Musings

Australian TV is not good!The early evening news programmes are nothing but extended adverts.One particular advert I find a little disturbing is the one which says “Get Ready Queensland!” It shows scenes of flooding, electrical storms, strong winds and destroyed property. It tells you to stock up on supplies and get to know your neighbours...”Get ready Queensland...Summer is coming!”I feel I should have been prepared a little bit more for this before I decided to move here!The TV was on the other night, some programme about traffic police, I was not paying that much attention but happened upon a moment which caused me to ask the question;“Is that guy getting arrested for eating a tiramisu?”“Yes” said Will.I know they are funny about wood, rabbits, and mud on your shoes here but illegal Italian desserts?!It turns out the guy was a learner driver and as such you are allowed no alcohol whatsoever and said young chap had been round to his girlfriends house for tea and her mother had offered him her homemade tiramisu steeped in some alcoholic spirit. How could the poor chap refuse?As it turns out he should have! Luckily it did not put him over the limit but he sure learned his lesson!Australia also has talent it would appear. The talent is SO great that a judge as discerning as Geri Halliwell is drafted in to sift the wheat from the chaff.Heck! They let Geri Halliwell in!That other well known Australian celebrity Dawn French is also a judge but at least she has some talent.We caught one of the semi-finals and sat bemused as 2 women danced and threw around jugs of milk before being covered in blue slime at the end! The judges didn’t get it either except Dawn French who is obviously still recovering from her weight loss last year, but this was a semi final! How did they get there? Who let them in?Thank goodness for Graham Norton which we discovered on Channel 10 and we were delighted to see it was the new series! We enjoyed it very much and it was only marred by about 15 ad breaks!I can’t seem to find Downton Abbey though! It’s a blow!Last night was uncomfortably hot. I had to sleep on the covers. Will appeared less phased as he snored away merrily. The windows here (and doors) all have a mesh screen on the outside which allows you to open them to let air in but not allow any unwelcome creatures in. I got up to open the curtains which I assumed was blocking the flow of air into the bedroom from the open window but alas, not a breath came in except the occasional ‘tutting’ of a gecko . I eventually got to sleep.Whatever was holding back the wind last night has certainly let it go today! As I sit on the sofa in the lounge a veritable gale is blowing past me through the front door and out the back. I sometimes have to hold my laptop down to stop it blowing off my lap. It is something I am not used to, sitting in the comfort of your home being buffeted by gusts of wind.Will’s mum says as it is a westerly wind we will have it for 3 days! The temp outside is 26 degrees. We walked down to the shops and I did not find it unbearable. We smothered ourselves in sun cream after getting caught out the other day when we were car hunting. When we set off there was thick cloud but as soon as we got off the bus to begin the trek the clouds burned away in a matter of minutes.We came back with sunburnt necks!