Things I love about Adelaide!

 I was just reading my first postings and realize that they are all slightly negative sounding, which may give you the wrong impression, that I don't LOVE Adelaide. Which really misleading, because I do love it here. I just try to add a little comedy to the blog and comedy can be a little tragically tinged. Right? OK, so I have gathered some lovely pictures of our neighborhood to post and here is a list of the things I LOVE about living in Australia, especially Adelaide.

1. $1 and $2 coins instead of bills.
2. Tree canopied streets
3. Blooming roses everywhere
4. Lorikeets and exotic birds everywhere
5. neighborhoods built around central shopping street full of hair salons, coffee shops, restaurants ( not chains) boutiques, chemists, bakeries, butchers, produce markets, wine shops and news stands etc. 
6.  A Walking city
7. The river that runs thru the city dividing North Adelaide from the CBD.
8. Botanic Garden
9. Lots of parks
10. Beaches
11. David Jones the nice department store and Rundle Mall the main shopping drag downtown.
12. Chocolate Croquettes
13. Wine and beer everywhere being consumed at all public spaces all the time.
14. Local radio stations. 
15. Uniforms on all of the school children
16. Hats and sunblock is practically a national law (or so I have told my children).
17. Restaurants and cooking really big deal, so lots of good food
18. Central market to get fresh produce, seafood, dim sum, flowers, etc.
19. Asian restaurant row
20. Ikea and Outlet shopping
21. Eco advanced  country compared to US. everyone is very green as well as the businesses and packaging.
22. good shelling on the beaches
23. Wildlife preserves with Koalas and Kangaroos to pet and feed in wide open spaces instead of cages. 
24. People are very open and friendly and like to have a good time.
25. smaller cars on the road
26. School year lasts Jan-Dec with breaks in between.
27. Easy to see a good doctor and no wait.
28. Architecture is beautiful old Victorian stone. Lots of stone everywhere. 

PLUMBING

Settling into our 1800's rental home has been a slow process. The owners generously agreed to furnish the home for us. They even claimed to hire an interior designer to do it, which after seeing the furnishings is more than slightly suspect. But I won't go into the sordid details about the oversized, nubby,  graphic upholstery and white leather sofa. (So practical,  with 3 and 6 year old!)  The good news is that it is new and not some dingy smelly old stuff, although I don't think the white leather sofa will look crisp and white much longer. The owner happened to drop by with some much needed something or other, when he observed Ina and Lola hurdling it like it was the  saw horse mount jump (whatever that gymnastics thingy is called). So he stopped  by the next day with a cream throw to go over the back of the sofa and some leather cleaning wipes.  I have already banned the girls from getting on the leather sofa, which lasted about 10 minutes. I am really into the leather wipes and have used them a number of times, even on my brown leather purse. It didn't do much for my purse though, I had a grand vision that it would condition it and make it look like new.

Anyway, moving on, the real focus of this installment is the plumbing. The first couple of days we took showers and baths and every thing seemed hunky dory.  Until one morning, while showering, Albert complained that the hot water pressure was a bit low. That was our first issue. No,  actually that was the second issue. The first plumbing issue took place when both toilets stopped working at the same time one day. Weird.  So the plumber promptly came over  and installed two new toilet backs. The second issue  Albert observed was that the water pressure sucked, and then we realized that the tub wasn't draining properly.  There is a drain in the middle of the tile floor and apparently when we drained the tub, the bath water bubbled up thru this drain. Even though we were noticing the draining issue and trickle issue we kind of had the hopes that it was no big deal and would correct itself on its own. Really we were just in denial, so much so that I even had the brilliant idea to color my hair one night.  Albert usually showers in the morning, when all of the trouble is, so I thought the pressure would be better at night. (Oh, clever me.)  What a great idea after spending the day at a  friend's child's birthday party sipping wine all day. The kids were asleep, I seemed like a great time. Blah, blah, blah, so it comes time to rinse out the dye and I go to step in the shower and at first hot water "dashes out" (as Graham our leasing agent described) then after a few seconds it waned into a trickle at best. A trickle of warm water smaller than your pinkie is not enough pressure to rinse out a full head of dye. And I must mention that it was a cold and rainy night. We are still coming out of winter here and it is heater/coat weather at night and we barely have heat in this house as it is. Not to mention that with a head full of brown dye you can't just hop under the cold water for a quick rinse. You have to suffer through it until every last drop of light ash brown has been rinsed away. Of course I am too much of a baby to actually take a long cold shower, so I just put my head under the  faucet in the tub while Albert helped me rinse it all out. Still frigid! Once I gave Graham my sob story he immediately got the plumber over. The plumber fixed the trickle  problem after going out to locate some replacement parts. There are always replacement bits needed that are never on hand so he has to leave and come back.  Then last night after another bath I let the tub drain and water started bubbling over in the toilet  and up in the sink and gulping down the drain. Then drain beside the bathtub  started gushing out water.  So there was a puddle there and then another puddle under the washer which is also in the bathroom. Ina took a shower this morning and the same thing happened where the toilet started making crazy noises and gurgling and then it started in the sink and then the sink filled up and wouldn't drain. Gross! The Plumber Returns.  I've already seen him 4 times this week.  

