Fair Dinkum!

G'Day again! 

Let's see...what to start with?! On Saturday, Stacy took me to the world famous Salamanca market, the largest market in the southern hemisphere. It was incredible and it is there every Saturday year round! I started out with a coffee and jam-filled donut for a bit of energy and then we walked up and down the street looking at all the different tents. They have everything from specialty foods to handmade clothes, jewelry, purses, toys, so many beautiful items...pretty much anything you can think of! I LOVED it! And no...I didn't buy anything this time, but after casing everything out, I have a pretty good idea of what I want to buy the next time I go. Yeah, I think I will be spending a lot there....I'll try not to buy too much jewelry! :)

Stacy and I at the market. You can see all the tents in the background. The nice man who offered to take our picture told me I had a twang and asked where I was from. He kept chatting with us while his wife tried to pull him away because they were short on time. He told me "always remember fair dinkum." And as I discovered, that is Aussie slang to express surprise or simply make an acknowledgment...it means genuine, fair, "for real?!" or "no way!" So...there you have it....fair dinkum!

After the market, Stacy and I went to a cute little cafe and had a Devonshire Tea! A Devonshire Tea is a pot of tea served with a scone with yummy jam and whipped cream....real whipped cream...no, not Cool Whip (if you've never had real whipped cream, you are missing out)! Check out the yummy goodness below...

I think I could indugle in this deliciousness everyday!

On Sunday, I went to church at Citywide Baptist...just down the street from James and Stacy. A super sweet elderly lady named Pat took me under her wing and took good care of me. She sat with me, introduced me to everyone as "Shannon visiting from the States," and got me connected with the young adult group. She even gave me a ride home...so sweet! I enjoyed the church and plan to go back.

Although the weather was a bit iffy (rained off and on all day) on Sunday afternoon, James, Stacy and I went to a few wineries and sipped on some delicious Tassie wine. Apparently Tasmania is known for having unique Pinot Noir...it was very good! The hillside views were very pretty as well.

The picturesque view of the vineyard countryside. You can see the looming gray clouds above! But when having wine, everything is fine! haha :)

Now for those of you who may be worried that I am not earning my keep, here's some evidence that I am! James has been building a retaining wall around the house, so the other day I helped shovel rocks into a bucket and then poured them into the bricks to make it more sturdy. 

See...working hard!  

Yesterday, I went to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was beautiful...so many pretty flowers and so many little paths to explore. You could really spend all day there. I took tons of pictures...I'll just include a few of my favorites.

This is the Conservatory. It was one of my favorites... so beautiful!

It was so peaceful in the conservatory.

These were in the Fuchsia House... another of my favorites. I think they look like little dancing fairies in fancy, frilly dresses.

Another dancing fairy!

Lily Pond

 

And finally, a rose because they are my absolute favorite flowers.

Today, Stacy took me to Richmond, a cute little historical town just outside of Hobart. We walked around exploring the shops and then enjoyed the cute ducks.

This bridge was built in 1823! It is Australia's oldest bridge.

 I think these ducks were racing!

I think that's mostly it for now. For those of you who have been wondering, I am 17 hours ahead here! Crazy, I know! I think my body is completely adjusted to the time change.

Until my next post, I'll leave you with the...

Aussie Fact of the Day: Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world and its rainwater is so pure that it has even been shipped to the Australian athletes who have been competing in the Olympics.

Wow, I am currently living in the cleanest air in the world! How cool is that?!

To view more pictures, click on this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033882&id=177500204&l=be9b0e84d3