Australia on my mind.

It all started with the most recent issue of dwell magazine.  It asks on it's cover, "Why are the world's best houses in Australia and New Zealand?"  (Because they are awesome countries, of course!  Even if I do razz on Oz sometimes, it's only because it's relative inferiority of awesomeness in relation to New Zealand.  It's still a really cool place, although the Wallabies will never be as great as the All Blacks!)  But I've been re-reading the magazine, browsing through it often and marvelling at the homes they feature.  More so than I usually do, anyway.

And then my sister made me go see the film Australia with her at the $3 theatre, even though I had absolutely no desire to.  I've no idea why, I just don't like to go out to see movies anymore (Confessions of a Shopaholic? Paul Blart: Mall Cop?).  I should have known better because it was, of course, absolutely fantastic.  I loved, loved, loved the Northern Territories, so it was just so cool to get to see on the big screen the landscapes of the area.  And the fact that there was more to it than just a love story, helped, I like a little action now and then.  (Although the Stolen Generations bit is depressing, and the fact that it took till the end of the 60s to end it, and until last year to receive a formal apology from the government, is a sad reminder of how far Australia has to go in respect to they regard the Aborgines.  There are a lot of problems there that still need to be resolved.)

And then, of course, there is the whole Victorian wildfires.  To think that someone may have deliberately set at least one of these fires, that has so far devastated an incredible amount of land that is already suffering from drought, and killed at least 200 people, is just horrifying.  I hope that they find whoever did this.  If you feel compelled to help at all, you can donate to the Australian Red Cross, and/or to the Bushfire Appeal.  And check out this video of one little koala that was rescued:

All in all, it kinda makes me miss the place.  Excepting Sydney, of course!