The Last Pub

There are still many things to ponder about Perth and Australia. 

The menus with entrees, the great Australian fly, a sampling of fast foods including Maccas and Hungry Jacks.

But it's time for the blog to end, and where better to end that at a pub?

Now I've been to many a pub in my Australian stay including a few since my pub update in December.

Gingin

Dalwallinu

Freemason's (Toodyay)

Freemason's (Bridgetown)

Collie

Goomalling

Wokalup

I realized that I have done a large amount of pondering while riding through the wheatbelt and bush of Western Australia in a ute with the windows down. 

The combination of black bitumen, red sand, white bark and green leaves of the gum trees and a blue sky (or rainbow!) are one of my favorite images.

And now as I perthfect ponder for the last time for awhile, I can't help but think of all the reasons I fell in love with country Australian pubs. Here's a list of 10:

*Pub patrons are always good for a yarn - For someone who is more introverted than some and doesn't mind a bit of silence, they can share stories of farmers, pub gossip, or just the daily news, someone there will be able to talk your ear off.

*Publicans will often go out of their way to make you feel special - whether it's giving up their kid's room in their private home so you can stay upstairs, finding a bottle of bubbles with a fresh picked flower, or just calling by your name (or nickname).

*Pubs have strong country values, like a cowboy code or the country wave. The meals are hearty,  the beer isn't overcharged, and strangers are welcomed. They open early and sometimes go to bed early, support the community, and respect family life.

*Sometimes pubs take you out of your comfort zone - the stains on the carpets, the holes in the wall, long walks down dark hallways in the middle of the night, and ghost stories accompanied by bumps in the night. But as the morning light returns, a part of you feels like you belong there and always have.

*Pubs accept you for who you are - No dress codes like city bars (just please leave your work boots at the door), from age 1 to 100, and even with a funny American accent.

*Pubs care about the little things - There's always a fresh towel and bar of soap on your bed, a warm electric blanket or pedestal fan, vegemite for your breakfast toast, and a kettle for afternoon tea. Simple and thoughtful.

*When you're at a pub, you feel like the world disappears - Most of them have no phone reception and the world news (other than footy scores) takes an extra 24 hrs to travel the extra 100+ kilometers. Cuddling up and watching a 20 year old DVD is the only thing to pass the time (other than above mentioned yarn with the locals).

*As times change and the world progresses, the country pub remains loyal to its roots - The traditions of Slim Dusty in a Queensland pub can still be found today and hopefully for many decades to come.

*Pubs will always leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling, even on the coldest or roughest days - Sometimes it's a class of Shiraz or just the glow from the jarrah logs in the fireplace.

*To some pubs are nothing extraordinary, but they can sure make a day (or even a life) become extraordinary.

Pubs are the perfect match for me.

So that leaves me at the last pub. 

Kukerin, Western Australia circa 1928. 

It's where this story ends, but another begins.

Kukerin

And while I may leave the Aussie country pubs for a while, the pubs, the memories, and Australia will always be a part of me. Australia will always feel like a home to me.
I know I will be back among the gumtrees.
You will find me on the veranda...

And as I walk through this world, a little piece of Australia will walk through this world with me.

To my pubbin' partner and favourite Australian "souvenir"...

It's for the birds

I've been meaning to write this blog for ages. 

I'm just not good at taking pictures of birds. 

Partially because I'm scared of them and it's difficult to get near enough to something that's flighty and that you're terrified of. 

But I am finally sucking it up and doing the infamous bird blog, ready or not.

On a daily basis, I can't hide from them. I swear I've come centimeters from running over ducks on my bike (and sadly I know someone who has so it is possible!). They're EVERYWHERE.

Pelicans - they are HUGE

Cormorants - make me think how much I like basking in the sun.

Seagulls

More seagulls by the lion king tree

Peacocks - the noble kind that hang around the campus of the University of Western Australia

Kookaburras - I'm very good at pronouncing this word too as he sits in the old gum tree, eating all the gum nuts he can see.

Rainbow lorikeets - make me think I'm in a tropical paradise

Swamphens

Scary magpies

Emus!

Black Swans on the Swan River

Cheeky ringnecks coming for my breakfast in Toodyay (aka 28's)

Terrifying magpies, Before coming to Perth, I had several encounters with Northern Mockingbirds on the streets of Columbia, South Carolina. They were coming to take my eyes out. I swear! Here, the dangers are magpies. Seriously, being "swooped" is a thing. SERIOUSLY.  I've been swooped.( Did I mention I don't like birds?)

That doesn't even included cockatoos (red and white tailed), corellas, galahs, willy wagtails, ibises (apparently one of the dirtiest birds), wedge-tail eagles, the random deformed bird that lived by Burswood casino, and the birds I have no idea what their names are. 

But by far, the bird that is most iconic to my Australia adventure is the Australian raven.

I've had the intentions of recording one at our numerous lunches where the annoying birds are waiting for a crumb. But I've decided I can no longer be bothered, and have stolen their "beautiful song" of the Google.

Before my parents came to visit, they would hear a weird noise in the background over the phone. When they got here, they quickly realized that these "crows" were the noisiest and most obnoxious birds on the block.

So my advice if you ever visit Australia and hear a tweet, caw, or warble. cover all soft tissue (eyes!), close mouth, cover head with arms and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. 

Forget the deadly snakes, spiders, and sharks. 

It's the birds!