GMT +11

There is a great deal to be said for flying in and out of small airports.  It was a doddle getting into Australia through Perth. It was a doddle flying from Perth to Melbourne.  No queues, no waiting, no hold ups at security.  Lovely!

We got to Tullamarine at about quarter to seven in the evening and were met by Emily driving Lindsey's brand new car.  Emily drove us up to Ballarat, where we were met by Lucy the dog, Ian, and a delicious lamb casserole.  Lucy seemed pleased to see us - she even greeted The Builder pretty much before she properly greeted Lindsey :-D

We've rushed about quite a bit less since we got to Victoria.  We had a dash into Ballarat for a couple of things before making our way down to Melbourne, where Lindsey, The Builder and I laid in provisions for dinner at Simon's place in the evening.  I got to meet Noodle the Groodle for the first time (she arrived a couple of weeks after we had gone home the last time we were here). She's a nice doggie.  We had a fleeting glimpse of Yvette as she dashed out to work, but Bethan and Jacob were at home.  Simon came home from work. Ian arrived from Ballarat. We all had a good time.

Noodle

Lindsey had us up and out early this morning for a pre-breakfast walk around East Melbourne and the city centre.  She came home and got ready to go to work.  Ian, The Builder and I continued our walk in the sunshine and ended up in Federation Square for breakfast.  The Builder had a Big Fed breakfast.  I have no idea how he managed to finish it.  Ian and I had poached eggs and bacon and shared a bowl of fruit. That was really enough to keep me going for quite some time!

The Builder and his Big Fed. Photo (c) Ian Graham 2012

No photo album today.  I'll send you the link when it's ready in a few days time