Friends in LOW Places

I have a couple of great friends in the "Land Down Under." The kind that a girl would hop in a kayak and paddle for 42 days to go and see. 

The kind that when she reads a blog post that might be a little sad, she sends off an email and wishes that she had a phone number instead and could properly calculate the time difference to call and say "Hey, I'm thinking of you. Are you doing okay?" 

The kind that when something is going great she laughs until she pees her underpants. 

One of these friends sent me a package that was full of LOVELY things not too long ago. Visitors brochures with notes on what to expect (like the place where you can walk and get dive bombed by magpies, which the tourism people rudely left out) and what to see and do. She also made sure to let me know what stories I should ask the locals about, and to let them know that I knew the people involved. 

She also sent me a great picture of her and peanut running in the rain with umbrellas! Of course Nana Tantrum was HORRIFIED when she saw the picture because they had raincoats, and umbrellas but NO SHOES ON! What kind of mother does that? Um...one who lives in a country where it hardly ever rains and is usually 200 bazillion degrees on any given day?

My favorite is a Hessian Sack Cloth that has a list of all of the important places on it: Rome, Paris, London, Queensland, Athens. I use it to carry my things to work in, and to tote home groceries from the market. It saves me .10¢ each time I use it too! It is huge and lovely, and everyone asks me where I got it...I tell them it came from my famous friend from Australia. They are jealous, and then offer to pay me for it. 

I was also warned by one of the husbands of my friends for "INCITING OTHERS TO EXCESSIVELY USE THE INTERNET" and that if I don't post a warning soon that reads "THIS BLOG CONTAINS CONTENT THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE SIDE SPLITTING MERRIMENT" I will be forced to eat Vegemite by the spoonful out of the jar! So someone please make me a button....so I don't have to eat the rancid crap anytime soon!

I sent off a package to both of them...full of American rubbish that is sure to please them both, and entertain a bit. I only wish that I could have delivered it in person, that would have been so much more fun! 

I am so thankful for friends like these, I just hope that soon we can all play together for real in person. That we can enjoy some "Lamb on the Barbie" and not get into too much trouble...or at least not so much trouble that anyone is banned from ever going back to that beautiful country!