The girls and I(Nikki) were able to watch the lunar eclipse tonight out our back door and windows. It's still blood red as I write, and it started to show the shadow of the earth around 6:50 pm here. It took about an hour to have the full effect. So whilst(see former blog entry) the girls were doing their bedtime stuff we would stop and gaze at it getting darker and then redder. The girls seemed impressed by the lunar changes. Bill was working tonight and I hadn't mentioned the eclipse to him so I called the ER to tell him to stick his head outside if he had the chance. So I called up the main ER number and it was answered as follows, "Emergency Room, this is Bill." With a great cheerful phone voice, I should add. He was having a slow night so would have time to do some moon gazing, as long as the phone to the ER didn't ring too much, of course.
I am not sure if the eclipse is a southern hemisphere phenomenon or everyone gets a chance to see it. If you can check it out, it's cool. And no special viewing box needed, which makes it easy with small kids.
All day I have had the Queen song Another One Bites the Dust in my head. It started after I heard about Roberto Gonzales resigning.
take care,
Nikki and BER
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Local Lingo - ehStralia Speak
Ellary is developing a lovely Australian accent, when surrounded by Aussies. I said "Ellary do you still speak my language?" She just smiled, then asked for a vegemite sandwich. The following is merely an incomplete collection of unusual expressions and customs we’ve noticed after 7 months of living in Tasmania.
“ehStraahya” = Australia
Fair Dinkum – on the up and up; trustworthy. “John Howard’s offer to save the Mersey wasn’t fair dinkum.”
“Keen” – you really like a certain activity. Used a lot in the newspapers – e.g. picture subtitle – “Melissa Smith, who is a keen swimmer.”
“Flat out” = “flat chat” = “chockers”= “chocker block”= very busy. The ER is chocker block and we’re flat chat at the moment.
“Jumper” = coat. E.g. “The weather is cool in the winter – you’ll need to wear a jumper.” The kids wear their jumpers to school in the winter.
“How you going?” = How are you doing?
“Mad” = crazy. “She’s mad.”
“Frog and toad” = road. “I think I’ll hit the frog and toad.”
“This arvo” = this afternoon. “Oh, are you working this arvo?”
“Bickies” = short for biscuits – cookies. (There is no such thing here as “cookies.”)
“Scones” = biscuits. Usually served with whipped cream and jelly. YUM.
“Lollies” = candy, except for chocolate which may be shortened to “chockie.”
“Is that the lot, then?” – Cashiers ask this (quickly) when you’ve taken up your articles to purchase – usually all slurred together so you have no idea what they just asked and you just stare at them blankly for a second then nod your head ‘yes.’
That will be ____ dollars, thank you. (Rather than please)
You go up to the register to pay when you’re done eating – even in fancy restaurants.
“Toilet” – NOT bathroom. This actually makes some sense since most houses have one room with a tub and/or shower and sink and a separate room with the toilet and sink.
Aussies who visit the US mention the shock on their hosts face when they ask “where’s the toilet?”
“Tissue” – NOT Kleenex. A 6 year old clarified this for Nikki while she was visiting Ellary’s class.
“Crook” = really sick – could be from medical causes or from an injury. “I hurt my back and was really crook last week.”
“Giddy” = dizzy, weak, lightheaded, etc
“Mmmmm” = yeah (i.e., an affirmative to an answer) = yes. It’s much more drawn out than “mm.” It can also be used to reemphasize something you’ve just said.
This is distinctly unhelpful when combined with “crook” and “giddy” in the ER. E.g.:
Me: “Can you tell me what happened this morning?”
Patient: “I got all giddy, then went really crook – mmmm…yeaahh…”
Me: “Oh, OK, now I have a clear understanding of your problem. Thanks.”
“Whilst.” They REALLY use this a lot. Even the web page for online banking shows a message after you’ve entered your password – “Please wait whilst we connect you with your account.” Similarly, “learnt” replaces learned.
“Tea” = evening meal. Not dinner – “tea.” Can also be used for other meals. Nikki has to pack a “morning tea” for the kids to eat at around 11am whilst in school.
You don’t have a bowel movement; you “open your bowels.” E.g., (in the ER) “When was the last time you opened your bowels?”
A “Ute” is a small pick up truck with a flat bed attachment on the back – very popular, always white. Weird.
You don’t go on vacation; you go on “holidays.” Sounds a lot more festive.
“Sickie” = a sick day. E.g. “So many fish, so few sickies…”
Surgeons are referred to as “Mr.”, not “Dr”
The letter “Z” is pronounced “zed.” Honest. The bank with the name “ANZ” is pronounced “A-N-zed Bank.”
The letter “H” is pronounced “haich.” No shit.
“Partner” = significant other, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever. Many people about 50 years old and under use this to describe their significant other or spouse.
Nikki appreciates the neutrality of it.
Cars drive on the left, the steering wheel is on the right. The rules of the road also apply to walking on the sidewalk or in a stairwell – always stay left – people get pretty insistent about this. Similarly, even on the waterways, things are opposite – here, the red markers are on the LEFT when returning from sea. In the US, it’s “red, right, returning from sea…” here it’s “port to port returning to port...” (A little catchier, isn’t it).
“ehStraahya” = Australia
Fair Dinkum – on the up and up; trustworthy. “John Howard’s offer to save the Mersey wasn’t fair dinkum.”
“Keen” – you really like a certain activity. Used a lot in the newspapers – e.g. picture subtitle – “Melissa Smith, who is a keen swimmer.”
