Christmas in Australia

I love the beauty of Christmas. It is a time when we express our gratitude for the wonderful gifts we have been given by decorating our homes, streets and shop windows with gold, silver and coloured light.

A few nights ago, my family drove around the neighbourhood and admired all the decorated houses, sharing which ones were our favourite, and predicting the winner of the Christmas light competition.

Last Sunday night, the sound of singing floated across the town from the local park, as a community gathered together to sing carols by candlelight.

And tomorrow, on Christmas day, we will take out our best food to share together; seafood, roast meat, pudding, salad, pavlova.

Christmas is celebrated with such a variety of wonderful tastes, sights, and sounds! If only, amongst the busyness of the season, we could come to value and nurture what is really important: faith, hope and love.

a Public Domain Image a Day

Looking for pictures that you can use without strings attached? A Public Domain Image a Day has a growing collection of images that are free for you to use whatever way you wish. The great thing is, the vast majority were taken in Australia, and feature distinctive Australian landmarks.

Check it out!

Melbourne Today

In Melbourne Today, Michael Blamey has been treating his readers to one photo per day since 2005. His photos are taken in various places throughout Melbourne, and many of them are simply brilliant. The author also offers an extensive list of similar blogs based in other cities around the world.

I enjoy this blog because I've been to many of the places Michael photographs. If you intend to visit the world's most livable city, this would be a great way to find out which are the most picturesque places to visit.

What's in a Name?

I've already reviewed What's In A Name elsewhere, but I can easily highlight some more good points about this blog.

Lately Steff has been blogging about the chest pains she's experiencing, and how she copes with juggling doctor's appointments and her study commitments. She has also reflected on the value of language education.

What's In A Name is a worthwhile read, especially if you enjoy reflective thought.

A story worth telling

I’d like to tell you my great uncle’s story, because he wouldn’t tell you himself. I heard it for the first time today, and I was intrigued by the sad, and often strange things that have happened in his life.

He was born in 1921 and grew up in St. Kilda and Caulfield. I don’t know most of the details of his early life except that he was part of a large family and one of his brothers died as a child.

He eventually married a woman who, after some time, began to show signs of serious mental illness. She would often threaten to commit suicide, or to leave him and fight for custody of the children. Once she took the lid off the pressure cooker while it was still boiling, spraying the scalding steam all over the kitchen.

Eventually she left, and because he cared for her still, he bought her a beach house to live in. That was until one day when their son discovered she had overdosed on medication in her bathroom, and she was gone.

My great uncle bought a house that had a factory attached to it. There he worked hard on an invention – a ground-breaking invention for that time. Yet he kept it so secret that I probably should not tell you what it was. My mother recalls that it was so revolutionary that he would have made a fortune if he had gotten it patented, but he never did. For some reason, even though everybody pleaded with him, it was to remain a secret, and is to this day.

Now a sprightly 86 years old, he can be seen riding around the city on a bicycle, or driving the same old car he has always driven. He follows a strict Pritikin diet, and vows he is as healthy as ever. He still lives in the same old house with the factory, and makes special parts he invented for shipping containers.

My great uncle would never tell you his story; He’d just say “oh, I’m not important,” or “no-one would be interested in what I’ve done”. I do wish the world could have benefited from his invention, or at least, his story, since the details I have are patchy at best.

Beyond South Australia

The author of Beyond South Australia, Sammy, is studying education and specializes in Indonesian.

She regularly blogs about her dreams for going to Indonesia, and provides a unique perspective on Victorian life since she grew up in South Australia.

Sammy shares honestly about life's ups and downs, and even shares some of her artwork which is a real treat.

Indonesians and Indonesian students alike will enjoy Sammy's bilingual blog, as will anyone who appreciates honesty and creativity in blogging.

Travbox: Comical Contemplation

Author: The author of Travbox is a Physical Education student living in Regional Victoria. He works part-time for a para-church organisation, and rents a house with three other students.

Content: Trav regularly comments on current issues, particularly those affecting the Christian Church in Australia. He also writes about the crazy things he and his friends get up to, which are highly entertaining to read about. What makes this blog unique is Trav's openness about his personal struggles and frustrations, a rare thing for a blog with no anonymity.

Audience: Trav's friends and family are probably his most loyal readers. But I have a feeling he has a readership that extends far beyond these.

Special feature: Trav has a unique sense of humour - and this comes across in his posts. He continually sees the funny side of normal everyday events; you'll find yourself being entertained by the simplest things, such as his dislike of dogs. Consequently, Trav has a knack of being able to raise serious issues in a light-hearted manner. You can expect to get a well-thought out opinion on contentious issues without being bogged down by the details.

Travbox will be enjoyed by: Class-clowns and deeper-thinkers everywhere.

Welcome to Life, Australia!

Here I'll be reviewing high-quality blogs written by Australians, blogs that give you an insight into Australian life and culture. Click on one of the links to the right to visit a blog by one of the Life, Australia members.

If you would like to have your blog listed in the member section, you need to display the 'Life, Australia' member logo on your blog. Simply email me the link to your blog (lifeaustralia AT hotmail DOT com), and I'll send you the html tag.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Rachel