Jewel conquered driving a manual in this ute
The baby lamb we rescued. We found her an adoptive sheep mother.
Recording weights and fat counts for the lambs
In the tractor.Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
4 Months In
Erika writes--
I was surprised to realize that yesterday was four months into this trip. Although our first week in Australia just dragged, the weeks since have really flown by with my noticing. I'll be home in 7 weeks or so, now. It is really surreal to think that. On one hand, I cannot wait to see my family and friends and catch the end of summer in Colorado. Two weeks after we return, my sister is getting married so I'm definitely excited about being home for that. On the other, I'm planning what we'll still do here in Australia and realizing there is not enough time (or money, as always!) On top of that, I miss New Zealand and I wish I could go back--already! It is a country that exerts a strange hold over anyone who ventures too close.
Our time in Australia so far has been quite varied. The first week was a little miserable. We were camping in Jervis Bay where we hoped to dive and hike for the week. It rained the whole time. We moved over to Canberra where it was predicted to be a little drier and we could do indoor activities. It rained more and was colder. Our tent was surrounded by a puddle--and inside, we entertained ourselves with reading out loud and Bananagrams and general ridiculousness. We spent far too much time solely in each other's company. We became even weirder. Honestly, it was hilarious and fun. But I was not sorry when we saw the sun again and when we slept in beds.
We have wwoofed (volunteered on farms in return for experience, accommodation and food) on three farms since. We spent some time on a biodynamic beef and ginseng farm, a sheep farm working towards self sustainability and are now on a large sheep and crop farm. It has been incredibly fun and educational. This week, I've cut young lambs tails off, shot vaccinations into them, ear tagged them (didn't help to castrate) pulled lambs from ewes after chasing the ewe down with a ute, driven a tractor with hay and helped to weigh and measure fat on yearling sheep. We've learned about bottling beer and making wine, gotten great recipes, moved cows, poured footings and chopped out tussocks. We have stayed with some wonderful, kind and generous families. Without exception, they have welcomed us in and taught us about Australian life and everything else we could think of questions about (how many kinds of football are there here? how does this government work? what is your relationship with England, anymore? why do you hate these tussocks so much?) It's been great. A system like this requires so much trust on behalf of both parties and proves that the world and people are so much better than we often believe.
One of our hosts introduced us to a wonderful woman in Sydney who welcomed us into her house when we had to go back there to change some arrangements. We were only planning on staying a night but she enticed us with a craft fair so we joined her and two of her friends for a show in Sydney Harbor. We saw an incredible display of quilts which would have made our mother very jealous and bought a few things for us all to do in the car and in the evenings. Too much, probably. More darling people and more great memories. We are looking forward to flying out of Sydney, just so we can see them again and tell them all about our trip. Here's a depressing thing about this trip--winter in the northern hemisphere, winter in the southern hemisphere and home just in time for winter in the northern hemisphere again. Incidentally, I am something of a summer girl. I live for those long, hot days and camping in the mountains and gardening, etc. We're in the south of the South Australia right now and even though it is a fairly mild winter compared to Colorado, it is pretty chilly. We are definitely going to head north after this. The north of Australia is in the tropics so we're going to try to find some tropical weather and enjoy that. All we need is the right beach. Right now, though, I'm going to go curl up in front of the fire and read "Eucalyptus", an incredibly Australian novel about a father who says he will marry his gorgeous daughter to the first man who can name all the gum (eucalyptus) trees on his property where he's collected all the known species. Did you know that there might be up to 900 species of eucalyptus?
Erika
PS. I saw white kangaroos today. They were special bred.
postscript #2: answers to earlier questions are--maybe 4: Rugby Union, Rugby League, Australian Football and Soccer. too complicated to tell you here which is good because I don't know if I totally understand it all but historic events unfolded before our eyes yesterday when Julia Gillard became the first woman PM here and overthrew a sitting PM. nobody knows--there is a Governor General who represents the queen (and once kicked out the whole gov't) but she was appointed by Australians! the bad tussocks are called serrated tussocks and were an import from South America--stock can't eat them but they tend to take over paddocks, especially when drought weakens other grass. We hated them, too, very quickly.
