Oscar the wonderful and the end of my childhood!

Once again, I must apologise for my absence from the blog sphere! I don't know how it happens but time runs away with me and all of a sudden I haven't posted in 6 weeks! I'll try to be better.

Most of you will, by now, know that Liam and I have procured ourselves a cat. But I feel that, seen as he's a new member of the household and incredibly wonderful to have around, it's only right to dedicated quite a lot of this entry to him. I apologise in advance if I'm turning into one of those people who can only talk about their pets and nothing else!

So, it was the 11th of June and I had finally talked Liam into visiting the RSPCA shelter to see about getting a cat. We hadn't intended on actually getting one that day, but just have a look and see how we felt. I had looked online before visiting where they have all the cats profiled in terms of personality etc. So I had made a list of the ones I thought might suit us. Most of them, I admit, were ginger cats (A lot of you will know I have a thing for red-heads!). But there was one long-haired silver tabby that seemed cool called Mushu (what a name!). Once we arrived at the really lovely and open shelter that provides these cats with so much attention and love, we sought out those cats I had my eye on. Mushu was nowhere to be found, so we assumed he had been adopted already. Weep! After spending hours playing and cuddling many a wonderful cat, we found our silver beauty hiding under a basket having a snooze! Once we saw him, and cuddled him (he was all up for the cuddles from the word go!) we knew this was our guy and ended up getting him there and then! The lovely RSPCA guy told us his last owners had surrendered him as they were moving over-seas (a terrible reason to give up a pet, we're bring him home so get ready to meet him!). We learnt, to our absolute horror, that he was originally named Borris! That has to be animal cruelty right? The RSPCA renamed him Mushu but we didn't think that either of these names suited him. Before the day was out we had settled on the name Oscar feeling this suited him wonderfully. I have since learnt that the Celtic origin of this name is 'jumping fighter' which is also quite apt!

Once we got him home, the curiosity switched was flipped on and Oscar began to explore his new home. Here he is taking his first leap into the mad house!

Then he had a good gawk around...

Gawk continued...

He settled very quickly and was snuggled up on my lap that evening! Over the next few weeks he kept us well entertained. We soon figured out that he loves to play fetch! This was the coolest revelation ever! Now he insists on playing every few hours and it's great fun. He has a favourite spongy green ball which is the only one he likes to play with it. He has recently started dipping it in his water bowl and chews it on the go to have a drink because as a busy cat, he just hasn't got the time to stop! He also loves to watch us cooking. It totally intrigues him. He sits in the middle of the kitchen with his head cocked to the side as it to say 'what are you crazy people at? Do you not have a bowl in which your food magically appears every day??'

The only down side to Oscar is that he's an early riser and at the weekend he sits outside our bedroom door and meows for literally as long as it takes for us to get up! We just started leaving the door open so he can come and see that we're comatose and not in the mood to play fetch! The only other thing is that he has come with a few minor health problems that have required a few vet visits but he's on the mend and in great form. He has to get some teeth pulled in a couple of months too which will be traumatic but it has to be done. Having a cat aint cheap fyi! But he's wonderful and awesome fun and great company. And also a great excuse to buy toys and scratching posts etc.

In other news ...  well there isn't much really! I've had a few interviews that haven't quite worked out but I'm still going. In the mean time I'm writing away and having great fun too. I've signed up for some temping work to keep me going and waiting to hear about a few job possibilities here and there. So we'll see. Liam is well and working away. He adores Oscar and it's very entertaining to watch. He's never had a pet before so it's a bit of a learning curve. Oscar's been on medication almost since we've had him but Liam can't handle giving the tablets to him. He finds it far too traumatising having to scruff a cat and pop a pill into it's mouth. So I take care of that. The one day he had to do it, I found the tablet on the floor the next day! Oscar's sneaky! And Liam is a complete woos! Oh well!

