away: to the central coast

Last week we spent a few days up the coast, just for fun. Theresa had generously told us that we were welcome to stay at their place while they're off globe trotting, and I had been dying to take her up on the offer. Their home is so nice, and it honestly felt like arriving at a hotel. Not to mention the fact that Mason's room is set up identically to Clementine's (with the same crib, same bumpers, same books and even the same artwork hanging), so she felt right at home! For the first night, my friend and her toddler joined us and then we had a day on our own.

The weather was terrible the first day and we didn't do much, but on day 2 we visited Jodi and Poet, then headed to Avoca to check out Like Minds. It came highly recommended and it didn't disappoint. They were even nice about our two crazy toddlers running around! If you go, please have a chai and a brownie for me. 

Before heading back home, we took a quick pitstop at Bohemian Traders HQ so I could pick up a top I haven't taken off since… We then headed to East Gosford where we stopped at the divine Piccolo Pear, grabbed coffee at Oomph and then walked over to a lovely playground. After a short walk we found ourselves at the Gosford Art Gallery, where the Japanese Gardens kept Clementine entertained for ages.

I'm already planning our next trip up. There are quite a few more places I want to visit, and if my husband comes next time, I might actually be able to sit and have lunch in peace! If you're planning a visit, this post from Jodi is great.

the cost of children

We have this neighbour who adores Clementine. Whenever he sees her, he grabs her, plays peekaboo, throws her up in the air, cuddles her and she just loves it. Yesterday he saw us coming in and came over to help. While he was goofing around with the little one, his friend said to him, "You know you can have one of these, right?" To which our neighbour replied, "Nah, I want a big house and a nice car before we have a baby."

If I had a penny for every time I heard something similar! One of my husband's friends said that he wouldn't have a baby until he had x amount of money in the bank, and it was a large sum. So many people seem to let money hold them back from starting a family, and I can't understand it. It's not as if the baby is going to bust out of your womb demanding to see your latest bank statement or requesting an SUV to be chauffeured around in.

Now, I'm not completely naive. I live in one of the world's most unaffordable cities; I know that money is important, I just don't think it's the most important. When my parents had me, they didn't have much. We lived in Cartagena where they worked as English teachers and tour guides. They certainly didn't let money, or lack thereof, stop them from having a baby and they didn't let having a baby stop them from living an adventurous life. Similarly, my husband and I happily had a baby while living in a funky little apartment, knowing that we still wanted to travel, and not being sure where we would end up living.

I've noticed that here in Sydney in particular, people are obsessed with home ownership and private school. It's something my husband and I have talked about at length, but I still don't get. Where I grew up in Vancouver, everyone went to public school, even the rich kids. If we waited until the day we could buy a house in Sydney and afford to pay private school tuition for two kids, we would miss our chance to have children. No exaggeration.

When you start talking about the cost of raising children, all sorts of figures get thrown around. Again, we're not immune to this and the fact that we're a bi-cultural family puts a big strain on us. We know that two children will most likely be our maximum as we need to be able to travel back and forth between Canada and Australia. But, I think that having a baby doesn't need to be the huge financial drain that everyone says it is. Most of the big tickets items we needed for Clementine (e.g. bassinet, stroller, crib, playpen, carseat, swing etc) we bought used, borrowed from friends or received as gifts. I even wrote a post about it here. Cloth diapering has saved us a lot of money, as has breastfeeding.

Apart from travel, our lifestyle costs us less now that we have a baby. I hardly ever buy clothes anymore, and we rarely go out. We use our car far less than we used to because my husband cycles to work and I find life easier when I stay in our neighbourhood. We gratefully accept hand-me-downs and our social life revolves around visits to the park or the beach. I'm glad we had our daughter when we did, fancy house or not.

motherhood around the world

a photo from my very first trip to Australia, when I was your typical Canadian backpacker

Today I am so, so excited to be featured on one of my favourite blogs, A Cup of Jo. Joanna's lovely editor, Caroline, interviewed me about my experience of being a Canadian mother in Australia. When she sent over the first round of questions, I found myself writing an essay in response to each and every one. It was the first time I've ever sat down, reflected on and put into writing all of my thoughts on being an expat. I had so much to say, and I kept thinking, "I should write a book about this!" For now though, you can read my interview here.

