when they are on TV (I feel silly yelling at them to run faster when they can't hear me). So I stuck with betting on the races at the race course.

I've been told that my grandma always bet on the grey horses, since those were the easiest ones to spot on the track. I didn't see any grey horses in any of the races, so I had to choose by name. I took the safe way out and pick one horse and put $5 to win and $5 to place. It must have been the Fender luck because after 6 races (total of 7 but I didn't bet the first race) I came out $40 ahead.

All in all a great day with the internationals.

Part Two - The City

Mark and I finally made it to Melbourne by Wednesday afternoon. We were a bit tired from the drive and took a fairly long nap at the hostel. Once awake and refreshed we walked around the town for a bit. It was my hopefully plan all along that we made it to Melbourne by Wednesday so we could try and get tickets to Chicago - and lucky enough we did! Rocked up about 2 hours before the show and got some good seats.

The next day we headed out and made it first to the Old Melbourne Gaol (or Jail for us new age people). I had a great time during the tour where we learned about how the prisoners lived, the number of hangings at the jail, and the most infamous prisoner Ned Kelly. Ned Kelly had home-made armor (looked kind of like the tin man only with steel). He has had more written about him than any one else in Australian history.

After the jail it was off to Brunswick street. One of the cities hipster areas with lots of boutiques, trendy cafes and pubs. Did a bit of shopping, but since it's not either of our favorite activities we did take a leisurely lunch at Little Creatures (Melbourne's New Belgium with really good food).

The next day was more touring. Did the city walk through the botanical gardens and then a tram ride down to St. Kilda brought us to the city's closest beach. Had some real fish and chips - like I'm sure they caught the fish that morning and fried it in front of me. It was delicious. That night a good friend took us to the best Mexican reasturant he has found in Australia and I must say it was the best Mexican food I've had in awhile. Eventhough the margarita's were made with lemons...

The next morning we were off - wanted to get back home with a day to recoup. So the trip that took us five days to drive there only took us 8.5 hours to drive back (granted we did take a different more direct route). But lucky us, on the way home we were able to see the giant koala (they do love making things big down here).

Holiday to Melbourne Part One

Finally Mark and I were able to take some vacation and see a bit more of Adelaide. It started two weekends ago when we packed up the Getz and started driving toward Melbourne. There are a few routes to get to Melbourne and we chose the longest, which goes along the Great Ocean Road. Built after World War Two to give the returning soldiers a job. It would take a normal person about two days to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne on this route.

Its a good thing we aren't normal, because it took us about 5 days. We stopped to see everything, which included the giant lobster. We did a lot of car camping and cooking on our tiny gas camping stove (although the food was restaurant quality). The first night was in Robe (still in South Australia). The ocean was within walking distance and there were some wombats close by (I got a picture of one running away). In Robe we attempted to take the Getz 4 wheeling, but as it was the first day, decided it would be best not to break the car yet.

The second night we stopped at Port Campbell (now in Victoria and on the Great Ocean Road). The stars were so bright that night, we just laid on our little hill near by and made up all the constellations (as there is no big dipper on this side of the world). The next day was a big tourist day. The road is on the limestone coast which has wonderful rock formations. Well the formations are all named and big lookout points. So we stopped at each to get our pictures and marvel at the views. There is the arch, the london bridge and the 12 apostles are the most common.

This got us down to Otway National Park. We found a site and did a bit of touring in the park. Mainly saw the oldest lighthouse in Australia which warned the ships that they were close to land. Back in the day this would be the first thing people saw when sailing from Europe. Well it rained all day and we couldn't get a fire started. Ate dinner in the car and make it an early night. The nice part was that there were koalas everywhere. One right above our tent, which I named Fred.

