It just doesn't feel like November! I was talking to D'Arcy this morning and he said it's snowing in Ottawa - big, fluffy snowflakes. Sorry, but I don't miss that (yet).

When I arrived back in Brisbane mid-October it was a lovely surprise to see that the jacaranda trees had bloomed. They only flower for a few weeks, but during that time they are very hard to miss! Apparently they also remind students in Brisbane that it's exam time which isn't the best connotation for such a beautiful tree. They are almost back to being plain trees without the purple flowers now, but the frangipanis have started blossoming and those are gorgeous as well!

Here, have some Wikipedia knowledge:

Jacarandas in bloom have become closely associated with Brisbane and South East Queensland. The Brisbane City Council have used jacarandas to line avenues, and commercial developments in some areas, particularly along the Brisbane River have incorporated jacarandas into their landscape design. The trees are common in parks throughout the city, most notably in a long curved avenue in New Farm Park, in Goodna, and in private gardens. Brisbane's hilly geography allows views of the city and suburbs in which the brightly coloured flowers can be easily seen for miles. The jacaranda has become so much a part of the city's identity that contemporary art, particularly of streetscapes, often incorporates the flowering jacaranda, despite the fact that it only flowers for approximately six weeks from September through October.

Tomorrow we're getting a temporary roomie. Lisa, a girl from Ottawa who is starting Speech Pathology as well, is flying in from Canada and staying with us while she gets herself organized. I suppose she must be on the plane by now since she was leaving sometime Thursday. Next Friday we're planning on going to the mandatory international student orientation at UQ...Jeremy's already been so I've heard about it. "It's not wrong, it's different". Hahaha. Oh well! "Uni" starts soon. Pretty crazy. In two years I will FINALLY be finished!!!