Typical Saturday!

Today we worked on paperwork, gathering tax info and submitting medical receipts for reimbursement back home. I hung the washing on the line. Tim and Pat went to the beach to try their luck with the surf boards we've been loaned. Neil dropped by on his motorcycle to invite the guys on a two day road trip borrowing bikes from nearby.

What else? Ross did homework (the first, I think, he's had . . .). From there I made a quiche for all of us before the mushrooms went funky. Skyped with Lyd - so great to catch up. Skyped with Tonya and Stephanie and all the kids, including brand new Evelyn! Napped.

Then we were off to our first Footy game (Rugby League) at a nearby field. Wow. Wow. The Army team against the local team. It was a game in honor of a local boy killed in Afghanistan in the past year. The clashing of the bodies on the field is audible from up in the little stands. They wear a mouth guard to protect their teeth. How 'bout the ribs???

From there dinner at a Thai restaurant with more new friends while Ross went back with buddies for ping pong and movies. Everyone in the CHS realm has heard, no doubt, that video gaming is not high on the list here in Aussie land. It's an adjustment, as you might imagine . . .

All in all, a little housework, a little relaxing, something new, and new friends. Can't beat that day.

Do You Doono?

For the first time since we arrived, we actually pulled up the doono. This is, we slept with the comforter on! The temperature has dropped to a mild 70 degrees with 80% humidity at least . . . We're not complainin' - just sayin'. Nan, it's still really nice in the pool.

Let the Fun and Games Begin

Pat is in Sydney having fun with Tim who has just landed from Corvallis! They're exploring the big city before making their way north to our beautiful coastal town. Last I heard they were enjoying beer with fish and chips at Bondi Beach after a day of sight seeing.

Meanwhile, Ross and I are slaving away at work and school, commuting, studying, and concentrating very hard on our jobs. But Ross took a break from the toil and trouble to play basketball with the town "league." It cost a whopping $5, was held at the local primary school, and included 25 kids ages 12 to 17, both boys and girls. There was a real scoreboard, refs (the daughter of the coach in her flip flops, or thongs as they're called here), with fouls called and everything. Great fun to get out and meet more people and work up a sweat in the 80 degree evening!

Thanks Ellen and Pat, Paul and Diana!

If it weren't for Ellen and Pat, we wouldn't have met Paul and Diana. If it weren't for Paul and Diana, we might not be here this year. Paul is the friend who made the flyer that Maureen read in her staff room last year about this time. He posted the photos and info that I sent him to schools in a 50 mile radius of his beautiful town of Port Macquarie, which is how it landed at Macksville. Which is how Maureen saw it. Which is how we got here. Did you get that?!

So THANK YOU TO ELLEN, PAT, DIANA, AND PAUL!! They met more than 15 years ago when they were on a teacher exchange in Northern Ireland. They have stayed in touch all this time, and visited each other, at least in the states. We met them on their latest trip to Corvallis. This is the year for Momsens to come Down Under. All in favor, comment on this post!!

Pat and I owe a lot to these good friends. We are having the time of our lives.

Stay At Home Pat

So much for staying at home. He told me last week he needs a day planner for all of his invitations. What does he do when Ross and I leave the house for the day? I really don't know! But I will share what I do know! First of all the kitchen is spotless when I come home at 5 and he won't let me touch dishes all evening. So far so good, me thinks! The yard is mowed, the pool is sparkling, and the laundry is in off the line. But that doesn't take all day.

He is a)lawn bowling, b)fishing, c)volunteering for grounds maintenance at my school, d)driving Ross to friends', doctor (pesky recurrent ear infection), etc., e)golfing, f)getting more milk, g)going to the retired police officers' monthly luncheon, h)being invited to volunteer for security at the beach, i)being invited to help paint a friend's house, j)don't you know he's napping, k)getting the windows adjusted on the "new" car, -- and these are just the ones I know about!

But the best: the time he spends with his three new friends he's met in the back yard. Not the massive 4 inch long grubs he picked off the plants by the bagful (YUCK). He feeds the 3 Water Dragons that live at the river's edge pieces of bread, and they come RUNNING. If the tides in and he tosses them out, they don't hesitate! They peel into the water, grab the bread, swim back, and wait looking up at Pat begging like dogs for their tennis balls!

Pat's new playground!

Dinners Ready!

Freddo's Pies: We stopped in and got dinner to bring home. Mmmmm, yummy pies. Pies for dinner? Aussie meat pies. Maureen made them for the Albany students, staff, friends to celebrate Australian Day, January 26. But Freddo's sells not just your steak and onion pie. Not just your Morrocan lamb pie. We're talkin' Crocodile, Camel, and Kangaroo meat pies. I'm obsessed now. I wonder how much it is for Pat to buy a hunting license? Do they give out Croc Tags, do you think?? How hard can it be to catch a camel?

Super Bowl Monday

"Mom, it's the Super Bowl. Can I stay home from school?" Well, what would YOU say? Of course, Ross! Are you kidding me? It's being televised all the way over here, and it would be just rude to not watch. Apparently, though, the commercials were edited, which is really a shame. So, Pat and Ross camped for the day in the "lounge" of the house and got their fix. I was so glad for both of them!

Pat Gets Ink in Local Newspaper

The Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun, Wednesday, February 3, 2010

"Urunga Men's Bowls: The Chookyard Triples were on again on Sunday and the Winners of the Winners (with only 3 inside the yardstick) were Pat Mollahan, Wayne Sharkey and Graeme Rose. The Winners of the Losers (also with 3 inside the yardstick) were Pat Herrmann, Chris Welsh and that Peter Herrmann again!"

www.bellingencourier.com.au

Back to School

Ross and I have started back to school. Our denial had to end at some point, right? His biology and chemistry class have 10 - 12 students. He's taking Advanced English, and since they don't offer Spanish, French. They offer sheep tending, but he declined. I was sad about that! For those of you who know Corvallis High's auditorium, picture the contrast (for those of you who don't know it, picture a school built in 2006 for 1300 students): school assemblies at Bellingen High (600 students, school built in . . . 1948??) are held in the gymnasium with students sitting on the floor. Ross said it brought him back to Adams days! He catches a bus at 8:00 a.m. (contrast to 6:55 a.m. in Corvallis)for the 20 minute ride up to the hills nearby. The bus is an air-conditioned coach like the ones that take you up to the casinos! Did I mention how handsome he looks in his uniform?? Grey shorts and a white polo. Go on!

My experience is equally as surreal. Darling children all in blue checkered uniforms, blue polos, and sun hats. "No hat, no play," is the saying at school. So each one sports a wide-brimmed hat or ball cap. They get their drinks at the bubbler, play Tips at recess (or Tag as we know it) and erase their pencil mistakes with a rubber. The children will ask me with the sweetest child Australian accent, "Mrs. Mollahan, may I go to my bag and get my rubbah?" They have a "fruit break" at 10:00 a.m. to eat a piece of fresh fruit from home. Don't mind if I do!

As I walk through the little quad, an Ibis will be strutting by. I'm met by a Blue Tongue Lizard on the steps when I come up most mornings. As long as I know it's not a snake, I'm happy to see him/her, tongue and all. Galahs fly about on the field/playground. It's just amazing. Rules, schedules, curriculum, and issues are all the same! Just the acronyms are changed. There is a high Aboriginal population at the school which translates to our Hispanic population in schools mixed with social/community tensions of our Native American population. It's fascinating to hear the perspectives and the possible solutions. It's a huge quandry, at least.

This morning before leaving the house, as I calmed the butterflies again, I said to Pat, "I wonder what new thing and new phrase I'll learn today!"