Australia Day 2023

Today is our national holiday Australia Day. It marks the arrival of the First Fleet and settlement in Australia.

To celebrate I have updated my 2015 Australia Day post, celebrating my A-Z of Australian things. Although far from a complete list it is fun way to share Australia. Included in the list are:

  • Animals
  • Birds
  • Food
  • Inventions
  • Items
  • Places
  • Treasures

A: Aboriginal Art – Paintings by indigenous Australians often using a dot design. To celebrate Australia Day Sydney lights up the Opera House at dawn each year with Aboriginal art. Today beautiful design would have been spectacular to see at dawn.

Photo Credit; Australian Associated Press

     Anzac biscuits – Australian biscuits were eaten by our troops on the shores of Gallipoli hence the name. They are made from rolled oats, golden syrup, coconut and butter. There ingredients were chose due to their ability to not deteriorate over the long journey from Australia to the front.

Arnott’s Biscuits – Australia’s original biscuit brand is now more than 150 years old.

B: Beaches – Australia is known for its sandy beaches. The most famous being Sydney’s Bondi Beach. Since moving home to Newcastle I go to the beach regularly as it is a 5 minute drive or 30 minute walk from my house. Our local beaches are Bar Beach, Dixon Park and Merewether beach. Below is the few from Bar Beach carpark up towards Merewether with Dixon Park in-between.

     Black Box Flight Recorder –  The black box voice and data recorder was invented in Australia. Its invention has help to change airline safety as it guides investigators to the cause of crashes.

     Beetroot – Your typical Aussie hamburger includes beetroot, lettuce, tomato, fried onion and barbeque sauce.

     Baby Safety Capsule – Developed in 1984 to make sure babies and small children could be safely locked into a seatbelt.

C: Cockatoo – There are 21 varieties of Cockatoos in the world and all can be found in Australia. In my area the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is common and are often seen on the ground in groups  looking for food.

     Caramello Koalas – Small Australian chocolate bar. They are very yummy.

Photo Credit: Cadbury

Cherry Ripe – My favourite chocolate bar. They are now also available in double dipped chocolate which takes the experience to a new level. Cherry, coconut and dark chocolate amazing.

D: Dual Flush Toilet – A toilet with two flush buttons. The choice to flush either a half or full load of water makes a big difference to our water used daily.

     Dame Edna – Australian iconic entertainer known for her comedy and ability to make fun of our way of life.

     Didgeridoo – A wind instrument, invented by Aboriginals and originally found only in Northern Australia. It is  thought to be the oldest musical instrument in the world.

E: Echidna – Australia’s most widely spread native animal. They and the platypus are the world’s only egg laying mammals. On many occasions while driving in the bush, we have seen them crossing the road. They are very cute to watch waddle.

Emu – Australian flightless bird. The can run very fast and have a habit of pecking you when you least expect it. My kids still remember one pecking my father when her wore a red shirt.

Emu

     Esky – Portable coolers keeping food and drink cool in the Australian sun.

     Electric Drill – Originally invented to drill through rock this technology was later adapted to household use.

F: Fair Dinkum – Aussie slang meaning true or fair. Used when you want someone to believe what you are telling them.

     Fridge – In 1854 the first mechanical ice making machine was invented in Australia that lead to the development of the refrigerator—”fridge.”

G: Great Barrier Reef – World’s largest coral reef covering 2,300 kilometres off Queensland

Photo Credit: Google Images

      G’day Mate – Australian welcome.

      Google Maps – 2003-4 Australian’s Lars and Jens Rasmussen developed the platform that developed into Google Maps. Recently we saw the Google Maps cars while on the Nullabor Plains.

H: Holden cars – Holden is an Australian automaker that was based in South Australia. With limited choice for cars in the early days many families including mine had a Holden. Unfortunately, the Holden factory closed in 2017 and along with it car manufacturing in this country.

 G: Goanna – Goanna’s are monitor lizards found in Australia. They are scary and can move very quickly. We once saw one up close and person in in a National Park. Bravely we waited for him to move rather than have him think we were dinner.

I: Icy Pole – Famous Australian water ice block especially good on days like today. Its 35-36 degrees on the coast and early 40’s away from the coast. So far the hottest day this year.

Photo Credit: Peters Icecream

J: Jackaroo/Jillaroo – Male and Female workers on a cattle or sheep station in Australia.

    Jumbuck – Name for sheep in Waltzing Matilda.

