Gidday and happy Australia Day!

mmmmm Australia Day - over the past spent at the Big Day Out or drinking wine at a picnic or even just having a lovely dinner in Fitzroy on a hot Summers night! Yes our beloved public holiday that you can do whatever you feel like doing at the time. As I was sharing the Lamingtons with my American neighbour he asked me what is Australia day, so I said it is something like Indepence day - nope that is oh soooo wrong! From my internet source Wikipedia :) "Australia Day is Australia's official national day, 26 January. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788." I am sure that I learnt all this in school but that was a very long time ago now!

Anyway we spent Saturday night at a Melbourne friends party where we ate lots of Aussie treats like Twisties, King Island Cheese, Cheezels, home made Pavlova and of course drank a Coopers or two. There were some great Aussie sayings hanging around as decs at the party - such as the Bees Knees, Ankle Biter, Bananabender, Bonza and the like, which were quite amusing! The pics are of some Lamingtons that we made to take to the party (I thought of making Lamingtons as I met a guy in my dance class who had just been to Australia for a holiday and told me he loved Lamington National Park in Queensland - such a beautiful place!) Little did we know how time consuming these tasty morsels were to make. We ended up using our grill tray to balance the forks of sponge and icing awaiting their time to go for a bath in coconut. They kind of look some sort of modern art installation (in the centre pic) that would be perfect for the city of Melbourne (for people who don't know Melbourne - there are a lot of cubist structural pieces of art scattered around the city, I used to live near the "cheese sticks" in Flemington).

She sells Sanctuary!

And what a santuary this is - an oasis of wildlife in such a peaceful environment. Unbelievable to have access to place of life, in such an urban, consumerist mass. This view is only one of the many vistas of the Shoreline area that I have fallen in love with and will continue to explore at every opportunity!

Hello Mr Hummingbird!

This is my favourite photo of the moment as I have finally captured a hummingbird in pixels. I cannot believe this shot as I saw the little guy (and I mean little - Hummingbirds are so small - 10 cm) buzzing around some plants and took a shot of him in the shadows, therefore you could not see the magnificent colour these creatures have. What this beautiful bird did then was to fly over to to sunny side to show off his gorgeous coat of feathers and I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of him before he flew off into the distance like a flash of light!

The littlest hiker...

Here we have a picture of the littlest hiker fast asleep in the backpack! There was so much excitement with all the new people and the wonders to explore Ashwin decided it was nap time... and he looked so funny with his nose buried in the pack while he was snoring away. Just before he hit the snooze button he sent out a little scream to say 'good night' and see you sometime soon when I've had my power nap! After his nap he was happy to sit on Dad's shoulders to check out the sights.

Out to Edgewood...

A couple of Saturdays ago we went for a hike with our local Meetup group to San Mateo at a place called Edgewood Park & Preserve. It was an easy hike with hardly any elevation (which makes hikes easier on the legs!). We made the decision to go as it was on a short 4 miles (6.5 kms) and it is much easier on Ashwin. We had a great time with a cool bunch of people mainly from our locale and chatted away while we were hiking which makes it a lot of fun! The view from up on the hill was vast and we could see out to the bay. What we didn't plan for was to accidentally take a short cut, so we had to do the hike circuit again to make up the miles. That was an excellent idea as we went the reverse loop and on the way saw some wildlife grazing in the grass - you can just see their shape (deer) in the pic. Travelling through the trees we saw some gorgeous looking moss covered trees - some decidious trees even had Spanish moss on the branches (Grandfather's beard in Australia) which made them look quite spooky in the distance. The picture of this fallen tree was still alive and somehow it's roots were still buried in the earth. It was an excellent way to spend a Saturday morning, even though we had to sacrifice our Friday night and go to bed early - exploring the wonders of the Valley makes it all worth it!

Going underground!

Oh no - not another squirrel pic you say! Yep this one is a Californian Ground Squirrel and they have the a great pattern on their fur which works well as camoflague in amongst the dry grasses. They are called ground squirrels as they live in tunnels underground and we saw a couple of their nests when we captured this guy in pixels.

A walk by the shoreline...

As we are out discovering new places to hang out as the weeks pass by, a friend told us about this amazing park a short drive down the road where migratory birds hang out. It's called Shoreline Park and there are 700 acres of it including a saltwater lake and heaps of trails to wander on. We had a great time there enjoying the wildlife including Canadian geese (which Ashwin chased away) and small little black ducks, who Ashwin was trying to make friends with. The only problem with Ashwin out amongst the ducks was the duck poop - yeah everyone loves the poop word over here! I even saw a cute sticker with a picture of a hand puppet on it in SF that said 'poop on my face'??!! Anyhow, back to the park... we only explored a small portion of it, in the two hours we were there. It was such a warm sun shiny day that we had to make the most of it. Will definitely be heading back there again armed with a video camera to catch the wildlife action!

