Air Is Free, No Wait I Forgot It's Not....

Back in September 2014 my husband and I flew to New York to see my family and friends whom I hadn't seen since I left to move to Brisbane. We were there for three weeks and during the last week, we decided to rent a car instead of using my dad's old Accord. On the second day my husband wanted to check the tire pressure as this is something you should do before a long trip. We went over to a gas station and went to pump up the tires, but wait, you have to add coin to the machine to get air. Since I've lived in NY I knew the drill, but at this point air was 75 cents and unless you bring your own gauge, there's no way for you to know what your tire pressure is. If you're dawdling it'll cost you more twice as much, the damn thing is on a timer. The proper procedure in NY to check and pump your tires is, remove the caps, then check the tires, remembering how much pressure is in each one, then going to the machine, add your quarters and fill until you think you've reached the proper pressure. You could also carry your gauge and check it every so often until you've reached the desired psi.

Typical US air pressure pump

Typical Aussie air pressure pump 

In Australia, the air is FREE! Not only is it free, you set the machine to the desired psi and it stops pumping when it reaches the pressure you specifically need. When you place the nozzle on your tire, it tells you what the psi of  the tire is at that point, so really there is no need to carry a gauge with you wherever you go. 

Just a little comparison of the two countries that popped into my head the other day while checking my tyre pressures. 

Volunteering at the Mater Hospital...

I never thought in  a million years that with all my banking experience I couldn't get a job in Brisbane. I can't find a job in a bank,  I can't even find one as a cashier in a supermarket. I've been looking everywhere, so I went to the Mater Hospital's website to maybe find an admin role, and I saw the tab to volunteer. I called the number and  the woman that answered didn't speak English very well, and I could tell she wasn't taking down my information at all. She said someone would get in contact with me, and after a week I heard nothing, so I called them again, this time I got an Aussie woman and she was pleasant, took down my info, said I'd get an email and sure enough by the end of the day, I received an email. Before I could start volunteering I had to go to an information seminar or watch a DVD presentation, I opted for the whole day seminar because who are we kidding, I have nothing better to do. It was very interesting, and if I manage to get a job here I won't have to go through it again.

Since starting in July, I have met a few people and it helps me having conversations with people other than the cat. My husband works during the day and I have no female friends here, you can't really make friends if you're not amongst the people, so the volunteering helps immensely. The ladies I 'work' with are so lovely.  Wally is originally from Germany, she came to Australia back in 1954 by boat and at 87 she's currently the oldest volunteer there. Then we have Bette ,originally from Newcastle, England, a Geordie true and true (as per Bette), she also came to Australia via ship and she said it was such an adventure coming here by ship. I am a bit fuzzy on how long she's been here. She's in her late 70's and still drives, and has a cute Geordie accent. We have Kay, who is from Western Queensland, she grew up on a farm, met a Sicilian man and he never introduced her as Kay as it sounded too much like che? "what?" in Italian. He called her Katarina.  None of her children speak Italian which I think is a shame.  Sue is originally from New Zealand, and also in her 60's, she's a card, she wears a hearing aid and when she speaks she yells, kind of reminds me of a Kiwi version of my former boss. They have the same sense of humour and mannerisms, I find it very funny. Then there's Rosalia, she's originally from El Salvador and I'm the only one that pronounces her name properly with the rolling r's. She's in her late 50's and recently married her high school sweetheart on a trip to California, he's from El Salvador, moved to the US and now married an Aussie citizen. She has such a fun personality, but I haven't seen her in weeks. There's Jenny, she's a special needs person and God bless her, she's in practically every Monday, stamping her envelopes. She has a carer bring her in and come get her to go home. Last but not least we have Bec short for Rebecca, she's the person in charge, she's not a volunteer but a paid employee that get's all the jobs for us to do. She's great to talk to.

