Monday, January 26, 2015

Australia Day bits of this n that

Happy Australia Day !

Here's just some of the Aussie things I love... hope you enjoy seeing them too:


Our gorgeous Koalas (snap taken on Raymond Island, East Gippsland, where the koalas live side by side with the lucky residents)




Our  incredible 'red centre'
(snap taken many years ago in our 4WD ing days.  Me, sitting slap bang in the geographical centre of Australia at the Lambert Centre.)
Forgive the pic quality... Oh for digital cameras back then!





Home made Anzac Biccies - a treasured tradition
(they come out soft and chewy, or firm and crisp... always a surprise package when I make them!)





This graffiti I like :D)





Decorating the Pav - yum!
(you did a good job G xx)




Some friendly and curious early morning roos at Gympie Qld - on one of our camping trips




Nothing like a barbie with snags and rissoles!
Yummo - great stuff D and G  xx





This one is in honour of all the amazing discoveries, medical and otherwise, inventions and innovations etc by Aussies!
Where would we all be without them.






The good old meat pie and sauce !
Not my photo, source 





The joy of having good neighbours!
I can remember Mum wearing her scarf like this.  The old tradition of "having a yarn over the fence" is a good 'un






A childhood snack that I (and millions of fellow Aussies) still love - Vegie Toast
I prepared this snap for Claire a blogger friend when she was overseas some years ago.  Claire was pining for some vegemite, so I sent her this ;D)



For our friends over the pond, the ditch, here's some links and explanations which may be of interest:
Anzac Biscuits
Centre of Australia
ACDC

Biccies: biscuits, cookies
Snags: sausages
Rissoles: burgers, meat patties
Roos: kangaroos
Pav: pavlova

Thanks very much for joining in this little celebration of Aussie-ness :D) xx



63 comments:

  1. thanks for the whirlwind tour! you lost me on snags and rissoles so i'm glad you had the aussie dictionary at the bottom. :)

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  2. oh, and the header photo is cool, too!

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  3. I love your header photo and this is a great post! Happy Australia Day!

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  4. What a delicious post!
    You've made me want to visit Oz, and you've made me hungry. Guess I'll just have to listen to Angus bashing out a guitar solo instead.....

    Have a great week.

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    1. Lol... that's so good Derek. Beaut of you to pop over, and thanks enjoy your week as well :D)

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  5. Dearest Susan; Happy Australia Day ! I LOVE to see these Aussie pictures♡♡♡ And you made me hungry; also smiled with the picture 'The joy of having good neighbors!' Cute dool with scarf :-)
    I hope you will have a wonderful new weekend.
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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    1. Hi there Miyako, glad you liked the post... thanks very much for your lovely visit :D)

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    2. Dearest Susan; Thank you very much for your sweet comment♡♡♡ I'm happy to read that you also have your own warmhearted husband, my friend.
      Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend, xoxo Miyako*

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  6. My anzac biscuits never come out the same from batch to batch either. Cooked some up today ... they were crisp which is how I like them best.

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    1. That's funny how we all get different results - lol, it's the chewy ones I prefer and hubby likes them crisp... we never know who's going to be the happiest when they come out of the oven! Cheers now :D)

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  7. Nice post, Susan. When I was on Raymond Island I kept an eye out for the koalas but wasn't lucky enough to come across any.

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    1. Oh gosh that's real disappointing for you Deb. There's a patch of open bush right near some houses ... you walk through it to get to Gravelly Beach - that's a definite hangout for them. Such a shame as it's a real treat to see them free like that.

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  8. happy AUSTRALIA day!! love the koala...as for most of the rest of your pic's...i think i'm hungry now!! thanks for sharing all the Aussie stuff. australia is one of the places i have always wanted to visit...i doubt i'll ever make it there...but at least i can see it through your eyes! :)

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    1. Hello Laura, and thank you :D)
      I seem to have made a few people feel a bit hungry, lol ! Glad you liked the post and, yes, I love to see other countries and their habits/food/traditions via our blogger friends... it's certainly a great way to get around. Cheers now.

