Bryon Bay Blues Festival-Easter Weekend

Brandie Carlile-2008

John Fogerty-2008

Every year over the Easter weekend, Byron Bay hosts the annual Blues Festival (East Coast Blues & Roots Festival) over a 5-day period. I had the pleasure of attending one day last year and saw some fabulous acts -- John Fogerty, Brandie Carlile, to name two that I can think of right now.

This year we went for one day and saw a very talented young guy by the name of Kim Churchill from rural New South Wales who played his own tunes on guitar, harmonica, electronic drum and cymbal. He turned out to be my second favorite act that day. Ben Harper was the headline act and he was awful in every way. What a waste of time! Xavier Rudd was the best act of the day. Great music and stage presence and he had a great spirit about him. The 2009 festival should have been called the rainfest as it had been raining for days before we got there and it poured down most of the day. We wore our gum boots and our feet stayed dry as we walked through ankle and sometimes calf deep mud to get to the different performance tents. The young and high were having a great "Woodstock" type of experience in the rain and muck. Needless to say, the mud was an added attraction for free spirits. Ah, to be so oblivious!

2009 muddy grounds

2008 sunny day!

A creative way to keep from wearing the mud over one's back!

Melonie 2008 sunfest

Six Week Adjustment Check-In

It’s been six weeks since I landed in OZ with anticipation of my new life here with Susan (and Woody, who is nearly as much a part of my daily life as Susan is). My belongings in the many suitcases have all found a place to live, even though most of it just went into huge zip locks for storage. They are stored on top of closets and in Woody’s house in the loft. Everything that you want to keep “nice” needs to be protected from the dampness, insects and rodents.
Susan and I are still trying to find a rhythm to our days/weeks, We keep thinking we should come up with a weekly schedule, but so far, we just go with the flow of what needs to be done that day or week. Susan spends at least one day a week in an office in town using the high speed internet and phone to get a jump start on her freelance articles that she is working on. I have no schedule, which surprisingly enough is a little unsettling at times. I am a person that historically likes to multitasks and has typically worked full time. So the brakes are on for me. I am finding time to read, time to think about the amazing environment that I am living in and time to take care of the strange Bagworm in a plastic box! We normally start our days with a cup of tea on the veranda, reading a book or checking email (whilst I am trying to kill the mosquitos sucking my blood).
Woody is doing quite well. He is nice and strong most days, has a great sense of humor and has been extremely gracious with my moving into Woodstock. His cancer seems to be in check for the time being with his hormone therapy and we hope he will be with us for more years. Woody has his routine of going into town two days a week. We really try to join him on these trips as he appreciates the help with running errands, as it saves his energy a bit.
OK, back to adjusting to being here! It occurred to me the other day that I have made a significant adjustment to living here when I stepped out of the car in Byron Bay (major tourist town and it is beautiful). I felt something under my toes in my sandal, shook my foot thinking it was a pebble and out flew an engorged leech that had been sucking my blood between my toes. I was very nonchalant about it, and just kept walking after commenting about the fact that the leech was now in the middle of the road in Byron. No heepie-jeepies about the leeches anymore, well, at least if they stay below my knees!

Update on Bagworm

The BUG Hotel
After learning more about the Bagworm, I decided to keep him around to see how it all turns out.  I heard from one of the entomologists that it can take several months from the time he seals himself up in the cocoon before it emerges as a giant moth.  I have him in his own plastic box hotel (outside), complete with climbing sticks and a variety of leaves to eat.  He seems to have a good appetite and I am far less grossed out these days by what it looks like.  He climbs around dragging his long cocoon behind himself.  He never completely comes out, but goes back inside at the first hint of trouble.

Eating

Dominos Addiction

Woody is the “KING” of playing dominos. He has a special game he developed with his mum years ago and this game rules Woodstock. He is in competition with several people, especially with Susan. Last night was the end of a “dominos quarter” and Susan beat Woody in overall scores for the quarter--for the first time in their history. Woody is feeling a little de-throned as of last night. There is actually a “winners” side to the table that the game is played at and Susan now has the honor to sit there as long as she can stay ahead in the scoring. This coup only took 15 months of (and many years of learning) of nearly daily intense dominos play! I must admit, I am enjoying the game as well, but don’t want to get into the killer scoring keeping level, even thought I do love to win!

Susan on the "throne" side and Woody trying to stay out of the sun.

Can I Listen, Read, Write and Speak English?

"Flame Tree" down the road,

Before I left the states, I tried to get the process started to get my nursing licenses in Australia. I found that I could not receive the application until I submitted test scores for an English language test! I called the New South Wales Board of Nursing and asked if this was real, as English is basically my only language and was told there were NO exceptions for immigrants. The OET is the “Occupational English Test” and the cost is over $700 Australian dollars! I applied for the test in the states and there were no openings for the test before I left, so I got a testing site in Brisbane for one month after I arrived (this was the earliest testing date available). It was an all day test and very strict. It reminded me of sitting for State Board exams. Passport photos, passport, only a #2 pencil, bottle water and pen on the desk, no purses or personal possession allowed. Well, I did not stress about the test ahead of time, but I must admit I was a bit stressed at times during the test--timed tests, and I found some of the reading comprehension a bit confusing as I did not agree with some of the multiple answers you had to choose from! I did feel a bit worried for everyone else trying to figure out which answer they were looking for as english truly was their second language! It will take 4-6 weeks to get my scores back, so I cannot move forward with work plans until I have passed (I hope I passed!), which Susan says is good, as she thinks I should take at least six months off after decades of nonstop work. OK, OK, I will give not working a try! I wonder if I will like this slower pace too much in the end??