Halloween

Today Zappa and I spent all day at Shelly Beach. We barbequed us some roo steaks and some banana bread (there is some really special banana bread from Cole's the supermarket - really really good). We had a little snorkel and although the water turned out to be freezing and I wasn't keen, by the time I was in to my hips Zappa had jumped straight in so I had to man up and go in too. I had to try out my new wetsuit and besides, I knew food always tastes better after you've been swimming. Visibility was pretty crap as the wind had churned up the water a bit, but I managed to see a couple of fish:

Red-spot Wrasse

Fan-belly Leather Jacket (Look it has a unicorn horn! This was my favourite)

We got home and realised it was Halloween. I really find the upside down seasons thing confusing. The temperature and the weather and the leaves falling off the trees in England lead me to feeling excited about things like Halloween and give me an urge to make appropriately festive things and cook certain foods. Here I'm permanantly on holiday with lovely weather - Halloween seems irrelevant.

It wasn't irrelevant to Lili-Rose however, who got quite excited about the opportunity to dress up and get lots of lollies (=sweeties in Australian). Her friend Jack came along too, check out the outfits!

I don't know if this makes me a granny but I did actually find them pretty scary!

I was on trick or treating duty by the front door. Many many kids. I find myself thinking 'Really?' when the trick or treaters' voices have broken...

Lili and Jack have come back in protesting about how few lollies they got. We are currently sitting round the kitchen table examining the booty and eating the rest of the lollies we are sposed to give other visitors. So many E numbers! So much excitement!

Invented Heron

Today we went to the dam for a barbeque and I saw this lovely bird:

But I don't know what it is, it isn't anywhere to be found on multiple Australian water bird websites or google images, so I think I must have invented it. I shall name it the Wright Heron. Or the Black and Wright Heron. The Wright Bastard Heron. Hahaha. My name is so funny.



UPDATE: It's an Australasian Darter. Too bad.

Bargainous Bargains and Walkies

Last night it was Kate's 18th birthday party, we went out for a meal and met her folks and some more of her and Jake's friends, and then came back home and had a few drinks and fishcakes, and eventually someone remembered we had planned to go to a highly anticipated jumble sale early the next morning. We all said we'd still try and go but judging by the empty Jack Daniels bottle I didn't have any high expectations. When we eventually turned in, Zappa went to sleep still half sitting up, and was so still I wondered if he was still alive.

Somehow though he woke up at 6.45 and said 'Are you coming then?' My response was 'Unngggyyerrrghh.' Then lo and behold, Ruth pops her head though the door and sings a loud jumble sale excitedness song. How is everyone doing this? I must be the least alive one in the house!

Slowly though of course everyone started to droop and the hangovers kicked in. Nevertheless, we picked ourselves up some bargainous bargains! Look at the treasure!

We're going to need our own kitchen stuff when we go up to Bellingen and for when we go camping, so we got all this at the jumble ($21.50 total), then went to Vinnie's on the way back, where we got pots and pans ($7.50):

And a wetsuit for me! $10.

And while I was trying the wetsuit on I accidentally tried this dress on and had to get it:

$8. It looks way nicer in real life, it's this lovely turquoise colour with sort of light greeny yellow leafy twiddly patterns on it. It's really light and floaty.

Ooo I want to show you my favourite other Vinnie's bargains from before today too:

$8 - wore it last night

Quite a bit more than $8 but I LOVE it and it's my birthday present and it's from some posh designer, and was probably originally more like $700. Ok it was $55 but it's so NICE and I definitely would have paid more for it in England,

We have worked out that although if you converted the numbers of dollars to pound by the exchange rate you'd be timesing by 2/3, the sort of living equivalent is actually more like 1/2. So that dress is actually more like £27 which it's totally worth.

Can you recognise the spending guilt?!

Anyway I digress. We came back from Vinnie's and Zappa's hangover was in full swing.

Oh yes we got those funky sunnies at the jumble sale too. Zappa has worn them inside all afternoon, including when we watched a film.

Later on we walked to the dam from the house (it's that close - so cool). All of us except Jake.

Woody made a friend, Nelly.

GOOD DAY.

For me, anyway - I hadn't assaulted my liver.

Haha last night we were at the eating out place and the others were talking about what they were drinking, and Lili turned to me and said 'Do you know, Emma, soon we're going to be the only normal ones here.' I mused upon this for a second and then she suddenly cried 'Belly buttons unite!' undoing a button on her dress and displaying said anatomy. I mused further.

Presents

Noobie just did a poo in the bath.

Jake had to clean it up and it was funny. I think he was a bit sick.

Now everyone's arguing who DOESN'T get the first shower before we go out tonight (it's Kate's birthday, Jake's girlfriend).

Noobie looks extremely happy.