Australia has some wonderful and distinctive bird life. The other morning I woke to a neighbouring house alarm. Only, it wasn’t a house alarm at all, it was a bird that sounds like a house alarm, and like a house alarm, it went on all morning.

I love the birds here, they have such interesting calls. If birds were classified by their sounds there would be the Microwave Bird, the Rat Bird and the 60’s Theme Tune Bird. There is one that echoes as if it is calling through a long tunnel and ...

I have finally seen an Australian snake … !!

Like many New Zealanders I thought I would see kangaroos at every turn, a koala in every gum tree and I would have to dodge snakes, crocodiles and dangerous spiders every time I left the town. After six months exploring in three states, I have finally caught a glimpse of a little brown snake and it was slithering away through the long grass as quickly as it could.

It’s not like they haven’t had lots of opportunities to make themselves known...

I am sitting outside in the sun on the balcony of a lovely house in Brisbane watching the birds. At my side are three lovely dogs.

I am doing what I love …. writing …. and thinking …. and learning about the Internet. Can life get any better? This week I am house sitting for a family who live in a beautiful house in a suburb of Brisbane called Jamboree Heights. It is a house like many others in the suburb, but what makes it really special, is the bird life. The family have encouraged t...