Pumpkins and Eggplants and Mulled Wine in May...

I bet everyone has a couple of things that they associate with their birthday. My sister, Jess, was born on Hallow'een so every year as the shops start filling their shelves with freaky nonsense like ghouls and warlocks, she knows her birthday is on it's jolly way. My Brother Bear's birthday is just before New Year's, so as soon as Christmas is over, he can feel his birthday approaching.

When I was a small Hannan there was always a big clue that my birthday was almost here. The two tall trees at the bottom of our garden would grow beautiful gowns of pink blossom, like big bags of candy floss. When the blossom started raining down like confetti I knew it was almost my birthday.

...The Boy woke me up with
a cuppa and a pile of
presents :)...

Yesterday it was my birthday and it felt a bit weird. The weather was far too warm for a start. Also, there wasn't a dot of blossom to be seen! The reason for this is that about 6 weeks ago, our globetrotting brought us down under to Australia, where life is different and seasons are a little bit backwards!

Back in England, around my birthday time, people are just starting to get excited about the approaching summer. Some years are warm enough to go out with flip flops on, and there's a general buzz of anticipation and sunshine joy as people plan their summertime activities. In Australia, May is in Autumn. All the shops are bringing out their 'winter collections', with signs talking about "preparing for the winter" and "wrapping up cosy warm". It's no wonder I felt totally unprepared for my birthday! But once the logical side of my brain had nudged the sensory side of my brain and convinced it that 'yes it is actually May and a birthday for celebrating', I felt like less of a fraudster and had a fun gorgeous day with The Boy, adventuring down the coast.

It made me realise though, how different life is 'down under' to back home. I thought you may like to hear my musings? Well hear away...

Confusing advertising...

...After a day in this sunshine, how is it possible
to enjoy MULLED WINE..!?

I've already mentioned the signs about 'wrapping up warm' and buying woolen items, but the icing on the cake of confusion was a sign I saw in a pub the other day. It boasted MULLED WINE as a "Winter Warmer"?! In MAY! Our friends from the UK, who live in Brisbane had surprised me with a Birthday Picnic! We spent the day in the sunshine and then later that evening Tara ordered Mulled wine! I feel like I might be a robot sometimes. If I smell mowed grass it must be summer and I will definitely go out in a vest top. If I smell a wood burning stove, it must be winter and I will get out my onesie and snuggle with the dog. And if I taste mulled wine then it is OBVIOUSLY Christmas and I will start singing Cliff Richard and making mince pies! Mulled wine should never exist in May!

Flora...

...Our flatmates dog using a palm leaf as a chew toy.
They are HUGE...

There are palm trees all over the place and I love it! However, as it is currently Autumn, they are beginning to drop their leaves. In the UK, Autumn conjures images in my head of children frolicking in mittens as golden and brown leaves flitter down onto their heads. In Australia, if one of those plam leaves falls down on the children's heads they would no longer be fit for frolicking. These leaves are heavy and feel like they're made of wood. And they're about six feet long! One fell into our back yard the other day and I thought the neighbour had chucked a dead potted plant over the fence.

...and Fauna

...One of the many giant painted koalas kicking
about Surfers Paradise...

I admit I had my fears about living in Australia. We've all seen "I'm a Celebrity...Get me out of Here!" (which is filmed near where we are living in the Gold Coast!) I assumed Australian houses would be filled to the brim with huntsman spiders, killer snakes and wombats (still not sure what a wombat is...?) but I haven't seen a single creeper crawler since we arrived! I also thought the streets would have koalas and kangaroos roaming around as common as cats are in the UK. There are none. There are however, giant painted koalas around Surfers Paradise where we live, all painted in different designs! Today I saw one with long flowing golden hair. It was my koala twin.

Aussie lingo

"...Yeah mate, just spent the 'arvo' having
a 'Barbie' on the beach. We ate eggplant,
capsicum and pumpkins..!"

The first time I did the big shop, I was on my own and I decided to go to the self-checkout. I was there about 10 minutes searching through the vegetable menu for 'pepper' before realising they call it a 'capsicum'. Then I tried to find 'aubergine'. It's called an eggplant. EGG. PLANT? The final straw was when I couldn't find 'butternut squash' which was because they called it a pumpkin. And don't even get me started on the crisps/chips/fries confusion..! Not to mention the fact that they call flip-flops THONGS. There are so many ways that has confused and shocked me since arriving in Oz, I can't even tell you...

...Look at how happy we are. That's because we can
have BBQs in local parks, while accessing free wifi
and drinking delicious water..!

Kindness for the Community

The Aussie government have this thing they do where they try and make the people of Australia happy. It's a novel idea and I wonder if it would work in the UK. They do things like install free wifi in local parks and high streets, have public BBQs in parks and at beaches for the people to use as they please. They also have lovely drinking fountains everywhere. Australia is a kind place to live :)

Sun, Sea and Sand...

...Me, probably pretending I'm in a music video...

Australia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We are lucky enough to be living in Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast which is just as stunning as it sounds! Big smashing waves and golden sandy beaches. Having grown up with Blackpool on my doorstep, you can imagine how excited I was to live so close to such a beautiful beach. I like to cycle down the seafront and pretend I'm in a music video. Today though, my brakes broke just as I was about to stop at a road. Thankfully I careered onto some grass and didn't become Australian road-kill.

...George cycled right past me while I
was on the bus and I got way more
excited than was necessary, laughing
and banging on the window...

Shortly after that disaster, when I'd managed to temporarily fix my brakes, my basket smashed right off the front of my bike (again, as I was crossing a road) sending my new library books, my phone and the contents of my bag flying all over the place. Luckily The Boy was there to sort me out. When things like that happen I tend to just stand and look, as if it's happening to someone else. I'd probably still be there now, looking around, if he hadn't saved the day. He ended up riding my bike home while I got the bus!

The only problem...
We love our new Aussie lives. We love the weather, the laid back lifestyle, the beaches and I'm even starting to enjoy the use of the word 'thongs'! There's just one problem. It's not in England. I already miss my family and friends, the contrasting seasons and the springtime blossom. I'd find Christmas a maelstrom of confusion, being the hottest time of the year, and I would even miss the rain a teeny bit!

...Yeah, Surfers Paradise, Blackpool, what's the
difference really..?

So for the time being, it's perfection and I'm going to enjoy every moment we are here but you can bet your bottom Australian dollar I'll be home before Spring.

Who needs an all-year-round tan anyway!

Love Hannan xxx