Small Pleasures

I feel I have been a little hard on Australia lately, so I thought I would make ammends by way of a list of things I really, really really, like. In no particular order:

1. Rainbow Lorikeets

I have about 20 hours of video of lorikeets eating. Their cheerful twittering makes me feel happy in a way that nothing else does. My mom sent me cherries for Christmas and I couldn't resist sharing them. I like to share. And lorikeets like to eat. Indeed, they get quite bitchy on the mornings when I neglect to put out bird seed or leftover bread soaked in honey (I know, it's a no-no...I probably shouldn't eat it either). When I move back to the states, I want to breed rainbow lorikeets.

2. Fruit Markets
Every little neighborhood has at least one well stocked fruit market, usually between a bakery and a butchery. I think this is a far superior way to shop for sustenance than driving to a mega-market, fighting for parking, buying two weeks worth of groceries, then ending up with a cart full of imitation processed food that doesn't quite fit together into any sort of meal plan. And they are pretty, too.

3. Monks in the City
I wonder if he is listening to something spiritually uplifting, or if he is rockin' out to Guns 'n' Roses...Sometimes Franciscan Friars get on my bus. They look like big bottles of Frangelico, only they don't smell quite as good.

4. The Gore Hill Cemetery
I'm always a little surprised at how many cemeteries here are wild and and unkempt, but this one is my favorite. It is filled with gigantic spiders that spin enormous webs across the walkways - just above head height. How do they know how tall a pedestrian will be? 1917 was a very tough year to be an Australian of any age, but especially a young man.

5. Geckos
OK, so geckos aren't uniquely Australian, but they still make me very happy, especially when I see them eating mosquitoes and hear them making kissing noises.

6. The State Library
Aside from this irresistible statue of a drooling pig, I like the library because it has a cat for a mascot. Trim is the first cat to circumnavigate Australia by ship. He was the first mate of Captain Mitchell, the namesake of a gorgeous building with stain glass windows and marble floors that makes you want to tiptoe and whisper.

7. Aussie BBQs
I don't especially care for snags, but the sheer volume of meat, coupled with competitive enthusiasm feeds the legend that is the Aussie Barbie. There really ought to be a national team. They would easily win the world cup with fried onions alone.

8. Pharlap's Heart
So revered is the antipodean counterpart to Sea Biscuit that various parts of his remains are on display in museums all across the country.

9. Tattoos That You Have To Pretend Not To Be Staring At
There isn't really much else to say about this, except for the obvious comments about the effects of aging on a woman's thighs and the unfortunate consequences that will have on these otherwise immortal pin-up girls. Mom - if Chloe gets one or more of these, it is not my fault.

10. Graphic Warning Signs
One can only hope that this is a precautionary measure and not the result of an unfortunate incident involving a soggy free fall onto the jagged rocks below. More demented minds might hope otherwise...

11. Beer