Keller Family Blog

We are housesitting for a friend while we are looking for a house in Melbourne. Outside we hear and see several different birds here. Not the same song type birds we have in the USA, but some very beautiful looking birds.  The bird that we hear at this house we are sitting at most often as in all day long is the Bell Miner bird.  While it is not named for the sound it makes but rather what it eats, it has a bell like chirp of the exact tone, pitch, frequency and similar rythm as a fire alarm that needs to have it’s battery changed.  So all day long I want to find the fire alarm to change its battery. Of course the bird may not like it if I try to open it up…

We have made it to Melbourne.  We are staying in a caravan park. (Cabins at a campground for the Americans). While taking a walk on a roo hunt this evening we saw a mother and a joey grazing on the hillside about 75 yards / metres away. Since it was dusk the picture is not as sharp as we would have liked it. 

Well we have one restaurant in Australia that we can all eat at:  McDonald’s Jaden can eat two things on the menu. A beef patty which has been placed in the box plain without bread and Fries also known as Hot Chips. The burger is 100% Australian beef with no Added Soy.  Jaden has not had a negative reaction to the fries though he has to the USA McDonald’s fries with their coating of Hydrogenated Soy.  Also Jaden could eat the fries at Burger King in the USA, but he can’t have the fries at their subsidiary here known as Hungry Jack’s as the sugar that coats them in Australia is derived from Wheat.

Needless to say if Crystal and the kids are out and about and need to get some food or when we are traveling we have an option to eat.  Not one that we would willing choose everytime, but it is possible.

Also the McDonald’s seem to always have a KFC near them, so for one occasion, we got Jaden’s at McD’s and everyone elses’ food at KFC.

Well, we will be relocating from Sydney to Melbourne soon. This has been very frustrating finding a home in Melbourne as there are way too many people seeking to rent than there are homes to be rented. Hopefully as we house sit for a friend we would be able to find a place quickly.

We had a wonderful time Saturday night having dinner with a cousin and her husband.  Both are from my home town in Indiana and now live here in Sydney.

Gotta keep thinking left….

Have made a couple of turns lately and driven on the road for short distance on right hand side.  Just keep thinking left Crystal and I tell ourselves. I figured it would be hard driving on the left and sitting in the right hand side.  What I didn’t know was how hard it would be to sit on the left while someone else was driving.  A little nerve-wracking.  Anyway we are making progress learning our way around Sydney. Tomorrow we venture into the heart of the city.

We went to Palm Beach (Australia that is) today. Thought I should spend time with the family since I left on Sunday and hadn’t seen them until late Tuesday.

At the park near the water, we saw a Laughing Kookaburra, a Crested Pigeon and a Galah. Pretty cool birds.  Good thing Crystal bought a Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. Getting pictures online is a bit complicated right now, but we hope to post some later. I should say we heard the Kookaburra well before we saw it. 

Being in Australia less than a fortnight (common used term in Australia), I traveled to Melbourne to visit the new office. Looks like the new office will be a wonderful place for the ministry to have its headquarters here. I am looking forward to helping move the operations there. I also met several CCCA Missionaries in Melbourne. Overall it was a great trip!

Well we have nearly finished in adjusting to the new time zone. Jaden came into the bedroom at 4:30 but did go back to sleep. All that we brought on the plane is unpacked and we are settling in here in Sydney.

We don’t have Internet access at the house yet and I don’t know when that will happen. Right now it is just our mobile phones on which I am making this post now.

Tomorrow we will get our new (to us) van and will be my first day in the office.

We arrived safely in Sydney Wed morning. Haven’t had any way to access Internet yet. Will post more soon when I can get my computer online.