Australiana

It’s been a tough 3 weeks whilst Emmas been overseas . She flew in at 7am Saturday morning , it’s fair to say a lot of shit has gone down . It’s funny how the universe works , she gets back from Australia and that’s our theme for the day . We are to catch up later for a farewell get together for a cool Melbourne family who have lived here for 7 years and are now returning to Melbourne to live . Its weird that Emma flys back the very same day from Melbourne and we are to connect with another family going back , and then to top it off I look at my Facebook feed to find that an Aussie rules game will be played in Torrance ( 20 minutes from our joint ) with the LA Dragons . It doesn’t seem anything to write about at all but to live here in LA …..well that shit doesn’t happen .To add more stock to the pot I switch tv Chanel’s and there’s Ash Barty in the French Open final , and as we know , she got the chocolates . Fuck ,it’s like Australia Day has changed dates .

Poor Emma has to get off a 15 hour flight and rock straight into it . We are excited but it’s hard to translate it to friends over here . An Aussie Rules game of football up the road from home is incredible for us , well shit it’s more me and Leroy . I’m torn , do I put it out to a large group of people or do I keep it low key . This is a game that literally no one has heard of over here . Dwarf throwing , ice hockey , la crosse , dodge ball , and cheer leading have a profile but Aussie rules ? It may as well be some circus sport from a far flung land that really can’t be real . We are excited , we want to telephone everyone but we look at each other and it’s like …ummm they’re really not interested . Eventually we drag two of Leroys mates there . ….and they had a ball .

Wilson Park , Torrance , it’s probably the size of Wilson’s rd reserve in Mornington , that’s a bloody big space of grass reserved for public use over here . They can’t get over the size of fields we play sport on , and they’re oval shape ‘ , wow that’s real ? To make this whole experience more authentic is that the park is surrounded with gum trees …. and there’s goal posts at either end . The echo of whistles blowing, voices raised and grown men in shorts and singlets running around punting an oval shape ball ……..ha what is this stunt ?

It was hilarious when the boys decided they wanted an autograph , and on their shoes . “Hey boys they’re not superstars ,they’re Park footballers .” The guy above is Pat Nicholls ,his older brother is a ruckman for the Goldcoast Suns , and yes Emma was impressed . As Pat is a tennis coach she thought tennis lessons could work . After talking to Pat he said he needed me , they need guys to put the boots on who’ve played before . I entertained it for 20 seconds before Emma reminded me that I’m nearly 50 and have hamstrings like worn shoelaces . Next time they play here we are dragging some friends along . I’m sure just watching Pat run around will be reason enough . The kids couldn’t stop yelling out encouragement all day , they thought Pat was some star , just like the tennis wives he coaches in Beverly Hills .

The afternoon took us to Brentwood / Pacific Palisades just up past Santa Monica . It’s a beautiful area tucked into the beginning of the Malibu Hills , covered with trees and private streets . It felt like some of the streets I often worked at back on the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula .This is the last hoorah for Frank , Kaz and their kids before they move back to Melbourne .To have drinks ,eat sausage rolls,sandwiches with chewy unsweetened white bread and to hear that familiar twang in nearly every conversation from the 50 something guests was uplifting and refreshing . Franks a successful music producer ( Gotye ) and Kaz writes for Reece Witherspoon , we were lucky enough to have caught up with them at an Australia Day party 2 years ago . Kaz is in the floral dress .

Finally ,we drift off home ,fortunately Emma has brought back a couple of favourites , and shit what better way to finish this particular Aussie day in LA .