clouds, rain, sunshine and hail

So the weather hasn't been very nice lately and it's hard to plan any activities because of this. Mel and I have decided that it doesn't rain alot here, but it rains often. Therefor we can find an indoor place to go because the weather looks like crap, by the time we come out it's gorgeous out and we probably could of headed off to the beach.
-these outings include going to the mall, going to fun indoor playgrounds, going to indoor pools.

a few other highlights
-friday we went out with Mel and some of the other ladies from her ultimate frisbee team. We went to the opening of the first korean bar in melbourne wooo. we then desperately tried to find a place to go dancing (it's hard when you don't know the nighttime city). anyway we found a great place with a live band playing and also recent music. i shall be returning (well since it's the only place i know and i loved the music). one of the ladies got kicked out and so we went on an unsuccessful adventure looking for a new place to dance.
-last saturday was the christmas fair on koornang street (5 minute walk from our house). it hailed 3 times that day but we went out anyway, there were a few free kid rides, there was a clog dance (which got poured on) and i discovered there's a dutch community center near my house. perhaps i shall see what that is all about.
-went to the beach at beaconsfield parade and victoria av. with the kids.
-we went to the santa clause parade, that as everyone has pointed was not to christmassie except santa was at the end and a few floats. It was mostly dances, gymnastics, sports celebraties, kid show characters. I quite enjoyed watching the parade in my shorts though (:

my day off bike ride.
-the pale cyane box is our house
-the red line is the route i took.
-stopped at the library on the way (the little blue box) and headed through Bentleigh and Brighton which were full of massive mansions. It was a gorgeous day, which i did not realize and I had neglected to wear my bathing suit. oh well i'm sure there will be many more chances.
-there is a bike path that goes along the whole shore line from brighton to st-kilda. I took Glen huntley to get home.
-i crossed the nepean highway, and also moodie st. o home!

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pics!

nouvelles photos je crois... new photos.
grampians : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2205675&l=e9a5f&id=121500314
melbourne cup: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208047&l=3f698&id=121500314
random events : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2211085&l=fcfc8&id=121500314

quelques opinions et fait que j'ai apris à Melbourne dans les 2 dernier mois

-ils conduisent sur l'autre côté de la rue
-ils adorent leurs cafés et patisseries
-vegemite n'est pas très bon
-on peut trouver du sushi partout
-ils adorent la mode
-ils sont obsédé par le football australien et le cricket
-les femmes jouent un jeux appelée netball, c'est comme le basketball mais il n'y a pas de panneau derrière le filet
-ils sont en retard sur leurs films et émissions de télévision.
-les prix de gaz sont très chère (ok ils l'étaient quand je suis arrivé, 1.60$... mais aujoudhui j'ai vue 1.01)
-il y a beaucoup trop de trafique ici
-ils ne jouent pas souvent de le hockey à la télé :( (mais ce soir j'ai pu regardé un match, st-louis vs nashville)
-ils n'ont pas les jus gelé en concentré
-tu dois payer pour réserver un livre à la biblio.
-le postier se promère en moto pour délivrer la mail
-ils on des "drive thru" "SAQ"
-leur magazin de seconde main sont de très bonne qualité
-les mouches sont terribles et ne te laissent pas tranquile.
-tout les enfants portent de uniformes à l'école
-ils n'ont pas d'autobus scolaire jaune, la plupart de gens prennent le transport en commun, ou sinon ils on des autobus comme greyhound marqué "autobus scolaire" dessus
-ils ont des bibliothèque de jouet, parcontre il faut payer mais c'est quand même bon achat. les jouets sont très chère ici.
-les épiceries sont beaucoup plus chère.
-ils n'ont pas une bonne sélection de céréale
-ils n'ont pas de frommage kingsey!