Liam and I went to see the final Harry Potter film during the week. I had been so excited but equally had been dreading it for weeks. It was the end of something that I have grown up with and something that I have depended on for years. I came to realise recently how much it has shaped me, as strange as that may sound. As an aspiring writer it is, for me, the epitome of a children's/young adult story, one that captures your imagination but also looks at basic human themes that we all struggle with. In recent years it has turned into, what some people call, a franchise (I hate that word when used in conjunction with Haryy Potter). For me this has meant people going crazy over the books and movies and the actors but kind of missing the essential wonder of the books themselves. There has been such criticism of the films and of Jo Rowling of late, which has bothered me a lot. We all know the movies are nothing compared to the books, but we also knew they never could be. The wonder of the Harry Potter story lies in Ms Rowling's fabulous ability to write and create a world that feels so possible. The films are a watered down version that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Those who criticise the story based on these movies are as ignorant as anyone can be and painfully neglected of something that has brought so much joy to others.

This final movie was impressive, as far as the movies go, but I felt it lacked some very important, yet subtle, elements. The experience was also less than I had hoped because of the fact that I didn't have my partner in crime with me. Aideen Mc has been my faithful companion to every book launch and movie since I've known her and she was sorely missed last Wednesday. I can't wait to hear what she thinks! For me it was bitter sweet. It was nice to see the story resolved on screen but I also felt that my childhood had been harshly ended as the credits rolled. It is difficult to reconcile myself with the fact that there won't be another book to open or a film to wait in anticipation for. And yet I feel grateful to have been part of that lucky generation that got to grow up with these stories and it's main characters. And so I shall reread the books for many years to come and hope that my children get as much joy out of them as I once did.

Enough sentimental gibberish! Some more Australian observations!

The shortening of words is still intriguing me! It's almost as though syllables cost something so people are trying to be economical! Even the news programmes call politicians 'pollies'! It seems so strange to me but I guess it's part of their vernacular and they wouldn't be the same with out.

Christmas in July is a bit of thing here! Just last night we attended a Christmas in July party hosted by Liam's lovely work colleague Steph. Basically, because the weather's pretty cold here now, it almost feels as though it should be Christmas time. So it is celebrated as we would celebrate it home i.e. with lots of food! Because when the real Christmas comes around it can be up to 40 degrees and everyone hits the beach and the barbies! It's a pretty cool concept but very strange at the same time. Christmas songs and a Christmas tree in July! Bizarre!

Weekend brunch is a big deal. Everyone does it. And it is wonderful I have to say. The Aussies know how to cook breakfast. I usually get Scandinavian eggs which are poached eggs on a bed of english muffins and smoked salmon with a luxourious pouring of hollandaise sauce. Divine but sure to cause heart disease if eaten too frequently!

Well I reckon that's all for now. Love to you all.

Until next time...

It was home sweet home until the mouse appeared

Hello, hello!

It has been over a month since my last post! We have been without Internet for weeks, but it was finally set up on Friday. One of the happiest days of my life! I hate to admit it but I am completely dependent on the Internet.  It's the sad truth, but I'm OK with it. It means I can keep in contact with all you lovely people!

So to update you all on the last month! Where to begin..?

I think it would be fitting to start off with our brand new and lovely apartment. We finally moved a little over two weeks ago. We are delighted with it. We have a bright living room with the furthest wall being made up entirely of windows. This does mean it can be a little chilly now that it's winter, but it affords the apartment some beautiful light. The other downside is that our building is beside another and our window faces the window of young gentleman's apartment. This gentleman must be an aspiring writer or something as he sits at his laptop day and night at his window, with the effect of making me feel as though I am constantly being watch. It's like in friends - they have ugly naked guy. We have laptop guy. He has an aversion to closing his blinds and so when he changes he does so elaborately under a towel. It's very entertaining. He has a beautiful ginger cat which I am extremely jealous of. But more about cats later...

