Happy New Year

After I survived the dentist, the shark and the bees I am looking forward to a very busy and exciting 2009. It will be a year full of positive changes and challenges for us and I am looking forward to conquer them all :-)

Diving with Sharks

I was on the phone to my friend in Germany telling her about the recent shark attack just south of Perth and that I witnessed a shark alarm AND I told her that I was about to go diving the next day. After saying this I actually thought about it a bit longer! The diving trip with the UWA University Club (UUC) was planned about a week ago. And since I haven't dived for quite a while I thought it would be a good refresher. After all Ian and I met during a diving weekend with this club. The recent shark attack was like a totally different not at all connected event. Just after talking to my friend I realised that they ARE connected. We were about to dive only 20km off the beach where a man was killed by a shark only 2 days ago. [My parents are probably going to freak out reading this ;-)] But the guys from the club said that the shark is probably not hungry any more and that it is more likely to be hit by a boat that attacked by a shark while diving. Anyway, we had a very nice dive, saw colourful corals, lots of fish and NO sharks. But I don't know whether I would do this again...

Not Allergic to Bees

The other day we were waiting for friends when I saw this tree that look like an ideal tree to climb while killing some time. Coming closer to the tree I saw that the inside of the trunk was burned and I wondered whether the whole trunk would be hollow. So I got very close and peeked into the hollow trunk. My next thought was "OH SHIT!!" The trunk was a bee hive! But my sudden retreat was too late one of the bees had already stung my forehead. Another bee got caught in my hair, so this continuous buzzing next to my face made me thing the whole hive is after me now. I panicked and ran around like a headless chicken until Ian calmed me down ;-) Anyway, the good thing is - I am NOT allergic to bees and there is only one way to find out, right?!

Shark Alarm

Once every couple of years a shark attack along the WA coast is reported. This year two attacks happened at about the same time here in Perth and in Sydney yesterday. While the two kayakers in Sydney where rescued by a boat, the man snorkelling for crabs just south of Perth is still missing. This story even made it to the German news: link.
After we went for a swim in the ocean this morning we saw two helicopters circling over the beach. Then the shark siren sounded and we watched while everyone came running out of the water. I never witnessed a shark alarm before and watched with excitement. But I am glad that there are shark patrols along the beaches and I think especially after a recent attack they are extra cautious.

Post Christmas Thoughts

We had a very relaxed and quite Christmas - just what we needed! We slept and ate a lot and just enjoyed doing nothing. We had soo much food! Potato salad and German sausages on Christmas Eve, crayfish, prawns and scallops for lunch on Christmas Day and a big roast turkey for dinner.
When I thought about Christmas in Perth I was hoping to go to the beach in the morning. But in the end I wasn't too disappointed that I couldn't because it was quite windy and cold at the beach in the morning. And with temperatures around 28C it was a rather "cold" Christmas compared to previous years. Plus Ian's parents have a pool where we went for a swim.
But the most rememberable thing this Christmas was the phone call from my parents. They set their alarm clock to 2am in the morning, so they could give me a call on Christmas morning - that was sooo sweet! I didn't expect this at all. I felt really special and loved. Thank you!

Hot Christmas

This year is going to be my first Christmas here in Perth. The last couple of years I always flew back home and enjoyed a lovely cold and cosy Christmas with my family. This year will be quite different. And as posted earlier I am still not in Christmas mood. But I wrapped all presents, made Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) and bought German sausages from the German butcher - which we are going to have for Christmas Eve. [In Germany Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve.] We will drive up to the hills today where we will spent Christmas with Ian's Mum and Dad and his brother.

Annual Dentist Check-Up

I usually don't mind going to the dentist once a year for a check-up. I think I haven't had cavities since I lost my milk teeth. So unlike other people I know I go to the dentist quite relaxed and without feeling queasy. But this time he found a cavity!! In order to fill it he anaesthetised half of my mouth by giving me several injections! This was actually the most painful part. The rest was alright since I couldn't feel anything for the next 4 hours. I had to be careful not to bite my tongue or my cheeks. So when it is time for my next annual dentist check-up I will probably not be that relaxed any more.

