Fun words: Part Two

More fun words we've learned:

A "bubbler" is a water fountain. The girls get their water bottles filled up at school with a trip to the "bubbler." I think it's a really cool name.

"How are you going?" means "How are you doing?" I started talking about cars, and who was picking me up while the poor woman was staring at me dumbfounded.

An "Esky" is a cooler (or a "cold box" - it took me a moment to translate the translation. Even then, it didn't sink in until the words "picnic" were added to the sentence).

"Rashies" or "Rash shirts" are the quick-dry, swim shirts that have longish sleeves and a high neck to protect you while swimming from the sun. They were required by the school at their recent "Swim Carnival." The girls went to the local outdoor pool with the school and had swim races and played in the water. It was a fun and full day as they both wore their new "rash shirts."

Kangaroos - here!

We live at the foot of Mt. Ainslie which has a large reserve. When we tell people we've newly come from Canada, they often ask us if we've seen any kangaroos yet. We say "No, not yet" and they look at us in astonishment. "But you live in Ainslie, right? The kangaroos wander the streets every evening. Just stick your head outside! Oh. And don't corner them if you're walking. Because they will disembowel you with their rear legs if they feel frightened." Okay...Note to self: Cute cuddly kangaroos are a fairy-tale made up for foreigners. I think it's a lot like moose in Canada. Yeah, they look nice from far away, but they will charge you (especially in mating season), they are dangerous, they cause car crashes, and yeah, you shouldn't get out of your car to take a picture with your kids next to them. Therefore, in my mind, kangaroos = moose.

Kangaroos near our house

Now, we kind of already knew that the kangaroos were wandering the neighbourhood. After all, we had walked over the evidence left behind (think deer-like poop) which was on the sidewalk, and every grassy surface of the suburb. Allison said the soccer field at school had "millions and millions" everywhere. But Lucy assured me that the teacher said it was good for compost, so we could pick it up with gloves on and take it home (ugh, really? I'm so checking Lucy's backpack more closely now!).

So, up till now, we've been at home most evenings and going to bed at dusk (so tired! Time change and grumpy children make for little sleep). So we haven't been wandering outside at night.

Kangaroos eating on the field
Yes, we pulled over to take the picture - like tourists!

BUT! We were late on Sunday night out at a friend's house for dinner. We came back around 8:15pm and lo and behold! There were kangaroos everywhere we looked! Every park with a patch of grass had several kangaroos on it! So, being the tourists we are, we pulled the car over, rolled down the windows and leaned out to take several pictures. No, I did not allow the kids or James out of the car since I suspected disembowelment may occur immediately.

The kids were very excited. We watched as a biker went by, scaring a couple of the kangaroos into jumping away down the street. Very cool to watch! And can they every move fast! The rest of them casually went on eating, and hopping little hops to the next greener grass. I drove carefully home (after seeing how fast they moved in the dark, I understand about car accidents with them) and we talked about kangaroos for the rest of bedtime. Very neat that we live in a country that has kangaroos browsing in our backyards!