Update on Sam the Koala

In February, during the devastating Australia Bush fires, we all heard about Sam the Koala, who was rescued by volunteer firefighter David Tree. Her picture, drinking from Mr. Tree’s water bottle while holding his hand, became a symbol of hope for Australia and the whole world.

Three months later, The West Australian reports that Sam is on the road to recovery, and David Tree is working to raise money for the Victoria Fire Authority and wildlife relief efforts.

The last of Sam’s bandages have been removed, but she is still on antibiotics to prevent infection in second-degree burns to her back and feet. And she is enjoying a diet of fresh eucalyptus leaves served to her cut daily by volunteers at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter.

Shelter Director Colleen Wood has cared for over 60 koalas since the fires. "Every one of them will go back into the wild as soon as we’re satisfied they are going to be able to cope out there with any ill effects," she said.

Sam, and her mate Bob - another fire survivor - will most likely be at the shelter for another six months. She will continue to help Ms. Wood and her volunteers raise funds for wildlife relief efforts.

The San Diego Zoo in California is one of many reputable organizations that are helping with wildlife relief efforts. You can find out more on their website:

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/australiabushfire/index.html

Please let people know about this. And thanks for caring!

Every Day is Earth Day !

When I traveled in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, my eyes were opened to some new ways of taking care of creation. Water is a precious commodity in drought- stricken Australia, and not one drop is wasted. A bucket goes into the shower to capture the water that runs while it heats up. Washing machines for clothes and dishes are drained into gardens, and earth friendly soap is used. In New Zealand, just about everything is re-used; water is never served in plastic disposable bottles, and trash is not thrown into waterways.

On this Earth Day 2009, let’s all be thankful for the beauty of out fragile planet, and find new ways to make it better every day of the year, so that future generations can enjoy the bounty of the earth we call our home.

I found a wonderful quotation from Dr. Glen David Brin, American scientist and award-winning science fiction author, that puts a thought-provoking spin on Earth Keeping:

A living planet is a much more complex metaphor for deity than just a bigger father with a bigger fist. If an omniscient, all-powerful Dad ignores your prayers, it's taken personally. Hear only silence long enough, and you start wondering about his power. His fairness. His very existence. But if a world mother doesn't reply, Her excuse is simple. She never claimed conceited omnipotence. She has countless others clinging to her apron strings, including myriad species unable to speak for themselves. To Her elder offspring She says - go raid the fridge. Go play outside. Go get a job. Or, better yet, lend me a hand. I have no time for idle whining.

AMEN!

Update on Sam

Sam the Koala is doing well at the Wildlife Center in Rawson, VIC. Her caregiver is Colleen Woods, who also founded WRAP (Wildlife Rescue and Protection). Sam's bandages have been removed, and she still loves her boyfriend Bob! If anyone has further updates about Sam, please let us know how she's doing.

Sam cuddles with Bob

How is Sam?

In February, the gentle Koala with the burned paws brought the reality of Australia's bush fires to the attention of the world when she accepted a drink of water from firefighter David Tree, and then reached out and took his hand. The last word I heard about Sam is that she is recuperating at the Mountain Ash Wildlife Center in Victoria State with her new friend Bob, another Koala rescued from the fires.

David Tree paid her a visit at the Center, and, as you can see, Sam was happy to see her hero!

Does anyone have any updates on Sam? Please let us know how she's doing!

Wines from Down Under

After several wine tasting excursions in Australia and New Zealand, I decided to check out what's available in the local Rochester wine shops. I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety of wines I found. There a a number of very good wines from New Zealand, particularly from the Marlborough region. Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, and Gisborne Chardonnay are all reasonably priced. I heard from many folks in New Zealand that Sauvignon Blanc is the best of the best; what I tasted was fabulous, and the Marlborough region makes some great ones. I also found a good price for a bottle of Yarra Valley Chardonnay. There is quite a lot more to Australian Wine than Yellow Tail, which is also very good. Now comes the fun part - drinking the wine!

Right Side Up?

After 32 hours of travel, and 12 hours of sleep (and one fried MP3 player), I'm home with the kitties. I have no idea what day it is, what time it is, or even what hemisphere it is yet. The Wizard of Christchurch's world map really sums it up nicely.

You'll find more information about the Wizard on the web.

http://wizard.gen.nz/contents.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_New_Zealand

A Day at the Beach

St. Kilda is a resort town just south of Melbourne on Port Philip Bay. It has a lively esplanade filled with shops, restaurants and bakeries. The city is home to many of Melbourne’s sub-cultures, inlcuding artists, musicians and a large LGBT community. Luna Park is a popular attraction with a large wood roller coaster and other amusement park rides. St. Kilda beach attracts wind surfers and kite boarders.



First, we met up with Colleen Mulcahey, the daughter of one of my oldest friends from New Jersey. Colleen now lives in St. Kilda. We had brunch on the esplanade and then walked through town.



Afterward we all walked on the beach and watched the water sports.

St. Kilda is a perfect place to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon.

How to Eat Mongolian Barbecue in Australia

Kublai Mongolian Barbecue was so good that we decided to make return visit to the restaurant. I took the opportunity to document the process so it can be tried at home (without the traditional Mongolian hot plate). Here are the basics.



Choose your meat and vegetables and combine in a large bowl.



Create your own sauce using one of Chef Alex’s recipes. Quickly fry it all up and eat with steamed rice.