événement datant d'avant du 13 novembre
-je suis allée au musée des sciences 2 fois dans la dernière semaine, une fois avec les enfants et une fois toute seule. La deuxième fois j'ai vue un film dans le planetarium (un peu comme le imax), c'est un écran géant sur le plafond en forme de dome. Le film se portait sur la vie éxistant sur d'autres planètes dans l'univers, ensuite ils ont projeté les constellations de Melbourne au plafond
-vendredi c'était l'Halloween, on ne savait pas que c'était célébrer ici, mais apparament c'est une tradition qui commence (plutôt commercial). Dans notre cartier il fallait mettre un ballon orange dehors pour dire au enfant qu'on avait des bonbons.
-nous sommes allée à la ferme de Collingwood en fin de semaine avec les enfants. Pas très excitant comparé à la ferme expérimental.
-nous avons passé la fin de semaine à regarder pour un chapeau pour les courses du melbourne cup. C'est chapeau avait comme prix de 50 à 1000$... même des petit bendeau avec un fleure ou des plumes pouvaient coutés 250$.ayyeeee
-La journée des courses était amusant. À 9h le matin nous avons commencé à boire du vin et tout au long de la journée nos verre ont été remplis avec du champagne. La journée n'est pas centrée sur les courses mais plutôt la mode (les robes, souliers, accessoires pour les cheveux etc) et l'alcool. J'ai misé de l'argent sur un cheval nommé c'est la guerre (parceque c'était français) mais il ne ma pas ramporté d'argent. La journée de course c'est terminé au bar au centre ville de Melbourne
-le 11 novembre je suis allée voir les cérémonie de la journée des souvenirs au mémorial Australian de la guerre.Par la suite je suis allée au musée de melbourne et j'ai fait une tourné du Royal Exibition. La journée c'est terminée par un concert d'ogue à l'hotel de ville. une autre très belle journée en Australie.

Je suis un peu.. ok très en retard pour mes nouvelles en français. Cette entrée date de la fin de semaine du 25 octobre 2008.

Une fin de semaine à ne pas oublier.
Samedi matin nous nous sommes levée pour se rendre au Grampians. Nous avons pris le train de Melbourne à Ararat. ensuite un Autobus de Ararat à Stawell et finalement un autobus de Stawell à Halls Gap (la ville au centre des grampians avec un population de 300). Les grampians est un parc national reconu autour de monde pour l'escalade. On est arrivée vers midi, après 4 heures de route. Le chaffeur de la dernière partie du voyage nous a suggéré 3 pistes à suivre commençant de Halls gap. La première était d'environ 8km et suivait une rivière dans une vallée jusqu'au Centre du park national. Au long de cette marche nous avons vue des kangaroo, 3 emu, des shingle back skink, un fairy wren et un serpant au ventre rouge. Nous nous sommes arrêté à Tims place (notre Hostel ) pour un petit repos avant de prendre une marche au Catauqua peak. Du haut nous avons eu une vue magnifique de la vallée. En chemain nous sommes arrêté au Clematis falls. Nous avons aussi vus une échidnée et 2 autres skinks. La journée c'est terminée en regardant un match de cricket, nous avons été gatée par une vingtaine de kangaroo de proemant sur le terrain de cricket.

Nous nous somme levée tôt Dimache matin, j'ai gouté du vegemite (yark,, ça goûte le sel... et jsais pas quoi), et nous somme partie pour la rendonée le Pinacle. Cette marche passe par les jardins botanique de Halls gap, Venus Baths,Splitters Falls et Wonderland Car park. Après Wonderland car park (ou la plupart de gens commence la marche) nous sommes passé par un canyon et le chemin se transforme ensuite en monté apique à travers les roches. Mais une fois arrivée nous avons été accueillis par une vue remarcable.La rendonnée en tout était environ 10km. Nous avons ensuite pris l'autobus et train pour retourner à Melbourne épuisée :).

a few things that i've learn't about Melbourne in the last 2 months:

