A few of my favourite things

No doubt in a week’s time I will be stuffing my face with pork pies and cream teas, watching BBC1 and moaning about the weather. I am going home, again temporarily, and very exciting it is too. There are some things I am not so excited about, like Qantas Flight 31, the summer heights highs of 17 degrees and the impending arrival of an extra four inches on my waistline. In fact, some strange things are happening to me in that I am thinking of some of the things I will miss, such as a nice coffee in Manuka, a walk up Red Hill, my beast of a car and even some Australian people. Worryingly I also seem to know much of Advance Australia Fair (apart from a bit of mangling in verses five and six) although Waltzing Matilda is still far beyond me. Am I turning into an Australian? I think no, as I still can’t stand Koshie and Mel on the Sunrise show and Lamingtons remain perennially underwhelming. I guess I am somewhere in between, which, looking on the world map, makes me Dirga Dirga Dirga.

So to fill my boots on Australianity before filling my boots with cholesterol I have been indulging in a few of my favourite things, like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Last weekend I took one of my regular walks on Red Hill and it seems all of Australia was out on view, with more colourful birds than marching up Oxford Street in Sydney’s Mardi Gras.

I also went to the Botanic Gardens, thinking there wouldn’t actually be much there given we are in the midst of winter. Well, let me tell you now one of the great things about Australia is that there is always some crazy plant in flower, usually combining with the Eucalyptus in the air to give off a wonderful fragrance which I wish I could bottle and bring to England.

Red Hill and Wattle and caramel slices,
Parrots and coffee and great restaurant prices.

This weekend, and my last Saturday in Australia until August 23rd, meant I was pretty keen to go bush, just like a jolly swagman doing stuff under a Coolibah tree (OK, are you getting all these references today? Come on, keep up!). Thankfully the weather this week has been cold and rubbish meaning that summer highs of England will actually be tolerable (though I will still need a nice comfy jumper I think). Saturday the sun shone and shone though, following a heavy frost and snow on the not so distant ranges.



So, picking up an Australian for good measure on the way, it was north to good old Fitzroy Falls where not much had changed since last time I had been there, apart from much better food in the café.

Lyrebirds and Gum Trees and huge café sangas,
Big things and Coles Bird and hoons in their bangers.

For some unknown reason, it seems to me Fitzroy Falls attracts a lot of Australian Chavs. Not quite the same as the English chav but you can spot the similarities (a bit like comparing the English and Australia Magpie). I guess it’s not actually a million miles away from the very southwestern suburbs of Sydney which could explain things. The Croydon of the bush. Anyway, it was good to get some fashion tips as this Thursday I will be joining the fraternity, decked out in tracky pants and a hoodie for maximum comfort aboard a big aluminium tube. Yes, join me as we go up over once again.

Pasties and Cornwall and proper Devon teas,
Football and Top Gear and choppy old grey seas,
Fish, chips and a spam fritter from Francines,
These are a few of my favourite things.