On July 1st we celebrated Canada Day with our resident Canadians, Sarah and Duncan. Our Canada Day (or EhDay as Andrew and I like to call it) included a trip to Minus5, a plate of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup, some Kokanee and noodles from Wagamama.

Minus5 is one of Sydney's newer bars. Billed as the "Coolest Experience", it's a gimmick bar where everything is made from ice. The walls, bar, chairs and glasses are all made from ice. The place is dotted with ice sculptures: a Sydney Harbour Bridge, a Kangaroo, and a Maple Leaf especially for Canada Day. There is also a very funky ice chandelier. As protection from the cold, clientele are given big coats and gloves to wear. For ladies wearing inappropriate footwear, minus5 have ugg boots on hand. (Of course, both Sarah and I, wearing sensible shoes, didn't need to borrow stinky ugg boots.)

The entry fee of $30 includes thirty minutes in the bar and a free drink. They claim that it's too cold to spend more than thirty minutes inside, but I think they just want to cycle people through for maximum profit.

Is it worth the $30 price tag? I think the boys aptly described the "experience" as "thirty minutes in a meat locker". Yes it was different, yes it was kinda cool (hur-hur) but it certainly wasn't worth $1 a minute. Luckily we got a Canada Day discount and only paid $15 each (and Sarah and Duncan sneakily got in for free).

Happy Canada Day! Thanks to Sarah and Duncan for letting us tag along. We had a really neat time. (photos)

I am thankful for my hunky husband, my loving and supportive family and the great bunch of friends we hang out with. I am thankful that I live in a country where I have the right to express my opinion without fear of persecution. I am thankful that Andrew and I are both healthy, that we have clean drinking water and enough to eat everyday. I am thankful for a challenging job that stimulates my mind. I am thankful for my Thursday morning box class and Ultimate Frisbee. I am thankful for Tim Tams, the Natural Confectionary Company jellies and Diet V. I am thankful that the Car Rally will be over after this weekend. I am thankful that I have 10 cans of Rexona Musk in our bathroom cabinet. I am thankful for the beautiful view I'm treated to when I cross the Harbour Bridge on the train. I am thankful for raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... just kidding about that last one!

I am thankful to Sarah and Duncan who hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner last weekend. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

J likes chicken	Before	After	threesome

Happy Eh Day, eh! What am I talking aboot? I'm talking aboot Canada Day, eh. Canada Day is celebrated on July 1^st and commemorates the creation of the Dominion of Canada. Last weekend, the two canucks in our midst, hosted a Canada Day party at their hoos. We spent our hard-earned loonies on a twofer and some KD. We drank beer or pop and ate Duncan's severed dicks and Nanaimo Bars. We had a really neat time. Thanks Sarah and Duncan for hosting such an awesome party. (photos)

One sunny Saturday, a few weeks ago, we played lawn bowls in Balmain to celebrate Sarah's 4th Birthday (actually her 29th, but her 4th in Australia). We played some tops games of bowls, we drank some tops beer and cider, we ate some tops pizza at Il Casale and completed the evening with some tops gelato from Gelatissimo. YES! It truly was a tops day! (*G* we'd decided early on in the day that people don't use the adjective "tops" enough anymore. We plan to rectify this situation.)

My team, which included J and Mark, wasn't faring too well and we were trying to decide on a winning strategy. We figured that old people are good at lawn bowls, so if we "channelled the granny" we might start to play well. I urged the boys to start thinking about chunky knitted jumpers, big undies, Rove McManus and old women with whiskers. Unfortunately, Mark refused to think about big granny undies and proceeded to imagine Natalie Portman naked. Suffice to say, his bowl ended in the ditch at the end of the green.

The granny of the match award goes to Andrew and John. They formed an unbeatable combination and won every game they played. (My quest continues... I'm still trying to find something that my husband can not do well. Being punctual? Wearing matching coloured socks? Any suggestions?)

Happy Birthday Sarah! We hope to share many more Aussie birthdays with you. (photos)

How to think like a granny, win lawn bowls and influence people

I have a public apology to make to Sarah. At box this morning I was a no show, even though I told her yesterday I was up for it. I left Sarah without a partner and she had to pair with a stranger (potentially a smelly boy or a sloppy puncher!). What was the reason for my non-appearance? Well, I didn't roll over at 5am and decide not to go, my ankle wasn't hurting and I didn't have food poisoning. I just failed to remember that today was Thursday... box day. I forgot what day of the week it was! As you can imagine, with two weeks to W-Day, I have a few things on my mind at the moment and apparently I'm having trouble remembering everything (like what day of the week it is). I'm actually blaming my truancy on a malfunction in my anamnesis stimulator device... yes, I forgot to write "GYM" on my hand!

I'm sorry, Sarah! I'll make sure it doesn't happen again (shame Jess shame!).