Holiday Highlights

December 23, 2001-Take Note

Today was notable because it was the first time I went swimming in the pool at our complex. The conditions finally met my requirements. It was beastly hot & the water had warmed up to a bit cooler than a bathtub. One fashion statement we noticed around here is that of maternity wear. Either there’s a new trend or women here are more practical. Perhaps they can’t afford maternity clothes. The latest in maternity swimwear is a bikini. If you think about it, it’s perfect for the pregnant torso. It’s quite attractive especially when accompanied by a pierced navel.

There was a drink-driving set-up again. That’s what they call it, not drunk driving. This time, there were four motorcycle cops & a tow truck. They mean business. The legal limit is 0.05.
While strolling around after lunch, we passed a photographer’s studio. Displayed in the window was one wedding portrait. I don’t think we’d see one like it in the U.S. It featured an inter-racial bridal couple.

December 24, 2001-Australianese

The front page of the paper had an article I think is in English, but I’m not sure. I will quote it: Ring Out to Rellies and Ring in Cheats:
Centrelink is hoping to bring joy to the world this Christmas, unless you happen to be a dole bludger…Senator Vanstone’s other campaign revealed yesterday encourages neighbors to dob-in online. Good luck. I will provide a translation if needed.

I’m reading Bryce Courtenay’s new novel, Four Fires. One character tells of a situation during WWII when the Japanese destroy Allied headquarters. Along with the damage, the codebook was lost. The troops in the field are in desperate need to get the message out that they need morphine for the wounded. That’s no secret, but the time for the planes to fly over to drop it is. They finally decide to send the time for delivery in Australian. They send a message that they’ll “look up at sparrow’s fart.” That’s dawn.

We watched an excellent show on Tolkein last night, but the commercials were what got my attention. There was one in particular that was repeated throughout the show. David & I just looked at each other & rolled our eyes. It was a commercial for a Nicabate nicotine patch. It showed two cricket players taking a break. One lights up a cigarette & offers it to the other. The man refuses & says he’s stopped smoking & shows the patch on his arm. He says it protects him from craving a smoke. The guy with the cigarette gets up to walk away and holds up an athletic cup. He says, “You can never have too much protection mate.”

We then watched a show called Evolution. It was the last in a series produced by the BBC & focused on the question of fundamental religious traditions & evolution. They started the show at the High Note Church of Resurrection in Canton, Ohio. Now, how did the BBC find Canton, Ohio?
I don’t know why I keep telling you about the driving rules here. They are so serious about them that it impresses me. There was an ad on TV warning drivers to buckle up. The fine for not wearing your seat belt is $A 150 & 3 points. All passengers, front & back, must wear seat belts.

I just found out there will be no newspaper on Xmas day. I’ve never known of a major city that didn’t publish at least something that day. I’m talking about Brisbane here. It’s the state capital.
I went to look up the number of the Korean restaurant we went to last week. We’re going there on Dec. 26, Boxing Day. David reminded me that if I didn’t find it under restaurants to check under hotels. It’s not in a hotel. In fact it’s in a strip mall. Why look under hotel? It seems that plain old restaurants are also called hotels. It doesn’t matter that they don’t have sleeping rooms. When I asked what they call tall buildings that have sleeping rooms, they said those were motels. Then they backpedaled & said sometimes they call those hotels as well. It’s confusing.

December 25, 2001-Happy Christmas

Xmas card- On the first day of Xmas my true love gave to me (open the card) a koala in a gum tree.

Happy Christmas as they say down under. It’s a scorcher. Brisbane will reach 39 centigrade & we’ll be around 35. That’s close to 100 & the high 90’s Fahrenheit respectively. The pool is full of kids & one brother & sister could be poster children for Australia. They both have on Aussie swimmers, which is a one or two-piece bathing costume made of dark colored sturdy ultra-violet ray proof fabric. The top looks like a t-shirt & the bottoms like short-legged shorts. They’re wearing beaked caps with flaps that hang down from the back to protect their necks & ears. I’m sure what is exposed to the sun is slathered with sunscreen. My grandmother didn’t wear that much to the beach.

We braved the weather & walked on the beach. We slopped, slapped, & slipped on coverings, opened the door & were hit by a blast of heat that sent us back a step. There’s a constant breeze here, which is why the area became a resort. It cools things off so what might be unbearable in the cities is tolerable here. The Xmas tradition here is one of the family picnics. The park running along the beach was crammed full of shade-seeking picnickers from all walks of life. There were enough different ethnic groups represented to make up the United Nations. I felt like telling them they couldn’t eat until they learned to live with their differences & co-exist in peace. There were Aborigines, Asians, Eastern Europeans, Americans, Western Europeans, Africans, Arabs, & a Scottish couple who asked if we’d take their photo so they could send it home & make their families jealous. Name the continent & they were there. Well, maybe none from Antarctica.
As we stepped from the grassy park to the sand, it got perceptibly hotter. The radiant heat wafted up from the sand as we squeaked our way to the water using the Florida waddle. For those of you unfamiliar with it, it’s used when the sand is so hot you can’t walk on top of it. By inserting your toes & the front of your feet under the sand, you reach a slightly cooler level so your feet don’t smoke when you finally reach the surf.

The beach was more crowded than ever & the surf lifesavers were out in triple force. They had guards in a high chair & two on land. One was on each side of the flagged safe swimming area. The wind was from the north so they didn’t have to worry about stingers. The only warnings were about rips. I’m not totally sure if swimming between the flags is the only safe area, but it does help the guards keep an eye on the crowds. I’m not going to be the one to find out. We hadn’t had lunch & hoped to find at least one restaurant open along the way. There were four. Our favorite kebab stand saved the day, although there wasn’t a table to be had. We walked over to the closed McDonald’s & ate at one of their outdoor tables.

We had a message to call the Bruce’s when we got back. We’ll hook up with them tonight. David is determined to have Chinese. We’ll probably go after 7:30pm. We want to be home to hear the Queen’s Xmas message at 7:20pm.

Toby