Puddles of fun!!

Captured - Ashwins first muddy experience! Due to the independent streak our little baby has he just loves to get out of the pram and walk along the path with me. So what happens when there are so many things to look at and icy puddles loom in the shadows? Ashwin slides and falls in! Here he is getting out and then he falls in again!! What can you do when the ground is really muddy and slippery - keep on going back for more. He seemed to be enjoying himself despite the mess but hey it is all in the experience. It was fun to watch as I can remember when I was a kid and playing in the puddles in the rain - it was the best thing!

Under the shade of a eucalyptus tree...

We have found a grove of some beautiful eucalyptus trees in a local park we visit. Here is a pic of the trees in the background. Underneath the trees in the foliage are tons of gumnuts (that Ashwin loves to play with) and the smell of the leaves just takes me back home. Looking forward to coming home Christmas this year!!

Tennis balls rool!

Sunday was a family day and we went to visit friends of ours - fellow Melbourians who have an 11 month old little boy. As it was a lovely sunny afternoon, we thought we would go for a walk by a lake that led to a very cool playground. It was a lovely park with a water reservoir where you can go sailing and some beautiful eucalyptus trees. The little ones enjoyed themselves there playing in the sand and climbing on the equipment. We had found this tennis ball in the grass and Ashwin decided that it was the best thing so he had to hold it constantly. Even when he was on the swing he's swinging with tennis ball in hand.

Discover the inner rockstar...

Last Friday was another day out for Ashwin and as we have a membership at the Childrens Discovery Museum, we may as well use it! The days have been a bit chilly of late and temperatures have dropped below zero so hanging out at the park is an uncomfortable option. Downtown San Jose a short CalTrain journey away is the museum where lots of fun can be had for the little ones. As Ashwin is now walking and becoming quite an independent spirit, each time we go to the museum there are new things to try out. This time we visited the water play area that includes a water vortex that babies put balls in and they get sucked down and out through the bottom. This was loads of fun especially for a baby who just loves water! We were at this area for ages so Ashwin could enjoy himself and get totally drenched in the process. The other pic is Ashwin as a 15 month old rock star with his furry vest and striped top - he kind of looks like he is from an indie band with his pet dog but missing the guitar and the "sad bastard" expression.

A Squirrel Tale...

On an adventure to a new park the other day - we encountered a renegade squirrel! I had been told by my neighbours about the squirrels at this particular park and warned that a squirrel has even biten a child, so look out! So with that in mind Ashwin & I had our snacks before we entered the food prohibited zone... Thinking all was OK with taking the snacks that were left in a zipped up bag - we were supposedly safe??!! As it goes this "cute" little squirrel had broken through the bag. Whilst trying to get the squirrel away from the pram with a stick, Ashwin was laughing his head off at what was going on. Little did we know the plans this squirrel had as he had sniffed the bag of baby biscuits remaining in the bag! So the panda lunch bag is no more and the little renegade squirrel feasted happily on some baby snacks.

Here is a link to some action of the aftermath and the squirrel enjoying his feast and little Ashwin doing a runner away from the vicious squirrel - 'Vicious squirrel chases baby!'

Meat is murder...

yes Morrissey I am there with you!

This great example of typography is typical of American signage. Neon - give me more neon! Anyhow I was looking at that pig thinking 'this piggie isn't too keen to be turned into a sausage?' But look closer the pig is dancing!!

Mission Complete!!

Finally after days and nights of editing and storyboard writing, my obsession with my movie is over! Sure it is a bit much to get obsessed with our art but sometimes you just cannot help yourself! I had promised the family a movie of our Christmas time and what the Amercans call 'Holidays' - so here we have 'Happy Holidays from the U S of A'. I was very happy with the outcome and I certainly hope my family & friends enjoy it as well. Ashwin is featured in the movie stepping out for the first time, as he took his first steps on Christmas day.

Culture Club

Last Friday we went on a trip to the San Jose Museum of Art. This was Ashwins first gallery experience. The plan was to try Ashwin out at a smaller gallery first before taking him out to the SFMOMA in the city. Mmmmm lucky I did this trip first as babies get bored at gallery spaces. My favourite piece at the museum was an installation called 'Listening Post' which is very mesmerising to watch - so much so that Ashwin was watching it and fell asleep having his milk. I found it very relaxing sitting on the couches and watching LED screens alternate words with a soundtrack in the darkness. The best bit was when you moved your eyes around really fast in the dark you could follow flashes of light across the room - whoo man!!

