Brisbane - Easter Eggs

Who says you can't dye brown eggs? We spent Easter with my brother and his wife in Brisbane, and I was determined to make this Easter as traditional as our past Easter celebrations in the States. There were some hurdles, but we faced each one head on and triumphed!

1) No white eggs. There are no white eggs in Australian grocery stores. No really, there aren't. I heard that you can order them at Easter time from Greek grocers since egg dyeing is a Greek tradition. However, since I had no idea how to locate the local Greek grocer in Brisbane I knew we'd have to work with the brown eggs. Thankfully, there are different shades of brown eggs here. So, when we got to Brisbane I went to the local Woolies and opened up six or seven cartons of eggs and hand picked the lighter brown eggs from each carton. Did I feel odd? Yes, but I hoped my gamble would pay off.

2) No egg dyeing kits. No Paas here my friends. So we went old school. While we were at the grocery store we bought a box of food coloring and a bottle of vinegar. Mixed 1/2 cup of hot water with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 20 drops of our chosen color and voila - egg dye! Mitch has taken to making funny faces lately when I take photos. He's giving me the stinkeye here because I think he was getting tired of me asking him to smile. I'm posting this one to show he's got the one raised eyebrow thing, just like dad.

3) My brother does not have any children so I was very uncomfortable with the thought of a dish of hot dye ending up on their carpet. I think he felt the same way since he left the room during the actual dyeing. He did however, hand us a stack of beach towels before he left. I'm pleased to say that Mitchell was very careful and didn't spill a drop. And for your viewing pleasure - another funny face.
I was very happy with how our eggs turned out. Instead of being really bright pastel colors they ended up with these really deep rich colors. Dare I say that I prefer these colors over the psychedelic pinks and greens I'm used to? I guess I had pretty low expectations, so to see our plan come to fruition was pretty exciting. The next morning we had an egg hunt and Mitchell found the eggs and ten chocolate eggs that the Easter Bilby had hidden as well. Australia has an Easter Bilby, not the Easter Bunny. The rabbit is a major pest here, so Australians have adopted the Bibly as it's mascot. It's endangered so around this time there is the Save the Bilby fund, and the kids collect gold coins to take to school as a fund raiser. As much as I disliked the idea of changing our tradition and swapping a bunny for a bilby, it actually worked out quite well. About a month ago Mitch told me that there was no Easter Bunny. My first thought was that an older kid had been talking at school. But he was actually very logical about it, like he had put a lot of thought into it. His argument was that there is no way a bunny could make it around the entire world in one day. Even taking the time change into account it was impossible. I tried to reason with him asking how Santa can do it. He actually rolled his eyes at me, took a deep breath and said, "Santa has a SLED". The only thing missing was the "duh mom". So when his school started hyping Easter Bilby he got into it. He did ask if the bilby brings presents and I told him it just hides eggs. I struggle with the whole fibbing thing, but I figure that when he really asks me I'll let him in on it. Until then we'll share the Holiday magic with him.

Batemans Bay

Last week I had an assignment in Batemans Bay. It's just North of the capital Canberra (ACT), on the south coast of NSW. I needed to go right into the city, about nine hours round trip. Because my boss is so awesome, he suggested that I try to make it a weekend trip since they would pay for a nights hotel. But, it wasn't meant to be. so instead of making it a two day trip I left early in the morning and returned the same day. The drive there was beautiful, and it gave me a good opportunity to reflect on our journey to Australia, and just how far we've come in the last six months.



On the way back I had to stop to take some photos of some farmland I passed through. Storm clouds were approaching and I thought it was just stunning.

I finally did it

At my new job I keep files. I like to organize my files, unlike most of the guys in the office who just use ginormous binder clips to hold all the papers together. Not sure what it is about binder clips, but they love them here. I'm more of a two hole punch and metal file organizer type of gal. So last week I brought a box of metal file clips into the office, much to the chagrin of my colleague whose exact words were, "you're mutilating files with those bloody things - I can't stand them". So on Friday much like waving a red flag in front of a bull I reached into my drawer to taunt him with one. Serves me right, I guess. In my haste to get one out of the box I somehow sliced my finger on a sharp edge. As soon as I looked at it I knew it wasn't a regular cut. I cook a lot, I use knives a lot and I've cut myself more times that I can remember. Usually Don comes running in with a towel, Neosporin, and a Band Aid, and all is well. This one was pretty deep so my boss told me go across the street to the mall and have the medical center take a look. Did I mention that every mall usually has a medical center inside? I told the receptionist what had happened, she asked for my medicare card, I told her I was paying cash. I asked her how long it would be, and she stated, "Well, since you're paying cash, you're next". I was gobsmacked (my new very favorite word). I've never been triaged according to my financial status. So, in less time than it took to find a magazine I was whisked back, past the coughing children and their parents, all shooting daggers my way. I got two shots to numb, and I'm sure they would have done the trick, had the doctor waited long enough. I felt the first stitch and it hurt, bad. The only way I can explain it is like having dental work, and you think you're numb then suddenly you realize you're not. She offered to give me another shot, but since she only had one more stitch to go I told her to finish. I have to return on Tuesday for a checkup; I think the stitches stay in a week. If you're wondering why such a detailed post about two little stitches, well, why not. And I guess now I can say that I've injured myself to the point of requiring stitches. Although, at 41 I'd have thought there would be more exciting things on my Bucket List.

Lane Cove National Park

Every morning as I sit in traffic on my way to work I see the entrance and sign for Lane Cove National Park. A few weeks ago I noticed a sign for the park indicating that there is a boat shed with boats to rent, and a canteen (that's Ozspeak for snack bar). Sounded like a good time. So last Saturday we decided to check it out. It was a really nice park, and we spent the afternoon there walking the trails and climbing the rocks. I don't think we covered 1/10 of the park, so we'll definitely be back. I think the reason I really like the park so much is that it reminded me of trees in the States. Eucalyptus forests are great, but it's nice to see big green trees every once in a while too. As we were leaving, Don spotted a goanna, or monitor lizard. We got a few pictures, then Mitch moved in for a closer look, and hot damn if it didn't get up on it's back two legs and run off, just like on the Discovery channel. It ran away too quick to get a photo, but you get the idea, right? Pretty cool.

I think by now most everyone is aware that I started a new job last month. Pretty sweet deal. I'm back to investigating, I get a generous car allowance, and I have a flexible schedule. I'm actually able to volunteer at Mitchell's class' reading group on Wednesday mornings! Plus, I get to attend client business lunches with views like this. How can I go wrong? Honestly, it's amazing how a change of scenery can totally change your perspective.

Name that Gecko

We found this little guy hiding behind Mitch's bicycle yesterday. I looked online and haven't been able to ID it. I've never seen a gecko with a tail like this. Anyone?

Feeding the Chooks

A few weekends ago we visited the Rouse Hill House and Farm. It was built in 1813 and it's the oldest farm house in Sydney still standing. It was a nice outing for a rainy day, totally something that history buffs (like Don) would love. The tour was just over an hour, and Mitch did fantastic! Kindergarten must be teaching him something, because he was the perfect little gentleman. A few little reminders here and there, but overall he was attentive and even asked some questions. At the end of the tour, they let Mitch go and feed the chickens, or chooks, as they're called in Australia.

The quintessential rooster. A model for cookie jars and country folk art the world over....


The brown chooks were really tame, the guide advised us that this breed is known for their tame nature. They just pecked the food out of our of hands gently.