What I love about being back in Australia

The other day while flipping through my diary to write myself a reminder I realised that Adam and I have been back in Australia for just over two months.  I was flabbergasted.  It feels like so much longer than that, probably because we’ve been slowly but surely doing jobs around the house and in the garden to transform both spaces into ‘our home’.

It also made me think about what I’m enjoying about my return to Australia…

The wildlife

It’s been really nice to see all those creatures that call Australia home, out in the wild. I quickly discovered when I moved to England that people find it amazing that things like kangaroos or snakes live in and around big communities, and aren’t exclusively found in remote bushland far away from humans. On a walk a few weeks ago, Adam and I spotted kangaroos grazing in the cool of the early morning in a reserve right in the middle of suburban Wagga Wagga. Previously I would’ve just walked past those kangaroos and thought nothing of it, but after not seeing them for so long, it felt really special.

And just on Friday night, I drove past a vineyard attached to a local restaurant and spied a flock of cockatoos greedily nibbling on grapes hanging from the vines. They looked ever so pleased with themselves and a few even flew off holding tiny little bunches in their feet, squawking with glee.  I couldn’t help but smile.

The sunrises and sunsets

Australia is big sky country and has (what seems like at times) an endless abundance of sunshine. The two combined lead to some pretty spectacular colours in the sky when both the sun rises and it sets. At least a few times a week, Adam and I will be sitting in the lounge room of an evening and we’ll see this ethereal glow coming from our front windows.  We often pop outside to go and gaze at the sky and will spend 10 minutes or so just sitting on our front lawn watching the last rays of sun disappear in the west. It’s a lovely little ritual and just stopping and watching the natural world for a few minutes is a nice way to clear your head after a busy day.

The barbecue

Although we managed a couple of ‘barbecues’ during the English summer, they weren’t quite the same as the ‘barbies’ I’d experienced as child. In England the barbecue is generally reserved for a Saturday afternoon or evening and quite often end up with you wearing your warmest jumper on account for a sudden change in temperature! Adam and I were lucky enough to inherit a barbecue when we moved back to Wagga Wagga and we’ve been making full use of it, at least once a week – sometimes even more.  There’s something very Australian about coming home from work, cooking dinner on the barbecue and then sitting outside eating your meal. The barbecue also has that amazing ability to turn even the saddest supermarket sausage into a culinary sensation – perfect when you need to do a grocery shop!

Next week… I’ll let you in on what I’m missing about England.

Have a wonderful week. x