Monday morning here:
I got up at 7 (dh got me up) and was ready to go just before the departure time of 8:30. The breakfast dishes were not done, though. They are in soak. I had to shower and dry and style my hair and I still had time to get the photos up for you ladies. So I think I did very well.
I walked with dh to the meeting site (900 steps away) and said hi to everyone and checked out their facilities. No-one needed anything from me so I came back to have a day to myself. Everyone is going for lunch except dh (I will not go) and so I'm not due back there until just before 4 p.m. We'll drop computers off at a B&B just down the road and then go to the beach for a swim before dinner out.
This is just a 2 day meeting so this is the only night for a group dinner and activity with everyone (two were delayed getting in from Europe due to flight disruptions from the US storms.)
To answer some questions:
Australia is completely metric, speeds, distances, temperatures and weights. Canada is as well, except we still advertise bulk groceries (meat, vegetables) by the pound (with the kilo price in small print below) so the prices seemed bad to me when I arrived. They are bad, but only 2x home instead of the 4x home I thought at first. There are few things that are the same price and a few things cheaper (i.e. sparkling water is 75 cents a litre, as opposed to home where it is $2 or more.)
I finally found the stevia sweetened cola (Naked Life) and it was $4 for a 12 oz bottle. At home Zevia is $1 a 12 oz can. My ginger beer is $2 so I have only had the cola once but it was excellent. There is an orange passionfruit sparkling drink that is less sugar so only 75 calories per 12 oz and I'm really enjoying that (cut with more sparkling water.)
Kangaroos are like deer as a road hazard (except more plentiful.) We probably saw 10 dead ones. No idea who picks them up but you can't take a dead one home with you to butcher. (I asked.)
The high temperature today is 29 (84 F) and it feels hot now in the sun although it is still 77. There is almost always a breeze off the ocean so we haven't been way too hot yet. Sydney was 47 on Saturday which is 116. That must have been a fluke because on Thursday it is to be 24 so manageable (we have to change terminals again so will be going outside.)
Friday and Saturday are rain and cool, below 70, in Wellington (that changes what I'll wear on the plane Thursday since we're arriving late on Thursday night.) We have yet to have a hot day in Wellington and we've only ever been there in summer! At least this time it is close to 70, last time there were days where it didn't get above 55.
Well enough time spent catching up with you ladies. Time to get to work.
Our host has put a bluetooth speaker in so I can listen to music with better fidelity or while my phone is on the charger and I'm in the kitchen. So there's no excuse for me to be sitting here.