Bush Tucker

What do you feed 3 Canadian friends who are visiting-bush tucker of course! That would include diced camel, buffalo, spicey kangaroo snag(sausage), crockodile snag, emu with smoked crockodile as an appi. YUMMY. OK so I only really liked the emu but we all had a taste on the wild side. They were at the Central Market while I was at a workshop. I got to listen to a Kiwi and try to figure out what a beer was-you know a teddy beer. LOL. So now I am all up on phonological awareness. I still can't quite figure out why they teach the sounds but not the names of the letters. The Kiwi gal told them to do it at the same time. I will keep on working on those vowels. I had an irate parent ask me at interviews if I had really told her daughter that the letter Y is sometimes a vowel. She told me that she had looked it up on the Internet. Really? Yes it was an interesting week.

So Sue, I have discovered clearskins-wines without labels for about $4 a bottle. A surprise in every bottle-not always a pleasant one, or so I am told. I haven't bought any yet but since I have not yet learned to be a wine snob I think I will try some reds on my next visit to the Dan Murphy warehouse. You have to learn something new everyday right? The latest wine tasting has been bubbly. I am catching on to the latest craze of sparkling reds. Nice chilled. I like the whites too and will add them to my list.

Went on yet another Dolphin cruise. My Canadian friends brought the rain with them. Real rain. Since I am not made of sugar I did not melt but I did get to see some more dolphins. I will try to find the pictures later. Tired girl needs sleep. Catch ya later......
G'day eh!
Bern

10Q for the kind words and encouragement

Hi Ann and gang,
I just wrote an article for the SAETL newsletter about the Kangaroo Island Trip. This is much more FUN than writing report cards!I went to the AGM to see what was up with the Central Oz trip and ended up as the new Exchange rep-I thought they did that to people who DIDN'T show up! LOL. My life seems to move without me sometimes. I have had the CRAZIEST week at school. We are doing parent teacher interviews this week. Yes every day for a week. YIKES! and if that isn't enough my class is performing in the assembly on Friday. We are doing a weather unit so I taught them the song "if all of the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops......., if all of the snowflakes were chocolate bars and milkshakes....., if all of the sunbeams were licorice sticks and ice creams......, if all of the fog was fairy floss and marshmallows...., and my personal favourite, if all of the hailstones were Freddo frogs(an Aussi chocolate bar) and Chicken Bones(a Maritime favourite). The chorus goes"I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide..ah ah ah ah ah ah ah..well you get the idea!!!! So in the interest of experiential learning I managed to provide my class with a sample of Gangong Chicken Bones! Yes the real deal! I think I may have made some life long friends.LOL.I am also on the Blackforest Garden Committee and tomorrow night is open garden night...wine and cheese in the school garden, bring the family. Every class had to create a sculpture for this event. My class decided to make the life cycle of the Wanderer Butterfly.AKA the Monarch Butterfly. Yes Joan we got milk weed! So we have spent some time in the garden observing monarch caterpillars. Did I mention we had to make these sculptures from recycled things? I had a headache today and I thought it was because my ponytail was too tight! Between the construction of sculptures and rehearsals for the assembly and interviews with parents, I need a vacation. I have almost given up on teaching my possums how to say their vowels properly but it would seem that most of them now know what vowels are, so that's a start. Baby steps.

BTW it was a lovely autumn day here-32. The footy tipping has started and the locals are getting a bit wierd. Sue I am hoping to sign up for the wine course-looks like I have found someone to go with. I will have a look for the wine you mentioned. Yes my friend it was you who started all of this. perhaps I will be able to repay you with an Aussi wine and cheese party upon my return. As for quilting well I am told that on long dark winter nights in the land down under people stay inside with nothing to do. Yeah right. The time is going to change at the end of the month so it will be dark. My friend Jane made me an amazing tutorial so I HAVE to have a go at the modified magic tiles quilt. The ocean fabrics are gorgeous. The batiks are even more beautiful. I love fabric. Irma I would be happy to share my love of quilting with you. I want to see all of your mom's quilts when next I visit your fair Ilse.

