Americans in Canberra

I think I may have mentioned this before, but all Jim, Nancy and I could really walk to from our hotel in Canberra was the mall. So we went to the mall after our workshop, and what did we see right inside the front door? A Nativity! We all stopped dead in our tracks and gasped. A Nativity in a public place like the mall? We simply couldn't believe it! In a church yard, yes. In someone's personal yard, yes. But the mall? We were truly shocked. And so we took a picture, just in case anyone didn't believe us.

Now, just to add a few details, the woman we asked to take our picture thought we were hilarious, so she and her 11-year-old son talked to us for a while. They told us that instead of leaving milk and cookies for Santa, they leave BEER and cookies! In fact, the 11-year-old told us that one year they left out 10 beers, and Santra drank 9 of them (his Dad drank the last one on Christmas morning). I have a feeling that kids in Canberra get better presents from Santa than American kids.
Next up, a nod to the long-suffering Jim. Those of you who know Jim probably know that at story time, he prefers to be called Mr. Jim. Those of you who know him also probably know that Jim can be a bit of an Eeyore sometimes. So Nancy and I started calling Jim: Mr. Jim Grumblebum. Once we saw this, however, his name extended to Mr. Jim Grumblebum Sherpa. Tikki Tikki Tembo has nothing on Jim.

We saw this sign on a pole on a main road in the Belconnen suburb of Canberra. This is one of the best signs I've ever seen! Needless to say, Nancy and I felt compelled to practice.

Being caught unawares, I did not have a hat or an open umbrella. Therefore, I had to go with the basic "aaaarrrrgggghhh" while shielding myself with my hands. Note, however, that I am not running.

Nancy, however, is properly prepared with her hat. Bring on the swooping birds!

By the way, we never did get swooped, despite walking by this sign about 10 times.