I made it home late Saturday night, via Hawaiian layover and incredibly swollen, it was really cute. My ankle bones still have yet to find their way home but I'm hoping they arrive soon. I've spent the last few days eating sausage rolls (I've had three so far...I've been here three days...you do the math) and trying to get my new life in order.
I've also discovered a little fact I had previously forgotten about....Australian birds don't come to play!
The first morning I was rudely awaken at 5am by a bird sitting in the tree outside doing its best impression of a car alarm. I'm not even being sarcastic, I genuinely think that's what it was doing. I of course took a video to send to my friends and complain about my lack of sleep...I even went downstairs and informed my Dad that I had made a grave mistake and can no longer live in Australia.... I then proceeded to sit in the armchair and pout for the next few hours. Thankfully the birds have returned every morning since, so that's good.
Here is the video so you can truly understand what my bird torture sounded like.
If that isn't a car alarm, I do not know what is!
To make matters worse, a few hours later when I was getting ready to head out for the day I stepped out of the front door to this...
A single magpie.
As the rhyme goes...
One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told
A single magpie is seen to be bad luck AND it is swooping season. For those unfamiliar, around this time of the year these black and white birds become little torpedos of pain. If you happen to walk in the general direction of their nesting chicks they attack, swooping down to beak you in the temple, I recommend looking it up on Youtube, it's wild and one of my favourite things to introduce to unfamiliar Americans.
I was personally attacked by a magpie only once. I was 14 and walking across a football field to catch the train when suddenly I was quite literally kicked in the back of the head. I look behind me in shock right as the little bastards flapped down and kicked me again, I began waving my hands and running like a maniac while it chased and kicked me a handful more times. Heart pounding, and looking like a complete moron frantically out of breath, I eventually made it to the train but if I can offer you any advice it's to stay the hell away from these shits during the spring.
I digress, but yes not much to report other than it's been a bird-y few days full of early mornings and puffy ankles.
But alas, I made it!
Koala headband and all!
