I wake up on unseasonably cool day, very grateful to live in such a beautiful country. A country where we are free to be who we wish. With a government, who in spite of many of our jokes and complaints, actually looks after it's people.
Something has been irritating me this week. When I was looking around for Australian funnies this week, I happened across a site (which shall remain nameless) by a woman who migrated here from another English speaking first world country. Her blog is just a bunch of complaints about living here with us and our ways.
For example, we don't sell our bread rolls sliced - Our bakers dropped a lot of the preservatives as they were known to have behavioural effects in children and bring on other health problems, so shock horror, they leave the rolls together to keep them fresh. Now that's 2 seconds per roll slice we are never going to get back - poor backward us!
Her other main complaint is the toilet. Here, generally speaking, the toilet has a room to itself usually located next to the bathroom, instead of being in the bathroom.
I mean seriously, if these things are something complaint worthy I think she would have to agree things aren't quite that bad.
As for me, I love this country and today I'm leaving you with a poem by Doroetha MacKellar another woman who loved this country and all its quirks!
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze ...
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
Happy Australia Day!
Mel xo
hmm, a lot of rolls here are not sliced! and there are many houses and hotels that have the toilet in a separate room from the sink. I refused to buy a house with the sink part in the main bedroom though - it is hard enough for me to sleep through my husband getting ready in the morning with him behind a closed door! he is the loudest tooth brusher and he uses an electric razor, so I would hate to hear that in my room!
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day!
Happy Australia Day to you my friend! We call toilets separate from the bathroom "water closets" and they're nice because they free up the rest of the bathroom. Geeze...some people are just always going to whine. What a gorgeous poem! I love that "Core of my heart, my country" line and it the "opal-hearted country", it all sounds so beautiful. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen sliced rolls in SA ..lol - she should be happy the toilet is not outside as many countries' still are. Happy Australia day, Mel !
ReplyDeleteSome people just like to complain!
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day!
Happy Australia Day. I hope one day I'll get to visit your beautiful country and, most of all, YOU. And, when I come visit, I won't care where the toilet is...well, as long as it's in a house, I'll be fine :) Enjoy your celebration.
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day to you my friend!
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day Mel! My goodness some people find the silliest things to complain about. I hope you have a great day! Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteOMG - the bread roll issue needs to be dealt with by the UN pronto!
ReplyDeleteHappy Australia Day!
ReplyDeleteI bet it's just wonderful there, it's certainly on many, many people's lists (including ours) of places they would love to visit!
Happy Australia Day - that poem is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI would love to have the toilet separate from the bathroom (might get a few minutes peace that way!) Methinks if the lady has chosen to live in your fab country, then she should embrace it wholeheartedly! I know I would :)
Have a great day, Estelle xx
Hmm, I'd be more worried about the possible snake in the bathroom. Yeah, that photo is still haunting me- thanks, Mel! :) Anyway, I consider a separate room for the toilet a blessing. So much nicer to not have to brush your teeth in the same room right after someone has "done their business" in there! I do like my bread pre-sliced (because I'm lazy), but I wouldn't complain about a whole country over it! The poem is beautiful, by the way. :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to someday get to Australia. As today is the 26th over here...HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY and long live lamingtons!!
ReplyDelete