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  9. Looks like a lot of fun to me :)
    I always had a dream about Australia, never got around to it,
    now I guess I'm too old :(
    But I love looking at pictures, so I'm happy right here :))
    Love your header, it's great!
    Happy Australia Day!
    【ツ】Knipsa

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    1. Hi Knipsa, lovely to see you again as well :D) Thanks so much for your lovely comments... it's nice celebrating our lovely country, and I appreciate you joining in :D)

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  10. Wonderful post. Your photos are lovely. :)

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    1. Thank you very much Linda, nice to have you visit :D)

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  11. Very suitable indeed for Australia Day. Love that koala, what a sweetie :)

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    1. Thanks Sandy... the koala was very happy for its photo to be taken, posed beautifully!

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  12. The Koala, the Kangaroos and the last one, vegemite sandwich, you can't beat it.

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    1. Absolutely Bob... many thanks for popping over :D)

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  13. Haha! I was about to ask you for the recipe for Anzac cookies and what snags were, and I see you outthought me. Glad you had a lovely Australia Day.

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    1. That's good Jenny, glad you found it helpful. Appreciate your visit :D)

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  14. There really is a lot to be happy about in this wide country!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  15. Hi Susan...I have never been to Australia but always thought that one day I would like to visit...such a beautiful place! All of your photos were great...love the koala...and looks like some yummy food too!

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    1. Hi Debby and thanks very much for your lovely comment. Oh yes, the food is yummy - too yummy at times lol ;D)

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  16. looks like a wonderful place to call home and enjoy some grub!!!

    fun critters to be living with as well!!!!!!

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    1. Too right - lovely to see you again Debbie :D)

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  17. I enjoyed the whole post and that darling little bear or dog or....with the scarf on its' head - so cute. Love seeing traditions from Australia.

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    1. Glad you did, thanks Sandy... that's Rebel my bear - she's not here with me at the moment but I used to photograph her a lot... never knew what she was going to get up to next, she lived up to her name beautifully!!

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  18. Happy Australia Day! Thanks for the cute photos of kangaroos and koalas. I used to get to see them at the San Diego Zoo, it's hard to imagine seeing them in the wild, or in your neighborhood. I also would love to get to Australia someday... Enjoy your summer. I'm trying to enjoy winter but dreaming of spring. Your food looks yummy, I'll have to check out what's in Vegemite. I would imagine the texture of the cookies could be partly how long they are cooked, shorter times more chewy, then they get crisper? Or does it vary from batch to batch?

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    1. Hello Hannah, thank you very much and I'm so glad you enjoyed seeing those photos. I hope you do come to Australia some day... you won't be disappointed. We have an incredibly beautiful country with scenery, flora and fauna that literally takes your breath away!
      Sending you some sunshine now... :D)

      Here's a link that explains the ingredients of vegemite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegemite
      ... it's something that we were all given as young children and, as well as on nice buttery toast, I love it in sandwiches with cheese and celery.

      As for the Anzac biccies... well, yes, it could have something to do with how long they're cooked... then, on the other hand, we sometimes say it depends on if you hold your mouth right !!! ;D)

      Cheers now Hannah and thanks for your visit.

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  19. Some great Aussie traditions, animals and places. Great Post. Hope you had a good day.

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    1. Many thanks Diane, and the same to you. Thanks for popping over :D)

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  20. Wow ... fantastic pict ( Koala )

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  21. Happy Australia Day Susan!Wonderful pictures!
    I miss vegemite,meat pies with sause,the famous Australian sausages,
    and all those wonderful Aussie goodies!Thank you for sharing!
    Dimi...

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    1. Hello Dimi, It's those things that certainly seem to be missed the most don't they! You live in another beautiful part of the world as I've just seen - thank you very much for your visit :D)

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  22. ohhhh ...I just think little Koalas are so cute.... that face.... honestly... who could resist?

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    1. Oh Vee, that koala just couldn't stop posing!! Such a showoff and, yes, cute - absolutely ;D)
      I was so thrilled to see you handfeeding your Chickadees... you certainly have an affinity with them. Cheers now.