I was surprised to realize that yesterday was four months into this trip. Although our first week in Australia just dragged, the weeks since have really flown by with my noticing. I'll be home in 7 weeks or so, now. It is really surreal to think that. On one hand, I cannot wait to see my family and friends and catch the end of summer in Colorado. Two weeks after we return, my sister is getting married so I'm definitely excited about being home for that. On the other, I'm planning what we'll still do here in Australia and realizing there is not enough time (or money, as always!) On top of that, I miss New Zealand and I wish I could go back--already! It is a country that exerts a strange hold over anyone who ventures too close.
Our time in Australia so far has been quite varied. The first week was a little miserable. We were camping in Jervis Bay where we hoped to dive and hike for the week. It rained the whole time. We moved over to Canberra where it was predicted to be a little drier and we could do indoor activities. It rained more and was colder. Our tent was surrounded by a puddle--and inside, we entertained ourselves with reading out loud and Bananagrams and general ridiculousness. We spent far too much time solely in each other's company. We became even weirder. Honestly, it was hilarious and fun. But I was not sorry when we saw the sun again and when we slept in beds.
We have wwoofed (volunteered on farms in return for experience, accommodation and food) on three farms since. We spent some time on a biodynamic beef and ginseng farm, a sheep farm working towards self sustainability and are now on a large sheep and crop farm. It has been incredibly fun and educational. This week, I've cut young lambs tails off, shot vaccinations into them, ear tagged them (didn't help to castrate) pulled lambs from ewes after chasing the ewe down with a ute, driven a tractor with hay and helped to weigh and measure fat on yearling sheep. We've learned about bottling beer and making wine, gotten great recipes, moved cows, poured footings and chopped out tussocks. We have stayed with some wonderful, kind and generous families. Without exception, they have welcomed us in and taught us about Australian life and everything else we could think of questions about (how many kinds of football are there here? how does this government work? what is your relationship with England, anymore? why do you hate these tussocks so much?) It's been great. A system like this requires so much trust on behalf of both parties and proves that the world and people are so much better than we often believe.
One of our hosts introduced us to a wonderful woman in Sydney who welcomed us into her house when we had to go back there to change some arrangements. We were only planning on staying a night but she enticed us with a craft fair so we joined her and two of her friends for a show in Sydney Harbor. We saw an incredible display of quilts which would have made our mother very jealous and bought a few things for us all to do in the car and in the evenings. Too much, probably. More darling people and more great memories. We are looking forward to flying out of Sydney, just so we can see them again and tell them all about our trip. Here's a depressing thing about this trip--winter in the northern hemisphere, winter in the southern hemisphere and home just in time for winter in the northern hemisphere again. Incidentally, I am something of a summer girl. I live for those long, hot days and camping in the mountains and gardening, etc. We're in the south of the South Australia right now and even though it is a fairly mild winter compared to Colorado, it is pretty chilly. We are definitely going to head north after this. The north of Australia is in the tropics so we're going to try to find some tropical weather and enjoy that. All we need is the right beach. Right now, though, I'm going to go curl up in front of the fire and read "Eucalyptus", an incredibly Australian novel about a father who says he will marry his gorgeous daughter to the first man who can name all the gum (eucalyptus) trees on his property where he's collected all the known species. Did you know that there might be up to 900 species of eucalyptus?
