Kitchen Counter Confidential -down under

I really admire people who are brave enough to pick up their lives, pack up their stuff and move 100's of km away from their home. Now, try moving all the way around the world?! My friend Amanda, and her husband, did just that - they moved all the way to Australia. I've been following along with Amanda's adventures on her lovely blog Finding the North Star. Let's take a peak into her kitchen on the other side of the world! Enjoy!

Tell me 3 things about yourself

I don't know why but I find this such a difficult question to answer! Alright...

1. I'm a clean freak... to a fault. 2. I'm in the midst of changing careers since moving to Australia. I went back to school for Event Management and have just started working at a company called Decorative Events, they specialize in event design and styling. I've hit the ground running and am doing my best to keep up! 3. I love bringing people together. Not in a match making sort of way but rather if I have a friend who I think would really get along with or relate well with another friend or person I know, I love getting them together. It gives me such joy and satisfaction. Nothing makes me happier than to be in a room full of people that mean the world to me all getting along with each other and enjoying the company of one another.

Are you for, or against, small appliances on the kitchen counter?

I have to say that I am Against! I love it when everything has it's place and home - it drives my husband nuts!

Name 5 things that are on your counter right now

A brand new mortar and pestle set that I'm itching to use.

A collection of photos of my loved ones that keep me company as I work away in the kitchen

An electric kettle (coffee percolators don't seem to be too popular here - so it's either instant coffee (ick), French pressed coffee (yum), or fancy barista coffee makers... which seem like a lot of effort for a home brewed cup of coffee!).

A lamp for some much needed task lighting and adds a nice glow to the counter.

And a small basket that collects everything from pens, mail, cameras and anything else that ends up lying around.

What, if anything, would you change about your kitchen counter?

Considering that we are just renting at the moment we are quite lucky with the kitchen we have. Its a nice open concept with large storage and pantry space and gas cooking. I do however daydream daily of having our own kitchen soon in the future, that would be complete with granite countertops and flooring that isn't white!!

What is your favourite thing to do on your kitchen counter?

Without a doubt preparing a meal with my husband. Quite often this is done with a glass of wine in hand, idle chit chat about our day or future plans and some good music in the background.

There are a lot of misconceptions of life in Canada (like we all ski to work), were you surprised by any misconceptions about Australia?

I had to really think about this one... I would have to say no there really didn't seem to be many misconceptions! It's all true to a certain degree, maybe just not to the scale we think. There is however the old "Throw a shrimp on the barbie" saying which I have decided must have been a Canadian creation since no one here calls them shrimp but rather prawns. We live in a very beautiful beach community called Manly and it fits the "aussie" profile - no misconceptions here! Surfers and beach bums galore. I was though, definitely surprised at how green and lush some areas of the country are - just stunning and the kangaroos and koalas unfortunately aren't as visible as one would hope and the oceans thankfully aren't riddled with sharks!

It is winter right now in Australia - what is that like?

Right now it is cold, rainy and windy! A bit miserable. But typically our days are about 15-18 degrees and more often than not sunny, and the evenings are usually 5-10 degrees.

The outside temperature is obviously quite nice in comparison to our winters and as my husband likes to point out regularly, it only last for 2-3 months.... I think what really surprised me about the Australian winters is the sense of denial our lovely Aussies seem to be in! For the exception of probably some of the newer homes and buildings, nothing is really insulated, everyone heats their homes with electric heaters or gas heaters (and then wonders why their electricity bills are so high) and you would be amazed at how many people still surf in the ocean, and sport shorts and flip flops - but then complain about how cold they are! It's quite amusing.

You blog is called "Finding the North Star", a beautiful name, how did you come up with this title?

Hah! My husband is going to love this question... It's actually a bit of a dig on me. The first time I found myself in the Southern Hemisphere was when we were travelling in South Africa. We were staying in a camp in Kruger Park and one clear, starry night as we all sat around the campfire I wondered out loud "why can't I find the Big Dipper and North Star??" of course it didn't dawn on me that we were looking at a different set of constellations!! Rather embarassing. So when we moved here and would find ourselves looking at the stars, Jan would enjoy asking me where the Big Dipper and North Start were. When I was thinking of a name for the blog that was his suggestion as a bit of a joke but I thought it was actually the perfect name - we seem be on a constant journey but as long as I can always find my way back home and the North Star, I'm happy.

Thanks Amanda for letting us into your kitchen. I love how Amanda came up with the name for her blog...what a fantastic story. And, I don't know about you, but the only birds that ever land on my porch are sparrows! Please stop by Amanda's blog Finding the North Star - her pictures are breath taking and you will love reading about her adventures out and about in Australia.

Have a great weekend everyone.

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