Lentils and Red Panties

Most Americans are familiar with the southern tradition of black-eyed peas and ham and I've jumped off a chair while eating an apple at midnight to celebrate the new year in the Norwegian way with our friends, the Lindmarks. However, I hadn't heard about the significance of lentils and red panties until last night.

Dan, Diana & Jen ensure lots of money
for 2009 by eating all their lentils.

Thanks to Veronica and Vito, we embraced the Italian New Year last night. Lentils, like black-eyed peas, stand for prosperity in the New Year. Hopefully, if enough people eat them, the world economy will improve. One can only hope!

Veronica wore a sexy dress but what color are
her panties? Only she and Vito know!

Unfortunately, I didn't know to wear red underwear last night to guarantee a year of great lovemaking. I guess George is off the hook until next year! Veronica says red panties are a hot item for sale in Italy this time of year. Now you know what to buy next Christmas!

Party genes are strong in Veronica's family,
shown with her niece and great niece.

As usual, the food at Veronica and Vito's was amazing with an array of appetizing morsels - cheese trays, an antipasto platter, and egg rolls for starters, prawn & mango with spinach and pear & walnut with watercress salads, and baked ziti. Desserts included decadent profiteroles, a wonderful carmel mint mousse and tiramisu which I skipped since I hate coffee. Somehow I missed this great-looking tart and bypassed Pauline's scrumptious chocolate mousse cake but was given some to take home. Good thing I didn't make my New Year's resolution to lose weight!

Lena (right) brought the profiteroles and I assumed she made them. She replied in her still very Italian accent, "I don't make those anymore. I am an Aussie now!" She and her husband, Romano, have lived here 50 years and own one of our favorite Italian markets.

Andrea's daughter is helping to improve international
relations by marrying an Englishman in April.

His parents are enjoying their first visit to Oz so
much that they are considering moving here.

The boys steal a quiet interlude to talk fishing. Maybe someday George will get his fishing pole that's sitting in Sydney with the rest of our shipment.

Pauline, Pat, Judy and Veronica enjoy reminiscing.

Yes, the Macarena made it all the way Down Under!

There were also other dances including old rock, 40s dance music, Latin beats and disco. Vito does a Travolta-worthy disco - he's staying alive!

Dan relaxes after spending most of his time at the gold mine.
It reminds me of - "Working in a gold mine, going down, down.."
I know I'm dating myself with that song.

Everyone awaits the countdown to midnight
with their noisemakers and crackers.

Vito opens the official 2009 bottle of champagne.

The English tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne while in a circle holding crossed hands was not caught on film as I was a participant but it was fun. I didn't really know the lyrics but here they are for future reference:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Our littlest partier lasted until the bitter end. Her eyes
weren't that red; I forgot to push the red eye button.

It was so worth slaving in a hot kitchen in almost 100 degree heat and almost getting flashed by an Aborginal drunk on the bus after taking the wrong bus to be there! But that's another story. It's time for bed!

Happy New Year or As They Say in -

Arabic: Kul 'aam u antum salimoun
Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo means "Good Parties and Happy New Year"
Chinese: Chu Shen Tan
Czechoslavakia: Scastny Novy Rok
Dutch: Gullukkig Niuw Jaar
Finnish: Onnellista Uutta Vuotta
French: Bonne Annee
German: Prosit Neujahr
Greek: Eftecheezmaenos o Kaenooryos hronos
Hebrew: L'Shannah Tovah Tikatevu
Hindi: Niya Saa Moobaarak
Indonesian: Selamat (Hari) Tahun Baru
Irish (Gaelic): Bliain nua fe mhaise dhuit
Italian: Buon Capodanno
Khmer: Sua Sdei tfnam tmei
Laotian: Sabai dee pee mai
Polish: Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Portuguese: Feliz Ano Novo
Russian: S Novim Godom
Serbo-Croatian: Scecna nova godina
Spanish: Feliz Ano Neuvo
Prospero Ano Nuevo
Turkish: Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Vietnamese: Cung-Chuc Tan-Xuan

These translations are from www.fathertimes.net. I'm embarrassed to say I don't know how to say it in Ukrainian but will ask Luba or George and add it later.

