Current stop – Brisbane

It has been quite easy to embrace Brisbane as our current home for the past three months and for the next two. Aided by family support we quickly embraced yet another transition within this year. I feel very lucky to discover my family here and to get a chance to spend time with them. I have encountered often enough peoples’ impression that we are traveling around. There is a discrepancy in this from how I actually feel about this year. I don’t feel I am traveling in Romania, and now I don’t feel I am traveling in Australia. This is not to say that I don’t feel new to the place, I do, but the close family and friends relationships here and the way we are received when we arrive in any of these places makes it feel like home. Romania, more organically for me as much as Australia, more organically for Chris. I will definitely enjoy having my own corner where I can create a playground for myself the way I want to. But in the meantime I enjoy the perks of living with parents. As a newbie to Australia, I am loving the bird watching, beautiful mangoes and many other things that would make this list longer.

This beautiful Kookaburra comes around the garden often and I snap photos every time I see it. Not that the Cockatoos are not impressive enough but there is something about this bird that makes me happy.

Here are some of the staples of Australia, as we have a stare contest.

Christmas just passed and as we approach the end of the year, it feels I am at the point where I combine the excitement of a new beginning and the retrospection of what the current year has brought. Quick summary, 2012 has been the year when I:

• left Manchester,
• traveled around new places,
• changed plans around to handle what came our way and embraced the unknown, most of the times gracefully,
• went through the emotions of relationships with loved ones changing,
• cut my hair short and gained a couple of kilograms,
• and asked a lot of questions about what our move to Canada will bring.

It has been a big year but then again every year is big. There has been lots of positive and wonderful experiences, a few painful ones, all in all a range of things. Just as it should be. I am sure the new year will have its own perks and experiences and I will let them unfold when their time comes.

Food Craving
Most of the times we are ridiculously spoiled and we eat at home, courtesy of Chris’ mom but once in a while we venture out and highlights include Japanese restaurants Mizu and Sono, some comfort food in Sandgate at Doug’s Seafood Cafe and a busy Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant in West End, Quan Thanh . We also love the new coffee spot in Redcliffe Thread and Seed, where we can have a lovely cup of coffee, a good lunch and a browse through some locally created items.

We also did a bit of cooking from Ottolenghi’s books and here are some of the results.

Memento Hunting
We ventured to the Brisbane Christmas Markets and I am thrilled we did since there were plenty of fun stalls to see and enough local creativity to make me extra giddy. The shops that were a source of investment were Raw Ceramics and My Heart Beats Green. Recently I have discovered La La Land and I am waiting anxiously for my order.

Thank you 2012 for all you have brought and Welcome 2013!