It's a nice day for an Australia Day

In honour of 'Straya Day, here is a post I wrote a while ago about Australian Stuff.

Enjoy. I'm off to eat a lamington shaped like Alf Stewart.

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON TUESDAY, 14 AUGUST 2012

Australian

I am not an overly patriotic person. Australia's awesome, sure. But I'm not gonna carry on like a dick about it. There aren't many things that make me get all Aussie. The Olympics don't do it for me. I like to watch it, don't get me wrong. I like the Opening Ceremony... it's like a big Rock Eistedfod.

 I like the running and the falling and the jumping and the splashing. I don't care for the cycling and the lifting... but I am equally as inspired by the Russian twirly ribbon gymnast midget as I am by the Australian one. Although, I must say, Sally Pearson is my favouritest Gold Coast bogan-chick to ever win a gold medal. She is super cute. "Did you see me!!"

My husband gets a lot of stick for aligning with both England and Australia. Like, he can't be happy for the country of his birth AND for the country of his children's birth for being good at swimming fast? Cos that's all it is, isn't it? It's just swimming, running, whatever better than the other guy. It's not world peace or rocket surgery. Or something else important. Like flow charts.

At the end of the day, I'm pretty cool with whatever, you know? I don't know or understand enough about politics to have  an opinion on many subjects around immigration and nationalism. I believe that patriotism and 'Aussie Pride' can lead to some fairly unpleasant thinking and behaviour. I don't believe that loving your country means wanting to keep it all for yourself. 

I believe in people just being cool, for flip's sake. That's my platform. When I become Prime Minister (or Supreme Leader) my campaign slogan will be: "For flip's sake, just be cool, you guys."  I think I will win.

Anyway, I discovered last week that there is one thing that gets me all patriotic and proud to be an Australian. 

And that is a mob of kangaroos, just hanging out in a field.

Stone the flamin' crows! How cool is that.

They were just lying there, being all, "Yeah, so we are like totally on your Coat of Arms. All those tourists who come all the way to OZ, just to see us? They would be shitting their pants right now. THAT'S how awesome we are."

"Oh, and by the way, if you come any closer I will kick your arse."

Kangaroos. No one else in the world has them. Millions of people on the planet will never see one in the flesh. And they are just hanging out in our fields. Being awesome. THAT'S why Australia is pretty flippin' ace.

What makes you proud to be an Aussie? And if you are NOT an Aussie, what  makes you proud to be where YOU are from?