A Gift with a Heart

Our good friends, Chris and Harry, sent us a precious gift that captures the Christmas spirit but does much more. As a young man, Harry volunteered in Africa for Lalmba Association. Each year, Harry makes a donation and we get a gift made by the people who benefit from the donations. This year's gift is handmade from native grasses and banana leaves by the villagers. It took them two years to make the sets.

Lalmba means a place of hope and brings American doctors and nurses to provide medical care for some of the poorest people in the world. Lalmba also cares for 1,576 orphans, many of whom are AIDS orphans.

If you'd like to make a donation or to find out if any of these nativity sets are still available, you can contact Hugh & Marty Downey at Lalmba@aol.com.

All Hospitals Are Not Created Equal

PVHS, where George worked for 26 years, just received the 2008 Malcolm Baldridge Award for Excellence, so we are used to superior health care. We knew things would be different here with socialized medicine and expected more basic care at the public hospitals.

However, we were most surprised to hear that the private hospitals are also run quite differently. Shirley Kay, one of my American friends, told me a story about her experience with the local private hospital that I found incredible. Hopefully, you'll find it interesting too.

Shirley Kay's 18-year-old son hurt his ankle jumping off a pier at the beach. (I can certainly relate to that!) He has a high pain tolerance and refused to go to the hospital until much later after his mother insisted. They had the usual emergency room wait that happens anywhere but were shocked to hear that there was no x-ray technician on duty. After being advised that one could be called in for a $70 fee, Shirley Kay agreed so they waited another hour only to be told that the technician had changed her mind and wanted to stay at her Christmas party! They were given the choice of going to another hospital or returning in the morning.

Shirley Kay was skeptical when the x-ray technician looked the same age as her son and even more worried when the girl started flirting with him. "Oh, were you the one who came in last night? I'm so glad my friend didn't want to leave her party. You're cute!"

However the young technician did seem proficient so Shirley Kay left her son to search for the doctor. She was unable to locate the doctor but was informed by her son that he needed surgery and a pin. Shirley Kay surmised the doctor had visited and couldn't believe it when her son said, "No, the x-ray technician told me." That would never fly at home - she'd be so fired!

The ER doctor was very nice and efficient and gave Shirley Kay her mobile number along with the referral number for the orthopaedic specialist. Shirley Kay called the specialist's office Monday morning and explained the whole situation to the receptionist. Imagine her exasperation when the receptionist told her their first available appointment is the end of February. Shirley Kay replied, "Haven't you been listening to me? He's had a serious break and can't walk. May I please speak with the doctor?"

"He's in the theatre right now."

"The doctor's at the movies?!" Again, we speak the same language, sort of!

Anyway, it got all sorted out with the ER doc finding another specialist and the surgery already completed. It sure makes me happy I didn't break anything when I fell. Something else for which to be profoundly grateful!

George was not quite as amazed at this story because the Fremantle Hospital has 400 beds and there are no pharmacists, phlobotomists or x-ray technicians on duty nights and weekends.

Cottesloe Beach

Boxing Day was a perfect day for the beach for me, although the locals thought it was cold at about 90 degrees F. Pauline and Michael picked me up and we were supposed to meet three other couples.

Lynn, Doug, Michael and Pauline by the wall.

Due to the breeze, Pauline and Lynn were cold so Michael and Doug found a sheltered but shady spot that was wonderful. As we were moving, they were all jumping down from this short wall. Like a ninny, I refused Doug's offer of help and told him I was fine. Famous last words! I should know how uncoordinated I am and remembered just as I tumbled spectacularly down this gravel slope. My pride was more injured than my body and I was embarrassed at the fuss they were making. Michael even went to the car to fetch a first-aid kit.

A view to a picnic. Just what I needed - more great food!

We wondered what happened to the rest of the group while they were trying to "ring" us and couldn't "raise" us. They even called Veronica to call our house to find out if we'd left yet. Michael thought maybe he should try someone's "mobile" but Pauline thought the beach wasn't that crowded and that Tony would find us. More famous last words!

We finally found the rest of the gang after lunch.

Now Tony has "sorted it out" and is collecting email addresses and mobile and land numbers for the group so it won't happen again.