The next day we headed north though the national park and stopped by the red sequoya forest. This is the first thing I've seen that reminds me of home and our mountains (so it was nice to visit). We then headed to the rain-forest and walked up top on large bridges along the canopy. Really nice, but for someone scared of heights kind of nerve racking as well. Afterward, we headed toward Melbourne and got to Apollo Bay.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of camping around, so we just backtracked and camped at a place called Blanket bay in the Otway National Park for another night. This time we were in rock throwing distance to the ocean and could hear the waves. Well this night was the rainiest of all and a lit creepy for me. But when we woke up made some breakfast by the beach and headed to Melbourne.

I've posted all the pictures of our camping time - check them out on fliker.

Labour Day Weekend

Well in September I was a little bummed out that we didn't get to have Labour Day weekend like the rest of the States. But then came October and while most of my family and friends were enjoying a two day weekend, we were able to enjoy a three day weekend.

Friday night started off with drinks at The Office (not the real office but a pub called The Office). Another KPMGer quit so we went out to celebrate. Saturday, while Mark was hard at work, Hillary was busy spending. Luckily, I'm addicted to Salvos (like the Goodwill) so whenever I go shopping it doesn't break the bank. This weekend I got three dresses, one magazine, two necklaces, a hat, a pitcher and a book for about $25.

Saturday night, our co-worker Roger and his wife had us and the international group over for drinks. I have been craving margaritas so I found some tequila and margarita mix and bam (not really close to a margarita). The liquid was very limey (so I added additional tequila) and looked neon green (like the slime in Ghostbusters). Needless to say I'm still craving a good margarita, but not likely to come across one in these parts.

Sunday was ladies day. We all dressed up (I wore one dress from Salvos) and headed to high tea. Drank tea/coffee, ate sandwiches with no crust (well I didn't because they were all meaty), enjoyed little scones with cream and jam, and tiny tarts. The company was great - the service not so much. But all in all a great afternoon. Afterwards Leanne, Sal and I met up with the boys who had just finished drinking beers and eating schnitzel (there comparable high tea experience). We had a few drinks on the patio and enjoyed the additional light from daylight savings.

Monday was the big day...the actual day you feel the greatness of a three day weekend. Mark and I purchased tickets to a music festival about 4 months prior called Parklife. I didn't know most of the groups that were playing but figured a day in the park with music and friendly people who could go wrong? And I was right - it was a great time. I would probably call it a hipster fest, everyone with Bob Dylan sunglasses, tight jeans, crazy shirts (definitely not appropriate for the audit room). The people watching was great - the music was alright - but what really got me was the vodka redbulls that everyone was drinking (Mark and I participated in one when we first got there, but my heart wouldn't let me have any more).

All in all a great Labour Day weekend. It got me very excited for this coming weekend (well tomorrow for me) and our long holiday to Melbourne...

The Fresh Food People

On weekends, there is typically a day that is dedicated to food shopping. Well maybe not an entire day, but a good two to three hours of the day. In Adelaide, one has many options of where to buy the groceries. There is the local butcher, the local baker, the produce people, the Saturday market (which has all these people in one location), or the grocery store (of which there are Coles or Wolworths).

We all know I'm not going to go to the local butcher anytime soon so I tend to stick with the market or grocery stores. The market is great - all the local farmers come down from the hills to sell there ripe luscious fruits and vegetables. To effectively shop at the market one must be assertive, able to cut and dodge through the crowds and have tremendous arm strength to carry all the goodness back home. If you are there at 2:00, when all the sales start to go down, be prepared to block some elbows and watch out for the old ladies with rolling baskets (but for three zucchinis for a dollar or two red peppers for a dollar who can resist).

There are some weekends that I'm not prepared for the market and therefore go to the grocery store (plus we get discounts from work to shop there - and frequent flier miles). Out of the two grocers we have grown fond of Wolworths.


Woolworths - the fresh food people. Every weekend a few commercials are aired on TV detailing the different produce that has come in this week, what is priced well and ready to eat. One weekend we met the manager of our local Wollys, Laurence. A very nice man, he recognised Mark as he knows "all the Yankees that come through the store." He gave us a run down of the store and where to find all the good kangaroo meat (although Mark has yet to try it).

