There were jet-trails up in our blue sky today - not much wind and we are nowhere near Europe. The little boats were out muttonbirding as it is last day of the season. It was a beautiful autumn day for it, but I stuck to my book. I may earn myself a halo if it is like this tomorrow! If the weather holds we'll dive for abalone some time next week - the joy of Flinders is that a diving /fishing trip is not much more time consuming than a trip to the shops was back in South Africa. And I don't have to take short steps and big ones (steering through people) and the air is not quite so second-hand. Yes, I don't like shopping malls much. How ever did you guess?
You know, I miss South Africa, my friends and my family, (and my dogs and cats, terribly - but at least they're coming) but we went along to the fundraiser for the island's ex-schoolbus driver (had a stroke, poor bloke, fortunately just as he came to a halt when he drove us on the garden tour, and then they found another bunch of other problems). The Lions were cooking snags and burgers and two local bands were going to play. We only stayed for about an hour, time to have a feed, a beer, and hear 'Wake up Little Susie' with an Australian accent. Heh. They weren't bad - I recognised the music even if the words were sometimes a mystery. It's easier than it was. It's always uncomfortable as newcomers at these things, but a fair number of people smiled and said 'howyergoing?' (to which the answer is 'good' even if you are dying and having one foot mauled by a man-eating shrimp. It all depends on how you say 'good' I think.). Noel the brain-surgeon/plumber (who operated on our pipes) was there and impressed to hear that not only had we caught Abalone in the area he advised, but also had been flounder-spearing and succeeded. "You're Islanders!"
"I thought that took thirty years?"
"They made it shorter these days. So long as you're not from Afganistan or what is that other place...(there is a freeze on Afgan and Sri Lankan refugees)
"Sri Lanka. No, not recently."
I don't think we're there yet, myself. But I am glad to be trying. Australians and the islanders just don't realise how good this place is.
Dave, the answer "good" is all in the tone and how drawn out it is. If you care about the person and they say good in a morose, sad way all drawn out, you have the option to ask, yualritmate (if male) or yualriteluv (if female)? Of course if you don't like them that much, you smile and keep on going because they are 'good'.
ReplyDeleteI think you are becoming an Islander much faster then you thought because you have come in and made yourself part of the community. I think with the way you and Barb have done this, you should become an Islander in hmm only 20 years :)
Something to look forward to.
Tan
I am really looking forward to being considered a "real" islander, but I am not sure even 20 years will do it. But already we know a lot of the locals.
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