I have no photos to add today. But I'm thinking of doing drawings with the girls to accompany blogs. Input from my tiny troupe of readers would be nice. I also have started a Miss Endless Agony Blog. And will offer my unprofessional advice to anyone who submits a query.  

Actually this posting was written a couple of weeks ago, but I just got around to editing it.  We have now moved onto electricity issues that we're trying to sort out.  But I won't bore you with those issues. 

Finally, a picture.

Our House in North Adelaide.

What's in a name?

When we first moved to LA in 2001, I would drive by a restaurant on Wilshire Blvd named, NIBBLERS. I found this shocking that anyone could possibly conceive this name to entice people to eat a their restaurant. "Want to get some giblets at Nibblers?" EWWh! What in the world is a nibbler? Someone who likes to eat nibblies or something that consists of mostly grizzle? That restaurant is long gone, but it still makes me chuckle to think about. Some other doozies I have since come across.

1. Coffee and Cheese Cafe., Albuquerque, NM "I'll have some Kraft slices and a decaf please."???
2. Burp a Mexican Restaurant, Adelaide, Australia
3. The Hog's Breath Saloon and Grille. Adelaide, Australia (Albert thinks this is perfectly suitable for a pub, but the idea of myself having hog's breath from dining at such a place is somewhat revolting.
4. Scuzzi and Scoozie. Also in Adelaide. " A scuzzball got caught in my throat at Scuzzi's and the gentleman sitting at the table next to us had to perform the Heimlich Maneuver.

Things I won't miss from the Windsor Apartments

1. Filthy worn beige carpeting.
2. Shiny gold faux moire bedspreads that fold over the pillow and drop to the ground.
3. Clay colored nubby fleece blankets that haven't seen a washer in who knows how long.
4. Burgundy and gold flecked industrial chenille on the sofas and chairs.
5. Shallow bathroom counters that are barely 6 inches.
6. A drain in the bathroom that foams up with pipe stink and detergent foam when you run the washing machine.
7. A wall mounted heating unit that doesn't warm up the 2 bedrooms.
8. Living out of suitcases!!!!!!

Tomorrow we go car shopping.

Finding a House

We finally settled on a six month lease for a furnished 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom in the lovely tree lined neighborhood of North Adelaide. It's an older stone house with high ceilings, elaborate moldings and stained glass windows. I'm not one to go for carpeting because of my allergies and difficulty keeping it clean especially with kids, but there is carpeting in the hallway, front bedroom and living area off the kitchen. It's kind of a sky blue, but at least it is nice quality carpeting. We got really lucky the the owners have agreed to furnish the home. The leasing agent told me the owners are hiring a interior decorator to funishe it. COOL!! I'm excited to see what they do. I'm hoping it's just what I would do instead of frumpy victorian.

