Kerry's "Letter from Australia" - January 2007This month I discovered something amazing, Milk is a “hazardous substance’ in Australia. I kid you not! It all started when I went to the local Tourist Information centre to advertise our Bed and Breakfast with them. They were very nice but said they couldn’t accept me unless I was registered with the council and had my health certificate. So I duly phoned up the council and asked about registration and they quite happily reinstated the previous occupiers B and B status. They asked how I was going to feed my guests and I said that I would be putting a breakfast hamper in for them to use as they wished.
“Will you be using fresh milk or UHT?” they asked.
“Fresh”, I replied.
“Oh in that case you will need Stage 1 and Stage 2 Food Safety qualifications because milk is classed as a hazardous substance.”
“I am buying the milk from the supermarket then coming straight home and putting it in the fridge for the people to use, how can that be hazardous?” I asked.
“I know what you mean but they are the rules” they replied sympathetically.
So next I had to sign up for an all day course in food safety and pay $210.00 to boot, and take two exams. Suffice to say if any of you want to open up a restaurant, I’m your girl. I am now fully equipped with a digital food probe (paid for separately), which I have to test my milk with twice daily to see that it is under 5 degrees and fill in all the details on a chart which will be inspected on a regular basis by some bod from the council.
Well as winter draws in for you, summer is here for us. The weather is still very changeable though; we invited Kevin’s friend Rob and his family around for a BBQ, the weather had been fab all day but when they arrived at 6pm the heavens opened and we ended up inside. Our first Aussie BBQ and we were rained off, can you believe it! Some days are really hot and then it can drop like a stone overnight, just like it did on Christmas Day, it felt just like home. The day before had been 36 degrees and come the 25th it fell to 16 and poured with rain all day. It was very lonely here and it really brought home just what we have left behind. I missed my Mum so much. There was only the four of us but I had bought a turkey, so we had a traditional dinner with all the trimmings and even the famous or should I say infamous cake tasted ok. A little small with lots of icing but not bad at all. We were busy getting the B and B ready on Boxing Day as we had guests for the rest of the week.
Kevin is doing well in his cycling club and has had a few second and thirds in his group (C) and then a week ago he had his first win, his prize: $30 and a six pack of beer. He was highly delighted and has now been moved up to (B) group.
Disaster happened this month, my camera broke, one day it was fine and the next it had lines all across the screen, which appeared on the photos when you printed them. I phoned up Olympus in Sydney who very kindly agreed to honour my warranty even though the European warranty is for two years and the Australian one is for one year and I had had the camera for 21 months. This unfortunately left me with nothing to take the Christmas photos with as Lauren’s was ruined in South Africa as told in a previous blog and Holly’s is next to useless. It will apparently take a month before I get it back because of the Christmas and New Years holidays. I feel like I have lost a limb, I take it everywhere with me.
We have become very well known at the local Post Office, this month we have been down most days either posting off cards and presents or receiving some. As the Manager said there when I took out my identification to pick up a registered article, don’t worry about that we all know you now “The Starr’s of Rogers Road”. We had a great one from Kevin’s sister Linda, knowing I was in chocolate deprivation she sent over After Eights and Guylian shells and a few other bits. I didn’t think that customs would let them through but they had been examined and passed. They were a bit melted but tasted just as good. Australian chocolate, even though it is Cadbury’s is not the same recipe as English choccy. I have tried all sorts, in the name of research you understand, but none of it is a patch on yours. I will however keep up the search, I’m no quitter! One good thing though, I have discovered a shop at a mall about 11 miles away that sells some English chocs, at a price. You never know what she is going to have so it is a bit hit and miss. If she has Chocolate Buttons though, I have to have a pack even though a 40p pack costs me about £1.50.
Holly’s school didn’t do a Christmas concert or any other such festive extravaganza. Instead we had a display of Martial Arts that they had been learning all term. They had to dodge an assailant, who aimed to hit them on the head, neck and legs with a sword. Don’t worry - a swimming noodle was substituted to avoid decapitation. They then had to attack another man with spinning kicks and finally break a tile. Holly managed it all except that she would have lost her legs in a real fight. Most of the kids were able to complete the tasks although a few couldn’t manage the tile. If you had broken the first tile they brought out a thicker one which you could attempt if you wanted. Holly had a go and broke it in two hits, which pleased her as some of the boys couldn’t do it at all.
Everywhere you go at the moment we are being asked about the cricket and how we feel about England’s performance. They are lapping it up over here, they hated it that we won the Ashes last year. As for Shane Warne’s retirement it had a half hour slot on the news!
A few more words for you:
Bum Floss - thong knickers
Bum nuts - hens eggs
Firee – fireman
Ambo - ambulance man
Smoko - cigarette break
Pollie - Politician
She’ll be apples - everything will be ok
Poo tickets - toilet roll
Well that’s all for now folks, more next month
Kerry
