Australia - US
Bed Head = Head Board A Bed head is the impression left on your head after lying on your back too long.
Main Meal = Entrée If you’re not hungry, don’t ask for an Entrée!
Biscuit = Cookie A biscuit is something like a scone/bread roll
Boot = Trunk “Chucking it in the boot” is not a familiar term here.
Tyre = Tire Pronounced “Taaar”
Windscreen = Windshield
Cheque = Check Used here for everything. The bank statement includes a page containing a copy every check presented during the month. In Australia, a telephone or utility bill lists about 6 to 8 different ways to pay – Cheque, Bpay, Credit Card, Eftpos, direct debit, Australia Post, etc. Here they all want you to pay by check.
31 August 2003
New insect and animal discoveries
1. No-see-ums (Biting Midges) [Taken from a wildlife web site]
North country campers may be surprised to be bitten by tiny insects that can hardly be seen. So minute are these midges, called no-see-ums, that they can easily go through window screens and the mesh of some tents. Also called punkies and sand flies, these 1/10-inch-long critters are the smallest of the northland biters. They belong to the family Ceratopogonidae, which has about 460 North American species. Most feed on nectar. Several midge species will attack other insects. If a mosquito is full of blood, a no-see-um may bite her and steal the blood.
When and how does it bite? A few species of midges go for human blood. The females need protein-rich blood so their eggs can develop. Like mosquitoes, midges feed at dusk. They puncture skin with a pair of mandibles, which look like scissors blades.
Life cycle. Midge eggs are laid in ponds. The larvae look like thin worms. The pupa floats but does not swim. Adults usually emerge in summer and feed in June and July. Adults do not fly far from their breeding grounds. Some people say you can escape from no-see-ums by simply moving a few feet away.
Good news. Thanks to biting midges we have chocolate. One species pollinates cacao trees, the source of chocolate, in lowland tropical forests.
2. The Good News Bee
This bee does not sting but makes quite a loud buzzing sound as it flies around. It tends to speed along, then stop and hover just in front of you (as if it was telling you some good news) and then flies on. They look exactly like a horrible nasty biting wasp.
3. Crawdads
These are like mini crayfish that live in the creeks and streams. Eric and James had a great time exploring with Jonathan Floyd in the creek at the Floyd’s place. They found Crawdads, blue tailed lizards, salamanders, skinks and lots of nifty things.
4. Huge butterflies and Moths
We have seen some really large and beautiful butterflies and moths including the white Webworm Moth, Tiger and Black Swallowtails and others.
North country campers may be surprised to be bitten by tiny insects that can hardly be seen. So minute are these midges, called no-see-ums, that they can easily go through window screens and the mesh of some tents. Also called punkies and sand flies, these 1/10-inch-long critters are the smallest of the northland biters. They belong to the family Ceratopogonidae, which has about 460 North American species. Most feed on nectar. Several midge species will attack other insects. If a mosquito is full of blood, a no-see-um may bite her and steal the blood.
When and how does it bite? A few species of midges go for human blood. The females need protein-rich blood so their eggs can develop. Like mosquitoes, midges feed at dusk. They puncture skin with a pair of mandibles, which look like scissors blades.
Life cycle. Midge eggs are laid in ponds. The larvae look like thin worms. The pupa floats but does not swim. Adults usually emerge in summer and feed in June and July. Adults do not fly far from their breeding grounds. Some people say you can escape from no-see-ums by simply moving a few feet away.
Good news. Thanks to biting midges we have chocolate. One species pollinates cacao trees, the source of chocolate, in lowland tropical forests.
2. The Good News Bee
This bee does not sting but makes quite a loud buzzing sound as it flies around. It tends to speed along, then stop and hover just in front of you (as if it was telling you some good news) and then flies on. They look exactly like a horrible nasty biting wasp.
3. Crawdads
These are like mini crayfish that live in the creeks and streams. Eric and James had a great time exploring with Jonathan Floyd in the creek at the Floyd’s place. They found Crawdads, blue tailed lizards, salamanders, skinks and lots of nifty things.
4. Huge butterflies and Moths
We have seen some really large and beautiful butterflies and moths including the white Webworm Moth, Tiger and Black Swallowtails and others.