I really enjoyed the museum and there were other works that had beauty of their own in the form of paintings and photography. Another standout installation was 'World Processor' with a room full of globes with fascinating facts and figures mostly about the perils of the world. By the end of the day Ashwin had well and truly had enough and I had a fix of art to last me for a while. Next stop the SF Mumseum of Modern Art!

Candy, candy , candy I can't let you go...

Check out the candy store at Fishermans Wharf down at Monterey, here is Ashwin and James busted wandering in. See what happens when a baby enters a candy store - he's mesmerised by all of the lollies! We bought some salt water taffy (Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar, butter, flavorings, and coloring until fluffy. When this process is complete, the taffy is rolled, cut into small colored pieces and wrapped in wax paper to keep it soft. It usually has a fruity flavour, but other flavours are common as well.) They were pretty average, most of them tasted like crap. I mean who wants a lolly that tastes like sarsparilla - fowl!!

Lemon, Lime & Bitters thanks!

We had lunch at Monterey in an English theme pub and we had some hot chips - NOT FRIES. I ordered a Lemon, Lime and Bitters and they had no idea what it was, so they asked for the ingredients and here is the concoction of a huge shot of bitters - yuck! BTW it is an Aussie drink check out the Angostora website, it's a cracker!!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

With the Christmas holidays in full swing we enjoyed the time with some daytrips out of town. As we had heard some good reviews of the Monterey Bay Aquarium we thought let's take Ashwin he's sure to love it there! As it turned out he enjoyed checking out the fish and his favourite being the jellyfish. Only problem was that it was very crowded and to look at any exhibits you had to sneak in from behind or the side as people were just everywhere. Ashwin soon got sick of the crowds and we had to go outside for a breather. The pic with the whale gives an indication of the people that were there. I just love seahorses so the bottom pic are some Dwarf sea horses with their tail hitched to some sea grasses - they were so gorgeous. The other favourite exhibit for all of us were the Sea Otters, they are furry little guys who cruise around on their back looking oh so relaxed... as one observer at the aquarium said "they have the right idea about life!"

how's it hanging?

by a thread and to the left, you say...

Along with the cold came some strong winds over the holiday season. As you can see a sign was hanging in the balance just over a main expressway - the road was blocked off just in case it fell on someone or something coming by!

Gotta keep on nerding it up!

My husband has said that I have to out my inner nerd as I enjoyed the trip to Fry's electronics to buy a cord to plug into the stereo for the Airport express x'mas prezzo I received. The idea behind the airport is to listen to some sounds from my fave dj from triple r radio in Melbourne ennio styles on the website straightup.com.au. $200 later and we were out of there not just with the cord but with a swag of other goodies - an external hard drive, camera battery and DV tapes just to satisfy that nerd inside!!

Japan comes downtown!

Here is a pic of our Japanese Christmas feast of mainly sushi and other Japanese delights including plum sake. As we had a roast with our neighbours just before Christmas we thought we would try our hand at making sushi. As you can tell by the centre pic there is an art to making sushi. That was my first attempt at sushi rolling and I did not read the instructions properly and made a massive roll of rice with the seaweed just attached to the outside. Still it was tasty, we had mostly vegetarian with some freerange, organic teriyaki chicken as sushi ingredients. The best was the California roll - our stylee, with avocado and chicken with Japanese mayonaise. Ashwin was enjoying the festivities as well and he had his own little surprise rice balls wrapped in nori - he loved taking them apart and ended up being covered in sticky rice :) We enjoyed 2 bottles of white wine as well - our favourite being the Californian Gewurztraminer.

X(mas) marks the booty!

Here is a shot of our small lucky bamboo christmas tree and our booty of prezzos from here and abroad. Of course Ashwin had the most booty of all and was a bit overwhelmed by everything - he enjoyed playing with the paper and the boxes his toys came in.

That's a mighty neighbourly dinner...

For a pre-christmas gathering of the neighbours. We had a feast of roast freerange, organic chicken with tarragon, some roast veges, salad, plum pudding with custard and cheesecake together with wine and of course a cuppa to help digest all the goodness.

If you're going to San Francisco...

...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

Here's Mr Ashwin in a new outfit from his grandparents in Qld - "Little Star" striped romper! He was trying to eat the dying Gerbra which is why he is holding a droopy flower. We have been getting some beautiful cheap flowers from the Farmers Market to help celebrate the festive season. This week we have some fuschia and white tulips fresh from the flower farm, awwwww :)