All change, please!

In the event, we picked up the keys to the new place on Friday afternoon.

We spent most of Saturday moving things from one place to the other.  Freyja and Simon heroically took large things around on Lindsey and Ian's three wheeled trolley. Jim and I took smaller things around by the carload. By the time we had to stop, midway through the afternoon we had almost cleared Tani #1 and made a start on sorting out Tani #2

First meal at the new place

Then Ian took Freyja to work in Melbourne and Simon back to their place.  Jim, Lindsey and I made our way to East Melbourne. Ian joined us there and we headed to Southbank for the RMG Christmas Knees Up.

I must say that neither Lindsey nor I was particularly looking forward to it.  Noisy, crowded wine bars have never been a favourite haunt for either of us, not even in our younger days. But, you know - it wasn't too bad.  They had set a section of the bar aside for us.  We were at the front and the windows were all open. We could see the river. The wine flowed. The food wasn't bad at all and there was plenty of it.  All in all, it was a good evening - much better than we had anticipated.

Frannie, Jim and Lindsey
down by the riverside.
Photo by Ian

Sunday breakfast. Blueberry muffins straight out of the oven. No, I didn't make them.  There's a cafe beneath our feet at the flat in East Melbourne.  They were taking them out of the oven as I walked in in search of coffee and muffins.

Then Lindsey, Jim and I headed back to Ballarat.  A visit to the Christmas Makers' Market at the netball stadium and then back to Buninyong to the Men's Shed pop up shop where we bought a wooden Christmas tree and a reindeer.  There wasn't room for both the tree and me in the car, so Lindsey took the tree and Jim back to Tani #2 and then came back for me.  In the meantime I went to the bakery for pies for lunch and was chatting to the bloke who is opening a new noodle place next to the bakery when Lindsey came back for me

New tree, outside our front door.
I will decorate it, but closer to Christmas.

No pets allowed at our new place
but they surely can't object to my very cute reindeer

Jim and I slept at the new place on Sunday night and spent most of Monday emptying Tani #1. There is now perhaps half a carload of stuff to take around.  Tani #2 is now filled with boxes and crates and stuff everywhere. It won't take long to sort out but many things will not be in their final resting place, as it were.  Oddly, there are more cupboards and drawers in the new place.  I say "oddly" because I had always thought that the first place had loads of storage space and had expected there to be a bit less in a slightly smaller place.  Only I don't think it actually is very much smaller. It's just arranged slightly differently. And I think that Freyja is right when she says that the new place is cosier than the first.  I think, once we get it sorted out, it will do Quite Nicely.

But first we have to clean Tani #1 to within an inch of its life.  I want my bond back!

We had visitors at Lindsey and Ian's place the other evening. They certainly made themselves at home