One of my favorite things at Wollys are the trolleys. They go forward, backward, side-ways, diagonally all with just a little touch of the finger. Probably the most friendly push trolleys I've experienced.

My second favorite thing are the prices - if you eat healthy it is cheaper. For example, natural peanut butter is $2.50 while peanut butter made with extra sugar (think Jiffy) is $3.50. The organic veggies and fruits are less than the other produce. From what I have read and heard, Australia is the second most obese country (right behind the US) and the government is actively working towards getting Australians back in shape. Works well for Mark and I.

SA Steam Trains

What is more Australian then appearing in a South Australian Steam Train documentary????


Yeah, I couldn't think of anything either. So on Sunday (in order of appearance) Leanne, I, Natalie, and Sally all took our part in a1950's documentary.


Yeah the outfits were hideous, the place was freezing, and two takes took quite a bit of time. On the other hand, we laughed about the ridiculousness, helped out an amazing co-worker (her dad is the director) and made yet another unforgettable memory.

The documentary is for the town of Peterbrough which is attempting to increase tourism through opening a steam train museum. The documentary will end up being about 30 minutes in length and will show at the museum for the whole world to see. We are still not sure if we will be attending the grand opening as the museum is about 2 hours from Adelaide, but we have been known to do some crazy things...

City-to-Bay

The big City-To-Bay race was this past weekend. Adelaide's largest running race with participation at 29,000 (almost the population of the city center...I think). The race starts in the city and follows the Anzac highway down to the beach, for a total of 12ks. The longest race I've participated in thus far.

Sally and I have been training for this for quite awhile, and while we didn't exactly hit our target, we got pretty dang close and are happy with the results (Target = 60 min; HF time = 63.11). We did get caught up in the people doing the 6k race and 3k race who start in the middle of the road, but that is really no excuse - just have to be a bit quicker at weaving and ducking around the crowds.

All in all a very good day. We ran with the SA Autism foundation - which was the KPMG charity of choice. We were supplied an okay breakfast (not so great for the vegetarians) and a free massage (great for anyone who just ran 12k). The weather couldn't have been better and the street entertainment, well, the street entertainment was there. Can't say it's the thing that got me through the race.

Now we just have to find the next thing to motivate us to work out...I have a feeling it might be the swim suit season which is approaching.

Sad, Sad Day

Now I've never been one to follow a sports team in my spare time (except for the stint at CSU where I had to go to about every football and basketball game - rain or shine - no questions asked). But since I've been down here I have become very fond of the Mighty Adelaide Crows. The Crows are one of the city's football teams. Not football like the Americans see it and not football as Europeans see it (aka soccer to the US) but football as the Australians see it.

The game is pretty tough to describe and I must admit that I do not understand all the rules - but the ball is shaped like a rugby ball, there are no pads or helmets, there is tackling, you can hit the ball to another teammate or you can kick the ball to one of your teammates (if you catch a ball that was kicked to you then you are "safe" and no one can tackle you). The ultimate objective is to kick the ball between two posts for 6 points, but if you miss and you make it between two posts which are a bit wider you get 1 point (just because you tried).

Anyway, my point is that Mark and I went to a Crows game and I have become a fan. It was finals month and the Crows made it to the quarter finals to get a penalty called in the last few seconds to loose. It was a sad, sad day.

The Show

It is one of the biggest events in Adelaide (at least since we have been here) - and if I didn't know better I would have said I was at the Montana state fair. Although there were no Indian Tacos, there were corn dogs, fried potatoes and lots of good people watching. There were also the bulls, alpacas, goats, and all the other great show animals.

The Show originally started as an Ag fair for all the farmers and ranchers from the Hills to come into town and show off what they had been working on all year. They still do the competitions (none of which we attended), but it has expanded into your typical carnie affair. Sketchy rides and games you can never win galore (but yes we were tempted and no I still have no big stuffed animal).

One main difference to the MT fair was that there were no beer gardens (and no Bad Larry's - of which neither of them are named Larry). To substitute the beer gardens, Adelaide brought in what they do best...wine. You could (and we did) try about every type of wine that is made in the state (which is quite a bit)...and better yet, they held wine tasting classes so you could increase the number of adjectives in your vocabulary to describe wine. My favorite? Herbaceous.

