ADD EIGHT HOURS AND TAKE A DAY!

Hi Everybody!

Not the greatest opening line ever used to start a new blog, but hey, this is me. I’ve finally had a chance to sit down and put together a couple of thoughts on the past month and boy, what a month it has been. It seems like only yesterday that we were still in the process of handing over the shop, packing up our house and heading over to the USA. And for the past three weeks I’ve felt like I’ve been dropped into the set of the movie “Drop Dead Gorgeous.” If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it for getting a feel for small town USA and a giggle at the same time (although it is adult content). Everybody is so nice to us over here, but there is definitely a different mentality when it comes to doing things and on how people see life.

So what have we been up to in the last three weeks? In short, acclimatizing. For the first week, every time I thought we were heading south we were going north. This makes it real fun when you are trying to find your way around a new city, drive on the wrong side of the road, remember new road rules and convert from imperial to metric at the same time (next exit 1500 feet?). I’m slowly getting the hang of it but there are still times Linnet has to reach for the dash or cover her eyes. On the up side, I get to drive and I am still in awe from the road trips we have been doing. We’ve been to the coast (about 80km from where we currently are staying) three times now to check out what we hope will be our new home in Florence. It’s very tough to keep your eye on the road when every corner is a postcard picture of mountains and streams with big pine forests enveloping you on every side. It’s also been an experience with the wild life around the area. I now know what skunk smells like (see the photos), I’ve seen deer in the paddocks when we’ve gone for walks and I’m currently looking out a window at Gordon’s (Linnet’s dad) and there is a pheasant strolling by. Lance’s dog, Rolly, got into a fight with a raccoon

the other day, and they announced the bear and cougar culling quotas on the news. All very new.

Things I’m missing. Family, friends, gum trees, magpies singing, football (even when the Dockers are loosing), having a job (sad I know), coffee (Dean if you are reading this, help!), knowing which shop to go to if you need something and the smell and noise of the ocean.

Well, that’s all for now (I want to keep the blogs short). I plan to do another shortly after the fourth of July celebrations. I’ve got into the spirit of it by getting enough fireworks to make the sky show jealous, but more on that next week. I’m also doing a small spiel on the next page for those who care to read it. Oh, and if you want to contact us, just remember - add eight hours and take a day.