I have mentioned a few times that I joined a book club last year, which has ended up being a really wonderful part of living in Adelaide. The girls are so lovely, and whether we love/hate/like/are indifferent to/don't finish the book, we always manage to have a good chat (much of which is actually book related). Beginning with the Fringe this year, we have started planning regular outings and always have a great time trying new things.
I'll go a little off track from the original topic and introduce 'the girls'.
Jess - at my first meeting, she was also brand new to the book club. She had actually just moved to Australia from the States (Connecticut) with her family (husband and two boys) because of her husband's job. She owns a make your own pottery business back in the US and continues to run it from here. She is lots of fun, a great mum, but also enjoys girl's nights out and cocktails!
Maeri-Anne - originally from South Africa, she had been living in London for a number of years before moving to Adelaide. Her brother lives in Newcastle, NSW and she attempted to get permanent residency in that area without success before giving South Australia a try. She works as an executive assistant. She's always coming up with unique ideas for outings.
Hilary - she can always be counted on to have a very definite opinion of the book we have just read and likes to do internet background research as well. She studied acting and has actually met many Australian celebrities. She lived in the UK for many years, but is now settled in Adelaide with her husband and two sports obsessed boys.
Ngan - the only other true Adelaidian (along with Hilary). Her background is Vietnamese and she is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen. She has an awesome sense of humour and we often find ourselves laughing together. She was studying Psychology at university but then ended up advancing in her administrative role and has put her studies on hold. She is also the person to go to for food recommendations!
Sara - originally from New Zealand but has a lot of family in Adelaide including her dad. She is a dietitian and understands a lot about speech pathology as well. She likes to try new things and usually has lots of good suggestions for activities.
Aimee - Oops, I lied. Another original Adelaidian, she joined the group a little later than all the others. She is a paediatric nurse who does home visits. She is about to have her first baby within the next month which means that she will probably have a bit of a book club hiatus. Since joining, she has been an enthusiastic member of the group and has joined right in on the outings. I will be missing her baby shower this weekend since I'll be out and about in Melbourne!
Amy - Joined at the same time as Aimee, which is a bit confusing! She works as a medical physicist and does a ton of other stuff including triathlons, soccer, etc. When the World Cup was on, she sacrificed many hours of sleep to watch the games (unfathomable to me!) She shows up to about every second meeting and I don't really know her all that well yet.
Okay, back to the "Only in Australia" bit...
As a book club activity, we decided to check out an ice hockey game. Yes - I do have to specify 'ice' hockey because here if I just say hockey, it's assumed I'm referring to field hockey. This outing actually was not my idea. We were talking about sports, I threw in a reference to Canadians/hockey, and then someone decided that we should go see a game. It was actually a pretty big undertaking - everyone (except Ngan, who was on a skiing holiday in New Zealand) bought tickets and a couple of ladies were planning to bring their kids/other family members/friends etc. My good friend Jen was unexpectedly in town that weekend and accompanied us as well. The plan was that we would all meet at 4:30 pm at the arena for the game, and then the people who had brought kids and husbands would ditch them and we'd all go out for dinner. Jen and I decided to go earlier and have a skate before the game.
So all of these plans have been put into motion. Jen and I finish skating and have an hour to kills before the game so we wander off. We return, and being very organized have already bought tickets online. I know the people who run the games, so I feel quite comfortable waltzing right in and we walk purposefully up to show our tickets. Before we get too far, a teenager runs after us and says "You know the game has been delayed, right?" Well...no, we have no idea the game has been delayed. There are no notices on the front door - why would I assume the game has been delayed. And...furthermore...WHY in the world would the game be delayed? Remember, this is the Australian National Hockey League...
Well...apparently the other team's equipment didn't make it onto the same flight as the team. So...we were waiting for the equipment to get to the airport and be transported to the arena so that they could play. Hilarious! With two more hours to kill, we all headed back to my house and ordered pizza. We did return to the area to watch the Adelaide Adrenaline smash the Canberra team and everyone had great fun. Oh my goodness, I just remembered that I also won $172 in the 50/50 draw! So it was a great time. It's just that I don't believe an NHL game would ever be delayed for this reason as I imagine they have private jets etc whereas since ice hockey is not a huge sport here, many of these players have to finance themselves or find sponsors, and it's economy class all the way! Below, a bit of a comparison between Adelaide hockey vs Ottawa hockey - both at the national level. See if you can pick which is which ;) That being said though, it's awesome that they have a league here and I'm sure anyone playing cricket or AFL in Canada has the same kind of thing in reverse!
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