I'd assume the Caesar class was when you tackle Caesar's Gallic War writings. I think we did that about year 11? So after 4 years of school Latin. It's such nice, simple Latin that every teacher would love it. And so recognisable. 'Gaul is divided into 3 parts . . .' It's even quoted in a Xena episode with the expectation people will know it!

I am beginning to wonder whether there's an association between high-level competitiveness and anxiety. My daughter is just like this - always wants to be first, very competitive. I'm starting to link it to anxiety and perfectionism. It could also be a sign of inflexibility or black and white thinking. Do you find he is inflexible with other things, for example always needing to sit in the same seat at the table or do things in a certain routine? There was a Thomas the Tank Engine episode where Thomas wanted to be first and ended up causing another train to fall into the water. I used to cite that to my daughter occasionally. But now I just try to make a point of having one child first one day, the other child first the other day. She's a year older and I think she's a bit better about it than she used to be.

Is it Hanging Rock in NSW, or is it in Victoria? I'm only 5hrs from the NSW one. We had to do it at school, and I remember reading the 'secret ending' - I think it was published that year. There is a good reason they didn't publish it (at the time). The movie is famous but I don't remember the book being a great classic. It's a long time ago though. Looking for Alibrandi, though, now that's a classic! It'd be so dated now with the internet and mobile phones. I love Melina Marchetta though. Definitely didn't do it at school, but I do remember being at Uni with her little sister, who was also training to be an English teacher (Melina Marchetta was/is? a high school teacher).

Here are some vents. a) I started up a great homeschooler program which a lot of locals are using and getting benefit from. Of course, who has lost out in so many ways from it? Me. I need to let it go, let it go, so just venting generally here. Why can't people be respectful when you are giving giving giving? b) My other half is getting more and more conservative - he was a centrist when I met him, he knew my very left-leaning pov and seemed to sympathise. Things have changed and it is a real struggle to be constantly calling him out when he makes prejudiced remarks. Why on earth add more conflict to your life, why make remarks when surely you realise it will upset me? I can't understand it. Probably have more things I am annoyed by, but right now those 2 things are boiling my blood. Join in, what is annoying you!

What about helter-skelter? I remember that from reading British books. It was a slide that wrapped around in a spiral fashion.

I'm trying to think if I were offered the same in reverse. The only problem was that going from Australia to the USA I had very severe jet lag for the first week. You might experience the same. I agree Feb in Melbourne might be super duper hot.

Slippery dip. Australia.

I just googled dagwood dog (also known as pluto pup, state by state differences), some recipes say cornmeal and some don't. So they may well be the same thing as your corn dog. It's definitely seen as the world's worst food but hey.

We have a 'state fair' type thing too, but we call them 'agricultural shows' or 'shows' for short (eg Sydney's Easter Show, on now? Or just finished maybe?) They also have the funny food like lasagna on a stick and random deep friend whatevers. We have a version of your corn dog called dagwood dog. I've always wondered what the difference is.

Magic Beach by Alison Lester

I thought of another negative - I think we have the highest rates of asthma and food allergies in the world? If you have asthma or hayfever, you may want to avoid Melbourne, for example - there was a thunderstorm recently where nine people died and 8500 people were hospitalised, due to asthma, many of whom had previously never had an asthma attack. (And wading into the hamburger debate - I don't like beetroot or egg on mine either. I ask for a 'plain hamburger without beetroot' and that means just the patty and salad. My partner asks for 'hamburger with the lot' which means beetroot, egg, bacon, pineapple, cheese.)

I just googled 'cascarones' - a Mexican tradition of hollowed out eggs. I wonder whether that tradition is why so many of you in America have the empty plastic eggs, sounds a similar thing? And why we don't have that tradition over here in Australia (we tend to follow British traditions).

Also from Australia, only heard about using boiled eggs from someone from Europe. Over here, all eggs are chocolate eggs. Having said that, we never did an Easter hunt when we were kids - they were just on the kitchen table waiting for us in the morning (or, as I said in another thread, sometimes just a block of cooking chocolate!) We had an Easter egg hunt at my parents' place y'day with the cousins, lots of small chocolate eggs; today I just had a big Kinder surprise egg each and tied a piece of string to it then wrapped it round furniture etc so they had to follow their string to find their treat.

I've just started some post-grad study online and I'm really enjoying it! I hate listening to things and it's all reading (and writing) which is perfect. So much better than my undergrad sitting in a huge freezing lecture theatre listening to someone read out something from the front, or going into a tutorial run by another student who didn't know what they were talking about. Of course, I'm sure every university etc is different. I'm enjoying my study far more than I thought, though.

