Gone to Oz

Well, it’s been quite a busy few days, weeks even.

A synopsis then, since I haven’t updated the blog in ages!

Finally we’ve moved. We’ve got all the furniture across – made all the more exciting by the van’s decision to break down while we still have the fridge and several large plant tubs at the Mudhut. Fortunately Steve-next-door is (i) amiable and (ii) the possessor of a van and offered to take The Builder across to collect these things. We’ve cleaned up the Mudhut (you should have seen me cleaning the shower, stark naked, from the inside, although perhaps it’s just as well that you didn’t from your point of view). The kitchen positively sparkled, thanks to the use of a positively environmentally lethal form of oven and stove cleaner I found. The new place (which I shall call The Sidings, given as how it is next to the railway siding at Tupton, until someone comes up with something better) is more or less unpacked and more or less straight.

We’ve been to Peter and Gill’s for dinner, which we ate outside. It was a lovely evening but the midges decided that I was ever such a yummy tidbit. Ordinarily this doesn’t worry me much, but the bites didn’t half come up all swollen. We had a former colleague of mine round to The Sidings for dinner, which again we ate outside. Untroubled by midges on this occasion. I fished out the Aeroguard! In fact, we’ve eaten the majority of our meals outside since we moved in. It’s a lovely garden for munching in. And there are frogs. The day we left we abandoned all the sensible plans we had for the afternoon (or at least, I did!) and sat outside eating lunch and drinking rosé (me) and elderflower cordial (The Builder) and counted the frogs (5 in the end) and just pootled about outside.

Then we left. Got almost past Grassmoor when we realised I’d left my mobile phone behind. Now I can manage without this for a few hours, but two whole weeks? Absolutely not! So we went back for it. Drove on to Tabitha and Gareth’s, and saw the bus we were intending to be on disappearing off as we got there. Now the next bus might very well have done, but the 86 is notoriously unreliable and the 60 gets notoriously held up in Broomhill. Fortunately for us, poor Gareth happened to be at home, so I shanghaied him into taking us to the station. And off we trundled merrily to London. We stayed in a cheap B&B in King’s Cross, had pizza and wine for dinner and fell into bed, ready for the next day’s flight to Heathrow.

So many other things didn’t quite go disastrously wrong. Like, I took us to Terminals 1,2,3 at Heathrow when QANTAS flights fly from Terminal 4. We oh-so-nearly got onto the train to London instead of the train to Terminal 4. The queue for the flight was soooooo long I was beginning to wonder if arriving 3 hours before departure was actually enough. In the end, though, we got onto the plane and off we set. I gave up flying QANTAS some years ago when I found they were very very expensive and very very dull. Other airlines were much cheaper and provided very much more for you money. QANTAS appears to have decided their approach wasn’t working. I had taken extra sandwiches and fruit because on the other airlines they feed you when you get on and just before you get off. I tend to get hungry about half way through the long sector. Not this time. They brought round snack packs at about the half way mark. The sandwiches eventually got thrown away.

Simon sent me a message in London to say that Karen’s parents were ion the same flight as us. We looked for them at Heathrow but didn’t see them. So I looked very closely indeed in Hong Kong at the people who had been herded through to the departure section of the airport. Now bear in mind that I haven’t seen Noel and Marlene for years. I scanned the crowd careful and decided there was only one person who could be Noel. I approached him. And it was. Whiled away the time waiting to board chatting to them. Didn’t see them again though, once we got to Melbourne.

Oh – and something else that didn’t quite go catastrophically wrong. We were held up in quarantine by people who had brought loads of doubtful things scattered all though their luggage. Everything had to be unpacked and carefully considered. Eventually we had out turn and were more or less waved through (though absolutely all bags are scanned). We grabbed our stuff and rushed outside to where Lindsey and Emily were patiently waiting for us. We were putting the stuff in the car when The Builder said: Where’s the laptop. Bugger. We’d left it on the conveyor belt in Quarantine. The Builder absolutely legged it back to see if he could retrieve it. Now you can’t actually get back in once you’ve left. But happily the person he asked about this was just taking the laptop to Lost Property. We were reunited with our (almost brand new!) laptop.

So. We’re here to party. And the partying has commenced. First off the rank was Ant’s 21st last night. At the Queensbury pub in Carlton. Was a good night. Lindsey, Ian, Emily, her friend Helen, The Builder and I stayed in apartments just off Lygon Street. Simon and Wendy were there. There was almost unlimited wine and beer. Ian made a very funny, well illustrated speech. We ate party pies and chocolate mud birthday cake. There were loads of people there. I think we abandoned the ship at just before midnight. Ant and his pals (including Christian) rocked on into the small hours. A good start to the party season.

I’ve had pizza on Lygon Street. And poached eggs and ham this morning for breakfast. I like Lygon Street.

Today Lindsey, The Builder and I have been into Melbourne to buy Matt’s 40th birthday present. We’ve been to Melbourne Central and shown The Builder the shot tower. We’ve had a walk around town. We m et Ian, Emily and Helen back at Ant’s place where we offloaded his presents from last night (including the biggest bean chair in the whole world). They had been on an unsuccessful dress search. Dress searches are usually unsuccessful in my experience! Then Ian, Emily and Helen disappeared off and Lindsey, The Builder and I ambled off to Eltham, Cottles Bridge and Yarrambat for a tour around memory lane. Then we came back to Ballarat more or less across country. Very pleasant for Lindsey and me and, I hope, interesting for The Builder.

Explain to me, if you can, how it is that I came here for a two week party season ---- and didn’t bring any of my party clothes with me? We’ve had to go shopping!

I’ve seen Austin. He came around on Thursday evening. And he’s coming for dinner this evening.