aussie babes

When I was eight years old or so, my mother would take me to this Australian import store in a mall somewhere, on the way to or from somewhere we had to go. I think it might have been a mall with an entrance to the subway, to/from her work at the Smithsonian. They had loose Australian opals, which were my absolute favorite stone. I could watch them shine fire and ice in a trance for as long as she'd let me. I was saving up money to buy one of the loose stones. I can't remember what I thought I'd do with it.

Instead of gems, my mother sometimes bought me a book at the store. I had completely forgotten the series I so loved, but a passing mention of opals and the Mohs scale jogged my memory. I hope to find a copy of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie at some point. The odd flora, fauna, and fantasy characters spurred my childhood imagination.