Can you believe it? Less than a week after I write about my indignation at someone here telling me that there are no bananas growing in Australia, Cyclone Larry sweeps through far north Queesnland and as well as leaving towns badly damaged, it also destroys 80% of the avocado crop and 95% of the bananas.




Did I jinx them, I wonder? From what I've read, it could take up to five years before the industry is back up on its feet again, so the country will face big price hikes and shortages of this fruit that is so well loved. There really is nothing like a big, yellow, tasty banana from Queensland. I still get a lump in my throat when I sing the great Australian banana anthem Make those Bodies Sing

Ahhh....ba na na na na naa na na naana na make those bodies sing (let's see you get that tune out of your head for the rest of the day!)

The cyclone even made the front page of the Swedish news services and here is where I get to laugh out loud again. While the morning papers had detailed and informative reports, the afternoon tabloids couldn't possibly do a report on Australia without mentioning crocodiles and snakes! I was disappointed they couldn't find a shark angle and make it a full sweep. Check out Aftonbladet (Swedish only) and in big letters you'll see the headline about crocodiles and snakes that will be coming up through the storm water systems. They just can't help themselves.

On the morning radio I also heard an interview with a lady who runs a backpacker hostel in Mission Beach (I guess they were trying to find a few Swedish backpackers to interview). She spoke in a broad Australian accent and I was surprised at how she sounded and commented about it to Lars-Göran, who thought she sounded much like the rest of us. "Do I really sound like THAT?" I asked, making a mental note to have speech therapy lessons. I suppose that it's been a while since I listened to an Australian speaking so my ear was not tuned to it and I was taken aback by it.




I nearly forgot to say that the Melodifestival finale was on Saturday night. The veteran performer Carola won, which really was no big suprise. In her final performance after winning though she sang the first verse in English, no doubt to demonstrate how she will sing it at the Eurovision contest in Athens later in the year.

I really hope she gets a second opinion about the translation before she performs it internationally, because she sang the word "sensatiable", which is definately not a word. Can someone please tell her to sing "sensational" instead? Or maybe it was meant to be insatiable? Who knows. I have to admit though, that the word is cracking me up and I keep telling Lars-Göran things like how sensatiable the weather is. I think he's going to be sick of the word soon.

And as happened at last year's competition, if the Swedes suddenly realise that her song sucks once they hear the others in Athens, there is yet another Swede performing, this time for Switzerland - which will confuse the many Americans who already believe that Sweden and Switzerland are the same country. And don't worry Australia, we'll be there as well as the German entrant contains an expat Aussie. Now I've heard it all!




As you can see from the above picture of the two kajor (jackdaws) sunning themselves on the roof of a local building, it has been sunny these last few days. Not warm, mind you, just very sunny. Officially, spring is supposed to be just around the corner, but it’s hard to imagine any semblance of warmth as I look out across the water towards the boat and still see the bleak, wintery landscape staring back at me. The wind has turned northwards again and it feels like it’s coming straight from the Arctic circle (which of course it is) and light snow is still being blown horizontally across the land.




Yes, I think it may still be a while before we take Fiona out for a sail. I mean, it IS going to warm up eventually, isn't it?