When all work at the office stopped just before 3pm and everyone gathered before the big screen to watch the Melbourne Cup, my new Scottish colleague complained that he didn’t get the cultural significance. It started a discussion between a few of us as to why the whole country stops to watch a horse race… Continue reading Melbourne Cup Origins
Long Shower
My Danish guest quit her volunteer job at Greenpeace but the expected replacement job never came through, so she’s spending her days at home. One day this week I came home to find her with a big grin. I asked her what she’d done to make her so relaxed. ‘I had a long shower,’ she… Continue reading Long Shower
History Vandals
Port Macquarie was apparently the fourth colony of whites in Australia, established in 1821. Some features of those early times remain and while they might be recent compared to the history of some cultures, there is little to compete with their age in Australia. I went to visit my parents there over the weekend and… Continue reading History Vandals
Compulsory Voting
Australia was the first country to make voting compulsory by law, with a fine for those who don’t show up. I often hear people from other countries saying that it’s a good thing, but I’m not so sure. The usual reasoning is that it forces people to take an interest in what goes on in… Continue reading Compulsory Voting
Echidna
Echidnas are a rare sight even in Australia, partly because they’re so shy (and generally nocturnal) and partly because there are so few of them. I’d only seen one in my life before today and that was deep in the mountains of Tasmania in the middle of a 6 day walk. But today, an adult… Continue reading Echidna
Aussie Humour
I lost my sense of humour while I was in Japan. At first, it was just disappointing because the Japanese didn’t understand my precious Aussie humour, but then one particular girlfriend started getting angry whenever I joked. She saw the humour as either derogatory (when directed at others) or proud (when laughing at myself) and… Continue reading Aussie Humour
Wildlife
I wasn’t too late coming home from work today, but it was already dark. Twice on the walk along the bush track I was startled by a scuffling sound. When I flicked on my torch on each occasion, I was greeted by a possum with glowing yellow eyes. The profusion of nature, right into the… Continue reading Wildlife
Brusseling
It was Brusseling when I arrived in Belgium – that misty drizzle that never quite settles. I wondered if I’d have the same feeling about Belgium as did for France, but whether the animosity had been dissolved by the positive experiences I’d had there, or because there was so much more to my Belgian history… Continue reading Brusseling
Windsor Castle
I’ve been to London a few times and I’ve seen pretty much everything I want to see, done everything I want to do. In fact, London is the only part of England that I’ve ever seen. I really wanted to go for a walk through All Creatures Great and Small territory, crossing fields and climbing… Continue reading Windsor Castle
Closed bar
Merle tried the door of the bar we’d come to on our return to Tallinn. In the middle of the old town, it was a place closed to tourists. The door was clearly locked and there was no intercom. Merle pulled out a card and stuck it in a reader by the door. A click… Continue reading Closed bar