We have a nice and big enough bedroom, a little balcony and a separate kitchen with lots of space. We cook a lot of course. Nothing has changed there! I have taken to baking at the weekends. I am all domesticated now! Oh to be unemployed! The apartment is almost entirely furnished with Ikea items, but we've mixed it up with plants, decorations and our lovely duck Leonard. We love Leonard.

The place is still a little naked as we're waiting for paintings and books etc to arrive from Ireland. We're shipping some boxes over, but it will be a few months before they're here. Once they are I'm sure the place will feel more complete. We're very happy with it for now, despite the building that's going on behind us and many large vehicles that tend reverse constantly in the early morning resulting in ENDLESS beeping sound. At least I would know how to torture someone if ever that situation arose!

I am back on the job hunt after taking a break, kind of by accident, while I was sorting out everything for the apartment. Liam has been super busy at work the last few weeks so I've had to take care of stuff I'd normally never even think of like getting our water connected, our gas and electricity connected and out phone and Internet sorted. These three task were ridiculously drawn out as utility people here seem very unwilling to be straight forward!! The gas and electricity took 3 visits to sort out because they 'couldn't find the meter'!! But anywho it's all sorted now. All that's left is for a little hole in the wall behind the fridge to be fixed. We believe this hole acted as the entrance for the mouse that visited last week. I was sitting on the couch mourning the lack of Internet in my life and there I see, in the middle of the floor, a little mouse sitting bold as brass looking at me! Once he realised I was a living thing he legged it and hasn't come back thankfully. We have plenty of humane mouse traps at hand in case. But we're on the second floor so it seems unlikely.

FYI, laptop guy is just up and sitting at the window again!

We have been enjoying the wonders that chapel street has to offer for the last two weeks. This is a very popular street in Melbourne and we happened to be one street over. There are heaps of yummy restaurants to eat at and cafes and shops... And a pet shop with kittens that are crying out for me to adopt them!! Liam and I have been seriously thinking of getting a cat. We shouldn't get one from a pet shop though. We'd much rather support the RSPCA. We're heading out at the weekend to meet some cats and kittens. We're thinking of an adult as we're not sure about the responsibility of raising a little thing from scratch. It's just an idea with lots of things to consider. The main thing we're worried about is putting a cat through the stress of flying back to Ireland in a couple of years. We're going to ask the lovely people at the RSPCA all about this at the weekend. I will report back.

Liam and I went to see the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble last night with two of Liam's awesome work people. The Melbourne jazz festival is on at the moment. It was a great gig full of energy. It was a good work out too! Speaking of work outs, I've taken up Zumba. Hilarious. When I went in the first day the sign up lady asked me if I had ever Zumba-ed before. When I said no she replied, 'Well no one's looking at you.' I wasn't sure what to think of that at the time but during the class the instructor told us to cover our eyes at a particular move that involved rolling one's pelvis in a sexy manner. I couldn't stop laughing! Are we that sexually repressed these days? I kept my eyes open and rolled my hips happily! Take that Zumba! It really is great exercise though and good fun.

And now for my most recent Australian observations:

1. The ads on TV here literally shout at you. I'm sure you all know those annoying Harvey Norman ads at home? Well they're all like that here. 'BUY THIS AIR CONDITIONER NOW!!!! OR YOU WILL DIE!!!!' It's very stressful. And they manage to fit about 4 ads into a half an hour show!

2. Style is big here. There seems to be no room for walking to shop in your sweats. (I still do. All the time!!) One must be dressed all in black with massive sun glasses and a designer hand bag in order to get some bread! No I must say, the fashion here is pretty cool. It's very subtle; not in your face. No big brand names screaming at you. Everything is more ... silently expensive! Cannot wait for my first pay cheque!

(FYI the ginger cat is now sitting in the window looking at me! It's taunting me!)

3. Designer dogs are big here. You do not see mixed breeds like my lovely Ted. Nope its all pugs and poodles. They bring them everywhere. Every cafe you pass has a little dog tied to a chair sulking. It's funny. I'm all for mutts! Rescue, don't buy!