K: Kangaroo – One of Australia’s most iconic marsupials. This restaurant allowed the kangaroos to come to the table. Personally not sure how I feel about that but I was walking past not having food delivered.

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     Koala – Small bear-like herbivorous marsupial that eats gum leaves. After the recent tragic fires these amazing Australian animals are endangered as so many were killed. We now have less than 100,000 koala in the country. and working hard to provide safe environments for them to live safely in the wild.

Kookaburra – Known for their laugh Kookaburras can be found everywhere. We have often had one or two visit our backyard.

L:  Lamingtons – Spongy butter cake coated in chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut.

      Long wearing Contact Lens – Were developed by the CSIRO as the original ones couldn’t stay in day and night for long periods.

M: Melbourne Cup – “The race that stops the nation” is the richest two-mile handicap horse race in the world. Run the first Tuesday in November, it is a public holiday in Melbourne.

      Meat Pie – The meat pie is an Australian icon. Traditionally it is pastry filled with beef and gravy just big enough to fit into your hand, making it easy to eat on the go.

      Macadamia – A tree nut specific to Australia with a creamy texture.

Meter Maids – In the 1960’s meter maids literally went around the Gold Coast putting coins in the newly introduced parking meters as a protest.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

N: Nullabor Plains – 1200 kilometre stretch of desert runs from South Australia in the east to Western Australia. Its name means no trees, just flat mostly straight road. In fact, the Nullabor holds the record for the worlds stretch of straight bitumen 146.6 kilkometres.

     New South Wales – My home state between Queensland and Victoria.

O: Opera House – Multi-purpose entertaining venue on Sydney Harbour. A white building during festivities it is changed dramatically using lights.

     Outback – The Outback is the large, remote, arid space that covers a Australia. Usually covered in red soil.

P: Platypus – Unique Australian mammal that looks like a cross between a duck and beaver. There are found in rivers but are very hard to spot. This concrete platypus is found in a park in an area they are found.

Plastic Banknotes – Invented by the CSIRO, making bank notes tougher and reducing their ability to be counterfeited. We were also the first country to have all notes changed from paper to plastic.

     Powerboard -Invented in 1972 allows multiple electrical devices to be powered from one electrical socket.

Q: Quokka – Australian macropod about the size of a cat found on Rottnest Island off Perth. They are so cute and love to take a selfie with you.

      Quoll – Carnivorous Australian marsupial first seen by Captain Cook in 1770.

Photo Credit: Wikipeadia

      Queensland– Australian state north of New south Wales.

R: Rotary Clothes Hoist – Clothes line that raises and lowers as well as swings around in the wind. Growing up in Australia many backyards had them. I am fortunate I still have one as they dry your clothes quickly and effortlessly.

Photo Credit: Google

      Rottnest Island – 18 kilometres off Perth, it is home to Quokkas, pristine beaches and world-class surf.

S: Sydney Harbour Bridge – The world’s largest steel arch bridge and connects Sydney to the north shore. When we lived in Sydney I travelled across it everyday on my way to work and never tired of the sight.

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      Surf Life Savers – Australians classics that keep our beaches safe by rescuing swimmers in difficulty. Drowning in the ocean are too common in Australia particularly in unpatrolled beaches.

Photo Credit: Google Images

       Surf Ski – Australian invention to assist in saving lives see above photo

       Speedos – Australian men’s swimmers—sometimes colloquially referred to as “budgie smugglers.”

      Splayd – Australian invention that combines the spoon fork and knife

Spray-on Skin – Invented in 1999 by Professor Fiona Wood, this technology saved many lives after the 2002 Bali bombing.

T: Tim Tams – Iconic Arnott’s biscuits that involves two layers of chocolate biscuits joined together with chocolate cream and covered in chocolate.

U: Ugg Boots –Unisex sheep skin boot with fleece on the inside.

      Uluru –Also known as Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock in the Northern Territory.

Photo Credit: Google Images

      Ultrasounds – Invented in Australia through work with the Department of Health.

V: Vegemite – Sandwich spread most Australians won’t travel without and most of the rest of the world try but find it very bitter.

       Victoria – Southern State of Australia on the East Coast—Capital is Melbourne.

W: Wiggles – The original Wiggles —children’s entertainers—are Australian. The group which is now over 30 years old is the most popular children’s entertainers in the world. I can remember seeing them perform in the local shopping centre as they began their journey.