The biggest thing at The Show are the infamous Show Bags. What is a show bag you ask? Well to tell you the truth I'm still a bit confused. You walk into a gigantic building and there are all different bags that you can purchase ranging from $12 to $30. Each bag had a theme and was filled with crap related to the theme. For instance you could by (and Keith did) a Skittles show bag that was filled with all the different skittle packs you can imagine. Or there was a black angle show bag filled with a black halo, black wings and a bright pink wig. There was also the all man show bag (good thing Simone purchased this one or I might not have known about it) containing two Sports Illustrated type magazines, an energy drink, and a thing of easy mac. Mark and I did walk around for a good 15 minutes and decided that we would pass on the show bags this year (to ponder until next year).

And that was The Show - a good time to share with our new friends who are turning into our family. Can't wait to see what the other festivals are going to bring.

They are there and watching

I am now fully integrated into the Australian country...

I was coming home from work the other day when a cop pulled me over on the side of the road. Sounds like a pretty typical event, but this time was really embarrassing as I was riding my push bike. No car, no running motor, just me and my push bike pulled over on the side of the road with the cop lights flashing all around and people looking at me like "what the heck did she do!"

Well, it turns out I forgot to turn on my lights, which is a requirement to ride a night. Luckily he just gave me a warning as this is a law to protect my safety. Although it was a warning I still got a ticket which was only (to quote the cop) "to make sure people know I'm doing my job."

Done and done - but that is the thing about Australia. They make quite a few laws to protect your safety and enforce them. The other thing I have noticed is how the government runs shock ads to scare people into obeying the laws. Such a one commercial about how it is important to wear your seat belt.

The commercial starts off with a mom driving her two young teens to school. She is nervous about a van that is following her and when she glances in the rear view mirror, she slams into the back of a parked car (not bad so far). Then you see her son fly into the back of her seat (he was not wearing his seat belt) which pushes her head into the steering wheel and ultimately kills her (yeah this is on during prime time). Her daughter sits there screaming and the son is stunned about what happens with blood all over his face. Last flash to the mom who is still not moving and cuts to a black screen with the govt. logo reminding us to wear our seat belts. Needless to say I always wear my seat belt in OZ.

The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good: Pretty much everything. The best is the coffee - there is a real coffee machine at work (one that makes lattes). There is a local coffeehouse called CIBO, which is some of the best I've had.

Adelaide is also called the 20 minute city (i.e. you can get anywhere is 20 minutes or less). The mayor is getting a little worried though, because last census it was turning int the 25 minute city. From our place, we can get the a really nice beach going west in about 15 and a great hiking trail driving east in about 20. But what is even better are all the bike lanes. There is one on every major street and if one doesn't exist the cars are conscientious about bikers on the road. We did buy a car, and other then our tourist outings, it doesn't get driven much during the week.

The Bad: Shopping hours...9:00 - 5:00 almost everyday for your groceries and retail stores. There is late night shopping on Thursdays in the suburbs and Friday in the city where places may stay open until 7:00 or 9:00, but I rarely plan ahead for that. With these store hours you have to be aware of what food you have or may want for dinners. We did find one small shop (IGA) that tends to stay open later, but is a bit on the pricey side. So we have become domesticated in the fact that we go food shopping on the weekend and "plan" our dinners for the week. Luckily every Saturday there is a huge market in the city that is entertaining to go to.

The Ugly: Really there is nothing ugly around here. The entire city is clean and pleasant to live in. There are far fewer homeless people on the streets like in Denver - you will see one or two every now and then, but not that often. The city is surrounded by park lands, which means lots of green grass, beautiful trees and plenty of soccer fields . No one seems to have any pickup games on the weekends, but we are hoping to find a few players to start some.

This weekend we are getting our first visitor!!! So exciting - since he is Mark's cousin I'm leaving it to Mark to determine what we do...but I have a feeling it will involve a wine valley and some good food...