Enjoy with family and friends! (Left to Right: Linda, Barbara, Andrew, Jeanne, Bernie, Doris)

Hot, Dry and Windy

The return of high temperatures (33 Celsius / 91 Fahrenheit) and strong winds prompted officials to close schools and child care centers around Victoria State today. A smoky haze has covered the area for a good bit of the day, and the sun’s heat has caused everything to feel and smell DRY. People are very worried that conditions are ripe for another “Black Saturday,” the day the fires first broke out (2/7/09). Five fires are still burning out of control with 10 others listed as contained. The terraced garden in front of Barbara and Andrew’s home, which is usually lush and green with colorful flowers, shows how dry and fragile the environment is here in Victoria State. You can find more information about the current status if the Victoria bush fires here:

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenfoe.nsf/LinkView/519C51D981DAE41FCA257257000A5163DC25C965BDA0CAF5CA2573B400013504

Queen Victoria Market

The Queen Victoria Market has been in operation for over 130 years, and houses stalls with everything imaginable… clothing, jewelry, toys, produce and more.



The meat market has more kinds of sausage than I’ve ever seen, including kangaroo! The stall owners compete for shoppers’ attention much like circus barkers try to attract customers to the big top.

A separate building houses row upon row of produce stalls. Australian “pumpkins” are what we call squash in the US.

The QVM offers guided food tours that include cooking, tasting, history and - of course - shopping.

Yarra Valley Wine Tasting

After checking on the current status of the fires and road closings in Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, mom, Barbara and I set out on a wine tasting tour. We began at the Yarra Valley Dairy, with a sampling of various locally produced goat cheeses, including camembert and feta, fresh baked bread and Asian grown coffee.

The next stop was Yering Station Winery, where Peter treated us to a number of sparklings, whites and reds. I particularly liked the 2007 Pinor Noir, 2006 Chardonnay and 2006 Shiraz Viognier. Fortunately, Yering Station distributes internationally, and can be purchased in New York State.

We drove north on the Melba Highway where we saw quite a bit of devastation from the Victoria bush fires. On one side of the road, entire vineyards were completely destroyed, while on the other there was no sign of fire. A number of fields were already in the process of being replanted.

The final stop was Balgownie Estate, a vineyard, resort and spa that features a tasting room (cellar door), restaurant and conference center. I particularly enjoyed the Chardonnay. Balgownie’s international distribution is pending; so I’ll have to check back on this wine.

Tomorrow - the Queen Victoria Market!

Melbourne Sightseeing

Today was really beautiful, sunny and 70 degrees. So we decided to explore Melbourne with Andrew’s sister Linda and her daughter Heidi. Here are some views of the Flinders Street Train Station, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, and the tram we rode around the city.

Mongolian Barbecue and Exotic Birds

Last night’s dinner was a spicy adventure - Mongolian Barbecue at a restaurant called Kublai on Maroondah Highway. It’s set up “buffet style,” where you choose your meat (beef, chicken, lamb or pork) and vegetables (sprouts, chopped cabbage, onion, shredded carrots, etc.), combine them in a large bowl rather than a plate, and create your own sauce using the recipe posted on the sauce bar. For example, hot and spice consists of soy sauce, sesame oil, wine vinegar, garlic oil, sesame oil, crushed hot chilis and so forth. Then you hand your bowl to the Master Chef, who quickly fries it all up on a large hot plate and puts in back in the bowl for you to take to your table and eat with steamed rice. It’s an “all you can eat” restaurant; the record is eight bowls. Anyone who breaks the record gets a free dessert. I barely made it through two bowls! The half-price margaritas were a nice addition to dinner.

This morning’s wake up call was musical. Out here in the bush there are exotic birds everywhere - cockatiels, mynahs, parrots, and lots more that I can’t identify. This little guy like to sit on the back porch railing and beg for bread.

A Real Scorcher

The first full day in Australia brought sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 90s… perfect weather for a boat ride. We took the train to the Flinders Street Station in downtown Melbourne, and caught the Yarra Empress at the Federation Square Riverfront.




The Yarra River runs through the middle of Melbourne, and a boat cruise is a good way to get your bearings in the city. The first half of the cruise took us west through downtown, under some very low bridges (everybody down!) where Queensbridge Street and Kings Way cross the river, past the Victoria Harbour to the Westgate Bridge at the mouth of the Port Phillip Bay. We turned around and came back to the Riverfront for lunch. Then we went upriver past the Royal Botanical Gardens, Rod Laver Arena where the National Day of Mourning obervances were held yesterday for those who died in the bush fires, around Herring Island and back to the Riverfront. We then took the Lilydale line back to Park Orchards and headed home for a cold beer. Here's a great set of postede instructions we saw on the train; I especially like the one about indecent language!





Today’s high temperature was 35 Celsius, or about 95 degrees, which is quite warm even for late summer in Australia. Another serious bush fire has broken out, but not near where Barbara and Andrew live. Because of the weakened ozone layer in the southern hemisphere, the UV levels are quite high and we are living in thick layer of sunblock. Tomorrow promises to be quite a bit cooler, and I’m hoping to take in a market or two.

The Cats

Chico and Maya are staying home in Rochester, and they're looking forward to "Auntie Ellen's" visits!

The Aussies

For those who don't know (or can't remember) my sister and her husband, here are Barbara and Andrew, a couple of weeks before they emigrated to Oz.

Getting Ready to Stand on My Head!

In just 24 hours I'll be headed for Oz, visiting my sister and her husband in Australia. It's 18 years since I've been Down Under, so I can't remember if the water in the toilet flushes clockwise or counter-clockwise. I do rememeber that the night sky is amazing, and I'm looking forward to seeing the Southern Cross, Centaurus and the Magellanic Clouds again.