At a petrol station close to our home they have entertainment TVs on the pumps, just in case you would get bored while you fill up your tank. They don’t have card payments on the pumps though so you have to go into the petrol station to pay, which is actually the case at most petrol stations. I think the Aussies need to get their priorities straight. I rather have card payment on the pump than a TV to entertain me the 4 minutes it takes for me to fill my tank. Sometimes Australia and their technology just seem light years away from Sweden….light years behind that is.

I have to share something with you about Australia that’s driving me nuts. I’ll be fair though, it might not be an Australian thing it might just be something that goes on only at my work, I don’t know. At my work at least, there is an overuse of typing emails in CAPITALS ONLY. I would think that it’s an internationally known fact that writing in all caps is considered as if you’re shouting, which in most cases isn’t necessary. I’m all for using capital letters to emphasise a word but I hate when I receive a whole email written in caps. So unless you intend on offending the person your writing to please feel free to stop that. Anyone else in Australia picked up on this or is it just me?

I’ve been a bit crumpy lately and I think one of the reasons is my total lack of Christmas feeling. I love Christmas, it’s my absolutely favourite! But the sun and summer in Melbourne doesn’t really do it for me. Don’t get me wrong I love the heat and the weather but it has nothing to do with Christmas. I think if I had my stuf and could put up my Christmas decorations it might be slightly different but this year the Christmas tree and my advent candle holder have to do. At least today on Lucia I’m trying my best to force my Christmas feeling to come out from its hiding place. I have my glögg from IKEA heated up, the Christmas tree is lit and I’m watching the traditional Lucia broadcast from Swedish TV. Thanks SVTplay!

Det funkar sådär att påtvinga julkänslan. Jag saknar fortfarande julmust, julskinka med senap, vörtbröd, pepparkakor och lussekatter tex. Blir det fler jular i Australien får jag nog se till att vara lite mer organiserad.

Only in Australia do you find solar powered Christmas lights. That’s just so weird!! Simon didn’t find it one bit strange but I was amazed. Christmas and sun just don’t go hand in hand in my world. Christmas and snow on the other hand, that’s a different story.

The fact that the Christmas stuff is available in the stores this early is another story on “what’s wrong with the world” and not just an Australian issue.

If you plan on going to Australia and work this National Harvest Guide might be helpful. In the guide you’ll find information on harvest work opportunities, working conditions, how to get there and where to stay. The guide is updated monthly and is available free for download – HERE (pdf).

Another random post from Annas mind. I somehow came to think of Akubras today.  Akubra is the Aboriginal word for head covering and it’s a hat. And not just any hat, it’s the famous typically Australian hat as you’ve probably seen being worn by Prime Ministers, Presidents, movie and sports stars, royalty and people all over the world. This felt hat is a true Australian icon.

Cattleman - Australia's favourite Akubra, a style in the tradition of the Australian stock-man.

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The Dog Fence at Sturt National Park, NSW

You’ll find the longest fence in the world in Australia, the dingo fence. With it’s over 5300 km it’s one of the world’s longest man-made structures. It was built back in the 1880s originally as a rabbit proof fence but it was more successful at keeping out pigs, kangaroos, emus and brumbies. In 1914 it was converted into a dog-proof fence used to keep the continent’s wild dog at bay and protect the sheep being grown for wool and meat production.

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Just picked up a slab of Coopers Sparkling Ale (no 89047), Australian beer  that we ordered from Systembolaget. It’s not in the standard range but has to be ordered and you have to order at least a whole slab (24 bottles). Quick delivery though, it only took 4 days. It was a bit more expensive than normal beer, 24.5 kr/bottle which is about $3.9, but sometimes you just need to have a little piece of home.

The Sparkling Ale is an English style golden ale. It has a distinctive cloudy appearance due to the sediment being left in the bottle. Therefore you should gently rock the bottle from side to side before you drink it to stir the natural sediments. The Sparkling Ale has a slightly different flavour and higher alcoholic content than the Pale Ale.

Now I’ve put a couple of cold ones in the fridge for Simon when he gets home from Malmö. A good Friday surprise (he doesn’t know I’ve picked them up yet) and another good-girlfriend-point for me don’t you think? Especially since I had to carry the slab up the stairs (to the fourth floor) since someone is moving and occupying the elevator.

One of the things we truly miss about Australia are the Boost Juice Bars. Boost profile themselves as being a healthy alternative to fast food with a range of delicious low fat smoothies and juices. All products are at least 98% fat free, contain nothing artificial and are 100% delicious! We love them!

The first Boost Juice Bar opened in Adelaide back in 2000 but now you can find 187 stores (I think) all over Australia and also 47 of them overseas, none in Sweden though. But the founder Janine Allis want to make Boost Juice a global phenomenon, so who knows maybe you can get Boost Juices in Sweden too, in 10 years or so.

Visste du att Australien är det enda landet i hela världen som har vilda kameler?

Jag tänker mer Mellanöstern när jag hör kamel men tydligen exporteras till och med kapplöpningskameler från Australien till Saudiarabien och Kuwait. Komiskt! Det är ingen som vet exakt hur många vilda kameler (eller ja, dromedarer är det väl tekniskt sätt eftersom de bara har en puckel) som finns ute i Australiens Outback men siffror från allt mellan 250 000 och en halv miljon dyker upp när man läser om dem. Förr användes de som packdjur men idag används de bland annat vid kamelkapplöpningar och turistiga äventyrsexpeditioner. Read more