January 26th - tomorrow is Australia Day - nearly the equivalent of the 4th of July in the US - because on this date back in 1788, a fleet of British ships commanded by Capt. Arthur Phillip landed at what we now know as Sydney. He brought with him a cargo of prisoners from England, many of whom would settle in Australia and call it home, as it had had been for the Aboriginal population for 40,000+ years (yes, you read that right, forty thousand years). It wasn't until 1935 that Australians marked this day - it is a national holiday with everything Aussie being worn, carried, flown, played with - a huge celebration! A typical Australian Day feast might include prawn cocktail, cheese and Vegemite scrolls (more about Vegemite later, but I'm told that cheese and Vegemite go together like our peanut butter and jelly), anything lamb - BBQ chops or kebabs, fruit salad, with TimTam chocolate mousse for dessert (Tim Tams are a chocolate wafer biscuit - cookie).
I also read that it wouldn't be Australia Day without beach cricket. Summer and cricket go hand-in-hand here, add to that everybody goes to the beach in the summer , so what have you got? Tthe best of both worlds: beach cricket. We still don't quite understand the appeal of cricket - it's not a fast game with lots of sustained action, that's for sure, and one match or test (we haven't quite figured out the difference) can last for several days, but Aussies are mad for it.
A couple of corny Cricket jokes (these remind me of beloved Cub Scout jokes):
What animal is best at hitting a cricket ball?
A bat.
What does cricket have in common with pancakes?
They both rely on the batter.
Why don't grasshoppers go to basketball games?
They prefer cricket!
Aussie word of the Day:
goodonya (Good on you) = congratulations, that's terrific!
1 comment:
It's such fun seeing my country through your eyes Debbee! Hope you're having lots of fun with the family. xo Jill
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