The Wal-Mart Incident
David was at Wal-Mart with Bretta buying various essentials including pillows and larger items. At the checkout, rather than pull all the pillows out they just told the lady what was there and she rung it up on the register. When they got to the car and began unpacking, they realized that there were about half a dozen items underneath the pillows. Oh no! Shoplifting! David and Bretta promptly went back into the store in time to see the Store Greeter talking to a policeman, and the checkout lady pointing to them and saying, “There they are.” “Gosh,” David thought, “They’re quick here. Arrested on day two in America! What a good start.”
It’s a shame to wreck a good story, but we spoke with the Greeter later and she said that the Policeman regularly pops in and says Hello, and they weren’t talking about us at all. Phew!
It’s a shame to wreck a good story, but we spoke with the Greeter later and she said that the Policeman regularly pops in and says Hello, and they weren’t talking about us at all. Phew!
Driver’s License
I now have a Georgia Driver’s License. Unfortunately I had to hand over my Australian license in the process. We are using the Ogburn’s car, which has a scrape on the passenger side. As the fellow giving me the driving test knew I was Australian (Crikey! What gave it away?), he noticed the scrape and asked, “Did you drive on the wrong side of the road?” He was pretty good and when I had stopped at a stop sign he commented, “That’s what we call a Californian Stop – That’s when you almost stop and then proceed.”
I passed the test and received my license - $15 for 4 years.
I should have known better about stopping. Peter always reminds me from the back seat, “Daddy. You didn’t stop. You slowed down.” This is because he heard the following joke. (Try to pronounce the driver’s words in a slow Southern drawl.)
A driver slowed down and then went through a stop sign. A policeman promptly pulled him over and approached the driver’s window. “Excuse me, Sir. You didn’t do a complete stop at that intersection there.”
“But, I slowed down”
“Sir, you are required to come to a complete stop before proceeding…”
“I slowed down”
“Sir, slowing down is not stopping..”
“But I did slow down.”
With a firm expression, the policeman asked, “Can you step out of the car for a moment, please”
The driver stepped out and the policeman began to hit him over the head with his clipboard.
“Stop, Stop!” cried the driver.
“Do you want me to stop or slow down?” asked the policeman.
I passed the test and received my license - $15 for 4 years.
I should have known better about stopping. Peter always reminds me from the back seat, “Daddy. You didn’t stop. You slowed down.” This is because he heard the following joke. (Try to pronounce the driver’s words in a slow Southern drawl.)
A driver slowed down and then went through a stop sign. A policeman promptly pulled him over and approached the driver’s window. “Excuse me, Sir. You didn’t do a complete stop at that intersection there.”
“But, I slowed down”
“Sir, you are required to come to a complete stop before proceeding…”
“I slowed down”
“Sir, slowing down is not stopping..”
“But I did slow down.”
With a firm expression, the policeman asked, “Can you step out of the car for a moment, please”
The driver stepped out and the policeman began to hit him over the head with his clipboard.
“Stop, Stop!” cried the driver.
“Do you want me to stop or slow down?” asked the policeman.
25 August 2003
The Playground
We finally built the playground. Can you imagine the torture of being a boy that loves climbing trees, surrounded by a forest, yet no tree has branches that you can reach? James decided that we would have to go home as there are no trees in America that he could climb. So, we had to have something outside on which they could all play. We didn’t want a small thing that would not survive active play. The local hardware store (Home Depot – similar to Hardware House) had a home playground kit. All the screws and bits were supplied - just add lumber. Easy.
First problem: How do we get it home? The car we had wouldn’t fit the lumber, and I did not yet have a US driver’s license or insurance in my name. Luckily, the Ogburns were able to assist and we used Ward’s dump truck to transport the wood.
First problem: How do we get it home? The car we had wouldn’t fit the lumber, and I did not yet have a US driver’s license or insurance in my name. Luckily, the Ogburns were able to assist and we used Ward’s dump truck to transport the wood.
Can you guess who was the builder and who was the assistant?