-they drive on the other side of the road
-hot water from taps is not under control, if you put the tap to hot it's pretty much boiling (well @ our house at least haha)
-vegemite taste like pure salt... iunno how they love this
-they love their coffees and pastries
-sushi is amazing
-they are very fashionable ppl
-they love their football and cricket
-women play a game here called netball... like basketball but there are no back boards
-they love their horse racing, there are places to bet everywhere, and they dress up all fancy for the races (including crazy hats)
-they are behind in movies and tv shows
-gas prices are verrr expensive 1.50$ to 1.60$ (ok they were when we arrived.. now it's around 1.20$)
-lots of traffic
-rose bushes and "trees": are in full bloom, people have yards full of them in all colors
-they don't play hockey on tv :(
-they don't have frozen concentrate juices ( i miss my lemonade)
-groceries are alot more expensive here,
-you have to pay to reserve a book or movie from the library. yark
-the mail men ride around on little motor cycles, apparently these motorcycles get sold to the public every few months and they get new ones.
-they have drive threw liquor stores. waaweee
-their thrift shops are amazing
-the flies here are the most annoying things ever, we have yet to see many mosquitoes, but the flies just hang around and do not give up on trying to buzz into ur eye... nose.. mouth.. wherever
all schools have uniforms, usually one colored plaid dresses with a coat and a hat, they also don't have yellow school buses.. just buses that look like greyhounds. when they go on outings the teachers bring water, first aid kits, sunscreen for all the kids
-they have toy libraries.. that do cost a fee for a membership. but you can take out 3 toys at a time for up to 3 weeks. and well.. some of these toys look quite amazing to me :P!
-their cereal selection is quite sucky.

as of now.

- went to the scienceworks museum twice in the last week, once with the kids and once alone. Alone i went to see a movie at the planetarium (sorta like the imax), a big round dome theater on the ceiling with a movie about life somewhere else in the universe and then the stars and constellations were shown.
-friday was Halloween which we didn't think was celebrated in Australia but apparently it is slowly being built up with the years. In our neighborhood you had to put an orange balloon in your front yard to let people know they could come to your house for candy. Wyatt was wearing his cool skeleton sweatshirt so we went to one house to get some candy on our bike ride.
-we went to the collingwood childrens farm on the weekend. not as exciting as the experimental farm. we got our dose of flies (maddy likes to chant "bug fly" when one lands on her)
-the children love their bike rides, we pretty much go everyday for 40 minutes bike rides around the neighbourhood (and by bike rides i mean Wyat on his trike and and the twins on their ride ons)
-the weekend was spent searching at op shops and chadstone for hair pieces for the melbourne cup. Stores like Myers were selling hats and hair pieces for 50-to like 500$ it was crazy.. a little headband with a few flowers and feathers could cost up to 250$. ayeeee
-Race day was amazing!!! It started off at 9 am with some 6$ white wine out of a coke bottle on the train to the Flemington Race Track grounds, it was followed by bottomless cups of champagne till 6pm, when we left to go have some beers at first the Carleton patio and then the sweatshop for a last glass. It also consisted of betting 2$ on a horse (C'est la guerre), chosen because of his name... apparently you can bet for winning one of the top 3 spots or just first.. we jut chose first cuz the race was about to start and we didn't know what we were doing.. he ended up coming in 3rd.. oh well. it also consist of dressing up and watching others walk by in their fancy hats, shoes, dresses, or standing out with odd suits (santa clause, jail, sun flower suit etc). We met up with some people from Jeffs work who ended up being quite a riot."thank you for coming"
-tuesday nov 11th: I went to see the remembrance day ceremony at the Australian war memorial which i both enjoyed and steamed at (it has been HOT lately).The governor attended as well as horses that put on a show. the salvation army was giving out drinks and snack at this massive event ( i found it odd and something that would never happen in ottawa... i guess maybe because of the heat they need to keep these ppl alive?). I then ventured for a tour of the royal exhibition ( a historic site), but the tour was shortened due to students witting exams in the halls!! Last but not least were 2 organ concerts i attended at the town hall. one was classical music and i was very impressed by how much skill it must take to play this instrument, i don't think i've ever seen it played before. Lastly was a concert put on by the Melbourne university students that combined the organ with computer sounds.
-today we went to the outdoor pool. yes thats right OUTDOOR!

another rendition of...

Jack an Jill!

Jack and Jill
went up the hill to fetch a .."puppy" (says maddy)
Jack fell down and broke his... "crayons" (says Wyatt)
and Jill came tumbling after.