CBD

It has been a busy couple of days and looks like it will be that way until Monday when I return home. Yesterday Missy & I did a bit of site seeing at the CBD and today we were able to spend some time in the kitchen together baking and cooking... I have missed that...and one of my favorite things that we have done together.

CBD Central Business District

That's what they call downtown around here. Missy and I got up early yesterday and with our usual "extra site seeing " ( code word for lost ) made our way to the CBD. It was a beautiful day! Not too cold or hot.... Perfect sweater weather. We stopped in at Lulabelle's for lunch and a cappuccino and continued our way to the CBD.

Lulabelle's for lunch

Parking is always a challenge and Missy was congratulating herself when we pulled into a 4 hour parking slot and only had to pay $5. Of course we walked 5 blocks....but it was a nice stretch alongside Queen Victoria Park and we were happy to be together to share the day.



CBD

Our first stop was the tourist information center for maps and instructions and then we caught the free tourist bus to St. Patrick's Catholic Church. That was the church that I had on an earlier post. It is so beautiful. We were able to go inside and even sit quietly and pray a bit.

St. Patrick's Church

Then we caught the free trolley that makes a loop of the CBD. We rode the entire loop of the downtown area with narration of all the sites. We saw the dockland area....and all the old buildings. It is a major port with a large customs area. Melbourne is a really interesting mix of old Victorian and very contemporary new buildings. It is one of those rare downtown areas that is very clean and beautiful. They are doing some massive developing of dockside living and it is one of the hottest places to live. We also saw the Parliament Area. It is really pretty. I took a picture of their version of a fire hydrant.... Pretty funny looking.

Parliament Building &

their version of a

Fire Hydrant





Then we stopped in at the Immigration Museum. I was fascinated by the way Australia was populated.... and the history of the aboriginal and other native born people of that area. Then we headed up to the Yarra River to have Sticky Date Pudding.. It is very similar to Sticky Toffee Pudding in the UK and one of my favorite desserts when I can find it. It was marvelous! It is served warm with a toffee sauce and ice cream....and we quickly devoured it.

Yarra River





We did a bit more shopping for today's baking at my favorite store....Safeway.... and made it home and decided to just call out for pizza. We were pooped!

My Favorite store....Safeway

Today we started early this morning making treats for Missy's office party. It is a Halloween theme and we made spider and monster cupcakes, a cake that looks like a pumpkin, popcorn balls, these spider things made out of Chinese noodles, a pumpkin roll and we are taking guacamole and chips. On top of that I prepared Missy & Wes one of my specialties for dinner... Roladen with potato dumplings and cheese blintzes for dessert. Missy and I stood and cooked all day. We are exhausted tonight but it was such fun doing it together.

Spider & Monster Muffins

We have an early morning tomorrow to set up for her party and then we will go out to dinner. Saturday I think we are planning to go to the Yarra Valley. I am not sure what all we will see but will report all about it when we return.... I think we are out to see Kangaroos though.... :-)

Have a Blessed Day!

Elaine

Wally Boy

Morning Prayer
Heavenly Father, a new day is just beginning. Fill me with your joy and peace. I do not know what the day will bring but I ask for your guidance and wisdom. I pray for those I love and ask that any stress flow from me now and that you fill me with your grace. In your name, Amen

Wally Boy

Wally is on a diet. A visit last week to the vet for an exam began Wally's journey to health and vitality. He didn't know he was fat....but he was about to. It was overall a very bad day for Wally. Not only did they clean his teeth and extract a bad one, but they bathed and skinned him too. He hated these periodic customs of hygiene. A streetwise rescue dog learns to rely on cunning and instinct rather than the appropriate social customs of his new family. He let us all know when he came home that he was not happy.

His new guide to eating included an organic healthy mix designed for overweight more mature adult dogs. That translates to tasteless pellets disguised as food....and no scraps at the table. He used his best tactics to get our sympathy but tough love was in order in the McFarland house....because we cared about old Wally Boy.