It's 7am on a Saturday ... I have heaps to do for family thing today . . . should get off computer and do them . . .

Well, yeah if you are looking for negatives for Australia, food may be unfamiliar. As someone said earlier, Mexican isn't a big thing here. There'd be a few proper places around but you'd have to look. And yes the hamburgers are different, we don't put pickles on them. It would be meat and salad (which would include beetroot). In the shops, the food and food brands would also be different. An American friend who visited said our bread was much less sweet. Whenever I read the thread on "what's for dinner", most of the dinners aren't what we'd have for dinner. For example, I've never eaten okra in Australia (I assume you can get it here, but I wouldn't know where). And of course there'd be lots of little customs and language differences that would be unfamiliar to you.

We're having family Easter gathering tomorrow (Saturday) due to family work commitments. Today I made - Chocolate Easter nests (with the kids) - Chocolate Semifreddo - Hot Cross Bun bread & butter pudding - German Potato Salad and tomorrow morning will make; - salad with honeycomb, walnut & feta There will be lots of food as everyone will be bringing something. But that means leftovers so that's ok. What Easter cooking will you be doing?

There are earthquakes in New Zealand. There are bushfires in Australia. In Australia, it is getting noticeably hotter every year, to the point where it's almost unbearable. Cost of curriculum means that even though you want to do Beast Academy, you just can't justify it (shipping and exchange rate). Same with some cool kickstarters. Politics I reckon are as bad as yours. We are killing the great barrier reef and paying coal miners to do it.

Just wanted to update quickly with what I did end up downloading to read: - Nightingale Wood (by the same author as Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons) - finished this already - bizzarely boring and yet unputdownable, if that's possible? - A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) - thanks for the suggestion, the sample was good - the last one in the Obernewtyn series (Australian author, Isobelle Carmody) - her books are like bricks so this should be long enough to take a while! Thanks again for the recommendations.

Sewingmama I was just about to say I've never heard of giving toys for Easter. It's always been about chocolate. When I was a kid we were sometimes just given a block of cooking chocolate! I'll buy the kids a chocolate egg each, knowing that when we go visit family they will get a heap more. And best of all my small boy doesn't really eat chocolate - he'll be excited by it, have one bite, then hand it on to me!

Thanks all! I hope this thread will be useful to others not just me. Oh yes, I forgot I hadn't read the last one in the series! I wonder if it's on kindle? She's Australian so I'm assuming I'll be able to get it in the shops otherwise. I am also assuming it will be super thick like her other ones. Loved Tam Lin (Pamela Dean), thought Patricia Wrede was just ok. Earth Girl is new to me, will have to check that one out. Don't know Winner's Trilogy - vaguely think I may have tried Brandon Sanderson? Will have to check. Don't know Seraphina, will look that one up too. A Gentleman in Moscow sounds like an interesting one. To those recommending Melina Marchetta, I love all her books . . . except her Finnikan series! That was a disappointment. Her most recent one (Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil) was simply brilliant. I think most Australians around my age would have very fond feelings towards her first novel, Looking for Alibrandi. Thanks again for all the recs, will go searching!

Oh yeah, I did read the Cinder series. I liked the first one, but by the end I was a bit bored. But the inventiveness of the first book was great. Thanks for the recommendation of Caraval, haven't seen that.

Haha - good point. I liked the first book but yes, didn't like the descent after that.

I'm a massive bookworm (hence my username) and read everyday. I tend to run out of books fast. Faves - YA fantasy like Kristin Cashore, Diana Wynne Jones, Joan Aiken, Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, Margaret Mahy, Megan Whalen Turner. (have read all of their books). Read the popular ones like Harry Potter, Hunger Games etc. - adult fantasy like the Kingkiller series by Patrick Rothkiss, Emma Bull's books, Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Novik. - I've been through the Russian stage, the Dickens stage, the Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh stage, the Sayers stage etc etc. The usual classics (love Jane Eyre). I Capture the Castle, Cold Comfort Farm. Don't Read - anything miserable or murderous. Not my thing, even when it is very well written (like Peter Temple - brilliant writer, great books. But I can't read stuff like that anymore). That includes miserable or murderous fantasy. Now I know Kristin Cashore and Megan Whalen Turner are coming out with new books this year. Can't wait. But until then?

The Selfish Crocodile, to my 4 and 6 year old.