We don't have a back yard for the girls but we do have a nice walled in brick patio. The down side is that our "car park" is part of this patio, and there is a roll up garage door that you open on the side to pull the car into. Another oddity about the house is that it is right beside a dentist office which offers zoom whitening for $695. Really the neighborhood is a bit of a NORC (naturally occuring retirement community) and there is actually elderly housing on the street beside ours. But sprinkled amongst the dentist office and old age homes are some very pretty homes.

Anyway, I had no idea it would be such a chore to find a furnished home. I did go look at one that a realtor didn't want to show me, because we have children. Of course, I had to play the role of the pushy American, and insist on seeing it in person. The young, unsophisticated leasing agent actually told me she didn't want me wasting her time by seeing it, but I wanted to decide for myself whether or not it was suitable. Actually, It was beautiful and full of character and antiques, but the reason I didn't think it would work is because the furniture and beds looked small and uncomfortable. The whole time I was with her, I told her I loved it and it was perfect for us. Of course I insisted on an application. She was not into this at all. And while I was trying to keep her hostage by trying to fill out the application at the house, a small black insect, smaller than a fly but bigger than a gnat landed on the center of her doughy forhead right between the eyes. It's not a good look, if out of nowhere an insect lands on your face. It kind of gives one the impression that you never wash.

Observations in Australia
In Target we Trust, does not apply in Australia. Actually I should have been tipped off by the black type and different font of the logo followed by a period. Then I went in the store and saw headless mannequins all over the place displaying wretched apparel. I was suspicious but not clued in that this was Not the Target from the states, so I poked around until I found the downstairs for electonics,toiletries,etc. I just needed a few toiletries. I got some Q-Tips, which I was desperate for after traveling 20 hours on a plane. But these of course weren't real Q-tips just have a teeny tiny bit of cotton on the end, so that you might as well poke a twig in your ear.

First Posting

I can't believe we have been in Adelaide for almost a week. While I have nothing big to report, like place to live, schools for the girls or new friends, I can report on the trials and tribulations of trying to find a house with 2 young girls who are jet lagged and bored out of their gourds.

The Weather

It's been storming and drizzling every day but one since we have been here. The average temp is in the 50's.

The Hotel

Luckily we have an apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Our room is trashed with toys and stuffed animals. We literally packed what amounts to an entire extra large suitcase of kids crap. It's nearly impossible for the house keepers to clean because it is sprawled all over the rooms. While I spend hour upon hour on the computer frantically searching for a furnished home (which barely exists) the girls find more things to unpack and spread around about. Basically they are held hostage by the bad weather and a mother who can't be peeled from the computer. They in turn torture me with fighting and demands of candy and sweets.

Jet Lag

All of my years of sleep training have gone out the window. Every night is musical beds. Ina now REFUSES to sleep with Lola and has taken to sleeping on the couch with her small thin baby blankets. Lola falls alseep every evening in the car while we are house hunting, so we have to put her into bed with out dinner. Because it is IMPOSSIBLE to wake them once they have crashed. Then she wakes up at midnight because she is starving and demands food then has to sleep with Mama. Lola likes to fling her arms all over my head and kick me and lay sideways. It is unbearable, so either I or Albert ends up moving to the empty bed, where Ina joins us because she has had a nightmare. I asked Albert what the nightmare was about last night and he said it was that we made her move to Australia. He was joking. She didn't tell us. Last night I moved to the empty bed, so Lola woke up pissed that I was not sleeping with her and started screaming at the top of her lungs and bossing me around. This particular morning in her fury of kicking and bossing and she started pushing my booby, (because Ina and Lola are endlessly fascinated with my boobs). Of course I told Lola to stop hitting my booby and she said, "No, it's MY booby". I'm sure this is too much information. But it makes me laugh.


This is all I can write for now. I must entertain the girls and get us off to our house inspection appointments. My next posting will be about house hunting and driving in Adelaide. The combination of the 2 brought me to tears last night. But then I skipped dinner to have a soak with a glass of wine and felt much better.


Observations on the Australia

I didn't know "Mightn't" was a word. I have to figure out how to insert it in my daily dialogue.