It was one year on Tuesday since I picked up the keys to my flat, although I didn't properly move in until the following Saturday, when I brought the cats down from Ballarat and we stayed overnight for the first time. I had been running up and down the highway during that week, bringing stuff down and starting to unpack things that weren't waiting for the furniture, which came on the Thursday. I have never really known whether to count the Monday or the Saturday as THE Anniversary, but really I think it has to be the day I got the keys and the flat actually became mine.
I bought it some flowers as a birthday present.
I don't really remember now when it stopped feeling like a holiday place and began to feel properly like home. I think it was when I decided I absolutely did not like the severely uncluttered look and bought some rugs and other cosy and/or cute things. I'll take some comparative One Year On photos of the inside the next time there is a sunny day
There wasn't an anniversary on Wednesday but Matthew came down from Warragul to spend a couple of days with William, who lives not far from my place. He came on the train so called in for coffee when he got to the city.
Thursday was Jim's third anniversary. I noted it when I got up (it was on the calendar and in my online diary). Then I went into work for a couple of hours. I met Lindsey for lunch in a little Japanese cafe/restaurant called Chiaki in Collingwood that she had found when she walked past it recently. It does rather nice food. I have added it to my eating list. Later I went to the first Japanese class since it moved from Wednesday to Thursday. Lindsey came too. The class starts at 4:20 and finishes at 6:30 (there's a 10 minute break mid way), which works better for me than 5:30 to 7:40. It's still eating time in my world when I get home just after 7, and it isn't eating time if I don't get home until 8:15 or a bit later. I never quite worked out when to have meals on Wednesdays when there was a Japanese class in the city at 5:30!
I marked Jim's anniversary when I got back in the evening by toasting him with a glass of wine and eating savoury mince with mashed potatoes and lots of green vegetables. No runner beans, alas, but broad beans and peas are coming back into season and I got some asparagus that had come from Darwin. It's not ready in the southern states yet. Jim was very fond of broad beans, peas and asparagus, not to mention mashed potato and gravy. He rather liked savoury mince as well. He would have enjoyed the dinner. He would have enjoyed last night's dinner too. Almost a re-run of Thursday's but with a grilled pork chop with apple sauce rather than savoury mince.
Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of my arriving back in Australia to live. I noted it but didn't do anything specific to mark it. Matthew and William came around at lunchtime for a cuppa, then we went and inspected a small flat and a bed-sit/studio apartment. William's flat is a bit dark and gloomy and he has been considering the possibility of moving. These flats were in my building but in the north tower. It was rather fun looking at them. They didn't look over the harbour but over the city - you could see the bay, though. Then they both went back to Warragul and I came back to my place.
I have embarked on a One Year On sort through of my cupboards, drawers and fridge and freezer. I started with the freezer, primarily to remind myself what is in it. I must shop from the freezer until I have cleared it out a bit. Then I think I will start in the cupboard by the front door and work my way around in a clockwork manner.
The Enterprize was moored across the road when I got off the tram after lunch on Thursday afternoon. It used to moor across the harbour near the Banksia building but it left some weeks ago. I think it has moved to its new base in Williamstown. It was a pleasant surprise to see it visiting Docklands.
It is a beautiful ship
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