OK I have a big day tomorrow. Good night all. Thanks for your comments. I love to hear from you. Hugs and lots of love,
G'Day eh!
Bern

Fabric queen

Hi gang,
Thought I would delight you all with my beautiful fabric shots. Not as nice as some of my beach shots but for those of us with quilitis you will understand. This is my cute little yard full of beautiful batiks and a dessert roll by Moda. If you look carefully you will see some fabric, a bogey board and a Buddha. I went for my evening stroll tonight and the tide was the highest it has ever been. I swear that some of the waves were chasing me. 9 days ago I stepped on something in the ocean and it felt like a zap of electricity and then it just plain hurt. I have a hole in my foot but can't find any sign of a stinger. My foot is still tender. So I am being more cautious. The water felt nice and warm this evening. There was not a soul swimming though. I usually see long distance swimmers training. I used to leave to go to the beach at 7-now that is too late.The sun went to bed at 7:23 tonight. It just fell from the sky without any help from me. It is going to be worse when the time changes at the end of the month. Then you will hear me whining. Although a little Australian wine is good. I want the Shiraz.....

On that note I am off to bed. Take Care. Hugs and lots of love,
G'day eh!
Bern

Another Saturday night...........

Hi Gang,
I had several great conversations today whith people who understood my accent. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. I like it when you overlap too. So these pictures demonstrate what my life is all about. I cut out a quilt today with the love and guidance of my favourite purple haired friend. I have fabric spread from one end to the other. I love the ocean fabrics I have found here in Oz. I looked in my fridge and I had 5 aubergines that were given to me as gifts from some of my possums. So Yvonne provided me with another one of her amazing recipes. It goes like this: (overlap for Jane)

Yvonne's Eggplant Casserole

1 1/4 lb gr chicken ( or minced whatever they eat in Oz)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic (this is just a guideline right?)
1 1/2 lbs of eggplant, cubed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 green and 1 red capsicum-oops sorry I slipped into OZspeak-I mean green and red peppers
1 tsp basil(go out in the yard and get the basil plant you picked up and dragged all over the Central market)
3/4 c dried bread crumbs
1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 176-for those of you in NA 350. Spray a 13x9 pan. Saute mince,onion and garlic in a big pot. Add everything else except bread crumbs and cheese. Bring to a boil. Stir as needed. Transfer to a baking dish and bake covered for 45-50 minutes-long enough to enjoy a Coopers. Uncover and sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese and bake until brown. This freezes well or so I am told. Enjoy.

The top picture is of my new bed mate-yes it is a hairy nosed wombat! He is to keep me company on future adventures. There he is in the bunkhouse at Karatta on Kangaroo Island. Not as cute as Heidi but he does eat less. I went to see Monty Python's Spamsalot the other night and the theme song was to keep on the bright side. I hope that's what you are all doing. I have interviews next week so I will be singing that song a lot.....

Miss you-especially those of you who used to write....
love and hugs,
G'day eh!
Bern

More KI Pics

Feedback please,

Kangaroo Island Pics

Mom nursing her baby
Look what Bern taught me! Hey Tom this pringle is for you.LOL
Liken the lichen.
Every maritimer loves lighthouses.
Beautiful flora
KI beach
How many seals can you spot?
SAETL group at Remarkable Rocks

Kangaroo Island Pics

Bushfire devistation
Dam at Karatta

Kangaroo Island

NZ fur seals at Admirals Arch
Bushfire devistation-2 years after the fire



Admirals Arch

Hi gang,

How you going? Here are a few shots from my wonderful trip to Kangaroo Island. I saw many native animals and plants. A roo jumped out on the path in front of me when we went for a hike and just about gave me a heart attack. It was about 6 feet tall and I could hear the ground thud and reverberate as it hopped away. I then moved to the middle of the group as one of the gals suggested I let the guys go first in case there were any more surprises - like snakes on the path. There were 30 of us from the SAETL (South Australia Teachers League) on this long weekend adventure. The first part of the adventure was getting across on the ferry without getting sea sick. It was a one hour crossing and a little rough. We stayed at an outdoor education center in a bunkhouse. I was accused of snoring-can you imagine that?