Volunteering can involve many different tasks, they range from massaging patients hands to stuffing envelopes. Since I didn't want to get blood work done, I opted for the non-patient volunteering, which in my case is considered Administration. Since I am the youngest in my group of Monday ladies, I sometimes get the sucky tasks, like a few weeks ago I had to go to another building and unpack computer screens, take out the wires and rip up the cardboard and then place the screen back in the box and tape it back up. The other day I had to go to the Media department and draw lines in a ledger book, I wouldn't have minded much if I had proper lighting or a proper seat. My chair was a low wicker patio chair and the table was a wooden kitchen table that was too high to be able to sit there and draw lines. I wound up doing the job in my lap sitting under the stupid fluro bulb, I left after 2 hours because my eyes couldn't take it anymore and it was almost time to have lunch with the ladies, seriously, you couldn't put me at a desk with a proper chair? Last time I was in this department I was slicing the laminate off of photos for the cafeteria menu, that was also boring and back breaking. My favorite thing is to stay in our big room and socialise with the ladies, it's great to hear stories and for people to ask how was your weekend and such. We've put together little boxes for the new moms, that included nappies (diapers) a onesie, a Mater Baby on Board thingy for the car, a little mesh bag that included, baby wash, baby lotion, baby cream and one other tube that eludes me, along with coupons on the purchase of formula and diapers. The new moms at the Mater get looked after really well.  Sometimes we put charts together, or take them apart. Sometime's I've had to take the trolley and get the mail from different departments, take them back to Bec, she sorts through them and then we stuff them accordingly. In some cases if the lady at the Volunteer reception isn't in, I'm asked to fill in, which I totally don't mind as this is the area that I wouldn't mind working.

As a volunteer we have four hour shifts. If you drive you can get your parking validated. We get a uniform of sorts, it's a long vest that states you're a volunteer, or if you want, for $35 you can purchase a polo shirt that once you leave you have to return and they buy it back from you for $10. The vest they launder, the polo is yours to launder. I received an id tag which is also a key, I wear it on a lanyard. I actually love wearing that. We get free lunch, choice of cut sandwiches (basically sliced bread with a few different fillings, such as ham, cheese & tomato, a salad sandwich with lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, I once had a roast beef sandwich, and an egg salad sandwich). If you want your sandwich toasted, they will charge you 20 cents to toast it.  You could also have the soup of the day, but you cannot have both, but you can take a piece of fruit for free also, usually a banana, orange or apple. If you want a beverage, other than tea or coffee you have to pay for it, they have these little Coke cans of 200ml for $2, I usually wait till I'm on my way to the bus and get a 600ml of diet Vanilla Coke, not Vanilla Coke Zero (thank god)  for $3.70.

Wine, wine and more Australian wine...

In my early 20's I was not a fan of wine. Not until my early 30s did I start to appreciate a good glass of wine. I'm still not a huge fan of red, but I do find the occasional one that suits my palate. There was a sparkling wine that I loved when I lived in NY, Fragolino, but on my visit last year, I realised it was way to sweet for my taste. There are so many wineries in Australia, there are well known wine regions, and some smaller ones that you can only buy at their Cellar Doors. There's a store here that sells row, upon row of mostly Aussie wines, it's called Dan Murphys'. They sell, lots of wine, local and imported beer and whiskeys, and scotches and any type of drinking alcohol you can imagine.

Here are the wine regions in Australia:

 NEW SOUTH WALES -
The area around Sydney has the longest history of grape growing in Australia. The original plantings of vines were at Sydney Cove in 1788 and this was followed by the Macarthur plantings near Camden and Blaxland’s vineyards around the Parramatta River in the early 1800’s. James Busby’s collection of 362 vines, originally planted at the Botanical Gardens, was the most significant development in the early history as cuttings of these vines made their way to other parts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
QUEENSLAND -
While grapes were first planted in cooler parts of the Sunshine State more than 100 years ago, until relatively recently, Queensland was not known as a wine grape growing area. It was considered too close to the tropics and too hot to produce quality wines. But perceptive grape growers and winemakers noted that in the higher altitudes of the ranges running inland, there were cooler climates and rich volcanic soils. As the pioneer vignerons to the Granite Belt region suspected, being 700 to 1000 metres above sea level does have a significant cooling effect and allows the production of some stunning wines as the grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Viognier grow through warm springs and summers and relatively cool autumns.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA -
South Australia is the most important wine producing state and is consistently responsible for almost 50% of Australia’s annual production. It is also home to some of the most famous regions, historic estates and oldest vines in the country. It is the driest state in Australia but diagonally dissected by the Murray River which supplies critical water for irrigation in many regions. There are a multitude of different soil types and local mitigating influences such as altitude and cooling ocean breezes that allow for a wide range of wine styles.
TASMANIA -
The pristine island state of Tasmania is situated off the southern coast of Australia in the cool waters of the Southern Ocean. The first commercial vineyards were planted in Tasmania in 1865. A decade later the industry collapsed largely due to the gold rush on the mainland. A resurgence of interest started in again the late 1970’s. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir do particularly well in these cool conditions and also form the backbone of the renowned sparkling wines. Many of Australia’s best sparkling wines have been either made in Tasmania or contain substantial components that have been sourced there. Pinot Noir is the other strong suit and the style is distinctly fragrant and lighter bodied with delicate flavors of red apple and cherry. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris are also grown.

