croftyangel's blog

Dreamtime Aboriginal Art

croftyangel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:13:11 -0500

The Blue Mountains Aboriginal Culture and Resource Centre and Blue Mountains Naidoc Committee are holding an art exhibit of original paintings and artworks created by local Aboriginal artists. It is called “Red Ochre Aboriginal Arts” and runs from the 18^th of July to 13^th of...

Divola's The Secret LIfe of Backpackers

croftyangel — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:03:36 -0500

Since taking in study about travel and the lifestyles of those that undertake the journey, I have been fascinated with the backpackers. I always wanted to do it when I was young, my parents wouldn’t let me go. With my father’s military clearance I wasn’t even able to go to Berlin and some...

why travel?

croftyangel — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:33:56 -0500

I’ve been reading many blogs and articles regarding why people travel. Is it a way to fulfil a void in our daily lives? What are we seeking on these excursions to the outer rims of our own reality?

Curiosity was a common theme - what do other cultures have that our home does not? You...

My last homework assignment - Aroma Coffee Festival in Sydney

croftyangel — Fri, 2 May 2008 19:25:16 -0500

The Caffeine Rush is on in Sydney, Australia

The" Australia Sydney, in is Rush Caffeine

Everything coffee that you need in one spot, the largest gathering of coffee lovers on any continent, where will you...

Event of the year for getting the blood pumping (and hormones)

croftyangel — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:19:37 -0500

Smoke lingering after the thunder of canons, swords clashing, wood chips flying, fire blazing, lances splintering, belly dancers swirling, rumble of the motorcycle, minstrels singing... an eclectic mix of things but they all have one thing in common – Ironfest Fusion 2008 in Lithgow, NSW, Australia.

Anzac day and Parrametta Rivercats

croftyangel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:53:29 -0500

My husband surprised me as we were heading to Sydney and made a turn to Parrametta. He decided to park here and take the rivercat ferry into Sydney for the day. I have a spiritual/nymphaic response to being on the water and this was a treat.

The dam at this port requires the cat to do a 360 turn in...

On a nostalgic latte rush

croftyangel — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:04:08 -0500

The lights go out in my home if it rains too much, there is a short in the ceiling that needs to be fixed. My husband says only the men can touch the electric box so I have never been shown how to fix it. They are both at work tonight, so I sit in the dark.

It is pitch black with no stars, the trains...

Watching the Australian Republic talk

croftyangel — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:44:49 -0500

I don't know how much anyone follows international affairs, but is looks like I am going to be in a part of history with Australia working towards becoming a republic by the year 2010. I am still researching much of the Summit information (tabloid papers here are mostly focused on Kate Blachett bringing...

90 Restaurant Reviews to go

croftyangel — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:37:59 -0500

I have been hired by a publishing company to write reviews on every cafe and restaurant in the Blue Mountains. So far I have tracked 90 in 8 towns and still have 10 towns to go. Not a bad deal, but as the rain pours down outside and train rushes by I wish I could just hop on that train to anywhere....

Australia is more unique than any other continent

croftyangel — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 02:10:06 -0500

What is all the fuss with Australia? This large island is the most unique in many ways. Visitors are drawn to her animals, people, landscapes and botany that are found nowhere else on earth. Geologically it is the most ancient, and being isolated has caused things to be unaltered until Europeans began...

Time to celebrate... I got my spousal visa!

croftyangel — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:17:35 -0500

Wooo hooo... it has been 13 months in the waiting. I don't have to leave my husband or this wonderful country. Which is a good thing, I don't think my hubby would have been a good yank. (that's a joke). We can finally start getting our life on track and making plans. Now maybe I can get a job......

Your Teenage Child in a Foreign Land

croftyangel — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:31:16 -0500

I am a proud mother of a now 18 year old son, he has been all boy in his growing but I've never really had to complain much. He is sensitive, loving, and albeit a bit air-headed at times. He was born in Pennslyvania and raised in West Virginia, on a farm with goats, chickens and dogs.

When I announced...

Book Review: On Austral Shores by Trevor Lipscombe

croftyangel — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 01:46:11 -0500

The allure of following in the footsteps of explorers in search of new lands and discovery is what I call a good time. Since moving to Australia learning this country’s history has been the most eye opening experience of my life.

Trevor Lipscombe’s On Austral...

Useless pondering

croftyangel — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:07:48 -0500

At what age to you become one of the undesirable for the work force? I have been racking my brain all day, tried to talking to places I have applied, and talked to the hubby. Never in my life have I ever had a problem. I have college degrees, a few certificates of training, and lots of experience....

Diggers of the Anzac give you humility

croftyangel — Wed, 9 Apr 2008 04:15:59 -0500

On April 25^th is a national celebration in Australia for Anzac Day. (Anzac is the short military version of Australian and New Zealand Corps.)

This time is remembered as the day in 1915 the new Australian troops landed at Gallipoli during WWI. It was the first time Aussies went to war to represent...

Experience the Aussie Way

croftyangel — Sun, 6 Apr 2008 21:59:47 -0500

In Banjo Paterson’s “Waltzing Matilda”, the unofficial Australian anthem, he tells of a jolly swagman who represents much of the Aussie attitude.

‘Waltzing Matilda’ is sung at schools, picnics, sporting events and on the lips of most Aussies just humming a tune. What is behind this jolly...

Port Macquarie is a Paradise to Discover

croftyangel — Thu, 3 Apr 2008 06:05:10 -0500

Port Macquarie was largely overlooked by the early explorers Capt. Cook and Matthew Flinders, a mistake that should not be made by modern explorers. There is something for everyone and beauty unfolding on every avenue. So much to see and do, with nine beaches, excellent fishing, nature reserves...

Taking on a Bushranger’s Spirit

croftyangel — Tue, 1 Apr 2008 17:49:43 -0500

The New England district has a bushranger trail that sparks the imagination. As you drive by the open fields of cattle, sheep and horses the scenery takes you back in time. Back to the era of bushrangers that...

Make your footprint

croftyangel — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:43:15 -0500

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

How true is this for most of society? While traveling in Brisbane I noticed how the crowds were like sheep in their daily commute. Thank God that is not the path I had to travel. I ran for...

My new home in Australia

croftyangel — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:10:15 -0500

I left for Australia in December 2006 with a head full of drams and hope. My soulmate was waiting on the other side of that ocean. Since that time my reality has become better than the fantasies and I'm overwhelmed with a joy that fills me completely. There are bumps, but not with my love or with this...