Wally's point of view

Well Mate, it's like this. I wasn't too stressed over this diet routine. I practiced patience and knew it would all end sooner or later. I knew how my family tended to have a hectic busy schedule....that spells success for me. They would fall into the old routine of feeling guilty and give in with some treats or better yet leftovers. I practiced my best whine and lay around feverish with little energy. When that didn't work I crawled into a bed I rarely use and faced the wall.... pouting can be very effective. When that didn't work I decided negative attention would be better than no attention. Being banned to the back yard was not the results I had hoped for. Life was not good...for a pit bull...disguised as a poodle mind you.

As the days wore on..... and withdrawal from the good life set in....I really did get depressed. Starvation was not how I expected to leave this life. I had thoughts of breaking out and foraging some good garbage cans. To make matters worse they brought in the gestapo. Oh she looks like your idea of a picture book Mum...but make no mistake...this granny is a Rambo.

We squared off on day one. I gave her my low rumbling growl when she sat near me. She just reached over and scratched my ear. THAT was when I knew she was lethal. I played the aloof card with her.....and she just ...ignored me....smiling and singing her way through the day.... disgusting! I decided cunning was in store ....so I waddled over and gave her a nuzzle. She got mean then and softly called me.... Wally boy....and scratched my ears again. Trouble in Glen Iris! Then she started moving furniture. She is on some kind of mission and my family is all caught up in it... They seem less patient with ole Wally Boy and focused on the " new thing." My box of doggie toys even got moved out. I am trying to subdue my natural inclination to mark my territory because I know it will be all out war if I do. Whats a pup to do?

We all took a big trip together. I was a happy hound. I was ready to go Roo or Dingo hunting but they held me back.... they know my unleashed strength and did it for my own good. This trip was a good distraction for the ole boy...helped me forget my lingering starvation. Matter of fact I am beginning to feel some youth in my bones.

So what's the big deal with a little cleanliness and order when it brings peace and harmony in the house. I am kinda liking the good smells....I can at least enjoy that if I can't have any. Best of all my family is real happy now when the smells are good. They come in and sit at the big table where the scraps come from and talk and pray and stuff... If they are happy....ole Wally Boy is happy and I guess I can take anything they want to dish out. I even gave the ole woman a nuzzle for real this time....and let her know I was protecting her too. She must have known it because she scratched my ears again and said, " Your a good boy Wally. " Yea....I'm a wimp. But whats a pup to do?

Evening Prayer

Lord I still my restless heart in your presence. I rejoice that I am safe in your keeping. Show me mercy and forgiveness and grant me peace. Give strength to the weak and gentleness to the strong. Bring your company to the lonely and in your presence may all find rest.

May God Bless Your Day & Night,

Elaine

If I wanted to be rich in Australia

Monday Oct. 27th

Good Afternoon!

We had a nice day yesterday....shopping, working on the baby's room and Wes made us Fajitas on the grill!

Shopping, as always, is a delight to me. We found yet another of my favorite kind of shops........ can you say discount!

The owner appeared to be Asian and his prices were good. It was about the size of a Texas bathroom and shop owners use every square inch of those little shops to display their goods. The challenge is making your way down each aisle without knocking something off....especially if you have an armful of goodies. This day's quest was shelves for the baby's room. Of course we found other items of interest along the way. ;-) I love the little spoons here.... small ... not as long or big as ours, but perfect for coffee or tea so if I find them for a good price...I must have one..or two...or.....

Baby Shelves

We found our shelves, and a few other items and a spoon or two for me and headed to the American Store.

The American Store

The biggest event of our day was the much anticipated trip to the American store. A great deal of planning and lists of requests and last minute urgent cell phone calls of yet another thing to add to the list was going on with as much fervor and popularity as the movies show us of a bookie at a horse race. We parked in one of the four allotted parking spaces, an Aussie oversight I will never understand, and took one of the most unusual little wheeled baskets I have ever seen and made our way to this haven of American luxuries. It was about the size of my living room and every aisle was packed with shoppers! The treasures this goldmine yielded came in the way of Lucky Charms, Moon Pies, Captain Crunch, Pop Tarts, Bisquick and the such or the coveted Dr. Pepper & A & W root beer for Wes & Missy. There was a price for these jewels though. A little 2 oz. package of Gold Fish that Wes longed for was $1.60!!

