gumnut babies, blossoms and big, bad banksia men

sometimes i marvel that i live somewhere that looks like this:

besides the beaches, there are the plants that make this place so dream-like. i remember coming to australia for the first time and feeling like i was in a new world, a fantasy land of crazy plants and animals. there are big, purple trees that look like something out of a dr. suess book, a bunch of bottle-brushy flowers hanging from trees, ginger spikes growing 15 feet tall like huge dragon tails, citrus, passion fruit vines, avocados and papaya in front yards. but, uh-oh, then there are the banksias! they look like this when they're past their prime:

and bub is deathly afraid of them. this one's stealing a little gumnut baby.** banksia man image taken from: http://images.absoluteastronomy.com/. ../banksia_man.png

more photos from our picnic at royal national park here

hello, little one!

so nice to see you (and your healthy kidneys!)

p.s.
that is it's foot up it's nose, not it's hand. scrunchy little monkey.

hello world i'm your wild girl

let me see, a bumblebee? and a giant slide.

happiness is a french apple tart

i managed to have a happy thanksgiving after all. seemed there were enough canadians around to enjoy a bbq together. and it gave me an excuse to make taha's favourite french apple tart, which reggie seemingly enjoyed, if the photo is any proof ;)

if you can't guess then i'd better tell you

*gulp*

that was me swallowing my homesickness when i just saw some recipes for thanksgiving and realised how soon it is. at home. how soon the cold, crispy dawn will break with frost patterns on the windows and the leaves all turning scrispy. the indian corn and pumpkins, the gourds and hallowe'en motifs in the windows and on the sidewalks of roncesvalles.

this year, maybe i have more reason than ever to celebrate thanksgiving. the question is, should i barbecue the turkey?

and p.s.
there is a song that is so super awesome possum. when i was in university, a friend of mine made me a mixed tape of all sorts of folk music and one song's lyrics ran something like this:

corn and potatoes, peanuts, strawberries
who gave them to us?
can anyone tell me?
before columbus, before the pilgrims,
these things and more all came from the indians:
the hopi the haida,
yes yes,
the inca the maya,
yes yes
the arawak the iroquois,
yes yes yes yes yes

there's lots more and i tried to google it to find out the entire lyrics and link to them, but (surprise, surprise!) it seems to be very obscure. i gotta go search for that mixed tape. if i can find it, that'll be another reason to celebrate. if i could find the maker of that tape, andrew whitney wilson, that would be another one. alas, some people seem lost forever.

it's time to...

welcome the new a.f.i. album. i must needs to buy it today, today!



davey havok. sigh. there's even a church of havok. now if we could get a church of sagan, i might consider being a polytheist.