Gettin' jiggy in Darwin

Four days away in Darwin. Darwin is a four hour direct flight from Melbourne. Paul had work in Darwin this past weekend, so I got to tag along. It's significantly warmer than Melbourne, so I was very happy to join. The sun is much more powerful. I learned this the hard way. I put on sunscreen, but it didn't make a huge difference. After only two hours of laying by the pool I was burnt to a crisp. 

 

Since moving to Melbourne We've visited Perth in Western Australia which is where Paul is from & Darwin in the Northern Territory. We'll probably be back in Perth in the next couple of months.

For dinner there weren't very many Vegetarian options, but lots of sea food. I'm still willing to eat sea food. I ordered Chili Prawns. They came with heads still attached. That is something I'm NOT used to. I have such a good boyfriend that he detached the heads for me & ate off the bits he knew I wouldn't like.

We were able to take in the sunset after our meal. 

We felt safe from crocs near this body of water, because a lot of people were fishing there.

The next night we went to the Mindil Beach sunset markets. There were tons of pop up food tents & shops. After we found some yummy veggo food we wandered back towards the sound of a didgeridoo & drums. There were two men playing some funky beats in front of the screen to the right. In the back of the screen were some elder Aboriginal women watching; while Aboriginal children danced to the music. This was my favourite part of Darwin. 

On Sunday we checked out Crocodylus Park. There were crocs, buffalo, lion & lioness, monkeys, a kangaroo, dingos, wallaby's, iguanas, emu, & an ostrich. Most of the exhibit had only one or two of each animal. For $35 we had a short tour that included a feeding of the larger crocs. I actually fed a croc. I just held a stick with lamb attached to rope over the railing and the croc jumps up for a bite. Right before I saw this sign I reached my hands through the railings to take a picture. Crap.

At the end of the tour we got to hold a baby croc. Right after we snapped my pic the croc moved a tiny bit. The tour guide handed it to Paul for a cuddle. The croc then shat in Paul's suspecting hands. He had a feeling it was about to drop a deuce.Whilst getting croc shat in the palm of his hand, he smiled happily for a photo.

Those are hundreds of what I assume to be toddler crocs. As we were walking past there were two dudes walking on the other side of that water dropping tubs of chicken on the black part above the water. You could hear their small feet against the plastic jumping up for chicken & jumping back into the water after their feeding. The only way to describe it is intense.

I had a great time in Darwin. Paul was such a trooper. He had to wake up everyday very early & work nearly ten hours in the Darwin heat. I would have been exhausted. But he managed to muster up the energy to show me around Darwin each evening. I'm lucky to have such a good boyfriend. 

The google machine!

I've been on the internet a lot lately.

I've gotten inspired to be more adventurous with my hair & nails.

I also FINALLY signed up for Pinterest. I'm addicted.

Today I've already used a teeth whitener, face mask, hair mask & learned a new braid.

Teeth Whitener:

Baking Soda 1 tablespoon, and lemon or lime.

-Scoop tablespoon of baking soda onto plate/bowl, and squeeze lemon/lime juice over powder. Powder will begin to bubble. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds until it turns into a paste. Put the paste on a tooth brush & use it like tooth paste. Rinse & repeat only about once a week. It can weaken your enamel. We'll see if it really works. I've only used it the once so far.

Face Mask:

One egg white, face tissue, makeup sponge/brush.

-Put egg white into bowl and use makeup sponge or brush to spread over face. Then put a face tissue over the first layer of egg white. Repeat another layer of egg white on top of tissue. Repeat another layer of tissue. Let dry and peal off. It supposedly works on black heads & even skin color, etc. First time with this too. I will say my skin feels really soft. Not so sure about the black heads though...

Hair Mask:

Olive oil, sponge, and towel.

-Heat olive oil, use sponge to spread over hair & wet towel with hot water. After you've applied the oil evenly, focusing on ends & massaging scalp-wrap warm towel around hair. Leave on for at least 30 minutes. Should help to soften hair and increase health of hair if done regularly. I've been growing out my hair for three years, so I'm willing to try anything to increase the chances of my hair growing faster!

Dutch Braid:

I'm 26 years old & the only braid I've ever known is a regular braid. I've been trying to grasp the idea of how to Dutch Braid for a couple of weeks. I finally got it today! There's no way I could explain how to do this. But here's the tutorial that taught me. She slowed things down & made it really easy to understand.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHUCx_JqNk4

Time to wash out the hair mask & see if it's all it's cracked up to be!

xo, Meaghan

Spring is in the air!

Spring has sprung in Melbourne!

We've been spending the first few days of spring out enjoying the weather. We've gone for a nice walk almost everyday this week. The first day of spring was absolutely perfect! The sun was shining & there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Most everyones yards have beautiful flower bushes. It's hard for me not to take a picture of nearly every flower I walk past. 

Just after grocery shopping we were able to take in this glorious sunset.

The sun was so bright.

While Mr. Forsyth was out on a jog the other day, I took in the air & read a book. 

   We've managed to get my bike ready to ride & take a short bike ride around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, bike helmets are mandatory here. So, sooner vs. later we'll need to get me a bike helmet & Paul a new helmet. The outer shell of his helmet fell off! Now he's riding around with a white styrofoam helmet. It's a site to be seen! 

This weekend we're headed to one of the first games of the Australian Football League Finals. Dockers vs. Cats. The Dockers are Pauls team-their from Fremantle, Western Australia. The Dockers don't typically make it to the finals, & they don't often play in Melbourne either. This should be an enjoyable game for Paul. We're also going to do a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground before the game. It's been around for at least 100 years. I'm actually quite excited. Footy is super entertaining, much more than American Football-No pads, continued running, an oval field, and short shorts! 

That's all for now. We're watching the Goonies & this blog is interrupting my entertainment.

xo, Meaghan