Tomorrow morning at an ungodly hour Rob and I are off to Italy for two weeks.  We’re flying into Rome (via Ryan Air so who knows how that will go… last time we flew to Rome on Ryan Air we had to beat old ladies with fur hats and kids with bags of duty free alcohol out of the way to get to a decent seat), spending the night there where we’ll meet my parents, and then heading on down to the Amalfi Coast.  I have to say, of all the places I’ve ever wanted to go, Positano has always been top of the list.  Last time we were in Italy we only managed to fit in Venice and Rome, so Rob promised we would go back to see Positano.  You can see why:

Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

How could you fail to be moved by such an incredible sight?  Anyway, we’re heading down to Sorrento on Wednesday for a couple of days so we can visit Herculaneum, Pompeii and climb Mount Vesuvius; then a few days later we’re going to the Isle of Capri (hopefully if there are boats going out this time of the year we’ll be able to visit the Blue Grotto), followed by Positano for a few days, Amalfi for a few days, and then back to Rome for a night.  If our last trip to Italy (February and March of 2007) is anything to go by, I know I’ll have an incredible time.

I hope the next two weeks treats you all well, and I’ll be back with loads of photos and Italian anecdotes for you all in a fortnight.  Perhaps I could ask a few locals to do my terminology survey (see below post)…

One of the things that never fails to cause an argument in my house is what words are used to describe certain objects. Terminology is a funny thing - even if you understand the word the other person uses to refer to an object or item, you still will only use the word you’re used to. Take the terms used to describe cold fried sliced potato - chips or crisps. Rob calls them ‘crisps’, because he was brought up in the UK. I call them chips, but so does my friend Kate, who was born in the UK but emigrated to Australia when she was quite young. Interestingly, Kate still pronounces the word yoghurt as ‘YOH-git’ (the British pronunciation) instead of ‘YOW-gert’ (the Australian pronunciation), so I’m not sure why she’s evolved in some of her terms and not others.

I got to thinking about these funny differences after reading a survey Sarah had filled out. Here’s the meme in question, with my answers and Rob’s answers filled in so you can see the differences:

Where did you grow up: South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Australia (Amy); Wales, UK (Rob).

WHAT DO YOU CALL:

1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
Creek (Amy), Stream (Rob).

2. Whats the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
Trolley (both).

3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
Lunchbox (both).

4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
Frying pan (both).

5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
Lounge or couch (Amy), settee (Rob).

6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
Drain (Amy), gutter (Rob).

7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
Pergola (Amy), gazebo (Rob).

8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
Soft drink (both).

9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
Pancakes (both).

10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
Sub (Amy), baguette (Rob).

11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
Bathers or togs (Amy, swimming trunks (Rob).

12. Shoes worn for sports.
Sneakers (Amy), trainers (Rob).

13. Putting a room in order.
Tidying up (both).

14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
Firefly (both).

15.The children’s playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
See-saw (both).

16. How do you eat your pizza?
With hands (Amy), knife and fork (Rob).

17. What’s it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
Garage sale (both).

18. What’s the evening meal?
Tea (Amy), dinner (Rob).

19. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
Bubbler (Amy), water fountain (Rob).

20. What do you call the clothing covering for legs worn on the outside?
Pants (Amy), trousers (Rob).

As you can see, there are some similarities but some key differences.  Did anyone else come up with any different answers as they were reading these?  Do you strongly disagree or agree with the answers Rob and I have put?

They might look cute and cuddly, and people may flock to Australian wildlife parks and zoos to see them, but did you know that the platypus can actually give you a poisonous sting?

The platypus is immortalized on the Australian twenty cent piece, has been a mascot for Australian cultural and sporting events (such as the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Brisbane Expo in 1988), and is drawn to look all cute and cuddly in cartoons such as Blinky Bill, but in actual fact, this little animal is quite nifty with it’s hind legs. This is where the poisonous spur is located, but only on the male platypus - I guess the females can ward of enemies with a simple glare of their beady eyes.

By the way, there is also no agreed upon plural for the word Platypus - some people call them ‘Platypi’, while others refer to them as ‘Platypusses’, but there isn’t any official term. A few years ago it was suggested a competition should be held Australia wide to come up with a plural for the animal, but the event never went ahead. Shame - ‘Platyplural’ would have been my entry.