Tag: daily adventures

Lara, Tony and the herd

On By taniacreationsIn daily adventures, English AustraliaLeave a comment

Sunday early morning, Lara and I are having a coffee in our shops. It is one of the little-door coffee shops, with tables on the walkway, squeezed against the walls to avoid blocking the pedestrian way.

Lara isn’t Lara’s real name, it is the name I gave her once she became my character. That is how I call her in my stories. For years I have been collecting Lara’s tales and working hard to get her stories shaped into a book. This novel is born in English in my head and that is why it is harder.

Lara became my focus because unusual things happen to her, or around her, all the time.

Today for example, we are going to work. She is going to work-work, because she is organising a huge event which is happening in two weeks. I am going with her because on top of keeping her company, I can dedicate my day to “my writings” which means anything from promoting my books, writing-writing, or plan my next steps.

There we are, coffee and toast in hand, and Lara looks to the side, looks back at me, and says quietly:

‘Look, it’s Tony Abbott, he is running!’

Then comes Tony, with a discreet smile pasted on his face because he saw Lara saying his name. She sees that he saw her, and she looks to the side pretending nothing happened. He runs by us, with a couple of friends, the three trotting by with their sweaty t-shirts.

Only in Australia, the former prime-minister runs around without security or any special attention.

There is a famous short-story by Luis Fernando Verissimo, one of the best Brazilian authors, who wrote this tale about a man who wants to play the Tuba within the concert of a string quartet. Verissimo explores the humour and absurd of the stress between the string quartet and the tuba player and ends his story releasing a herd of zebu on stage.

When I’m with Lara, the Tuba guy is the least of my worries, I’m often waiting for the herd!

The sound from the bush

On By taniacreationsIn daily adventuresLeave a comment

I’m walking home after work. Going up the hill, on the road that runs through the bush that takes me from the office. I am aware it sounds strange but I actually work in some offices that are far enough from the centre of the city to make me feel as if I am going on vacations every day. It is still close enough, about 35 minutes driving, to make it viable.

From the bush, comes a sound of music, I think there are voices coming from the trees. I imagine a choir, or a cult, people gathered among the trees singing. As I come closer, I can hear some pop song, no choir. I imagine where the party is, there is nothing but trees, a cliff and the water… Then I come to the clearing and I see a cruise ship, the source of the music.

I am received by the couple of turkeys that live somewhere around the place as I’ve seen the female before. I was given prime view of the male today, though…

Female Turkey Grazing

Chickenated Bicycle

This morning I was walking on a walkway near the road talking on the phone; I noticed that a bike was approaching, the movement behind me or the sound alerted me to the fact. I stepped to the side to give the person space to pass me by. As they moved, I saw this thing emerging in my peripheral vision. It was a bicycle but on top of the handlebars there was a stuffed chicken. Not just a normal chicken too, it looked like an African sort of chicken, appearing to be a bit special. The guy passed me by thanking me for having given way. I responded.

This is the first really hot day after the winter in Sydney and he was topless, his body was thin and un-muscled, I could see his bones poking out of the skin and he had a hairy back. His bicycle had two saddle-bags that looked full. I have the impression it was his home… his and the chicken’s.

On By taniacreationsIn daily adventuresLeave a comment

Bicicleta Agalinhada

Estava eu a caminho do trabalho hoje de manhã, andando e falando ao telefone, quando sinto uma sombra se aproximando. Do jeito que nossa mente sabe das coisas sem olharmos eu sabia que era uma bicicleta que vinha atrás de mim.

Eu dei passagem e eis que surge no meu campo de visão uma bicicleta, como imaginado, só que em cima do guidão pousava uma galinha empalhada. Uma galinha empalhada que ainda era especial, não era uma qualquer, devia ser africana ou algo assim, parecia meio diferente.

O ciclista era um homem magro, sem músculos, com os ossos apontando nas costas peludas, e ele tinha na bicicleta dois alforges, aquelas sacolas que parecem sacos de sela para cavalo.

Fiquei com a impressão que a bicicleta era sua casa, quer dizer, o lar do homem e da galinha.

On By taniacreationsIn aventuras diáriasLeave a comment

Incomprehensible Australia

On By taniacreationsIn daily adventures, Orble - Aussie FollyLeave a comment

I love this Aussie Land, especially Sydney that is now my home. I’m very glad to be a new Australian Citizen. 

Although I have multiplied my Brazilian love to include my new nation there are some things around here that do not make any sense to me… 

Foodwise: 

Avocados are not for sandwiches. I try to explain to the natives that that is not how you are supposed to eat it, I think when avocados arrived with no instruction manuals someone thought the nice green colour would do well with the bacon in bread. But they are actually much better as Avocado Frappes, Mousses and blended avocados with sugar (not salt!); Mouth watering hum? 

No Australians ever agree with me.

Vegemite: 

Most South Americans have tried the bread with the chocolate colour paste expecting a sweet sensation on the taste buds. Only to be almost knocked out of the chair by something salty, strange and very strong. 

‘What kind of pie is this?’ I ask.
‘Cheese pie.’ Says the nice lady.
‘Ok, may I have one, please?’
One minute later I’m back:
‘Sorry, I believe you sold me the wrong pie. This is meat.’

‘Of course it is, they all are! It’s a cheese meat pie.’

It was the traditional meat pie with a thin layer of cheese between the filling and the pastry. 

In Brazil a cheese pie is made of cheese and pastry only, no meat. It’s a cheese-cheese pie. 

In transport: 

The changes of drivers in the middle of the bus route do not make any sense to me. 

The first time I saw it I thought I had gotten the wrong bus and it was the final stop. I stood there on the tip of the bench, all packed, ready to go. But no one else moved, not even to look to the front. So I waited while the driver packed and left with money box and all, and a new driver got comfortable, set up the bus, restarted it and we all got ready to continue the trip. I find it hilarious every time. 

Another incongruous thing is the same route number for buses that go to different destinations. I have found myself in North Sydney more than once having taken a “175” that usually goes to the city. I think they like to create crazy people, several times I thought I was losing my mind. 

Another absurd is to be able to go to the city using one bus and not being able to catch the same bus to go back to the same stop because the bus will only stop there if someone is there trying to catch it, as some of the express lines do.

Lose-trolleys: the champion non-sense: 

Supermarket trolleys: the ones from Australia are the drunkest ones I’ve ever seen. In my motherland the two back wheels of the trolleys are locked, that means you have much more control over the thing. I know there is always someone that will think the trolleys are much better here, but to that I can only answer: “are you serious?!!” 

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