Erika
PS. I saw white kangaroos today. They were special bred.
postscript #2: answers to earlier questions are--maybe 4: Rugby Union, Rugby League, Australian Football and Soccer. too complicated to tell you here which is good because I don't know if I totally understand it all but historic events unfolded before our eyes yesterday when Julia Gillard became the first woman PM here and overthrew a sitting PM. nobody knows--there is a Governor General who represents the queen (and once kicked out the whole gov't) but she was appointed by Australians! the bad tussocks are called serrated tussocks and were an import from South America--stock can't eat them but they tend to take over paddocks, especially when drought weakens other grass. We hated them, too, very quickly.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Jewel Sayings
Kristen writes;
We've found ourselves becoming much more humorous the more time we've been spending with each other. One thing you can't fail to notice about our cousin Jewel, after spending any amount of time with her, is the incredible one liners she comes up with. We really had to share these, you might not find them as funny as we have given you weren't there at the time but it'll give you a little insight into our trip.
"I'm very in-harmony with myself."
"We really need to just record ourselves all the time. Can we just hire a little Asian man to follow us around?"
"Can you imagine when the cave man first tried sugar? 'Holy shit! Can you believe I've been eating sticks and stuff?'"
"Sometimes I just want to follow myself around to watch- then I remember; I get to be ME!"
"Prostitute your affection for food!"
"I don't want to lick the knife clean cause it has a real metallic taste. Also it wasn't clean when I started. (spreading peanut butter onto your food)"
"I never really know what's going on in all parts of my brain. I use that to my advantage."
"Also, sometimes I wonder what my head would look like shaved."
"I have spent so much time, so much of my life really, wondering why I felt so uncomfortable around the Raggedy Ann doll."
"Now, when I make a peanut butter and honey sandwich it's like a painter mixing a perfect pallet."
"Guys, I just figured out why I like peanuts so much! They taste like peanut butter!"
"People don't know what they're missing by not traveling with us."
"At any point you can take; who we're traveling with, what we're doing, how we're doing it, what we're wearing, who we're with, or what we've been talking about and independently draw the conclusion that we're weird."
"That lemon juice is destructive! I would not underestimate it!"
"Did I really just say that? I think I'm developing Turrets... Jesus, please take away my Turrets."
"I'm trying to make them get on the bus with my mind."
"I just really love shower time. I mean, you get to get naked in hot water!"
"Also, somethings going on with my kidney."
"You're tongue is all over this country."
Talking about being a guru- "You have to be true to yourself... Something I learned from Free Willy."
"I'm going to put my pants on so people know I'm serious."
"My glee burst from me so quickly, I didn't have time to prepare my mouth."
"I'm developing an extreme fondness for sheep."
"Also Andrew Zuppaccich reminded me of a stocky little super hero."
"This is the land of peanut butter and honey."
"A foot is just such a good thing. If you tell me it's so many hundred centimeters I just get tired and want to take a nap. I want to stop talking to you."
"Shh, don't tell anyone, cause if there's anyone left to impress I want to take a stab at it."
"Dear Australia- take us to your sheep."
"What's up with these people? Fairies and rainbows and chocolate!"
"Put some peanut butter on that shit!"
"Lets make a game plan..."
We've found ourselves becoming much more humorous the more time we've been spending with each other. One thing you can't fail to notice about our cousin Jewel, after spending any amount of time with her, is the incredible one liners she comes up with. We really had to share these, you might not find them as funny as we have given you weren't there at the time but it'll give you a little insight into our trip.
"I'm very in-harmony with myself."
"We really need to just record ourselves all the time. Can we just hire a little Asian man to follow us around?"
"Can you imagine when the cave man first tried sugar? 'Holy shit! Can you believe I've been eating sticks and stuff?'"
"Sometimes I just want to follow myself around to watch- then I remember; I get to be ME!"
"Prostitute your affection for food!"
"I don't want to lick the knife clean cause it has a real metallic taste. Also it wasn't clean when I started. (spreading peanut butter onto your food)"
"I never really know what's going on in all parts of my brain. I use that to my advantage."
"Also, sometimes I wonder what my head would look like shaved."
"I have spent so much time, so much of my life really, wondering why I felt so uncomfortable around the Raggedy Ann doll."
"Now, when I make a peanut butter and honey sandwich it's like a painter mixing a perfect pallet."
"Guys, I just figured out why I like peanuts so much! They taste like peanut butter!"
"People don't know what they're missing by not traveling with us."
