Today I had a late start as, despite a civilised time of going to bed last night and being full of good intentions to go running this morning, I was really, really tired when my alarm went off at 9am and ended up snoozing for another couple of hours. Maybe it’s delayed fatigue/recovery from the stress of moving and all that, or maybe it’s my body’s way of trying to cope with the shock of being back in winter light conditions (it’s dark here at 5.30pm and doesn’t get light till about 8am!) – either way, I’m hoping I’ll be back to normal sleeping patterns and energy levels soon!
When I eventually emerged from the apartment, I wandered around the Botanic gardens for a while – they’re just down the road and are really lovely. Then I was meant to be meeting a couple of people from K’s work for coffee and cake, but it turned out the train to their part of town was cancelled, so I ended up giving that a miss and getting a train & tram up to Fitzroy, a part of Melbourne that has been recommended as an area to live. I had a meeting there the other day and wanted to explore the area a bit more, so I wandered around, soaking up the sights and sounds and trying to picture me and K living there – which was very easy! It reminds me of Leith and Leith Walk in many ways – a bit scruffy round the edges but with lots of character and a healthy collection of organic stores, vintage clothes boutiques, quirky bars and cafes, community projects, discount shops and a real mix of ethnic communities. I had a late brunch of French toast with bacon, maple syrup and fruit salad, washed down with a freshly squeezed orange juice and a pot of tea, all for about £6 – superb. Melbourne is renowned for being a food-lover’s paradise and after today’s experience, as well as an excellent dinner on Friday night (with a colleague and her husband) in a very good Italian-ish place, I can vouch for it!
After a bit more wandering around, I headed to the city centre and an internet café I’d found that had Skype facilities, for a very welcome catch-up with my mum and brother, with various other extended family members waving in the background and popping their heads in front of the webcam! Skype is truly one of the great inventions of our time – it was lovely to be able to see and speak to people with hardly any delay and all for the price of using the internet. It will be even better when K and I have our own apartment and can use it without sharing the details of our lives with random strangers in an internet café!
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Hi, I was impressed by Skype and your progress in Oz. We are here and you are there it seems.
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