Cheesy - Oz style

Many thanks to y'all for the "feel better!" wishes. I'm only about half as distressed as yesterday so I'm thinking that whatever it was is on its last legs. Good thing too as I had to go down to the post office to chase down a letter that the postman had attempted to deliver yesterday when I was in no state to get to the door on time.

It didn't turn out to be a letter at all but instead was a padded envelope from one of B's cousins in Australia. One of B's dad's brothers moved to Australia back in the mid-50s and they never looked back. B's cousins were still kids/teenagers when they arrived and they now speak English with an Australian accent and a tinge of German. They still speak German but it's quite rusty and I've finally reached the point where my German is better than theirs. We're quite close to one of his cousins, Peter, and one of Peter's sons, Wayne, is the one who sent the envelope. It's neither of our birthdays and there's not been any big event in either family lately so we were very curious what would be in the envelope.

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm a trinket fiend. Little plastic toys and fridge magnets and geegaws of any sort catch my attention. I'm in heaven in a tacky souvenir shop. And that's what was in the envelope - a sampling of tacky souvenirs from Australia. I was practically swooning as I unwrapped each item.



This was first - a stuffed kangaroo (complete with joey!) wearing one of those goofy Outback hats with the little cork bobbles used to keep the flies away. I have no idea whether Australians actually wear these hats or if they're just a charming cliche but we have some ourselves. When Peter and his wife came to visit Germany it was a particularly hot summer and the wasps and bees were frightful. Peter called home and had the kids send some of those hats so they could bear the onslaught of winged insects and we still have them. Parties at our home sometimes degenerate to the guests being in such a state of drunkeness that they demade we break out the hats just so they can try them on.



You can't have a true collection of souvenirs without keyrings. And they've been pressed into use already. I'm not passing up the chance to use a keyring that says "Good luck, mate!" on it.



Stickers! And magnets! I'm all over those magnets. One even has a thermometer. Useful and cheesy at the same time! B says he wants one of the Australian flag stickers on his wheelchair. Who am I to deny him?



The ultimate in cheesy. The ultimate in tacky. My favorite thing in the package. A kangaroo pen. And not just any kangaroo pen, my friends.



Push the levers on the back and it boxes! I've had my play time with it severly curtailed. B said if I don't leave it alone I'm going to break it. Spoil sport.



Me thinks these two were bound up together too long or someone's trying to jack that hat.

Good manners and my love of what's cheesy demands that I reciprocate and send Wayne and his family their own package of German souvenirs. Any excuse for me to invade a souvenir shop.