Until next time...

P.S. In week 6 of masterchef. It is awesome!!

'Your bill's in the honey pot!'

Another beautiful weekend has passed in Melbourne. And this weekend started off with the brilliant news that we have an apartment! We managed to get a lovely little place that has added extras like a washer/dryer, a fridge, a balcony and a parking space! These are total bonuses especially the appliances as general it's byo here! Unfortunately we can't move in for another 2 and a half weeks which is a bummer but it'll be worth the wait! There will be photos I promise!

On Saturday, we though it was time to visit the Queen Victory market! This place was crazy. It's massive and filled with weird and wonderful bits and pieces. You have a massive fish and meat market which unfortunately made me run out of the place gagging. I've never smelt so much fish in my life! There's also a massive fruit and veg place where people scream their best offers. Then you have loads of beautiful fresh bread, sun-dried tomatoes, pestos and more. On the other side there is the retail section which has piles of clothes, hammocks, hats, shoes, animal hides, sunglasses etc. I purchased myself a very snazzy sun hat, some fresh figs and a beautiful purple throw made from yak wool. We also figured out that buying food is way cheaper if you buy at the Vic market. So that'll help on the economic front!

After the market we headed to Ishka, which is like the Australian and homeware version of Kem Bali in Galway, to buy some beautiful cushions  for our couch. Must actually buy a couch... After a quick stop in the beautiful carlton park (see below) we headed to Books for Cooks which is a shop dedicated to cook books and is stoked with over 250,000 cook books from all over the world! Needless to say Liam was in his element and came home with a nice few purchases which will hopefully result in some yummy dinners for me!

To finish off a lovely day, we headed to the local, a bar/restaurant that does a huge amount of beers, both on tap and by bottle. Also, every single thing on the menu, including the deserts has been cooked in some way with a beer of some kind! It's crazy but everything was delicious. We had an array of tapas and some Harvest ale. They're big on their ale here. I miss my weisse beer! You can get here but it's crazy expensive! A glass (or a pot as they call it here) is $10 is some places! The weirdest part of the evening was when we asked for the bill. The waitress brought over this pot and said 'the bill's in the honey pot' as if this was the normal way of doing things! We couldn't figure out what the point of it was. If it had been a beer glass or something maybe...

On Sunday we got up early to go to the market on the Esplanade which is made up of loads of little stalls selling paintings, clocks, t-shirts etc. It was pretty cool and we have out eye on a few things... After that we went to celebrate KLM dutch orange day in queensbridge square with Peter and Tina, my dutch relatives. It was epic. There was actual clog dancing! I got really excited about that! Liam thought I was crazy.
It was brilliant! We spent the day eating ourselves silly. We had friet met (chips and mayo) profetjies (tiny pancakes with toppings of your choice), and croquet (deep fried meat paste - I left that one to Liam). We also got the chance to buy some dutch food for home and some wooden tulips. It was a great day and a great opportunity to feel dutch for a day. Oh the giant clog! That has to be the best part.

Awesome!

Not much other news. Just enjoying the easy life for a bit but starting the job hunt tomorrow!

Until next time!

Ikea, penguins and the cockroach incident!

Hello everyone!

It's been a good week since my last post. Liam had 6 days off for Easter so we took the opportunity to wander Melbourne and get stuff sorted for out new apartment! FYI we still don't have an apartment! However, our box holiday apartment is now filled with the wonders of Ikea! Why we bought the entire contents of a kitchen and more before we actually have anywhere to put it, is beyond me! We had great fun picking stuff out though. Ikea has always been a positive experience for me. I don't know what it is; the open spaces, the daim cake or my general tendency to love buying things? Liam turned engineer on me and scrutinised chopping boards and saucepans. It was great! I picked things that were pretty and Liam actually checked if they were in any way reliable! Team work! Once we had an entire shopping trolley full of stuff we realised we had no way to get it all back to St Kilda, a good 40 minutes away! So we impulse bought 4 massive shopping bags and dragged our sorry selves, and many purchases, home on the trams. It was totally worth it though!