No Tree

The house that we are house sitting at the moment comes with a artificial Christmas tree. I contemplated for a while whether to put it up or not. Finally I decided against it. I think I just don't feel like Christmas here. We had 38C on the weekend and we are having BBQs in the court yard. I need cold weather and snow in order to put a Christmas tree up. Sitting around the tree in shorts drinking gin and tonic is just not the same!

Sunflowers

They are one my favourite flowers. Just looking at them makes me happy! The other night Ian came home with this beautiful bunch of sunflowers. What a lucky girl I am :-)

ventriloquist

latest English word learnt: ventriloquist
from Latin ventriloquus - speaking from the belly - German translation: Bauchredner (belly speaker) I learnt this while watching Jeff Dunham :-)

Advent, Advent

Friends of us, an elderly couple from Dresden, invited us over for a typical German 'Adventskaffeetrinken'. And they chose the hottest day possible ;-) For the first time this summer the temperatures reached 38C and we were sweating the whole day. Fortunately by the afternoon a cooling breeze came in.
We were welcomed by a long table full of German Christmas goodies like Stollen, Zimtsterne and Lebkuchen. And afterwards, just like on Christmas Eve in Germany, we were allowed into the living room. They decorated a tree with real candles and a little Christmas pyramid was running. When we all assembled around the tree they opened a small metal box full of presents :-) They wrapped a little something for everyone! We really enjoyed this truly German Advent Sunday. It helped getting into Christmas mood.

Green Wing

Since we are living in a house with a big comfy coach and a huge flat TV ;-) we are watching movies and series much more often. Our latest favourite is "Green Wing" a British comedy set in a hospital. It is hilarious and quite bizarre sometimes. Below just a short scene but you will find heaps more on youtube ;-)

Cherries - Luxurious Treat

The cherry season just started and we indulged in a whole package of this luxurious treat the other day. They were so sweet and crisp *yum*. We have quite a few cherry trees back home in my grandpa's garden with usually heaps of cherries. Over here we have to buy them for about A$20 per kilo (and this is cheap!!)

Symphony in the City

After last years event was such a great success, the city of Perth launched another Symphony in the City. This time even bigger, including a video screen and a better sound system. The Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) was playing together with the Chorus several quite famous pieces like Carmen, Carmina Burana or Verdi’s Nabucco. When we arrived half an hour before the start, the big lawn of the Esplanade was packed already. There were thousands of people and we only got a picnic spot right at the edge. So we sat there while the sun set behind us over the river, eating delicious salads and drinking a glass of red wine :-)
The concert was great! The last piece they played was Tchaikovskies 1812 Overture with real cannon fire!
They even did two encores - the Radetzky Marsch and the Can Can. I've never seen people dancing, singing and laughing along to classical music. It was fantastic! Ian and I got up from our picnic blankets and started dancing the Can Can as well - it was really great fun! We truly enjoyed the whole evening!

Tools for Auction

Ian found out about an auction of old hire equipment. The company closed down so he was hoping to get a few bargains. On Friday I went with him to check everything out before the auction. And it was really funny to watch :-) All those guys, tradesmen, wannabe handymen and the such were prowling around the brick saws, trailers, drills, ... Some of them were eyeing a few things - but not standing next to one item for too long - or someone else might get interested, too. Ian told me not to talk or ask about prices! This was truly a men's world *haha* And no, I didn't go to the auction.

Red Glass Tiles

We went shopping again. This time we were looking for bathroom tiles. The excitement changed into 'tooMuchChoice' after the 3rd shop or so. We now have heaps of samples of red glass tiles for our feature wall. Now we need to choose...

Supa Golf

As part of the social committee at our department I helped organising this years X-Mas function. We hired a bus and drove out to the Swan Valley to play Supa Golf - the REAL Golf Game that EVERYONE can play - even computer scientist ;-) But it was good fun and good to get everyone off their bums ;-)
Supa Golf is like a miniature version of 'real' golf. We pulled a little golf trolley, had 4 different golf clubs to chose from and there were small lakes and sand pits along the way. The picture on the top is me trying to get my ball out of the lake :-) We had lots of fun and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Moon Smiley Face

Tonight we got a text message from a friend saying - "Have a look at the moon, it looks like a smiley face! I thought she might have been pissed ;-) but lo and behold there was a huge smiley face in the night sky. Jupiter and Venus were sitting above the half moon to form the eyes of a cute smiley face :-) You can read more about this here.