A 12 ounce bag of Chocolate Chips was nearly $20!! A bag of candy corn was nearly $6!! It was nice though to see the beloved familiar items that Americans hold dear and I mentally began making my Christmas list for items to purchase for them when I return to America.

My initial reaction to the price paid for these necessary to the American way of life items was astonishment, followed by outrage and finally my capitalist juices began to mentally calculate the profit. If I wanted to be rich in Australia I would open another American Store! These folks were driving from all over Victoria to come to shop American regardless of the unappealing industrial district, with no parking, in a building smaller than a good Texas garage! Yes, there could definitely be some profit here! Judging by the packed out popularity of Nachos Restaurant, I could throw in a Mexican Restaurant and see Australian dollar signs! With our $20 case of A & W and the small but carefully handled sack of the rest of our booty ( to the tune of $70! ) we headed to the local Safeway.

Safeway is my favorite store. Other than the crazy shopping carts, with wheels that rotate in all directions as you go forward ( an Aussie plot to give more exercise to the individual I am convinced ) I find no fault with this clean and efficient store with nice roomy aisles.

I manhandled my derelict basket as well as any Mum and maneuvered myself inside and Missy and I found the needed items. I gathered up another package of Strong Bitey Cheese which is reminiscent of Vermont White Cheddar and a daily favorite of mine with my pumpkin seed bread. I selected another carton of cream for my coffee, ( our pathetic attempt at cream pales in comparison ) and an hour later we loaded up the Land Rover and headed for Montana Street.

The Land Rover

My stomach may never be the same after being the passenger in any moving vehicle on Aussie streets, much less the McFarland Land Rover. When Missy puts the jeep in gear my stomach does a pretzel knot so tight even a surgeon could not untie it. I have immediate mixed emotions of laughing hysterically at the oncoming light poles and eeking ( instead of screaming with my tonsils hanging out!) as trucks and cars nearly scrape the sides of our vehicle at high speeds which appears to be no big deal to anyone in Australia...including my American daughter! Missy makes repeated calls to Wes for directions .... he is destined for sainthood on this score alone.. ( I suggested a GPS might be beneficial ) and we take alot of accidental streets on the way to wherever we are going. ( just for a little extra sight seeing mind you if one could focus at such a high rate of speed ) I was informed yesterday that Aussies do not take the street lines very seriously. Good gosh a mighty!!!

Missy, chatting about this and that, will turn once in awhile to inquire if I am ok. I hastily tell her she is doing a fabulous job of driving.... and heave a sigh of relief when she faces forward..with a bit of a smile....to the oncoming traffic. As we make our way into the house after a nail biting routine of fitting their Land Rover into the golf cart size driveway sandwiched between the house and fence, I proclaim I feel a bit nauseous

and am going to take something to calm my stomach....like a tranquilizer....and lay down for a bit of a rest. :-)

The Drive Way

My stomach rallied for Wes' amazing fajitas and after dinner we enjoyed the next round of Australian Idol.

May God bless your week!

Elaine

My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless His holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all His blessings. (Psalm 103: 1,2 )

Monday Morning &

off to the office

The Australian Bush and The Great Ocean Road

We are home from our amazing weekend trip to the Australian Bush and Great Ocean Road. I can see why they talked so much about it! Dramatic first comes to my mind....along with charming, friendly, spectacular, amazing!

THE TRIP





Wally hanging out the window



With Wally hanging his head out the window....tongue wagging in the wind....we headed off to the Australian Bush. Sheep farms and small little towns would be a good description of that....with fewer people. It felt a bit like traveling back to the 1950s .... a much less complicated world. We arrived late and driving down that dirt road looking for our cottage in the dark reminded me of so many times Larry & I found ourselves going down roads to nowhere....knowing we were going somewhere together.

The cottage turned out to be lovely.... a farm type atmosphere....with the appropriate pond, goats, sheep, cows and horses. Before long Wes had a great fire going for warmth.....and Missy had our dinner of a nibbly tray ready for us to devour. Wally kept running off into the dark which sent us shouting after him ....afraid he would find some great hairy beast. The night sky was a sight to behold. The whole Continent of Australia has about the population of the state of Texas and they all must go to bed early... it was dark out there!!! The heavens nearly sat on top of us! The stars were huge.....and the dark night so clear. The constellations are upside down from the way we know it in the northern hemisphere and we searched the night for the southern cross that pointed the way to the south pole.