 On the apartment front, we're viewing one this evening that we really want, so fingers crossed! 

Easter in Australia is a strange thing! We were warned that shops and things would be closed on good Friday. We were surprised as at home it's just the pubs and offies. We were even more surprised, though, to find that all the shops were closed but all the pubs and offies here were doing a roaring trade! It was so strange. It seems it's a really big night out for people here! Then everything was opened on Saturday and even Easter Sunday. Sadly, I must report that the Australians don't do Easter eggs! I was heart-broken! We shared a toblerone but it wasn't the same! Everything was closed again on Monday as it was Anzanc day, a public holiday honouring Australian war veterans. We didn't know whether we were facing up or down at the end of it all! I will always be upset by the lack of Easter eggs!

On Monday, the only thing really open was the Aquarium! So we decided now was a good a time as ever! I have to say, I was fairly impressed. When you first enter, you see a big penguin enclosure full of big and little penguins! They were amazing. Here's me with a little dude who seemed very curious about who these weird tall things were!

They are such beautiful creatures. I don't know if I really like the idea of them being locked up like this. They seemed happy enough and had a big pool to swim around in. But I just don't think it's fair. I'm a big hypocrite, of course, for going to see them. And I did think it was awesome to see them. But I felt sorry for them being put on display like that. Oh there goes the vegetarian again!! There were loads of amazing fish too and a croc (see below ... no the croc's on the left. That's Liam on the right) and some sharks! Poor things!

I am afraid to report that there was a cockroach incident! Liam was hoovering and I was over in the kitchen area and all of a sudden a cockroach legs it across the room! I freak of course, but Liam, with hoover at the ready, sucks him up! We released him outside later. And by 'we' I mean 'Liam'. And by 'release outside' I mean 'put him in the dumpster downstairs'. Now, I don't think we have a nesting problem or anything. We had the balcony door open for a while earlier that day because I burnt toast and set off the fire alarm. We think he must have snuck in and hid out under the fridge for a while. At least this is what I'm telling myself!! He wasn't a big one at least! Will keep you updated! Ick!

Gelato update! I tried some of that dairy-free chocolate gelato. It totally lived up to expectation! Absolutely amazing! The rum cake was also delicious! It must sound like I'm stuffing myself but I'm actually being good! Kind of!


Oh Nora, here is proof that I am now tram-savy!

See, that's me ... on a tram ... ticket validated and all! FACT!



And to finish, here are some random Australian facts:

1. The birds here are really loud!! In the evening, around 5 or 6, they seem to meet up in palm trees around the place and chirp themselves silly. It's like a 'who can chirp the loudest competition'! It's amazing! But you wouldn't want to be having a quiet-spoken conversation anywhere nearby!

2. Sushi is everywhere and very cheap! It's very good sushi as there is quite a Japanese community in Melbourne. You can grab a big hand roll on every corner for $2.50! As well as China town, this is one of the few cheapest way of eating out!

3. China town in Melbourne is awesome! There are dumplings all over the shop! And pretty cheap. This is perfect for Liam and myself as many of you will know. Asian food all the way!

Us on a bridge overlooking a small portion of a massive city!


Until next time!

Conquering the trams and Gelato!

And so a week in Melbourne has passed...