Photo Credit: Wiggles

      Wine casks – Wine casks are an Australian invention to carry large amounts of wine in a plastic bladder with a simple pouring spout

      Wi-Fi Hotspots – Wi Fi technology was invented in Australia through research at the CSIRO.

Winged Keel – First invented by Ben Lexcen for Australia II in the America’s Cup.

XXXXX Beer – Famous brand of Queensland beer

Y: Yackandandah – Small tourist town near the New South Wales and Victorian border. It was the setting for the iconic Australian movie, Strange Bedfellows.

Z: Zeehan – Former silver and gold mining town in Tasmania


CMMC: Christmas Bush

In Cee’s Midweek madness Challenge the first week of the month is about Macro or close up photography. So as it is nearing the end of the Christmas season I thought I would celebrate our Christmas Bush. It is an Australian native that blooms with a soft pink colour around November and its colour deepens to turning red around Christmas time.

We love our Christmas Bush tree. It is a beauty standing about 10 metres tall. Every year it never fails to deliver. My husband has even developed his own Christmas traditions around it. Sometime in the week of Christmas he makes his Christmas bush run. He cuts and delivers bunches of Christmas bush to family and friends whether they are home or not. Everyone loves it and is very grateful. Maybe because I saw smaller bunches on sale at the local florist for $15.00 a bunch.

When I was taking the photos for this blog post I took a much closer look at Christmas bush than I ever had before. I was surprised to notice the unusual shape of the leaves.


Coffee Catch-Up # 42

If we were having coffee I would tell you that it has been very quiet over the last month as our family has recovered from covid. For me getting healthy has taken a lot longer than most people. The upside is that I have had a month to consider my options for my twilight years. Oh and I have been able to binge watch Desperate housewives on Disney +. With 8 sessions it got me through the brain fog and required no thinking. It also make me laugh.

If we were having coffee I would ask you if you saw the 4 planets lined up in the night sky late in April. Just before sunrise was the best time to view them. From the end of our driveway we got a good view on the Saturday and Monday mornings. On the best viewing day Sunday however the sky was full of cloud and they were not visible.

The 4 planets that lined up were Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. It is said to have been 1000 years since these planets had aligned. I was grateful to have seen them.

If we were having coffee I would tell you last weekend was my mother-in-law’s 92nd birthday. Most family members traveled to Newcastle to surprise her on this special day. She had no idea and seeing the grandchildren in particular put a smile on her face, something that is rare these days.

If we were having coffee I would tell you last weekend was both Mother’s Day and the 8th anniversary of Inspiring Max. I can’t believe it has been so long. Blogging is the gift that keeps on giving. I find I have learnt a lot about myself, my community and the world. After reviewing my anniversary yesterday I wrote a blogpost about planning for fun where I make a plan to be more proactive in the next 2 years.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I nearly completed this years Blogging From A-Z challenge. I missed Y and Z as my brain fog was too much. I enjoyed it although I would have liked to have blog hopped more. Next year I will start my planning early particularly for the back end of the alphabet.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.


International Nurses Day

Today is International Nurses Day, celebrated each year on 12th May, Florence Nightingale’s Birthday. It is a day that everyone reflects on the work we do daily. I, like most nurses enjoy my job, even though it is rarely easy. One thing is for certain, everyday is different and it is never predictable.

I began my psychiatric nursing career nearly 40 years ago when training was in hospitals, not at university. Fortunately over the years the stigma attached to mental illness and mental health concerns has changed greatly. In 2020, hopefully everyone understands that their mental health is as important as their physical health.

I love this tribute written and performed by a doctor to nurses. He has reworded the song Always A Woman To Me addressing so many classic issues for nurses everywhere. I smiled all the way through it as it triggered many memories for me.

This year International Nurses Day is special. As well as nurses risking their lives to save the world, it is also 200 years from Florence Nightingale’s birth.

Nurses are the back bone of our community, always there when you need them. Next time you see or need a nurse, give them a big smile and say thank you. It will make our day.


6 Years Young

Today Inspiring Max is 6. I can’t believe how much life has changed. My first blog post back in 2014 was titled Happy Mother’s Day.

Here is my 12 month celebratory post, my first blogiversary in 2015. I was excited by how far I’d come. In May 2014, I had 23 views and I didn’t care I had no followers, I had views and I began to believe in myself. I could do this. By May 2015, Inspiring Max was moving up with 12,567 views and 415 followers. This month, May 2020 I have created 574 posts, have had 16,106 visitors, 30,444 views and 1,108 followers.