Wes & Wally with the goats






Eventually Missy headed off to the bedroom ...an exhausted mum to be...who had greatly depleted her energy on the road .....and we were not too far behind her. Sometime in the night something large landed on the roof....... like a cow or horse. The roof didn't cave in....and my bed was warm.....so I decided in the Australian Bush one doesn't make a fuss over something like that and let sleep win the tug of war with consciousness.



Australian Bush Cottage















After cinnamon toast & coffee we were off to The Great Ocean Road. We made a few stops in darling little coastal towns, hugging the sides of the Otway Range that is full of waterfalls, rain forests and great peaks and glens. In Apollo Bay I had a vegetable and cheese pastie for lunch with a chocolate eclair that would make you cry... :-)













Back on the road Missy said I should start watching the trees along the road for Koala Bears. Somehow I imagined them in an animal reserve....rather than like squirrels in trees along the side of the road. Before long I was yelling.... " Stop the car...stop the car! I see them!" Hopping and jumping I made it to the tree line to find my Koalas and carefully aiming my camera I found them dotted about here and there in the trees .....hugging the trunks!! We had to make several more stops as I couldn't seem to get enough pictures of these amazing little bears.




Koalas


Soon we saw signs posted on the side of the road.....that had a picture of a Kangaroo....instead of deer....to indicate that they were in the area! Sadly the only Kangaroo I saw had gone on to meet his maker....much like Armadillos do on the side of the road in Texas. We also saw a Dingo in a similar fashion. Wes & Missy told me I would have another opportunity to hopefully see some live ones on our trip next weekend....and I can hardly wait!


The Great Ocean Road

No wonder they call it Great! It is surely a wonder of the world! Sheer amazing cliffs and dotted about in the surf are the twelve apostles.... tall remains of a surf and weather battered coastline.

At one point a sign that referred to the great expanse of ocean before us said

Next Stop Antarctica.

I pose for a sign that says Next Stop Antarctica!!! That was sobering to look out on that huge stretch of ocean knowing that just south is Antarctica and the south pole! Wow!

After walking the whole observation area we began our scenic drive back to Melbourne.

When we arrive home we settled Wally in and headed off to Nachos Cantina for Aussie style Mexican food. We all shared a huge plate of respectable nachos and Missy & I shared an enchilada plate. It wasn't like home but it was mighty good to this Texas girl hungry for some Mexican food. :-) We watched the movie Ironman and then off to bed.






Nachos Cantina




Missy & I are off to get the baby cot ( crib ) and we are working on the baby's room today.

May you have a blessed sabbath!
Elaine

Check out my older posts down at the bottom of the gallery ( archived posts ) or bottom of the blogs.... older posts.

FYI

If you are new to my blog you can read older posts ( If you want to go back to when I first arrived. There are some cool photos. ) Just go down to the very bottom of the blog page and you will see Older Posts Click that and it will take you to them. It archives after so long. Also you can click on most of the photos and it will enlarge them. There is a place for leaving comments if you would like to or you can email me.

Blessings,
Elaine

Pennyroyal Farms

A quick note this morning. We are packing and preparing for our little trip to Pennyroyal Farms...the cottage that Wes & Missy rented for the weekend. This is what I know about it...
( I will annotate in red where the wording might be confusing. I took this off the website. )http://www.greatplacestostay.com.au/ex_frameset.asp?url=www.pennyroyalfarminfo.com&title=Pennyroyal+Farm

• Huge sundecks with outdoor furniture and BBQs

• Pet friendly Full entertainment centre


• Wood burning heater and ample firewood
  
• Cork floors in main room, bathroom and laundry


• Soaring timber ceilings


• Leather furniture Linen and towels supplied


• Reverse cycle air-conditioner and ceiling fans


• DVD player


• Auto wash machine ( I think this is a big deal over here )

• Sleeping: Sleeps 6 • Two queen bedrooms downstairs


• Ensuite shower and toilet to master bedroom ( ensuite means bathroom in your room. Potty is called toilet...and that includes a public restroom....it is referred to as a toilet )


• All beds have feather doonas and electric blankets. ( I will let you know when I get there but I assume a doonas is a comforter. Electric could be good as cold as I have been. :-)


• Two single beds in galley bedroom (may be unsuitable for the very young or the elderly)


• Carpeted bedrooms.


