Nora in Australia
August 18 ... cont. ...
In Melbourne now.
Yesterday Guy--one of the brass from Harlequin took
us up to a wild animal park north of Sydney--not
the big one that begins with T, but a smaller one
that begins with W and where Skippy The Bush
Kangaroo was filmed in the mid-fifties. Time was
limited.
It was great. A nice drive up, seeing bits of the
bush now. All those incredible gum trees, the blue
gun with their long feathery leaves particularly
appeal to me. I love the height of them, the way
the limbs spread all out. Apparently ecalipts or
however it's said, mutate so there's all types. Fat
glossy leaves, too. Such a lovely contrast. And the
waddle or wattle is blooming rich buttery
yellow.
In town and the burbs you see tulip magnolias and
azaleas and daisies and other perennials blooming
beautifully. Very spring like in Sydney.
The park was wonderful. Parrots and cockatoos and
incredibly colorful pheasants. Wild parakeets. I
saw a dingo and was surprised at how handsome and
sleek. Very pretty dog. I suppose in the wild
they're a bit scruffier, but I can see how you'd
want to make a pet of one. A far cry from the dingo
ate my baby here. Wombats that actually look like
pretty little bears.
Then the kangaroos. This was the big one for me.
You saw a few here and there behind enclosures.
Mostly sleeping. Then you're allowed into this
large field overlooking bush. There are lots of
them, of the gray variety. They hop right up to you
and eat out of your hand. They're so pretty, soft
deer eyes, soft pelts. Little joeys in the pouches
that feel like silk. One roo grabbed the bag and
all out of my hand--and ate bag and all. LOL. These
are quite tame, and very gentle as they come up to
you. They seem to like having their throats
scratched. I adored this. It truly made the trip
for me. I could have spent hours just playing with
them.
We went on and were allowed in to carefully stroke
the backs of koalas. These aren't so friendly,
we're told. They look like toys and wind themselves
around branches and sleep. Mama, papa, baby. Very
sweet. They look at you, when they bother, with
small, bored eyes. But they're cloud soft.
We drove a bit north and stopped at a lookout. My
first glimpse of the South Pacific and she is
magnificent. Stunning blue, and at this point there
a spit of land that juts out and a hump of an
island with a lighthouse like a candle on a cake.
Just lovely. Many boats skimming along.
Then it was back to Sydney and back to work. I did
my workshop, then a Q and A panel. Got more
presents. <g> I really enjoyed the conference
weekend and the ladies. Felt very comfortable with
them and liked seeing how completely supportive
they are of each other.
Leave there for the airport. Crowded, lots of
traffic. We have an acre of luggage it seems, but
we got it on. Had to check my carry-on for some
reason. Quantas has this video screen where you can
watch a simulation of your plane, see the speed,
the distance, the eta. BW loved this. Fairly short
flight then we're in Melbourne where we need those
winter coats we packed. It's in the 40's and
brisk.
Hotel is a nice, typical Hilton. The room's large,
nice seating area. Kind of an exec set up. New
schedule has added an interview. First is a phoner
at 8, another at 8:15, then I leave to do Good
Morning, Australia at 8:30. Another radio follows,
then the lunch deal where I give a talk and sign
books. Then I open the first romance bookstore in
Aussie. Something else in there, but I don't
remember, then we fly out to Adelaide.
BW just informed me it's pouring rain. Oh joy.
Nora
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