Lost and Found

Went running on Sunday with the non-oz (our new found group where none of us are Aussies). Well really the guys took off and it was Sal and I. A beautiful run south of the city, where the houses are big enough to have a tennis court in the front yard. Ran up a hill at the end and had a magnificent sight of the city about 7k away (a bittersweet moment knowing we still had to go back).

To my surprise the trip back was even better than the view from out there...mainly because we came across Alfie. A small Australian Terrier running down the street and sniffing old McDonalds bags. He looked lost and scruffy, so we stopped and persuaded him to let us help. Took him back to the apt and noticed the only tag on was for an animal shelter. I figured since he was gonna have to go back I'd at least spend the day with him (I've been missing dogs quite a bit).

So I gave him a bath and we all had breakfast (eggs all around). When we were eating he didn't beg...but got into this crazy sitting pose like a Kangaroo.

After breakfast we took him to the park. Unbeknownst to us he was amazing at fetch (actually brought the tennis ball back). Alfie was loving his life. He could run around and be free and still came back when I called for him.

After a few hours we decided it was time to take him to the shelter (and it was closing for the day). When I called they informed me he wasn't a run away and had an owner! They gave me her details and when I called she asked if I could watch him a bit longer because she was busy...what!!! To busy to pick up your lost dog!!! I was furiouse - but really excited to spend a few more hours with my new friend. Since we played so hard before it was time for a nap. We were both out and he didn't wake up until the owner came and picked him up.

I think it was a good day for both of us. I wonder what he is doing now and pray that he is happy and running around.

Dance, Dance, Dance

So I found a dance studio to get my groove on - Flava Dance. Taking a Funk 2 class every Tuesday night. It's great because they make you sign up for the term (9 weeks) and you can only miss two classes. Makes a great excuse to leave work "on-time" (i.e. 5:30) at least once a week.

Maybe someday I'll find a few other ladies, start a crew and get on America's Next Best Dance Crew...or just become a Beat Freak (they're my favorite).

Getz Car Commercial

The past two weekends (well really the past month) Mark and I have been attempting to go camping - and for the past month it has rained every at least one day during the weekend. So no camping yet (but we have our hopes up for next weekend and, if not, then the weekend afterward.

We have been able to make the most of it during the one nice day during the weekend. Last weekend we hiked in the Morialta National Park. Unfortunately part of the trail was closed for rebuilding, but we were able to get some great views of the waterfalls and through the canyon. As always, Sally and Keith were joined and we started having a competition for the most koalas spotted. Mark had a keen eye and was able to spot two of them in the trees - Sally had one and Keith also had one...everyone but me. All I was able to spot was a Kookaburra which is one of the state's most populous birds.

Today we took advantage of the fine weather (aka no rain) and headed south. Down to Sellick Beach. It was absolutely wonderful. One of the beaches where you are able to drive along the sand to find the best spot. So of course we took the Getz out to see how it performs in the great outdoors. I've never driven on a beach, but it is similar to driving through soft mud. We drove down as far as possible and then walked along the rest of the beach. Although it wasn't warm enough to go for a swim it was nice to be by the water and start planning for summer. I think so far we have a BBQ planed for every weekend. Which isn't that difficult considering there are BBQs all along the beach for public use. With such a beautiful scenery we couldn't help but make some car commercials - below is the best car commercial snap shot of the girls...

After awhile we noticed that the tide started to creep up on us. We didn't think much of it at first until it was only about 3 or 4 feet away. Then we decided it was about time to get the car back to solid ground before it (and us) floated out into the ocean. Towards the end Mark had to accelerate to beat the tide - it was a close one but the Getz hasn't let us down yet!

Because moving around the world wasn't enough

Well I decided that I needed another change in life. Nothing too drastic - just something to mix things up a bit...




So I went to the store and bought a pair of hair dresser scissors - next thing you know I made myself some bangs. I don't think I could tell you the last time I had bangs. Luckily Mark didn't run out of the apartment screaming once it was all over.