It feels as though we have been here for much longer at this stage. I guess we all slip into a way of life wherever we are. My way of life has been pretty relaxed here in St Kilda! Unlike poor Liam who has been slaving away at work all week, I have been playing the lazy tourist. On monday I wandered as far as the St Kilda Botanical gardens to have a gander. This peaceful bit of joy is a lovely place to sit and soak up some delicious, not to mention much needed, Vitamin D. I sat there on a bench with my guide book and ipod (filled with a wonderful selection of melodies, thanks to ever gentlemanly Robert Hurely) and felt very grateful to those who make it their day's aim to keep such a place. After a little while there, my pastey Irish skin began to protest so I decided it was time to visit one of those delightful cake shops I had previously reported. I am sad to say though, that I made a poor choice from the splendid selection of treats. The pepermint slice was a let down, but I am convinced the rum-chocolate biscuit cake will make up for this in full. On this score, I must report something that probably won't excite most of you as it did me! The Ozzies are ones for their Italian Gelato. This persumably stems from the great Italian migration of the last two centuries. The important part in all this is that it is possible to acquire dairy-free chocolate gelato! A viable ice-cream substitute has long been on my list. I have yet to try said dessert, but will report in full once the blessed event has taken place!

I am pleased to say that I have conquered the Melbourne trams! The ticket validator is the green machiene, if ever any of you are in Melbourne and stuck like me! I admit I had to ask Ronan, a friend who also lives here now, and he happily explained the process. Humiliating as the whole thing was, I won't be forgetting how to work my tram charm for a long time! I have taken a few trips now, and almost feel entitled to laugh at all the other tourist that go around poking things with their tickets!

I ventured into the city centre on Tuesday to meet Ronan and procure some maps. It was about time! To Federation Square I went where they have a well equipped visitor's centre. I left with about half my weight in maps and brochures! There is so much happening in Melbourne, it's unbelievable! We won't be bored while we're here. Well, that is if we can afford it all. This place aint cheap for anything other than photocopying! I can understand now why people have such big salaries here. It probably works out the same as home. Note to self: must find a job!

Liam is getting on great at work. His colleagues are lovely, from what I've heard. The all-female cast of the research unit are delighted to have a male around to balance out the oestrogen! His red-headed boss is also delighted to have one of her own around, so it seems! She is taking us to an Ozzie rules match next month which should be interesting. How does one pretend to be a sports enthusiast? Luckily, because it is Easter, as well as Anzac day, Liam has a 6 day weekend! So he'll finally be able to recover from his jet-lag. Once that is done we'll go a furniture hunting. And I can show him around the parts of the city I now know. Being incredibly competitive, I am delighted to be ahead in this respect!

On the appartment front, we were offered the first one we looked at but turned it down, as the idea of communal laundry seemed far too uncivilized! I viewed a lovely place today and we'll hopefully hear soon whether we got it or not. I hope so, as the super long weekend won't allow for much appartment hunting. It's all very formal here. There is an arranged showing of a house which is usually only 15 minutes. If you miss that gap there's no other time to see it. Then you have to fill out lenghty application forms that would have you believing that you are applying for a morgage! It seems to be efficient though and the estate agents are lovely and helpful.

Tonight we're going for Tapas and drinks with friends from Ireland. Looking forward to this after my week of playing in-house chef. It is very hard to think of things to cook everyday! Mum I totally appreciate all the cooking you have done for me over the years!! Incidentally, the Ozzies are really into the Masterchef. I have decided to get onboard! The new season starts this sunday! The other television highlight at the moment is, of course, the wedding of Will and Kate. Coverage starts on MONDAY, 5 days in advance of the actual event. I feel sorry for the poor guys. We're 17,000 km aways: the spotlight shines a long beam!

On the insect front, we are still pretty bug-free! Though I had a nightmare about really big spiders last night! Hoepfully it's not a prediction!

Until next time...

Airport trains, hook turns and milipedes!

And so it has begun!