VICTORIA - 

In the 1880’s Victoria was in fact Australia’s largest wine producing state. Phylloxera outbreaks put a temporary halt to production in many areas which subsequently saw a resurgence of interest in the 1970’s. Victoria is the second smallest state but is home to more individual wineries than any other state in Australia. It also has the greatest diversity of regional climate which allows for the production of virtually every imaginable wine style from fine sparkling wine, high quality Pinot Noir, savoury Shiraz and the historic fortified wines of Rutherglen.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA - 

Western Australia is the largest State and spans the western third of the Australian continent, although the winemaking regions are almost entirely concentrated in the south-west and great southern land divisions of the State. Some regions are close to the Perth the State capital but most are located further south away from the metropolitan area. The regions include Blackwood Valley, Geographe, Great Southern, Peel, Pemberton, Manjimup, Margaret River and Swan District.

One of my favourite coffee places....McCafe...

McCafé is a coffee-house-style food and drink chain, owned by McDonald's. Created and launched in Melbourne, Australia in 1993 by McDonald's Licensee Ann Brown, and introduced to the public with help from late McDonald's CEO Charlie Bell and then-Chairman and future CEO Jim Skinner, the chain reflects a consumer trend towards espresso coffees. McDonald's introduced a coffee line called "McCafé" nationwide in the United States. Unlike in other countries, "McCafé" is just a line of special drinks, not a full coffee shop. 

Australia is full of people that demand good coffee and that's why McCafé came to existence. Just watch the video to see how McDonald's is slightly different than the ones in the US. In essence what they've done is they've added things to make it their own, EXCEPT for McCafé , that started here because Aussies wanted espressos, and cappuccinos without having to sit down in a fancy cafe and now you can get McCafe coffees through the drive-thru. McCafe coffee is also available in various parts around the world, including Canada, Spain, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, Paraguay and South Africa.



When you walk into McDonald's there are two counters, one for burgers and such and the other, albeit smaller is McCafe. McCafe has it's own register and has a display case that includes yummy things such as cheesecakes, various muffins, cakes, cookies, macaroons, brownies, and sandwiches.

A McCafe display case

Aspley McCafe display case 

 I see macarons and assorted cakes in these displays, along with the bottles of flavours and the assorted sizes of coffees they offer.

Breakfast McCafe menu 

Breakfast McCafe menu

It also has the most important thing, COFFEE! They have this loyalty program, every 5th coffee is FREE, a small cappuccino costs $3.55, along with a flat white, long black, the mocha ones. I don't personally drink the flavoured ones but they have a tendency of being ten cents dearer.

McCafe loyalty card 

Espresso and small cappuccino 

Small cappuccino, espresso and 2 mini muffins

I really like their cappuccinos and my husband likes their espressos very much. They are not the best, but they are nowhere near the worst. The only difference between a McCafe cappuccino and let's say a Merlo one, is the fact that I need to use 2 Splendas to sweeten it and none for the Merlo. Everyone's different when it comes to how much sugar they take in their coffee, I guess try first without and add sugar as needed. Australia has a very large espresso based love of coffees, they won't drink something that's filtered or sits in a pot, it's made fresh when you order it, not a minute sooner. 

So when you come and visit, I'll shout you a coffee and you'll see, McDonald's actually knows how to make coffee, here, not in the US. 

"The Race That Stops a Nation" - Melbourne Cup...

Living here for a few years I notice one thing about the end of October, not too many pumpkins or fall foliage, it is spring after all, but rather the stores are full of many different dresses, some of them outrageous, and hats and fascinators, the reason behind all this fashion is the Spring Races, there are 4 races, Victoria Derby Day,  The Melbourne Cup is also known as the race that stops a nation, Crown Oaks Day and Emirates Stakes Day. So many people don't go to work, they go to the local horse track if available or to restaurants or any establishment that shows the races and has betting facilities.  The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races. Conducted annually by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, the event starts at 3pm (daylight saving time) on the first Tuesday in November. The first race was held in 1861 over two miles (about 3,218 metres), but was shortened to 3,200 metres (2.0 mi) in 1972 when Australia adopted the metric system. This reduced the distance by 18.688 metres (61.31 ft), and Rain Lover's 1968 race record of 3min.19.1sec was accordingly adjusted to 3min.17.9sec. The present record holder is the 1990 winner Kingston Rule with a time of 3min 16.3sec.