I also love that after a year of blogging Inspiring Max had been read in 114 countries and in the following 5 years it continues to find new audiences and now has been read in 134 countries. Many of these countries I never knew existed.

One of the things that surprised me during my break from blogging is how my site kept growing even without me working it. Like our finances growing with compound interest for the approximately 800+ days I was absent Inspiring Max kept growing at 2-3 views per day without new content. This makes me wonder where I would have been if I had stayed.

When I returned to Inspiring Max, one of my favourite things was visiting my old blogging friends and seeing how much their blogs had grown. After all, blogging isn’t just about writing and posting good content. I believe it is a package. We are part of an ever growing community and no-one can blog alone.

To me, blogging is divided into four parts:

  • Blog hoping – going from one blog to another viewing and reading their sites
  • Joining in challenges created by other bloggers
  • Engaging with new and old blogs, by liking and commenting on their posts
  • Gaining knowledge by sharing experiences. Never has this been more relevant than now. We can all check on each other during this time of world lock down.

Blogging From A-Z: B is BHP – 20 years on

Growing up in Newcastle in the 1970’s, BHP was the biggest employer in the area. BHP opened in Newcastle in 1915 and closed it’s doors forever on the 30th September, 1999. At one stage, BHP employed 1 in 10 people in Newcastle. Everyone knew someone who worked there. No-one could imagine life in Newcastle without the BHP. However, 84 years later, the blast furnaces stopped. And Newcastle lost the smog and pollution almost immediately.

Last September, Newcastle celebrated the 20th anniversary of the closure of BHP with a special weekend. To celebrate we were able to visit The Muster Point. A memorial sculpture made of steel and bronze, 8 metres wide and 12 metres high completed just before the BHP closed it’s doors. On top of the sculpture is a cross to honour the lives lost over the years, in what was a very dangerous workplace.

Also at The Muster Point was one of BHP’s old managers. He was there to meet and greet old employees and others coming together to remember and celebrate all things Newcastle steelworks. His stories told of life working at BHP during those times. And he explained that for many of the employees, BHP was part of their family and sometimes their only family. For this reason, it was important to look out for the welfare of his staff. An example he used was arranging reading and writing lessons for some of the workers when he realised that they couldn’t do either. These were the little things that those of us who hadn’t worked at Big Harry’s Place ( the local nickname), had never considered.

We also visited Delprat’s cottage, which was built on site so Guillaume Deprat could supervise the steelworks construction even when he was home. The heritage society has done a great job creating a museum during the renovations. They are attempting to recreate the cottage as close as possible to the original building.

Delprat was a big fan of body strength. On of his favourite ways to exercise and improve his strength was with gymnastic rings. To ensure he could always exercise, he had a set of gymnastics ring hung in his bedroom. This allowed him to do two jobs at once – practise his moves and supervise his steelworks.

Another community sculpture onsite

Coffee Catch-Up #21

If we were having coffee I would tell you that instead of coffee today we were having champagne to celebrate Inspiring Max turning 3 recently. Wow! I can’t believe how quickly that time has flown. When I started I knew nothing about blogging or where this journey would take me but I am so glad I took the plunge and dived head first into the deep blogging pool. I have learnt so much and love the sense of community out there in the blogosphere.

I love it when I connect with new blogs. My geography has also improved as I discover someone from a small country or island I didn’t know existed has visited Inspiring Max. Thanks for being part of my world and I hope our journey continues to deepen.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about our recent visit to Copeland Tops State Conservation Area, just outside Barrington Tops National Park. We walked the Hidden Treasure Loop Track, a 2 hour bush walk through a dry rain forest. The area is an old gold field and is scattered with old mine shafts throughout, so it is essential to stick to the path or risk serious harm or death. The highlight of our walk was Hidden Treasure mine entrance. Despite it being sealed up, with the help of flash photography we could see the old quartz seams that had once held gold. It was quite spectacular in its natural forest surroundings, but I wouldn’t have wanted to walk that distance to work every day.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I am enjoying working in my garden at our new house. I have always wanted to develop a vegetable and herb garden, but I’ve never had the time to devote to it. Now with only working part-time and not having children to run around my time is my own so I’m hoping to prove I have green thumbs. This week I began by making a herb garden, which so far is going well. I also bought a modern version of the Yates gardening guide to help me prepare for Spring planting. As Winter starts in Australia next week I’ll be planting soon enough. I am interested in any advice you may have of things to do or not do when growing my produce.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about King Street Boutique Motel, the accommodation my husband and I stayed at on our recent trip to Gloucester. It was created from one of the old homes of the area and contained a communal lounge, dining and kitchen area with 4 rooms on each side of the communal real. It was great value and our fellow travelers were friendly. Our room also had a little verandah that overlooked the driveway and from which you could see the  mountains in the background.