Next Problem: It’s a lot of wood, and it all needs to be cut. And put together. And it’s all quite heavy. Step in another local family – The Floyds. David Floyd is a builder/carpenter and teaches at the local College (cross between TAFE and University). He likes this type of stuff, so I passed wood, held up bits, held screws and was general builder’s assistant. Over two Saturdays we constructed the playground. Lana and Vicky Floyd fed the troops and the children kept asking, “Can we play on it yet?” Now that it’s built, James reckons we can stay a bit longer.
12 August 2003
31 July 2003
The journey begins
This is the first edition of Bruggie Tales. Many of our friends and family have asked us to keep them updated, so here is the beginning of a series.
Our trip started on the Monday, leaving Country Australia after another 0 degrees (celsius) night leaving all the house and outdoors covered in a white frost. Our friends transported us and our luggage to a Sydney hotel and we had our last Australian dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Sydney, followed by a nighttime tour of the city in the Smith Tour Bus.
We left the hotel on time at 8 am and arrived at the Airport ready for the trip. Well, not quite. We had left one of our bags in the hotel room! Luckily we had plenty of time to spare and the hotel was able to send the bag on the next shuttle bus.
At the Check-in counter they were very strict on bag weights and we had to reshuffle the luggage in all of our bags to ensure the bags did not weigh more than 32kg and onboard not more than 7kg. This only took about 30 minutes! The lady at the check-in estimated I lifted about 250kg on and off the scales.
We then went through to the international departure area, where I remembered I still had the keys to my little blue car in my pocket, which I had just sold through Robert Smith. A quick placing of keys into the envelope and then popping in the post and we finally got on board.
The first leg was about 10 hours to Osaka Kansai airport. This plane had a common movie screen. When the movies came on we had to stop the children watching either film, as neither was suitable! The staff on this JAL flight were very good, especially helping Ariel who had a bit of a headache, probably from the excitement and not enough water.
Peter checking plane safety instructions.
As the picture above shows, Peter was quite calm about the flight.
The Hotel was very comfortable and once we realized that going anywhere was going to be way too much hassle, we ended up back in our rooms. Lana had a sleep and we watched a Western on Japanese TV. The flight to LA was relatively easy with the children able to watch Jungle Book 2 and Bambi or play some games on their personal video screens.
Three hours of customs/immigration awaited us in Los Angeles and and then a transfer to the next flight and we flew 4 hours to Atlanta. So, finally at 10:30pm we stopped flying, met our US friends, and drove for 3 hours (via Wal-Mart), culminating in a humid night in a hotel in North East Georgia, over 9,000 miles away from home, under different stars.
Our trip started on the Monday, leaving Country Australia after another 0 degrees (celsius) night leaving all the house and outdoors covered in a white frost. Our friends transported us and our luggage to a Sydney hotel and we had our last Australian dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Sydney, followed by a nighttime tour of the city in the Smith Tour Bus.
We left the hotel on time at 8 am and arrived at the Airport ready for the trip. Well, not quite. We had left one of our bags in the hotel room! Luckily we had plenty of time to spare and the hotel was able to send the bag on the next shuttle bus.
At the Check-in counter they were very strict on bag weights and we had to reshuffle the luggage in all of our bags to ensure the bags did not weigh more than 32kg and onboard not more than 7kg. This only took about 30 minutes! The lady at the check-in estimated I lifted about 250kg on and off the scales.
We then went through to the international departure area, where I remembered I still had the keys to my little blue car in my pocket, which I had just sold through Robert Smith. A quick placing of keys into the envelope and then popping in the post and we finally got on board.
The first leg was about 10 hours to Osaka Kansai airport. This plane had a common movie screen. When the movies came on we had to stop the children watching either film, as neither was suitable! The staff on this JAL flight were very good, especially helping Ariel who had a bit of a headache, probably from the excitement and not enough water.
Peter checking plane safety instructions.
As the picture above shows, Peter was quite calm about the flight.
The Hotel was very comfortable and once we realized that going anywhere was going to be way too much hassle, we ended up back in our rooms. Lana had a sleep and we watched a Western on Japanese TV. The flight to LA was relatively easy with the children able to watch Jungle Book 2 and Bambi or play some games on their personal video screens.