Since we haven't received our shipment, we don't have bathing suits yet and I refuse to buy one since I just bought two for the trip before we left. The water looked so inviting but I enjoyed visiting and watching the people of all ages instead of swimming.

Now I'm not sure I'll ever go in the water! They closed Cottesloe Beach today because of shark sightings. A man was carried off by one yesterday just south of here and is presumed dead. Scary!

Christmas Down Under

Holiday traditions here include shrimp on the barbie and a day at the beach. I waited until Boxing Day to have my beach outing and made meatloaf and turkey to celebrate instead. Since George had to work Christmas Day, we started our celebration the night before Christmas Eve with a holiday dinner on the patio. Since we still haven't received our shipment, I bought some plastic Santa placemats and some candy canes and ribbon to try to make it more festive. It's amazing what you can get for $10 from Red Dot stores.

In Vito's honor, we served Bill Dorin's famous meatloaf recipe from the cooking school he attended in Italy. We enjoyed conversing with Pauline and Michael, Veronica and Vito, and their children who are visiting from New York and London. It's funny to hear Luca and Ann-Marie speaking with New York accents since Veronica still has her British accent and Vito's accent is decidedly Italian. Ann-Marie is finishing her degree in Translation and Luca works for Unicef.

Christmas Eve was celebrated with more new friends and their families. Somehow Lisa and Tom' s family escaped without having a photo taken. It's been fun to meet the college age kids that we've heard so much about. Grant is in high school here while Trisha is attending Texas A & M. Sherri's family have only been here a month so Alex isn't in school yet and Kris is in school in Georgia.

Paul and Sheri's daughter, Kris, was a real trouper, arriving

hours before the party after flight delays due to weather.

Alex, George and Paul "chill" on the warm night.

Sherri and Lisa take time out to look gorgeous for the camera.

Time flies when you're having fun! Paul and Nicole know
how to party hearty and left at about 1:30 a.m.

Cooking Misadventures

It's always a bit of a challenge to cook here. First, one has to translate cups and tablespoons to grams. Then, there's the fact that the ingredients are slightly different than I'm used to using. The ovens used forced air which heats differently. The cookware is thinner so I burned my pound cake. Some ingredients just don't exist here - green chiles, Velveeta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and Crisco to name a few.

The other morning, George came into the room where I was emailing and told me someone in the neighborhood was barbequing and it smelled so good. I thought it odd that someone would be grilling so early and said, "Are you sure it's not the food you were warming in the microwave?" "No, come in the kitchen and smell this! It smells so wonderful." It was actually the almonds I was toasting in the oven and forgot about.

However, the classic cooking story is that of our Christmas Eve turkey. One of the butchers had a flyer telling us to order our fresh turkeys early so we dutifully submitted our order for an eight kilogram bird. When George went to pick it up, the clerk gave him two turkeys, each weighing four kilograms, and asked him if that was OK. He asked what his alternatives were and she actually said his choices were that he could take them or leave them. So we found room in the freezer for one and cooked the other. It looked more like a big chicken than a turkey but it tasted good.

Ornamental Extravaganza

Veronica sure knows how to throw a party and, luckily, I know how to have fun when the opportunity presents itself so it's an ideal arrangement. I wasn't feeling in the holiday spirit at all but her ornament exchange did the trick.

We had everything from sushi to nuts,

had a good yak before the gift exchange,

and ate way too much!

Eighteen women of all ages enjoyed the festivities and, of course, the food! I say women of all ages because Veronica refers to her friends from when she lived in Perth before as her "old timers." I do think she needs another term - perhaps we should have a contest.

There's always room for special desserts or pudding as they say here.

Who could resist Audrea's gorgeous Christmas log? Not me!

An array of prezzies from which to choose.

We drew numbers to decide who got first dibs on the goodies. However, we were allowed to steal a gift from someone else if we coveted it or choose something unopened on the table. It got wild with several items being stolen the maximum number of times.

Shirley Kay displays her stained glass candlestick holders.

Audrey models her ornamental "earrings."

Shirley Kay, Queen of the Stolen Gifts, opens another present.

This shoe tempted me since it reminds me of my godmother, Jeanne.