• Kitchen: Microwave • Stove • Crockery & cutlery • Basic kitchen supplies • Cypress-slab benches.


• Bathrooms: Full-sized bath in separate bathroom • Separate toilet


• Picturesque valley with trout fishing Peace and quiet Pet friendly bushwalks ( I can only assume a bushwalk is a country side walk..... but it is intriguing...and I will let you know what I find out )


• Two local pick-your-own berry gardens (cafe open seasonally) ( how fun!)


• A central base to explore the forests and waterfalls of the Otway Ranges by car About 20 minutes from the coast and several golf courses ( that sounds exciting!)


• Walk to the country general store and dog-friendly cafe and bar ( what did I tell you about dogs....and the same goes for Mums. :-)

The Pennyroyal Valley is a world apart from the bustling resort town of Lorne and the Great Ocean Road, yet within easy reach of all the coast has to offer.
Pennyroyal is next to the main inland road (between Lorne, Birregurra and Colac), 20 minutes from Lorne and 90 minutes from Melbourne's Westgate Bridge.
( here is the map.....not that it will mean that much to you...other than the interesting names. If you look on the Australian Map.....it is down at the southern tip.... southwest following the coast of the bay from Melbourne)

We are taking Wally with us....as it is pet friendly.... I am dashing about trying to get things done before Missy comes home so we can make one last grocery store run. I run repeatedly to the pokey washing macine....willing it to work faster. I will take lots of photos....and will not blog again until Sunday.

Have a Blessed & Glorious weekend!

Elaine

Montana Street

Psalm 90:14Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.Psalm 90:13-15

MORNING BIRD

Good Morning! I have had my morning Praise & Worship of the Lord along with my fellow sojourners.... the birds, bees, critters, trees and lush beautiful flowers.....and I am as the Psalm says.... glad and full of joy ....as only God's Love can make you. :-)

I had a lovely day yesterday with not nearly so many incidents...." to get my Irish up"... :-) After Missy & Wes left for work I got ready to strike out on my own.... on the streets of Australia. Question is.... Was Ashburton ready for it? ... :-)

It was a bit overcast and the wind nippy so I bundled up and with my trolley set out on foot with the carefully drawn map from Missy. I had their address written down ( in case I got lost ) 28 Montana Street and all their telephone numbers. My my..... how history repeats itself. I had my list of " Hows" ... how to call emergency numbers.... how to use Australian money.... how & where the stores were located....how to get help, how to find my way home...and how to get hold of Missy & Wes. It reminded me of the How List I have so often done for my children when they set off on their new adventures. I felt a bit like a pioneer.... in a foreign country with no phone with a GPS, car, iPod....headphones....just the elements and I ...roughing it. :-)


A compass would have helped....not that I would have known how to read it....but my inner sense of direction was out of kilter. Think it could be because I am on the other side of the equator? Following the map I walked down Montana street headed for the trail that goes thru the park... Go right....ok..... Taking in the beautiful flowers and English style gardens I walk on for several blocks ....but where is that pesky trail? Hmm..... ok...head back to where I knew where I was.... Montana street.... Back at Montana street where I made the right turn it indicated on the map....I see the Park....and trail as it leads off.....right... THAT must be the right turn..... so I set off thru the park.... humming and enjoying the birds.... Lovely noisy birds.....song birds...funny honking birds..... Finally I get down to a little cut through I remember taking with Missy so I head off up that way.... ( without referring to the map ) Yep...I remember these houses.... I walk along admiring the fences and the fresh air.....and unusual trees until I come to a dead end...... funny..I don't remember a dead end when I walked with Missy. OK....head back to where I knew where I was.....toward ....Montana Street.