Melbourne Cup day is a public holiday for all working within metropolitan Melbourne and some parts of regional Victoria, but not for some country Victorian cities and towns which hold their own spring carnivals. For Federal Public Servants it is also observed as a holiday in the entire state of Victoria, and from 2007 to 2009 also in the Australian Capital Territory known as Family and Community Day replacing Picnic Day.

As early as 1865, Cup day was a half-holiday in Melbourne for public servants and bank officials. Various businesses also closed at lunchtime.It took some years before the purpose of the declared holiday was acknowledged in the Victoria Government Gazette. The Gazette of 31 October 1873 announced that the following Thursday (Cup Day) be observed as a bank and civil (public) service holiday.

During the Spring Races there is a specific way of dressing. AAMI Victoria Derby Day - The week starts with the traditional black and white on Derby Day, which is where we will see the new season’s geometric shapes and stripes, along with the classic stripe and polka dot prints.  Emirates Melbourne Cup - On Emirates Melbourne Cup Day, fashion is fun and race-goers often exercise their creativity through embracing bold colours and strong prints. We will see some great graphic prints and fun headwear, in bold reds, orange, fuchsia and cobalt blue. Crown Oaks Day - Oaks Day features the final of the Myer Fashions on the Field Women’s Racewear and is all about dressing to impress. This is the day ladies traditionally wear their most feminine and floaty outfits. Emirates Stakes Day - Emirates Stakes Day is family day, which takes the dress etiquette to a more relaxed level. You will often see ladies wearing bright floaty fabrications and large brimmed hats embracing the racewear looks trackside. Unfortunately the most gorgeous heels are usually uncomfortable so party feet are the way to go. A chunkier heel will stop you from sinking into the grass - taking off the heels and walking barefoot is a big no-no so ballet flats can be a saviour at the end of the day.
Clutches with an optional strap are perfect to keep your hands free for champagne, canapés and the form guide, and spring racing headpieces should be straw - felt is more appropriate in Autumn.

Sadly this year there were tragedies at the track as one of the horses had a heart attack and died, and another one got spooked by a person waving a flag in front of it and the poor horse hit a stake and had to be put down. Because of this, no flags of any sort will be allowed near where the horses come down after the race. 

Rhyming Slang.....

My husband told me about these, but it's not something you'd here around the city or much at all lately, but it is a bit interesting. Australias' national penchant for rhyming slang is shared by Londons' Cockneys, and no doubt goes right back to their convict origins. They may have borrowed some commonly used expressions directly from their English forebearers, but many others, such as Dad 'n' Dave and Ned Kelly are true blue Aussie.They used rhyming slang if they didn't want others, particularly the authorities, to understand what they were talking about.

Basically, rhyming slang is the use of usually two or more words, the last of which rhymes with the intended word. But there are variations.The easiest examples of rhyming slang are straight-out rhymes. Thus plates of meat are feet. And rubbity-dub is pub; depending on context, it could also mean tub as in bath tub.So ava Captain Cook, for instance, at Captain Cook.

Ava isn’t rhyming slang but simply how some Aussies pronounce Have a as in avagoodweegend (Have a good weekend).

But Captain Cook is definitely rhyming slang and means look.
So ava Captain Cook, for instance, at Captain Cook.

The most common variation is to drop the rhyming word altogether. So you could simply ava captains (have a look) at this example. Sometimes when the rhyming word is dropped, the remaining word takes on a plural form for no logical reason.

A third step is to abbreviate (or corrupt) the first word, so that not only is the rhyming word gone but the first word in the phrase is corrupted. Hence, seppo for American.

The original phrase is septic tank for Yank and septic is corrupted into seppo. (Don’t ask me why Americans are called Yanks even if they come from the American South.) Another term used is tin tank.When rhyming slang is flying thick and fast, it’s best to know what some of them mean.