And if you've found your way here via A Cup of Jo, welcome! I hope you can make yourself a cup of tea and stay a while.

p.s. As a disclaimer, I know that my experience does not speak for all expats in Australia, or even for all Canadian expats in Australia. I did my best to keep that in mind as I answered the questions, and also to keep in mind that while I have travelled throughout Australia, I have only ever lived in Sydney. 

away: to the south coast

While my mom was here last month, we went down the South Coast for a few days. When we left Sydney we intended to stay for just one night, but we changed our minds as soon as we got there. It was just too good. I always love getting out of the city, and the South Coast really is the most magical place. The green rolling hills come right down to the ocean, and while you're swimming in the sea you can see cows grazing in a field next to you.

Some of our favourites from our short trip include:

• In Kiama, we loved the shop Deer Willow. My mom and I picked up matching Turkish beach towels that are so nice, they double as a drapey scarf.
• We stayed here, which was very kid friendly and has a beach and a pool. Score.
• In Berry, we had lunch at the famous Berry Sourdough Cafe. I know the lines there can be insane (we were there midweek and it was totally fine) but luckily there's Milkwood Bakery if you just can't wait for your pastries and coffee.
• Upon a recommendation from a friend, we checked out Harp Handmade in Berry. Beautiful Australia-made clothing and gelato, what could be better?
• Me oh my did I love the rock pool at Werri Beach. 

an escape (and some blue bottles)

Last week we spent a couple of days around Bateman's Bay with our friends. We took full advantage of the south coast's famous beaches, which reminded me, yet again, of just how funny life in Australia can be. On our first beach trip we were at a beautiful, deserted white sand beach. The ocean was the clearest blue, like in the tropics, and not too choppy. Have a look...

We all waded in, and were enjoying our cold swim when Ben spotted something floating at the top of the water. Then he spotted another one, and another one. One cry of "blue bottles" was all it took to send Alicia and I racing out of the water. The funny thing is that I didn't even know what a blue bottle was, but I knew if Alicia was running away, I sure as hell should be too. Want to see a blue bottle?

I quickly learned that a blue bottle is a jellyfish (I had guessed that much), that isn't deadly, but hurts like crazy if you get stung. That blue balloon shape is what floats at the top of the water, and beneath that its tentacles spread out and cause extreme pain if they happen to touch you. Husband remembers being stung as a kid and vomiting from the pain. None of us got stung, but I was certainly more careful next time we went for a swim! Here are the rest of our photos from our short trip...

seasonal envy disorder

via

Being a blogger, and an expat living in a country where the seasons are reversed, I seem to suffer from seasonal envy pretty much all year. But it gets so much worse in December! Every time December rolls around I feel like Dylan Moran talking about Ireland and the war: "What? What? There's a what on? Oh really? What I'm not dressed... Oh, oh, it's all over... oh well!"

I blame it on the weather. I find it nearly impossible to get in the spirit, and you know... buy gifts, put up a tree, decorate, bake gingerbread cookies etc, when it's 35 degrees outside and I'm heading to the beach. Christmas in Australia is, to me, as out of place as an elephant in Antarctica.

I also happen to be a Christmas baby, so this is the one time of year where all my celebrations are packed into a 12 hour period. Yet, I find myself wishing I was home listening to Sufjan Stevens Christmas carols, baking with my mom and watching the snow fall. And your blogs are not helping ;)

The funny thing is that based on your comments, I know that you have a bit of the same envy when you visit this space. I so often hear: "I wish I could go for a swim right now!" or "I want to see the sun!" So I don't really have a solution, I just felt like rambling. I suppose the solution would be to embrace Australian Christmas/my birthday for all of its quirkiness and stop wishing I was somewhere else. All I can do is try...

berry

 As much as I love living in the city, sometimes I just need to escape and find wide open spaces. On Friday husband and I did just that, with a spontaneous road trip to the south coast. 