“Flat out” = “flat chat” = “chockers”= “chocker block”= very busy. The ER is chocker block and we’re flat chat at the moment.
“Jumper” = coat. E.g. “The weather is cool in the winter – you’ll need to wear a jumper.” The kids wear their jumpers to school in the winter.
“How you going?” = How are you doing?
“Mad” = crazy. “She’s mad.”
“Frog and toad” = road. “I think I’ll hit the frog and toad.”
“This arvo” = this afternoon. “Oh, are you working this arvo?”
“Bickies” = short for biscuits – cookies. (There is no such thing here as “cookies.”)
“Scones” = biscuits. Usually served with whipped cream and jelly. YUM.
“Lollies” = candy, except for chocolate which may be shortened to “chockie.”
“Is that the lot, then?” – Cashiers ask this (quickly) when you’ve taken up your articles to purchase – usually all slurred together so you have no idea what they just asked and you just stare at them blankly for a second then nod your head ‘yes.’
That will be ____ dollars, thank you. (Rather than please)
You go up to the register to pay when you’re done eating – even in fancy restaurants.
“Toilet” – NOT bathroom. This actually makes some sense since most houses have one room with a tub and/or shower and sink and a separate room with the toilet and sink.
Aussies who visit the US mention the shock on their hosts face when they ask “where’s the toilet?”
“Tissue” – NOT Kleenex. A 6 year old clarified this for Nikki while she was visiting Ellary’s class.
“Crook” = really sick – could be from medical causes or from an injury. “I hurt my back and was really crook last week.”
“Giddy” = dizzy, weak, lightheaded, etc
“Mmmmm” = yeah (i.e., an affirmative to an answer) = yes. It’s much more drawn out than “mm.” It can also be used to reemphasize something you’ve just said.
This is distinctly unhelpful when combined with “crook” and “giddy” in the ER. E.g.:
Me: “Can you tell me what happened this morning?”
Patient: “I got all giddy, then went really crook – mmmm…yeaahh…”
Me: “Oh, OK, now I have a clear understanding of your problem. Thanks.”
“Whilst.” They REALLY use this a lot. Even the web page for online banking shows a message after you’ve entered your password – “Please wait whilst we connect you with your account.” Similarly, “learnt” replaces learned.
“Tea” = evening meal. Not dinner – “tea.” Can also be used for other meals. Nikki has to pack a “morning tea” for the kids to eat at around 11am whilst in school.
You don’t have a bowel movement; you “open your bowels.” E.g., (in the ER) “When was the last time you opened your bowels?”
A “Ute” is a small pick up truck with a flat bed attachment on the back – very popular, always white. Weird.
You don’t go on vacation; you go on “holidays.” Sounds a lot more festive.
“Sickie” = a sick day. E.g. “So many fish, so few sickies…”
Surgeons are referred to as “Mr.”, not “Dr”
The letter “Z” is pronounced “zed.” Honest. The bank with the name “ANZ” is pronounced “A-N-zed Bank.”
The letter “H” is pronounced “haich.” No shit.
“Partner” = significant other, spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever. Many people about 50 years old and under use this to describe their significant other or spouse.
Nikki appreciates the neutrality of it.
Cars drive on the left, the steering wheel is on the right. The rules of the road also apply to walking on the sidewalk or in a stairwell – always stay left – people get pretty insistent about this. Similarly, even on the waterways, things are opposite – here, the red markers are on the LEFT when returning from sea. In the US, it’s “red, right, returning from sea…” here it’s “port to port returning to port...” (A little catchier, isn’t it).
That's all for now. ENJOY.
BNER
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Quick Postal FYI
Thought I would pass on the postal website that outlines Australian quarantine requirements. It is www.aqis.gov.au. Most things have made it through but apparently pumpkin pie spice poses a national threat, because of the cloves and allspice of course. In all seriousness, I've heard a few radio programs about some horrible bee mite that is wiping out bee populations all over the world. Bees are hard workers and help with agriculture in ways that are more obvious now that they are falling prey to this mite syndrome that is not well understood. Anyway, it hasn't hit Australia yet, so they are doing what they can to keep it out. On a related note, the honey down here is delicious, especially the leatherwood honey. Has a very distinct taste. So to bring it to full circle, no need to send us honey through the mail.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Rubbing Shoulders with the Prime Minister
Yep, you heard right.
Our little community hospital (Mersey)has been repeatedly dissed over the years and recently we lost our ICU in decisions made much more at a state political level than with patient care in mind.
The Australian prime minister, John Howard is way behind in the polls (and belongs to the "Liberal"=conservative party as opposed to the Tasmanian state majority "Labor"=leftist party) and needed an attention grabber, so he decided to do an end run around the Tasmanian State government and propose a FIRST EVER federal takeover of a hospital (OURS).
He flew in to Tasmania and came to our hospital and stood out in the parking lot for about 30 minutes talking to reporters. Nikki and I happened to be driving by and stopped (so we had no camera - dang). We parked and walked right up to the crowd and stood about 15 feet from the guy. No metal detectors. No $1000 contributions to the party. Just walk right up and watch. There were a few policeman meandering calmly about and 2 or 3 tough looking guys in dark suits and black glasses, but that was it. WAY cool.
The proposal, by the way, has caused a heated national debate and photos appeared the next day in all the local and even national papers.
I wanted to stay and shake his hand, but Nikki wouldn't let me for 2 reasons:
1 We had stuff to do
2 The guy is a friend of George Bush.
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