An Aussie movie & food night

A friend from work hosted me, an expat from Spain, and a couple newly arrived from Perth, Australia for an Australian-movie viewing night. My friend, Helen, felt she needed to demonstrate that there were good Australian movies out there. This came about because the Spanish expat had watched an Australian movie called "He died with a falafel in his hand" and declared it to be not very good. So the goal of the night was to win him (and everyone) over with Strictly Ballroom.

We all had to bring some Australian food for the evening. I made dips out of the things that Australians seem to put in everything: sweet potato and beetroot. The sweet potato dip turned out pretty good. I hated the beetroot dip, but everyone said it tasted just like it should and was good. And of course I brought TimTams!

We ended up with quite a feast!

In addition to the things I brought, there were also sausage rolls, quinoa bites, Australia olive oil & bread, and potato salad.

There was also pavlova for dessert. I didn't like pavlova the first time I had it, but I really liked this one! It was topped with strawberries, kiwi, and passion fruit. Yum!

After the movie, we happened to see the last few minute of an AFL game (Australian Football League). This added a bonus touch of Australia to the night. AND I got a head start on learning the rules, which is a good thing because we're going to a game in a few weeks!!

Anyway, it was a super fun, funny, educational night.

 

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Happy Independence Day!

On Thursday I put on a striped white shirt, a blue jacket, and my red scarf and set out for work. I wasn't alone in my patriotic spirit; the reception area at work was done up too!

In the afternoon there was an ice cream social in honor of the holiday. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I didn't expect all of this!

There was a little gelato cart with six different flavors to choose from. It was self-serve so you could get some crazy combinations going!

The "English Toffee" had been renamed to a more appropriate "American Toffee".

I got so excited about making my cone that I forgot to take a picture of the toppings table. There were tons of red, white, and blue lollies and sprinkles for making the ice cream extra patriotic!
It wasn't a weekend on the lake with all my family, fireworks, and grilling out. But it was still a pretty good Fourth of July!

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Sunday shopping

On Sunday I trekked out to an outlet mall. I'm on a quest for some outdoor gear for some upcoming outdoor adventures. And seeing the prices in normal stores makes me feel like this:

The outlet mall turned out to be really cool, even though I didn't get too much. It's on a little inlet of Sydney Harbor in old manufacturing warehouses that have been updated and modernized.

There's a nice area to get a bite and look over the harbor. It's still very industrial, so it's easy to imagine how it was 200 years ago.

I didn't shop too long, which left time for me and the T-dog to take a walk before the day was over.
The sun came out long enough to put the bridge shadow on the Opera House.

Unfortunately the rain came back and this rain cloud got us before we got back home.

And lastly, here's a pic to prove we're both still here; it's been a while, I know!

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I found autumn!

Most of the trees here don't lose their leaves. It's kind of nice that things stay green and tropical all winter. The trees that do lose their leaves have been a little disappointing. Like the tree outside our apartment, which just turned brown and dumped all its dead leaves on our balcony.

But Sunday I found some fall color! The rain had knocked a lot of its leaves to the ground, which just added to the fall feeling, I think!

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