 

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world? Let me know in the comments.


Coffee Catch – Up # 20

If we were having coffee I would tell you I can’t believe its nearly 5 months since our last coffee. Doesn’t time fly when you don’t keep an eye on it. Today I was also struck by how quickly I have lost my writing skills. From writing nearly everyday in my old life, I am struggling for inspiration today. I know it is purely because I haven’t written anything for a while, so I’ll make a commitment to myself to get back on track as I have missed you all.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that back in March my husband and I finally got our furniture delivered from Sydney. It was very exciting to see the big truck pull up outside. Finally, our move was complete. So we did what anyone in our situation would do and had a glass of bubbly (champagne) to celebrate. Yes, it tasted good.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I love the Sydney Royal Easter show.I love to spend hours walking around the pavilions — arts and crafts, food, leisure and kids — they are all amazing. Some people are so talented. I love the creativity especially in the fruit and vegetable displays every year. Each area creates a display using the fruit and vegetables they grow in a design that depicts where they are from. This year  my 3 favourites were

 

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my brother and his partner’s housewarming party. It turned out to be code for secret wedding. It was very exciting and caught many family and friends of guard as they had dressed for a backyard BBQ and ended up having their photo taken with the happy couple. Fortunately, my father who was in hospital was able to get a leave pass so was able to attend. As for me I was very suspicious they were up to something and was very happy to be proven right. I loved their wedding cake — chocolate mud cake topped with cute umpa lumpas to match the chocolate factory theme of their house warming.

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If we were having coffee I would tell you how great it has been catching up with family and friends since moving back to Newcastle. Recently we meet some of our diving friends for dinner at Valentine Bowling Club and while the catch up was great, the sunset over Lake Macquarie was amazing. I had forgotten the joy a simple sunset can bring.

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If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world? Let me know in the comments.


Celebrating 400

Today, only 21 months after my first post — Happy Mother’s Day, on Mother’s Day 2014, I celebrate my 400th post. This is a milestone I never dreamed possible, so to celebrate please enjoy my acrostic poem — another skill I’ve learnt on my Inspiring Max journey.

Following my dream

Out of my comfort zone

Under the guidance of those who had gone before

Rewarded by new friends in over a hundred countries

Honing my skills with

Unique and positive posts

Navigating my way

Determined to make a difference

Respecting  and responding to others

Enjoying the journey

Driven by inspiration

Trusting my instincts

Happy others find my hard work helpful

Passion, persistence and positivity

Open the way for my original

Simple success

Thankful for Inspiring Max’s amazing community

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Party Time

You’re throwing a party — for you! Tell us all about the food, drink, events, and party favours you’ll have for your event of a lifetime. Use any theme you like — it’s *your* party!

I love to celebrate my birthday. I take the day off work and do something fun—its my way of reminding myself that I am special. For my significant birthdays however I throw a party to share with my friends and family. My parties are simple affairs held at home.

Food is either a good old Aussie BBQ or pre-made finger food requiring heating only on the day. Everyone always loves my choices:

  • Cheese Dip
  • Chipolata Sausages
  • Chicken Sticks
  • Chicken Nuggets
  • Frankfurts
  • Meatballs
  • Party Pies
  • Prawns
  • Quiche Lorraine
  • Salmon Quiches
  • Sausage Rolls

Save some room for the sweet options:

  • Caramel Tarts
  • Chocolate Slice
  • Fairy Bread
  • Home-made Ice-cream With Lollies and Sherbet
  • Jelly Slice
  • Vanilla Slice

All of this is washed down with a few glasses of champagne or cocktails. Clever conversation is what follows—with maybe the odd party game or two. Basically whatever we feel like doing. My last party was my 50th birthday a few years ago. Remembering the food for this prompt has helped me as I am plan my daughters 21st celebrations over the coming weeks. Here’s a glass of bubbles to celebrate.

Photo Credit: Google Images

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/its-my-party/