Yesterday I got up at the crack of dawn and flew to Melbourne. It was sad saying goodbye to Laura and her apartment, good to be climbing the 125 steps to street level for the last time in a while, bad to be flying economy, amazing to be greeted by Janelle at the airport, exciting to catch glimpses of the city from the car and a relief to finally be sat on Janelle's veranda eating toast and Vegemite and enjoying a nice cup of tea. The flight was only 4 hours but Australia is 2 hours behind NZ so my body clock was a bit out, especially as my alarm went off at 3.55am. Not a civilised time. I was joking about flying economy by the way. I mean, I did fly economy, but I was joking about it being a hardship. Just so you know.
Janelle's current house is lovely and I'm looking forward to spending a couple of weeks here, in my second home from home. It's in a really quiet residential neighbourhood that's very green and leafy. It's not at all like Surbiton but it kind of reminds me of it in the same but different quiet residential way. The house in all on one level but has really high ceilings and is a lot like some of the Victorian houses at home with lovely fireplaces and ceiling cornices. It's very light and airy and the kitchen has huge glass doors that open out onto a little back garden and wrap-around decking area. Neighbours fans may be interested to know that we've got a screen door and a covered veranda at the front with a chair on it so I can sit out there and play at being Helen Daniels.
We caught the train into town for lunch yesterday, a short 15 minute ride away. Melbourne reminds me a bit of NYC. There's lots of cool little cafes tucked away down alleyways that you'd either have to stumble across accidentally or know about. There's that same mixture of old stone buildings and modern skyscrapers. There's lots of interesting modern architecture and some pretty cool sculptures dotted around. There's a nice buzz about the place. And lots of shops. Melbournites themselves seem very cool and the women have a certain way of dressing. They look effortlessly good. I think I have some work to do on my wardrobe and accessories. And my self-confidence. The thermals and waterproof trousers may have to be posted home to make room for some more appropriate garments.
We had lunch in one of the aforementioned cool little cafes (I had a delicious bagel with shredded beef, salad, pinenuts and mint yogurt - kind of Moroccany - and a fresh juice with watermelon, pineapple and mint. So far Melbourne is giving NZ a good run for its money). Then we caught the tram out to the coast. It's only about a 10 minute ride away but kind of feels like a whole other place. It was a bit (if you really use your imagination) like a hot Brighton/south coast, with similar architecture and more high rise buildings than I ever saw in NZ, ice-cream pavilions and some trendy bars. Being trendy young things, Janelle and I stopped for a beer or two in one of these bars, Stokehouse. We sat outside and did some catching up and some people watching. We were kept amused by the posers who stroll along sucking their stomachs in and thinking they are god's gift. They generally aren't but have clearly been working on their look for a long time.
Today I've done bugger all and it feels great. My main accomplishment was making a big pot of dhal to take to Janelle's friends tonight. It smells good. I also walked to the local shops and got some groceries. There's lots of nice cafes there so I think I might be making that walk on a regular basis. It's warm here - it was meant to get up to 27 degrees - but it's been overcast all day and rain is forecast. Just as well really as we're meant to be restricted to taking 4 minute showers due to the water shortage. There's an egg timer in everyone's bathroom. 4 minutes is OK for a regular shower but think I might need more than that on hair wash and leg shave day. Maybe I'll have to be on shower rations in the run up. It'll be like being on the Flying Kiwi trip all over again.
It's so nice being settled somewhere for more than a couple of nights. I've actually unpacked my clothes and I feel very at home here. It's lovely just pottering around, doing a bit of cooking, not having to do anything. I'm really looking forward to reading. I've only read one book in a month. That's unlike me. I'm also looking forward to exploring Melbourne, but I'm not going to do it at break-neck speed. I'm going to take my time and enjoy it. Stopping for lots of flat whites en route.
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