Disney Japan

I left Ballarat on the shuttle bus, leaving behind a very sick foal and a distraught daughter! Not really the way you want to start a world trip. The Vet was to return a few hours after I left. The last I heard TJ was doing better.
The flight from Melbourne to Bangkok was good. Movies and TV shows on demand with personal monitors and I lost count of the meals, but they all tasted great. I had a 2 hour stop in the middle of the night before heading to Tokyo and arriving at 8.20 am. I think I slept most of that flight. I was given a welcome orchid just before we touched down. I counted 6 golf courses coming in over Tokyo!
Then it was a hurried bus ride to meet Dean and a rush to drop my bags off at his place before heading to Disney.
Mary Poppins and Bert gave me a great welcome.
But then so did Bert's fans! There is a whole sociology thesis on the investment these fans have in the world of Disney! I kept switching my thinking from "These are everyday, nice people" - to "What is going on here! Are these people obsessed or what!" The fan base that I met consists of everything from teenage girls to whole families, who go to Disney 2 to 4 times per week - every Sat & Sun at least, and are desperate enough to stand in the rain for two hours to save their best vatage spot for the parades. Now I would stand in the rain waiting for tickets to a U2 concert, or an important soccer game, but every weekend, twice a day, rain, snow, or shine!?!?
And because they worked out who I belonged to (not another middle aged western woman amonst the 50,000 there today!), I was pursued and treated like a celebrity myself. Now that is weird! Nice, but sooooo weird.
The night finished with a spectcular light parade. My poor camera had been overworked taking movie footage and the battery was too low to run the flash, so I will have to try again tomorrow.

Tourist in my Home Town

Last weekend we went back to Swan Hill for a farewell dinner for Sarah before she heads to Canada for 12 months. First I caught a couple of likely looking lads at Sarah's party, looking oh so happy with the whole concept!



I decided to take a wander around my home town and see some of the things the tourists see.

Mmmmm..... Imagine a 30 foot butt!

The tree that legend says the explorers Burk and Wills either camped under or planted when exploring Australia's vast interior.





A fallen giant by the river. Australian eucalypt trees tend to drop large branches in dry weather. The theory is that by so doing there is less tree for the root system to sustain. Most years there are injuries with people camping under trees only to have a branch crash down on top of their tent in the middle of the night!

The bridge at Swan Hill and a river level falling fast. Some predictions say the river will be dry by the end of the year if the dry continues.










Here is the skate park the young people of Swan Hill spent many years fundraising for (ours included). Unfortunately it has been placed behind an industrial area and a long way from supervision.

St Kilda

I am in Melbourne for two days for training and I feel that our International trip has begun. Just walking along Fitzroy Street St Kilda, where I am staying is like a culinary trip around the world. There is three city blocks of places to eat with every nationality represented from the exclusive French to Greek, Italian, Thai, Vietmanese, Chinese, come in every variety too. Add to this the FINA World Swimming Championships in town and on the beach and the party went on all night last night outside my hotelEnglish Pubs and Fish & Chips! And of course, being cosmopolitan Melbourne the people on the street room! Needless to say I have invested in earplugs for tonight as it doesn't look too good nodding off in the middle of a lecture!
Anyway here are some snaps of the scenery... Sorry Sarah and Penne but I couldn't find any of those buff boys from the swimming teams I saw last night! he he!
















Poor Captain Cook just can't get no respect no more!

Around the World in 45 days!!!

Well the tickets are booked, most of the accommodation is arranged and plans for an activity crammed 6 weeks are made. So, for anyone wondering where in the World we are going to be.... here is an outline.

March 30th - Carlene heads to Tokyo to catch up with Dean for a couple of days before he finishes up and heads home.
April 2nd - Carlene and Sarah fly to Bangkok and meet up to start their trip together.
April 7th - We fly to London and stay at a backpackers for a few days before heading to Bath through Hungerford.
April 13th - Over the Channel to Vienna where we stay at a Bed & Breakfast and try out the coffee and pastries. We also have tickets to see the Spanish Riding School dancing white stallions.
April 16th - New York, New York! Again we stay in a hostel while taking in the sights of the big apple. Must see and do activities are Empire State, Tiffineys, Broadway and a carriage ride through Central Park.
April 19th - Train trip to the country.
April 20th - Flight to Washington DC
April 22nd - Fly t0 Saskatoon for a great catch up with everyone on Ambros Farm.
April 26th - Vancouver here we come. Catch up with Leigh & Angela, and getting Sarah settled for her stay in Canada.
May 8th - Carlene says goodbye to half her family and heads to Honolulu for a couple of days catching up on some sleep and enjoying the sunshine before a return to work.
May 11th - Fly home via New Zealand - arriving on May 13th. Start work on the 15th!

Begonia Festival

Well we have lived in Ballarat for 3 years now and finally managed to get along to the festival Ballarat is famous for. I must say that I was glad I had only driven 5 minutes down the road and not halfway across the State for the privilege!

While the flowers were pretty and the strawberry pancakes yummy, the whole experience took a little over an hour (I do wish I had eaten slower... too yummy!). At least it was mostly free to attend and the whole atmosphere was relaxed and village like. The cost to view the flowers in the giant glass house was a bit silly really,,,, they were in a glass house after all. We just looked from the outside!
The highlights for me were the sand castle sculpter and the Leonig type characters in a pedal boat.

The sail reads " The boat of Faith is kept afloat, by stars above and fish below" Very deep meaning... I think!?!

Country Fan

I have always been fascinated by this little caravan on the outskirts of the Mallee township of Horsham. I finally succumbed to my curiosity and stopped for a closer look. It appears to be a monument to country music with names of musicians painted all over. There are also small reminders of individuals who have obviously impressed the caravan's owner, including the two Tasmanian miners to survive last years cave in. While it may never make it to the Wonders of the World list, his devotion is obvious to all.