It’s springtime here in South Australia, and the people have come to life with a vengeance after a dark cool winter. The sun is bright and there seems to be a perpetual cool breeze blowing off the sea to keep my skin from feeling too hot. With the arrival of this warmer weather, and the end of John Howard and the general elections, the people of Oz have begun to play. Over the last month I’ve experienced a taste of the fun loving Aussies indoors and out. It’s going to be a great summer here. The ocean becomes as clear and as blue hued as the Caribbean and you can drive on the beaches.
My house mate and beach house lord, Glenn Scott, took me and Nicole out to sea on his boat this weekend to fish for squid and to see the beautiful coastline south of Aldinga Beach. Glenn has lived on the ocean most of his life and is a fantastic tour guide and friend to have down here. The bright yellow boat was towed on an old blue tractor the two blocks to the water and dropped in without any hassle. 
We pulled in 8 squid which made a great meal and went swimming in a secluded bay that was as pristine as any found off Santorini. The water was cold and crystal clear and made a refreshing break from the heat of the day. 5 hours later we came back in, all roasted and weary from a day on the water. Now I really understand how beautiful and abundant the natural resources of this country are. 
The day before we went to Yanni Pappas’ vineyard to eat a spring lamb he was roasting and to celebrate the beginning of the new growing season. Pappas was featured earlier in the blog brandishing a shotgun he uses to shoot starlings. The fresh Greek salads and friendship led to another great day. We were the first to arrive and the last to leave.
A trip to Melbourne earlier in the week led to the sale of 1000’s of cases of Thorpe Wines and we caught a great meal and spontaneous party at Gerald’s Bar in North Carlton. The owner, Gerald Diffey, spins his own vinyl and cooks up whatever he wants in the kitchen. The place has a zeitgeist feel to it and is a must visit for anyone going to Melbourne. The food and wine are all fantastic and it surely will be a memorable event. During my last visit the crowd got down and jumped on the bar to dance to the beats. It all ended very late at somebody’s pool.
I don’t know what else is gonna happen here this summer, but I can’t wait to see it unfold. This place is like the US was a hundred years ago, before heavy population and the end of our resources. Living here is as good an excuse for enjoying life that I can imagine at this point in time. All I need now is to gather the courage to climb up on that proverbial bar with a bottle and watch the rest of the world go down.
