Following the sun

Hello Friends!

My street here in Perth! In a couple of weeks these trees will all bloom with purple flowers and it'll look like it's straight out of Dr. Seuss. I'll post a picture again when it happens.

It has be a great couple of days here in Perth! The weather is beautiful (clear skies, hot and sunny), the people are extremely friendly and the children are adorable.


Today was my first real day of being an au pair! Here's how it went:
5:30am - Alarm, check emails, surf the web (not the ocean...yet)
6:15am - Run down to and along Swan River
7:00am - Freshly squeezed juice thanks to host mum Sue (orange, pineapple, strawberry...I know, yes, it was incredible), shower, get dressed, have breakfast.
9:00am - Play with Paul (23 months)
10:00am - Snack with Paul (strawberries and apple)
10:15am - Walk with Paul around Applecross
11:00am - Paul goes down for his nap (read some stories, snuggle)
11:20am - Chores: Make the "afternoon tea" aka snacks for the two older boys to eat before swim lessons, laundry, hang it to dry outside, fold it, clean up, etc.
2:00pm - Paul's awake! Feed him lunch and play lots more.
3:10pm - Sue is home and the boys are home from school 
3:30pm - Make dinner (bolognese sauce, rice, salad)
5:00pm - Hang outside with the boys as a couple kids are trick or treating - nothing like Canada
5:10pm - Spot some Canadians (one kid was wearing a Canucks jersey, the other kid was dressed as a princess) and have a chat about back home. Halloween in Australia (much like the UK), is not widely celebrated and when children do dress up, they are supposed to be scary.
5:15pm - Chase Paul around.
6:00pm - Dinner with the family! 


As you can see, a pretty laid back and generally quite wicked day. Really can't complain. 


So, produce (specifically fruit) is just incredible here. Mangoes, pineapples, avocados, strawberries; you name it, it's in season and it's delicious. The avocados are HUGE!
However, everything here is expensive. Sue was telling me that bananas are usually around $13 a kg. Don't even get me started on how expensive chocolate is, it's just sad. 
On the bright side, I'm off to look at a road bike tomorrow! So, hopefully soon I'll add some cycling into my training regime and bike down to the beach for some surfing. I'm also getting a membership to an outdoor pool that's a short cycle away so I can get some training in there too.
Still no cell phone. I haven't gotten to the shopping centre close by yet to ask about to see what's cheapest. I did, however, download a free app on my ipod so y'all can text me for free at (647)795-0547 and when I'm in a wifi zone I'll get it and can text you back for free!
SO. Melbourne Cup party tomorrow! Twelve women are coming over and it's a pot luck style lunch. Or as Sue said today, "Bring a plate". I asked if this was the Australian term and she added, "Yeah, Bring a plate. Preferably with something on it". Brilliant.

This is my little man, Paul. Perth city is in the background on the other side of Swan river.

There you go. Adross jetty on the left, Perth city in the middle.

So, the early morning wake ups have been great! The sun is fully risen by about 5:45am and it's fully set around 7:30pm (stay tuned for some sunset pictures). It's before nine as I write this now and I'm nodding off. It seems like the way of life around here too: Gavin and Sue are up at 5am everyday and off to the gym. When I was running it was like everyone in Applecross was out for a walk with their dog, a jog or a bike. I'm loving it!

Being a goof in the backyard.

So, since I'm nodding off, I'm going to hit the hey. It's my day off tomorrow so I'm going to get my cell phone finally, plus the whole horse race party! I'll write again soon. Promise.

With love,
Megan