Long Walks and Galahs in Mandurah

 

We're thrilled to be back aboard Nine of Cups and back in Australia … also fondly known as Oz (as in AUS...tralia). We saw some kangaroos grazing in a field on our way back from the airport. There's no mistaking it … we're in the land down under again.

We were walking to Bunnings, the local hardware store the other day (think Lowes or Home Depot), along the beach road. The walk is long (2-3 miles one way), but it's quite scenic when you stick to the side roads. We chatted amiably as we ambled along. It's good getting into the habit of walking again instead of jumping in the car for every errand.

En route, we came upon a tree teeming with galahs. That's pronounced ga-LAH. We've seen them many times before, but never tire of them. They're gregarious pink and gray cockatoos that are lovely to see and fun to watch. They're a bit cheeky. They travel in great flocks and there's never any doubt where they are as they're never quiet. Like most parrots, they're screechers and they find it hard to keep to themselves.

In Aussie-speak, calling someone a galah can be a rather derogatory slur … it's calling them a loud mouth or a big fool. In more endearing terms, we've heard people call each other “you big galah”… kind of like “you, dumbell”. I guess that's no worse than telling someone they're “crazy as a loon” or referring to them as a turkey. Poor birds take a lot of bad mouthing.