We toured a sheep dairy farm-the sheep were milked and the farm produced yogurt and several really nice cheeses. We also went to a honey producer where the guy was breeding queen bees that were worth a bundle. We also went to a place called "Remarkable Rocks" and they were. We went to the coast to the Admirals' Arch where there is a colony of New Zealand fur seals. Have a close look at the pics and see what you can spot. I was very brave and went adventure caving-North Americans call it spelunking I believe. I really wasn't sure I could handle the close underground environment but I really wanted to see the stalgmites and stalactites. It was facinating! I also had a mag light in my pocket and everyone started teasing me about being such a girl guide. Yeah but guess who got to explore the back dark corners of the caves and have a really good look at the rock formations? The we went on to Seal Bay where we got up close and personal to a colony of sea lions. It was something I will never forget. 30 people sat on the beach without making a sound for 30 minutes. We just observed the sea lions as they basked in the sun. Did you know that a sea lion can "run" faster than a man? I sure didn't. They swim and fish for 3 days and then they crawl up on the beach and sleep for 3 days. Reminded me of some teenagers I know. LOL. A very good time was had by all on KI. I do hope that I will get to go there again before I leave this beautiful place.

So what have you all been up to? Ann from the wet coast what happens after the Olympics? Things must seem very quiet in Vancouver these days. Are the para olympics over? Congrats to Yvonne for her probationary contract. Yeah! See good things do eventually happen to good people! My brilliant and AMAZING friend Jane has not only modified a quilt pattern for me but made it and took 80 step by step pictures of her making it to show me what to do. BTW did I forget to mention that I found a couple of quilt shops? My stash won't be getting too big here because the fabric is SO expensive but I have enough to keep me busy on those cold dark winter nights. Ok that's pretty much my news for now. I will put up a few more pics of Kangaroo Island. Take Care. Would someone let me know when the geese come back? Oh yes Joan we have Monarchs in our school garden but they call them Wanderer Butterflies here. Yes we got milkweed and I didn't have to trapas all over town to find it. Belated Birthday greetings to my fav sister, Tara. Hope you got some chocolate cake!
with lots of love and hugs,
G'day eh!
Bern

Look a right hand drive car! Yes and I am driving it!

Hi Gang,

South Australia is known as the Festival State. What they don't tell you is that all the festivals happen at once. I have been to the fringe and the arts fest and almost made it to the sky show at Clipsal 500 but was just too tired. Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans! I have been to the Garden of Unearthly delights to hear some live music (it sucked but the atmosphere was like the bluefest in O-town). I have been to the arts center to see the Vagina Monologues-just a tad odd hearing Aussie gals speaking with Brooklyn accents. Last night I was at a beautiful old church to see more live music. This time it was a tribute to Eric Bogel. I had no idea who that was but I did recognise one old song that my father used to play about Galipoli and Waltzing Matilda. The singers were young and vibrant. Lots of guitars, fiddles and also a digery doo and some wierd drums. A lovely evening. I also had confirmed for me that I do indeed recognise the Southern Cross and the stars of Orions' Belt. See I DO know stuff!!!!!!

I also had a boat tour off Port Adelaide to see the dolphins. The battery was dead in my camera so I got to be the spotter. I managed to spot 19 dolphins and yes I do believe they were all different dolphins. They are such beautiful creatures- it will not be a hardship to return for another tour. I promise I will get pictures then.

So what do you think of my little Lanos? Makes me think of my buddy Mike-you are right Mike this travelling thing is a great gig. Relax folks I hardley ever get mixed up and drive down the wrong side of the road.(even with my bike) It is crossing the road that almost does me in. Anyway for some reason my car has the turn indicator in the correct place so I don't turn the whiper blades on by mistake. Imagine that! Dark green cars don't stay clean very long and the city has water restrictions so yesterday I learned how to use the DIY car wash. What a hoot-or so the guy behind me thought. I had water and foam EVERYWHERE, some was even on the car! Kinda reminded me of using my snowblower...but that is another story for another continent. So you see friends I am pushing myself outside of my box. I am trying new things.

The beautiful picture of the lovely vista above is Kangaroo Island. KI is an AMAZING place. The top picture is of me at a Eucalyptis distillery with an adopted roo named Luna. More to come in the next blog..... stay tuned and have a
G'day Eh!
Bern