You Know You're an Aussie When ...

My friend, Penny, in Colorado Springs sent me these signs of Aussie-ness she got from an Australian friend. I think I'm becoming an Aussie because many of these apply to me now! : )

You Know You're an Aussie When -

You know the meaning of 'girt'

You believe that stubbies can either be worn or drunk

You think it is normal to have a Prime Minister called Kevin even if he does resemble Mr Magoo

You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse

You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden

When you hear that an American 'roots for his team' you wonder how often and with whom

You understand that the phrase 'a group of women wearing black thongs' refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds

You pronounce Melbourne as 'Mel-bin'

You pronounce Penrith as 'Pen-riff'

You believe the 'L' in the word ' Australia ' is optional. (I have to add that they add an R when there isn't one, i.e., As-er for Asia, ari-er for area, and don't pronounce R in words where there is one, i.e., roos-tah for rooster, etc. It's mind-boggling!)

You can translate: 'Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas'

You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.

You call your best friend 'a total bastard' but someone you really, truly dislike is just 'a bit of a bastard'

You think 'Woolloomooloo' is a perfectly reasonable name for a place

You believe is makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin

You understand that 'Wagga Wagga' can be abbreviated to 'Wagga' but 'Woy Woy' can't be called 'Woy'

You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread

You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis

You know,whatever the tourist books say, that no one says 'cobber'

You know the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year

You still don't get why the 'Labor' in 'Australian Labor Party' is not spelt with a 'U

You wear ugh boots outside the house

You believe that the more you shorten someone's name,the more you like them

Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language

You understand that 'excuse me' can sound rude, while 'scuse me' is always polite

You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasions via your nose

You understand that 'you' has a plural and that it's 'youse'

You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle

Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules of beach cricket

You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call 'Anzac cookies'

You still think of Kylie as 'that girl off Neighbours'

When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit

You believe the phrase 'smart casual' refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered

You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction

When working at a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer

You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second

You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!

If, like me, you didn't recognize the phrase in this headline, it's the battle cry heard everywhere on Australia Day, the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on the 26th of January, the day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the unfurling of the British flag at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.

Even though there are some patriotic aspects to it, like July 4th in the US, it is a good excuse to party and set off fireworks. As usual, the Aussies do it up right. This year, the City of Perth spent almost $1.5 million AU on the firework display and it was absolutely breathtaking. They launched fireworks from several skyscrapers and seven barges on the river, plus laser lights. I managed to take one photo that showed something but, to get a better idea of the extravaganza, do visit this link to the West Australian newspaper site.

http://www.westtv.com.au/?Channel=News&ClipId=1416_WAU2003&bitrate=300&Format=flash

We couldn't help join in the Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,
Oi, Oi, Oi spirit with these decorations.

Diana relaxes after working her butt off to prepare our feast.

Custom usually dictates a snag sizzle (grilled Aussie hot dogs) but, being a Yank gourmet cook, Diana put on a tantalizing feast starting with a dip with artichoke and bacon, followed by turkey on homemade scones, a fabulous green bean casserole with pumpkin, cream cheese and pinon nuts, a tangy coleslaw, American-style baked beans, and capped off with her famous chocolate filled individual cakes. I even imbibed in the wonderful slushy Margaritas and strawberry daiquiris, perfect on a hot summer day.

Jets and helicopters entertained us before the fireworks
with a daring display of flying.

The flag is turned around backward as I missed them
when they flew by the window the first time.

As usual, George was working but I truly enjoyed the company. We didn't have any Aussies at the party but had Canadians, English and South Africans as well as we Yanks. I really enjoyed talking with Anne-Marie about their recent trip to Mozambique.

It wasn't crowded at all as we arrived on the foreshore
right before the fireworks commenced.

Thanks to Lisa and Tom, I got there and back unscathed. It would have been a wild night on the bus. As it was, it took forever to return down the Canning Highway. We'd move a few car lengths every five minutes. Lisa joked it was like Houston in rush hour.

Their VW convertible bug is sporty but can't compete with this little roadster.

A Bird's Eye View

What could be better than spending a gorgeous day with friends? Lunch at a vegetarian Indian restaurant followed by a Ferris wheel ride with a panoramic view!

Indian food isn't my favorite but the view made it worthwhile.

The food was served as an all-you-can-eat buffet paid by donation.

These spectacular views are from the restaurant deck.

Didn't see any sharks but lots of boats.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was originally on the agenda but somehow being cooped up in a movie theater on a relatively cool day wasn't appealing. Sorry Brad, you made a little less money this week! I was torn between a chocolate shop and exploring a market with Diana and Sue or riding the wheel with Shirley Kay and Lisa but decided to ride the wheel since George won't be up for it since he is afraid of heights.

The Ferris wheel towers over the Barrack Street Jetty.

Options for the ride included sharing a car with six people to renting the VIP car with the glass floor. They also plan to add champagne (It's Australia! Who needs a reason to drink?) and a DVD player and TV. None of us could figure out who would want to pay for the view and watch TV instead. We shared our car with a couple from Manchester who were very interested to find Americans living here and joked we are back under the reign of the Queen.

Here are some of the photos of Perth from the air:

An aerial view of the jetty.

The Bell Tower still looks high from the top of the Ferris wheel.

The city scape is so gorgeous. I love all the open space in Perth.

The sky here is Colorado blue.