Oh isn’t it sad—here it is July 4th and there will be no fireworks or celebrations!!! Oh well! We are having a great time here still!!!! It is 7:15 am. Friday morning, saw a beautiful sunrise out the balcony, Chris is off to work, the lorakeets are calling and I am going to get my shower in a bit and start my day!!! Life is good!!!
Got a call from a co-worker of Chris’ yesterday morning inviting me to lunch and of course I accepted. She asked when I was free and I laughed and told her that whatever suited her was just fine with me!!! Ann is the HR person for CSR Sugar and a very nice lady—and like my other friend Ann I found out she plays the violin….but she is nothing like my best buddy!!! Anyway, we had lunch at a place down the street from the apt. (The Australian Steakhouse) and had a lovely time. She was very helpful and I think the lunch was suggested to her by Chris’ boss who she says is worried about me. I think he does not quite get my sense of humor yet maybe and thinks that I am really concerned about snakes and spiders and the like when I am really just joking about it. Anyway, she was really great about filling me in on things and really getting to know me and what my interests are. So it was a nice lunch and then we went someplace else for coffee. I am still getting used to the coffee thing—you order it differently here—a long black is watered down espresso so that is what I am usually ordering. We have got to find a coffee maker this weekend though–this instant stuff is killing me!! I am back to drinking a lot more tea again which is probably better anyway.
Chris got home late last night and we walked the other direction on the street to go to a restaurant called Scirocco Cafe where I got the Thai pad and Chris got kangaroo…yep. He ate Skippy….Mine had prawns in it and I couldn’t taste them until I found them…..heads and bodies all on…covered up inside the folded over egg outer piece. LOL It was good and we had a bottle of really good Australian wine. I think I am going to become more of a wine drinker here—-their wines are really really good and part of the culture. We really had a lovely dinner and Chris even bought me a rose from a little lady that comes around to the restaurants selling flowers from a basket. Of course he was the only one in the restaurant who bought one but it seemed like the thing to do I guess!
Chris is getting to know the mills and is off to the Burdekin again today. He went to the Herbert region yesterday and those mills are doing well. The Burdekin is where they had the accident and those are the mills he is going to be concentrating on the most and will have his main office there I think. He is also looking at this manager’s house that they have offered to us. It is supposedly a nice house—a Queenslander–which would be a neat style to live in since they are the typical Australian style house here and it might be good for him to be located there instead of in Townsville. I think if I understood him corrrectly it would be an hour or so from here. Anyway, this house has a mango grove and a lagoon (pond) and it sounds like it might be a little remote so I think Mark is worried it would be too isolated for me but we will see. There are 2 small towns close by–Ayr and Homehill and from what I can understand they have shopping and about anything that we would need food wise, etc. so who knows. I am going to go with the flow. You know me—I can be happy just about anywhere! And already I feel like I have more friends here than I had in Iowa!! LOL
Everyone is so dratted friendly here! When we were coming down in the lift (elevator–see I am trying to give you words of the day here) a couple struck up a conversation with us. They were from Cairns (pronounced Cans) and were so chatty!!! I think it is because we are an oddity probably—but everyone wants to talk to us!!! Ann told me that I did not have an American accent at all so I guess all of our moving around has left me with no distinquishable accent or something! I guess that is a good thing. I am still very aware that I am a guest here and I will remember that and not assume anything. I am asking questions and trying to understand the way things work and so far it is going well.
The one thing that is going to cramp my style is that the internet is capped on how much data you can use. We had to pay for a month of usage and I am afraid that even though I am just basically getting my emails and doing this blog I am going to run out at the end of the month!!! What would I do??? This is my lifeline!!! So we are going to have to check out the deals and see what we can do about that i guess. I don’t get it but it is not unlimited usage I guess. Aaron could explain it to me I am sure.
Speaking of Aaron –he is coming over in a week and I have tried to give him all this info about the luggage thing and customs and all that so hopefully he and Tom will not have any problems with their trip over on the 11th. I know he is excited.
Wow—I have rambled and still no more pictures to post. I will take some this weekend for sure. I don’t think Chris will be working tomorrow and we plan to go look at this house and probably look at cars. I have my eye on a red Honda Accord Euro….very very cute!!! And we need to do some shopping and check out furniture places, etc. so a little exploring will be in order. Hopefully Chris will feel good about driving….
Last word of the day: Googie= egg
Stay tuned….