Karen and Pauline examine Kate's choice.

Sophie stole this DIY ornament to decorate with her daughter.

This first gift was stolen and regained. Ah, sweet revenge!

Nancie gets a Santa - he's popular this time of year!

Marka opens a Santa, only to lose him quickly.

Marka takes a peek before showing the rest of us.

She doesn't want to lose this one too.

My favorite "ornament" - couldn't resist stealing it from Diana.
She took it from Pat but I still feel guilty.

Karen opens a beautiful ceramic plate.

Pat loves her Santa.

Karen only enjoyed this one for a minute before Veronica snatched it.

I think Veronica deserved her choice of gifts for throwing such a great do. And thanks to Shirley Kay for giving me a ride home when I can't find my way out of a paper bag here!

Bridge Bash

WARNING! Those of you who have no interest in bridge should probably just skip this blog entry to avoid being bored silly.

This is a very bad picture of Betty, my Saturday partner.
I love her Scottish accent and warm personality.

Playing duplicate bridge here is similar to playing in Fort Collins even though most folks are playing ACOL instead of Standard American. We play in a church just like our Fun Bridge Club but this church is very modern and open, a converted warehouse. Membership costs $50 per year and saves you a dollar or two on the table fees, $3 for regular games and $5 on red point days for members. We have up to 72 people playing and it is a diverse group aged 40 to 97. There are folks from Singapore, India, England, Scotland, Italy, Croatia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and another American, my other semi-regular partner, Janice.

Janice is a very good player and is trying
to teach me some new tricks.

Daphne (center) is our oldest player at 97 and is a
formidable opponent and amusing companion. Her daughter,
Maureen (left), brings her and they sometimes play as partners.

Instead of using bidding boxes, they use a pen and paper and everyone writes their bids down in turn. This can be extremely challenging if you can't read your partner's writing. My partner, Betty, ended up putting me in a 6C slam bid because she thought my S was a C! Of course, I couldn't quit laughing the whole time I played it.

Meet Chris, our unflappable director on Saturdays.
Gotta love his festive shirt!

The other difference is they use all kinds of complicated movements instead of having North and South stay in place and rotating the EW pairs. I usually just follow my partner who seems to be able to interpret the choreography. Once I played with Cliff, who was as clueless as I. We both had to laugh - it was like the Keystone Cops. Since neither of us was used to their scoring system, we traded the honors, which we later found out was a big no-no.

John and Moira, the club champions, are a delightful pair.
John is a psychiatrist and Moira was a psychiatric nurse
so George has a lot in common with them too.

The Fremantle Bridge Club group have been warm and welcoming despite my lack of bridge prowess. I have been very generous to our opponents lately. Yesterday, I went down spectacularly by 1400 points. I'm surprised my regular partners haven't fired me. They are both very patient and generous ladies.

I am now card-carrying member of the Australian Bridge Federation. My goal for the rest of my stay is to become a graduate and to obtain the two master points needed for that. I think I can do it if I play with Janice enough. She is a very good player and does extremely well as long as I don't do anything silly. Actually, I don't care about the points but think it sounds like an innocuous New Year's resolution, much easier than losing weight!

Players relax during the holiday party,
enjoying their wine and visiting.

I love the hominess of the group. Doreen sells her homemade jam, which is outstanding. Jeanette brings in fresh farm eggs and Maureen has been bringing in juicy apricots. We always have tea breaks with bikkies (cookies to you) but occasionally we also get Margie's special profiteroles and other homemade goodies. There is usually a weekly raffle for chocolates and the money goes toward the club parties and to charity.

Marion gets into the spirit of the season.

Club president, Margie, and Di prepare the feast.

John volunteers for bar-tending duties. After the game,
many stay for $1 glasses of wine or pop
and some snacks and to socialize.

Malcolm, like everyone else in this group,
doesn't let his physical limitations interfere with bridge.
He and David toast to another year of fun.

As much as I enjoy this, I miss my regular Biddies bridge and other social bridge. I hope the Chalkie (that's Strine for teacher) group that Barb hosts will still have a place for me next summer when we get back. I am trying to organize a foursome to play Christmas Day since George will be working. May all of you have grand slam holidays!