January 2022 - INSPIRING MAX

This year I have just discovered a new and exciting weekly challenge, Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge. (CMMC) The theme of this week is words that contain the letter V. So in recognition of Australia Day yesterday, I decided to base my post around things important to Australia and Australians.

My first choice is the superfood of our nation, Vegemite. Full of vitamin B it is a unique taste. One fun thing we like to do is give taste tests to our international guests. Often the looks on their faces are priceless. Most Australians also don’t leave Australia without a jar packed in their suitcase. I love my larger size Vegemite from Costco.

Our country is an island so lifesavers are an essential part of our daily life. They do an amazing job saving many people from drowning and keeping our beaches, pools and rivers safe. While some are paid positions, many are volunteers supporting their communities.

The waves on our beaches are constantly changing. I love going to the beach during all seasons just to watch the waves. It is a peaceful exercise that helps to ground me. Unfortunately, it is not always safe to swim in the waves. Mother nature definitely rules. This summer every time I’ve had a day off the beaches have been closed so I haven’t had a swim yet.

Australians love their sport and one of our favourites is diving.

Rivers are another waterway Australia has a lot of. They can be coastal or inland and are reliant on the rainfall. This photo was taken at the end of last year when the rivers suddenly burst into major floods cut ting off towns and communities in a few hours. Drought is also a problem when the rivers dry up.

Sydney’s Vivid Festival is amazing. It is very creative and celebrates light, music and ideas. Every year it gets bigger and brighter with more displays over different parts of Sydney.

I love the Australian humour in this Lavatree outside a waste disposal centre in rural NSW.

On our travels we found amazing sculptures carved into the walls of an underground opal mine at Lightning Ridge.

Finally the last thing Australians love it traveling. For us this gaining a new momentum as we have just bought ourselves a new Iveco to carry our slide on camper. Vacationing in the Iveco a very fun way to visit.

Thanks to Cee for hosting her CMMC January V

If we were having coffee I would wish you happy New Year and tell you I can’t believe the last time we chatted was early November. Life has changed a lot in Australia since then. Most of Australia is open and we can travel to all states but Western Australia. The problem is Covid has taken over. Staffing is a problem for business as many people are either sick or isolating. Another problem is the shadow lockdown. Minimal spending as many of us are choosing to stay at home to minimize their risk of contracting Covid. It’s the health verse economy battle.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited my husband and I were to buy our new Iveco to carry our slide on camper (Ruby). We had spent months researching what to get and by the time we made our final choice we were told that there were none in the country and we needed to order one. Then out of the blue my husband made one further enquiry and they had one on site. It was perfect. It had everything we wanted and a bigger engine. To my delight it was also blue not boring white. So to add to the fun we have named it True Blue and together I have named them Truby.

You can’t miss us travelling on the road. Red and blue just like our local football team, Newcastle Knights. So if your in Australia and pass us don’t forget to wave.

If we were having coffee I would ask you about your Christmas. Our was a little different to usual this year as some family members made other plans to void the Covid risk of larger gatherings. Last years colours were purple and gold which together we dubbed Violet Crumble Christmas. A fun and busy day was had by all.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how weird it was last weekend when the tsunami warning from the Tonga volcano eruption, closed our beaches. I don’t think I have ever seen our beaches look so bare. Usually if no one is swimming, someone is surfing. It was strange. The baths were full of people as they weren’t at risk.

I was a little fascinated with the red flag with the diamond in the centre by the side of the baths. I’m assuming it was a warning to the surfers who regularly surf of the rocks nearby. I had never before noticed a diamond on the usual no swimming flag.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I liked someone’s simple ide of putting baubles in a gum tree outside their house. What a great Aussie way to acknowledge Christmas.