"At any point you can take; who we're traveling with, what we're doing, how we're doing it, what we're wearing, who we're with, or what we've been talking about and independently draw the conclusion that we're weird."
"That lemon juice is destructive! I would not underestimate it!"
"Did I really just say that? I think I'm developing Turrets... Jesus, please take away my Turrets."
"I'm trying to make them get on the bus with my mind."
"I just really love shower time. I mean, you get to get naked in hot water!"
"Also, somethings going on with my kidney."
"You're tongue is all over this country."
Talking about being a guru- "You have to be true to yourself... Something I learned from Free Willy."
"I'm going to put my pants on so people know I'm serious."
"My glee burst from me so quickly, I didn't have time to prepare my mouth."
"I'm developing an extreme fondness for sheep."
"Also Andrew Zuppaccich reminded me of a stocky little super hero."
"This is the land of peanut butter and honey."
"A foot is just such a good thing. If you tell me it's so many hundred centimeters I just get tired and want to take a nap. I want to stop talking to you."
"Shh, don't tell anyone, cause if there's anyone left to impress I want to take a stab at it."
"Dear Australia- take us to your sheep."
"What's up with these people? Fairies and rainbows and chocolate!"
"Put some peanut butter on that shit!"
"Lets make a game plan..."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
New Zealand Words and Phrases
Kristen writes;
And now for something a little bit different.
One thing we've loved, traveling in the southern hemisphere, is the odd and unusual sayings and words they have here. We've been keeping a list and thought we might share some of our favorite New Zealand ones with you.
Togs- bathing suits
She'll be right- general statement of content
Saussies- sausages
At the end of the day- everything will be alright is what you are left to assume.
The game was the winner on the day- still not completely sure of the meaning but said a lot by cricket players.
Jim-jams- pajamas
Jandals- flip-flops
Goodonya- good job
Brekky- breakfast
Squeeze of the cow- milk
Slicker pads- ice packs
Pudding- any kind of dessert
Go like stink- very fast
Oldies- parents
Chilly bin- cooler
Dear- expensive
Singlet- undershirt
Pikelet- pancake
Pash- make out
Trundler park- shopping cart parking spot
Batch- holiday house
Bonnet- car hood
Boot- trunk
Windscreen- windshield
Ta- casual thanks
Serviette- dinner napkins
And now for something a little bit different.
One thing we've loved, traveling in the southern hemisphere, is the odd and unusual sayings and words they have here. We've been keeping a list and thought we might share some of our favorite New Zealand ones with you.
Togs- bathing suits
She'll be right- general statement of content
Saussies- sausages
At the end of the day- everything will be alright is what you are left to assume.
The game was the winner on the day- still not completely sure of the meaning but said a lot by cricket players.
Jim-jams- pajamas
Jandals- flip-flops
Goodonya- good job
Brekky- breakfast
Squeeze of the cow- milk
Slicker pads- ice packs
Pudding- any kind of dessert
Go like stink- very fast
Oldies- parents
Chilly bin- cooler
Dear- expensive
Singlet- undershirt
Pikelet- pancake
Pash- make out
Trundler park- shopping cart parking spot
Batch- holiday house
Bonnet- car hood
Boot- trunk
Windscreen- windshield
Ta- casual thanks
Serviette- dinner napkins
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Back to Sydney
Kristen writes;
I believe we've mentioned our love of food. I want you to appreciate when I say our last wwoof host was one of the best cooks we've stayed with so far I'm giving great praise. We arrived in time for a going away dinner party they were having for a friend and enjoyed some of the best food ever! It didn't go down hill from there. One night we mentioned, accidentally as it is a taboo subject, our love of Mexican food. Wayne immediately decided we should cook a Mexican meal and did everything in his power to make it possible!
We were overwhelmed! We made beans, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, chimichangas, enchiladas and even a syrup we served over ice cream that we made from prickly pear fruit that we got from the back of their property! It was so much fun to be able to share our love of Mexican/Indian food with other food lovers and to be able to cook for someone that appreciated it. In fact, appreciated it so much they let us cook it another night, we had a dinner party for our going away as well!