Three hours of customs/immigration awaited us in Los Angeles and and then a transfer to the next flight and we flew 4 hours to Atlanta. So, finally at 10:30pm we stopped flying, met our US friends, and drove for 3 hours (via Wal-Mart), culminating in a humid night in a hotel in North East Georgia, over 9,000 miles away from home, under different stars.
Living in America
The wildlife is different:
- It is quiet during the day and noisy at night. At home, we are used to magpies, cockatoos, Gallahs and kookaburras sharing their “songs” with us. Here it is quiet until dusk when all the “Katydids” – grasshopper type insects (Look in A Beka Science 4) starting their mating rituals.
- Also at dusk the fireflies come out. (called lightning bugs locally) These are pretty interesting, giving flashes of light throughout the woods. (A Beka Science 4)
- Daddy long legs here are Grand daddy long legs – they are bigger than what we are used to but basically the same type of spider.
- White Faced Hornets are mongrel things. One stung Peter on the first day they explored our new house and so they all retreated back into the house. Just as well, too! There was a huge nest of the things. That night, Ward Ogburn used a common wasp and hornet spray that jets a stream of poison up to 22 feet to kill them. Whilst destroying the nest and killing all its occupants, he was stung too.
- Yellow jacket wasps are not pleasant either. One stung Lana in the first week when she accidentally brushed it off her arm. The mark is still there and occasionally is irritating.
- Ticks are in the untamed areas of ground and latch on to the legs. Lana got one so we know about them now.
- Squirrels are cute. There are lots around the house.
- Bears are apparently in the area, but we haven’t seen any yet.
- There are lots of Deer around.
- The birds actually sound OK (when they actually sing) rather than variations of squawks most of the Australian birds are known for. We also saw some “Red Cardinal” birds – pretty little bright red birds.
- Chiggers are the worst. They hang around in unkept areas of gardens or bushland and are about 0.1 mm in size. They leap on to anything warm-blooded passing and crawl as high as they can until they get to a soft bit of skin, then start sucking. After about 3 hours a little lump comes up and they are very itchy. So, everyone avoids areas chiggers are reputed to be, once they get inside all clothes are washed and everyone jumps in the bath. The funny thing is, chiggers are not meant to feast on humans – they die from our bodies. Dogs and birds don’t get the irritations, as they are the correct host. See here for more information.
Placing our stake in a new land
Interesting Links July 2003
We now have DSL – even though I can’t get mobile/cell coverage. Here are some finds from some surfing.
The new GE 4D Ultrasound – a great vision of the baby using enhanced ultrasound imaging. Well worth downloading.
Mel Gibson’s new film “The Passion”. This is a very interesting look at his new film about the last hours of Our Lord up to his Crucifixion. This is NOT for the little ones (under 12), but it will give you an idea of the movie that is sparking much controversy
The new GE 4D Ultrasound – a great vision of the baby using enhanced ultrasound imaging. Well worth downloading.
Mel Gibson’s new film “The Passion”. This is a very interesting look at his new film about the last hours of Our Lord up to his Crucifixion. This is NOT for the little ones (under 12), but it will give you an idea of the movie that is sparking much controversy
Recipe: Berry Cobbler
A Blackberry and Raspberry Cobbler.Ingredients:
½ cup melted butter
2 cups SR Flour
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Sugar
3½ Cups Berries
Method:
Pour melted butter into lamington tray (9in x 13 in).
Mix sugar, flour and milk together – it may be lumpy but it doesn’t matter.
Pour this on top of the melted butter.
Put berries on top of that.
Cook in moderate oven for about 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown on top.
Yummo. Especially with vanilla ice cream.
15 June 2003
PDF Archives
For all those that have difficulty in accessing Bruggie Tales we have compiled each month in seperate PDF files. If you click on the link below it will open as a PDF, or if you right click and "Save as..." you can save it to your hard disk and review it at your leisure.
PDF Archives
For all those that have difficulty in accessing Bruggie Tales we have compiled each month in seperate PDF files. If you click on the link below it will open as a PDF, or if you right click and "Save as..." you can save it to your hard disk and review it at your leisure.
22 January 2003
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