Ok, the spiders really are big!

So, not everything is perfect in paradise so they say. Although we have not had any snake encounters, we have had plenty of spider sightings. The problem is that they usually occur either in or around our house! The first one we saw ran across the wall at lightning speed one night. I am not stretching the truth when I say it was as big as a baseball. Fat, dark, furry and ugly.  Not sure what kind it was (probably deadly) the main point is that it escaped our attempts to smash it, and now we   don't   know   where  it  is ?  (Shiver)  Last night there was one on my window by my head right before I went to sleep.....or I should say that was the original plan, not sure if I actually slept that well. After careful investigation of the spider book -  we think it was a huntsman , and this is good since they are one of the few that are actually harmless to humans . whew.  

We are checking inside our shoes now before we put them on.

Stuff to do in our neighborhood.

I am always surprised by all of the interesting things to do and see around here. It seems like there is never a dull moment. One day we stumbled across the world surfing competition for juniors (Billibong) at the beach by our house. We were lucky to get to see Bethany Hamilton from Kauai compete for the world title. Her story is so inspirational, and she is an amazing surfer. Another time we went for a bushwalk in a nearby reserve and not only did we see kangaroos and wallabies in their natural habitat, we came across some ancient Aboriginal carvings in the rocks. Later we found out that they were over 10,000 years old! 

Visit from family ...

Wow... I can't believe how time is flying by so quickly! I am a bit behind on posting things. We had a fantastic visit, just after the New Year, by my Brother and his family while they were stopping over in Sydney for a few days after spending Christmas up in Cairns.  By the stories and pictures they produced, it sounds like they had a great time. Here is a photo of the HUGE fish that Craig caught out on the reef, which was delicious! They also went diving - but needed to wear these interesting "stinger suits" to protect from the deadly jellyfish that are in the water this time of year. The kids had much fun taking their older cousin to the beach by our house, and having sleep overs.

flora and fauna

Now that January is here, we have made progress getting a little more settled in. Abby was thrilled when she discovered that it was ok to go into grocery stores, malls, anywhere actually without shoes on.... I know it sounds weird, but it is normal here. ( maybe like it is in Hawaii?) We found a rental in a nearby suburb, Mona Vale. All set to move in this Sunday.  No news yet on when our crate of stuff will arrive, but we are prepared to use paper plates in the meantime. We have the upper floor of a duplex - walking distance to the beach and close to commuting roads. There is even a small yard with a plumaria tree in front. To celebrate, we took a trip to IKEA on a scouting mission for furniture. Love IKEA. We will miss the holiday rental home we are in now, but are looking forward to our own place. I enclosed a photo of a wonderful blue tongue lizard that was hanging out in our garage the other day. They are harmless and are good luck to have in your garden. Turns out we learned that they actually EAT the deadly funnel web spiders without harm to themselves. Go Blueys! We also came across this really cute octopus while investigating the tidepools at low tide. He was about the size of an orange.  (By the way.... this particular spot, where we shot the video of this cute little harmless octopus was the beach where the mate in the kayak was rammed by a 5 metre great white shark a few days ago- you may have seen in the news?  And no, this beach was not netted as far as I know, but I also did not see anyone in the water here. )

Happy New Year!

Time is flying by and I can't believe that 2009 is here. We were able to spend a most memorable New Year's Eve watching fireworks over the Sydney harbor bridge! Ok, it was pretty amazing. We went to a spot across the harbor and had a fantastic view.  There were so many boats anchored in the water, it seemed that you could almost jump from boat to boat across the water to downtown. It was fun to check on our cell phones ( as we were heading to our vantage point) the last few plays of the Duck bowl game and find out that the Ducks AND the Beavers both won!   Wishing a Happy New Year to everyone back in Oregon!

Still not sure about Boxing Day?

We have now experienced our very first Boxing Day Holiday, and I am still fuzzy on just what one should be doing. I was under the impression that the shops had heaps of clearance sales, but when we tried to go shopping - everything was closed. ?? So, we went to the beach, and found out that was where everyone was. Not a bad way to spend the day in any case. Dan was able to go surfing ... so he was happy.  Abby lost another tooth today, so she is eagerly waiting to see if the tooth fairy will bring Australian currency, and how much.

We had a LOVELY Christmas day,  as we were so fortunate to be invited to Christmas lunch with friends & family of a friend of Dan's in Eugene. It really is true about the Australian culture, they are so genuinely friendly and good natured. We felt so welcome and included in their celebration even though we had just met them. They even gave little gifts to all of us. Jack and Abby had a fantastic time, and made fast friends with the other kids there - by the end of the day they were running amuk under the deck and in the gardens - no shoes on, with their new mates looking for critters. At one point, a water dragon (very large lizard) about the size of a cat went running across the yard on it's back legs, the sides of its head all frilled out like something you would see on the nature channel.  The meal was out of this world, highlighted with the most amazing seafood, fresh prawns, and oysters! So good. For desert, we sampled from some of their cherished dishes - including a scrumptious plum pudding with brandy custard. A walk down the street to the beach rounded out the day where the kids were able to try out their new boogie-boards that Santa left under the tree.   

We are thinking of friends and family back home and wishing they are having a happy and wonderful holiday. We have heard that it is a white one!

Christmas in paradise

While we have been busy running around getting all of our "stuff" done, Nonnie has been taking care of the kiddos. She has been keeping them up to date on their lessons for school. They will not be starting school until the end of January. We were able to see a few schools before they let out for the holidays, and we can get the kids into the school we liked. We went to mass at the local Catholic Church and it was very nice - (Abby and Dan lit the Advent Candles during the service). We purchased a car at the Pickles Auction House, and what a fun experience that was! I got my drivers license, a library card, and signed up for medicare -   now we are on our way to becoming good little citizens. It still somehow does not feel like Christmas. It is just too warm and sunny. The holiday decorations are unique and funky. We are planning to attend a Christmas lunch at the beach on Thursday with a relative of one of Dan's friends. The customary meal is prawns, lobster and oysters. Sounds yummy. 

Yesterday, Nonnie treated us with a trip to the Taronga Zoo. The animals in this zoo really have the best views .... the zoo is on the slope of a hill across the water from downtown and everywhere you look was a stunning image of the city in the background.