Here are some rhyming slang examples:

After dark - shark, bag of fruit - suit, Adrians. Drunk. This comes from the name of noted tennis player Adrian Quist. Quist rhymes with pissed, which means drunk. You could also use the full name Adrian Quist. With today’s generation, the more apt word could be Olivers, from the musical Oliver about Oliver Twist.

Al Capone. Phone. Also dog and bone (shortened to dog) and eau de Cologne (shortened to eau).
Apples and pears - Stairs. Bat and ball - Stall (your car). Cat's hiss - to take a piss. If you're having a Dad n' Dave, your having a shave. There are so many examples of rhyming slang that I couldn't possibly write all of them, so I have attached 2 links to pages that have more listing of rhyming slang. One warning, Aussies are not PC, so they may or may not be things in those lists that may or may not offend some people. 

http://www.dagree.net/aussieslang/slang_rhyming.html

http://www.wanowandthen.com/slang.html

Quirky Aussie Sayings and Their Meanings.....

Every country that has English as their primary language will have their own spin on words, slang and of course spelling. I've heard a fair bit of funny sayings and I've decided to share them, with you my friends. One very popular one is fair dinkum - Kosher, the real thing - as in "Fair Dinkum Aussie" (true blue Aussie original). Often used by itself as a rhetorical question to express astonishment verging on disbelief ... "Fair Dinkum, mate?" (you've got to be kidding, haven't you?) Pull Your head In — Use sparingly, since this equates a rather annoyed "shut up & mind your own business".Chuck a sickie — Call in sick when you’re actually feeling well. Bob's yer uncle - if you do this (whatever is said first) it will work or be all right. Example: Just add some water and Bob's yer uncle. Don't get your knickers in a knot - don't upset yourself. Go and have a cuppa - have a cup of tea or coffee. Going to the dunny - off to the toilet. Ow-yar-goin - how are you. Example: ow-yar-goin mate? Stunned mullet - surprised, bewildered, uncomprehending. You're said to look like a stunned mullet when you have no idea what's going on or what they're talking about. Your shout - your turn to buy the drinks. Mates rates - cheaper than usual for a friend. Piece of piss - an easy task. Up before sparrow fart - up before dawn. Dingo's breakfast - no breakfast. Good onya - Omnipresent term of approval, sometimes ironic. Ocker — Pronounced "ocka" - Typical uncultivated Aussie, similar to Yank "redneck".  Stickybeak  - Nosy person. Not pissing on someone when they’re on fire - Means you don’t really care about somebody. Even if they were on fire, you wouldn't do them the service of pissing on them to put the fire out. Feeling a bit crook - feeling a bit sick. Feeling a bit peckish - feeling a bit hungry. Hangin for piss- need to pee. What do ya do for a crust mate? - what kind of work do you do. Aussie salute  - the flapping away of ever - persistent flies from one's face. Bee's dick - smallest possible (eg: You've got a bee's dick of a chance of winning the lottery). Break open a coldie/tinnie - to open a beer. Buggered if I know - I have no idea; phrase indicating one is bemused about something. Carry on like a pork chop - to behave in a silly manner; to over react. Chock-a-block/chockers - full up; filled to capacity. Cleanskin - unbranded cattle or horse; unbranded bottle of wine. Cotton on to - to understand; to attach oneself to another (possibly unwilling) person. Could sell boomerangs to the Aboriginals - very persuasive. Couldn't lie straight in bed - a compulsive liar, cheat, swindler. Do a flit - to run away, especially from responsibility; to move house without paying bills or rent. Duck's dinner - a drink of water without anything to eat.  Emu's breakfast - an expression meaning 'a drink and a good look around'.  Garlic muncher - someone from central or southern Europe. Give (something) the flick - to dispose of it; get rid of it. Going to see a man about a dog -  said when one does not want to reveal where one is going. Nosey enough to know the ins and outs of a chooks arse -  an inquisitive or prying person. Take the mickey out of - to tease or ridicule someone. Ten ounce sandwich - lunch consisting of only beer. White ant - to sabotage (like a termite). Windy enough to blow a dog off its chain/Windy enough to blow the milk out of your coffee - extremely windy.  Swagmans's breakfast - is a yawn, a piss and a fart. Flat out like a lizard drinking - you're exhausted. 

In another blog to follow shortly I will tell you about rhyming slang, which is to me very odd, and something I don't think I'd get used to at all.