Leaving Wayne and Angela's we traveled back to Sydney where we had to trade in the toy car for another car from a different rental company. They were nice enough to call a friend and ask if we could stay with her for the night we had planned here.
We liked Karla so much and got on so well with her that we ended up staying. The truth is she invited us to go to Sydney's largest craft show with her and her friends the next day so we took a day to explore the north beaches of Sydney and today spent several hours wandering a wonderful place! The problem with craft fairs is they make you feel so very crafty and you immediately start planning all the projects you want to do and of course we're traveling. We still managed to spend quite a bit more than we planned and now have a couple of things to keep us busy on the long car rides we'll be on.
Tomorrow we head off again in the direction of Broken Hill.
I believe we've mentioned our love of food. I want you to appreciate when I say our last wwoof host was one of the best cooks we've stayed with so far I'm giving great praise. We arrived in time for a going away dinner party they were having for a friend and enjoyed some of the best food ever! It didn't go down hill from there. One night we mentioned, accidentally as it is a taboo subject, our love of Mexican food. Wayne immediately decided we should cook a Mexican meal and did everything in his power to make it possible!
We were overwhelmed! We made beans, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, chimichangas, enchiladas and even a syrup we served over ice cream that we made from prickly pear fruit that we got from the back of their property! It was so much fun to be able to share our love of Mexican/Indian food with other food lovers and to be able to cook for someone that appreciated it. In fact, appreciated it so much they let us cook it another night, we had a dinner party for our going away as well!
Leaving Wayne and Angela's we traveled back to Sydney where we had to trade in the toy car for another car from a different rental company. They were nice enough to call a friend and ask if we could stay with her for the night we had planned here.
We liked Karla so much and got on so well with her that we ended up staying. The truth is she invited us to go to Sydney's largest craft show with her and her friends the next day so we took a day to explore the north beaches of Sydney and today spent several hours wandering a wonderful place! The problem with craft fairs is they make you feel so very crafty and you immediately start planning all the projects you want to do and of course we're traveling. We still managed to spend quite a bit more than we planned and now have a couple of things to keep us busy on the long car rides we'll be on.
Tomorrow we head off again in the direction of Broken Hill.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
toy cars...and wwoofing
Erika--
We are at a new wwoof hosts' farm near Bega (on the coast east of Cooma). We came here on Sunday straight from the last farm. We decided to drive on slightly smaller roads from Braidwood here. We figured we could avoid the highway and see a little country. We were in no hurry. We ended up taking our toy car (no power at all, barely fits us and our bags) through streams and over a 4WD track. I told the girls at one stage, "this is exactly how those 'stupid tourist' stories usually go. I'll definitely show you guys pictures of this later but rest assured, everything was fine and we got here only slightly later than planned.
One of the things I love about wwoofing (volunteering on farms) is that we learn about such unexpected things. We have primarily chosen farms that raise some type of stock and are pretty large so that we can learn about meat and wool production. Along the way, we've learned much more about biodynamics (someday I'll try to explain here, for now google it if you want to know more!), solar power (measured and poured footings for solar panels), strawbale houses (last family had built theirs) and brewing and bottling beer. Yesterday morning, we helped Wayne bottle his latest batch of homebrew. They are trying to be sustainable/self sufficient and part of that process is making everything they consume. I have loved that idea since I was a child. Anyone want to move back to the land with me when I get home?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Welcome to Australia. Complete with a baby in the pouch. Is that awesome or what?
Priceless.
This is one photo for the food record. That's hotdog burrito with Sunshine Brewery beer. Good news: we made tacos last night for our host family and they were pretty
great.
Cathedral Cove. Lovely.
That's the arch at Cathedral Cove. Jewel and KR underneath.
Cathedral Cove. Lovely.
That's the arch at Cathedral Cove. Jewel and KR underneath.
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