Beachy Keen

Lauren's one request when she arrived here for the holidays?

So we did. Canberra's a land-locked city but we're a fairly easy, well-worth-the-2-hours drive to the coast.

These views helped us feel less homesick for our traditional White Christmases of the past.
(And if you're reading this from frigid winter land, remember the tables will turn in a few months!
In the meantime, just treat this as an armchair vacation and I'll do the same in July.) 

We read, walked, body surfed, napped, and picnicked away the day*.

Is it just me or has Sam had a summer growth spurt lately?

Such a happy day. Absolute contentment.

Now Sam's at EFY in Sydney (Maddy's age group goes next week), Lauren's in India, Greg's at work, Maddy is with friends, and I'm holding down the fort and recovering from the post-holiday blahs (do you get those, too?). 

. . .

*You'll notice that we took sun protection very seriously that day. Earlier in the week we had all experienced the consequences of a somewhat more casual approach to sun protection:

LESSON. LEARNED.

Sweet Aussie music finds, part 2

I know I'm revealing my inner music geek here--you know, the same one who in jr. high thrilled to find obscure British bands she thought no one in Cache Valley had yet discovered? But the good Aussie music finds just keep coming and I really love sharing music gems. So here are a few more favorites (see part 1 here). 

Mia Dyson
- Blues singer with a sound similar to Brandi Carlisle
- moved to the US, has toured with Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks, and Chris Isaak
- try I Meant Something to You Once

Matt Corby
- mellow acoustic singer with a sound a little like Jeff Buckley 
- beautiful, melancholy songs
- try Made of Stone,  Light Home

San Cisco
- indie pop band with a low-fi garage band sound--reminds me of the Ting Tings
- upbeat tempos and hooks (but some mellower stuff, too)
- try Awkward, Reckless 

Boy & Bear
- a bit of a Mumford & Sons sound
- won breakthrough songwriter of the year 2012 from APRA
- toured with Mumford & Sons, Angus & Julia Stone and others
- try Mexican Mavis, Feeding Line 

Paul Greene & The Other Colours
- mellow, upbeat, versatile
- reminiscent of Neil Finn (Crowded House), Elvis Costello
- Greene's also a runner and competed in the Atlanta Olympics (!) 
- try Her Minor Key , Behind the Stars

p.s. I've compiled many of our favorites onto an Australian Alternative playlist here.

The shorts and the short of it

First there's this hilarious Aussie ad that's had us in stitches:

Then there's this admittedly sneaky photo I took of a male science (no, not PE) teacher when we were touring Maddy's school:

Yes, the guys do wear their shorts quite a bit higher here.

advent tree

As the movers carried our Christmas tree box into the house last month they called to me, "you Americans sure like your Christmas trees, don't you?"

Yes. Yes, we do. We brought an artificial tree here, unsure whether fresh pine trees would be available or affordable (turns out not really, on either count). We didn't bring many of our holiday decorations but I was adamant about the tree. I placed her in the kitchen bay window the day after Thanksgiving, gently yoking her with the laden task of making us feel holidayish in the midst of a heatwave*. 

And it's mostly worked. Well, the lights worked with the adapter for about 15 minutes. They burned manically bright and then, a few minutes later, Sam called "Um...the lights are flickering!" and by the time I came into the room they had dimmed and some had gone out. But no matter.  Just her green presiding presence--almost matriarchal--makes me feel grateful and full hearted. 

She's not fully dressed yet, our tree. We're waiting to fully decorate her until we are all five here together, which will be about December 20th. In the meantime, I decided to use it for a simple advent tree for the kids (especially since apparently I didn't feel as adamant about bringing our old beloved playmobil advent set). I rounded up some craft paper envelopes, plain old labels cut into flags, and a mix of goodies and fun activities as contents to reveal each day. (Never mind that I missed the first three days or that the later day envelopes don't actually have anything inside yet. Baby steps.)

 She's a work in progress but, as I'm feeling keenly lately, aren't we all?

*Over the weekend it was 97 degrees. That was when I had epiphany #45098: The first Christmas took place in a warm climate, too. So I decided to just embrace it, move on and get festive.

Sweet (new-to-us) discoveries

Part of the fun of moving across the globe is sampling a whole new music scene. Happily, there is a lot going on here in Australia with a wealth of talented artists that just don't get the exposure in the states--at least not yet or not as much. While we were already fans of some of these before we came here (I'm looking at you, Angus & Julia Stone and The Temper Trap), it's been fun to discover what we've been missing out on. 

Here are a few new-to-us Aussie faves that you might like, too (and, yes, for those of you who are Australians, it's probably old news):

Little Red
- 4-piece indie pop band (sadly they just broke up in July, though)
- upbeat, happy energy and a bit of a retro sound in some of their songs
- try Rock It , Coca Cola

Angus & Julia Stone
- brother-sister duo with unique voices and close harmonies
- Big Jet Plane was their big breakout, also used on movie soundtracks and commercials
- try Big Jet Plane, I'm Not Yours, Just a Boy

The Temper Trap
- The lead, Mandagi, was originally a busker in Melbourne
- I first loved them on the soundtrack for 500 Days of Summer 
- try Sweet Disposition, Trembling Hands

Lanie Lane
- blues+jazz singer-songwriter-guitarist (and florist, to raise money for her album)
- charming, eclectic sound
- just won best independent blues & roots album
- try That's What You Get for Falling in Love with a Cowboy, What Do I Do

The Rubens
- a fairly new band (started in 2011) but they are gaining fast
- soul + blues + rock, reminiscent of the Black Keys (who they opened for here)
- try Lay It Down, My Gun, Never Be the Same

More to come...