We made it all the way to Berry, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of veggie pizza (for me) and grilled fish (for him) at the Berry Sourdough Cafe, before wandering around the main street. My favourite stop was definitely Lisa Madigan's The Store, which I found thanks to Jodi's recent post. Me oh my, it is magnificent. I wanted to buy everything, but I settled on a sea urchin candle and a cute chalkboard (I wanted the heart shaped chalkboard but husband convinced me to buy the circle...).

When the sun started to set, we headed for the beach where husband decided that a swim was in order. It was so, so cold and 5 pm but he dove right in. I stayed warm, obviously, and then we got back in the car and drove home in the dark. Refreshed.

on loving sydney

I've been a resident of Sydney, Australia, for 4 years now. FOUR YEARS. I can hardly believe it myself.

And while I was feeling a bit bored and cynical before I went to Vancouver, the brief time away seems to have rekindled my love affair with this city I call home.

Ever since I've been back I've been marveling at the beauty that surrounds me everyday. Yesterday I was early to class so I popped down to the beach where I was greeted by this breathtaking sunrise. Luckily for me, I had my camera in hand.

To be honest, I don't know where I'll be in a year, in 5 years, in 10 years.... I never thought that I'd stay here forever. For now though, I am so grateful that I get to live here.

holy guacamole!

Breaking news friends...

Our avocado tree has just given birth!

Ok, so we always knew that we had 2 avocado trees in the backyard, but until recently neither had borne any fruit. My flatmate and I were so excited today to step outside and pick some avos straight from our tree. We both had avocado toast for lunch, and I'm sure we'll be making guacamole soon. I think I'm just so excited because this kind of thing would never happen in Canada!

differences

Coming home after spending so long overseas brings up such a mix of emotions. It also gives you a very unique perspective on the place where you grew up.

It reminds me of the old joke about fish. One fish asks another fish, "how's the water?" The other fish replies, "what's water?"

We take so much of our experience for granted, and assume that what surrounds us is normal. It's what I love about traveling - it opens our eyes and gives us new perspectives. Moving to Australia, a country which many people see as similar to Canada, has changed me more than I can say. It's hard to imagine who I would be if I hadn't spent the last 4 years of my life there.

So, back to the fish. Here are, in point form, some of the differences I am noticing between Sydney and Vancouver.

* Canadians really do have a strong accent!

* People drive very big cars here. Huge.

* The streets in Vancouver are so straight, and so big.

* Vancouverites are a friendly bunch.

* Pennies are ridiculous.

* Fridges and ovens here are enormous compared to their Australian counterparts.

* Sales tax that isn't included in the price is a bummer. Seriously. In Sydney, the price you see is the price you pay. None of this, "surprise, add an extra 12%" nonsense!

* Tipping makes eating out crazy expensive (Aussies don't tip, for the most part, because employees are paid a fair wage).

* It's really cold here. Even when it's sunny.

* Vancouverites like their fleece and gortex :)

* Driving on the right side of the road is hard.

* People here treat every sunny day as if it were their last. It's really nice. Being a product of my city, I also tend to have a pathological fear of wasting a sunny day, which is pretty funny when I'm in Sydney.

* There are a lot of cyclists here and a lot of bike lanes, it's great!

* While people in Vancouver pull out their shorts as soon as the thermostat hits 15 degrees, Aussies bust out their beanies and scarves as soon as the temperature drops to 20 degrees.

* I could be wrong, but I think there are more dogs here.

* The mountains. Oh the mountains... They take my breath away. I have missed the mountains more than I can say.

p.s. My last weekend in Vancouver begins today! Ah, where has the time gone?

my life in iphone photos: round 11

Thinking I need a haircut. Drinking tea.

Rearranging at home. Cinnamon roll, yum!

Bourke St Bakery with nicole. A lovely building in Newtown.

Homemade noodle rolls for dinner. I made bread (as you know already)!

Catching up with a friend. Looking through our wedding album.

Australia Day. I love Arrested Development, and friends who wear Arrested Development t-shirts.

Making. Being lazy on the weekend.

Out for drinks with friends. On the windowsill.

I'm linking up with Jenni today, to check out other people's iphone shots go here. I hope you all had a great weekend!