So Far

Almost another month has past and we are still attempting to see everything we can. Winter is in full affect and although it is not as cold as CO, I'm still freezing all the time and can't wait for summer (even if it is over 100 degrees).

The non-ozs (Sally, Keith, Mark and I), took a trip down to Granite Island. A small island off Victor Harbor (a good 1.5 drive from the city). Did some hiking, packed a lunch, saw some penguins and maybe a whale (still not conclusive). The island is a penguin sanctuary where they all come for the night. Posted some pics on flickr - most are of rocks which I somehow really enjoy (makes me think of Simon and Garfunkel, I am a rock...I am an island).

The fourth of July was a bit of a celebration. KPMG held its mid-year bash - black tie, dinner, dancing and a few too many drinks. I must say that there were quite a bit more people dancing than I have ever seen at any other office occasion. There was a live band that wasn't half bad; went from Justin Timberlake to Scissor Sisters in a blink of an eye.

Today Mark and I went hiking in the Belaire National Park (about 20 minutes from the apt). We were expecting to come across two waterfalls for some amazing pics and a nice time relaxing by the water and listening to the splashes. What we did come across were two rock faces with water dribbling down. Not what I would call a waterfall. We figure you have to be there when it is raining for you to really see a waterfall. The hike still had its positives - sighted three koalas sleeping in the trees and one kangaroo hopping about 20 meters from us.

We've started to get back into the groove of a "normal" life. Found a yoga studio next to the office. Mark was able to get a unlimited pass for real cheap so we went as much as possible during the first week and have become addicted. I also found a hip hop class. They don't have any that you can just show up pay $12. Everything is a bit more organized - so I signed up for the term (about 2 months) and have to commit to going every Tuesday night.

Well sorry I haven't written more often - I will try and get better at that. Want to see more photos of me? Check out the link to Mark's Photos...I seem to be in a few of them. Hope all is well where you are.

Ta - H

First Month

Well it has been a little over a month since I arrived and I'm finally feeling as though I live here and am not a tourist. The first few weeks I lived out of a hotel, which was nice at times, but relatively boring at others. It was nice when Mark got here (about two weeks after). I had just moved into an apartment when he arrived which is fully furnished (great news considering a non-furnished place does not have a refrigerator).

After getting the apt settled we went car shopping. Ended up getting a Hyundai Gets - think really small. Its a three door with five seats. I'm pretty sure it would fit in the Subaru. But it gets us from A to B with very little gas. I don't have any great pictures yet -but will upload them as soon as I do.

Up until this weekend we have been playing tourists with our new found friends Keith and Sally (or K-Man and Sal as we call them) from the UK. Every Saturday the City has a market where all the farmers from the hills come down and sell their fruits and veggies. If you stay around long enough you can get some really good deals when everything goes on sale. It is kind of like our farmer's markets, but indoors and with 3 to 4 times the people. Mark and I decided to keep buying one new veggie when we go to try a new recipe that week.

We also walked about China Town - which is really a strip restaurants and cheap souvenir shops. I think it smelled really bad, but I'm told that the food is really good. Or at least it is really good at 1:00am on a Friday night before heading home...we have yet to see.

There is a little town south of the city called Holandorf. It is the oldest German town in South Australia. A very little town with one street to walk up and then back down again. It was nice and Mark was able to eat his first Schnitzel so all was worth the drive. Rumor has it that it is really hopping during October fest - so we will have to check that out.

Another tourist activity was going to the McLaren Vale wine and seafood festival. There were lots of wineries to choose from and you were able to go from one to another tasting their wines for a great price. We made it to five of them and found each one to be quite delightful. The scenery was amazing and the weather almost perfect. One wine valley down several more to go...

Check out some of my photos to these places in the link to the left "My Photos"!

First Time

Here it is...maybe some people will get some knowlege from it, some might get some insight into the mind of Hillary and others might just be really bored - but here is Adelaide and the surrounding areas from my point of veiw.