BIRD AT THE PARK

As I head back in the direction of Montana Street.... I see a street that looks like it may be in the right direction.... Feeling like it might lead to town I decide to give it a try and my little trolley and I head up the friendly street. I love the little neighborhood made up of gingerbread houses and charming landscapes.... with an occasional bird or car. I come to a Round a Bout....something else I do not remember encountering on my walk with Missy. A Round a Bout is a wonderful way of negotiating a busy intersection by car. It has a little circle in the middle and lanes that allow cars to come in from all directions.....and go Round the Bout.... :-) and shoot off the direction they need....without a traffic light. My trolley and I took the pedestrian path and crossed the Round a Bout.... I could see up ahead ....and it looked like yet again....another dead end. Oh dear.... I was beginning to feel a bit like the man in the movie, Ground Hog Day. I turned around and headed back in the direction of.....Montana Street.

ROUND A BOUT

As I was heading back toward ...what I thought was...Montana Street...I saw another street that was a possibility.... It had a familiar fence nothing like we have ever seen in America...constructed of stone and dry twigs.... so I headed up that way. Another possible turn on a cross street...hummmmm well what have I got to lose...other than my way.... and before long I saw busy High Street! I wouldn't worry right now about how to reconstruct my return home....that HOW was not on the list!

EARLIER HIGH STREET TRIP

High Street..... People coming and going with their little shopping trolleys... bakeries ( cake and pie shops ), the bank, florist, fruit & vegetable store, butcher shop, eating places.... A world of shops for me to investigate. I set right out to do it! After about an hour of learning the ropes of shopping and negotiating the pedestrian cross walk.... my little trolley was full of fresh bread and such and I was off to Montana street. Scanning the little streets that entered High Street I found myself doing eeny meeny miney mo in my head for which one to choose in as dignified manner as possible. Summerhill Lane sounded good...so I happily headed down that way admiring the charming little street and houses.

At the first cross street I decided to give a right turn a go. After my successful shopping venture I was feeling lucky. Walking on a bit and noticing the familiar dead end up ahead....I decided to back track a few streets and try another street. By now, having probably negotiated every street in the neighborhood, I could have published a mapsco. Turning up yet another street and acting as if I intended to do it.... I mentally planned in my mind what I had to do to still accomplish dinner. Feeling a tad on the frustrated side....I saw the park up ahead! I cut through a crop of trees I do not remember and made a turn onto a path that I hoped....headed toward Montana Street.

GLEN IRIS NEIGHBORHOOD

The birds were annoyingly loud as I was trying to think and it seemed every bee and bug was flying about for me to avoid. No flys with maggots in the belly today....thank you very much! An enormous dog or shaggy bear ( do they have bears in Australia? ) bounded on my path in front of me. Heart in my throat, I mustered all the courage I could gather up and marched forward like a true Texas Woman. Once past the hairy beast I heard the welcome voices of children....which meant the little day school at the end of Montana Street could possibly be ahead!

Montana Street never looked lovelier and as I made my way the last block I felt like every true pioneer must have felt after having waged their battle with the elements and savage beasts of the new land... In the end...it didn't matter how many detours you had to take...as long as you made it to your destination. :-)

MONTANA STREET

In record time I had my pot of black beans, the pork I purchased from Ashburton , Rotel Tomatoes from America, and homemade Jalapeno Cornbread filling the house with it's wonderful aroma. When asked about my day my children were none the wiser of my escapades of the day....unless they read this blog of course. :-)

Have a Blessed Day!

Elaine
1 Chronicles 16:33Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.1 Chronicles 16:32-34

Psalm 28:7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.Psalm 28:6-8

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.Psalm 33:2-4

Lulabelle's, Cabrini & a New Baby Cot

One of my morning Songbirds

Yesterday was a very important day. I woke up with much anticipation. I came 9032.23 miles from Dallas, Texas ( one way ) to visit Cabrini Hospital, meet the Midwife and hopefully meet the South African Doctor. As usual, the Abbott women push our time to the last minute ( a lesson I learned from my mom :-) so there was a flurry to get out the door...which always sends poor Wally to his perch on the back of the couch to try and stay out of the way and oversee our antics. We made a quick stop to Lulabell's Coffee and Pastry Shop, a gathering spot for the locals, and made the drive to Cabrini Hospital.

