New Computer

In case you didn't know, Dell is a difficult company to work with. Thanks to my Dad for calling and giving them a piece of his mind, they are (after 3 weeks of no help) going to send him a new computer which he will then turn around and mail to me in Mount Tamborine. Apparently, Dell US does not communicate with Dell OZ which is why I've had such a hard time fixing my computer. Thank you Dad for taking the time and working your magic to score me a new computer. I certainly hope this one works better than the last!

This past week, I've had a great time getting to know the family I'm staying with. Paddy and I have had a lot of fun working in the garden, feeding the chooks and whipper-snippering (weed-whacking) around the farm. Meg is an amazing cook! She loves to try new recipes and make great meals from scratch. She's encouraged me to try more Indian recipes which in the past I've shied away from. Romy loves to explore outside, play silly games, ride bikes and do art. She apparently loves all the WWOOFers that have passed through and claims them as hers. Tea is gradually opening up. She's extremely curious about America including what people wear to school and how blonde everyone's hair is. She's been to LA before where apparently all the girls looked like barbies with straight blonde hair. I told her that we don't all aspire to be a blonde barbie and wear lots of make-up. Mark and Brock came home this weekend for a few hours. They brought a different feel to the family, which was quite refreshing. I didn't really get to know them that well since they weren't here very long.

On Saturday, Damian came up from Brisbane to explore the mountain with me. We hiked to Witches Waterfall which consisted of a dribble of water off a steep cliff. It wasn't that impressive. The forest, however, was really neat. It was full of palms, vines and squawking birds. I keep waiting to hear a beautiful songbird in the forest like I did in Costa Rica, but so far the cockateals and kookaburras rule the forest melodies. Damo and I also went to Mount Tamborine's infamous Gallery Walk, which houses 20 or so little shops. We quickly learned that the mountain people have a fetish for fairies. 9 out of 10 shops had fairy do-dads and really strange magical memorabilia. At the end of our walk we stopped in the local beer brewery (Mount Tamborine Brewery) which hosts 8 beers some of which are made by Monks. The brewery also has a cheese factory and small pub. We enjoyed our beers, they were quite tasty, but decided to go the the Bowls Club for dinner. This was my second experience in a Bowls Club. Every town in Australia has a Bowls Club, which during the day hosts all the older people in the community for games of Lawn Balls and at night it turns into a 1970's roller rink bar filled with the single old men and younger folks looking for cheap beer and good steaks. The juke box, mullets and wind suits all add to the 1970's feel, but the carpet and retro lighting really pull it all together. I may just make it my mission to stop in every bowls club I come across. The things you see and hear about in these clubs would make a great book and may just give Bill Bryson's Sunburnt Country a run for it's money.