Liam, my lovely manfriend, and I arrived in Melbourne last Thursday morning bright and early. The journey was surprisingly pleasant with little incident to bother us, despite my predictably oversized suitcase exceeding weight allowance. We left from Shannon on Monday afternoon after some very difficult and tearful goodbyes, and a good weeping session in the duty-free. After a short wait in London we boarded our giant airbus into the care of the lovely people of Malaysian airlines. FYI, their uniforms are beautiful! Our 12.5 hour flight was smooth and comfortable, and involved some very delicious Malaysian food and a really good chocolate cookie at 3am. There was inflight entertainment thank God (unlike flight to and from Thailand - I am still traumatised!) which, for me, took the form of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, and The Kings Speech. As it was a night flight, there was a lot of sleeping.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 5 pmish local time which was very confusing seen as we were still working on Irish time. We had to get a train (yes a train inside the airport!) to the arrivals and from there we walked the 5 minutes to our hotel which was connected to the airport by a tunnel. I am ashamed to say I barely stepped on Malaysian soil! I blame it on yet lag. Once settled in we went for food where I had another homesickness-weeping session. To my embarrassment, I couldn't pull myself together so I think the staff thought I was dying or something. The noodles were delicious but I barely touched them, being so focused on getting back to our room so I could Skype home! Somewhere along the way I developed a cold and so sleep wasn't great, but we slept for most of the next day too, with the result of still being on Irish time!

The final leg of our journey with Malaysia airlines was just as pleasant as the first, though we were wide awake throughout the night and landed in Melbourne exhausted and jetlagged. Happily, we were picked up by my Dutch grandfather's cousin, Peter, and his lovely wife, Tina, who have been living in Oz for 40 odd years. We were well taken care of by these two amazingly energetic and generous people, who showed us around Melbourne and are helping us get our hands on a fabulous apartment. We stayed with them in Point Cook, a suburb 25 km outside the city. It's great to have family here!


My inital impression of Melbourne is that it is massive!! Also the driving is crazy and involves hooks turns. Basically, this means that at some junctions, if you want to turn right, you take the left lane instead of the right and wait for a gap. It is crazy! Tina explained how it is efficient and all but the concept is lost on me I'm afraid! The food is great here. We've already had great vietnamese and japanese. From what we've heard, we have a lot of eating to do to get through all of Melbourne's amazing and various restaurants! Yay!

 On Saturday we moved to a holiday aparment in St Kilda while we sort our an aparment. St Kilda is the backpacker districk of Melbourne so there is lots happening and loads of people around from differents parts of the world. Unsurprisingly, many an Irish accent has reached my ears. We seem to be taking over! There is a real cafe buzz over here, with the most beautiful cake shops I have ever seen. All my hopes to become fit and healthy in Oz seem defeated before I've even begun! Though Tina told me about a crazy palm oil diet she did recently. You mix palm oil with fruit juice three times a day for a week and that's it! I don't think I have a strong enough constitution for that one!

We're very near the beach, but have yet to venture that far despite the beautiful weather. However, we did have a go on the trams yesterday which, are the main form of transport in Melbourne city. Some are very old school, others are more Luas like. It's a lovely way to get around. We have yet to figure out how to validate our tickets though. I'd say the locals got a kick out of us trying to skick our tickets into various machiene-like objects on the tram to no avail! We'll get there eventually.

Now, a lot of you were concerned by the possibility of bugs playing a large part in my life here. The news on that front is that the city is much better than the suburbs! When we were with Peter and Tina there were quite a few spiders, though none of them dangerous. The more upsetting ones were the Milipedes that appeared at night. Also the giant cockroach on the front door was something I'd rather not encounter again. However, as I said the city is much better and I have encountered little on that score yet. I will keep you updated!

Liam has started his new job today in the Alfred hospital. It's very exciting! He wore a shirt and everything! I think maybe we're growing up or something! The hospital is a quick tram-ride away from here. I'm dying to hear how he gets on. I'll let you all know too!

Meanwhile, I will be busy this week sorting out our apartment. In Oz, it is more common than not to have unfurnished apartments. This means that there isn't even a fridge or washing machiene! So I have a lot to organise. Ikea and Target here I come! I'm also hoping to get to the botanical gardens that are nearby and try out one of those cake shops!

Until next time...