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  23. Happy Australia Day! I love your beautiful pictures! you are very well in good time of everday..
    I was starting 2005 but I has bad sick was about two years. I wish I could turn back the my thosg days.
    Michiko

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    1. Hello Michiko, thank you very much for your good wishes! I'm glad you liked my photos.
      I'm sorry to hear you have been so ill... I do hope 2015 will bring good health and lots of happiness for you :D)

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  24. Kangaroos and koalas make me want to visit Australia! And those cookies look delicious!

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    1. That's so nice, I hope you're able to come over and see all of us one day EG ! Thanks for your visit here today :D)

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  25. A belated happy Australia Day! You've nailed what it is to be Australian with your photo selection. How lucky how we?

    We are one, are but we are many
    And from all the lands on earth we come
    We share a dream and sing with one voice:
    I am, you are, we are Australian.


    And I love your new blog banner. :-)

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    1. Hi Vicki! How lovely... yep, we're so lucky indeed - and it's good to celebrate it isn't it.
      Beautiful song - thank you - it says so much. Now that I've read the words, I'm humming it for the rest of the day ;D) xx

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  26. Love your Australia Day post! Happy Aussie Day to you and all my other Australian blogger friends.

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  27. Your first image took my heart! When I see Koalas in a zoo they usually sleep... I would love to explore Australia, and hopefully my husband and I will make it - perhaps for our 20th wedding anniversary (he already was in Australia). There are so many places in your country I want to see and experience. Thanks for your tour - you can actually get Vegemite here in our neighborhood store!

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    1. So glad you enjoyed seeing the koala Carola. It's nice to see them without the confines of a zoo that's for sure.
      I really hope you're able to come over and see Australia - leave plenty of time... we travelled around Australia a few times and still haven't seen all we'd love to.
      Must be some Aussies in your neighbourhood.... good on your neighbourhood store :D)

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  28. I just read about the Anzac Biscuits thanks to your link. Would you mind sharing your recipe? And what is golden syrup?

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    1. Certainly Carola, I'm putting in a link to the recipe I use...
      http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21104/anzac+biscuits
      (Just a by the by... but where is says to press down the tops to flatten slightly, I do it with the back of a fork... leaves little imprints! Not important, but I think it's how a lot of people here do it :D)

      Golden syrup is a lighter in colour version of treacle with which you may be more familiar... as you'll see in the recipe, you can use either.

      I've also put a link for cookery measurements conversion too which may be helpful:
      http://alldownunder.com/australian-convert/measurement-chart.htm

      Cheers now, enjoy your Anzacs :D)

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  29. Hi Susan! I hope your Australia Day was fantastic...looks like it was. What great photos you have! Right down on ACDC and the kangaroos! I remember your Vegemite, oooh, still don't know if I could do that, haha! Well, I haven't been around for a while. My husband Karo has been very ill and was hospitalized all through the holidays until a couple of weeks ago. I still work, and, have been so tired, I just couldn't make myself come over to blogger, and have much to catch up with. Karo is doing better, but needs help to get around. I hope to get my mojo back into writing. I have kept in touch with a few friends on facebook, when I could. I'm so glad to see you here, and have missed blogging so much. This is a great post...I thought of you on Australia Day. See you soon-hope to get a post up sometime next week. Take care Susan, hugs!

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    1. How lovely to see you here Suzanne, yes thanks Australia Day was really good. Glad you enjoyed the post too.
      So sorry to read about Karo... of course you don't feel like blogging - home and loved ones always come first don't they. Good news that he's back home, you both must feel like you've been through the wringer with him being in hospital for so long. Goodness me, the things that come out of the blue.
      Don't go rushing back - the best thing about being a part of the blogging world is that there's no rush or pressure. You'll know when the time is right and you can pick up where you left off, but only when you're ready.
      Look after yourself too and our very best healing wishes to Karo. All the best and may the rest of 2015 bring good health and much contentment. Thanks for taking the time to comment here, now take care and hugs to you too :D) xx

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  30. Hello Sussn, what a great Aussie Day post. I found you when you commented on Farm-ily's blog. Im always on the lookout for new Aussie blogs too!
    Cheers - Joolz xx

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  31. Hi Joolz, nice to meet you too! Real glad you enjoyed my post... it's beaut to celebrate our lovely country isn't it :D)

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