Meeting Celebrities

Today I met my Australian hero– Bill Granger: chef, restaurant owner, and author of my favorite cookbooks. I was giddy to meet him as he signed his newest book for me at the Borders bookseller in Chatswood.

Next I met several of my other favorite Australians– koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, and echidnas.

The Koala Nature Preserve is just north of our apartment, so we spent the sunny, hot afternoon roaming about the confines of the park viewing the animals in their semi-natural habitats.

The cockatoos that greeted us “hello” as we walked past, though it was their request, “got a cracker?” that stopped us in our tracks!

We pet the kangaroos and observed a little joey in its mother’s pouch up close.

A sheep shearer offered a demonstration.

Koalas climbed out of their trees for feeding time, and we were able to give one a quick pat. Though he looked fuzzy and soft he actually felt like steel wool.

Aussie Word of the Day: trollies = shopping carts