Australia day 2009

Golly, my second Australia Day away from Home.

We won't be thrown a prawn on the barbie, or a lamb chop or a banger or two. We don't have a barbie y'see. Technically they are illegal where we live (well can't be used within 9' of flammable stuff), though about 30% of the flats around us have one on their patio.

Plus I don't think I've got any lamb chops. We do have bangers though, funny American Italian bangers.

There's a few things I miss here in the States. Bangers for starters. Getting a good sausage full of lord knows what bit of the animal is really difficult. Americans don't do sausages. They do these funny little breakfast links, which are often skinless. They do hot dogs, which are about the right size and shape, but they aren't bangers (though the source of "meat" is probably similar). But they do not really get the idea of mixing mince (ground) meat with seasonings and rice meal (for gluten free bangers) and sticking it in a casing (real gut or synthetic, your choice).

Another thing I miss is the good old Aussie meat pie. Again, meat of uncertain, often chewy, origin seasoned (usually overly) with salt and pepper all wrapped in plain pastry. Mmmm, pie-y goodness, and I used to be able to buy them frozen at the supermarket. When we get back to Oz I am going to stuff myself full of pie-y goodness. Yum yum yum. And eat lots of sausages. I might turn into a banger myself!

Why is it that the foods that are bad for us taste so good?

So on this Australia Day, well I still call Australia Home. I might live in the States but this is not my Home. It is home for the time being. It has enough Aussie-ness that I can survive quite well - the place is riddled with blue gums (eucalypts) so it isn't as it I can find the odd eucalyptus leaf to crush and smell. Plus there's a range of other Oz plants too. That is enough to keep me going. Sooner or later I'll get a recharge of Australia(n-ness). One day I expect to live there again. Hope it will wait for me!

Sfunny

Y'know life is a funny thing.

I was looking at a friend's blog and she linked to another blog where the writer has written a book on Colorado's Scenic Byways.

And I thought, as I looked at the cover of that book, how much I regret that we didn't get to see even more of Colorado whilst we were there, and how I actually miss the place almost as much as I miss Home. California is nice, the weather is great, the people are fine, it's great to be near the coast and see the redwoods and whathaveyou, but Fort Collins and the Rockies really took me (and DH) by storm. Yes we didn't have to deal with winter and a very fickle spring but we miss the place. It is sorta saddening to think I will probably not go back - we wanted to go for Estes Park wool festival but the timing was all wrong. It was so very pretty and relaxed, not all stressy and hurried and so chock full of cars that you can't get away from the things....

So here's to you, Fort Collins and the Rockies!



(and goodness me, there are MANY pictures that never made it onto the blog or Flickr1 About two months worth! Let alone the tales that go with them...)