Lulabelle's

Lulabelle Delights

Scones

I sit over in what Larry calls " The Prayer Corner", named that because fervent prayers and earnest petitions of " Save us Lord!" and " Jesus help us!" and other pleas for Divine intervention are heard most of the way to our destination... Missy usually is laughing so hard she can hardly drive....which ups the urgency of my petitions, but today she was tense because she said we could not be late. More to pray for!

Finally we reached our destination and found a parking place in the car park and headed in for my first look at this most important haven.....the caretakers of my daughter and new grand baby.

I liked Cabrini right away. It "felt" right. A mom thing I suppose, but I have learned to rely on that inner peace over the years. It is a Catholic non profit (private ) hospital with 600 beds. Not huge by Dallas standards but very respectable. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Italy undertook a hard journey to Australia to take over the mission in 1920 that Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini ( Mother Cabrini) , the founder, began in 1880. It looked much like any hospital. The nurses and medical staff wore different uniforms but they were friendly and professional and I liked that.

Cabrini Hospital





Main hospital entrance

We met the first midwife right away. She more or less registered Missy and went over hospital details & procedure. I was welcomed to their meeting and I have found that Mums and dogs can go just about anywhere. :-) She kindly answered my first question about the qualifications of a midwife. I explained that midwives in America were much different and not hospital associated. She said that in Australia a midwife requires a pre graduate degree to be a licensed midwife and was similar to our obstetrics nurses but with a bit more specialization required as they are usually the ones to deliver the babies.

Registering Mid Wife

The Obstetrician oversees the pregnancy and birth and if things go off the " normal path" he would assume the responsibility of delivery. I was told that a pediatrician was not required unless something was wrong with the baby but it seems the hospital takes care of all the post natal screening and care. They don't typically do circumcision but will if the parents request it. (It is still to be determined if that is necessary.) Missy was given a bag of freebies and we headed downstairs for our next Midwife meeting.

Midwife Maggie.... We liked her right off. She said she is the touchy feeling one of the obstetrics team. She will have regular visits with Missy along with " Max " ....or Dr. Maxwell Michaels. She said he was a bit of the old school, though highly qualified, and said he believed it was all about the mum to be...with no frills of course. She was as chatty as your best friend and they covered....EVERYTHING.

Midwife Maggie

If I had any worries at all...it was laid to rest in that meeting. She said she had 22 years of experience and a graduate degree in nursing with a specialization in obstetrics. She will most likely be the one to deliver the baby and we were OK with that. Midwife in Australia it seems...is a very different concept. You could tell she was very knowledgeable and loved her work. They will use the most modern that is available in obstetrics and she went about the task of answering all questions and then some along with her exam.

Exam

Maggie it seems has traveled to America several times...so a bit of travel talk was thrown in the mix. Missy opened right up to her....and I felt like my mission was accomplished.

I was not able to meet " Max", the doctor....but Wes & Missy think he is a good doctor and if they and Midwife Maggie like him....all is well with my world. :-)

After Cabrini Missy needed a snack so we headed off to the Mall which was very nice and had most of the stores we were looking for. We looked at various baby stores for baby things and found the dollar stores.....which translates to $2 - $10....but that is great in comparison to what you normally pay.

Snack at the Mall

Next stop.....Baby Bunting.....to purchase the baby's cot....( bed)! It is Australian made and really wonderful......and....on sale! Wes will pick it up on Friday and we are all excited about it. We do not have the bedding yet but at least we have a start on the baby's nursery.

The Baby's Cot ( bed )

I am walking up to Ashburton.....by myself today. I am going to the butcher shop to get some ham for the bean soup I am preparing for dinner ( serious prayers should be said for this :-) & have a map of how to get there. Ashburton is the local little shopping area and I have a good sense of direction so I am sure I can make it there and back. ( if it stops raining long enough ) Missy wrote down her office & cell numbers....just in case......and gave me a mini lesson on the equivalency of Australian money. If I remember it as well as my household lessons....I should do just fine. :-)

Have a Blessed Day in America!!!

Elaine